hospital. the d.c. fire department tweeted this video of the two alarm fire a few hours ago. you can see there heavy fire from the roof. it took them about two hours to light the fire from inside. still no word on what caused the fire. crews remain on the scene putting out hot spots. new this morning, anger and hurt on the campus of american university after images of confederate flags popped up off of campus. ten with cotton branches were found at three different locations on campus. this happened on the same night the school unveiled its plans for an anti-racism center. that was created in response to bananas found hanging from nooses back in may. no arrests have been made in that case. adam tuss will join us live for a look at the search for the person responsible for the latest incident. more than a week since shantee billy's parents have heard from her. >> billy's mother refuses to

that herr daughter is alive. no one has seen the prince gorges county woman since monday, september 18th. >> that is billy's car arriving at little creek in norfolk. after going through the gate, she vanished. she never showed up for the shift. hours later her cell phone turned up in a dumpster. five days later investigators found her car on a dead end road. >> something tells me she's okay. she's scared and she's hurt, but she's okay. i feel that she's okay. she's still with us. i feel that. >> billy was living in norfolk while attending school. the fbi is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts. more breaking news now about a killing in temple hills this morning. >> prince gorges county police just put out some new information. angie goff is at the live desk. what are they saying, angie? >> not

information but we have new video. a man was shot and killed on rocky mountain drive. this is in temple hills as you mentioned. the officers there are looking for clues. this is in a neighborhood that can be found at the end of the wlok. police say the shooting happened just before 1:00 in the morning. they do not have any information regarding any suspects but they are asking for any kind of help that they can get from the public. obviously it's a story that we will follow up and as the morning goes on. un? >> angie, thank you. a woman was killed while she was crossing the street in gaithersburg. she was walking across muddy branch road last night when a lexus es ran her over. she died. she was 76 years old. now to the latest assault on a metro bus driver. metro transit police say the woman that you see here, allison thomas, was arrested on tuesday after assaulting a

driver with a bottle of sunny delight. thomas got on the bus with two children and became upset after the driver drove off before they were seated. you remember this assault that happened on the x2 metro bus. the video here, a different woman threw a cup of urine on the driver. both women charged with simple assault. now to the developing crisis in puerto rico and the governor says there is no running water in only 5% of the island has power. today 10 d.c. police officers will head to san juan to help puerto rico's state police force. this is more than an assignment for the officers. most have worked there before or have family there. one officer said a week after maria hit he was finally able to hear his son's voice. >> i wiped my tears for a second and went back to the mission. i'm happy he can call me.

people in puerto rico that need help. >> he said the officers will also bring supplies and satellite phones. kwhu thi when you think of the devastation left behind, the road to recovery is very long. this is still just the beginning nkts the fear of not being able to make contact, so little cell phone service. >> wishing them all the best. fema also says it is sending thousands more troops and a navy hospital ship to the island. >> the help is arriving a little late for some people who say this past week has been unbearable. news 4 cameras were there when maria vasquez lopez finally reunited with her 85-year-old mother. she along with a niece and nephew arrived at ragan national airport last night. the family waited five hours in line to get on a plane yesterday. they told us while they're happy to be here in the

are still thinking of everybody back home. >> president trump will visit puerto rico next tuesday. twitter is considering giving us more space to express ourselves. that's one way to put it. >> yeah, right. the social media giant is testing out a new 280 character limit with a small group of users right now. so in this announcement twitter said 140 characters isn't enough space for some to express themselves. >> or it's too much space. >> that's the reality. a lot of people are reacting to this saying they would not like that change and some people want twitter to come up with an edit feature instead. >> i would prefer the edit feature over 280 characters. you don't want to delete the tweet. >> exactly. tweet us. lets us know what you think about the idea of longer tweets. >> i thought the whole point of twitter was to keep it brief? >> that's what i thought. >> if you now have 200 --

the purpose. go to facebook if you want that. >> pick up a phone and talk to people. >> imagine that. >> nobody talks anymore. >> text them. >> that's crazy talk. >> we should come up with a name for the he had diet feature. instead of a hot button we'll call it the kufefe button. >> i think twitter is trying to compete with facebook because you can go on and on with facebook. >> i know that feeling. >> well, i'm still going to keep mine short. i don't care what the word count is. i think i keep it shorter than what it is anyway. right now at 74 degrees in washington, if you're about to step outside, it is comfortable. 67 degrees. as you are about to leave the house for this commute, nice by 7:00 a.m. 74 degrees. quickly, very quickly we warm up to the mid 80s by lunchtime. warmer than

near 90. chance of a stray shower coming up. we'll be able to show you that shower across the area. we'll talk about when the fall weather will finally arrive. let's check your commute with jack taylor. he's back. good morning. >> good morning, sheena. our issue is in the northwest. clean up at 15th street and euclid. the fire can get knocked down. maryland 50 westbound in buoy. they're in the process of picking it up. it's two miles of cones to pick up out of the roadway. may take a little bit. 395 at glebe road. 4:37 now. tickets to see the nationals in the first round of the playoffs go on sale today. if you want

season plan, the tickets go on sale at 10:00. for the general public will go on sale thursday. first game is scheduled for friday, october 6th. price harper returned last night. he missed 40 games. harper's teammate said he couldn't wait to start playing. >> team manager dusty baker said harper was like a little kid on the first day of little league. >> that's the way you have to play with that excitement. that's when you know. >> every day is a new day. >> like us. >> excited about it, want to be there. love your teammates, like us. >> that's what i just said. >> yes. 4:38 right now. anthem

players protest. now the ravens are feeling the fallout. who won't be returning to baltimore's fields. >> what started as a fire investigation turned into much more. coat was dis

you're watching "news 4 today." ♪ ♪

new fallout from these nfl protests during the national anthem. the baltimore ravens will now have to find a new singer. singer joey otems has resigned. on in1stagram he wrote this is not an emotional reaction, it's an ethical decision. the tone has convinced him that he does not belong at m&t bank stadium. he won a competition to become the national anthem singer at ravens home games. >> he is also a combat veteran. >> time now, 4:42. good morning. it is pretty comfortable when you walk out the door, but also dry. later this afternoon we do have a chance for a few isolated showers, kind of few and far between. coming up in just a bit, we'll show you who may be able to expect. most areas around 70 degree

>> plus, enjoy a night out inside your home. the popular chain that will deliver your dinner and drinks to your door. >> that's dangerous. still ahead, security breech at a burger joint. why your lates

good wednesday morning. it is a mild start to your day, but later this afternoon look at these temperatures. near 90 degrees. the normal high is 76 degrees. we are unseasonably warm. it's going to feel like summer. maybe a couple isolated showers. we'll talk about when the fall weather arrives. that's coming up. plus, it started as a fire investigation. now it's turned into something much more. why what lies beneath this house will have you second guessing your neighbors. and smart

the college bound kids across our area. i'm not surprised. we have so many great schools, smart kids, high achievers. parents, too, i'm just saying. >> i'm sure. >> it's now 4:46. a candidate backed by president trump is defeated in the senate race being watched across the country. >> conservative roy moore took the stage in victory after he beat out luther strange in the alabama primary. president trump endorsed and campaigned for strange. moore's victory over strange was a landslide winning with a nearly 10% margin. moore will go on to face democrat doug jones in a december special election. 4:46 right now. another defeat on the health care front and many in the republican party. the senate will not vote on a bill to replace the affordable care act after three republicans voiced opposition. >> what's next? news 4's tracie potts is live on

capitol hill. another defeat. what happens? >> reporter: well, they put it on the back burner for now, eun and aaron. republicans saying they want to effect some change on health care reform, they can't seem to get the votes together right now. they were one vote short of trying to get this done. they could afford to lose two, they lost three votes. right now they shelved that while they deal with tax reform with a plan to try to come back around to it at some point. not clear whether or not they'll be able to do that before the end of the year. this was the third time they tried to repeal and replace obamacare this year and it went down in defeat. >> tracy, looks like the press's now shifting focus to tax reform. what can we expect to ham from him today. the vice president stays here with republicans as they make the announcement of the details from a source who's familiar with the discussions telling nbc that it will include

the corporate tax rate from 35 to 20%. that's not quite as low as the president wanted it, but obviously a significant drop. they think it will score jobs. the individual tax rates most of us pay would shrink from seven brackets to three brackets. they're also planning on holding on to popular deductions like home mortgage, charitable distributions. child tax credits, those could go up. >> tracie pots on the hill. thank you. neighbors of a bethesda home you see here are demanding answers this morning. >> firefighters say they found hoarding conditions. >> reporter: bethesda neighbors are waiting to find out what caused this fatal fire. >> wonder whether there was anything wrong with the house itself or w

line or whether there was something strange going on there and we just don't know. >> reporter: investigators are finding underground tunnels dug around the house, a piece of heavy earth moving equipment sits in the backyard. investigators are collecting and testing chemicals that are stored here. they're finding electrical wiring and hoarding conditions in the basement with piles of all kinds of materials. >> the investigators right now believe that we have narrowed down the area of origin in the home, but they're not comfortable right now in saying exactly what was the cause of the fire and what was the first material that was ig nierd in the fire. they're keeping this under lock and ky in case criminal charges need to be filed. news 4 capture of this exclusive video as officers took a 10th grade boy into custody at potomac high

gun yesterday. this all started when a teacher spotted the boy exchanging cash with another teen who was trespassing. a school resource officer was immediately called and the school was put on lockdown. the lockdown was lifted about two hoarse -- after two hours. the school's principal does not want students to be alarmed. they're still looking for the teeb who was trespassing on campus. the money you're investing in your student's education seems to be working. they're releasing information about the s.a.t. and a.c.t. maryland students tend to get higher scores on the a.c.t. than the s.a.t. >> there you go. >> and maryland and virginia both have really great state schools and so you get that great education, lower tuition costs. i'm going to be working until i'm 100 to pay college. i d k

do. >> pay for your kids' college. >> right. you'll get it back though. you go broke putting them through college. they all become doctors -- >> from your tloips god's ears, chuck bell. lord have mercy. please. >> it's going to be another sizzler. >> you do have that one artistic kid. >> yeah. >> wait a minute. now the artists are going to get upset with me. >> see. >> i was an artsy kid. >> all right. out we go. it's -- september has turned from a cool and wet month into a warm and dry one before our very eyes. no rain in the last two weeks. we now have had less than half of our average rainfall for the month after a very wet start. temperature wise we were more than 8 degrees below average through the first eight or nine days of the month. we've eaten that deficit away. we're now one degree higher for the entire month. temperatures have been higher in the second half than t

half. 74 degrees before the sun is up. keep in mind our average high temperature for today's date is 75. the sun isn't up and we're within the average high one within degree. planning your day out, plan on heat and humidity by late september standards. there will be a small chance for a stray shower along and to the east of i-95 of what is maria. some of the outer most reaches will come our way. here's future weather. here's 3:00. one little arc of rain chances along i-95. that retreats into parts of southern maryland. a slight chance of showers today. a gusty northwest wind. slightly lower chances. down to 80. way less humid, jack taylor. it will almost be chilly by sunday morning. >> you used the word chilly. thank you so much. crews working on the rock creek

hang out until 6 or 6:15. traffic alternating one at a time. ongoing fire department activity along 15th street at euclid street. euclid is blocked from 16th to 14th. there is work clearing on i-70 westbound. 27 in mount air ri. the left lane is getting by westbound. eastbound lanes affected. westbound volume pretty light. they should be wrapped up in the next few minutes ♪ i can't believe i'm out here on the front porch in the swing just a swinging ♪ >> shocking the stars of "the voice." ahead at 5:00, we'll show you the best of last night's blind auditions. >> he looks like a blake guy. >> isn't that funny? >> can you imagine not being able to get behind the wheel? where wen willom

ralphcandidate for governor,rtham, and i sponsored this ad. they're studying for 21st century jobs. but ed gillespie supports donald trump's plan

private schools. as a washington dc lobbyist, ed gillespie worked for lenders trying to keep student loan rates high. and ed gillespie's plan to cut taxes for the wealthy could cut virginia school funding, too. ed doesn't stand for education.

you're watching "news 4 today." welcome back. another data breech to tell you about. this time it's at sonic. nearly 5 million credit and debit card numbers from sonic customers were put up for sale on a theft website earlier this month. that story was first reported from a site krebs on security. it's possible that other parts of the company's security system were breached as well.

continue to investigate. p.f. changs is working to make your deal better. they're working with door bash. 12 california restaurant locations are currently testing this service out. guests apparently are able to choose their favorite brew or blend to pair with their meals. >> now that you mentioned that, i want chinese food. >> see. >> this. it's 4:57. if you need a little fitness motivation today, you are in luck. it is national women's health and fitness day. that is a day for women -- that means you're off the hook? >> that means i'm off the hook. you've got to do it. >> this is a day for women everywhere to put their health and fitness first. this is a big deal. four waste yys you can celebrat. consider changing things up and trying something new like that fitness class you wanted to tryout. secretary find a workout buddy and hold each other accountable. i heard

hours. third, eat and drink for your health and fuel your body for those workouts. finally, change in habits. taking the elevator, try taking the stairs. >> little things. >> can't do it all at once. a lot of you will jump into your car this morning and not even think twice about it but there are some people around the world who are not allowed to drive. >> it's hard to believe. that is all about to change though. women in saudi arabia who were not allowed to get behind the wheel will soon be able to apply for a license. the announcement came on twitter yesterday from the ultra conservative kingdom. >> i guess that's progress. well, if you've ever had to take that uphill walk from the woodley park metro station to the national zoo, listen, it's a hike. try pushing a stroller up that hill. some relief is coming for

it's a parking garage. the zoo is planning to spend $50 million on a parking garage and service garage that will have more than 1,000 spaces and will be build by 2020. the garage will mean less time waiting for a space and it's expected to help traffic congestion near connecticut after and brock way park. any time it's a nice day. that entire area, i live on the back side of the zoo, it's clogged. the metro is not far. you take families, you have strollers. >> i've driven that distance. never walked it. wouldn't do it. >> woodland park metro to the zoo you think is far? >> yes, it's got to be ten blocks. >> oh, my goodness. it's not far. it's not far. >> you take that walk. knock yourself out. stay with us. news 4 continues right now at 5:00 a.m. "news 4 today" starts now. breaking now at 5:00 a.m. embassy up in flames. new video of the overnight firefight inside the

never showed up for her shift. disturbing new details in the search for a woman missing for more than a week. >> twitter is starting a new trend of its own. why you could soon have double the space to express yourself. ♪ ♪ >> there you go. a new set of stars shining on the voice. we'll tell you who to keep your eye on this season. she is going to be interesting. if she likes you, she's throwing shoes. she is e she's standing up. >> which apparently is a good thing. >> in certain cultures that's not okay. >> would you throw your milanos? >> no. if i had those i would never throw them. are you kidding me? >> minolos. >> milanos is a cookie. >> don't throw a cookie either. >> a mint milano, forge