wouldn't surprise me around bryans road, to see small hail, not that uncommon for this time of year to see small hail across the metro area. now we're going to zoom in. here we go. now we're looking at -- let's see, chapman landing. this is in between green meadows and montrose. this is probably hail. be advised. that's one of the criteria for making a severe thunderstorm. let's go to the computer, look at the bigger picture. the heaviest rain and bulk of the precipitation is north of us now but we still have upper level lows and energy that will lag behind for a while so we're not completely out of the woods just yet. temperatures still mild, contributing in part to the unstable air, temperature in the 60s pretty much across the metro area, 63 downtown. even 59 out in oakland. so for tonight, we're looking at an early thunderstorm possible, a late shower possible, low temperatures will be cooler with lows in the 40s, winds southwest at 10.

we'll come back and talk about winds picking up. that's something else we have to worry about tomorrow. the woman convicted of killing her two adopted daughters and stuffing their bodies in a freezer will die in prison. a judge sentenced renee bowman to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. it's a case that brought the judge a 30-year veteran of the criminal justice system, to tears. audrey barnes has more. >> reporter: after their brave little 7-year-old sister jumped from a second-floor window of this house to escape their abusive adoptive mother, renee bowman, authorities found the bodies of her sisters, jasmine and minnet in the place bowman entombed them. stacked one on top of the other in a base metropolitan freezer. >> it's -- basement freezer. >> it's defies any ability to comprehend what this woman did. >> reporter: at sentencing today bowman stood and told the judge -- >> even as she spoke those words she

was -- without any human emotion. not a tear that has been shed. >> reporter: defense attorney allen drew asked the judge for mercy. he said bowman was a foster child, too, abandoned by her father and schizophrenic mother. he said his client is not a murderer. judge michael looked bowman in the eye and said you are a murderer. you sentenced these two innocent children in the dawn of their lives to a death chamber. i see no remorse, no empathy, no caring, nothing. wiping away tears he says it's the worst case he's ever had to sit through and sentenced bowman to two terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole. plus 75 years for abusing the three girls. >> the sentence announced by the court today sends a clear message that this court and this office feels this woman should never walk the earth again for the crimes she has committed. >> the biological mother of two

of the girls, jasmine and the little one who survived was in court today for the sentencing. she didn't want to go on camera but through tears she told me justice was served. >> as a parent this case sent chills through me. talk to us about the little girl who survived. how is she doing? >> she's 9 now and did testify during the trial. after she did she told all the grownups she was proud of herself and was hugging a teddy bear she received as a valentines gift from her new foster parent and called them mom and dad that day. but there is a sad footnote to the story. we learned in court today that she's been moved to yet another foster home. prosecutor mccarthy says his greatest hope is that she will one day be adopted by people who can give her all the love that she deserves. we're all praying for that. >> audrey, thank you for that. president obama is expected to sign health care reform into law as early as tomorrow. the president's plan requires

most americans to buy health insurance. it creates a health care exchange which is a marketplace for people without insurance can do comparison shopping. insurance companies will be banned from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and expands medicaid to cover another 32 million people but republicans are still promising they will do whatever they can to stop this process in its tracks. joel brown has more from capitol hill. >> reporter: republicans promise they will fight to stop the health care reform effort in its tracks. even if they have to repeal the law past sunday night. >> it's so distressing this bill had to be so divisive, not just for this chamber but for our land. >> reporter: president obama brushed aside the criticism, he's ready to sign the reform bill into law as soon as tuesday. then plans to take his message on the road. he'll return to iowa city, iowa, thursday. the place where he unveiled his health care plan while running for president. >> what the president promised

that day and what the president will sign tomorrow, very much the promise of affordable, accessible health care. >> reporter: the president has his work cut out for him. a new cbs news poll shows less than half the people surveyed actually understand how the new law will change health care and health insurance. >> i think i'm still going to get the care i've always had but i'm afraid it might cost me more. >> has it been explained to you? >> no. i don't understand it completely. >> reporter: as early as tuesday the senate will take up the so-called fix-it bill that was also passed by the house late sunday. that bill offers tax credits to middle class families and bigger subsidies for the people eligible for federal help buying insurance. if senators approve it without any changes it will go to president obama for his signature. but republicans plan to offer a number of amendments, if they manage to change even a single word they could force the house to start over. joel brown, cbs news, washington. >> after the president signs

health care reform into law he will hit the road and hope to win support from a skeptical and as we heard sometimes confused public. but won't get it from the virginia attorney general. he says virginia will sue the federal government over the constitutionality of the health care reform plan. karen gary reals has more. >> reporter: a dozen state attorneys general now plan to charlie the constitutionality of the legislation. those ags say they will sue. to stop implementation of the bill on various grounds and it's clear the fight over the reform package is far from over. he put sound bite clips on the net. here's one. >> there's never been a point in american history where the federal government has been able to order individual citizens to buy any good or service. such a power to the federal

government would represent an enormous erosion of liberty in this country. >> reporter: he also argues congress's power to regulate commerce does not apply because of the decision not to buy medical insurance, is not commerce but the opposite of commerce. he raises a state's rights issue. >> virginia is the only state so far to pass a law protecting its citizens from a government-imposed mandate to buy insurance. this sets up a conflict between the federal health care law and virginia's health care freedom act. it's our position that the health care bill is unsconce unconstitutional and in this case the federal law should fall and virginia's law should stand. >> reporter: this is not a slam dunk for him. some legal scholars said today it will be a tough case for him to make but make it he will. in the word of his spokesman -- as soon as the ink is dry on president obama's signature." >> this sets the stage for a legal battle down the line but if you live in the commonwealth

right now and you're wondering what does this mean for me? what does it mean? >> you'll have to wait. one reason he's moving so quickly on this, he says lawsuits take time, he wants to move very fast so that the question you asked can be answered as soon as possible. >> gary, thank you for that. screenings are now underway of students and staff at freedom high school in woodbridge after a confirmed case of tuberculosis. last week it was announced that someone from the virginia school was diagnosed with tb. that person is now getting treatment for the bacterial lung disease. worldwide there are more than eight million new tuberculosis cases every year. they are very rare in the u.s. but, prince william county has a higher tb rate than most places. >> very common worldwide and of course we have a very rich community here with lots of ethnicities, lots of races, and people from all over the world. and tb is much more common.

virginia's rate is about -- a little over three per 100,000 cases per year. prince william community is a little higher. it's about 5.3 cases per 100,000. >> school officials sent letters home with students last week informing families about today's screening. it's not just district residents who are getting married under the city's new same-sex marriage law. "the baltimore sun" reports many are coming from maryland. 151 couples showed up earler in this month on the first day the marriage licenses were issued. the "the baltimore sun" reports 25% of those were maryland citizens. right now maryland doesn't recognize same sex unions but the attorney general released an opinion saying same sex marriages portland in other states could be recognized by maryland. an investigation underway in frederick county, maryland after a 4-year-old was killed after driving in an all-terrain vehicle. he was riding the youth model atv unsupervised saturday night

on his family's property near middletown. he overturned the vehicle in a creek and got pinned under the water. he later died at the hospital. maryland law prohibits children under age 12 from operating atvs or state-designated trails but there's no minimum age limit on private land. the consumer product safety commission says children under age 6 should never be on an atv either as a driver or passenger. a state task force recommended in 2008 that maryland adopt such a provision. tonight, metro begins a series of public hearings as the transit agency considers ways to close a $190 million budget gap. tonight's hearing is at oakton high school in vienna, virginia. there's an open house at 6:30, the meeting at 7:00. six meetings run through april 1st. go to wusa9.com for a list. visit the 9 news extras page. time to check the trip home on this rainy monday night. patranya bhoolsuwan in the

traffic center. >> no delays on the rails but as you can see on the screen different story on the roads. heavy in both directions of the inner loop going 270 to i-95. a ride between 20 to 25 minutes. equally heavy on the outer loop approaching the toll road to 395. 66, you can see lots of cars filling up here from the vienna metro to route 50, very slow, drivers on the brakes, it's raining as well. if you have the windshield wipers going make sure you have your head lights on. 395, no problems leaving the district here towards the mixing bowl. once you get on 95 watch for an accident blocking all lanes in stafford, courthouse road and route 1, follow the signs to get around this. back to you. >> thank you. the dc city council took public schools chancellor michelle reed to task today for not being forth coming about changes she's making at one district middle school. armando trull has the latest. >> reporter: the dc school chancellor has been sitting in the council hot seat since

10:00 this morning. council members have been taking her to task for the way she's been instituting changes in the troubled dc ps system. the chancellor was grilled on her decision to change both the principle and enrollment policies at hardy middle school. >> i don't have every single bit of information. >> reporter: changes that prompted student protests last week and pointed council questions today. >> people are willing to take a fast-paced change if they trust the change agent. if they feel as if they are not getting the complete story it causes them to doubt. >> i don't think she's being honest. i don't. >> who is paying for this lack of honesty according to you? >> the children do. >> we're with channel 9. >> they are waiting for me. i got to go. they are literally waiting for me. >> i think she needs to be more forthright to give us answers when we need them in the hearing. >> reporter: council members

also pressed her to answer why she's continued to hire hundreds of new teachers after firing hundreds of old ones. they say they don't understand how she can be doing that when she claimed the school system was facing budget problems. at the wilson building, armando trull, "9news now." coming up next -- israel's prime minister arrives in washington amid a difficult time in u.s./israeli relations. we'll have the latest on israel's plan to build new jewish settlements in east jerusalem. >> i'm meteorologist topper shutt. i would keep this handy the next couple of hours. we'll take you out with live doppler. there's no warning on the storm but it's a pretty intense storm. down to the south it's kind of crawling over 95. when we come back, we'll let you know if there's hail in it. >> and later at 5:30 -- in the midst of a budget crisis why is montgomery county paying four bodyguards $90,000 each to protect the county executive? [ crowd cheering ]

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"9news now" was on the scene today as firefighters rushed to this burning home in northwest. the blaze gutted the inside of a home in the 500 block of peabody streets. investigators say the vehicle caught fire in the garage and the flames quickly spread. no one was hurt. israel's prime minister is in washington today for meetings with the obama administration. the two countries are currently at odds over israel's plans for expansion in jerusalem. charlie d'agata reports. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu made the trip to try and soothe strange relations between his country and the u.s. speaking before a group in washington secretary of state hillary clinton made clear where the american government stands. >> for president obama and for me, and for this entire administration, our commitment to israel's security and israel's future is rock solid

unwavering, enduring and forever! >> reporter: but she emphasized that plans to build new jewish settlements are an obstacle to peace with the palestinians. >> new construction in east jerusalem or the west bank undermines that mutual trust. >> reporter: israel announcing to build 1,600 apartments in east jerusalem triggered bloody confrontation between palestinian protesters and israeli soldiers that left four palestinians dead. america's mid-east envoy meeting with palestinian leaders in jordan said a period of calm was needed to rescue peace talks. >> on behalf of the united states and the president i urge all sides to exercise restraint. >> reporter: but prime minister netanyahu has already said he won't budge on the plan to build in east jerusalem. charlie dargta. cbs news. >> clinton spoke at the public apairs committee meeting this morning in dc. the prime minister netanyahu will address the same group at

a gala banquet tonight. clinton and bush paid a visit to haiti today. this is mr. bush's first visit to the nation. mr. clinton, the u.n. special envoy to haiti has been there twice since january. they are spearheading u.s. fundraising efforts for the nation. the red river in north dakota is receding but residents of fargo are not out of the woods just yet. environmental hazards linger long after the river's waters decline. the floodwaters can contain pesticides, sewage and animal carcass. the red river crested at nearly 19 feet over flood stage without doing major damage to homes or other buildings. our warm weather is pushingp the predictions for cherry blossoms. the national park service says the peak blooming period is april 1st through the 4th. the opening ceremony for the cherry blossom festival is this saturday at the national

building museum. good thing that was not today. it would have been a rainout. >> i've seen forsythia out now and some of the smaller cherry trees out. i thought that might happen. dallas had probably as bad a winter as we did. we're going to go back to yesterday in dallas. >> is that snow in wow. >> oh, no. >> didn't really accumulate but still kind of unusual for them. they had their snowiest winter since 1977, 1978. and of course we had our all-time snowiest. kind of cool this car is going backwards? my imagination? i don't know. next three days, leftover shower tomorrow, cooler, upper 50s. bounce back pretty well wednesday and thursday. a couple clouds late wednesday but temperatures at least back in the mid-60s which is above average. tonight, cooler with an early thunderstorm possible. then maybe a shower possible late. lows in the 40s. winds southwesterly at 10. let me show you live doppler 9,000.

you can access this on our web site at wusa9.com. this is a pretty heavy cluster of storms now just to the south of town. they are kind of marching up 95 so they are going to be in town shortly. we're going to zoom in around springfield and alexandria over towards fairfax and vienna 1:23 and now 66 and 50. they are going to produce heavy rains albeit for a short period of time. as we get into the springfield storm, in between springfield and annandale i think you'll see hail inside the beltway. if you do send us a picture. go to our web site and fill out a storm report, wusa9.com and let us know. again, you can access that 24/7. let's go back to the computer. we'll talk about -- tomorrow morning with temperatures in the 60s. right now, it will seem a little cooler. still above average, 52 in bethesda. 63 gaithersburg. everybody's pretty much in the 60s, even to the south, 65. in leesburg still 66. thus the chance of a thunderstorm.

now, tomorrow morning, temperatures will be a little cooler. a shower still possible. not a washout tomorrow. in fact, may even have a dry commute for a change. 40s and 50s. winds southwest at about 10. then in the afternoon winds pick up, mostly cloudy, windy, cooler, a couple of showers possible. highs in the upper 50s. that is average but it's cooler than what we've experienced, winds west/northwest at 10 to 20 and also gusty. here's our 9 futurecast. we'll stop it before midnight. most of the activity is to the north of us. we kind of get a break. then clouds return by morning but notice no showers yet. as we go through the morning chance of showers around the metro area. it will be hit or miss tomorrow. especially in the west, mountains, rain and showers out toward cumberland and points west. satellite and radar, this is the storm in the east. we'll zoom in here. if you look closely you'll see mixed precipitation as far south as northern alabama. as far as we're concerned heaviest prep sip -- precip

north of us yes but instability, and there are showers and even a few thunderstorms just to our south. zone forecast, 60 culpeper, 50s elsewhere. 57 leesburg. 52 hagerstown. downtown, upper 50s tomorrow. 58 in annapolis. and there's a small craft advisory for the bay and tidal potomac. next seven days, upper 50s on tuesday, leftover shower. nice on wednesday and thursday, back to the mid-60s. then kind of a roller coaster. upper 40s to near 50 with a cold rain on friday. we bounce back in the 50s over the weekend. we stay dry. then a cold rain monday with temperatures in the 40s. we might see snow as close as hagerstown monday afternoon. >> you warned us not to get spoiled by this weekend. >> march will do this to you. by the way, 78 at dulles, yesterday, record high. still ahead -- questions are being raised about montgomery county executive ike legget's security detail. does he really need four bodyguards on his staff? >> up next in our health alert, a new study find children who

don't vaccinate their children could be putting other kids at risk.

the government is telling

pediatricians to stop using for now one of two vaccines approved against roteo virus. doses of glaxosmithkline's were found to be contaminated with a pig virus. it's known to be benign but because there's another roto virus vaccine available that tested clean, it's called rototech, doctors advised to use that one instead. some parents are refusing shots for their kids. a brand new study in "pediatrics" shows what that can mean not just for the individual child but people all around. >> reporter: kerry jackson is one mom who decided to hold off vaccinating her infant daughter. >> i was talking to parents, doing research, i came to the conclusion that a 2-month-old baby is not ready for these vaccines. >> reporter: a new study tracks one dangerous scenario after parents made that decision. two years ago in san diego a

7-year-old whose parents refused to vaccinate him for measles returned home from a trip abroad with the virus. that one child exposed more than 800 people, 11 got sick. 75% of them had also avoided the measles vaccine. there people that choose not to vaccinate their children make a decision for their child but they also make a decision for their community. >> reporter: doctors say parents who refused to vaccinate their kids may be relying on what is called herd immunity for protection. that is when enough people are vaccinate in a community to protect even the weakest one from the disease. >> they are counting on the fact even though they are opting out of this process that everybody else around them will be immunized. >> reporter: ramona says she won't take that chance with her son derek. >> i know i'm taking care of his health. >> the trend not to vaccinate really gained steam after reports linked vaccines to autism. the reports have since been proven false in study after

study and the original research discounted, that started the controversy in the first place. coming up, a behind the scenes look at how toyota is testing millions of vehicles for sticky gas pedals. >> and weeks before his return to golf tiger woods answers questions about the sex scandal that put his career on hold. >> is it a high priced perk or a necessity? i'm scott broom in montgomery county. coming up, the county executive talks about his four-member security team. ói "

welcome back. let's reset some of the top stories. a maryland woman convicted of killing her two adopted daughters and stuffing them in a freezer was sentenced to life in prison today without parole. while the girls' bodies were on ice 44-year-old renee bowman continued to collect state payments for their support. the white house says president obama will sign the historic health care reform bill no law tomorrow. house speaker nancy pelosi says the legislation is on par with passing social security and medicare. a long day for the dc school chancellor who was grilled today before the dc city council. among other things, accused of not being forthcoming about the changes she made at hardy

middle school in northwest. there is debate in montgomery county over county executive ike legget's four-member security team who earn about $90,000 each in salary and benefits. scott broom talked to legget and his critics today. >> reporter: montgomery county executive legget arrives at a ribbon cutting today met at the door of his suv with one member of his security team while another member drives. they are former police officers earning approximately $90,000 a year if salary and benefits. >> this security detail he has is simply a chauffeur service. >> reporter: the president of the county's fraternal order of police says it's a high-priced perk that has got to go. >> the county executive is holding on to a perk which amounts to $360,000 a year of taxpayer money. >> reporter: the tension over the security arrangements come amid budget slashing which includes proposed 10-day furloughs for employees and the elimination of at least 230

government jobs. and police are giving up a pay hike. but after cutting the ribbon today legget took on the issue. >> i cut my personal budget by 20%. i personally will go on leave, with everybody else, i'll furlough myself. i've given back my raise. i'll do it again this year. the security staff will in fact go on furlough as well. and so, i think we've demonstrated very clearly that my office has in effect probably mitigated costs more than the rest of county government. >> reporter: sources close to the county executive say there have been threats over the years and ironically the need for security increases when there are tough decisions about job and program cuts. legget says he would prefer not to have security but his police department recommended it. with the county executive,

scott broom, "9news now." >> for comparison, jack johnson of prince george's county has three men's of the police department assigned to his personal. and in howard county, it's one. a new report finds driver error caused the crash of a toyota prius in the new york suburbs. the harrison police chief says there's no evidence of mechanical or electrical failure in the vehicle. the finding concurs with the u.s. safety regulators who found the gas pedal was depressed to the floor and the brakes not applied. and now an inside look at how toyota is inspecting vehicles suspected of sudden surge issues. the carmaker released this video. eight million cars recalled worldwide are being tested in these facilities. some reports have suggested electronics may be to blame for some of the unintended acceleration issues. a second grade teacher in oklahoma is lucky to be alive after her car was slammed by a freight train. jessica flegle was on her way to school this morning when her

suv was caught in the snow on the tracks. after bystanders were unable to jar the vehicle loose she jumped out of the ford explorer as the union pacific train approached. >> she's alive. we can buy 100 of these cars. you can't buy a life. i'm thrilled she was able to get out of the car. i'm thrilled my grandson wasn't in the car with her. >> reporter: she was not hurt but as we saw her suv was totaled in the accident. street cleaning operations are back on in the district. mayor fenty says the snow that melted left a lot of litter and debris. street sweepers are going to hit the roads again starting today. vehicles parked in restricted areas during sweeping hours can be ticketed and towed starting next monday. now to a commuter alert on this rainy monday night. tell us more. >> this is a house fire blocking all lanes on the 2800 block of georgia avenue. this is georgia and harvard. all lanes blocked at the

moment. fire officials are on scene. so we suggest you take 16th street or bening road to get around this mess. moving on to maryland now, 270, a little breezy, wet roads, be careful there, slow from gaithersburg to germantown. and farther north there's an accident blocking the left lane at route 80. finally, virginia drivers, if you're on the inner loop in the adle -- alexandria area, be aware the exits for telegraph road and duke street shifted due to weekend work. otherwise no accidents or incidents both outer loop and inner loop throughout virginia. still storms this monday evening. how much longer do you need the umbrella? topper shutt on the terrace with your out and about forecast. we see your umbrella at the ready. >> and the rain is picking up in northwest, from the storms we showed you a minute ago. thank you to the viewers for calling in. we did have hail with some of the storms around the springfield area and the fairfax area. thank you. really, what you see is what you get for the next three

hours, between 6:00 and 9:00. fairly mild, yes, 54 to 64. and winds not picking up but there will be showers, and isolated thunderstorms in there, again winds out of the southwest at 10. let's talk about the -- ready for your county close-up here? we'll start in fairfax county. tomorrow, there will be some clouds, there will be some breaks in the clouds, too. we have to keep the chance of a shower in. it will be cooler albeit average temperatures. 58 fairfax. lorton 57. 59 alexandria. some areas could hit 60. downtown you might hit 60 at capitol hill. cleveland park 59. the chance of a shower here. you want to just keep your umbrella handy -- sorry, you won't see a shower tomorrow. montgomery county, county close-up, 58 olney. 58 wheaton. 59 bethesda. your next three days -- 59 tomorrow, leftover shower and then we recover nicely. wednesday and thursday, temperatures in the mid-60s.

clouds come in late thursday but actually temperatures a little bit above average. we will come back in a bit. we will show that you storm again on live doppler which does have some hail in it. right now there are no warnings issued. coming up -- tiger woods grants his first interview since news of his sex scandal broke. >> first, a huge outlet store fire lights up the sky in virginia.

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in chicago, a spokesperson for the once milestoney activist group acorn says it's disbanding. scandal gripped the organization six months ago when video footage emerged showing acorn workers giving tax tips to conservative activists, posing as a pimp and

prostitute. investigators want to know what sparked this fire that decide a virginia furniture store. the dplaims broke out 4:30 this morning at the grand furniture outlet in norfolk. the furniture store a total loss. fire destroyed an historic riverboat in st. louis. the robert e. lee was docked on the mississippi river when the flames broke out sunday afternoon. the boat was a replica of a 19-century riverboat that had once been a popular restaurant. no word yet on what caused fire. authorities believe they arrested the ringleader behind this brazen poker tournament robbery in germany. four attackers armed with a gun and machete stormed the tournament in berlin and got away with $327,000. a 28-year-old lebanese citizen is now in police custody. police think he drove the getaway car need motivation to replace that old washer or drier? coming up, a consumer alert that will save you energy and money. >> after giving his first

interview since his november car accident where does tiger woods go from here? our sara walsh has what is next for the golf superstar. >> pretty big thunderstorms now on live doppler. we'll take you out with live doppler. you'll see hail with the storms. on the west side of 270 get ready for rain and small hail.

the truth is very painful at times. to stare at yourself and look at the person you've become, you become disgusted. >> golfer tiger woods answers questions for the first time about the sex scandal that turned his life and career upside down. >> sara walsh joins us with more on yesterday's surprise television interview. >> reporter: we've heard him speak before but didn't hear him answer questions and anything that was not exactly scripted for him. in the span of five minutes you

typically can't get through the grocery line yet that was the amount of time tiger woods granted two journalists, one from espn, the other from the golf channel, on sunday to ask anything they wished. it's another step in woods' pr comeback but on the homeback he admits he has much further to go. tiger woods may be opening up. >> i was living a life of a lie. >> but some subjects the golfer wants closed off forever. like what happened the night of his november 27th car crash. >> everything's between elin and myself. that's private. >> why did you lose control of the car? >> as i said that is between elin and myself. >> reporter: woods who has been in therapy for an addiction he would not disclose sunday says the most difficult part of the embarrassing and painful ordeal, telling his mother and wife the truth. >> they both have been very tough. >> reporter: when asked how elin took the confession. >> she was hurt, very hurt. shocked, angry, and she had every right to be. >> reporter: today former

white house press secretary ari fleischer confirmed he's no longer working with woods. several reports say fleischer's presence gave the impression the golfer was being stage managed. from a pr standpoint most believe it's the golfer's actions, not his words that will rectify his wrongs. >> that determines whether or not people support tiger what, he does in his lifestyle and the government course, not what he says. there time to leave him alone and al allow him to prove what he says he's going to do. >> reporter: when you returns to golf -- when he returns to golf at the masters his game will be scrutinized. the judgment at home could be much tougher. >> i love elin with everything i have. and that's something that makes me feel even worse, i did this to someone i love that much. >> how do you reconcile what you've done with that love? >> we work at it. >> tiger woods says he's nervous about how he'll be

received at the masters. you can see his quest for a 15th major. it will be here on our air. masters coverage starts april 8th. the final two rounds airing on channel 9 april 10th and 11th. >> he seems to suggest that elin is willing to work with him on this. >> i read something today. it was on people.com that she has no intention of being at the masters. imagine how much scrutiny is going to be on him. if i was her i wouldn't be going near a golf course for a long time. >> i have to agrowith that. sara walsh, thank you. rising floodwaters are causing an incredible amount of damage in china. the result of the worst snowstorm to hit northwest china in six decades. more than 7,000 buildings have been destroyed, the worst may be yet to come. only a third of the snow has melted so far. china also dealing with sandstorms. they are an annual phenomenon in the spring when strong winds whip up sand from the desert. the pollution can cause chest discomfort and respiratory problems. experts rate the air quality in

beijing as "hazardous." experts are watching a volcano in iceland. saturday night's eruption sent ash and lava into the air. it apparently evaporated a glacier. there are fears there could be nor e-- another eruption. at home, coming off the best weekend i can remember. >> it would have been sweet for april and may, let alone march. nice way to usher in spring. we have spring thunderstorms actually today. not crazy unusual. the next three days we're going to keep a chance of a shower in tomorrow. there will be some breaks in the clouds, more clouds than sun certainly. upper 50s. then mid-60s on wednesday, pretty nice. mid-60s on thursday, clouds come in late. temperatures moderating somewhat. tonight, cooler, early thunderstorm possible. a shower possible later tonight, lows in the 40s. winds out of the southwest at 10. let me show you live doppler 9,000. you can also access this at

wusa9.com. we've been watching this little cluster here move from the west -- east side of 95 across to the west side of 95 and now up 270. we have had reports of hail an we thought that was the case. seneca and ashburn pretty good thunderstorms now. probably hail north of seneca with that storm. pretty good rains in bethesda, wheaton, georgia avenue, and pretty good rains around chevy chase, bradley boulevard as well as well as going out to -- well, bradley boulevard and river road. they are going to be around for a while. they will move quickly though off to the north/northwest now at about 35 miles per hour. then after that that's going to be it for a while. very heavy activity just north of 28. there's going to be some hail up there as well. we'll keep you posted. there are no warnings on these. let's go back to the computer. we'll talk about tomorrow morning. a shower still possible in the morning, 40s and 50s. not much activity. by afternoon, a slielt chance of a shower. winds pick up.

highs in the upper 50s. the winds really pick up. the storm system, you can see the bulk of the precipitation is north of us but that he had so there's still a couple of showers to the south, even once those run to the north of us overnight we'll run the risk of a couple of showers but most of the activity is now north of us. next seven days, 59 tomorrow. leftover shower and then mid-60s wednesday and thursday, pretty nice. we get snapped back to march, upper 40s to near 50 with cold rain friday. back in the 50s over the weekend and cold rain next monday with some know maybe as close as hagerstown, highs in the upper 40s. >> we didn't know how good we had it this weekend. thank you. in tonight's "consumer tonight alert -- if your clothes washer is on the fritz you're in luck. in a few weeks states across the country will roll out rebate programs. as we learned if you want to reap the savings you're going to have to act fast. >> it gets abused a lot.

for constantly opening and slamming it. >> reporter: slenoo hutch-ins 10-year-old freeze doesn't freeze or keep food cold anymore. >> we want one that saves energy. >> reporter: if she waits a couple of weeks she can save money thanks to a rebate program. >> it's to give incentive for buying new appliances that have higher efficiency than the one they have currently. >> reporter: let's call it cash for caulkers. you replace an older model and you get a rebate and save money on energy bills. >> this will more than likely use $35 rather than the 44. >> reporter: before you buy a new fridge, dishwasher, even washing machine, you want to check with your state first to make sure it qualifies for a rebate. >> it's confusing. >> reporter: tory patrick thought she could replace her roof and other things in her home and get that rebate but it's not the case. here's how it breaks down in our area -- in virginia you'll save money on all of these appliances.

this is the list for dc. and in maryland only these three items make the cut. >> depending on the generosity of the rebates there may not be much left after the first few days, weeks, months. >> reporter: unlike the federal program where you can turn in and old car for a rebate, each state is allotted a certain amount of money. at this fairfax home depot they are expecting a huge turnout on day one. do the homework now so you'll be ready to cash in on the energy savings in april. district residents must provide proof they recycle their old appliance in order to receive the rebate. maryland and virginia residents will not. right now the states are only saying the program starts in april. we'll keep you posted on an exact date. to learn more on the energy rebate in your state, go to wusa9.com and click on "living smart." >> i need a dishwasher. i'll keep you on it. forget march madness. there's another tournament underway on "late night with dave letterman." humans takes on pets, the

ultimate stupid tricks tournament. the winner will be crowned on april 5th. yet that is the night of the ncaa basketball championship. for a link to the videos and dave's brackets, log on to our web site, wusa9.com and click on 9 news extras. >> that is on at 2:00 a.m.? maybe. "9news now" at 6:00 is a few minutes away. here's what we have tonight. some all important recalls. what you need to get out of your house now. plus, the new man shaking up dc politics. he's going after one of those highly coveted council seats. and how this maryland native has changed the episcopal church. research shows more than half of fortune 500 companies are launched during economic downturns. learn how you can be your own boss, coming up next. >> and don't forget we're always on at wusa9.com. stay with us.

>> health care coverage is extended to 32 million americans and bans insurance companies to deny coverage because of pre-existing conditions. go to momslikeme.com and give us your opinion.

dow finished the day up 43, and the nasdaq rose 20 and the s&p 500 rose five points. the dream of starting up a business is obtainable even in tough economic times. >> how do you turn your pet project into a business? jessica doyle caught up with three local entrepreneurs to learn the secrets to their success. >> don't bite mommy. behave. >> reporter: remarkably similar inspirations for two local businesses, doggy do rights in chevy chase. i had a wonderful little dog named mr. chips. we were told he had a condition, diabetes, that was going to be a life-changing event for my husband and i. >> the big bad wolf in takoma park. >> we kind of got started with

this because of our dog who had diabetes. >> reporter: caring for him became an education for penny jones in animal nutrition. she vowed with partner julie to leverage that knowledge to create a pet store like none they've ever seen before. >> we have everything from feeding dry food in cans to a great selection of raw foods you see behind me and beside me. >> reporter: that's right, a raw food diet for dogs and cats. and the store is unique in other ways, from its current mascot named ya-ya to green pet products. go we really look for items that are reclaimed out of the waystream. >> reporter: dana brewington also hit upon a unique concept, a line of diapers for dogs. >> i'm taking the adjustable straps, they went over his head like that and we are facettening them on the back to the landing pad. >> reporter: the pet industry is expected to hit $48 billion in sales this year. that is a lot of room for small

entrepreneurs to make some gold. that are within reach. >> three years ago we decided we would go the franchising route because we wanted to be able to offer other people a way to open their own green sustainable business to be their own bosses, and to be proud of what they do everyday. >> reporter: the big bad wolf is now reviewing several applicants to open more stores in the washington area. as for brewington, she's telling her products on her web site now. in the future - >> i am looking to place it in stores. this is a high-end diaper. i'm not sure it's appropriate for petsmart but maybe. i won't pooh-pooh that idea, no pun intended. >> reporter: jessica doyle, "9news now." >> thank you for join us for "9news now" at 5:00 "9news now" at 6:00 starts right now. the bill is passed. >> the