from the first local station with news in high definition, this is 9news now. >> free at last and back home. the two american journalists held for nearly five months in north korea are reunited with their families. good evening. i'm lesli foster. it was an emotional homecoming inside a california airplane hangar. laura ling and euna lee walk down the steps and into the arms of their loved ones. just a day earlier, bill clinton went to north korea making a diplomatic appeal for their release. they were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the communist country illegally. moments after the reunion, ling told reporters about how they learned of their freedom. >> we were taken to a location, and when we walked in through the doors,

we saw standing before us president bill clinton. [ applause ] >> the women were working on a story about the illegal trafficking of women when they were captured. president obama thanked former president clinton for assisting in the safe return of ling and lee. the president expressed relief. >> once we knew that they were on the plane, the reunion that we've all seen on television, i think is a source of happiness not only for the families, but for the entire country. i want to thank president bill clinton. i had a chance to talk to him for the extraordinary humanitarian effort that resulted in the release of the two journalists. >> some international relations experts believe the women's release could foster talks between north korea and the united states. experts also agree that kim

jong-il used the incident as leverage against the united states. he wants north korea recognized as a nuclear superpair. surae chinn about joins us. >> reporter: the two journalists were working for al gore's current tv when they were captured. their capture and release could perhaps turn into something much more. but then again, it's anyone's guess when you're dealing with dictator kim jong-il. reaction tonight from one of the region's largest korean communities. >> please help me in welcoming home laura ling and euna lee. >> reporter: an emotional homecoming. of the two journalists returned home for the first time today since their capture five months ago. >> the nightmare of our lives was finely coming to an end. >> reporter: annandale's koreatown reacts to the release. >> i think as a country we stay hopeful because we're good about bringing people home.

>> reporter: many believe kim jong-il released the captives with the visit of former president bill clinton to save face and improve his image among the people in north north korea. >> it doesn't mean anything to us. we know she a liar. >> there is very little that the u.s. gave for this, except a propaganda bonus for kim jong- il within his own country. >> reporter: joe is president of plowshares fund, an organization that strives for a nuclear weapons-free world. he says this event could jump- start a u.s.-north korea relationship. >> it could be the beginning again of bilateral discussions between the two, discussions about freezing the north korean program, having north korea join the six-party talks, and ultimately the demilleization of the korean peninsula. >> it will be talked about for the weeks to come. for now the exprisoners are

enjoying their freedom. >> very grateful. thank you so much. >> now, many people we talked with in annandale say the successful return of the journalists brought more awareness of the injustices happening in north korea, and are hoping laura ling and euna lee will be telling their story soon of being held captive for 140 days in a country westerners rarely see. lesli? >> all right, surae. thank you for that. now to an update on that serious crash in the northeast we first told you about at 5:00. one person is being treated for life-threatening injuries and two others are in serious condition after this crash. it happened at pennsylvania and alabama avenues. our cameras were there as a press conference was to be begin about aids in the city. it could be hours before this mess is finally cleaned up. and of course we'll continue to follow the story and get you any information as we get it in. within the past half hour, a federal jury convicted former congressman william jefferson

of taking bribes. he was found guilty on 11 of 16 counts. you may recall that federal officials said they found $90,000 in the louisiana democrat's freezer. jefferson maintained that he was seriously brokering deal, and that his action did not cute bribery. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor has picked up a little more g.o.p. support. missouri senator kit bond is now the 7th republican to announce that he will vote to confirm her. on capitol hill, democrats were likewise lining up to back the nominee. but most republicans voiced their opposition. some set sotomayor would bring a liberal bias to the bench. >> those who are called to judge must adhere to the rule of law. no matter what they personally think the law should be. >> this is not a hard call. this ought to be an easy call. for members here. >> with democrats in control of the senate, sotomayor's confirmation is all by a done deal. the vote is expected tomorrow.

sotomayor's supporters show their feelings in a rally on capitol hill. hispanic civil groups organized this rally for senator ben cardin and other lawmakers from around the region attended. it was supposed to eliminate pesky bugs, and nearly killed people in a prince george's county apartment building. more than half a dozen bug bombs sparked an explosion this rn g.tht asenblpphaed at the inqu edmaarnor aptments on 55th avenue in hyattsville where we find our scott broom who is live there tonight with more. scott? >> reporter: well, it was seven of these bug bombs fire investigators say they found inside that apartment right there. they had been set off by the occupants, and apparently the fumes came in contact with a pilot light on a gas appliance, according to fire investigators. the results explosion sent glass flying all across this parking lot. it blew all the window frames out of the apartment. it even tossed an air conditioner out on the grass. the three people who lived here had just come outside. one woman who didn't want to be

identified was slightly injured by flying glass. >> boom, like you know, duck for cover boom. >> and i saw them coming out of the apartment. as they stepped about right here on the step, i saw the whole apartment blow up behind them. i saw the windows and everything. and the air conditioner flies out. >> that's jerome frye who witnessed the whole thing. the bug bombs are plastered with all kinds of warning labels, including, of course, one warning to turn off all pilot lights and other ignition sources when in use. explosions like this of course are rare, but this is hardly the first of its kind. a computer search turned up lots of reports of similar explosions due to the bug bombs, coming in contact with pilot lights all over the country. i posted a safety bulletin from the state of california, one of the better ones on our website. reporting in hyattsville, scott broom, 9news now and wusa9.com. saving money at the checkout counter is easier than

you think. we'll show you how in "living smart." and do you think you've got a problem with your neighbor's dog? try living with wild horses running wild through your yard. but first here is tony pann with the latest on our forecast. >> we missed the rain, but i have more on the seven-day forecast. i'll show you that in a second. first, the numbers from the top of the hour. generally in the mid r ketotoke s. d seg87at re 80national air cloudy skies. ouve dacan-res fo ingstmi coup seven-day forecast is coming up in just a few minutes. first we'll send it out to brett haber and see what he has to say. >> we're live at redskins training camp, also known as day 2 of tissuegate. we'll hear more from campbell on his provocative quotes from "sports illustrated." and what really goes on inside the dorm after practice. it's coming up in mi nutes. minutes. 9news now returns in a minute 15.

a fairfax county high school student is the subject of a spoof on the colbert report. 17-year-old fresia jackson reenacted how she was caught taking a birth control pill at oakton high last march. she was suspended for ten days and recommended for expulsion. state policy does not distinguish between prescription drugs and illegal ones. >> if she had been strung out on heroin, five days would have been what was required. now if she were dealing heroin or had heroin on her, then the same. same punishment. >> that has to be our first priority, is to make sure that kids are safe. and any drug, whether it's over- the-counter or prescription, usually has the ability to be abused. and that is what we're trying

to prevent. >> after missing three and a half weeks for the suspension and the hearing, she was finally allowed back in school. but she is concerned about getting into college since that suspension will be on her permanent record. ready to cut your food bill in half? the way to cheaper grocie ittsh erat you dot n'buy. things la it's nv contlad. it's convmes gher than edsaee timejuhigher than oftt ucle e.ers adheenbagyof lettuce. erg bia ofbig waste too. o.eymit gotrtemid d nutrition and high prices too. skip those spice mixes. yonumay already in inntedth s ose s mixe thing d xeribo cethe d xeri esi me ow brdish. take some brow yo own herbs. and own rbs. and tomato-based stpae a tomato-based pasta sauce inthe store. used canned tomatoes and add your own veggies and seasons. when 9news returns, the search for answers is on after a gas station employee is found

in a burned out van. but first, here is a preview of the cbs evening news: >> the emotional reunion as two american journalists share their joy before the nation. and the behind-the-scenes drama of how president clinton and others helped ortrchatese th re ase. tonight only on the cbs evening news.

the mystery continues over how a local service station cashier ended up dead in a burning van in bethesda when he should have been on the job in virginia. the man's body was found ten days ago, and police want your help to find some answers. here is dave statter with the story. >> pois whthis is where 45- year-old eve ro saaur should have been. it is the exxon station where saar had been a cashier for seven years. >> very dependable, very good employee.

>> reporter: but he was found at the intersection of bradley. he was found dead in his van. investigators believe the fire started inside near the front of the vehicle, but cannot say how saar died. >> if it's not foul play, i'll be very surprised. >> reporter: he also worked at another exxon. the video at the annandale station shows that saar left that business in the middle of his shift, but did not seem to be in distress. >> it didn't look like he was speaking to anybody or helping anybody out on the front with gas cans, but he very calmly womaned out at 2:18. >> he was casual. he was going to go do something and come back. >> reporter: one theory is he left to go to the station in glen echo because an alarm went off overnight. but the timing is not clear. >> saar clr. >> saar lived in an apartment building in takoma park, was married and the father of three

young children. >> he was good friend. never saw him in a bad mood. didn't cuss, didn't drink, didn't smoke. he was a classy gallegos guy. >> reporter: dave statter. montgomery county police want to hear from anyone who saw saar or his golf kia minivan on july 27th. now to sky9, we captured this school bus accident earlier today in vienna. seven small children were hurt when a suv collided with a fairfax county school bus. this happened at maple avenue and courthouse road. the children were headed to a summer program. the drivers involved have not been charged. some people living in thurmont, maryland say their neighbor is doing a lousy job of keeping her horses where they belong. diana miller says they run loose in packs. they destroy her property and her neighbor's, and they leave behind some not so pleasant calling cards, so to speak. use your imagination. animal control officials have

cited janice o'conner at least eight times for violating a county ordinance requiring pet owners to secure their animals. but so far she has not complied. >> they are quite large horses. so they like run in packs when they're loose. and it's really scary. >> the case will continue to be discussed with the county attorney's office and animal control. things can turn from civil to criminal. >> animal control director harold dolmer says owners get a warning the first time their animals run free, and then they get fines up to $100 for each offense. the mill verse sued to try to recoup the money they spent on repairs. so far janice o'conner hasn't paid them anything. >> that's a rather big wild animal. stomping through your stuff. >> that's a little different than having your neighbor's poodle do their business in your front yard. weather-wise, we kind of lucked out today. i really thought we would see a

lot more rain than we did. so far this evening it's dry. but i think that's going to change later on tonight and into tomorrow morning, unfortunately, for the thursday morning commute. let's start with the three-day trend first. the temperature is going to go down, at least initially. the high temperatures tomorrow upper 70s and low 80s with a chance for some rainshowers. but then we're going to turn up the heat, and you'll see that in our seven-day forecast. tonight partly cloudy skies. for the next couple of hours, there is no concerns about precipitation. but late tonight, we'll see a chance for some showers and thunderstorms. and some of those will probably linger into the thursday morning commute. low temperatures in the upper 60s. during the day tomorrow, a mixture of clouds and sunshine. a chance for rainshowers. the best chance will be in the morning. it will probably linger into early afternoon, and the high temperatures only int the upper 70s and low 80s. we'll go the other direction by the time we get to the weekend. current temperatures, mid- to upper 80s. it's 89 in fredericksburg, one of the warmer spots. 85 downtown, and 82 degrees in hagerstown. again, everybody will settle back into the upper 60s tonight. here is a look at the weather maps. we had a little trough or wind

shift line go through this afternoon, and this shifted the winds to the west. so the atmosphere dried out. even though there is a cold front coming out of the mountains, this front doesn't have any moisture to work with. basically it's dry at the present time. but things are beginning to change. the atmosphere is saturating so to speak. and we can see some rainshowers coming up from the south and the west through southern virginia and down through the carolinas. these showers interest ones that will arrive here later on tonight and into tomorrow morning. expand the view, you can see things better. the atmosphere is more unstable down lew the carolinas. as the front meets the unstable air mass, we'll see showers and thunderstorms. in addition to, that when the front comes through late tonight, it will stall just off to our south, and we'll see an area of low pressure develop on that front. and this will enhance the chance future some precipitation. likely you'll see a little bit of rain i think for the thursday morning commute. it should clear up in the afternoon. and then high pressure will take control after that. the weather will be pretty nice on friday. so that's what our seven-day forecast looks like. a chance for some rainshowers

tomorrow. nice day on friday. friday will probably be the nicest day out of the next seven. a chance for a thunderstorm on saturday to start the weekend as a warm front goes by. an it's quite a warm front. the high temperatures will jump into the mid-90s on sunday and monday. but as has been the trend for most of the summer, the heat is not going to stick around very long. another front will come in tuesday and wednesday with a chance for showers and storms, and knock the temperatures back into the 80s. but at least for a couple of days, it will feel like august. smoking hot. >> smoking out. >> there you go. >> things are heating up a bit at redskins park, where brett and brian get to dissect some interesting comments today. >> did you almost forget brian's name there? because i can -- >> i keep calling him b and b, you know. >> it's not a bed and breakfast out here, my friend. we're working individuals. but we got some hurt feelings out there. and jason campbell, can you blame him for speaking is his mind in "sports illustrated"?

>> i don't mind it at all. but some of the things we heard throughout the season from another player on the team. >> we'll tell you what he said in today's practice about the "sports illustrated" article. also tales from a training camp dorm. his name is ryan. he'll be back, right after this. b@b@

and welcome back to redskins training camp, everybody. normally, making the cover of "sports illustrated" is a prestigious honor for a pro athlete. but for jason campbell, over the last 24 hours, it has been nothing but a headache. remember we told you yesterday that jason was on the cover. it's not so much the attention he is getting for the photo, but rather the comments he made in the magazine, talking about his treatment by the redskins this off-season as they interviewed potential replacement qbs. campbell said he felt like a piece of toilet paper. but at practice today campbell addressed the quotes for the first time and tried to confuse the situation. >> it may just be how i feel at

one moment. it doesn't how i feel about the whole process. i'm a different guy. i'm ready to play football. i'm enjoy asking it right now. and through whole process, i wasn't going to let it get me down. >> jason typically classy about the whole thing. meanwhile, a signing for redskins today. they picked up dj hackett. he spent four seasons in seattle under jim zorn. so he knows the system here. his best season '06. more injuries today. devon thomas out with a hammy. he and malcolm both missed it. somebody call me when they participate. and defense got the lead, if you offense had to run gassers from sideline to sideline. apparently too many penalties and mistakes for coach zorn's liking. as always, joined by former redskins pro bowler brian mitchell. b, jason campbell defusing the

whole thing. if he plays well, and gets multiple offers from multiple teams docks you think he stays here with the redskins after everything goes down? >> i'm sure he was hurt. any time you have a situation like that, and it was two times, not just one you have to be a little bit worried about that. but if it comes down to it, as i say the other day, if the money is right here, he'll be here. then again, he see comfortable here. >> he is. and he needs a little consistency in his life. the offense was running gassers after practice today. that seems to be more evidence that the defense is ahead of the offense. that normal? or should we be worried. >> the defense, they don't have a lot to learn. the offense has more things to learn. by making guys run when someone is else is misdemeanorring up, it takes on the ownership of the offense and make other guys act together. >> we mentioned the signing of dj hackett. some people think he is just a body to fill in for practice. you think he is really good and is going to make this team. >> i know he is good. the guy is very good. you have a guy who comes in and

knows the offense that jim zorn is putting in. jim zorn knows him. he can be somebody that comes in to help other guys out instead jim zorn has to teach everybody on his own. >> we talk a lot about the front 7. but the secondary has turned into a strong unit. de'angelo hall, shawn springs out. is that an upgrade? >> it's an upgrade because of shawn's health and age. when you have de'angelo hall, look at the small amount of time he was here last year, immediate impact. if he continues to play like that for a whole season, nothing but great things for the redskins. >> talk to me about life at training camp after the practice. i find it interesting that these million dollar athletes who live in mansions all yearlong have to live in the tiny little dorm rooms, two to a dorm. did you mind? >> i didn't mind because that's what it's about. training camp is not to be comfortable. it's to make you feel as uncomfortable and work as hard as you can. then when you get back to your friendly confines, you know how to go out and play football. i don't agree with the redskins letting guys stay at home right

now. i think it's a big mistake. >> what about the repercussions for breaking curfew? did you ever do it? >> depending on your status on the team and you have fines, you have to run gassers. but i never did it. i stayed in. wait for the weekend. >> i don't believe him. other sports quickly tonight. a reminder the nats placed austen kearns on the dl. they recalled jorge padilla to take his place. and andy roddick takes on germany's benjamin becker. no, that's not boris' son. marty fish lost this afternoon. that's it. week 1 at training cavern is over. >> see you tomorrow at the bed and breakfast. i'll send some scones and iced tea to the b team. take its easy. that's it for us on 9news at 6. the cbs evening news with katie couric is next. and don't forget, wusa9.com is always on.