his message during a youth town hall coming up. and who could forget this scene from back in july when metro escalators failed and the station was filling with smoke. the transit system's escalators and elevators have been the focus of scrutiny. we will get information from the independent investigation. fox 5 morning news starts right now. let's look outside this morning. we see a few breaks in the clouds after all of the rain we had yesterday. it is not the warmest day. 7:00 on this friday morning. good morning. i'mm steve chenevey. >> i'm allison seymour. we have a lot of movies to talk about this morning. you know you are listening to

him singing right now. he is a good musician as well. jeff daniels will join us in the 9:00 hour. that is coming up in a couple of hours. first, let's go through the morning forecast with tony. >> good morning. a cool start to the day with a mix of clouds and sun. it will be an okay day today. not bad. we will take a look at how things are shaping up with the satellite/radar. no rain this morning. we have clouds in over us. as steve was pointing out, there are breaks in the clouds. it will make for a pretty sunrise. out to the west, there are showers which are breaking up before they get here. there are a few more showers that work in here this afternoon. the current temperature is 51 degrees in washington. 50 at dulles. ocean city at 49 degrees. the forecast for today will be partly sunny and breezy. not right now, but later on

when the winds gust up. a stray shower is possible this afternoon. don't be surprised if that happens. officially about a 20% chance of rain with a high of 66. that is the weather. let's get an update on the traffic with julie. we are talking about what is going on down on the commuter lot at 234. we will take you there courtesy of the crew in sky 5. coming from 95 to route 1 is where the crash occurred. it was a pedestrian that was struck. the activity confined to the commuter lot. we have the lanes blocked. do we have sky fox? let's pull that up. we have the lanes blocked at 95 and route 1. southbound lanes should be open. again, this is the live shot of 234 from 95 in the direction of route 1. you will find the lanes are currently blocked on

both sides of the highway. no one is able to get through while the investigation happens. this is along 234 at 95 and route 1. 95 remains open out of dale city. 234, traffic is rerouted around here because of the closure. we will take it inside and show what you else is going on. north of edzel road and duke street. we have delays at 95 college park at silver spring. that is the check of the traffic. a class action lawsuit representing current and former washington d.c. firefighters will be in court today claiming racial discrimination. for years, african-american firefighters have been unfairly penalized in trial. they are calling for more

oversight. the fire department will not comment until the suit is filed. another big story we are following this morning. president barack obama says the don't ask, don't tell policy against gays serving in the military will end while he is in the white house. he doesn't want it to happen through the courts. the issue is argued here in washington and sarah is back in studio with more. >> reporter: the justice department is asking for an appeal of the ruling of don't ask, don't tell. a judge stated the gays should serve openly, but president barack obama doesn't want it to end abruptly. the action was discussed at a town hall event yesterday. >> i agree with the basic principle that anybody who wants to serve in our armed services and make sacrifices on

behalf of our national security, anybody should serve. they should not have to lie about who they are to serve. we are moving in the direction of ending this policy. it has to be done orderly. >> reporter: the pentagon says it willow bay the law while the case is still in question. some gay rights activists are warning service members not to come out just yet. a response from the federal judge is expected by monday. steve. vince gray showed up last night to hear from voters at the town hall meeting. there have been rumors that gray fired michelle reed, but he says differently. >> absolutely. we said this from the beginning. chancellor reed and i were there together yesterday and we both said the same thing. that is what the situation is. she did not quit abruptly. i did not ask her to leave.

>> vince gray holds another town hall meeting on tuesday night. the latest debate in the race for governor got heated. martin o'malley and bob ehrlich argued over taxes. when o'malley accused ehrlich of imposing new taxes and fee hikes, the tension was obvious. >> the former governor's credibility on this issue is nonexistent. he made the same pledges eight years ago and he raised college tuition and tolls and fees. >> we have focused on the problem. the governor doesn't understand the fundamentals of state government. it appears -- please hold your applause. please hold all comments. >> proof? the governor doesn't set the profit tax rate. fees have nothing to do with the general fund. >> the election is now 18 days

away. early voting in maryland starts in days. for more go to myfoxdc.com. washington d.c. police investigating a homicide that happened this morning off the u- street corridor. we have sherry li with more. >> reporter: police are out here on the scene investigating the homicide. they have 9th street closed off from u-street down around florida avenue. they are out here taking a look at the scene. we are told there was a man whose body was found in the 2000 block of northwest. it was just around 2:30 this morning. it is unclear how this man was killed. we are told that there was trauma to the body.

the motive is unclear. the autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. the street is closed off. a small section here while they continue to investigate the homicide and try to figure out just what led to the murder. we will have more coming up throughout the morning. steve, back to you. thank you. out of the mine they were trapped in for months. the chile miners are now starting to head home. and metro is trying to avoid another scene like this one. escalators broken down and a station filling with smoke. what an independent report is suggesting about elevators and escalators. and let's look live outside. you will get the latest forecast and we will check in with the traffic as well when we come back.

as rule the tweet.

rule the bedtime. rule the upload. we built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon. right now at verizon, you can get a new samsung intensity ii free after mail-in rebate. only at verizon. bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them... except for cutting education. cuts that will lay off teachers and increase class sizes. that's not a budget. and bob ehrlich's not the kind of leader... we can trust.

president barack obama will be back on the road today trying to shore up support for democrats in the upcoming elections. the mid term campaigns are approaching the final threats now. we have doug luzader with the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: this is a tag team appearance with the president and vice president heading to delaware. they are hoping that democrats turn out on november 2nd. it is the setting where the president is comfortable. appearing on a town mall meeting on mtv where young voters propelled him to victory. >> elections are funny. people start saying things. >> reporter: some of the differences for democrats this time around are stark. for starters, how many of the young people will turn out next

month? according to one poll, three quarters of registered voters 30 and older will vote. 45% of those under 30 will come out and vote. >> why should we vote you back in? >> reporter: as the president begins to hop scotch from one state to the next, one of the real races is playing out in nevada. harry reid is neck and neck with sharon angle. the one debate last night was not pretty. >> man up, harry reid. you need to understand we have a problem with social security. >> my job is to create jobs. >> reporter: that is the angle many are taking. that may be drowned out by a wave of anti-incumbent fervor. in washington d.c., doug luzader, fox news. three of the chile miners

are getting a taste of freedom. they have been released from the hospital. they are getting into the car right there just about to go home. the crowds filled the streets outside the hospital. some were dancing in traditional clothes. there is video when they were freed from the mine. some of the remaining miners waved to the crowd from the hospital windows. more of the 33 miners are expected to be released today. all should be home by monday morning. >> all right. >> very good. that is good news. how long do we need a coat on? >> it is chilly this morning. here is what the deal is. the next couple of days and temperatures will moderate. nights will be chilly. take a jacket or sweater. look at the current

temperatures at the area airports. it is a cool start to the day. right now at ronald reagan, 51 degrees. bwi is at 46 degrees. dulles at 47 degrees. the national maps here for you traveling. 50 degrees in cincinnati. 47 in atlanta. tucker just told me that there are frost advisories in eastern tennessee and northern georgia. some cold air out there. lapeer, south dakota is 39 degrees. here is the look at the satellite/radar. very quiet map. we have precipitation in ohio pushing into pennsylvania and west virginia. some of the precipitation could move in here later today. maybe a few scattered showers and sprinkles. the most active weather is in the northeast where the nor'easter continues to bring heavy rain to portions of new england. here is the five-day forecast.

high today is 65 degrees with partly sunny skies. breezy. tomorrow is a bit breezy. 66. lots of sunshine. the weekend is nice. sunday is 70 degrees. monday is nice. tuesday with clouds and precipitation. that is the latest. >> not too bad. thank you. >> i was staring at the bottom numbers. let's go to julie with the check on the traffic. it is one of the scary moment where is -- moments where you look at it. i hope you have your hands at 10 and 2 and it is busy. 95 is slowing north of the parkway. the crew in sky fox with us and they are checking out an accident with a pedestrian. this is tying up 234 at 95 and route 1. 95 and route 1 on the

top left side of the screen is where we have the roadway that is blocked. an ongoing investigation with an accident with a pedestrian. this is out near the commuter lot as you travel at 234 and 95 and route 1. it is shutdown at green tree. they have the police here directing traffic at the scene. let's go back inside and update the ride elsewhere. 395 at duke street and lanes are closed. we also have delays in centreville. the inn near loop with delays up to -- the inner loop with delays up to the parkway. that is the check on traffic. head's up for dc drivers. the red light cameras are in

operation at connecticut at porter street northwest. k street downtown and new york avenue. you will get warnings now, but fines start on november 12th. the reliability of elevators and escalators are under scrutiny because they break down too often. the board members received an independent report. we have more from john. >> reporter: before passengers can get on the metro trains, they have to get to metro trains. every station in the system has escalators or elevators. all too often, that aging machinery is broken. the following interviews are the first three passengers we asked to describe escalators and elevators reliability. >> they are all broken and you have to walk around. >> reporter: how often? >> a lot. >> the one in the opposite direction is working better than the one i need. >> reporter: how often? >> about 1/3rd of the time.

>> recently? terrible. the last year it has been ridiculous. >> reporter: the worst case in july when smoke filled the dupont circle station and passengers climbed up and out of service escalator only to find a hole at the top to try to traverse to escape the station. >> it was scandalous. >> reporter: metro managers asked an outside company to take a close look at the escalators and elevators at the four stations. the audit found a lack of adherence to the standards and insufficient lighting and a shortage of supervisors and house keeping problems around the heavy machinery. >> it was amazing the amount of debris. newspapers are very staggering. the amount of material that you see there. cups, bottles, glasses. >> reporter: managers

implemented the recommendations and hired more mechanics and interviewing for more elevators and escalators supervisors. >> that was john henrahan reporting. they praised the outside audit. on paper, in august, metro escalators were available about 89% of the time. board members had a hard time believing that figure. forget about a price reduction for the metro smartrip are cards. metro said it would cut the $5 price tag to $2.50, but reversed that decision after doing the math. the cards actually cost $3.40 to make. coming up on fox 5 morning news, two suspicious packages delivered to two local schools in just two days. how could this be related to what is happening in texas? we will talk about that coming

up next. days after admitting to faking an injury to help a teammate get playing time, could gilbert arenas really have an injury? later on, whether you want to let go of summer or try to hold on to it, fall is here and now it is starting to feel like it. tips on how to get your house looking like fall.

making headlines this morning, two washington d.c. schools received two suspicious packages in just two days. bancroft elementary received the package and another at adams elementary. the letter sent to bancroft elementary may be linked to

schools sent in texas. the fire department says the schools were not evacuated and no one became sick. the letters have been sent to a region at lab. the fbi is still investigating. washington wizards star gilbert arenas had to leave the game early last night because of a strained groin. this time, the injury appears to be real. arenas admitted to faking an injury to give a playing guard more playing time. 7:25 and the redskins looking to build on their winning ways. coming off a big come from behind win against the packers. dave ross joins us for the friday match-ups. we will get the latest weather and traffic updates coming up as well. it is 7:25 on this friday morning. frce ttge

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swigakimth joe got the mirrors all adjusted? you can see everything ok? just stay off the freeways, all right? i don't want you going out on those yet. and leave your phone in your purse, i don't want you texting. >> daddy... ok! ok, here you go. be careful. >> thanks dad. >> and call me--but not while you're driving. we knew this day was coming. that's why we bought a subaru. welcome back. we want to check in with tony and get the forecast. we were dealing with the rain all day long yesterday. >> a messy day.

>> it is cool, but okay. >> a mix of sun and clouds. maybe a few showers later. significant rainfall for the day across the region. let's look at the rainfall totals. at ronald reagan airport, we got over 1" of rain. 1.25" at ronald reagan national. dulles had just under 1" of rain. bwi had under .90". not bad, but made for a miserable day. the satellite/radar composite for the region this morning, you see the clouds we had in over us. the heavy rain is off in new england right now across massachusetts and vermont and new hampshire. heavy rain there. there is more rainfall across to the west in ohio and west virginia. some of that may move into our region today. we could see a couple of sprinkles or showers. the other weather feature for

us is high pressure. that will be settling in here giving us a calm and pleasant weekend the way things are looking right now. the other story for today are breezy conditions. the winds are not bad. 7 miles an hour in the district. same at dulles. 5 5-mile-an-hourr winds at bwi. a cool start. 48 in culpeper. 47att dulles. the forecast for today looks like this. we will call it partly sunny and breezy and a stray shower. a 20% chance of rain. most of you will not see rain. there could be showers here and there during the afternoon. 66 degrees for the high. the five-day forecast forecast. saturday's high is 66 and breezy. for sunday, very nice.

good amount of sunshine. high of 70. that is above normal. fine conditions for the workweek with the chance of showers on tuesday. julie wright has a check of the roads. tony, there was a crash involving a pedestrian near the commuter lot. the crew in sky fox is over the scene. we are starting to find delays off 95. this activity is tying up the highway at 95 and route 1. some traffic is able to get by on the west side traveling single file to the right. if you are on the open side -- opposite side, traffic is diverted. that is where the roadway is blocked. we are starting to see delays off 95 as traffic is turned around. no incidents on 95 itself. the road is open as you travel out of dale city.

we have the closure point at 95 and route 1. let's go back inside and update the roads. coming across the 14th street bridge, we are slow and steady to the exit at southeast freeway. the top side of the beltway, a report of a disabled vehicle. the pace remains slow at georgia. that is the check of traffic. thank you. washington d.c. police investigating a homicide that happened this morning off the u- street corridor. sherri ly has the details. >> reporter: good morning. police are just wrapping up their investigation just back here. they have cleared out the scene on the 2000 block of 9th street and northwest. it is between u-street and north avenue. a man's body was found this morning. police are telling us that the man was beaten to death and this may be linked to a nearby club. we believe that club is right

over here. this all happened at 2:30 this morning. police say a man showed up at a club and tried to get in, but was turned away. he returned and threw an object through the window which then led to a fight. the dc9 club was covering up a broken window this morning. we believe that is the place where this all started. after that, several suspects chased the man down the street and jumped him. investigators say he was severely beaten and died. police say they are interviewing several suspects and witnesses. it is unclear, i must point out, whether the suspects actually had anything to do with the club itself. right now, police say they are interviewing witnesses and some suspects in the case. no arrests that we know of have been made. investigators have cleared the scene here now where they were investigating all morning long.

the street has reopened to traffic. that is the latest from here. back to you. thank you. hard to believe perhaps, but it has been 40 years since the book's future shock was published. it talked about the information overload. society struggled with increasing population and poverty levels. in honor of the 40th anniversary, the author is just out with another book. thank you for coming in. i'm thanking you, but i don't know if i want to hear all of the trends your organization is predicting for the future. it is good to see you. this book 40 years ago, the main thing is the information overload. it is so true. it has really come true. talk about the predictions from

40 years ago. >> a lot of information changes come to us quickly at an accelerated pace. we need to prepare for the fast rate of change. >> i'm 44. there was a time that there were typewriters and corded phones. all of this has changed rapidly. how do you think these predictions were made 40 years ago? how do you come up with the things that have come true? >> when they wrote the book, they were not looking at technology, they were looking at the social trends and demographics. all of these things that were changing at that time. it wasn't just technology. if you go back and we were in the middle of the vietnam war and visiting russia and china. it was a big time in our history. so, you need to look at all of

the aspects of change. >> some of the points or the trends that have come out now for now until the year 2050. you want to talk about those? the future trends. you say more female leaders and new forms of instability in the middle east. these are big trends. >> yes. as we move from the industrial age of society to a more knowledge-based society, the complexity will increase. >> talking about information overloading. futuree trends. are we still in the megabyte age? perhaps we cannot understand the data saturation. quantum computing for enhanced human performance. it is scary.

>> we will adapt. it is adaption to that change. there will be a lot of information and we will learn how to deal with that. we will adapt to that and society will take care of itself. >> as wehavee done quite rapidly. we are already seeing more adaptation of the iphone. more models are coming out. >> a lot of networks and a lot of people connecting to people. we are almost to the point where almost every person on the face of the earth can connect to any other person on the face of the earth. >> the trends in society say

more mega cities and more social increases. >> it is the sign of the times. >> how do we guard ourselves with the knowledge and skills to be competitive and successful in the future with what we know? >> we need to look into the future. we need to understand all of the things that are happening and really look across a broad spectrum of our activities and how we arm ourselves. we look at the impacts and that is what we need to do as leaders and individuals. >> it is coming. >> yes. >> debra, thank you so much for coming in. coming up next on fox 5 morning news, the redskins are looking to build on a momentum

of back-to-back wins. sunday night, peyton manning and the colts are coming to town. we have the sports report after the break. rule the tweet. rule the bedtime. rule the upload. we built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon. right now at verizon, you can get a new samsung intensity ii

free after mail-in rebate. only at verizon.

here is good news, troy williams was able to practice yesterday on a limited basis. he suffered an injury on sunday against the packers. williams missed the previous two games before that. he is expected to play sunday against the colts. that would be huge. dave ross now joining us for the friday football forecast. >> a couple of things about practice. they did it at dulles international airport in a hangar because of the rain. i don't know how much "practice" he got yesterday. >> more than iverson. >> yes. he was out at "practice." we talked about this a couple of hours ago. his left knee is an issue. let's hope there is no long- term damage. he is a rookie and he is your

franchise left tackle. >> let's hope can he continue to protect the quarterback against the pass-rush. on the other side of the football, the colts quarterback is a particularly good one. >> he is good. you may have seen him. peyton manning. there is a reason why he is the face of the nfl. how do you stop him? i think one of the guys that has to step up this weekend is landry. he can pound the receivers that will be running free for the colts. they allseemm to run free. they have tons of weapons. what landry has done is have people looking over their shoulders saying where is 30? if he hits the way he has been hitting, the colts may have a

couple of eyes on the back of their heads. >> coltses have been banged up in -- colts have been banged up on the receiving corps. they have been hurting. we have had the same argument against green bay. they got decent yardage. >> the best way to get into peyton manning's head is to get into his face. one of the guys that can do that is albert haynesworth. he is supposed to be back. the head coach mike shanahan said he is not sure if he will play because of mental and physical problems. we know of the death of his brother last week. that is why he missed the game last week. he could be huge this week if he is ready to play. both mentally and physically. what peyton manning does not like is if he has pressure in his face. he can feel the side pressure. if you take away the ability to step up in the pocket, the redskins could have a chance.

>> we will see what happens. by the way, the indianapolis beat reporter asked peyton manning what he thought of landry. you know peyton manning is aware of him. here is the deal. we have to make our picks for sunday. >> before we do that, can i show you one more peyton manning commercial? peyton manning unplugged. >> and now another priceless pep talk from peyton manning. >> how is it going? i hear you. maybe what you need is a few new dance moves. derrick, show them what you got. i like it. work it. all right. stop. stop. that's enough. seriously. you're going to hurt your self. >> this is another priceless pep talk. >> this is what we need to do every friday. >> i would love to see you do that dance move. >> maybe if we can pick up

another win. >> come on. >> i tell you what we will do. we will wait until next hour to give our predictions and maybe you will get one more peyton manning commercial after that. >> maybe not after that. let's check in with tony and allison right now. >> he has personality. >> he does. he hosted "saturday night live." good stuff. >> were you talking about practice, dave? >> practice. >> i like that. what's going on? >> a cool morning with cool conditions. temperatures in the 40s and 50s. let's show you what it is looking like. washington is 51 degrees. 47 at dulles airport. 46inn baltimore. 48 at patuxent. the nor'easter is bringing heavy rain to new england. heavy rain conditions there.

the winds are blowing around the low pressure system and they are pushing through here during the course of the day. tomorrow, things quiet down and high pressure is in place. lots of sunshine and it will be a nice day. here is the five-day forecast. today's high is 66. partly sunny and maybe a stray shower and breezy. tomorrow, 66 degrees and sunny. sunday is more beautiful. sunny and 70 degrees. monday and tuesday back into the 60s. that is the weather. more coming up in a bit. thank you. >> let's check in with julie. >> it is a busy ride out there traveling in virginia. that is where the pedestrian was struck at the commuter lot at 234 at 95 and route 1. the east side of the road backed up to van buren street. traffic is able to get by under police direction. this is the live shot. if you look behind the tree

here, southbound 29 south of university boulevard. a broken down bus at the center of the highway. that is contributing to the delays at white oak to four corners. that is the check of the traffic. thank you. a chill is in the air and fall has arrived. >> now is the time to get your place looking awesome. we have holly with the latest. >> reporter: i'm here in brandy wine. you could say seasons are their specialty. our gardening guru. dan thomas will join us to make sure your garden is growing for the fall season. plus, ed's plant world has a special deal for fox 5 viewers. that is next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us.  

man: empty nest? new kitchen, new us? woman: who are we? chic, modern, daring dinner-party hosts. that sounds dangerous, maybe we're more the traditional sunday brunch set? i'll expect slippers and a cocktail to be ready when i get home from work. point taken. how about... peaceful, quiet cottage in the country folk? now that's us. spend over 2500 dollars on a new kitchen and save 40 percent on custom countertops until november 28th at ikea. the life improvement store.

with the fall weather in the air, you may think with decorating for the season. >> we have holly with more. >> reporter: allison is wondering if you are here with me. he is busy as a bee working at plant world. he has great stuff for us to do. this is what i want, derrick. i want lasting beauty. >> let's start with beauty berry. this is one of mother nature's last pops, if you will, in the garden. just because your annuals started to fate or you got the first frost, you don't have to stop having beauty in the landscape. >> reporter: i love the color.

>> isn't that gorgeous? the thing about this time of year, it starts thinking about using evergreens in your garden. >> reporter: let's walk and you can show me the evergreens. >> there is a lot of great stuff. as you use the evergreens in the landscape and you want different texture. the arborvitae. this will last all winter. >> reporter: we are focusing on planting for the fall season. if you are doing evergreen gardening, this will go into the winter and spring. >> that is when you start thinking about three and four season gardens. >> what i actually did was i put together a little demonstration garden because many times people want to think about it. how do i get from a-to-b with my design work. >> reporter: i have you come

over. >> yeah. a good thing to do is when you come out to the nursery and you think about the plants in colors. you have the contrast here with the arborvitae. that is the natural color of the plant. putting that death with the grass plant. >> reporter: you know, the thing is you -- putting that together with the grass plants. >> reporter: you know, that thing is giving you different color and texture. >> choose a focal point. this boulevard cedar has been trimmed to the pom-pom topiary. if you want to think outside of the box, it doesn't have to be a fountain working all fall or winter. this is decorative and beautiful. >> reporter: if you choose a

fountain that is a piece of art. >> a focal point. playing with the textures and colors. they both look the same, but look at the great contrast you are getting with this one. >> reporter: what did you mean when you said pick a plant to set the pace. >> a plant to set the pace is something like this. this is a jam magnolia. the wonderful thing about the plant is it looks good now. in the middle of summer you will get white bulbs. it is the go-to plant. >> reporter: i said i wanted an instant impact and beauty. >> it is green when you put them in. it is wonderful for people who have allergies who don't want to do the flowers. this will look just as good now

as it does in the height of the summer. >> reporter: let's talk about ed's plant world. we have 30 seconds. there is a special reason why people might just want to make a trip to brandywine this weekend. >> if you come out to ed's plant world this weekend, we are giving everyone 10% off if you mention fox 5. and you will get a free pumpkin. >> reporter: go to myfoxdc.com. we have a link to ed's plant world so you can get directions. speaking of pumpkins coming up in next hour, you can do those to decorate, but we will use them as a vessel to help you decorate. figure that out. derek figured it out. back to you. >> a good deal. thank you to ed's plant world. >> as long as you share so we all know. 7:56 on friday morning.

after 8:00, we check out family friendly events. and after you sign your mortgage, it could be in the hands of a different lender. why is this done and how you can keep track of the largest purchase you will ever make. some star power in the studio this morning. jeff daniels. he is a musician and good guitar player. he will play for us live coming up later this morning.  e

new this morning at 8:00, a man found murdered on the streets of washington d.c. police are trying to figure out if it has anything to do with the victim's violent reaction after he was denied entry into a nightclub. dozens of washington d.c. firefighters are claiming discrimination. we have details. and 18 days away from the mid-term elections and many of the races are starting to turn ugly. the heated debates between senate candidates. thank you for joining us.

i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. we have tony perkins with the forecast. the weekend looks calm and comfortable. very nice. we will show you in a bit. let's star off with the satellite/radar. we -- let's start off with the satellite/radar. we have a mix of clouds this morning. the nor'easter that brought us over 1" of rain is now moving across new england. we are seeing some of the cloud cover. we will get a bit of breeziness from the system as well. we have clouds across western maryland. none of those have made it in this morning. we think in the afternoon, we will have a chance of a shower or two popping up. temperatures are cool out. 51 degrees out in washington. 46 in baltimore. 47 at dulles. the forecast for today showing partly sunny and breezy. winds gusting up to 20-30 miles

an hour later. stray showers are possible. the high of 66 degrees. we will have more coming 66 '66 is a very good year for me. and hopefully my parents. let's go out on the roads with julie. >> it is busy out there. we have the lanes partially blocked at north capitol street. traffic is squeezing by to the left. the police cruiser is involved in the crash and it is an ongoing investigation. if you are traveling through the southeast at the bridge, you will have slowdowns. a disabled bus is tying up the right lane. that is the check of the traffic. new this morning, police are investigating a murder in

the district. a man beaten to death along the u-street corridor. this may be linked to a fight at a nearby nightclub. we have sherri ly with more. >> reporter: the man was killed down the street here in the 2000 block of 9th street. a block away. this is dc9 club. that is the club we believe where this all started. we saw workers this morning at dc9 covering up what appeared to be a shattered window out front. the man threw something through the window and then that led to a fight. this happened at u-street and florida avenue. police say the victim had tried to get into the club, but wasn't allowed in. he came back later and threw something through the club's window and a fight started and several people chased the man down the street. those suspects jumped the man

and started beating him. the victim had trauma to the body indicating he was severely beaten. it is unclear if weapons were used in the attack. police say they are interviewing several witnesses and suspects in the case. police have cleared the murder scene here just a short time ago. so far, no word of any arrests, although police have some suspects and this may have started at this club. it is unclear if those suspects have any ties to the club or if they were there. apparently police are telling us this started with an insurance -- incident with a nightclub in the area and now a man is dead. back to you. thank you. allison. >> now to a story you first saw here on fox 5. a class action lawsuit will be filed in district court today. dozens of firefighters are

accusing the city department of racial discrimination. for years, african-american firefighters have been unfairly penalized in board cases and discipline cases. they were calling for more oversight. the fire department will not comment until the suit is filed. president barack obama is vowing to end the don't ask, don't tell policy while he is in office. he talked about it at a recent young town hall meeting. he said guys must be allowed to serve openly. the justice department is asking for an emergency stay of the ruling. >> i agree with the basic principle that anybody who wants to serve in our armed forces and make sacrifices on our behalf on behalf of our national security, anybody should be able to serve. they should not have to lie about who they are in order to serve. we are moving in the direction of ending this policy. it has to be done in a way that is orderly. >> the pentagon says it willow

bay the law while the case is still -- the pentagon says it will obey the law while the case is still pending. a federal judge ruling is expected by monday. with 18 days left until the mid-term elections, the campaigns are in full swing. here is the wrap up. >> reporter: some of the senate candidates had a series of debates last night. sharon angle attackedharry -- harry reid as a career politician. >> america is a country of choices. not forcing people to buy things they don't need. what we want is a basic policy where we can add the coverages we need. >> insurance companies don't do the things out of the goodness of their hard. they do it as a profit margin.

>> and two others clashed in their debate. >> i'm not for raising taxes or doing things that stand in the way of private sector job creation. >> you think watching his commercials that i was the cause of the economic meltdown. i have been in jefferson city and he has been in washington d.c. >> reporter: there were few fireworks in washington state as patty murray and dino rossi argued during their campaign debate. >> i fight for the jobs and get you back to work. >> her answer to jobs? more spending. >> reporter: these two went at it in their second debate in delaware's second campaign debate. >> i support charter schools and vouchers to give parents the opportunity to have a quality education for all of the students.

>> the property tax burden is $500 a year. no one likes paying property taxes, but the choice we make is to pay for the core services. >> here in our area, the race for congress in northern virginia to decide who takes over the house of representatives. they went at each other at the heated chamber of commerce. >> we created hundreds of thousands of jobs in fairfax county. we are the envy of the united states in terms of economic achievement. >> he is claiming credit and that is like a fan in the stands at redskins park saying

he threw the touchdown pass. >> nationally outside political groups are pouring money into the race. the former democratic national convention chair said if the democrat loses then the democrats will lose control of the house. martin o'malley and bob ehrlich debated transportation in the washington d.c. area. >> people will use rapid bus. not everybody you know is for the light rail alternative. >> this is a bus rapid transit. it is a metaphor for the former ehrlich administration. it is more expensive and less effective. that is why we are in favor of the light rail. >> early voting in maryland starts one week from today. three of the miners in chile are out of the hospital. they were released overnight

after meeting with the country's president. the country continues to celebrate the spectacular rescue. doctors say all of the men should be home by monday. 8:10 on this friday morning. >> weeks after you sign your mortgage, it could be in the hands of a different lender all together. why is this done and how can you keep track of who is in charge? we will take a closer look. researchers may have developed a stink bug repellent. stay with us. we are coming back after this break.

bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending

by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plans to pay for them... except for cutting education. cuts that will lay off teachers and increase class sizes. that's not a budget. and bob ehrlich's not the kind of leader... we can trust.

8:13 right now. let's look at the stories making headlines this morning. the fbi is looking at letters containing a white powder sent to two washington d.c. schools. one went to bancroft elementary and one to adams. both of the letters are believed to be harmless. the letter sent to bancroft

elementary could be linked to issues in texas. and more than 100 schools in frederick county, maryland, were sick when some substance made them sick. a health care overall can go to trial. 8:14. we will check in with tucker with the check on the forecast. >> a bonus this friday. >> it is getting cooler. >> it will be great. time now for my first 5 photo of the day. this is 14-month-old ava. >> i love that name. look how cute. >> she is super cute. her family asked her how big is

ava? and this is her response. >> that big. >> beautiful. so excited. love the dress. >> she is really cute. that is a classic picture. >> that is a beautiful picture. ava, i hope you have a great one. go to myfoxdc.com and click on the morning to submit your picture. ava, you need a jacket this morning. temperatures in the low 50s. 53 degrees at ronald reagan international. winds west at 9 miles an hour. it is gusty at times today. gusting up to 30 miles an hour as we continue to watch the nor'easter. the satellite/radar is a mix of clouds and sunshine across the region to start the day. that is the rule this afternoon. some peeks of sunshine and some periods of clouds. best chance of that is to the west. general improvement for today. tomorrow is cool. as we get into sunday, back

into the 70s. here is the forecast. partly cloudy today. 66. a little breezy the next couple of days. sunday is fantastic. you see the nice trend of weather into next week with the highs on tuesday at 68 degrees. let's go to julie with the latest on the traffic report. it is friday. i'm happy about that. aren't you? >> you better believe it. >> you are doing the happy dance in the weather center. all right. making your way around town and you have the crash at north avenue at capitol street. traffic is squeezing by as you work past the accident scene. a police cruiser is involved in the crash. delays before the parkway trying to get through northeast washington. southeast, all lanes are blocked. still investigating a crash with a pedestrian in virginia. that is tying up 234 at 95 and route 1. northbound, everybody is open. the outer loop of the beltway

with no accidents. southbound 29 south of university boulevard is okay. that is traffic. did you ever get a notice from the mortgage company saying they are selling your loan? are you worried? we have paul leonard with the government affairs policy housing council with us. paul joins us now to help us out with this. we were talking earlier and mortgage is almost a dirty word anymore. it doesn't have to be. there has to be some level of understanding as to what is going on with mortgages these days. >> a mortgage is a good thing. it helps someone purchase a home. with all of the uncertainty in the market right now, people are concerned. the main thing a homeowner needs to realize is you receive a monthly bill for your mortgage payment from your

mortgage servicer. that is the company that is receiving your payment and sending that payment to the investor who owns your loan. the vast majority doesn't have an issue or problem. why that happens is in the current system, most loans are securitized. now they are not keeping the loans on the books. in the old jimmy stewart days, your loan would be held by the bank that gave it to you. in a simpler time, that would be great. the problem with that, there wasn't always financing available for a homeowner when they needed it. it was the money the bank had on hand with deposits. now investors can invest. that was a good thing because

it provided more income to make loans for homeowners when they need it so you can shop for a house and you know that the money is there if you qualify for the loan. the selling of loans ever the pools -- the selling of loans to the pools is a good thing. the 22 states that have the traditional foreclosures, the judges make the decision. there have been cases where the review has not been in order or the final papers have not been there. the judge has said we will not sell this house until i can see those. those are the case where is it happened. in those cases, the mortgage companies are reviewing that paper work. a lot of them are voluntarily

putting a pause on the foreclosure sales. for the vast majority of homeowners, all you need to know is you should respond to the letters you receive from the mortgage company. look it over. if you are paying your mortgage on time, you will not have any problems. >> does it matter if i take out a mortgage and i receive notice it has bsold to some other company, does that make a difference to me as a homeowner? >> it should not. that is the part that makes the system possible. it allows money to flow to where it is needed for mortgages. but having said that, the companies do need to keep track of the paper work. in the case where is that hasn't happened, the companies need to look into it. that is only in the case of mortgages that go into default and have to go through the foreclosure process. it is not for mortgages that are current. >> do you think that there was

a break down in the system which led us to the mess today -- do you think there is enough knowledge to avoid going through that cycle again now we are starting to rebuild the system? >> a lot of changes have been made. since the crisis started a few years ago, the regulations have been tightened. now congress has passed the regulatory reform act. the president signed into law in the middle of this year. now the regulators are putting the regulations into effect on that. basically that will effect every part of the system. it will affect anyone who is applying for a mortgage. they have to provide a lot more documentation. you have to put your pay stubs in and demonstrate your income. on the security side, it will require any company that pools loans to retain some of that risk. the skin in the game.

chances are you have to have some down payment for the homeowner and pmi on the loan. anyone that touches it down the line will have more responsibility. the system will be tighter. ultimately it will produce a better system. changes have been made. >> we are all hoping so. paul leonard, thank you. allison. 8:22. thank you, steve. it is friday morning. the federal budget deficit will be released today. plus bad news for social security recipients. later, we will check back in with holly who is getting fall decorating ideas from our garden guy at ed's plant world. stay with us for all of that and more. 

welcome back. staggering numbers on the federal deficit are coming in. it is more than $1 trillion. it is not as much as last year's record which was $1.4 trillion. the budget office is projecting it to be $1.29 trillion.

efforts to compensate social security recipients who will learn that are going through a second year of no increases. the vote is scheduled for next month. just about 8:26. 53 degrees on a friday morning. researchers may have developed a stink bug repellent. gilbert arenas is back in the news making headlines. we will have the latest in sports coming up. it is 8:26.  

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into new strait -- strategies to find him. hartley's wife says they were on the lake when they were shot at by pirates. the phony letters written back in 2004 and2005 were unethical, but the judge is dismissing the claims. there is good news with the stink bugs. a report of japanese researchers have developed a repellent. it is made from a common plant fungus. the fungus can repel up to 90% of the bug. they don't like to be bothered or crushed. >> nobody does. 8:30 right now. let's check in with tucker barnes with the forecast today.

always on the defensive side. >> cool temperatures today. 50s here in washington d.c. 53 in downtown washington. 46 in gaithersburg. 50 in quantico. a cool start and breezy. winds out of the n orth/northwest up to 30 miles an hour. winds out of the north at 5 miles an hour. 9 at dulles. they will gust later today. as we continue to watch this nor'easter take off to the north and east. you see the last of it bringing heavy rain up in vermont and new hampshire at this hour. for us, cloud cover and sunshine trying to work in as well. our focus is out to the west. this upper level low will come rolling through this afternoon. we will go with partly sunny this afternoon and a few showers may make it across the mountains.

maybe a stray shower in the forecast. generally it will be a big improvement over yesterday. weekend weather is great. high pressure builds in saturday and sunday. quiet conditions with a nice warming trend by sunday. partly sunny and breezy and 66 degrees. look out for the winds gusting to 30 miles an hour out of the west and northwest later today. the weekend forecast looks great. tomorrow is 66. lots of sunshine. football game on sunday. no problems. dry weather and 70 sunday afternoon. the game sunday night. it will be cool. it should be dry. monday is fine. maybe more showers by tuesday afternoon. let's look at the forecast. i'll toss it to steve. before we get to the redskins and the forecast for sunday. let's go to the hard court. a day after gilbert arenas faked an injury, he got injured last night. minutes after checking into the game against the bucks, he had a strained right groin.

he did not return to the game. bucks won 96-88. now to the redskins hoping to win the third game in a row. dave ross is back with us for friday football forecast. >> give me a little bit on the gilbert arenas beard. it reminds me of joakim phoenix. it is fake. there is a division. everybody in is colts division is 3-2. some people love to have a tower team. one team that you love to hate. you try to knock them down. other people love it. everybody has a chance. the redskins are 3-2 and they have a chance.

it is another winnable game. the redskins play close games. that is what they have done so far. i expect sunday night to be the same. a couple weeks ago in philadelphia, kevin cobb with a chance to win it. out of his hands and into hall's hands. win for the redskins. then last week, overtime and redskins win again on the last play of the game. four ofthee last five games. it shows character when you can pull games out like that. this is not by chance. mike shanahan would agree with me. >> we have a different mentality. i hope it is different from the year before. we had guys on the team when you get in the tough situations, they gave in. >> i'm proud of them. it starts with your players.

we have a lot of great characters. we have people working hard. they have given themselves a chance to have success. it doesn't surprise me. >> shanahan trying to bring new people in and shaking things up. the mental aspect of that is starting to pay off. >> they are buying in. they are all in. that is a good thing. you listen to santana moss' words from last year. it is interesting to hear players say that. santana moss has been around here. his words resonate. it is very encouraging when you you hear santana moss say that. it is not the way it used to be. things have changed. >> quickly. somebody who has been around for a long time and never gives in is peyton manning. >> we are having fun with peyton manning.

a lot of people say he is overexposed. we enjoyed a couple of his commercials this morning. let's hear another classic. >> when it comes to being a better football fan, nothing beats sprint nfl mobile. you can watch highlights of all your favorite players. like peyton manning. that guy is pretty good if you like 6' 5", 250-pound quarterbacks with a laser arm. you can watch your favorite team. maybe like peyton manning's team. >> he has a flair for it. >> you have to give him credit. we have to make our picks for this week. i am 4-1. you are 3-2. so peyton manning with that laser rocket arm did not have a good game last week. no touchdowns for the first time in a long time. >> where you are going?

>> here is where i'm going. redskins have been in every game. they had a chance to win every game. they won more games than they lost. colts had a horrible attack game. >> answer the question. >> i'm going with the colts. peyton manning will not have two bad games in a row. i want the redskins to win, but peyton manning is angry and he will come out firing. it will be close. >> i want to disagree with you so badly, steve. i'm taking the colts as well. i agree. it is peyton manning. it is the reason you see all of the darn commercials. he is one of the best of all times. i would be stunned if he lays a clunker. >> we are taking the colts. >> i hope we are wrong on monday. >> no more peyton manning commercials. >> they are funny. if the redskins win, it is funny. >> it is a fine line between

predicting the colts and saying you are rooting for the redskins. >> i got it. >> we have to be objective. >> thank you. 53 degrees on this friday morning. up next, a fox 5 follow-up on what some say is a cancer cluster near fort detrick. the white house wasn't so white last night. why it changed colors when we come back. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries.

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a local group is fighting back after maryland health officials denied a connection between a soaring number of cancer indications and the activity -- cancer cases and the activity at the fort detrick center. army researchers sprayed agent orange back in the 1950s. army officials released a statement saying it is continuing the research into past activities at the fort from 1940 to 1970. president barack obama and the first lady are calling attention to national breast cancer awareness month. the white house became the pink house for a special night.

if you are looking for work in the health care field, check out the job we have. the traveling physical therapist. if you would like information on this job, go to myfoxdc.com. time right now is 8:42 on this friday morning. check out the family friendly events taking place this weekend. plus holly joins us live with the gorgeous fall selections. >> reporter: let's just say mums the word. we are live this morning at ed's plant world in brandywine. we are going to tell you how to make the most of the season. we have some brilliant ideas. it is all next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. hi there, i'm ian wright

and i'm investigating what makes aruba so happy. oh my word, that's fantastic. ♪ row your boat gently down the stream... ♪ i'll tell you what; it's not aloe vera the main export. it's happiness. i haven't even got bait on the end of mine. i don't care; it's just nice sitting here. you're getting it. you're getting it.

welcome back. 8:45 right now on this friday morning. time to check the calendar. >> if you have free time this weekend, we are about to fill

it up. not us, but paul has the good ideas. >> i always bring you a song. this is one of my favorites because it is perfect for one of my events. let's listen to it. you never heard it before. this is proving you can find anything on the internet. it will tie into one of my events. let's get to the first event. the mcclain pet expo going on saturday at the park. at the expo, you can see frisbee dogs. you can also enter your pup into the halloween pooch parade and costume contest. 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and it is free. in maryland this saturday is the fall apple festival. it is going on at locust grove nature center. you can make apple crafts and

sip on some cider and press some apples. it will be a smashing good time. $3 for admission. the zest fest is going on in downtown washington d.c. steve, you are wondering about this. it is what they are calling the area north of new york avenue metro station. events from now to the 23rd. lunchtime massages. they are hosting glow in the dark ultimate frisbee. the party will cost you $5. the next event is for the bacon lovers for you and why i chose this song. i stopped by to learn more about the pork product. who does not like bacon? that is the motto here. brian robinson is here to tell

me more about week-o-bacon. >> it runs now until the 21st. these are some of our bar bites. bacon on a stick with maple syrup and barbecue glaze. this is the bacon explosion. a bacon weave. >> a loaf of bacon. >> we slice it and fry it. >> how does it work? >> you come in and tryout the bar bites. for $30, it is three courses. a soup and salad to start. a pork chop wrapped with bacon. then it all ends up with the bacon dessert. that is the bacon waffle and ice cream. >> they have bacon dishes and drinks. i have the owner to teach me

about it. tell me about this interesting looking bottle of vodka. >> it is interesting. you get a basic bottle of vodka and fill it with bacon in the bottom. cooked bacon, of course. let it sit for 48 hours in a dark place. strain the fat off and you have bacon infused vodka. >> what do we do? >> you do a mix. regular. >> i'm like tom cruise in "cocktail." >> there you go. >> i'll justtryy yours. >> make sure you garnish it with the bacon and olive and you are all set. >> it is my first bacon martini. >> that is good.

>> everything bacon and my song "give me that bacon." it is by big cheese. >> it should be from the bacon brothers. >> go to myfoxdc.com. i posted over 10 haunted attractions in our area for halloween coming up in 15 days. >> was that drink really good? >> it was. >> did it taste like bacon? >> a bit. >> smoky? >> yes. that is a good way to describe it. i will listen to my new jam. >> one more big event? paul's birthday. happy birthday. >> thank you, steve. red and orange are colors you associate with fall. >> holly is working with those colors for the fall season. >> reporter: the thing is you

have to start at ed's plant world. this is ed. good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: thank you for hosting us. >> we are excited to have you out. this is beautiful. >> reporter: this is a beautiful time of year. you and i were talking earlier to get out and do some planting. why so good? >> the weather is the main thing. fall is a great time to plant. the weather is cooler and there is moisture in the ground and plans are going dormant. they are well established before the heat of next summer. >> reporter: what should you take advantage of? >> mums and kale and cabbage and pansies. we have trees and evergreens and things that do well right now. >> reporter: ed, what are you feeding these mums? these are the biggest mums. the colors are vibrant.

>> we had a great growing season. they are not on steroids. >> reporter: they are working out and eating right. of course, the person that knows how to make the most of all of the mums and everything is our gardening guru derek. >> this is the time of year where your annuals are done. time to deck the halls with color. i mean cabbage and mini straw. pumpkins and mums. all of these things are great ways to get that front of the house, whether it is just something you are doing for a party or something you want to do for, as ed was saying, planting a plant. the good thing about mums, cut them back. they will come back next year. >> reporter: what do we do once they fade and they don't look

good anymore? >> yeah. the cabbage, you can compost those when they are doing. one of the great ideas of getting the front together -- here is a thought. why not instead of making a regular jackolantern, take the pumpkin and cut it out and clean it out. we have a pumpkin here that has been cleaned out. you also want to do a drainage hole. you will pop this little bottom piece out so there is a drainage hole. when you put your plants in there, you will be good to go. >> reporter: we have about a minute. >> i want to think about what

you will put in there. make sure what you are putting in fits. i have a cabbage here for you. what i want you to do is wiggle it out of its container. you can break that up there. go ahead and get that down in there like that. now whether this is at the front door or on your table center piece, you have instant impact. >> reporter: my neighbors will think i'm the next martha stewart. quickly before we go. this? >> once you are done when you decorate the door, this is popcorn. >> reporter: we have to go. we have a link to ed's plant world at myfoxdc.com. they are giving you 10% off this weekend if you mention fox 5. coming up in the next hour,

what do you do with the living spaces when the weather starts to turn? derek will tell us. back to you. move over iphone or droid. new buzz about windows 7 mobile. and jeff daniels is live next hour. he is a musician. he will perform for us in the next hour. stay with us in the 9:00 hour.  g ol

woman 1 sync: i knew what bob ehrlich did as governor. man 1 sync: raised my property taxes 60 percent. woman 2 sync: let utilities hike our rates 72 percent. woman 1 sync: but i didn't know what he's done since he got fired as governor. man 2: ehrlich's raked in millions. man 3: he worked for a wall street bank that took 10 billion dollars from the bailout. woman 3: 10 billion of our money. woman 4: our money. woman 5 sync: and he worked for another bank that collapsed. man 4: costing tax payers 17 million. anncr: tell bob ehrlich big banks don't need help. middle class marylanders do. rule the bedtime. rule the upload. we built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verizon. right now at verizon, you can get a new samsung intensity ii

free after mail-in rebate. only at verizon. we are closing in on the 9:00 hour. that will do it for this hour of fox 5 morning news. one more hour to go. we turn it over to tony and allison. >> thank you very much. we have a look at some of the stories we are working on for the 5:00 hour. we continue to follow a

developing story in the district. a man apparently beaten to death in northwest washington. police are trying to figure out if a nearby club could be linked. we are live on the scene. and we told you earlier this week that windows is rolling out their new smart phone, but how does it stack up against the iphone and droid? we will have insight for you. and you know him as a big hollywood actor. did you know jeff daniels is a few -- musician as well? he will perform later for us. he is an excellent guitarist. he has a cd out. i just got it yesterday. it is great. >> he is here in between two performances. >> right. he is performing tonight. he performed last night. he is in annapolis