before autumn really does set in. let me see what's happening outside. this morning it's clear and crisp. it's quiet. a few clouds well to our north and west but with lots of clear skies. temperatures have really dropped. lots of 40s in the suburbs. lots of 30s. locally that's a 46 in gaithersburg. a 49 in laurel. sterling is 49. 54 in arlington. we'll be 74 by noon. we're going to heat up nicely. 79 by 5. beautiful this afternoon. it's 5:00 a.m. how is our tuesday traffic looking? i'm not going to complain. looks like most of our construction problems are clearing out of area. that's the way we like it. was move it outside we want to show you 95 heading northbound to virginia. no real volume between the parkway up towards the mixing

bowl. as we continue onto 395 you'll find everything all clear here as well making your way from the beltway towards that 14th street bridge. into d. c. we go eastern avenue at kenilworth. lanes are wide open for business out here. wrapping up it looks like drivers are moving at speed between 95 and interstate 270. over to you. the growing problem of distracted driving will take center stage this morning. 9 news now reporter christine fisher is there live. >> reporter: good morning. the transportation secretary held his first distracted driving summit right here last year and since then the number of states that have out right banned all hand held cell phone use while driving has jumped to

eight. the number of states that's banned texting while driving has jumped to 30. we are seeing improvements nation wide but the bottom line is the message doesn't seem to be reaching teenage drives and that's really the target audience here. a new survey shows that a majority of teenagers believe that drunk driving is more dangerous than texting behind the wheel but the reality is it's just as dangerous while driving drunk if not more. transportation secretary called it as significant as drunk driving. he says it's an epidemic in the country and the only solution is better education. >> persuading people it's not safe to use a cell phone to text

and drive and really just having people take personal responsibility. those are the challenges that we face. >> reporter: this morning at this summit we're going to be hearing from the families who have lost loved ones due to distracted driving. we'll also hear from the teenagers who have caused these crashes. we'll be hearing from the law enforcement officers. the people who need to step up their enforcement plan and enforce all of these new laws against distracted driving. really it's an all hands on deck comprehensive look at the problem. the ultimate goal is to step up to solutions and see if we can drop down these growing numbers of distracted drivers. >> thank you. wusa 9 is part of the great hang up campaign. if you've been basicked by a

distracted driver talking on a cell phone we'd love to share your story on the air. you can go to the great hang up page at wusa9.com. jurors in california are hearing testimony against the man accused of killing a major leaguer in a drunk driving crash. in the video taped interview with police played in court monday he also said the entire night was a blur and he didn't even remember how the accident happened. the man accused in the series of attacks early last month in leesburg, virginia is now charged with murder. prosecutors have charged more counts against the serial stabbing suspect. he's also now facing four additional counts of attempted murder. he is also a suspect in two

stabbings in a hammer attack in leesburg. if convicted he faces life in prison with no chance of parole. police are looking for one robber who is believed to have hit dozens of restaurants in virginia, delaware, maryland and pennsylvania. this one man has committed 38 different armed robberies in 11 cities since february 2009. he walks in with a handgun and holds up the place. the fbi is offering a 10,000-dollar reward leading to an arrest and conviction. some people 9 news spoke with are still feeling the pain. >> food stamps and stuff like that. >> i'm not shocked by the technical definition the recession is over.

it hasn't trickled down jobs yet. >> now one offer one of her children is having trouble finding work. we have a preview with the day ahead on wall street. september has been going well. >> reporter: so far so good. wall street is really pinning a lot of hope on the federal reserve today. policy makers will meet. investors are hoping they will continue to prop up the economy. we'll have to see if the september rally keeps going today. asian stock markets did close higher. the nasdaq climbed by 40 points and the s&p 500 jumped 517. the rally got a quick start after the group of economists confirmed the recession is over. that verdict could be a big topic at the federal reserve meeting. wall street is betting the feds

will relaunch including buying up treasuries and mortgage bonds. kfc is trying out a new way to advertise its double down sandwich. it features two chicken filets instead of a bun with bacon cheese and a special sauce. it's recruiting female undergrads to wear kfc double down branded on its rears. they are now recruiting more women and will pay them $500 to participate to wear these sweat pants. they also hand out gift cards. >> i don't know if i want double down on my rear. >> i don't think so either. >> what do you have in the next hour? >> reporter: we're saving you money on your car repairs. >> very good. stick around for that in the next half hour. if you'd like to ride d. c. and arlington you can take part in the country's bake sharing system. 1100 bicycles will be put at

rental stations. bloggers are predicting big things for the program. an investigation is underway after a nato helicopter goes down in afghanistan. that story is coming up. amazingly no one was hurt after a plane made an emergency landing during rush hour on a busy interstate. we'll be right back.

nine members of the nato coalition in afghanistan died

this morning. a u.s. civilian was one of three people who survived and taken to a military medical center for treatment. there was no enemy fire in the area at the time. an investigation is underway after a shooting at fort bliss texas. army officials say a man shot two women at a convenient store at the fort. police responded quickly and shot and killed the suspect. both women survived the shooting. a small plane safely lands in the middle of a busy interstate during rush hour. the pilot was trying to peach street airport but touched down on the interstate. no one was hurt but the afternoon rush hour was ruined in that part of the city. researchers make a finding that could lead to a breakthrough in treating alzheimer's disease. that story is coming up. authorities are taking a look at what igor left behind when it passed by bermuda.

here is howard. >> we'll talk about lisa and its chilly now but get ready, we have some summertime weather to deal with. i'll have your forecast when 9 news returns. ke refreshed. melt to sleep fast. unisom sleep melts.

the sun is back out in bermuda where people are

assessing the damage from hurricane igor. the damage is not nearly as bad as what hurricane fabian did seven years ago. howard is here to tell us that lisa is lurking in the atlantic. >> lisa should not be a threat. it should stay well to our east. we'll have some more 90-degree heat here for the next few days. fall is really going to hit by the end of the weekend into early next week. let's get you started with your moms like me bus stop forecast. my little guy will be in a sweatshirt or something this morning. it's clear, chilly. got 40s in spots. out toward the bay southern maryland will be holding onto some lower 60s. today at a glance.

it's 58 at national: 64 by noon. 64 this morning and 74 at noon. low 50s to lower 60s. don't expect 40s again. then tomorrow will be hot, sunny, maybe some storms developing in the afternoon. we'll see if we can get them out over ohio and pennsylvania. we'll take the rain. 88 to 93 with a south wind at 9. it's 51 in baltimore. anders is 53. here comes the 40s. we have 47 in martinsburg. cumberland at 48. some areas up in pennsylvania this morning like bradford down to 35 in the northern part of the state. dew points are in the 40s.

the winds north/northwest at 6. we don't have any clouds there. severe thunderstorm watch in northern wisconsin this morning. some strong storms there. that's ahead of a cold front. that front should put things in motion. that will be getting closer toward us as we go throughout the next couple of days. here we go. notice at 1:00 the showers and storms there. they will try to be with us across northern sections as we go through the afternoon. we should be in pretty good shape this afternoon with high temperatures right around 80 degrees. some spots in the upper 70s. this is lisa well out in the atlantic. 40 miles an hour winds and not going to be a problem for us. your seven-day forecast it's going to be hot. today looks great. tomorrow, thursday, friday up around 90. the chance for an afternoon storm tomorrow and thursday afternoon. next week could be a storm coming up the coast by monday. it could be cool and wet with a

high only near 70. it's 5:17. hello angie. thanks, howard. right now i want to show you an overview of the map. things looking nice and clear so far. as we move it over to 95 i want to show you that there are no problems to reports. a nice clean and green out of baltimore making your way down towards 495. 270 you're also clear here from father hurley down towards the split. in virginia we're tracking your eastbound trip. 66 headed eastbound. pretty much smooth sailing and in d. c. if you're crossing that key bridge coming out of the of roslind making your way into georgetown looks like that commute is doing just fine. very nice and quiet. in this morning's living well headline today has been declared world alzheimer's day. a new report find a protein may

hold the key to knowing just how aggressive the disease will be. patients with mild alzheimer's and high levels are harboring a genetic alteration which can predict hour quickly they will deteriorate. a new study shows taking aspirin inravine usually helps migraine suffers. innovar we have nows aspirin isn't as readily in the u.s. researchers say more studies need to be done to confirm these findings. a new study says more and more overweight teenagers are

choosing laproscopic gastro band surgery. the number of those opting for gastric bands has increased seven fold between 2005 and 2007. the bands limit the amount of food a person can eat by dividing the stomach into sections are not fda approved for patients under age 18. a national slugger could stay in washington instead of testing the free agent market. here is a look at when endevour who is celebrating a birthday today. larry hagman is 79. jerry bruckheimer is 63. bill murray is 60. faith hill is 43. luke wilson is 39 and reality tv

personality nicole richie turns 29 today. think about the internet. growing, evolving, literally transforming our lives. now imagine the possibilities of what tomorrow could bring. at at&t, we support a core set of standards that will guide the internet into the future... to protect users, and reward innovators, for years to come. we support a fair and open internet - affordable and accessible to everyone. transparent networks, managed in ways that are clear to all users. we support the fcc's plan to bring high-speed internet to everyone in america by 2020. and we are committed to keeping the internet working, as the economic engine that's creating jobs now. working together, investing, keeping information and ideas flowing freely, we can ensure that the internet will continue to grow and influence the future... in ways we can only imagine.

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it was an honor. booming is moving forward by giving back. good morning, everybody. when your defense is secondary there's going to be some finger

pointing. the former probowl quarterback was disappointed by the shoddy coverage his unit provided. yesterday he said that going forward no matter what defensive formation jim calls he's going to cover whoever the best receiver is on the other team. if the coaches don't like it and if haslett doesn't like it, tough. >> it doesn't matter what he said. it's my team. it's my defense. i'm going to be out there. >> it's my defense. it's my team. interesting development. good news concerning the knee. he has not been ruled out.

the mri was negative. the nats met the astros last night. he rips that into right field. rbis 94 and 95. six batters later levo with a fast ball he now regrets. finally i said for years this was going to happen and it did. look at that bat hitting the runner. his bat shatters and punctures his chest. he was able to score but shortly thereafter his chest cavity started killing with air.

he was rushed to the hospital. he is still there this morning in stable condition but his season is over. that's a quick look at sports. have a great tuesday everybody. just how much are we paying for the obesity epidemic? that's coming up in our next living smart report. a key senate vote could speed up the process of repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. officials from across the country convened to find ways to convince americans that distracted driving is too risky. no issues to report. more traffic and weather together early on this monday. that's coming up.

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a motor crass athlete paid a

visit. he came to the campus to encourage students to not let that i can lack stop them. thanks for joining us this tuesday morning. angie is here. >> i think i said monday during my tease. >> no, it's tuesday. >> howard starts us off with the forecast. >> there's a crisp, chilly morning. we are looking at a beautiful, gorgeous tuesday afternoon ahead. let's get you going with your temperatures this morning. you'll want to grab a jacket or something out there. we have readings as cool as 46. it's 53 in hagerstown. closer to home we are down to 49

in sterling. laurel at 48. it's traffic time. it looks like we are pretty much incident and accident free. 395 watching that fill out just a little bit between duke over to seminary. that delay on the way. 495 in virginia your volume is starting to pick up on the inner loop but overall no significant delays to report. real quick let's look at route 4, route 5 and crane highway. no early morning issues to report on any of these roads at the time. over to you. today the u.s. senate could move one step closer to repealing the don't ask, don't

tell policy for gays in the military. democrats need 60 votes to move the bill and a celebrity is lender her voice to those that want to do away with the policy. lady gaga lended her voice yesterday and proposed a different law to replace it. >> a law that doesn't prosecute the gay soldier who fights for equality with no problem but prosecute the straight soldier who fights against it. >> the grammy award winning singer joined those hoping to convince those in favor of eliminating the policy. we'd like to know what you think about the issue. take part in our poll on wusa9.com. the poll is in the lower right part of our homepage. a u.s. senate candidate for maryland is in critical

condition after being struck and dragged by an suv yesterday morning. police say 30-year-old natasha pedigrew was riding her bike when a woman driving a cadillac escalade ran over her. she thought she hit an animal and drove several miles to her home even though the bicycle was still lodged under her suv. so far no charges have been filed in the case. second annual distracted driving summit gets underway. transportation secretary is hosting the event. >> reporter: good morning. this summit really brings together people all sides of this issue. we will be hearing from the families who have lost loved ones due to distracted driving. we will be hearing from the people who caused the crashes and from the officers in charge of enforcing all of these new

distracted driving laws. we all know here in d. c. we have some of the toughest antidriving laws in the entire country. more and more states are following suit. here is what i'm talking about. the number of states that ban all hand held cell phone uses jumped to eight. the number of states that ban texting while driving has risen to 30. it's tough to enforce and the message doesn't seem to be reaching the people who need it most and that's the teenagers. a new study shows that a majority of teenagers believe that drunk driving is more dangerous than distracted driving. the reality is it's just as bad. the challenge at today's summit is really how do we get the message out? how do we make people care? one of cays the transportation secretary is trying to do that is through a new public ad

campaign. watch this. >> time travel is totally possible. >> some people choose unlimbed calling. others choose up limbed texting. there's one thing not included in any calling plan. the common sense not to talk or text while you drive. >> talking and texting while driving isn't worth the risk. >> reporter: that was transportation secretary ray lahood. he will be here at this summit that is taking place at the renaissance hotel. >> thank you. the wusa 9 news is part of the great hang up campaign. if you've been basicked we'd love to share your story on the air. tell us your story by going to the great hang up page at wusa9.com or calling. the city of rockville is

promoting car free day this thursday. it's just one the neighborhood stories in our where you live section on our website. montgomery county is offering ways to ditch the car. find your community is our where you live section and keep up with what's happening. got a story or news tip? we want to hear from you. contact us and be part of the wusa9.com team. authorities say they useed a gun to rob the victims on august 8th. he's charged with armed robbery and possession of a handgun. time for another living smart report. jessica dill is back with another look at job offers. >> reporter: we're starting to

get more job offers. while people are eager to get the paycheck coming in more and more are holding out for the better deal. it shows that 17% of unemployed workers have received one job offer since they become unemployed. of those workers 92% rejected the offer. 54% reported the pay was more than 25% below the salary they earned in their most recent position. obesity puts a drag on the wallet especially health for women. studies suggest women earnless to earn less so that's the big

difference. a final trip down memory lane for the space shuttle discovery. that story is coming up. plus national guard officials admit the mistakes which led to a massive wildfire. it's 5:37. here is angie. it's problem free commuting right now live from fox hall and canal. for from your travels, coming up. chevy chase bank is becoming capital one bank.

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the national guard commander in utah is apologizing for a mistake which led to the evacuation of 1600 homes. they went ahead with a live fire training exercise despite high wind warnings. the guard waited a couple of hours before calling for outside help. an aspiring rapper who embraced horror scene admitted to killing people in virginia. he pleaded guilt to killing his then 16-year-old girlfriend, her parents and her 18-year-old friend in september of 2009. he was sentenced to life in prison. the space shuttle diss cover rip currents is on the launch pads for the final time. nasa engineers rolled out the workhorse of its shuttle fleet yesterday. discovery is scheduled to liftoff for the last time.

a candidate's comment about dabbling in witchcraft creates an uproar. the debate is on over whether genetically engineered fish is safe to eat. ♪

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oh, really? how? by bundling. if you get your homeowners and auto insurance together, we give you even more savings. ooh! big bundle. [ chuckling ] home and auto together. it's like peanut butter and jelly. oh, or like burgers and fries. or pickles and ice cream. unicorns and glitter! no? bundling to save you more. now, that's progressive! call or click today. welcome back. how would you feel about serving genetically engineered salmon to your family? a panel is holding a second day hearing whether to allow companies to sell it. it would be the first genetically engineered animal approved for consumption in the u.s. they use a growth hormone to raise salmon that grow to full market size in half the time its wild salmon. the company says the fish are

safe but consumers groups are not convinced. >> we can bring an industry back to the united states and provide americans a safe and sustainable high quality sea food food material. >> we think that the fda hasn't done all its homework yet and the company hasn't done all its homework yet. >> one thing both sides agree on if the salmon is approved other genetically modified food will be right behind it. we haven't had enough rain here but they have had too much in parts of south texas after getting soaked by recent tropical systems. it proved to be too much in brownsville. authorities say they anticipated a couple of inches of rain but they got more than half a foot and crews couldn't pump the flood waters out fast enough.

we may get some rain. next week perhaps a coastal storm will come up from the carolinas. it'll help. it's been great to be out at night doing some star gazing. one of our viewers took these great photos. this is jupiter, by the way, last night. i don't know if it's 15, 16, 17 months but jupiter and the earth get close. your moms like me.com bus stop forecast. it is clear and chilly. 40s to low 60s. sun is coming up here at 6:55.

today while we start 58 now 64 and sunny at 9. tonight clear to partly cloudy. not as chilly as this morning. still low 50s in the cool spots. a hot wednesday with a chance for an afternoon storm or two. upper 80s to low 90s. average highs are in the upper 70s. we have 70s out there now. it'sloray 48. cumberland 46. it's very nice out there. winds are fairly light. the dew point is now in the upper 40s. the air dried out nicely. we're left with clear skies here. showers and storms in wisconsin. that's what we will watch as the

front heads this way. we need some luck. we'll get some of that thunderstorm action tomorrow and thursday amp. that will help a little bit. today gorgeous 80. fall begins tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. we hit 90 wednesday. 91 thursday and friday. a chance with the afternoon showers and storms. by saturday 81. looking good for the home game. notice on our map we got some new problems. this is where some crash activity right now takes away the right lane. notice we are slow starting around 66 up towards the scene. we have more problems to tell

you about out in maryland. drivers out this way will lose two right lanes. let's wrap it up in merchandise on the outer loop where things are starting to slow down. that's the latest. back the you. you've probably heard about that delaware senate candidate who says she dabbled with witchcraft when she was a child. when it comes to finding witches here in d. c. it didn't take gary long to conjure some up. >> reporter: it's all over the net. >> i dabbled into witchcraft. i hug around people who were doing these things. >> reporter: on the campaign trail she is dismissing it as high school high hijinks. >> there's been no witchcraft since. >> i think someone was having fun at her expense. there's no way a real witch was

trying to sit her on an altar. witchcraft is the work of wise. it basically means that we're working with the world, that we honor the air, the fire, the water, the earth. we honor all life. we honor the seasons. >> do witches cast spells? >> i always liken spells to prayers. i was raised catholic and we did prayers for everything. we blessed animals. we blessed houses. we blessed children and the folks that were dying. witches do the same thing. >> reporter: and a sense of humor. we found a broom on her porch. >> the next year it was used to sweep snow off the porch so

that's where it wound up. >> you don't ride that broom? >> no. i wish it could fly like in harry potter but unfortunately not. >> reporter: wicca is more mainstream then you might think. wiccan symbols are allowed on graves in arlington cemetery. the priestess in our story says there's about 2000 wiccans in the d. c. area. one celebrity escapes jail time while another may be headed back to lock up because of her drug problem. that's coming up many entertain. news. jessica. >> we are getting you 50% off spa services at some of the nicest spas in town. it's all going on this week. i'll have the details coming up. keep it here. you're watching 9 news now. right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools.

it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better.

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the new 2011 cts coupe from cadillac. 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. paris hilton now says to an agreement cocaine was hers. the socialite must complete an

intense substance abuse program. a california judge has issued an arrest warrant for lindsay lohan. ricky lake and two sons escape tragedy this weekend when her malibu home caught fire. the wooden home was completely destroyed in the fire. lake tweeted my sons, beloved dog and i are safe and very grateful. steve fox submitted this next video. d. c. celebs walked the cat walk. the signature chef's auction is october 26th on m street in d.

c. next erica moody has a reality based on a sweet couple that makes cup cakes. michelle snow and her husband todd celebrated the launch of their true life love story at frosting. they're new book frosting, the icing on the cake chronicles the couple's journal from meeting online to owning a successful business. we wrap with some soul and song that filled the carlisle club. congratulations to patrice campbell. you can send events, pictures and video for me to share right here on the air by going to my

blog. feel free to shoot me a story idea on facebook or twitter as well. back to you. new hybrid water heaters cost more than conventional ones but some new tests show they save so much money and as leslie foster tells us in this consumer alert you could recoup what you spend within five years or less. >> reporter: conventional water heater sales are popular but buyers of hybrid models are growing. >> when it comes to understanding about the efficiency and how it costs a little more up front it will save them a lot of money over time and they get more interest in it and we start to sell more of these models. >> reporter: they cost about a thousand dollars more than a conventional one, so consumer reports tested three of them to see how long it takes before the savings quick in. they work like conventional electric ones but they also have a pump that draws in heat from the air to heat the water.

they tend be talker because the pump is mounted on top. you'll need a 7-foot ceiling and a thousand cubic feet of space. engineers set the temperature to 65 degrees in this specially built enclosure. the test results are based on how much hot water a family uses in day, about 80 to 85-gallons. the hybrids water heaters can save you more than $300 a year compared to a conventional electric water heater. >> they could pay for the pressure price and installation cost in as little as five years. that's a lot foster than solar or tankless heaters. >> reporter: consumers reports says this one is a good choice. it costs about $1400 plus installation and you'll see a drop in your electric bills right away. leslie foster, 9 news now. >> if you're thinking of buying a hybrid water heater now the time to do it since there's a

30% tax credit available through the end of this year. for more on how to buy go to wusa9.com and click on living smart. good morning again. thank you for watching 9 news now at 6 a.m. howard is here with a chilly start to our day. >> it is a little nippy out there. i think by lunchtime you'll be fine. you have clear skies and dry air and light winds. it's still 70 in chicago. 74 st. louis and 77 in memphis. 31 in saranac lake. we're at 58 at national. there are the 40s. we'll warm up nicely today. look forer