on the rise. so they have to prepare for the worst. >> centered on busy georgia avenue -- howard university hospital gets a lot of foot traffic, but you won't find metal detectors at the doors. instead, a special officer with a hospital protective services, keeping a watchful eye. >> even if it's a concealed weapon, they will stop you and detain you. >> the brains behind the more welcoming look. the hospital was once guarded by uniformed officers, wearing bullet proof vests and guns. now the 33 special officers carry collapsible batons. >> we know exactly where to hit you if we have to restrain you or if we have to take you down. >> those and what they call verbal judo are their only weapons. >> we try to see if we can't talk you down. security staff say the murder suicide at baltimore's johns

hopkins represents the extreme, but studies show hospital violence is on the rise. >> you just have a stressful population right now. whether there's an active shooter, whether there's a bomb threat. whether it's any low patient and you have to train to it each and every day. >> a retired indiana deputy sheriff and a former new york and dc police officer head the team. even though they are no longer on the streets, they are ready for anything. >> we have to always be aware and vigilant and proactive. and lesli, here's an interesting number, 131 people were killed conducting healthcare or social services between the years of 1997 and 2008. all right, delia reporting, thank you. now to a tragic accident in silver spring, but it is one that can serve as a lesson to all of us. a little boy, just 1 1/2 years old somehow got tangled inside

some drapery cords. he was strangled and he died inside his family's apartment. most apartments in this complex are outfitted with shades that open and close with a wand that is impossible for children to get themselves tangled into. but some residents installed their own corded blinds and parents we talked to said it's a hazard they never considered. >> strangling in the blinds, i never even considered anything like that, you know, i put the deals in the sockets and make sure they don't play with fire, but i never thought the blinds would strangle a child. >> it has happened many times and the cpsc is urging parents to go cordless if they can. they are also pressuring the industry to eliminate the hazard to children by either making blinds cordless or finding ways to cover the cords and make them inaccessible. the only woman on virginia's death row is still waiting for word from the governor. governor mcdonnel is expected

to decide on clemency. supporters say her iq of just 72 puts her close to mental retardation. they also complain that the trigger man in the murders of her husband and stepson got life while she got death for plotting those killings. >> i think what is happening to teresa is unjust and as a result of the misperception of her intelligence and her cope ability of this. >> the prosecutor in the case says while lewis is no genius, she is certainly smart enough to be held accountable for what he called her terrible vile actions. new at 6:00, there has been a major break in a rash of home burglaries in virginia. where large amounts of gold jewelry was stolen. today in federal court in virginia, melind amaa marie. that's something we told you about. using the internet and police

scanners, soto and accomplices listened to police communications and they were able to rob at least 37 homes in fairfax and loudoun county. the stolen property was valued at half a million dollars. soto admitted to taking stolen property to new york to sell it there. indicted. not guilty of charges of bribery, conspiracy, mail fraud and extortion. the indictment stems from allegations that currie used his influence to benefit a grocery store chain. he was ordered to surrender his passport and he stepped down from his post as chairman of the senate budget committee. he is running unopposed in the november general election. conservatives are getting charged up to win back control of congress. >> i guess it is welcome to the harry reid, president obama fair well party. >> after a series of primary wins, conservatives feel they

have the wind at their backs with slightly over six weeks to go until the midterm elections. on friday, some of the stars of their movement and their supporters gathered here in washington at the annual value voters convention. it's a convention of largely christian conservatives. a republican showcase for the latest tea party celebrities and 2012 white house contenders. >> we are saying that government, back off. we don't like how much you are spending. we don't like how much you're regulating. >> these conservatives and gop leaders do not agree on everything. there is concern among some establishment republicans that hard line tea party candidates could turn off moderate voters. government attorneys are fighting a judge order to release the prisoner. that prisoner is accused of recruiting september 11 hijackers for al-qaeda and he was ordered to be released in march. the judge ordered their release of salahi because he says the

prisoner lied about his role in the plot. the judge said salahi lied after being abused by interrogators. the 9/11 commission report called salahi a significant al- qaeda operative. he remains in jail awaiting a ruling from the u.s. court of appeals. a terror alert hit london today. a group of men were plotting to take out the pope. the 84-year-old pontiff is on a historic visit to britain. six men are in custody and they posed as street cleaners. >> terrorism is not the way forward for any civilized society. >> whether you are catholic or any religion. i can't understand why anybody wants to -- like any people, what you find then? >> the men were working near parliament where the pope visited this afternoon. counterterrorism teams got word of the threat. coming up, we will bring

you more of our candid conversation with two of the hostages. ahead, they tell us when they decided to make a break and how they made their escape. but first, some good news. how you can earn some money for cashing in those old appliances. and topper has your forecast. we are looking at a beautiful night. we'll come back and talk about high school football and the all important redskins forecast. we'll break down the weekend. stay tuned.

and let's check in with patranya to find out how the rush hour is going tonight. >> hey there, lesli. it is friday, it's expected it will be heavy out there traffic wise and we show you the top half of the beltway really slow. 9 miles per hour average speed. so not much help here. it's going to be an hour delay

from the toll road all the way over to annapolis road on the other side of the beltway. we want to remind you, in about two hours, traffic will be shut down. they will close down chain bridge for all weekend, actually, it's going to reopen at 8:00 monday morning. you will be out and about this weekend. lesli, back to you. district residents will get their chance to get some cash for their appliances. most of the country launched their cash for appliances program earlier this year. starting monday, if you replace certain appliances in your home for ones that qualify for an energy star, you will be eligible for rebates. what are we talking about? refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and water heaters. they are all eligible for those mail in rebates. checking news for you, the old town boutique for you is hosting the third annual scavenger hunt. after you down load your hunt

card and map, you can enter to win a $2800 shopping spree. go to wusa9.com and under where you live, click on alexandria for more details on how to down load your card. find your community in the where you live section. keep up on what's happening around you. tell us about it, contact us and be part of the wusa9.com team.

why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com. tonight we hear more from two of the three hostages during the discovery head quarters standoff. the very powerful story at 5:00 and now you will talk to us about their decision to make a break for it and how they got out of there. >> it's remarkable. after four hours, most of them spent at gunpoint lying face down on a cold marble floor. the hostages used hand signals to plan their escape. >> i never cried.

i never broke down in the room. i was praying like mad. i look back at him and it is jim face first on the floor and my immediate thought is, why isn't anyone helping him? thinking that he had fallen forward or had a heart attack or something. then i noticed christopher was trying to get my attention. i looked over and he had his arms folded and putting three fingers under his arm. he mouthed the word run. he mouthed the word yes. he wasn't looking at me in the eyes for quite a while. but i mouthed run and he shook his head yes. i look over and christopher is almost out the door and i had that realization of oh my god, so i got behind the pillar and a voice went off in my head like run, he's going to come after you. so i bolted and as i come from behind the pillar, i can see he had come from around the desk and his gaze went from christopher over to me and i just booked it and i headed for

that door and i slammed through. when i hit the ground and i saw jim run and then i heard pop, pop, pop, i was already cuffed and i just started crying. i mean, tears of joy and tears of, this is over, and i'm okay. you know, it was overwelming. >> they were cuffed because when they fled the building, they weren't sure whether they were friend or foe. lesley. >> that lobby represents four hours of hell for them. >> it really was. >> are they ready to go back into that place? >> well right now, as you can imagine, the ordeal affected both of them very, very deeply. tonight at 11:00, we're going to tell you how they are taking the most horrible experience of their lives and both of these men turning it into something positive. >> they obviously have a reason to be here. absolutely. thank you. new at 6:00, two people are behind bars charged with

pulling a woman captive for more than a year. police say 37-year-old kimberly king and 29-year-old jermaine smith bay held a woman against her will in a baltimore home. investigators say they wanted the victims social security checks. the 22-year-old woman was confined to a bathroom starved and beaten. she is now in a coma. king and smith bay are charged with attempted murder and false imprisonment. the district has one of the largest hiv positive populations in the country and now there is word of a test for hiv that can detect the virus weeks earlier. anita brikman is here with more from this important health alert. anita. >> is this a sophisticated screening, lesli. several hospitals are looking into this technology. this is the hospital in san antonio. the first in the country to offer the precise hiv test. to get an idea of how important this breakthrough is, here's some numbers. according to the cdc, more than a million americans are infected with hiv.

one in five of those infected don't know it and that group accounts for 54% of new infections each year. this new test detects the virus earlier, faster, and with more assurance. it's not just screening for antibodies, but the virus itself. results in 8 to 12 hours. >> i think this will be the standard. this will pick up at least 10% more patients that really have the disease that other tests will not. >> listen to this. even though it's almost twice as sensitive, this new screening costs less than existing hiv tests out there. we are going to be tracking this public health development and let you know when it comes to our area. thank you for that. we are talking really nice temperatures. >> very nice temperatures, which is average. average this time of year is 80. pretty good. >> yeah. >> i do want to talk about the hurricanes. we don't have one, we don't

have two, we have three. carl will go away. it's turning. carl will go away quickly. let me start with the satellite picture. carl moved ashore in mexico about noon today where winds were 110. winds are now 90 miles per hour. you can watch the eye make land fall. it could actually reform in the pacific. now we have igor down to 105. julia 75. julia just barely hanging on to hurricane strength winds. she will weaken considerably over the next 24 hours. igor has weakened a little bit, but still a major hurricane, especially if you are living in bermuda. i was online and they are taking this seriously. they are comparing it to sabian back in '03. similar track, similar strength. some folks without power for weeks and weeks. again, most of the structures are limestone and concrete, so they are in good shape in terms of the buildings, but the debris knocks out power and that's the problem.

this is 2:00 on saturday. it's about 600 miles to the southeast of bermuda right now. after that, it races off into the north atlantic. maintains hurricane strength, at least through tuesday. now as far as we are concerned, if we are trying to stretch out this last weekend of summer, we'll have large swells from this hurricane. much like danielle earlier in the season. and also means some rip currents. be careful. all right, next three days, very nice tomorrow. just gorgeous. 80 degrees, mostly sunny. we have clouds coming in on sunday. not a huge deal. maybe a sprinkle. 78 on monday. cooler on monday. weak cold front goes through sunday night. upper 70s on monday. the redskin forecast mostly cloudy, warm, a light shower or sprinkle possible. not a big deal. game time temperatures 75 to 82. during the start of the game, it will be warm. don't worry about the showers during tailgating. once you go in there, you won't care about the showers. tomorrow, sunshine, 65 to

start. 76 by lunchtime. 80 with sunshine by evening. temperatures right now fantastic. upper 70s downtown. low 70s in the suburbs. manassas 73 and andrews 76. perfect for high school football tonight. game time temperatures mainly in the 7 0áz. for tonight, clearing skies and cooler. 53 to 63. winds north, northwest at 10. now tomorrow morning, mostly sunny with a cool start. 50s and 60s. winds subside. and by afternoon, great day. mostly sunny and pleasant. high temperatures around 80. winds easterly at 10. a fantastic, fantastic saturday. next seven days, 80 tomorrow. low 80s on sunday. upper 70s monday. so cooler briefly behind that front and then it warms up again. low 80s on tuesday. you can treat the end of next week like summer. fall arrives on 11:09 on wednesday. hey listen. topper had this tie on last week and the redskins won.

>> okay. >> we have it on this week, skins play sunday, what's it going to be? >> it's going to be a tough one. i like the texasans in this one. i know people don't want to hear me say that, but i'm calling it. it's friday, that means the redskins give us a clear idea of who is in and who is out. albert haynesworth hobbled all week long, will he play sunday? and why capitals fans need to power up their computers now. next in sports. hey, ove, i'm gonna need a bank. any ideas?

capital one bank. they're everywhere. ♪ yeah, you're right! [ horns honking ] hey, there's one right up the street. [ male announcer ] capital one bank. the most branches and atms in the dc area. what's in your wallet? ove, go long! america needs clean energy, and america needs jobs. wind power can deliver on both - but only if the senate encourages investment by passing a strong renewable electricity standard. with a strong res, we can keep 85,000 wind power workers on the job, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, too. jobs that america could really use right now. for american jobs, tell your senators to pass a renewable electricity standard today. words alone aren't enough.

our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right.

and now, 9sports with dave owens, the best sports in town. >> now dallas week is one off here. maybe a word of caution. you don't win many football games in the nfl scoring 6 points on offense. so naturally that means much attention has been paid to offensive coordinator and whether he can get this offense

clicking. he's not the only cook in the kitchen. his dad called plays for years in denver and says he's the coach, but he will put his two cents in if necessary. >> i'm still involved, you know, that's what you do as head football coach. you are involved in offense and defense and special teams. you know, what you want your job to be is removed where you can look over everything and everybody is doing a great job. >> here's your injury report, safety moore is listed as doubtful. moore is recovering from a sprained knee. albert haynesworth listed as questionable with a sprained ankle and coach says we'll see. all right, ray venns and bengals at 1:00. we cannot leave the ravens game until it is completely finished. you might miss the first few minute of the redskins game. the seat is hot in college football, despite wins over

navy and morgan state. will be watching saturday's game and morgantown closely. you see, the terps haven't beaten an opponent since 2008. maryland has been dreadful away from home and they lost eight straight on the road, which some say speaks to a lack of poise, maturity, and talent. not good. that has to change. >> if you are going to have a good team, you got to be able to win on the road and usually if you look at it every year. the team that has the best road record in the acc usually wins the acc. >> after two early season losses, virginia tech looking for a lifeline or some way to save their season. east carolina comes crawling saturday. the pirates are undefeated and have beaten the hokies before. the coach says saturday's plan simple. > concerns to win this first ball game and having to beat a

team that is really playing great. i mean, playing really, really well. we have to execute better as an offense, as a defense, special teams, and that is our challenge this week. >> all right, it's week three in high school football and as usual, 9sports has you covered with cameras in the district, maryland and virginia, our lady of good council. they take on state college from pennsylvania and prince georges county. friendly and bowie at flowers, dc, we got you to at theater roosevelt. also in dc, cardoza in virginia at george mason. nats face philadelphia tonight. they will be without morgan, the center fielder begins his eight game suspension for his part in the brawl with the marlins. also fined $15,000. he'll return to the lineup on september 25. all right, finally, if you are a caps fan, you can log on to nhl.com right now and possibly snag you a couple tickets to the winter classic game against

the penguins. the winner winter classic is the outdoor game. so hockey season, we are here already, get some tickets to the hottest game. >> all right, we have a quick forecast. >> very quickly, we will look ago the seven-day. it will be in blacksburg. a great night for football. 83 on sunday. good for the redskins. could see a sprinkle. cooler on monday and we are back to well, summertime temperatures. back in the 80s tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, and in fact, wednesday and friday, we are in the upper 80s. >> we'll see if your tie is the winning charm again. we'll see. hold on to it. that's it for us on 9news now at 6:00. the cbs evening news with katie couric is next. derek will see you at 7:00. we hope you have a great weekend. we hope to see you back here monday evening. have a good night.