fire investigation. as firefighters search for the cause of a massive house fire, city leaders are forced to answer questions about low water pressure at hydrants. metro crash probe. federal investigators are focusing their attention on a signaling system. and health care reform. president obama promotes health care reform across the country, trying to dispel bipartisan rumors about his intentions. thanks for joining us. today is july 30th. we have a lot coming up. cheesecake, ribs, a workout, going to the beach, taking walk and of course we have traffic and weather with angie and

howard. howard is kicking it off. >> weather wise we are doing well. i don't know about traffic wise. i have better news than you today, angie. >> we are chock full of incidents. nothing to show you on live doppler hd and probably won't have much as the day goes on. the storms from yesterday mo d to new england. some crowds across the region and southwestern virginia and in nt suckeg eekyincouple echos return. we will watch out west and southwest or late this lyr abtef afternoon. prob lyafter 2:00 3:00. i-81 and west see if we have a ibee tternchanc shiomofhangetn. he 78 fderickreurg. it is 73 in winchester and 73 baltimore. here in town itwe sit to75. and wa show thu yoe the day at a glance. temperatures in the thupper 80so y. a slime chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. angie already told you there's some issues out there. here's the details. >> i am going to ask you to follow me, stay with me.

and a few thicks to get to on the -- a few things to get to on the outer loop. crash activity is taking part of the right lane. causing a slow go approaching the scene. relief as you pass that scene. we are looking at a 20-minute commute or so to make it from 95 to the mormon temp. in northwest dc, this is what we have been dealing with overnight. a fire is wreaking havoc with the commute. low borrow road is closed. chain bridge is closed. as a result traffic is rerouted on to arizona. as a result of that you can hop on to canal, reservoir, macarthur. a few alternatives. 270 southbound. looks like we are below speed from montgomery village avenue to the split. 95 in virginia. this is a nice look here. things are clearing out here. that's the shot. actually, no it is not.

395 northbound. we are slow from duke over to seminary and then okay from the pentagon to the 14th street bridge. moving over to 66 eastbound. your main delay is stretching 50 to 123 going westbound. this just in at glebe road. a report of a car ire and slow approaching that scene. that's a quick look at the cameras around the region. now, jessica, back to you. >> the loss of a prominent dcme te whove ou hadccould have d.en. gh fi srersthte ay eyd ha firefighters say they had troublttgeeng inghoutewater to t puout ain bridge chn bridge est.id 9 hwrtest. 9 news now digital correspondent armando trull is live from the scene with more. >> reporter: jessica, the fire happened 13 hours ago, but as you can see a lot of activity around here. you have police officers, you have wasa crews and firefighters. all in all it is very busy around this part of chain bridge road and northeast dc. >> reporter: by daybreak, dc firefighters were still dealing

with the hot spot of a two- alarm blaze that slightly injured one of their own and severely tested their skills. >> we struggled initially with water pressure in the area. >> reporter: broken fire hydrants and low water pressure in this exclusive american university neighborhood are to blame for the dc fire department's inability to contain the blaze for hours. >> firefighters did the best they could under the circumstances, but it will be a significant loss. >> reporter: dc firefighters responded quickly to the fire last night. but when they tried to hook up to a fire hydrant a few feet away they were unable to do so and they had to hook up the hoses thousands of feet away down two different hills. >> i'm about 400-yards away, 500-yards away from the fire they had to -- they were using fire hydrants in front of our house and past the house. and a lot of the hoses seem to be emptied a good part of the time. >> reporter: the fire, which began at 8 p.m. and was raging by midnight,

totally destroyed this chain bridge road mansion. and an extensive art collection inside. >> you can see the flames leaping over the trees. it is terrible. >> reporter: frustrated neighborhoods need a helping hand to navigate the water hoses snaking through the neighborhood. >> reporter: you are looking at a live picture of those hoses. as you can see they are heading down a hill, around a corner to a nearby fire hydrant. the distance between that hydrant and the fire is over 2,000 feet. so that, of course, is an ongoing problem. neighbors have told us they have had to deal with low water pressure in the neighborhood because this part of dc is at the highest point in the city. they have to get water from fort reno. so even if their homes the pressure is low. so obviously to run all of these hoses up a hill and to get enough water to put out a fire is a daunting task. reporting live, armando trull for 9 news now and wusa9.com.

the home that was destroyed belonged to peggy cooper. after doing research we found pictures of the home on the oprah magazine website. it was featured in an article about going inside of an art collectors home. this is a look inside the home. these are courtesy of oprah magazine. she is a well-known member of the washington community and a patron of the arts. she's responsible for founding the duke ellington school of the arts. our coverage of this story continues at wusa9.com. today services will be held for three victims in the helicopter crash. the chopper crash last thursday night near hagerstown,

maryland. services for felix will be held this afternoon at 2:00 in damascus and at 6:00 p.m. family and friends will attend a visitation for george tutor es in manchester, maryland. and at 7 p.m. a funeral will be held for pilot jeff nordaas. arrangements have not been made yet for neil booth. metro is cracking down on bad behavior by bus drivers and train operators. this is after a recent string of questionable accidents including everything from arguing with passengers and detaining one of them against her will. the general manager says the agency will review all rules connected to employee behavior and discipline. the national transportation safety board says there were changes to the metro train signal system just before the deadly crash on the red line. the equipment, known as an imped dense spond was replaced before the crash. the equipment communicates

speed and distance between the tracks, trains and the operation control center. investigators are looking in to whether replacing it may have affected the system's performance. a hearing in the case of a white supremacist accused of the shooting at the national holocaust museum is scheduled for later today. this is one day after run brown was indicted for first-degree murder. if convicted james von brunn could face the death penalty. banita jacks will be sentenced in october. a judge found her guilty of killing her four daughters. federal marshalls funnel their bodies in the southeast home when they came to serve an eviction notice. jacks faces life in prison. we have learned the identity of a man who was shot and killed by police in germantown yesterday morning. montgomery county police say he is iladora hernandez. officers responded to eagles nest court to check on a 911

hangup call. the officer fired his gun twice. one round struck and killed hernandez who police say had a bb gun and knife by his side. two others a the scene -- two officers are on leave during the investigation. council members discussed cuts on wednesday in a closed door session. bruce johnson reports the plan will avoid hikes in income tax and property tax but would hike the gas tax and sales tax as well as higher tobacco taxes. >> i have a problem with paying higher taxes to reduce dc's deficit unless i have a sense that they will do a more efficient job of managing their resources. >> reporter: the dc school system could take a hit of $45 million. you can read more on bruce johnson's blog at wusa9.com. the nation's lawmakers maybe closer to reaching a deal on health care.

house leaders and fiscally conservative democrats say they have agreed on a deal which cuts more than $100 billion from the overhaul plan. this comes as the president hits the road to promote the program and assure americans this is about covering the uninsured and not diminishing the quality of care. we're not going to be changing your system if you are happy with what you've got. under the reform, i have proposed if you like your doctor you keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you will keep your plan. now, if you are one of 46 million americans who don't have health care coverage you will finally be able to get quality affordable coverage. >> reporter: a vote on the house bill by the energy and commerce committee could come as early as today. the beer summit as it is being referred to takes place tonight at the white house. the president will sit down with henry lewis gates junior and cambridge, massachusetts police sergeant crowley.

both have drastically different accounts of what happened when the two crossed paths earlier th is month. gates accused crowley of racism for arresting him in his own home. and he said -- the sergeant said he was belligerent and disorderly. the president spoke about it. >> my sense is you have two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident shitwa ou ldy have been resolved. they hope it leads to more peace in minority communities. ////kkk÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

today a judge will hear arguments in the case of a terror detainee held at guantanamo bay for more than six years. the judge will decide whether mohammad will go home to afghanistan or be brought to the united states for prosecution. he is accused of a grenade attack which wounded two u.s. soldiers. he's been in custody since he was 14 years old and he long denied any wrongdoing. secretary of defense robert gates says 5,000 troops may leave iraq early. visiting iraq yesterday he said a reduction in violence could lessen the need for vile.

130,000 american troops are in iraq and scheduled to stay until national elections in january. baltimore's mayor is facing criminal charges. prosecutors say a new indictment reinstates count of counts of perjury and misconduct against sheila dixon. it comes after a developer who once dated mayor dixon pleaded guilty to a campaign finance charge and started to talk to investigators. later today, the house will hold a second vote on a food safety bill. it calls for tougher, more frequent government inspection of american food operations. this after massive salmonella and e. coli outbreaks in our food supply. during voting yesterday the bill fell short of the two- thirds majority needed for approval. it is thened of july and you should expect heat but our neighbors in the pacific northwest are blasted. yesterday seattle set an all- time record hitting 103 degrees and it was even hotter in other parts of the state and just as

hot today. i don't think we have that in store for us, do we, howard. >> no. the 103 is at sea tack airport and 105 at the weather service office there and i posted that on my blog and while you are there check out the interactive radar. by friday we are talking temperatures in the upper 80s with more thunderstorms than today. some of the storms could last in to friday night. saturday, upper 80s again but other than early lingering shower i think we will be in good shape. mostly cloudy. by this afternoon, warm, isolated thunderstorm and 86 to 90. winds turning southwest five to ten and mostly cloudy overnight. isolated shower or thunderstorm not out of the question. upper 60s to lower -- lower 70s. mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms and 85 to 90 degrees. southwest winds five to ten. nice sunrise is moing. sunrise actually just to the

le of this w wehave a little haze out there but a decent start to the day. we sit at 77 with a northwest wind at seven. the dew point has come down to 5. so it is not feeling as oppressive as it was yesterday morning when we had the high humidity, as well. 77 at national. 79 from cambridge, salisbury, fredericksburg and saint indigos and leesburg. 72 at the montgomery county air park and cumberland 70. culpeper 66. there's the heat in the northwest. there is nothing here except off shore flow. the winds out of the mountains they stay warm. they are used to an on-shore flow. our average is 88. it would be like us hitting 114. unbelievable heat to them. big time showers and storms across texas this morning. a lot of wind and heavy rain with it, as well. this is a marching to louisiana and arkansas, as well.

we are in between a couple of systems right now with the stuff from yesterday up in new england and a couple of showers in southwestern virginia. we will see how much this holds together as it moves to the east northeast later this afternoon. with the front still nearby and the upper level winds, hey, still have to worry about a couple of thunderstorms today. tomorrow that will be more on top of us than what we are dealing with for today. the future cast showing we have a couple of showers and storms but most of us it through the west. although one or two could sneak closer to us. tomorrow we get more activity that moves this way. even by the middle of the day talking showers are possible around here. look at the 7 day forecast. near 90 today. tomorrow in the upper 80s wither at chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening hours. by saturday, i think we are okay. maybe an early shower, 88 on sunday. a couple of storms and 88 an next week we are pushing the 90- degree mark with a chance of

isolated afternoon thunderstorms. hey, we have to change gears for a minute and i have to ask you how well do you know washington, now you have a chance to get a different perspective. all you need are good walking shoes and a thirst for adventure. with me is the founder of washington walk and they are in the tenth year. >> so washington walks. i have done a segue to it on the story. but tell me about this. >> washington walks was founded ten years ago and it is -- if you have ever been in london and taking walking tours there we copied what is in london which is walking to the same event same times and days of the week, same time of the year. don't need a reservation and show up outside of a metro station and whoever is there goes on the walking tour which lasts two hours. >> so a bunch of tours to choose from because i can't do everything in two hours. >> you can't do everything in two hours. you have to pick and choose. we have over a dozen you can do but in two hours time you can

get an indepth look at a neighborhood like georgetown, captiol hill, the national mall, embassy row, even a food one that we have that we do on saturday afternoon. >> reporter: how did you find out, there's a lot to know. how did you and your staff find out little tips that you share with your customers. >> ten years ago it wasn't on- line. it was all in books and files at the martin luther king library in downtown washington and became about dotal things we pick up. if you live in a neighborhood where the walking tour takes place. you know about the local low down of that particular place. now there is a lot of stuff on- line. >> who is taking the tours. >> it is typically this time of the year two-thirds out of towners and one third local people. >> so there is an area of town, as georgetown, give me something i may not know about georgetown that i would learn on one of the tours. >> georgetown has a reputation

of being where the elite of washington, the power brokers have lived but most of the history has been a motley assortment of people and it's been historically african- american neighborhood, as well. there enclaves, particularly in the east of georgetown, one called harry and hill which is still home to four historic african-american churches and that's always a big surprise to people that take that walk. >> you must be a real history buff. >> i'm actually an actor, but i think when you are an actor you have to like history and be interested, because it often informs you of a play you are in but i guess i'm a washington buff. >> we did add a new one this year. we have one that goes around the perimeter of the u.s. capitol grounds and we did that to celebrate the opening of the capitol visitors center. >> reporter: when 9/11 occurred did you have to change tours

based on security concerns? >> no and we thought we would have to change what we do in lafayette park and we thought we maybe forbidden. the opposite was true. the white house police said no, please gkeep oing. this is the safest place you can bring people in washington, d.c. >> okay. >> before we go, any surprises as you have been doing this over the years. what has touched you more than anything. >> since we have had segments of hot weather, the biggest surprise to me is how people come out in all sorts of weather that you would not think people would want to go on a walking tour and we are getting on august in dc and think no one will come on a 90- degree day and they do. they are excited to be there and planned their trip to washington and they are like i'm going on the walking tour. >> give the the website and then we have to go. >> washingtonwalks.com. >> how easy is that. go for kea walk. it is good for you and you may

learn something.

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welcome back to 9 news now. a live look at the washington monument. nice a little hazy outside but a nice day. the worst recession in five decades is easing. that's according to a new report from the federal reserve. the beige book survey findses the pace has slowed. the job market is extremely weak but the housing market is improving in some places. home prices have risen two months in a row in our area. a lot of people are turning in thei cashe r cashsh clrskeun tetekers re e the stlaly tte. al16 lunkerhas been turned in so enand that ls $69 million. the government says 22,000 dealers signed up for the

program. ocean city gets five stars. we're not talking about hotels but rave reviews for the environmental beaches. congratulations on the survey. talking about your beaches, the quality of the beach. what do you guys do differently. >> isn't that terrific? we are proud of that. it is terrific. we know we have a beautiful beach and now people are assured as well and they have been for a number of years that it is a safe beach. i think we got the only five star rating in the mid-atlantic area and one of the only five or six five star ratings in the country. we are very proud of the beaches in ocean city and it is a example of a lot of hard work and making sure the infrastructure operates properly managing water runoff and keeping the beaches clean continuously so there isn't debris that goes out in to the

ocean and. it is a beautiful beach and a safe and clean beach. >> what you are doing is apparently working. >> let's talk about the tourism industry. it has been a tough summer for a lot of places but you guys seem to be doing well. >> the summer started off great. we have some great weekend and our visitor base and numbers are parallelling last year and in 2009 that is excellent. we are close to home. within 150 miles of five major metropolitan areas. a dive to destination, a lot of tradition, a lot of family tradition and i think people are anxious to get away and they are coming to ocean city. >> reporter: we have about a month left in the summer vacation season. the kids will go back to school. what do you expect? >> we are expecting, we are in the height of the summer right now. a lot going on in ocean city right now and we are offering events free to visitors to come to ocean city. we have free movies and concerts on the beach and

family olympics and bonfires on the beach. sundays in the park. we are trying to add a lot of value to the vacation experience, especially the families that bring their kids to ocean city to have a traditional ocean city vacation. >> reporter: people love the word free and they love the beach and. >> perfect combination. >> here's a combination. you are having a giveaway today with spokes guard, rodney. >> i all him my alter ' ego. we he will have a lot of giveaways and drawings for a three night stay ocean front in ocean city. it will be exciting in crystal city from 11:30 to 1:30. if you are in the area come down. and of course rodney. if people are looking for deals where can they find out information on deals and ocean city. >> the best place to go is our website which is wwwoc

ocean.com. all the events and free activities are listed there and there is a place to go for the specials and deals and there are a lot of good deals offered by the hotels in ocean city. we want people to come and be able to enjoy the last month or so of the summer as we then head to the exciting part of fall in ocean city. i'm getting ready to pack my bags. >> good. hope to see you. >> thank you. now over to angie who has an update on the traffic. a tough morning out there. >> i know. and things are not getting better. if you follow me on twitter, oh my goff is my i.d. name and i just put this on- line. 66 westbound at sycamore. that is where we have dealing with a six-car accident as a result of this. they have shut down the interstate heading westbound between glebe and sycamore. we nother rerouting traffic on to sycamore or on to glebe i should say. definitely expect glow slow goes. eastbound below speed from 50

to 123. no fun there. 395 northbound. it looks like from glebe to seminary we are crawling along. no incidents or accidents on this interstate. from the pentagon to the 14th street bridge. using the brakes out there, as well. in maryland, 270 the main delay stretches from shady grove to montross road and things open up once you approach the beltway. speaking of 495. how's it looking north of the district. the shot from 95 to georgia avenue. we are looking at a 12 to 15 minute drive time. finally i give you inbound new york avenue. that drive through northeast dc still not fully up to speed from the washington times building to bladensburg and this just in. 50 westbound at 202 landover is where we have a report of some new crash activity. be careful. that's a quick look at traffic. over to you. >> thank you, angie. if you have been lazing away midwest of the summer and watching the pounds pile on. it is time to get in shape.

we have a fitness program for procrastinators and there are so many of us. >> maybe you have a vacation to go to ocean city an you want to lose weight and you want to get in that bikini. some guys like to see those. okay. what are we going to do, show you six exercises boot camp style that will make you burn fat guaranteed. the first thing we will do is a warmup. bring the legs up nice and easy and this is a regular exercise on its own just get the heart rate going. workouts have become popular in the last few years because they maximize the amount of calories burned and people like that. do this for 20 second and move to the next exercise, jump squats. down in a squat and jump. a lot of muscles on the lower body, hams, quad strings and

core. you are burning calories like no tomorrow. >> are you joining us in the house over there watching us? do 20 seconds. if you are a beginning take it at your own pace. next on the floor and we are going to do pushups. this is great exercise. people are looking at me going no pushups. go down and back up. if you are a beginner and it is too hard on the toes do it on your knees like that and then back up but if you are advanced you can do down and back. how are you doing, guys. >> great. >> i know. >> so next thing we will do, we will use the towels. a smooth surface over here. we will do an exercise called mountain climbs. if you don't have a smooth surface, you have carpet, you can do like allison over here.

wow that looks hard. >> yes. this is a great exercise because we get a lot of muscles from the butt and the core and hamstrings. all of those muscles in the lower body like there is no tomorrow. do it another hour over here. next exercise we will do, okay. still on the towel do a split and back in. this will work the inner thighs here. this is a great exercise. little word of advice, do not eat beans before this exercise. be nice. and you will go in an out an back. this is working major muscles of the lower body. and now we have done lower body exercise we will go to a plank position here and work our core. this is a position here and we will bring the leg up and down also. working the core and the butt. >> you are making it even harder than your simple plank. >> we don't want to stay in an

easy position. go up and down. how are you doing. >> ugh. >> do the orside because the other side might be jealous. >> how much time should you take to do a boot camp routine like this. >> as much time as you need. if you have ten minutes a day, to ten minutes. 20 minutes, do several sets as much time as you have. and you will get in so you do six exercises. you watch what you eat and i promise you will get in that bikini or speedo by the time you go on vacation. >> speaking of watching what you eat, having barbecue and cheesecake coming up. >> grit. >> so thank you for helping us burn the calories ahead of time. >> looking forward to it. coming up also, a new study says the grocery store's apple is just as good as the ones at the health eqfood store.

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