news, ambushed while they were working out. an exercise class becomes a crime seen when a gunman opens fire killing three people before turning the gun on himself into at this hour we're waiting for the return of two american journalists to american soil. they were released by bill clinton. and we'll look at his role in the release and the relations with north korea. and safety and service will decline on metro. that is the message from metro's general manager as he begged congress for money to solve metro's problems. good morning. i'm allison seymour. >> and i'm steve chenevey. the date is august 5th, 2009. it is another muggy morning but a beautiful view of the washington monument this morning. well get to weather in a moment. but first there is another story you'll be talking about at work today. an idol shocker, folks. paula abduhl saying she has

quit the show, not coming back for next season. reps for fox and idol have confirmed this. how did they get to this. we'll share how paula broke the news and what a top idol producer has to say about it. and we'll head out to redskins training camp and for another installment of dave versus dave and we'll find out who was the best kicker. and last year dave ross had progress in the kicking department. >> this one might be a clear winner today. >> we'll see. and now straight up 7:00 and tony perkins has a look at the weather. >> it was a warm start for the day. a beautiful picture of the wash -- the washington monument. good morning. we'll show you the current conditions reported at reagan national where it's 74 degrees at this hour. 68% humidity. and that's been falling during the course of the morning so that's nice. winds out of the north at 6 miles per hour.

barometic pressure is on the rise. here is a look at the satellit arrad for the eastern ucau n dstates, ayo u can see that cloud cover that is going to be . king it's way irehe right now skies look decent but more clouds will build in as the day progresses. a cold front will come in and that will trigger showers. a lot of clouds around. scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. hot and humid with a high of about 90 degrees. that's a look at the weather. now let's get an update on the traffic and for that we'll go to lauren demarco in for julie this morning. good morning, tony. right now at burnt mill road, reports of a wreck there. and in montgomery county, we do have slow traffic building here. this is the outer loop passing colesville road. the delays begin after new hampshire avenue. we're told there is a minor wreck near connecticut avenue. not sure as to which side of the roadway that is on.

we're waiting for more information there, but delays are building on the outer loop from silver spring in toward bethesda. the outer loop slows in virginia. very serious accident there. it's the outer loop after 66 before route 50. here we are at route 7, this is where your delay begins. heavy on the brakes, an over turned pickup truck on the left side. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. we are following two developing stories today. one, the return of those captured american journalists from north korea and we'll have more on that in a minute. but first we start with chaos at a health club as a man went on a deadly rampage in an exercise class. it happened last night in an l.a. fitness center. the man walked into the exercise room, fiddled with a duffle bag, turned off the lights and started shooting. when he stopped three women

were dead and then he killed himself. >> i was working out and i heard a bunch of gunshots and saw everybody run. >> i helped carry the one girl out and she got shot in the thigh and she kept saying she was going to die. >> two people remain in critical condition. people say one victim was the girl's ex-girlfriend. police say the man left a note in his duffle bag but did not release the details. and the journalists imprisoned in north korea were released. with them is former president bill clinton who took on the high-stakes mission to secure their release and doug luzader takes a closer look at how this came together. >> reporter: the white house called this a private mission by the former president, but its clear the administration was involved in making a deal with north korea. laura ling and una lee, and

their first taste of freedom since march, boarding a plane that will bring them home and greeting bill clinton, who helped orchestrate their release. back home relieved family as wait their return. >> it's been 140 days. we are overjoyed that she's going to be back. >> reporter: north korea state television trumpeting the meeting between bill clinton and kim jong-il. they say bill clinton had arrived after a deal -- was already worked out. arranging a high profile visit by a former president gained their release. >> it is showing the north korea of a benefit of a relationship with the united states. >> reporter: some say it rewards bad behavior that has

tested international will time and time again, developing nuclear technology and aggressively testing missiles. >> bringing a former president to north korea is a life line of legitimacy for kim jong-il and other states with watching this -- are watching this, to our detriment. >> reporter: but for the journalists, a five month long deal is coming to an end. president obama did contact the women's milies last night. in washington, doug luzader, fox 5 news. so what does that mean with with north korea. joining us now the director of the north korea studies. good morning. >> good morning. thank you for having me here. >> the release now of the two american journalists, what message should we derive from this? >> i think we should see this

mission for what it was, a narrowly defined mission to bring the two journalists back. despite the 3 hour conversation with kim jong-il, and i'm sure much was discussed, but in terms of perhaps carrots or promised to be made if north korea came back tothe discussion table, i think that remains to be seen. but we'll know that in the next few days. >> looking at the pictures sitting around that negotiating table. one does have to wonder what possibly -- what could the talks have centered around and you say this should become public knowledge but yet we didn't really know that president clinton was even headed to the area. do you think that we will ever find out what happened out of those talks? >> i believe so. because the press reports now show that quite a bit of a number of people have been

involved in the discussion with the north koreans, the new york channel and also private discussions from academics who have ties to north korea. so i think things were said. my guess is that president bill clinton gently reminded north korea to live up to its previous agreement, that the new administration is willing to take a fresh look at all issues concerning north korea, but the first immediate step is for north korea to come back to the discussion table. >> what could this mean for the future of u.s.-north korea relations? >> well it's early to tell. i'm somewhat optimistic that this could jump start the talks that stopped toward the end of last year. but what i fear is that perhaps

this opportity will just lead to more talks, a return to the six-party process or some other means of just simply talking to north korea without getting to our objective, which is to completely dismantle the nuclear weapons program in north korea. >> some say that this does send the wrong message, that we are willing to negotiate with people that we have not had talks with in the past or in the recent past. do you think this does send the wrong message? >> i think it's too early to tell. i think the new administration should be commended for a measured response. it showed firmness in dealing with north korea and that a presidential visit by a former president, bill clinton, would

not somehow lead to a buffet table of concessions. i don't think that is likely to happen. this is a very tough issue. north koreans are determined to keep their nuclear weapons and trying to get north korea to seize its weapons program will be very, very difficult and it will be a long, arduous process. >> jaeku, thank you so much for your insight, sir. >> thank you very much. and now another hot spot where americans are being held n. iran officials are deciding whether to charge three americans with spying. they were claimed to cross the unmarked border with iran. the state department the three are spies. hillary clinton has called for their release. 10 minutes after the hour and police need your help to

investigate a man that was hit and killedon the b.w. parkway last night. and why metro transit authority say without more money, riders could be at risk. and let's check in with dave at redskins camp this morning. >> reporter: coming up in the next segment, dave versus dave, we'll do some kicking. you have to get loose, stretch out the hammy and the quads. that's what i'm doing in the trainers room. dave versus dave p next and m in serious pain and obably some problems with -- oh. [ growning ] creating onlinbanking tools for the next generation. or making a 10 year, $100 million investment in kids. it's how we've always done business. and will for a very long time to come.

pnc. leading the way. ...at the jcpenney back to school huge sale. tired of waiting for your savings? with an instant money coupon from jcpenney, get $10 off instantly when you spend 0. save on night and day doorbusters. like, junior's arizona tees and tanks for only $4.99 young men's shorts are $9.99 get instant savings on the styles you ve with instant money from jcpenney. check your newspaper or go to jcp.com

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police are asking for your help as they look into the death of a man walking on the b.w. parkway. the man was hit and killed last night as he tried to cross 295

near route 450. investigators say this was not a hit-and-run and want to hear from drivers who saw the man walking or witnsed that accident. your safety on metro will decline if something is not done quickly. that's the message from metro general manager john catoe to a group of lawmakers. he is pleading for more medal dollars -- federal dollars to keep commuters safe. sarah simmons joins us live from downtown with more on the metro money matters. >> reporter: he made the plea before a senate subcommittee yesterday but lawmakers on capitol hill are paying attention to this after the june 22nd crash on the red line. now catoe was saying that the money is needed for improvements but not just that, but just in order to keep the system safe. he is saying that the lack of money is the main problem at this point and the transportation officials say that more than $11.4 billion is needed over the next 10 years

and $150 billion for the next fiscal year. it's a request that has been approved for $150 million. d.c., maryland and virginia have agreed to match the money and metro has stepped up efforts to get the federal dollars because budget issues are a problem for local governments that do fund metro. john catoe spoke about the need for funding over the next decade before the subcommittee. >> these needs include replacing oldest rail cars, including those that were involved in the tragic accident on june 22nd. we need monies to replace the leaking tunnels and crumbling platforms. upgrading our tracks and associate infrastructure, to fix escalators and elevators and to replace about 100 buses each year. >> reporter: now general manager catoe went on to compare metro to somebody's house. this house being 33 years old and says it needs more than just a spring cleaning, he says

it needs a major overhaul. back to you. >> sayre you -- sarah, thank you. it is 7:16. let's check in with tony. >> let's get right to it and show you the temperatures at the area airports going up and down this morning. reagan national has gone back up to 75 and dulles and bwi have fallen off. 71 at bwi this morning. here is the temperatures across the country. we're 74 here. 74 in boston. 76 in raleigh. out to the west. 49 in bismarck. wichita, 84. and dallas warming up and then it will make it eastward. and then oenix is at 94 degrees heghrit now. some rain showers out to the westacross portioofnswe nt , kee thnswest virginia area as well. that is e somprecipitation

associated with a cod front that will be making it's ayw eastward. some good storms moving south sw sii isipg p mississippi river, arkansas and mississippi and southwestern portions of tennessee, pretty good little storm complex down there moving in a rather unusual fashion. here is a look at the five-day forecast. for us, a high today of about 90 degrees. afternoon showers and thunderstorms are possible. tomorrow maybe some lingering precipitation early part of the day. friday looks good. saturday and sunday look hot. that's the weather. more coming up in a little bit. let's check in with lauren and find out what is happening in the world of traffic this morning. >> hey, guys. new reports of a car fire, braddock road at southhampton. inbound 295 slowsfrom burros to kenilworth. northbound 95 in maryland, dealing with a wreck as you approach route 32. the ramp to westbound 32 is blocked with that accident. traveling the outer loop of the beltway in maryland, heading around from college park toward

silverspring into bethesda, you're going to be on the brakes. here we are at university boulevard toward colesville road because of an accident near the mormon temple on the left shoulder, so hopefully some will ease out but also impacted by some of the volume we usually see on this stretch of the outer loop. in virgia, the accident on the beltway, the outer loop at route 50 is gone. cleared out of the roadway for your delays on the eased but damage is done on 66. take a look at this. inbound, this is 123 just after waffle mills road toward viea, nutley street, on the brakes all wait intthe beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. we're getting close to a week now at skins training camp and it doesn't seem being around star players is helping dave ross all that much. >> hold on a minute. dave is live in ashburn this morning. i beg to differ, dave. >> reporter: allison, thank you very much for the support.

it's unwaiving and i appreciate it. steve, that's another story for another day. today it's about the kicking. shawn suisham took dave and i aside to give us some pointers. it's all about getting the ball through the upright, and let's see who did a better job. let's find out. >> dave felt man and dave ross and we have done the catching from jason campbell and the blocking from chris samuels and now we have to do the kicking. does one of us have a look aesthetically. >> you have the look of a 1970s kicker. >> you look like an intellectual. >> i'm not smart. >> you look like a little janikowski. >> you need a few butt kickers

to get the hamstring ready. >> we'll do some butt kickers. >> why are you laughing? >> whoa. >> you can get hurt kicking a ball. >> sure you can. >> i'll take my first step down field and kick the ball down the field and my eyes stay on the ball. >> i'm going with how many fingers behind my back. >> i'm going with one. >> was that the worst kick you've ever seen? >> it was that bad last year. >> if he works with an athlete, things can get better. >> he has gone to the cleat. keep your eyes on the ball the whole time. >> and it won't get there. >> don't miss the despair. >> wow. was that perfect? do you still want them to vote

on this? >> good effort. [ laughter ] >> good work, guys. >> reporter: okay. you know the drill by now. go to myfoxdc.com, click on the sports tab and vote. or don't. because really, i don't know how i can spin this one in my favor, people. it was awful. i stand before you a humbled and troubled man this morning, because last year i did it on live tv, i drilld it through the upright and then with no pressure on me, and i mean i have to beat dave feldman on kicking -- >> we should have rolled the film from last year. >> that's a good idea. can we do that? feldy can't handle the pressure. >> you would have to get him up early in the morning to get him out there. >> which is impossible. so i win by default.

>> he made mark moseley proud with the straight on kicking style. >> reporter: he went old school. coming up next hour, we are going to have shawn suisham come out and talk about the pressures of kicking in the nfl. >> you guys can relate then. >> reporter: i know all about the pressure, unfortunately. >> looking forward to that coming up. and there is still tomorrow. >> reporter: exactly. 7:22 right now. standing behind his commitment to d.c. schools the mayor makes a change for his own children's education. that's coming up next. plus a one of a kind reunion coming to a d.c. hospital. 14 patients involved in a 7-way kidney transplant are coming together. some meeting for the very first time. it is a getaway without going far away. you can still have a vacation and stay close to home. that is what holly is doing. she has some tips for us coming

up.

the mayor making good on a promise about his kids. he has confirmed they will attend d.c. public schools this year. the twin boys had been at private schools that had them through third grade. it's not clear what elementary school the kids will attend. reports say it's between eaton, murch, key, jane and lafayette. the president of lafayette said that they have looked at their school. a largest kidney exchange in one city and those people will meet this morning. donors who matched close enough to ' s plasma to lower anti-

bodies to accept another person's--- organs. up next we'll update the day's stories. paula abduhl quitting. how she broke the story coming up. (announcer) fact. the soft places we love

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checking our top story this is morning. chaos at a health club. a man opened fire at an l.a. fitness jim in pittsburgh last night. witnesses say the man walked into an exercise class and turned off the lights and started firing. he hit three women and then killed himself. there are reports that his ex- girlfriend may have been one of the targeted. euna ling and laura ling are on a flight home. yesterday bill clinton traveled to the communist nation to negotiate their release. they are were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for sneaking into the country and illegally engaging in hostile acts. they snuck in and then engaged in hostile acts were the allegations. metro says it's problems

boiled down to one thing -- money. and it needs more to fix it. yesterday john catoe begged for more funding to aid the aging metro rail system. they said over the next ten years they need $50 billion. a bill is moving through the senate now. now to the big american idol bombshell that dropped late last night. paula abduhl says she's quit the show. she announced online she won't return for the 9th season. apparently paula failed to reach a contract agreement with producers. here is the stement that she posted on her twitter last night. she says with sadness in my heart i have decided not to return. i will miss nurturing the new talent but being part of the show that i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. a statement from fox followed her tweet saying abduhl was quote, an important part of the idol family and that we are sadenned that she has decided

not to return to the show. this now leaves judges simon cowell, randy jackson and cara dioguardi who fox just announced would be back for her second season. all right. it is 7:32 right now as we take another look at the forecast for today. >> that news knocked me out of my seat. >> it did. >>hat's awful. let's look at what is going on -- that will be a entirely different show without her. maybe more sensible. but she brought something to the show. >> she was nurturing and that's what was needed sometimes. >> we'll see what happens. and let's look at the weather conditions around the region. we start with weather headlines. currently -- you're waking up to a nice humid day, folks. storms arrive this afternoon. lingering showers and then the

heat builds in. current temperatures around the region. we are at 75 here in d.c. 70 at dulles. baltimore is 71 degrees. fredericksburg 71 degrees. winchester is at 68 at this hour. here is a look at the satellite radar composite for the eastern united states. it's more active. this system that -- some of you can't see it. if you have a wide creen tv, there is ainteresting system out to the est, a thunderstorm complex called a directo. it's it's own thunderstorm not associating with any other system. meanwhile here, clouds and more clouds will build in as the day progresses and there is a cold front out there bringing some precipitation and showers to us later today. so the forecast looks like this: a warm one, high of about 90 degrees, skies becoming mostly cloudy, scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. then for tonight, overnight lows in the low 70s downtown. again seeing some 60s out

there. could see some lingering showers during the evening. and then the five-day forecast, speaking of lingering showers, could see more morrow and a cooler day, 83, not as humid either. and friday looks like a nice day. saturday and sunday will be hot with highs in the 90s. that's a look at what is happening with the weather. now let's get an update on traffic from laen demarco. maybe we should call paula abduhl and see if she'll do idol chatter with us. >> that is a great idea. let's call her, she'll reject us immediately. but it is a good idea. >> we can make the attempt. >> we can try, why not. maybe she would do that. we'll look into it. allison says no. >> she's just afraid paula might steal her thunder. >> oh, wow, i'm staying out of this. a new incident southbound bw parkway, car fire off to the

right side of the road. also spilled milk, but don't cry about it because it's being picked up. the ramp to 32 was carrying milk that spilled across the roadway but they are reopening the ramp for you, according to a cell caller. right now we did clear the accident on the outer loop of the beltway in virginia that was tieing things up, heading from route 7 towards route 50. but we are on the brakes leaving the mixing bowl in springfield, heading past van dorn toward eisenhower avenue once you get to the woodrow wilson bridge, up to speed. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. it is only fitting that during the dog days of summer that citizens are barking mad at congress and not being shy about saying so. joining us now for the top political story peter fenn and jim innocency. good to see you, gentlemen.

this comes out of the whole health care debay, but the latest of what happened in pennsylvania, obviously constituents not shy about letting members of congress feel about cerin issues. peter, what did you think? >> i think this is all a put-up job. this is well organized. this is like the comparison i have is voters may remember in 2000 in florida when they had the so-called brooks brothers riot. that was republican operatives flown in and banging on the windows all dressed beautifully but it turns out this wasn't a spontaneous effort. >> so you don't think these are legitimate? >> i have to tell you, this is -- in fact the guy that helped organize the tea party sent out a memo saying the first thing you have to do is spread yourselves around the hall, scream at the member of congress, interrupt them. these aren't civil discourses, these are uncivil actions. >> jim, that would never

happen, would it? >> no. >> this is right out of the white house sheet yesterday. you read these things. come on, man, these people are upset. seniors are going to get hurt. government run health care. and you go on. >> so you're saying this is all spontaneous and a bunch of people coming out. >> you can say this is phony but we'll see how many of those lose next year, the blue dogs for the cap and trade and the stimulus. i have to tell you, buddy, this is more than just organized. there is some anger out there and it's shown in the numbers. the president's numbers are down. they're down because of health care. >> well we'll talk about the economy too, but i think you'll see it going back up. >> but when you talk about health care and the blue dogs, is there this level of disen shun that is being put out there and does it exist. >> you have 52 blue dogs and they represent one of every

five democratic members of congress. this is a complex bill. you're changing one fifth of the economy almost. this is not easy stuff. but my view on this is that you are going to have, and you're seeing it starting now in the house and you'll see it in the senate, you'll have consensus over legislation. but the question is how many republicans will come on board. look, will the president get everything he wants? heck no. will henne waxman get everything he wants? heck no. but i think you'll see a compromise. >> and that's a good thing for american. >> i think so. >> but we said this a couple of weeks ago, they will have a signg in a rose garden about health care reform. it won't be anything like it looks today. but there are some things they can meet on. tim pawlenty talked about the health care reform he used in minnesota where the state employees, they had 5% increase in the cost in health care over the last three years. there are some reforms that do work.

there are some that fail. so i think it will be a question of hopefully picking the right one. how much are republicans looking at this and saying as democrats fight among themselves wee look at beyond this. >> and i think if your opponents are beang themselves up, you stay away and let them shoot themselves in the foot. the blue dogs are upset and it's good for the republics because they have their plans and when the democrats decide to invite them back into the room and as peter said, maybe we'll have some conversations. >> and they'll get credit for getting something done, democrats. and the republicans will -- what did they do while in office? nothing. so there is a record if they pass it to run on.

i think you need an economy is a going on, i think we've seen good signs instead of having 6.4% downward trend we have only 1%. i think the stimulus will work this this quarter. it would have been 4% instead of 1% if the stimulus hadn't been put in place. so all of is will come together. the question is does it come together fast enough. and for this november's elections are going to be tough. i can see it. >> and for democrats. this november is pretty much a foregone conclusion except for maybe virginia. i think 2010 will be a problem. >> let's talk more about the economy. joe biden saying things are okay. but then yesterday saying, the recovery act is working. jim, do you want to take first crack at this. >> you can't wish it to happen. and these guys are wishing it to happen. everybody would love to see the economy turn around but it isn't. if you ask voters, consumer confidence is down. people are being laid off and unemployed. so at the end of the day while

we would like to see it returned, it hasn't returned yet. and that's sparking the anger when we go back to the health care debate. >> but you're right about it right now temporarily. but we were in meltdown phase in january and february and march. we were losing 700,000 jobs a month. we were losing banks. the fact is that they stopped the bleeding with the program, they got in place -- and for crying out loud it's only been several months. money has gone to states. my sense of this is, maybe i'll be wrong, but i won't eat my tie this time, but i do think this is coming up. and i think that unemployment will take longer, you are seeing consumer confidence up. you were seeing the economy improving. so we'll see what happens next year. >> we have less than a minute left. so it doesn't look like we'll

get to your brilliant picks this week. but i want to touch on it because we talked about it earlier this hour, bill clinton in north korea. real quick, good move, bad move? >> bad move. this is an incredible opening. the north koreans want some face. we go the two journalists out of there and instead of hard labor they'll landing in america closely. >> and it's proof that bill clinton can still pick up the chicks. >> leave it to you, jim. >> you are so bad. >> he did. but the funny thing is al gore is still waiting for them and he'll be there with a little umbrella and the global warming. it's a good thing for the president and hillary is in africa so she's nowhere to be found. he always upstages everybody. >> they are both doing a great job. >> and congress getting set for the vacation, and some say not

its best time to take off. you're sending them off in style. >> we're taking a vacation also. >> we're out of here. >> i hope you two get along on your vacation together. >> we will. >> allison back to you. >> i love it. and that's the line of the day. it is now 7:43 on this wednesday morning. her family says she was a working mom who put her children first. that description adding me to the mystery of why she drove the wrong way down a highway for nearly two miles with a van full of children, setting off a deadly accident that killed 8 people. this morning there are shocking new details about what the mother may have been doing before the crash. that's next.

there is disturbing new information this morning on a crash that killed eight people on a new york parkway. investigators say blood tests now reveal that the driver of that minivan, diane schooler, had more than ten drinks in her system and had smoked marijuana 15 minutes before the crash. this happened op a sunday morning as she was taking a van load of children home from a camp trip. she drove the wrong way on a highway and crashed into an suv. she and her 2-year-old daughter and three nieces were among those killed. chris brown will learn his fate today. a judge will sentence him for his attack on rihanna last february.

rihanna will not be in court for the hearing. brown is expected to be handed five years probation, 180 days of community service and a year of domestic violence classes at his sentencing hearing. 7:47 right now. it is a rather warm and muggy start to the day. >> now i've not stepped outside during the last few minutes. it should feel less muggy because the humidity level has come down so hopefully it feels better out there. i'll step outside in a moment. you know what we have not had occasion to do very often ch iasouecs t k season is check out the tropics. >> it's been quiet. >> we'll check them out now. it's still quiet. but i feel like we should check them out. here you go. here is a look down to the south and across the tropics there, across cuba, dominican republic, places like that. there is fog happening. and far out to the east there is a tropical wave but that's it. no named storms and it doesn't

look like anything will come together any time soon. and tucker barnes pointed out there was another year where it was really late before anything happened iat'92 and the first edorm was hurricane andrew. and i'm not saying that will happen this year. so take a look at the eastern satellite radar. vedslit oa some clouds over us. no precipitation this morning y dacoe sewd ule r we could see s cold front in a out to the west that s tracks it's way in. seu ate can the front where the showers are aligned and now we'll go to the surface map and you'll see the front matching. it's a cold front with very warm air here. moist, humid air. cold front moves in. allison, you know what happens when that happens. >> yep. you tell us. >> stormy conditions. thank you for thletting me do i stormy conditions. here is your five-day forecast. high today of about 90 degrees. showers and thunderstorms this

afternoon and evening. tomorrow, lingering showers are possible. but a more comfortable day, 83. friday will be nice and the weekend will be hot. there's a look at the weather. thanks, tony. it is now 7:49, coming up, in spired by his own mom, he is now biking across the united states with a stop here in our area. coming up in the 8:00 hour, we'll meet a man using pedal pow -- power. and let's check if with holly. >> reporter: this is my new best friend. this is a little baby snapping turtle and we found it right here at the regional park where we are live and where we are planning a stay-vacation. why? because there is month left in summer and just because you may not have a lot of money doesn't mean you can't have a lot of fun and not have to go far from home. we'll show you how. it's camping 101 live next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. 

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they call them staycations. holly has the 411. >> reporter: the blowuis not comfortable to lay on, but the tent is fun and camping is fun. and it doesn't have to cost a lot. we're talking about the last month of summer and maybe families didn't go on the beach vacations because they couldn't afford it. it doesn't mean you don't have time or the ability to go ahead and plan these wonderful stay vacations because we live in an area that is just ripe with resources to do just that. we are at pohick bay regional park. let's talk about making the most of the parks that are in our area. >> i think pohick bay offers so many things. we have the water park, the golf course nearby, we have the marina where you can rent boats and fish. we have mini golf and big golf. so you have everything you need

here but you can also travel, we're close to d.c. and the gunston hall area. >> reporter: and this is almost like being at a nature resort. and you don't have to do the tent. you do have cabins, right? >> yes. we have amenities. we have the cabins, we have rv spots. we have tent spots. so whatever your level of comfort with camping is, we have something that meets your needs. >> reporter: do you have a hotel with concierg just kidding. and todd is helping us build our campfire and he's the park manager here. so what do we need to keep in mind? >> see what is up overhead is your safe, not burning any limbs above you. make sure there is nothing around your re ring. most times you want to use like leaves or twigs or something to kindle with. but we have lighter fluid for

charcoal. >> that's what i'm talking about. let's light er up. and are there any rules out here? >> make sure you use the fire rings that we provide or the grills that we provide. and you get a good list of the dos and don'ts when you check in at the camp store. >> reporter: and with that, can you just kind of talk about the things people need to bring when they are camping. >> it's important to bring some bug spray. make sure that you're leaving the area as you found it, so make sure you're able to pack up your trash that you bring with you. there are receptacles throughout the park. make sure you bring a basic safety kit, air mattress makes sleeping better on the ground. >> reporter: and we talked about some fun things for activities. and this is what i like, around the campfire. but casey is a naturalist here and he went out in the park and found us a few critters. >> that's right. and i can bring some of them

right out. this is a guy that you would likely see right on the edge of the bay here. this is a painted turtle. and you can see -- >> reporter: he's beautiful. >> when he gets his bright colors -- that's why he gets his name, the paints turtle, the colors. he has a nice flat shell, webbed feet. not one you find in the campground but in the middle of the summer they come out to lay their eggs since they lay their eggs on land. so usually june or july. and as you get to the later summer, you find smaller turtles hatching out of the eggs. >> reporter: listen, myfoxdc.com is our website. we have a link to pohick bay regional park and north virginia park authority in general of the options. and coming up we'll do camp cooking and see wht other critters casey can round up for us. not ones we put on the fire,

just ones e wntwawe want to in ith. s, tnkhah. lyol >>time n is 7:57. coming up, we'll lyreveal the j of the day. and a cyclist across america in honor of his mother. today he comes through our area and we'll talk with him. stay tuned. fox 5 morning news will be right back.

a developing story from pittsburgh as a fire in a health club, killing three people and injuring nine more. new information ahead at 8:00. then two american journalists in north korea have been freed thank to bill clinton. they are touching down on american soil this morning and we'll keep an eye on developments. and shocking story from american idol camp. one of the judges calling quits. quits. we'll tell you who and the reaction ahead this hour. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. big news. heavy sigh. what is happening? don't ask. we have somes in of our own in the weather department. we could see some thunderstorms around here later on today.

let's take a look at what is happening now as we continue with the warm air over us this morning. 75 degrees. relative humidity 64%. winds out of the northwest at 5 miles per hour. barometic pressure 29.95 and rising. relohea s ok at the satellite radar. eto . nin it will be a while before any r that develops but we a seeing clouds build in as the r morning l tegresroaesanr ltear on today we'll have lots of clouds around as a cold front makes it's w ayin here. so the forecast for today looks like this. we'll call it becoming mostly cloudy. and your temperatures will be warm today, folks. a warm, humid day. highs around 90 degrees. 88 in frederick. 87 in annapolis. 92 in fredericksberg. that's a look at the weather. we'll have more for you coming up in a little bit. stay with us for that. >> sounds good, tony. thanks. let's welcome lauren demarco who is doing traffic for us this morning. >> we were dealing with a new accident on 66 inbound just

after 28 in centreville. some good news for you. here we are -- the accident was right here. we have the merge lane and right lane blocked. as you were talking to me, tony, it cleared out. everybody is at speed heading in from manassas through centreville. and then on the brakes toward the beltway. those delays begin at 123. 95 in maryland, southbound slows from 212 toward the beltway and that's because of our delays that we're seeing on the outer loop. you're going to slow here from college park into silver spring and in towards bethesda. right now that's because of an accident that we had at mormon temple on the outer loop. it has moved off to the shoulder but been there for sometime and causing significant delays through montgomery county. wrapping things up in the district, an accident reported inbound new york avenue just after penn street, before florida avenue. it is a van and pickup truck blocking the right lane. so stay to the left to get by. that's a check of your fox 5 on-

time traffic. new this morning, a peridean has died after being hit by a car on the b.w. parkway near route 450 in prince george's county. this happened last night shortly after 9:00. the victim is a man, no word yet on his identity. the driver of the car stayed on the scene, charges have not been filed. also knew -- new this morning, a triple shooting in the 1600 block of savannah street in southeast. d.c. police say two females and a 17-year-old male was shot. the injuries not life- threatening but no word on a suspect. a man unleashes horror in a health club. a deman man walks into a gym an started fire. three women were dead and nine others hurt. it was at l.a. fitness outside of pittsburgh. ainsley earhart has more details. >> reporter: a lone gunman opens fire on a health club.

witnesses at the l.a. fitness center in pittsburgh says a man caring a duffle bag walked into an exercise room and without warning pulled out two guns and began spraying bullets. the gym was packed. more than 70 people attempting to take cover. some killed instantly. and others were pleading for help. >> i was working out and i heard a bunch of gunshots and i saw everybody run. >> i helped carry the one girl out, she got shot in her thigh and she kept saying she was going to die. >> reporter: the dead included three women and a suspect who turned the gun on himself. the club is trying to figure out who the victims are. >> in the fitness club, they don't have id on them and people are not there that know them. >> reporter: authorities are refusing to discuss the potential motive for the shooting, but the gunman seemed to know where he was going and who he was targeting.

ainsley earhart, fox news. >> one witness said a woman was screaming the shooter was her ex boyfriend and trying to kill her. the two american journalists released from north korea are expected to arrive home in southern california today. laura ling and euna ling were arrested. kim june-il pardoned them after meeting with bill clinton. >> bringing in somebody like president clinton who wa deeply involved in dealing with north korea on its nuclear weapons program during his presidency hopelessly confuses those two issues. it gives kim jong-il a leg up at a time when the regime is under a lot of pressure. >> the two journalists had a

been sentenced to 12 years hard labor. the women are extremely excited to be heading back to the u.s. there is a word of warning from met rose' general manager a month after the deadliest accident in the system's history. most of the problems stem from a lack of money and john catoe says without help from the government your safety is on the line. sarah simmons has more on catoe's pleas for cash. sarah. >> reporter: he made that plea before the senate subcommittee yesterday on banking, housing and urban affairs and it's caught their attention after the june 22nd crash on the redline. catoe was saying yesterday that the money is needed asap. not just to keep it safe and reliable, but also to make improvements and expand capacity if need be in the future. he says the main problem right now is the lack of money for metro. transportation officials say more than $11.4 billion is

going to be needed for the next ten years. $150million for the next fiscal year alone for capital requests. this is a request for $150 million that's already been approved by the house. d.c., maryland and virginia has agreed to match the money. metro has stepped up efforts to get federal money because budget issues are a big problem for local governments that fund metro already. general manager john catoe spoke about the need for funding over the next decade yesterday. >> the funding provided by the federal government is critical to our ability to keep our systems running safely and reliably. if we do not receive sufficient funding now, service as well as safety will decline. >> reporter: now the chairman of that subcommittee was saying yesterday that the crash was really a wake-up call that the nation's transit systems are in dire need of help. and furer, a study released

by the federal transit administration is saying there is the 7 largest rail operators across the country are looking at $50 billion in unmet needs across the country, steve. so obviously a dire situation they're facing now. >> it is no doubt. sarah, thank you for the update. another problem for metro, on monday they got a complaint that a door may have opened on an orange line train. the train is out of service now. this happened between federal center and l'enfant plaza stops. it is not clear how wide the door opened. >> i don't stand near the doors j. for that reason. i always try to find a seat and if not i stand in the middle aisle. >> when a train senses that all of the doors are not closed, while it's moving, the train will indeed come to a stop. >> exactly what happened. metro says the incident brings up a important reminder that riders should not lean on the

doors. the purple line is getting the green light from the governor. it will run along the capital trail linking montgomery and prince george's county. the prathect needs $1.5 billion from the federal government and the goal is to be completed by 2016. the waspishing it's -- pushing it's -- the white house pushing it's economic plan. electric cars were created and thousands of jobs. the vice president and other cabinet members are holding s dit entiver fdi states. and fox 5 trying to help you get a job as we are now featuring our job of t the day. we do this eevy rday during this time. today's opening is a tthe national center on full faith and credit. they're loina g r fooffice mager, ma the salary between 32,000 and $42,000 a year with

benefits. for more information, go to myfoxdc.com and click on the job shop tab on the home page. some d.c. residents had to spend last night sweating it out without any air- conditioning after power poles came down. and we're keeping an eye out for the turn of the two american journalists on the way back from north korea. there you see folks waiting at the airport for them. we'll let you know and keep an eye on the the nesand let you know when they get back. we'll have more fox 5 morning news when we come back. (announcer) get schooled in style...

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with certain high blood pressure medicines like aleve sometimes can. ♪ so you don't just feel better, you feel better knowing doctors recommend tylenol more than any other brand of pain reliever. ♪ 8:14 right now. it is 78 degrees. time for a look at stories making head line this is wednesday morning. >> we just received word that three teenagers are under arrest, charged with burning a high school football field. we told but this yesterday in frederick county. officials say the three 17 years old burned a large chunk of the artificial field. the teens all go to brunswick high school. an arrest has been made in

a quadruple shooting yesterday morning on livingston road and oxon hill. police say samuel fortunate shot and killed one man and shoot at two other women after an argument began in a stairwell. residents hit the street for national night out. the goals bring attention to crime and generate support f anti-crime programs to strength the police-community partnership. the power is back on. earlier this week a cement truck hit a power pole. no issues were detected until yesterday when three poles came crashing down. it is 8:15 right now. we want to check in with tony perkins with a look at our forecast. >> and the cuteness factor of the day. and we'll start with that. it is the my first 5 photo of the day.

take a look. well look at that pose. this is 15-month-old kayla. you can see the personality comes out. and we're told she loves to dance. i love the outfit and everything. doing the hat thing. >> eshha sigoing on. >> send us your child's picture at myfoxdc.comwe're > we're up here. and in new york. 77 in boston. 78 down in norfolk. 78 in raleigh, north carolina. so the heat is moving on in. here is a look at radar for our region. what is not moving in is rain. we don't see it yet. but a few showers or some areas of moist popping up down to the south or the sthoust of ouchmond and areas of v and in

r region we'll see showers and thunderstorms. across the nation, very vigorous storm system across the low end of the mississippi river, in arkansas, tennessee, mississippi. y rain and some thunderstorm activity there. for us, we have just got some clouds pushi in. there is some scattered showers out to the west. later on we'll get some of that moving in too. five-day forecast, high today 90. tomorrow being warm. tomorrow 83, feeling good. some lingering showers. friday 83 and sunshine. saturday, warm and 90 and sunday more heat with highs in the low to mid-90s. that's a look at the weather. now let's get an update on this morning's rush hour traffic with lauren demarco. we have a new accident reported northbound gw parkway at scott run. the left lane is blocked. delays from manassas inbound on 66 tort centreville with an

accident on the rightide of the roadway and a new accident on 66. eastbound past blake lane in toward nutley street. this is off on the right side of the roadway. blocking this far right lane. so stay to the left to get by. delays continue to the beltway because we were already dealing with heavy volume. 95 southbound in maryland slows from 212 to the beltway. because of the delays we have on the outer loop. we had an accident at the mormon temple. activity remains in the shoulder. and we also had a wreck reported at colesville road. not seeing it in the camera hang -- angle but it begins at college park past the mormon temple. in the district, still dealing with the accident inbound new york avenue before florida avenue. you can see that right here. it's actually at penn street. the right lane is blocked involving multiple vehicles. at least four vehicles. so stay to the left to get by. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. steve, back to you.

>> lauren, thank you. the district is expanding it's sexually tracon mitted disease testing -- transmitted disease testing program to every high school. students are required to attend a lecture but can decline a test. 13% of about 3,000 students tested positive for an std during the program last year, mostly for gonorrhea or chlamydia. the mayor is sending his twin boys to public school, pullof private school. he hasn't said which public school they will attend. reports say it's been eaton, murch, key, janney or lafayette. there is no word on an official decision. west elementary is the closest to his home. we'll know soon because classes begin august 24th. time now is 8:19 on this wednesday morning. it might be too late to plan a vacation this summer --

>> but you shouldn't have a problem pulling a staycation together. and we'll share some ideas on doing that later on here on fox 5 morning news. holly is up working on that for us. >> reporter: toasting marshmallows. (announcer) when verizon brings

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well once again redskins fans are flocking to ashburn where training camp is set to start at 8:30 this morning. >> dave ross joins us live from redskins park with one v.i.p. out there. >> reporter: it's not every day that you get a guy that is an internet sensation. keith eloy joins us now. we won't get him fined and keep him from practice. tell us why you're a rookie free agent out of nebraska, homa, a d-2 school and with the washington redskins. how did you get noticed. >> everybody knows theu tube video that jumped into the truck in the sandals. >> tell us about it. >> i was working out in catty, texas and we thought we should come up with something and then we came up with the truck ea.

>> reporter: and so you're talking about a vertical leap into the truck, how big of a leap was that? >> it was pretty high. probably up to my chest, probably right here. i don't know the exact measurements, i just didn't care about that. >> reporter: you told me your highest vertical leap is what -- >> 44 inches. >> reporter: so dunking not a problem. >> not problem. i was dunking in school. >> reporter: and your height. >> 5-11. >> reporter: and what are you doing to prove yourself. >> running my good routes and showing my punt return, kick return, things like that. just trying to improve my stock. >> reporter: we talked about special teams yesterday as well. how big a key is that returning a punt and blocking on top of being a wide receiver. >> that's i have important. because that can turn your

whole game around. it can be the decision-maker of w. or l. when it comes to the record. >> reporter: since you can jump over 40 inches, do any of the guys out here see, let's see what you can do. >> oh, yeah. every day someone wants to see me jumping over something. and i came up with the other day, should come up with a fantasy 5 and jump on a goalpost. >> reporter: i would ask you to jump now but i don't want you to pull a hay or something. >> got to keep it safe. >> reporter: have a great practice today. he has to get out there on the practice field, guys. but you can check it out on you tube. he doesn't know how high he jumped. but we're guessing over 40 inches. check it out on you tube. >> i saw that video. it's amazing. specially for a guy our side for having hops like that. >> reporter: i would kill to have hops like that. maybe a reverse dunk would be sweet. >> a dream.

thanks, buddy. dave ross out at training camp. we have more coming up. we'll check out other stories making headlines. and we are still waiting for the arrival of two american journalists jailed in north korea. president bill clinton getting them released early after his much-publicized meeting with kim jong-il. we hope to bring that to you live in this hour. >> pictures of the airport where they are expected to arrive shortly. and we'll talk with the bicyclist who is peinaldg across america in nalorof his mother. stay with us. we'll hear more about his journey when fox 5 morning news continues. it's 8:26.

time now is 8:29. and so we look at stories making headlines this morning. the united states monitoring two nuclear powered russian attack subs patrolling off the east coast. the pentagon says there is no

cause for concern. they have been there for several days and have not seen anything like that since the cold war. a soldier has been killed in afghanistan. alejandro grenado of fairfax was killed on sunday by an iud. all threes were members of the mississippi army national guard. a memorial service being held for those -- the victims in the helicopter crash on i- 70. still no word on the official cause of the crash. the memorial was organized by the victim's coworkers and is being held tonight at the frederick municipal airport. police in montgomery county are asking for help to find a man dressed like a woman, whoever this person is, they made off with a designer dress. take a look at the surveillance video. last thursday someone walked into saks fifth avenue,

disarmed a security advice and walked out with a $2,400 chanel dress. the suspect got away pepper spraying a security guard. we want to get another look at the forecast for this mid week. off to a warm start. >> and tony perkins is here with all of the hot details. >> indeed. it will be a hot one today, folks. no two ways about it. is that an expression? 78 degrees right now in washington. 73 in baltimore. patuxent naval air station is at 78. dulles is 75. ocean city is at 84 degrees at this hour. here is a look at the satellite radar. what we are seeing is some of the cloud cover beginning to makes it way in here. a fair amount of cloudiness across portions of the viewing area. not so much up to the north and east but it will work it's way in here as well. and then the cloud cer is associated with a frontal system. i'll show that to you now as we take a look at the surface m.

it's a cold front. won't get here until late. but when it doeses, it will encounter that warm, humid moist air and that will trigger showers and storms across the area. i think that will be this afternoon and into the evening and perhaps into part of tomorrow as well. so the forecast for today looks like this: a warm one. high of about 90 degrees, mostly cloudy with scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms. that's a look at the weather. now let's get one more look at traffic and for that we go to lauren demarco. i haven't been telling you too much about 95 and 395 today because it's looking pretty good. 95 is at speed. 395, let's look at that camera. only delays are past edsel road and duke street. you can see south of duke you're moving well. further north across the 14th street bridge, everything is wide open for you. taking it back inside now, with an update on 66, you'll be slow

from manassas in towards centreville because of the wreck off on the shoulder. then delays before nutley street beginning before 123. it's all because of this accident just before nutley street on the right lane, it is blocked and everybody is stacked up past this. stay to the left to get by. you'll continue it be slow all the way to the beltway. the beltway in montgomery county, an earlier wreck near the mormon temple, those delays stacking up. past university boulevard, on the brakes from 201, kenilworth avenue from prince george's county toward montgomery county across the top stretch of the beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. >> lauren, thank you. from the mid plains to the mid-atlantic, david shoey has been pedaling across america for his mother and raise awareness for arthritis research. he's covered 14 states over 65 days and he joins us to share

his journey and the inspiration behind it. david, good morning and welcome to fox 5. >> good morning. >> this is truly an endeavor. how has it been? >> it's been wonderful, grueling, it's been a lot of different things. it's a challenge. but it's been amazing to come out and encounter america on a bicycle. if you want to see what america is all about, get out of your car and get on a bicycle and cross america. it's amazing. people are wonderful. >> you're an insurance man by trade. you have a regular gig and you've taken the time off to do this and to honor -- maybe i'm biased as a mom, there could be no more precious thing to do this in hon of your mother and the fight to raise awareness. >> my mother had osteorosis, so i got involved in the arthritis foundation because of as well. so i have a rsn raln onpesoeaso with my mom and s myelf,both

having arthritis, to be elvolved with this and do this awareness rand as you said, donations and s ndfuornd f the arthritis foundation and you raised $50,000. i hope i'm not done yet. i salpersonally so all he cip pn of the money goes directly to the rthritis flyunaoithron dati programs and research for people with arthritis. -> we're showing pie ctur- hs inurg pictes of your voyage and we're inpiowshg tbihe owke you're making this trek on. what do you eat for snacks to keep going and where is all of your stuff. and what you see is what you get? >> i burn 6,000 calories a day so it's difficult to consume 6,000 calories a day. but you do have to eat as you go. >> i would think so. >> and hef oymal of my goalwas stop at local diners and restaurants and stay awm ayro fy chains. i stopped at local motels and i

think that's a great way to apport local businsse also to encounter america, the real america. >> so what is next? you leave here and go to annapolis, and how much longer do you have to go? when is this over? >> i only have three more days of riding. i finish on august 9th in cape a ou ye av hyearold. >> you have to be in >>the best peshaf of yo life. happy birthday. >> i am, ironically. but because i have arthritis and i am 60 years old, the arthritis foundation has a campaign called let's move together and people with arthritis need to move and they need to be involved in activity, not high-impact sports, but activity that keeps joints moving like thai chi and

yoga. >> does that add an additional challenge, having been dogue niced with the same type of arthritis? >> it does. and i have a problem with my left knee and one of my concerns was if my knee would hold out for 4,000 miles and it has. but my bike is ergonomically designs to fit my physic and my measurements so that takes a lot of the pressure off. >> and don't discount your mom blowing you along right there. >> that's exactly right. and the support has been fantastic from the arthritis community across the country. and one of the things that i want to point out is a lot of people think of arthritis as an old person's disease. 300,000 children have rheumatoid arthritis in america. so at one point i met with familiescame out on bicycles and try sickles who met with me and so it was awarding -- it was rewarding for that. >> and david is biking for

arthritis and we're fully behind your efforts. >> thanks. >> and we wish you the best of luck. one environmental group with an interesting idea on how to save wer but it might gross you out. details, and you'll see what we mean, when we come back. and we want to say to our fans on facebook. we appreciate you supporting us. to become a fan search for fox 5 morning news. there is no space between fox w and 5. check out stories and behind the scenes stories. we update is all of the time, folks, so check it out. stay with us. we'll be right back. this is one way of getting vitamins and minerals.

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some d.c. residents could be in for new windows and doors thanks to the federal government as we have received money to help weatherize homes. this is for low income residents. the program includes replacement of windows and doors and installation of weather stripping and repair of heating or cooling equipment. pepco is trying to save you money by teaming up with stores to let you buy energy efficient light bulb as a discount. the power company is working with other stores to offer

discounts on certain appliances. all of the details that you need are on myfoxdc.com. look under web links. a new television ad running in brazil is using an unconventional way to encourage people to save water. this might gross you out so here is a warning, but here goes. urinate in the shower. >> it shows various cartoon carriers such as a trapeze artist, a basketball player and an alien doing their business in the shower. an environment group says one less flush per day could save up to 1100 gallons of watt every year and it's a playful way to send a message about a serious subject. it might be late to plan a vacation this summer. >> but you shouldn't have any trouble pulling off a staycation his summer. holly. >> reporter: think about it. a month from now, the kids will be in school. that's why we are live this morning at pohick bay regional

park where we have signed up for camping 101. coming up, you can't camp without cuisine. we'll talk about cooking around the campfire and its fun the family can have next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. carol!

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no wonder they call it the cheesiest! redskinning training camp is under way and kids are starting school and summer is flying by. >> and this morning holly is joining us to show us it's not too late to have a vacation in our area. holly. >> reporter: we are live at pohick regional park and it is one of 22 parks that fall under the northern virginia park authority so there are plenty of places for you and your family to get ought and -- out and enjoy. it's hard to beat the fun of making a smore around a campfire. and this is one of the things we're doing here this morning but we're finding the different ing thises can you naturally enjoy while you're here that don't cost anything and that's where casey comes in. he's a naturalist and he's been out searching the woods for us and he's found another little

friend. >> this is a brown snake. it's a very common, nonvenomous snake. this is an adult size. this is as big as they get. >> reporter: that's good. >> you can find it under leaves searching for worms and slugs which comprise most of the diet. >> reporter: and if you're encouraging people to come out and take a look at the wildlife. what do they need to keep in mind. >> to respect, and to leave things the way you find it. we'll let this guy go and leave it out in the world and leaving things where they are is a good idea. >> reporter: observe these marshmallows. they look perfect. >> they do. >> reporter: nice and gooey on the inside. it will slip off on to my chocolate that is placed on my gram cracker. look at that. i would like to share it but i can't.

but you need more than this when you are cooking out at the campfire and so that's why i brought my own caterer. it is our friend from rsvp catering and we were thinking about this, we thought who can teach us how to grill at the campground. thank you for coming. >> my pleasure. >> reporter: we don't expect you to wear the chef's coat every time. but what do you have you going on? >> the california baja burger. we have a spice rub that we brought ahead that you can do, that you make up ahead. >> reporter: and i guess that would be a good thing when camping. do as much prep at home so you don't have to do it out here. >> reporter: and did you have to do anything with the charcoal? >> with lighter fluid, set this up about an hour before you eat, about 45 minutes before.

it will take about -- if see the gray ash on the car cole, that's what you're looking for. if you put your hand over it for five seconds and it's hot, then it's ready to roll. we have a couple of burgers we'll finish on the grill. >> reporter: those do shrink down. >> their a quarter bound burger. and i brought some and ooey and chericeo and i cooked them ahead so we'll finish them ahead. >> reporter: so you don't have to worry about it not being cooked through. good tip. >> and then you don't have to worry it's not cooked enough. and then with the monterey burger, these are spicy and there is no reason why you can't do gourmet out in the woods. and i brought some pepper jack cheese to spice things up and i have salsa verde that i made ahead. and the condiments, i stayed away from mayonnaise and one of the salads was a hicka ma

swath, and there is no mayonnaise, it's a vinaigrette and i have a dessert with grilled fruit, some greek yogurt with a little bit of honey and cookies that i made ahead. >> very good. you have the little table cloth on there and everything. i'll teach you how to make the perfect smore. it's a fair trade. i think i win on this deal. myfoxdc.com is our website. we have a link to all of the parks in the northern virginia park authority domain so you can come out and get a last- minute stay vacation in before it's back to the grind come fall. back to you guys. >> holly, thank you. want to show you live pictures now. this happening out of southern california where we are waiting for the touch down of that play carrying bill clinton and two jailed american june elves -- journalists until yesterday. euna ling and laura ling back on american soil, touching down

right now. >> as the plane touches down at burbank airport north of los angeles. a safe touchdown for that plane. and you know there will be a lot of tension to those three. to find out what happened there in north korea, a nation that we know very little about from the inside, so we expect to learn more in the coming days from there. but the good news is they are back now safely on u.s. soil. time now is 10 minutes before 9:00 on this wednesday morning. and we have big american idol news to tell you about. >> one of the original judges leaving the show. we'll talk about the reaction to that when we come back. it's now 8:51 on this wednesday morning. (employee 1) subject: urgent!! bob!!

i need the baker file stat!! reply!! still making changes. circle back later what's with the yelling? oh, our internet slows down during peak hours so sending e-mails and large files just takes forever. so, we just yell. ben!!! thanks for the flowers!!! i thought you hated me!!! lol!!! semi-colon! right parenthesis! winky emoticon! (announcer) switch to verizon and get a dedicated high speed internet connection from our office to your sll business so you won't be slowed down even if your neighbors are online. and for only $79.99 a month for 12 months with a 3 year contract you'll also get our award winning internet security suite, unlimited nationwide calling, and over $180 back in available online rebates.

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well, folks, you can say goodbye to american idol judge paula abduhl. she has announced she is

quitting the fox hit show and won'go back for season 9. she posted on her twitter last night, with sadness in my heart i decided not to return to idol. she failed to reach an agreement with her contract. producers talked about her last night. >> she would fight simon and had the courage to do so and would go to the point of physical contact with him. i think it's strange that she's twitered she's not coming back. >> so now the contestants will have to be judges by simon cowell, dan and cara dioguardi. >> maybe she felt after eight years, it's time to do something else. >> still a million bucks, kind of hard to leave that on the table. but good for her. let's head out to california. this is burbank, california. where the two youn

have been held captive in north korea for the past several months are back on u.s. soil. we talked about former president bill clinton going over to north korea to try to broker this arrangement that would bring them home. he was successful in winning their pardon and release yesterday. they left almost immediately and their plane just touched down at bob hope airport in burbank, california, just a few minutes ago. and right now we are awaiting their epart you're and deplaning from the aircraft. >> we saw them get on the flight and greet president clinton. they looked to be in good health. both had on casual dress, polo style tops and jeans and as they boarded the plane, no doubt for an emotional reunion for families that are anxiously awaiting. this is a small aircraft so they will be taxiing from the plane to the hanger. we've been showing you the shots of the hanger at bob hope airport in burbank.

we are waiting for them to deplane. this is exciting. ing this when they were sentenced 4 months ago to 12 years hard labor in north korea, i doubt many people could see this day coming but it has had a fairly quick -- i'm sure they couldn't characterize it as quick. but a fairly quick resolution and they are coming home. >> and perhaps coming 4 months after a 12-year sentence seems like a major deal. but ju a short distance away from where the plane is, there is a large group of media set up inside one of the hangers in burbank, california waiting to hear from the folks. let's check in with doug luzader who has been checking this closely for us this morning. doug, what do you know? >> reporter: we are still waiting for the two journalists to emerge here. one of the questions that we're going to have to answer eastly is what kind of role did the obama administration my in this. we've heard from both its white house and hillary clinton that

this was kind of a private mission on the part of the former president, bill clinton. but clearly there must have been some level of coordination with the white house. so these blanks will be filling in in coming days but everyone will bask in the homecoming right now and you can see they have the stairs in place there. and we may see them in just a few moments. >> i i think it's a -- i think it's a big question because the white house was staying mum, not wanting to tip their hand as to how much involvement they had. some people saying this may set a dangerous press department for dealing with the so-called rogue leaders or nations notice future. >> reporter: and at some point you have to be honest and say this was really a hostage situation. these two journalists may have broken the law by crossing the border. but they were sentenced to 12 years hard labor. so the question becomes, do you embolden the next dictator to

do the same thing and we're seeing a same scenario in iran with the three americans captured there. and these are gut-wrenching decisions to make but in the end they decided to make some kind of concessions to get north korea to pardon the two journalists. >> and i think one positive is that for the first time, we might get a great look as to the internal workings of north korea. >> reporter: and get a better idea as to the health of the leader, kim jong-il because he has fallen ill in the recent months and there was a question about how long he would be around or governing that country. the images that we've seen, he looks good. and you have to imagine that president clinton is going to be asked pretty closely what kind of condition he appeared to be in with his health and state of mind, which is a difficult thing with kim jong- il. >> doug luzader live with special insight as we continue to look at the personnel coming off of the