the official warnings have been dropped. thunderstorms across the northern neck of virginia as well heading to the neuland area, as well. that is moving east at 25. across the river in to southern maryland within the next half hour, 45 minutes. most of you this evening enjoying pleasant conditions with the humidity going down from earlier in the day. so the forecast isn't too bad for tonight. we will check what is in store for the weekend when i come back in a few minutes. thank you for that. oh top story. chopper crash probe. four people are killed when a helicopter crashes and becomes a deadly ball of fire we are learning more about the live of those four victim and their passion for helping others and a bankin' bank robbery suspect gets jammed by a traffic jam. i'm peggy fox in prince william county where a woman faces bank robbery charges tonight after her getaway on 95 in rush hour failed.

within an hour after the crime an alert state trooper spotted the woman's car in the slow- moving morning traffic of 95 near edsall road. a dozen officers responded and one hit her with a taser because she apparently resisted arrest. >> that was amazing he could scan all of the lanes of traffic, hov in rush hour and still pick out this car. it was really good police work. >> i saw police haulin' -- everywhere around here. >> reporter: cynthia crawford is charged with holding up this sun trust in woodbridge. police say she implied she had a weapon. >> the lady that robbed them. >> reporter: what would make a woman rob. >> drugs it is all drugs. >> reporter: crawford may face more char chshe bears an uncanny resemblance to a woman wanted in two bank rob is in maryland. the ntsbs there was no contact between the pilot and air traffic control because the

tower was closed and also no flight data recorder on board. the now the ntsb has the difficult task of sifting through the debris to figure out what caused the tragedy. wreckage in a private hangar at hagerstown ranch until airport. ntsb investigators looking at the debris this afternoon to be hauled off to clayton, delaware. that's where the bulk of the investigation will take place to determine what caused the chopper to go down. >> the cabin of the aircraft was consumed by fire so it is not survivable. it happened on i-70. the fiery crash happened moments after takeoff from hagerstown regional airport heading to frederick, killing all four people on board. >> witnesses reported that the aircraft was flying very low. >> reporter: investigators will focus on bad weather, power lines and pilot history. i'm scott broom in

fredericks airport where victims are remembered for their involvement in a new foundation to help at-risk youth. >> she led the girl scout troop and was pta president last year. it is heart breaking. stunned friends mourn the loss of 48-year-old kim felix of new market who gave so much to people. nearby the family of neil booth gathered to remember an adventurer with a commitment to helping others. he was the director of the advance helicopter youth foundation. a charitable enterprise founded by the owner of advanced helicopter systems in frederick which operated the chopper that crashed. they were working to organize a formation flight of helicopters raise money to assist families of at-risk youth. haveen be victims in this have been idenhafied idasflight instructor. orje n ffasthdas waase pilot an instructor last night. showe tkeugh ts ugother via

the telephone and his brother odd hathmo rean 600 service hours inside of a helicopter. 43-year-old thilooom bfr new market, maryland a management consultant married with two sons and kim felix a wifeand mother, had rehte wiugdaers and ugshe was a scout leader, pta president and also from new market. a sheriffs deputy somehow survived this crash in calvert county but another driver was not so fortunate. that deputy was racing to an emergency when his patrol car collided with another vehicle. it happened this morning at route 4 in dunkirk. the other driver was killed. the deputies car flipped over and first responders had to free him from the wreckage. the sheriffs office said he had his lights and siren on at the time of the crash. a man was struck by a metro train this afternoon. it happened at the red line and van ness station. according to metro, witnesses saw the 40-year-old man actual aget on the tracks. his injuries are life- threatening but he was

conscious inside the ambulance. >> he has lacerations and lacerations and injuries compatible with being struck. he is being transported priority one to gw hospital. >> reporter: there were major delays on the ready line due though that incident. nearly two hours trains this that area shared a single track. now to an active crime scene. a murder investigation. police say they found a woman dead inside of a bathroom. the killer had tied her up and stabbed her. this happened inside of a small business that apparently deals in acupuncture and herbal remedies. police have not released the victim's name. eight days an 25 witnesses for the prosecution, 20 minutes and two witnesses for the defense. both sides have now rested in the banita jacks trial. the southeast dc woman accused of murdering her four daughters and living with their bodies for months. the judge turned down a defense motion for a summary acquittal. he says a reasonable juror could find a basis to convict.

the closing arguments are slated for monday. now the topic that is everywhere, the policeman, professor and the president. today president obama said he should have chosen his words more carefully when he said that the police "acted stupidly in arresting a prominent black harvard scholar. " police arrested henry gaits at his home last week after responding to a call about a possible break in. the president's comments touched off a media frenzy. supporters of the cambridge police officer want an apology. >> i think the president should make an apology to all law enforcement personnel throughout the entire country that took offense to this. >> i continue to believe, based on what i have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling professor gates out of his home to the station. i also continue to believe, based on what i heard, that professor gates probably overreacted, as well. the fact that it has garnered

so much attention i think is a testimony to the fact that these are issues that are still very sensitive here in america. >> reporter: the president went on to say we ought to use this as a learning experience because americans need to stick together. just ahead, a hero who's helped countless kids could now use a helping hand. plus, the warning signs every parent should know. how to know if your kid is aps n ck rh apusinhe ro. back in 65 seconds. fa

a centreville man involved in a heroin ring was sentenced to 20 years in prison today. skier will smith is the last of 16 tvs to be sentenced. most were former or current students. the y20r sentence was the minimum term the judge could impose. prosecutors say sheientuppld t heroin that fourpeople up ovledosed and died on including

his girlfriend. since her death, the family has been on a mission to educate parents on the warning signs of heroin abuse and her father is joining us now. sir, thank you for coming in today. we appreciate it. first your reaction to the sentence, the minimum. >> we're satisfied. it has been a long journey. >> no matter what the sentence was it can't bring your daughter back but you have made it your mission so other parents won't have to go through this. what have you found out as you have gone along about the warning signs that perhaps you missed? >> well, there's a lot of things that the public needs to be educated including us. i wish we had some kind of outreach program in our area to let us know what kind of issues, some of the things that we could have seen as looking in a room for particular signs, such as a coke can, some of the heroin users take the coke can and they'll take this can and

turn it upside down. they will mix the heroin in it and then they will take cotten balls and draw it and shoot it. >> wow. okay. so most times if you saw a coke can in your kids ' bedroom you wouldn't think anything. >> it could be a deodorant can, or anything at all and they save it and use it for later when they are in need. >> wow. so much of this is because of the heroin that these young people have access to is different than what was in the ' 670s. >> i'm still doing research. i'm learning as we go, but, you know, there's black tar heroin and powder heroin. the powder heroin seems to be prevalent in the area. the kids can buy it $20 a keco a n'x n ikecodo can and don't have to heat it like you saw in the old days on the news. so, it is readily available, quick will to use and fairly

cheap for s eaard most of e ueflnt areas such as the centreville area. >> you mentioned the affluent areas and i'm sure there are a lot of parents thinking, well, in our neighborhood no kids would do this. has there ever been a time when some parents jumped up and ran out of the room and realized something clicked between what you said and something they have seen in their kids room. >> we have a coalition, centreville, chantilly and west field run by the alcohol drug services and we're speaking to high schools. what we found when we are giving some of our own testimony what we have been through, we see parents look at each other, grab each other's hands and look in each other's eyes and see them shaking their heads. they see these signs. it is out there. we need to educate the community to what to look for. >> reporter: look at the screen. we have symptoms that parents can look for. for example, a change in friends, change in activities, perhaps more sleep or less

sleep. now that's interesting. either can be a sign? >> these are signs. most heroin users use other drugs. so these are all sort of signs with a heroin user but some of them are for other drugs. one particular thing that is not listed here on the redness of eyes. with heroin users, you look for the small pinpoint pupils. that's the first sign there is an issue. >> how severe is the heroin problem out there? we know about other drugs. how about heroin? it is an old-school drug but a new school problem too. >> last week, antonio harper who was the main supplier in dc for this ring, he has admitted to selling up to 300,000 bags of heroin in our community. that's a tremendous amount. that's not only the centreville, but the northern virginia area. and you know he's sold in dc and maryland and everywhere. that is very prevalent. >> he's not the only one. any other symptoms?

>> change in mood, all of these things are important but look, the statistics show that one in three, and up to 50% of the kids do some sort of drug or alcohol in high school. so talk to your kids. you have a one in two chance that they are doing one of the things. pay attention 0 the signs. >> thank you so much for your time today. >> thank you for having me. >> and for your effort effort to help other parents. we appreciate it and i'm sure they do, tony is nyis back forecast. so keep it here.

if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%.

and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act.

a magazine can give you a quick easy escape and in tonit's living smart a tip s,a tip to get thr fo. ss nt ufor sle. t it until the subscription is before you ri before you renew. rea w crne subserib seek out discounts. they are out there. take advantage of all of those free trial offers er m thein th zi gas manetrade uryo with your friends and ner ever manezigat amagazine at co price unless you only want one or two issues. sometimes even a hero cannot save -- we meet a woman who would rather push on to victory but instead is grateful to be leaving a legacy. >> past few weeks have been the toughest few weeks of my life. >> and that is saying something. for the last 13 years susie

kay's life has been running the hoop dreams foundation. nothing to do with basketball except the one-day benefit tournament that started it all in ' 96. >> from that day it sort of started to go full throttle and getting people to be mentor answer provide internships an support. >> reporter: because the students needed all of those things and more. kay was a teacher at the h.d. woodson high school where she says she was inspired by young people who had so little but tried so hard. she wanted to do more. >> we ran a career prep program. a year-long essay prep program. a scholarship program. >> reporter: after 13 year and helping 1,000 students with everything from scholarships to internships hoop dreams is a victim of its own success and has to raise a million and a half dollars a year to stay in business. and with donations on the wane this this economy, the tough decision to close the door on hoop dreams. >> we didn't want to risk starting everything over again and bringing on new students and this time the very high

probability that we would not be able to meet our commitments. >> reporter: but in a few weeks susie kay's biggest commit will be figuring out what is next but for now no regrets. >> the peace, i hope someday will come in knowing that there are thousands and thousands of people who really were impacted by what we did. >> reporter: and october 31st will be hoop dreams last official day of business. though susie says they have the resources they need to meet the commitments to the students they have already taken on. do you know a hero or someone who perhaps needs a hero, go to wusa9.com and click on hero central and tell us your story. i actually played in the charity event a couple of years ago. >> we know tony pann has game. >> that's right. >> he knows it. >> let's shift gears here. g. harove stunng thdetothrms in ndou theving. start wi live doppler 90 d anlk about the weekend in just amoment. but no warnings are in affect.

most of the warnrngs have been d ncleelt lestrong rsthdeuntosss deroac frederrok c and washington unties. most of you, 80% of you watching rite now have coa quie friday evening going on. zoom in on the activity here. storm is coming out of washington county moving out of frederick county in to carroll county. this storm could produce some small hail and wind gusts 40 miles an hour. it is north of sharpsburg moving to the east. if you are watching in middle touch or meyersville it will be heading to you guys in the next 15 or 20 minutes. this storm is moving to mount airy and carroll county. wind gusts over 40 miles an hour but no warnings are in affect. a good thunderstorm rolling across the northern neck of virginia around in the newland area. this could produce heavy rain and small hail. storm crossed the river and moving to the southern part of saint mary's county as well in southern maryland. so, again, some of these storms could produce wind gusts over 40 miles an hour but mo st of you watching out e the erththisv

g enjoying very pleasant conditions. let's switch it over and look at the weather computer and get a sneak peek of the weekend. i think it will be warm on saturday but should be dry to start saturday. the high near 91. i think if you are going to pick one of g the weekend days, of coursely saturday is your day. a better chance of rain on sunday. specifically for tonight, partly cloudy skies. a chance of a shower or thunderstorm, mostly in the northern suburbs. low temperatures in the 60s. partly to mostly sunny tomorrow. the humidity will go up, the high temperatures upper 80s and low 90s. right now 83 at national airport with a dew point of 61 with the humidity has come down. it is fairly pleasant this evening. most spots in the upper 70s and low 80s. only 75 in culpeper. some heat off to our west 92 kansas city. a little chunk of that heat will visit us for the start of the weekend and then a bit of a shift in the jet stream back to this west will provide some warmer conditions next week. most of the summer we have enjoyed temperatures below

normal, but i think for most of next week in the upper 80s to around 90 degrees and that's exactly normal for the end of july and there's a 30% chance of a thunderstorm just about every day going through next week. unfortunately i think the best chance of rain is on sunday. with a high temperature near 88. let's get to the weird news file because nobody really lives in a tree house except tarzan and well, this guy. >> i live in a tree house. used to live in a house when i was in high school and my brother took my room when i left for college so i figured we may as well move to the tree house. there's nothing wrong with it. >> nothing wrong with it if you have a totally pimped out tree house like brian there. electricity, cable, air conditioning and even different rooms i don't feel might be asking how come he didn't get an pardon me or on campus housing he said he missed out on the on campus housing thing and apartment living is a

hassle, more hassle than climbing a tree every night. on the up side, mom and dad's cooking are only a ladder away. a

in the mail bag tonight,

harvard professor henry gates, by now you all know the story of his arrest for disorderly conduct when confronted by cambridge cops as he tried to break in to his own house. president obama has backed away a bit from miss comment that the police behaved in his words stupidly but that was a mistake. says carroll from clinton, maryland. president obama should not back down from his comment. the fact the charges were dropped so fast indicates to me that his arrest apparently did not meet the standard for such an arrest. well, maybe but dennis from germantown says -- meantime our

good friend john from chantilly says it is obvious to him professor gates is at fault. why not, john why couldn't sergeant crawley walk away. there was no real crime being committed. this i think was a case of two men not getting their due respect and nobody was going to back down. the only thing is one of those men is a public servant trained to handle these situations. it was literally crawley's job to be the bigger guy. well, your job if you choose to accept it is to send more e- mail. that is our report this

evening. i will be back here tonight at 11:00 along with anita brickman and we have an interview with the owner of advanced helicopter concepts and don't forget, log on anytime you look to wusa9.com. stick around. we will see you then, bye-bye. (bell ringing) woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! kobak. mr. miller (announcer) everyone's heading to arby's for the official $5 combo of summer. featuring arby's new bbq bacon cheddar roastburger with curly fries and a drink for only $5. big on bbq taste, it's the $5 combo done better.

this is "entertainment tonight" in high definition. was 12-year-old prince forced to watch his father die? the shocking new headline today. >> it had a traumatic impact on prince as you can imagine. >> this report goes against the 911 call made that day. plus, is michael's mother katherine broke? and michael's rumored secret son, an insider says he knows the truth, love child or special friend? >> you know that we're going to go in there and, you know, lose our hearing. the stars of "twilight" saga new moon send their fans into a frenzy. plus, denzel washington, johnny depp and an exclusive peek at the "alice in wonderland" set. a star reveals her painful battle with weight. >> i'm ugly, i'm fat. i didn't want to get out of