forced to evacuate and thousands more are without power. many roads are washed out or have collapsed. >> flooding everywhere. it takes you for ever to get anywhere because you think you are going somewhere and you have to turn around. >> the roads you take for granted are all blocked off. >> there is a glimmer of good news, the water is slowly receding. it's hard to believe that 24 hours ago, both of these cars were completely under water and the water has only receded down to about the tires. residents here are certainly glad to see this water go, but now they face the daunting task of cleaning up. this is what the sports authority at the mall looked like wednesday. now, the water is gone. several states have been hit hard, including massachusetts, where roads are flooded and damaged bridges are barely hanging on. in new jersey, several neighborhoods are still under water. it's the second time in three weeks this area has been flooded and some people reached their limits. >> i can't take this.

i mean, you could have a breakdown with this thing going. >> the flooding forced thousands in the northeast to walk away from their homes. and it could be days before they can return. and we are on the banks of the patuxet, which happens to be this mall apartment. the river crested at 21 feet yesterday, 12 feet above where we would normally be at 9 feet. we'll send it back to you. >> i know the president declared some disaster areas up there. what kind of federal action have we seen? >> yeah, quite a few. the national guard in town here in rhode island have been directing traffic and helping out with sandbag operations. fema was dispatched as soon as president obama declared a state of emergency for rhode island and homeland security has been touring the area as well. federal assistance is here. more federal assistance is coming. we don't know now when it will be applicable. >> thank you. we appreciate that. well of course, we here in

washington are much more fortunate. our weather has been no other way to put it, just grand. >> when spring springs here in washington, so do the tourists. lindsey is at the title basin with more on their impact on our area. hi lindsey. >> hey, lesli. it has been a picture perfect day out here. it's very warm, very, very nice, and that means that people are spending money. when we talk about visitors, they are expecting 1 million visitors down here for the festival and that will bring in $80 million to the district. >> they are pretty. they are really pretty. >> it means more people on the national mall. >> we are hitting all the sites. the first time the kids have been in dc. >> more people visiting museums. >> i got some souvenirs. >> and more people booking hotel rooms. >> we are anticipating that our hotels will completely sell out over this weekend, which is fantastic. >> elliot says even

restaurants are capitalizing on the cherry blossoms. >> 70 of our restaurants are doing cherry themed meals during the festival itself. >> ping-pong is offering three cherry inspired creations. the restaurant just opened in december, but the manager says people are already abuzzed about their cherry bubbly. >> the restaurants that participate, they tend to do a little better. >> nearly everyone is making more money. >> this is our cherry mousse. >> like tour buses, vendors. >> pick up food at local stands and enjoy the outdoors. >> and street performers. >> and the entire metro dc area is benefiting. they are expecting about $44 million to pump into businesses in virginia and maryland. live in northwest washington,

i'm lindsey, 9news now. >> lindsey, you had a chance to talk to some of those tourists. how much are they spending on average. have they said? >> a lot of tourists say they are trying to watch their budget, so they are going to a lot of the local vendors and not eating out at expensive restaurants. they are willing to spend more if they want something cherry inspired. when it comes to hotels, they are between $120 to $150 a night and already destination dc says they have 1,000 nights booked so far. lesli. >> they are here and they are spending and we'll take it here in the dc area. >> the best benefit is the weather itself. devon. >> temperatures well into the 70s in many places. many of us in the lower 80s. this is a dilema of mine. national is notorious for being warmer than everyone else. right now they are 73. everyone else is well into the

upper 70s. we even have 80s showing up west. we have an update to that national temperature? no, we are still at 73. some of us outside of washington and see where we are. we have temperatures that again, well into the lower 80s. especially as you head south and west. we are going to continue this trend of great temperatures. take what we had today, just transplant it. put it into friday, we'll have another great day. if anything, a couple degrees warmer and it gets warmer as we head into this weekend. there is a front headed our way. we'll let you know how that will affect us and it moves over the weekend with our complete forecast in 5, 10 minutes. >> thank you. the search is on tonight for a fourth suspect in connection with the drive by shooting that left four people dead. he bailed out of the get away van. audrey barnes is live at the crime scene with more on that.

audrey. >> derek, some of the people who were gunned down here yesterday were killed after leaving a friend's funeral. and now it's their relatives who are planning for a burial. now police say with one suspect still on the loose, they are on high alert and they are hoping to catch him before other people have to do the same thing. >> very, very hard to believe. >> she is on her way to visit her 17-year-old friend, whose name we won't use because she was shot several times, but survived the blood bath on south capital street and is now a witness to the city's worst mass shooting in decades. >> she's okay, thank god, you know, i didn't lose her. >> she did lose her best friend. 16-year-old rachelle jones, killed by a spray of bullets, just a few blocks from the home she shared with her mom. >> she was very, very protective of her mother. she really loved her mom and so sad, you know, because that was her only child, you know.

>> nardine jeffries was honoring her child. >> she was a beautiful young lady, inside and out. always wanted to help any and everybody. always the peacemaker. >> this man, who asked us not to show his face worked as a youth counselor for the dc department of youth services and was well acquainted with the suspects, and the 14-year- old who was allegedly driving the get away car. that teenager with ten prior convictions for assault and other crimes reportedly just walked away from the facility hours before the shooting. >> once they leave there, they graduated through the system or they wind up in someone's funeral home. >> who will never see her child graduate from high school or get married. >> just a very cold and heart less area and it's just a lot of senseless killing is going on. >> now, while police focus on

catching that fourth suspect, local clergy are focusing on heeling. there's another community vigil planned for 6:30 tomorrow night. that is happening at the southeast on first street southeast. derek. >> now audrey, we have been hearing about the possibility of retaliation. are there cops in the neighborhood today? >> yeah, we've seen quite a few. as a matter of fact, we saw a caravan of under cover vehicles, lots of officers inside. they got out and looked at maps and took off into the neighborhood, presumably looking for that fourth suspect. >> thank you for that. today we learn the pentagon -- the building's metro station. there are extra screening areas, and enhanced outdoor lighting. john patrick fidel was shot and killed by pentagon security officers after he opened fire on them at the pentagon station's bus shelter. those officers survived. tonight, montgomery county

police are trying to identify a man who was found dead in some woods. the body was discovered near ashton, close to the howard county line. alex is working the story. >> it's surprising. don't exfect to see that in this nice wooded area. it was a little concerned. >> reporter: mailman was on a delivery route yesterday on ednor road, when a stranger with a sense of urgency flagged him down. >> there was someone coming up out of the woods talking on a cell phone, looking agitated. >> the man was walking along this trail when he made the gruesome discovery in this wooded area, but the man couldn't pinpoint this location. >> he asked me where we were, what was the hundred block, he was just contacted police because he saw a body in the woods and said he poked it with a stick and there was no response. he was upset about it.

>> a spokesperson for the montgomery county police department tells 9news now the man died from multiple gun shot wounds. the time of death is still undetermined. visitors who come to the park are alarmed about the bloody discovery. >> it's a quiet environment. it's not a place for violence. >> at the crime scene here near the banks, a first for steve. >> it's very unusual, i mean, i've been through this part for about, what, five or six years and this is the first time i heard of such a violent crime. >> detectives are still investigating the victim's identity. alex, 9news now. >> anyone with information is asked to call major crimes division at 240-773-5070. >> virginia's department of transportation asks why mess with a gad thing? the state launched a month long blitz on filling potholes, but

the crews have been going so well, they decided to keep on going for at least another couple of weeks. it's already patched and repaired more than 120,000 bumper potholes. time for a check on the evening rush. patranya is in the traffic center. patranya. >> hello there. also a pain in the rear tonight, the traffic along i-95 southbound. take a look. very heavy, volume is picking up quickly as we pass the 5:00 hour and the pace, of course, slowing down dramatically. we are looking at delays up to an hour now. springfield past dale city, and this is without any incidents or accidents. as far as the crash, we have one for you. gw parkway heading northbound, this is blocking the right lane. we are seeing delays all the way down 123 and looking at 495, lots of yellow and reds out there below speed between

66 and 270. on 395, lots of sunshine to soak in here. we have traffic, and also, we have seminary to duke, excuse me, going southbound. we also have an accident at king street. guys, back to you. your next car may get you more miles to the gallon. a look at new fuel efficiency rules is coming up. and devon. >> i think we are all loving this weather. we'll let you know what is in store for this weekend. the full forecast when we come back.

president barack obama taking a few minutes out of his time today to fill out his census form. today after all is the deadline. that survey helps the government allocate federal

funding and congressional seats. for more information, click on 9news extras on wusa9.com. mr. obama was in portland, maine, for a rally on health insurance reform. the polls that say, the nation is not sold on the changes he signed into law. >> every single day since i signed the reform law, there's been another poll or headline that says nation still divided on healthcare reform. polls haven't changed yet. well, yeah, it just happened last week. >> on to new reform, some changes could occur right away, but president obama say it will take four years to get the whole plan in place. the president's busy day included new rules about your car. randall reports, it could add up to savings every time you

drive. > car makers are hawking their latest models at the new york international auto show. >> performance and efficiency all in one package. >> with on emphasis on fuel efficiency. >> we have a 40-mile per gallon hybrid. it's the most fuel efficient hybrid on the road right now. >> the president announced new federal rules to reduce emissions and improve gas mileage. the federal government will require manufactures of cars and trucks to have a combined average of 35.5 miles per gallon. that's 10% more than the current standard. the new emission standards come with a price. but the government says car buyers will actually save money by spending less on gasoline. many drivers say that's fair. >> if you have to pay more and you get incredible mileage, that's fantastic. >> i think we as american people are going to have to pay more for a lot of things. >> some car companies, say the

costs will have to be absorbed by them. >> make sure we stay inexpensive or something our customers can afford. >> efficiency and economy. a concept car buyers are looking for. randall, cbs2 news, new york. >> while you are on the verge of getting more miles to the gallon, each mile may cost you more. crude oil prices hit an 18 month high and if those prices keep going up, it will add up to gas of more than $3 a gallon this summer. >> mayor adrian fenty is sending the plan and he says it is all about doing more with less. >> they are just like any other well run government or well run enterprise. we should be able to provide not just the same level of services for less, but we should be able to provide more services and better services and better programs and we believe this budget does this.

>> eliminate nearly 600dc government jobs, freeze pay raises, all to help close a budget gap. but, he says it does maintain services and without raising taxes on residents. it marks the 15th consecutive year that dc leaders are working towards having a balanced budget. >> lawmakers are sharpening their pencils. the house of delegates is looking for savings in the state's $13 billion operating budget. some of the items on the chopping block include cuts to funding to fight pollution and the chesapeake and shifts in pension cost for teachers, but the house restored funding for stem cell research. >> after some intense research, you have indeed ascertained that it's very nice outside. >> yes. hard work pays off eventually here in the forecast. you know, we talk about the title basin. everybody knows about this. but there's one little super secret close to our station. it's in parts of bethesda.

look at that. a little cherry blossom. it's a beautiful community. in fact, when i first moved here, that's one of the things i saw. a couple hundred people out is what we saw today, shooting this wonderful video. it's a great, great -- a little hidden treasure. >> very nice. >> it is. >> beautiful weather for today, guys, and this weather only continues. we topped out in the upper 70s. you take today and put it right in towards tomorrow. weak front is starting to move our way and at first, i thought maybe a couple sprinkles as we put it in sunday morning. would really make for a great day. right now, this front is going to have a hard time pushing through all this warm air in place. 82 saturday and just a few clouds overnight into sunday. maybe dipping us back down just briefly under that 80-degree mark on sunday. clear and cool here tonight. those low temperatures by tomorrow morning. upper 30s in some cases, most of us will be in the mid 40s in

the heart of washington. tomorrow morning we'll be pushing through those low 40s. winds still staying very light. there isn't anything to talk about. it's been tremendous. mid to upper 70s once again. lower 80s. there's some 80s. rockville, 81. coming close to it as we head near dulles. sterling at 89. mid to upper 70s. even fairfax around vienna. downtown, 73 is what it is at national. everybody else, mid 70s to near 80 degrees. laurel there in northern parts of prince georges county at 81 degrees. step over and show you andrews, down to brandi wine, mid to upper 70s. so, 80-degree forecast, we have a few of them out there. there's some 80s further west. culpeper 81. we have 82 way out west in comperland in the western parts of maryland. here's the forecast and really just not a whole lot going on. satellite radar shows plenty of sunshine. lack of cloud cover, so we

still continue lots of sunshine, warm temperatures continue to build. this is our next system that is going to be moving through the mississippi, ohio valleys. you see, this is by saturday evening. this front is going to come over saturday night and sunday morning. all this warm air in place is going to block that front out. it's going to kill it. we see the effects of a couple clouds. right around those lower 50s, mid to upper 40s in many places. we'll call it a cool night. not a cold, maybe chilly in some cases. right around upper 70s to 80 degrees tomorrow. we'll step out of the way. i'll go 83 for you tomorrow. 80s even towards western parts of virginia. west virginia itself, and maryland still hanging on to upper 70s. the seven-day forecast, taken out all chances of rain. next week, thursday, we had to push that one back several days. we'll continue. it looks like the temperature doesn't get below 70. >> and the low temperatures at night, lower to mid 50s in many cases this week. >> we love it.

thank you, sir. >> well dogs may be man's best friend, but after the break, why a virginia man is suing petsmart for what a pooch left behind. plus, it was a deadly day at the happiest place on earth. we'll tell you more about that. [ howard ] natalie is the last one to leave home. but not a moment too soon, right? howard and linda were saving for natalie's college since she was born.

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[ male announcer ] with you when it's time to save. why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. when someone yelled fire inside an apartment building in wheaten today, it was no april fools joke. that fire broke out this morning inside a ground floor apartment. everybody got out safely. no injuries, but some families will have to find somewhere else to stay for a while. no word yet on what started the fire. >> investigators are trying to figure out what led up to the death of a ten-year-old boy at walt disney world. the boy was riding his bike when he was hit by a bus. an 11-year-old boy he was

riding with was not hurt. police have yet to identify the boy, but they say the disney company is helping his family. ever try to park in old town alexandria, but the tour buses gobbled up all the good spots? your next spot may go easier. the tour buses have to park a few blocks away. alexandria wants the tourist dollars, but trying to make old town more pedestrian friendly. the crew of the space shuttle discovery is ready for its next mission in space and today, that seven member crew arrives preparing for their flight to the international space station. liftoff is scheduled for early monday morning. the shuttle will carry a cargo pod filled with science wracks and equipment for the space station. that station by the way, is 220 miles above the earth. all right, now for the latest scoop on the poop at petsmart. a virginia man filed a million dollar lawsuit against the store.

he slipped on a pile of dog doo, hit his head and knocked out four teeth. the store was negligent. pets do have accidents in the stores, but its employees were not negligent. and a woman once sued that same pet smart after slipping and sliding on dog pee. she was all wet and apparently so were her claims of negligence, she lost the case. >> okay. one local arena is on the verge of giving you more food choices when you watch the game. >> more on that and why one of the greatest mysteries of our age may never be solved. that's ahead in the next half hour. >> after the break, a status report on the five major traffic projects in virginia that are giving commuters major headaches. we'll be back. ói

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welcome back. let's reset some of the top stories in the news now. a murder mystery at a local park, a man shot to death to see browns bridge recreation area, that's near ashton,

maryland, in montgomery county. no word on that victim's identity. in dc, the search is on for a fourth suspect in tuesday night's drive by shootings that left four people dead. already in custody, four adults and a 14-year-old who drove the get away van. and folks in parts of new england are facing some of the worst flooding there in two centuries. some entire neighborhoods are swamped. high water forced hundreds of families out of their homes and thousands more have no electricity. sky 9 taking some of the word in on virginia roads. crews get more time working on those long-term projects, like the hot lanes. and that means some detours and delays for you. >> making up the lost time, v- dot is kicking it into high gear. here at 123 and the beltway is the most complicated under takings of the megaproject is for the dulles metro rails and

the hot lanes intersect. a major commuter hub and expect major headaches. >> interruptions, delays, and disruptions. >> vdot is getting on schedule on five major projects. the wilson bridge at the telegraph road interchange is in its final phase this year. widening southbound 95 in woodbridge is in midstream and the fairfax county parkway extension is also well on its way. but it's this area, vdot is focusing on. > tysons is going to be the most heavily impacted area over the next two years. >> one of the places that won't affect traffic is here at the construction site of the metro rail tunnel. >> the silver line tunnels are being constructed under ground, where drivers hardly notice. >> come over here, we'll take you back from dulles airport into dc. >> vdot wants to promote alternative transportation by reducing traffic in these construction zones. >> vdot is hoping options such as shuttle buses will hope in

the effort. it stopped at tyson's corner and along jones branch road every ten minutes during lunch hours and other buses will shuttle you during the day. suray chin, 9news now. >> traffic delays could cause you more than 20 minutes during a normal drive day. police in prince william county are investigating the death of a four-year-old boy. last night, police were called to a home on cedar cove way after a 911 call reported an unresponsive child. four-year-old christian was taken it a local hospital, but it was just too late. circumstances surrounding his death are under investigation. some antiabortion activists carry protest signs. scott carried a gun. and he walked into a kansas church and put a bullet in the brain of a doctor who performed abortion. he later admitted to killing him last may and now a judge is considering his possible sentence. he is hearing from those who befended him and those who were

connected to the victim's family. >> proclaim themselves to be the army of god, but really want to be god and be the executioner of someone with whom they disagree. this killer stopped dr. tiller for years. i've had numerous occasions to pray and visit with scott at other pro-life events and or at an abortion facility. i always found scott to be polite to myself and others. >> life in prison with possible parole after 25 years or 50 years in prison. we'll keep you posted. the judiciary committee of the maryland house of delegates voted down a resolution to impeach the attorney general. in a vote 14-6, that committee blocked the impeachment effort. he wanted the attorney general removed because of a legal opinion he issued over gay marriage. pope benedict xvi celebrated the traditional holy

thursday mass today. the service commemorates the last supper of christ. the catholic church rap les with charges of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. is jimmie really buried beneath the end zone at angels stadium? now we may never know. he was disappeared while crews were still building giants stadium and later, a hit man claimed the stadium was his final resting place. crews are about to demolish giants stadium and cover it over with 13 feet of concrete and turn it into a parking lot. the fbi says they don't plan to do any digging. and expect to see some new dining options. dc united has its home opening on saturday and they will find barbecue and pizza among their choices. chili bowl is also expected to start operating by april 17. on a day like this, who wants to be inside? meteorologist, devon lucy is out on the terrace with your

out and about forecast. >> one heck of a beautiful out and about forecast it's going to be. temperatures right now, mid upper 70s, lower 80s in some cases. national, it's been a bit of a bugger. you've been down about 73 degrees. we'll see this out and about forecast here for tonight. we'll drop temperatures into the 70s and a few of us dropping into the upper 60s. that's going to be well into the 8:00, 9:00 hour. winds will be light. clear and mild night going on. we'll show you some specific forecasts around the area. we'll zoom you in as we go towards fairfax county. 69 degrees. this is more 8:00; 9:00. and 7:00, 8:00, 70 degrees vienna. plenty of clear skies. sunshine early and the sunset tonight here at 7:30, morton, 72. and the closer you go towards the heart of the urbanized area, about 73 degrees. speaking of washington proper, cleveland park, 71. capitol hill, that should be 72. that's what i was thinking for

them. we'll go up towards montgomery county on the maryland side and temperatures there, a few upper 60s and yes, 69 degrees, looking like a beautiful forecast. the great forecast continues into this weekend, but there is a front headed our way. we'll explain how that's going to affect our weather and the weekend overnight with your complete forecast. another update in a few more minutes. >> all right. i'm going to leave after the show. can you stick around? april fools. >> not funny. we'll share some of our april fools favorites coming right up. >> and there's no joke that 9news now starts at 4:25. tune in every morning for the latest headlines, weather and traffic from andrea, howard, and angie.

welcome back to sesame street, april fools. did you catch some of our favorite pranks today? google changed its banner. that's because the town of topeka, kansas changed its name to google to become the test. well today, google returned the nod. >> and some of our other favorites out there today. an outage. starbucks unveiled sizes on its website. microbeing small and the plenta being the size of a bucket. and ben and jerry's, virtual ice cream. >> here's an april fools joke that went too far. the assistant principal upset a whole lot of students when she made the announcement that this year's prom would be canceled because of bad student behavior. bad move. >> our teachers also were, i'm so sorry this is happening, because nobody really knew

about it. i don't know. there were people crying and a lot of people i know went to the office. >> oh no, not tears. officials say they weren't alone in the prank, the members of the student council came up with the idea. time to get another check on that evening rush hour. patranya in the 9news now traffic center and good weather doesn't mean good traffic, does it? >> beautiful weather to drive home, but first, you have to get through the commute. it's a rough one on 495 in maryland. drivers will come to a stop here beyond connecticut, due to an accident at river road, taking away two left lanes. they are squeezing by to the right. a lot of traffic. do factor in extra time if you are headed home in that stretch. we have an accident, route 7 eastbound, but beyond the beltway, just typical delays. about 20 minutes will get you out to 7100. that's a quick check of your commute, now back to you. there is a new trend in childbirth, which we'll explain

in our upcoming alert. it may be too sensitive for young children to see. plus, the h1n1 flu may be gone or forgotten. what you need to know just three minutes away. i'm dave owens, larry spoke to the media for the first time today. how he feels about sharing time with quinton portis and how outfield issues in the past have matured him. i'll have that story. beautiful sunny day out here and that's going to continue through much of this holiday weekend. for that matter into much of next week, too. one weak cold front to talk about. how it will effect you this weekend, too. we'll have the complete forecast when 9news now returns. for decades, the insurance lobby has called the shots...

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come on in, and i'll give you a free quote. quote and compare in about 8 minutes. now, that's progressive. call or click today. think we've heard the last of the h1n1 flu? think again. maryland recorded its 45th death from that illness. an adult died in the baltimore area sometime earlier this week. no other details were provided. maryland is scheduling more than 150 free vaccination

clinics next week. news of the death comes on the same day we are getting our first look at just how many people chose to get that h1n1 vaccine. and the center for disease control and prevention say rhode island led the nation in vaccinations with 38%, or should i say, 39% of residents getting the shot in mississippi was the lowest at 13%. overall since october, 24% of all americans opted for the shot and that adds up between 72 and 81 million people. now, states are finding themselves with left over doses of the vaccine, but the cdc and doctors around here are urging people to still consider getting vaccinated after an increase in cases in the southern u.s. >> people need to do what they need to do to protect themselves. this is the same pattern that started in the southeast region and then a few weeks later, we hit our second wave. so, is there a third wave coming? that's a possibility and we need to be on guard and basically again, the first line

of defense -- you have families and loved ones, especially the high risk group, you need to make sure they get vaccinated. >> the doctor says high risk groups like children and the elderly should be first in line to be vaccinated. and everybody should take precautions to protect each other from spreading that virus. simple measures like frequent hand washing, using antibacterial hand soaps and staying home when you do get sick will make a world of difference for everyone. >> if you have children in the room, you might want them to leave. it's about a new trend in childbirth. anyone who had a baby know some hospitals allow the father and a grandparent to cut the cord, but as andrea reports, some couples are choosing another option, which is causing a debate. >> like most mothers, christine remembers those first few newborn days with love, but her baby's birth was different than most. in her case, they never cut the

cord. >> we carried the placenta with the baby. >> it was by choice. christine decided to have what's called a lotus birth. >> the cord is left uncut and the cord and the placenta stay with the baby until it naturally falls off, which tends to be 3 or 4 days. >> during the pregnancy, the cord connects the baby to the mother, delivering nutrients to the baby and taking waste away. but after delivery, dr. michelle curtis says its role is done. >> after the first three minutes or so, when the blood vessels spasmed, there is no more benefit for the child to remain attached. >> however, the web is filled with videos of people like christine who disagree. they believe the cord has a spiritual and emotional connection to the baby and that cutting it is harsh. the practice is becoming more common among home birthing advocates. >> we covered the placenta with sea salt and dried

lavender flowers before we wrapped it up in cloth. >> the doctor has concerns. >> the placenta is filled with blood. it is filled with different cells and a rich environment for bacteria to grow in. there's a long bridge between the placenta and baby. the bacteria could climb up that bridge and increase the risk for infections. >> we contacted the american congress of on stay trigses. the group has no stance on the issue. their british counterparts say no research exists and there's no medical evidence that it is of any benefit to the baby. new reasons for excitement tonight at the national zoo, or maybe not. scientists say that the panda hormone levels are rising and that may mean she could be pregnant. pandas have a tendency toward false pregnancies. if she is, she would give birth in 40 to 50 days. >> that would be nice.

back in china now. >> yeah. but you know, we have been down this path before. we have to be cautiously optimistic. we get excited and we find out she's not pregnant. >> that's true. maybe something is in the air. >> pollen is in the air. i have an allergy update. with all the cherry blossoms, most of our pollen content, cherry blossoms. >> oh yeah. a lot of people can't go down there. >> april fools, just kidding. >> haha. >> the weather man doesn't get to do april fools. >> yeah, yeah. hurricane coming, april fools. >> maple, that is the number one pollen for the trees out there. i had to play one today, that's it for sure. 80 degrees is what we are going to go for tomorrow. national to pop that temperature up, but we are stuck in the 70s. 82 as we head into the weekend and a weak front coming in. we will have a sprinkle possible early morning hours on sunday. this front is going to die away, fade away. a big bubble of warm air is

going to kill it out. so we don't have any shot of rain for several days. clear and cool tonight, farthest west suburbs, most of us mid 40s. part of washington will be at 52 degrees and very light winds, if any, a south breeze overnight. back into the upper 70s, back into the lower 80s for most of us. here's the allergy update. maple, boxelder. the mold scores are low. grass, wheat, we don't see anything from them. washington is at 73. andrew is 76. we have some 80s. loudoun county at 81 degrees. fredericksburg into the 80s. lots of clear skies. sunshine is here and the forecast, the future cast shows this big bubble of warm air to continue. it is this front that i just talked about that is going to be moving in. it dies out overnight as we go saturday into sunday. here's our low temperature forecast for tonight. this gets warmer and warmer as

we go through the next several days. temperatures are bottoming out in the mid 50s here in washington through most of this week, as we go through the next seven days. happy easter on sunday. peter cotton tail should make plenty of appearances. beautiful day for it. >> may be having some walkers and canes and things out of redskin park. >> you are the funniest guy i have ever met. i think it's good that there's another guy to push clinton portis, because he is a guy that didn't love to practice, didn't really love the preseason, and now, you don't want to practice, i have somebody that will take your job. of all the things the redskins needed. he didn't seem to be high on the list, especially since you have a 29-year-old runningback. that didn't stop them from picking up larry johnson. is the redskins back field big enough for two stars of that big wattage? dave owens spoke with him at redskins park. >> for the first time since becoming a redskin, larry

johnson stepped up to the spike. >> to me, it seemed lick a good fit. >> but both he and clinton portis are pro bowl runningbacks. so who is the man now? johnson's coach predicted it would be lj, telling the washington post in mid march, quote, he'll take over the starting runningback position, that's what i think. he'll push that guy right out of a job. as for coach shanahan -- >> obviously i watched him from afar for a number of years. i've coached him in the pro bowl. i like larry. i'm a big fan of his. >> portis is participating in the redskins off season conditioning program and the team says he is medically cleared after concussions shortened his 2009 season. to his credit, johnson said all the right things when asked about his role. >> i want to be -- it's always been, i know what he has been able to do off the field and on the field. he knows what i'm able to do on the field, so we kind of compliment each other, as far

as -- oh, i'm coming here to take your spot. >> what raised your eyebrows, was taking his share of offfield issues. when asked that question today, johnson used the word, trust, in other words, the redskins have to trust that he matured and those transgressions are in the past. >> i don't want to say it's a fresh start, but your fresh starts are already gone. >> dave owens, 9news now. >> he is saying that he is coming here to compliment clinton portis. you don't believe that for a second. he's here to take his job. >> he's never that way, right? >> no, that's what competition is all about. that's very nice to say the politically correct thing and they will be best of friends, but he is going to try to take his job. >> we will see. thanks, brett. 9news now at 6:00 is a few minutes away and here's what we have new for you tonight. sex offender rights at the university of maryland. some students are demanding to know the names accused of rape on campus, why that is not released right now. also new at 6:00, an april

fools joke played on pep koa customers and the utility is not laughing about. and is johns hopkins university really changing its name? really? we'll tell you more tonight at 6:00. but first, you probably heard those commercials about getting a free credit report. we'll clear up some of the confusion next. >> and don't forget, we are always on at wusa9.com. having a child with diabetes,

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a gorgeous day outside and a pretty nice day on wall street. the nasdaq up more than 84 1/2 and s & p 500 posted a gain of almost 9 points. >> the crazy little jingle you hear about the free credit reports, but some sites come with strings attached to your wallet. a new rule would require those websites to come clean about fees and tell you whether that report is really free. a mistake on your credit report can be costly, but for some consumers, the act of getting that report is what cost, even when websites advertise them for free. >> people have a right to know. they have a right to know in a clear and con speck would you

-- starting tomorrow, websites like freecreditreport.com must tell you where you can get an actual credit report at no cost, with a disclosure that reads, this notice is required by law, read more at ftc.gov. you have the right to a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com. that is the only authorized place. >> any time that the government is involved in helping consumers get a better grip on what they face and anything that adds to transparency and fairness and clarity is very positive. >> adam, chairman of credit.com says keeping track of your credit is critical. >> it presays every aspect of our lives, whether it's a mortgage, education, a job, renting a car or doing something as simple as renting a dvd. tab once you get a copy, you should treat it like an investigation. below 10% of the available

limit. if you spend up to 35% of that amount that could negatively impact your score. and use online tools to keep track of your account. and you want to get your credit report from the three credit reporting agencies. since they are giving you a different snapshot, spread it out, maybe one every four months, and a credit monitoring service could be a good idea. keep in mind, it is not free. and thanks for joining us for 9news now at 5:00. 9news now at 6:00 starts right now. >> from the first local station with news in high definition, this is 9news now. >> the individual was found guilty in a second trial of rape. his name will come out. >> tonight, sex offender rights versus women's rights. some students at the university of maryland are demanding the names of offenders found responsible by the schools to be released. right now, if a student is found responsible of rape or assault, the school is bo