are performing properly and all rail agencies that use similar systems have to examine their tracks to make sure the circuits are working. we are standing by to john kato. >> also, we are keeping a close eye on these new terror alerts. local transit systems are taking brand-new steps to make sure you stay safe and you're not so tough. the chair of the dc council may be looking to take mayor fenty's job and hard to hail. cab drivers decide today is the day to strike in dc. i'm lindsey on capitol hill. people are having trouble hailing cabs today. a group of cab drivers from several taxi organizations got together today to strike. right across the street from the mayor's office. >> mayor fenty set our rates

lower than anywhere else in the country, knowing that this was going to be a major problem for us. >> larry says many cab drivers are making 30% less under the new time and distance meter system. now he is worried the city may make it too hard for independent cab drivers to operate at all. >> there will be fewer cabs. there will be more expensive. they will not be able to dispatch them. in fact, they will be less able to hail them. >> well, i think no one gets into any race unless they think they can win. >> this is bruce johnson and today dc council chairman was taking on mayor adrian fenty in an issue many feel is political. fenty wants the founder and operator of the nonprofit evicted from the city owned facility. >> tenants are hooked and education is the key. >> the core work has been done by parks and recreation.

that will continue. >> those opposed, the ayes have it. >> the council approved emergency legislation that restores the lease and keeps the southeast tenants and learning center in place. >> you talked to the young people. you see the educational programs. you see the tennis program. you see the involvement of parents. >> i'm bruce leshan at nationals stadium. a new homeland security alert is out tonight, urging police to be extra vigilant at sports stadiums and arenas, at entertainment complexes and on transit systems. >> we have no specific information from our intelligence sources that says that our subway system or any other right now is under any threat of attack. >> the alerts go out at the same time as they pursue an airport shuttle bus driver named zazi. zazi trained at an al-qaeda camp in pakistan and had bomb making instructions on his laptop as well as videos of stadiums and transit

facilities. >> we know that they are looking for soft targets. >> an fbi spokesman insists these are simply routine notices that go out every week to the police. it is just that this time they happen to get leak to the media. >> and hotel entertainment venues are subject to this new alert. officials say they do see themselves as a potential target and there are security cameras on every corner of that property. 168 of them in all. national harbor managers say they gear up their awareness, it's really just business as usual. an update now on a story we first brought you sunday night on 9news now. the worker accused of leaving three blind, deaf disabled men in a locked car for more than an hour has lost his job. 47-year-old brian flemming left his clients in that locked car while he had lunch at the diner. he now faces three counts of neglect and abuse.

an unusual crime spree is all the talk in one part of virginia. fredericksburg police say someone is breaking toilets in restaurants and coming back and offering to fix the plumbing problem. and police now say they know who is doing it. they are on the lookout for 39- year-old timmothy banks of fort washington. at seven different restaurants in or near the city's central park. police say banks broke or damaged urinals and returned hours later looking for cash to fix them. in fact, one of the restaurants actually paid out about $200, only later on did the managers realize the repairs for faulty. >> if someone comes up and offers to do some sort of repair on the spot, to a cash transaction, you need to look at it carefully and make sure it isn't a fraud. >> banks charged with similar crimes in prince william and fairfax county. using a tanning bed does increase your risk of developing skin cancer by 75%. well now howard county

officials want to be the first in the country to ban the practice by anybody under the age of 18. the board of health is considering that proposal tonight and we will get the rest of the story from audrey barnes. >> reporter: so this is our uv free tanning. >> more than a million americans a day tan in tanning salons. about 70% of them are young women between the ages of 16 and 29. >> okay, i'm excited. it's my first time. >> howard county officials want to keep anyone under the age of 18 from using tanning beds, which an international cancer research group declared cancer causing agents. >> we are making this proposal now because of the overwelming evidence that indoor tanning beds are a major cause of skin cancer. >> what time are you looking to come? >> jacqueline says the ban could force people outside to tan, which could be riskier. >> everyone has their prerogative and you are going

to tan indoor or out door and the best place is indoor, where you have trained staff who can inform you on the benefits as well as the things that you want to be cautious of. >> right now in howard county. anyone under the age of 16 has to be accompanied by a parent or guardian to tan. and everyone has to sign one of these registration cards, stating they have been told the dangers of tanning. >> there's absolutely no enforcement around the state of maryland of that law. >> sherry says the decision to tan is a personal choice and the county aught to stay out of it. >> i do not think howard county should ban it. i would say if they are 18, they have the right to do what they want. >> the board of health will decide tonight whether to support the ban and after a public hearing and vote, it could be in place within five weeks. audrey barnes, 9news now and wusa9.com. >> the world health organization also recommends people under the age of 18 be banned from using tanning beds. we want to know what you think about this one.

what about the bush to ban tanning beds for teenagers? a good idea or is the government overstepping its bounds? share your thoughts in an e- mail. the address is mailbag@wusa9.com. a followup now on plans to renovate the board walk. today the town commissioner announced work that had been scheduled to start the first week of october is being pushed back a full month. that is so the town officials can make sure the $5.1 million contract meets all the regulations. we told you earlier this month that critics questioned using stimulous money to replace the concrete portions of that board walk. well it may not be all that warm outside, but the water can be warm at the beach in september, can't it? >> 72 right now. so water has a high heat capacity, which is a good thing. it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature. we don't want the oceans

fluxuating too much, believe me. comfortable. winds southeasterly at 10. temperatures right now, if you are headed out are mild. 75 at national. 75 in frederick. and mid 70s in quantico and upper 70s in fredericksburg. a lot of clouds, not much rain showers. we'll come back and talk about the potential for thunderstorms. if you go into fall tomorrow, it's going to feel more like summer. that and more coming up. >> speaking of weather, georgia's governor is hoping to hear by the end of this day if president obama will declare his state a state of emergency. so far, nine people have died in the severe flooding. hundreds of others are homeless. georgia officials are asking people not to return to their homes yet to check on their belongings. >> even vehicles, heavy vehicles are no match for water flowing across the road. that's where we get most of our fatalities. >> all the streets are shut off. trees down everywhere.

water, mud, it's just a huge mess. >> in northwest atlanta, the water is so high, just the tops of some of the homes are visible. coming up, a push towards living green when you head off to the store. two flu vaccinations, four shots for some, could end up with a lot of tears, but healthcare providers say it's worth it. i'm peggy fox. the story coming up.

there's nothing more important than our health. so when it comes to health reform, we need a solution that works for all of us. now the president and congress have a plan that combines the best ideas, from democrats and republicans, business owners and workers, doctors, nurses and patients. a plan that keeps bureaucrats out of your health care you choose your own doctor, make your own decisions, and you can't be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition. that's reform we can all feel good about.

welcome back. two flu vaccines, four shots. that's what many parents are having to consider for their children this year to battle not only the seasonal flu, but the h1n1. as peggy fox reports, healthcare providers are urging families to start protecting their children right now. >> hi there. >> parents are starting to get their children vaccinated against the seasonal flu, which means two shots for the little ones. four-year-old ryan has a little sister and his mom is an emergency doctor. to protect the whole family, she always gets everyone flu shots. the h1n1 vaccine should arrive in mid october and children under 10 will also require two shots to help boost their immunity. >> two shots, i know. it's not ideal, but you know, i have to protect them. so we'll be back with the h1n1 as soon as it is available. >> recommends children from six months to 24 years old be vaccinated against h1n1. school and college age children

are particularly at risk. >> when children get the flu, the symptoms are a high fever, 103, 104 for three to five days, body aches, chills, very seriously ill. > they know from experience how devastating the seasonal flu can be. >> i mean, you have six people in a family and everybody gets the flu, that's a lot of time out from work and school for them and they are in high school. so that's important. >> rather than wait for the h1n1 vaccine to be here, they are urging people to get that seasonal flu vaccine now. and doctors say pregnant women should be first in line to protect their baby, because the vaccine cannot be given to infants under six months old. in mcclane, peggy fox, 9news now and wusa9.com. and for more information on the h1n1 flu or if you would like to discuss your concerns about the virus with other parents, log on to our moms

website, momslikeme.com, operated by wusa9.com. coming up, getting through the door in this tough job market. we'll have tips to polish up your resume. >> plus, topper is back with that full forecast. keep it right here.

naff targeted the job you want, now make sure your resume gets you there. the personal finance blog says tailor that resume, be specific. don't just say you are an event planner, tell an employer how you use those skills. and project the right image. double check your document and let others give it a review before you hand it out. for more tips and details of a huge career fair taking place tomorrow, go to our website, wusa9.com and click on living smart. as the green movement grows and grows, efforts to make products sensitive are growing as well. in fact, there's a government

agency that is helping move to biopreferred items. howard bernstein has more. >> the u.s. government has been buying biopreferred products in growing numbers. >> on the consumer side, i don't think there's a high awareness. >> the usda is working with other government agencies to make them more aware of these products. >> a biobased product is one that is composed in significant part of these renewable agricultural feed stocks. >> this sector of the economy is one that is really taking off. >> so we have about 3700 biopreferred designated items. there is decking materials, there are building materials, janitorial products, appropriate for home use. >> here is some food for thought. this standard plastic cup will take thousands of years to break down in a landfill.

this compostable cup will break down in less than two. >> like the epa's energy star label, the usda is developing the biopreferred label to help consumers makes biobased products even easier. >> the products themselves really do mean the future. you know, we are growing in industry and we are helping u.s. farmers look at developing an industry and stay competitive in the 21st century. that is a great way to spend your time. i mean, to have a job doing that is incredibly fulfilling. >> i'm howard bernstein. >> here is a closer look at those products. this is a hand sanitizer spray, instead of the stuff you get usually, this is different. we have a glass window cleaner that is ready to use and biopreferred and instead of the silicone, they have stuff here called lubrimagic. >> good stuff.

let's talk weather, top. >> a lot of clouds today. temperatures make it to 80. don't look now, our first full day will feel like summer. temperatures tomorrow, despite the clouds will be in the mid 80s. shower, maybe a thunderstorm on wednesday. same on thursday, and we are talking mid to upper 80s on thursday and friday, sunshine, back in the mid 70s. a reminder, 5:19 this evening, we went into fall. the equinox. the sun is directly over the equator. we go to fall and our friends in the southern hemisphere go to spring. tonight, mostly cloudy and comfortable. a few showers, maybe there's not that much happening. low temperatures in the 60s. you can go to our website and check out our interactive radar. it's really pretty quiet. you can also take the same radar and go down to the southeast and track the storms around atlanta. 94 brookville, excuse me, 74 in

brookville. 74 in chantilly. mid 70s everywhere. a very nice evening. now tomorrow morning, mostly cloudy and mild. a couple showers possible, but not a washout by any means. 60s and 70s. don't change your outdoor plans. partly sunny, warmer, showers, maybe a thunderstorm. high temperatures near 85 and winds southwesterly at 10. our microcast will show us what we are talking about. we are talking about a lot of clouds. a couple showers here and there. if you look here, the area covered by the green blob is much less than the area covered by the clouds. some of us won't see any showers tomorrow or into thursday. we are going to see warmer air once we get into wednesday and thursday, even though we are in fall, temperatures will be in the 80s despite all the clouds you see. satellite radar, pictures combined, a ton of thunderstorms. the good news is, it's away from atlanta. the bad news is, they will probably have another round of showers and thunderstorms either late tonight or tomorrow. for us, a lot of clouds, not

much in terms of showers. zone forecast, shower or thunderstorm possible, but 82 in middleburg. 85 in dale city and in the mid 80s downtown. next seven days, 84 tomorrow. upper 80s to mid 80s on thursday. showers and storms, nice on friday, kind of short lived because clouds come back on saturday. maybe a shower before the terps game is over. much, much cooler. temperatures only around 70 on saturday. we'll try to salvage the second half of sunday. upper 70s, maybe a shower friday. >> let's get to the weird news file and don't let anybody tell you there is something good with a good old fashioned burger. if there is such thing of too much of a good thing, this would be it. check out this terrifying pile of meat. yes, it is the world's biggest burger. 185-pounds. now that's a whopper. no pun intended. it's also certified by the

guiness book, you can buy this at the mallly's sports grill and bar. that's in michigan. it isn't fast food, they say it takes eight hours to bake the bun and $500, not exactly a value meal either. >> we want to hear what you think, send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. the address, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

three big premiers for you tonight in cbs prime time. at 8:00, it's the season premier of ncis and at 9:00, the first episode of ncis los angeles. that is followed by the good wife at 10:00 and 9news now at 11:00. and topper shutt joined us now for a quick look at the weather forecast. >> it's the first full day of fall tomorrow, but it's going to feel like summer.

partly cloudy skies, clouds to start, maybe a shower or a thunderstorm. 84 and then 86 on thursday. you kidding me? back to average on friday. and then for the game, we change this yesterday. yesterday we had saturday okay through the terps game, now clouds come in. i think a shower will occur before the terps game and only 70 for a high and may have rain and showers through much of sunday. we'll try to salvage the back half, upper 70s on sunday and upper 70s on monday. >> if only it was the first day of summer. >> that would be nice. >> that's our report, i'll be back here tonight at 11:00 with anita brikman. tonight, working on a hormonal diet plan that helpings people lose weight without all the heavy lifting. that secret weapon is all the buzz. there are downsides. that's on 9news now at 11:00. log on any time to wusa9.com. we'll see you later. bye.

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