bill, the president's choice to head the marines told senators repealing don't ask, don't tell during wartime would be a distraction. >> you did not support the statute change, is that correct? >> senator burress, i don't know what the impact on recruiting and retention will be. >> i'm peggy fox in manassas where a property assessor who was taking pictures was attacked and stabbed by two juveniles behind a daycare center. >> just behind the building, a man was attacked. it happened at the village shopping center this morning. the 59-year-old property assessor was doing work when he was robbed, beaten, and stabbed several times. >> the victim was coming down to the back of the shop taking pictures as he was coming down the shopping center. the two assailants came up from behind him and demanded his camera. >> two women watched the attack in horror.

they honked their horns and called for help. >> she yelled out to the guy, are you hurt? is everything okay? did they take your wallet? did they rob you? he said yes, they robbed me. >> the 15-year-old suspect was soon caught. the other is still on the loose. >> the suspect is getting closer and closer. crazy stuff. >> i'm bruce leshan in dc where some smart people are trying to figure out how to cure our addiction to texting and driving. >> wayne irving is touring the country getting people to sign the pledge to stop texting and driving. in offering a simple app called sms applier. send him a text or e-mail and you get back this reply. >> i am currently operating a vehicle, is it okay if i text you when i get off the road? > at the summit, all kinds of companies are offering solutions. iq tellmatics is perhaps the

most intense. >> i put my hands back on -- so people who are trying to get busy and take notes and write stuff down like that, they will not be able to use the system unless they keep both hands on the wheel. >> dc police set up a check point outside the summit today, looking for drivers who were texting or talking on their cell phones without a hands free device. >> i barely do it, i was trying to figure out what our time schedule was for our daughter's back to school night. >> i feel bad, because i'm late for work. >> they have to do what they have to do. >> the drivers face a $100 fine. most people agree enforcement is the key to cutting back on distracted driving, but the challenge for local police is finding the time and manpower to do so each and every day. and we want to remind you about a very important campaign right here at wusa9. it's called the great hangup. an effort to get everybody to stop using their cell phones while they are driving.

if you have been affected, we would love to share your story on the air. you can tell us your story by going to the great hangup. the page is wusa9.com or you can call us, 202-895-5960. senate candidate hit by an suv while riding her bike has died. it happened this morning. natasha died this morning after being hit sunday morning. she was a green party candidate challenging senator barbra this fall. the driver of an escalade admits she hit her while the young woman was riding her bike. that driver says she thought she hit an animal and kept going for several miles, but a witness tells 9news now she saw the suv stop and drive away with a bicycle wedged underneath and sparks flying in all directions. >> i came back up with natasha. the 911 called. i talked to her and let her know that it was going to be

okay. i told her to continue to breathe. >> i made the decision not to resees tait when her heart failed. she would not want to have lived in a vegetative state. not being the kind of person she was. >> so sad. charges have not been filed in this case. police think the investigation could take several more weeks. >> we first broke this story at 6:00. highly anticipated meeting between vincent gray and michelle is on. the two will meet this coming thursday at noon in gray's office at the wilson building downtown. reid campaigned for her boss, mayor adrian fenty who lost in last week's primary. she questioned gray's commitment to school reforms and said she didn't think she could work for him. gray has been critical of his management style. the firings of some teachers and said his chancellor must be able to get along with people. the vatican is surprised

about a money probe. italian authorities seized some $30 million from a bank. that bank top officers are being investigated for mistakes that violate italy's antilaundering law. several streets downtown open tonight after a suspicious package started leaking today. it happened at a pharmaceutical company in the 900 block of f street northwest this afternoon. dc fire crews concluded the liquid was not dangerous after several businesses had been evacuated. pennsylvania gas utility says there's no reason for a immediate concern after defective pipes were installed in thousands of buildings in virginia, maryland, ohio, and kentucky. a worker first noticed the problem back in june. the pipes were installed in about 28,000 buildings. the company spokesperson says the pipes had thinner walls that don't make pipes more vulnerable to failure, but could shorten life spans. massive natural gas explosion -- authorities were trying to

figure out what caused that accident. new plan for a multistate power line is in the hands of virginia regulators tonight. the potomac appalachian transmission high line or path would run 275 miles from west virginia to camp town, maryland. 31 miles of it would be in virginia. supporters say the line is needed to help our region stress power grid. critics say it would only serve to continue the use of coal to generate electricity. time for a check on the evening rush hour. patranya is in the 9news now traffic center. >> we still can't break the delays you are seeing from the toll road all the way up to the 270 spur. still tracking all those brake lights for you. no accidents that i'm seeing out there, just a lot of volume. some folks may be running late for dinner tonight. on 66, we are seeing congestion as well. still can't break that up from nuttily to 123. nothing blocking the travel lanes all the way out to

centerville at this point. in dc, nationals kicked off their games a few minutes ago. no problems around the nationals park tonight, all throughout the district. great weather to be at the game tonight. > another gorgeous day on the eve of fall, but the start may feel like summer. topper. >> we had the coolest morning so far, 56 at national. we got up to 80. for tonight, another great night. clear skies, not as chilly. low temperatures 56 to 64 and the winds will increase out of the south, southwest at 10 to 15. that will warm us up tomorrow. temperatures in the 70s across the board. 76 downtown. we'll come back and talk about how warm it's going to get and look ahead to the weekend with a full forecast. still to come, tackling the problem. we'll tell you why all these kids were on the redskins field today. but first, remember that father who screamed at a bus full of school kids? he goes back to give them a tearful apology.

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.

we want to give you a quick update. that florida father that stormed the school bus is now apologizing for his actions. james jones speaking publicly about what happened. we had a press conference this morning. no parent should do what he did. >> i actually was very much

out of character for me. when i see my daughter just break down as a dad, i snapped and apologize again. i deeply apologize for that. >> jones confronted the students and bus driver after his daughter complained about the bullies. he faces charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing the school function. jones daughter no longer attends that middle school. parking tickets are coming with a little anger management in the section of massachusetts. drivers who find tickets on their cars outside of boston will also find instructions for something called yoga poses on the citation. it's part of a public art project. what do you think? if you found something advising you on how to stay calm on the back of your parking ticket, would you find that comforting or make you more angry? you probably know how i would react. derek will have more tomorrow night. share your thoughts at mcginty's mail bag. a thousand local students

took to the fedex field today to fight childhood obesity. try to set a guinness world record for the largest virtual exercise record. no word yet if they were successful. you can always learn more about fighting childhood obesity at wusa9.com. click on the lighten up icon. still ahead, how long can this weather last? topper is coming back with your full forecast. first, millions of folks are waiting in unemployment lines these days. we'll tell you about a new resource that could help them find jobs. that's coming up next. chevy chase bank is becoming capital one bank.

with the most locations in the dc area, we figured they could use our help. ♪

down a bit. too much. [ crowd cheering ] [ grunts ] [ garth ] capital one bank. now with the most branches and atms in the dc area. what's in your wallet? unemployment rose to 9.6% in august. across the country, unemployment rose in 27 states, fell in 13. state unchanged in ten states and the district. unemployment rate rose to 7% in virginia and 7.3% in the state of maryland. maryland is doing what it can to help people out of work these days. i'm here at the web center to show you how the state is expanding the maryland work force exchange. the website is one stop shopping for job search websites. employer websites and every job

posting in the state. it identifies the jobs by industry location and how you can apply. the upgrade was made possible by using $3 million in stimyou louse funding. you can get a link at wusa9.com. click on extras. >> this morning, the tweet fell silent after twitter sent out a message. users scrolled over links and tweets, ugly contents appear without warning. sometimes the content would be retweeted. >> the platform wasn't built for this and these types of attacks are going to keep coming on twitter particularly and on a number of other social networking platforms. while security and a bunch of other features are catching up. >> experts worry the hack might have exposed the security flaw. among the users affected. robert gibbs and the wife of former british prime minister, gordon brown. her accounts sent out a link to a porn site in japan.

the district is one of 11 metro areas taking part in a pilot program to help you get directions online. microsoft is adding a feature to its bling maps program that lets you get directions using public transportation. say i wanted to go from our channel 9 building here in northwest washington to boston's common mall? once you enter the address, use transit directions. and you can see it advises you to metro's red line and changing to the orange line. the metro smart trip card will take you to baltimore. the maryland transit administration unveiled its own electronic fare card today. it's call add charm card. it works on the bus, subway, and light rail systems as well as metro rail system. you can also use your card whenever a charm card is accepted. a big boost of plans to build a purple line in maryland. martin o'malley's spending plan

includes $48 million. it would run from new carolton to bethesda. taking a look at news where you live tonight, you might want to get used to that closed lane along route 50 in arlington. the left lane between north courthouse road has been closed since march. now we are hearing that the utility relocation project will probably be in place through the end of the year instead of the end of july. it's the kind of story you'll find on the where you live section on wusa9.com. find the community on your website and keep up with what's happening on your neighborhood. we want to hear from you. contact us and be a part of wusa9.com. all right, what a beautiful day. high temperature, 80 degrees. we'll talk about the next three days out of the gate. now warmer tomorrow, 88. and then downright hot thursday and friday. we are talking about temperatures around 90. fall officially arrives tomorrow night at 11:09. and feel more like summer, first full day of fall with temperatures around 90. now we do have some showers in

here, but they are going to be few and far between. we'll break down tomorrow, not as chilly tomorrow morning as it was today. upper 60s. plenty of sunshine. near 80 by lunchtime. much warmer tomorrow. and temperatures by evening, 87 degrees. at least in the upper 80s. i do not have a drop at 5:00. you will be so far and few between. temperatures right now, 74 in arlington. 76 downtown. 73 in college park. 77 up in rockville. temperatures tonight will not fall quite as quickly as they did last night because winds will become southwesterly. so for tonight, clear skies, not as chilly. mid 50s to about mid 60s and winds south, southwest at 10 to 15. so about 8 degrees warmer than yesterday. we'll talk about lows. inside the beltway, comfortable. just not as cool. 64 downtown, but 59 over at andrews. upper os in rockville. 58 in college park. 57 in bowie. so last night, i went around

and closed all the windows. we could probably open them a little bit. 57 in reston. 56 in leesburg and 56 in manassas. tomorrow morning, mostly sunny, breezy and pleasant. 50s and 60s. winds southwest at 10 to 15 and then by afternoon, a nice day. partly cloudy, breezy and warmer. a shower or thunderstorm possible, but they are going to be few and far between. the best chance will be in the mountains and to the north. high temperatures upper 80s and winds still out of the south at 10 to 15. small craft advisory for the bay and title potomac. zone forecast, you're in the 70s in oakland, but in the 80s in cumberland. 89 in culpeper. a little better chance of a storm towards martinsburg. etch there, it will be few and far between. 88 downtown. 86 in annapolis and small craft advisory in effect. next seven days, upper 80s tomorrow, 90 on thursday and friday. 81 on saturday. nice, maybe a sprinkle on sunday. not a huge deal. then we are back up to 80 on

monday and bruce, tuesday, you know, some showers and thunderstorms possible. probably the best chance of storms will be tuesday of the next seven days. >> we need the water. we need the water. >> we need the rain for the vegetation and the soil is some kind of dry. >> thanks a lot. here's one straight out of derek's weird news file. police bust up a drug ring in columbia and make this odd arrest seriously. the parrot told people to run once police started their raid. now he is facing charges of aiding and abetting drug traffickers and he's not alone. columbian police have been given more than a thousand birds that were trained to be lookouts from one city known to be a staging area for drug smugglers. no word on what kind of sentence he might face. hear what you think, send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. the address, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

premier week continues here on cbs tonight. you can see a new episode of ncis followed by two new episodes of ncis los angeles starting at 8:00 right here on wusa9. and don't forget to tune in tomorrow morning starting at 4:25. andrea, howard, and angie have all the news, weather, and traffic you need before you head out the door. >> fashion week is new york city and the industry's largest event. attracting the world's top designer models and fashionistas just ended, but not before a dc businesswoman got a once in a lifetime chance to strut her stuff on the cat walk. armando trull has the only action you'll see only on 9. >> it's the super bowl of hair. >> but at this super bowl,

they have a different type of gridiron. >> we are going to iron the hair out, we are going to crimp it. >> dianne stevens owns two beauty salons and spas in dc and green belt, maryland. >> it will be beautiful for her face shape, her eyes, and ow designer will love it. >> will you love it? >> oh yes. >> the designer hand picked dianne to style the models showcasing her new spring collection. >> just showing the same vision that i have on my clothes. a lot of folds. it also has that edginess to it. it was soft and feminine. >> it is rougher in the slums in west africa. >> however, dianne is equally at home there. a few years ago, she taught 300 women how to make a living.

>> it's actually eating daily. it's actually having your child educated. >> next spring, dianne is going back to sierra. >> we are trying to get hair conditioners and shampoos so each woman has three months of product. >> dianne does similar work in the metro dc area mentoring young girls through her cinderella foundation. >> we need our girls strong. we need them smart. >> dianne is excited about some of the things she has learned and she is hoping to transmit that knowledge to the girls at washington, d.c. who are part of the cinderella foundation. i'm armando trull, 9news now. >> armando is giving a one-on- one tour and some tips. you can find the bonus interview at wusa9.com. that's our report. derek and anita will be back here at 11:00. tonight we are working on a medical mystery that sounds like something out of the bible

and it plagued a maryland woman for many years. don't forget, you can log on any time at wusa9.com. we'll see you later. 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.

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world. >> ashton kutcher caught on text. >> ashton, demi, the younger

woman and the tale of the texts. is this evidence he cheated? >> the text from ashton kicked off the night of passion. >> jennifer grey in tears. our niecy backstage with the "dirty dancing" star. >> was patrick swayze her dancing angel? >> i think patrick would be proud. >> god, i hope so. >> bristol palin, the situation, the hoff. >> i'll reveal my surprise pick. >> in tonight's celebrity gps, >> michael douglas fighting cancer out in new york with catherine. a good night in the city for the good wife. >> it's been a good year. >> in the "e.t." slide show, brad pitt behind the wheel. >> ll cool j and chris o'donnell with us. >> hundreds of real life sailors. >> my character is a former navy seal. >> plus l.l. with his kids inside his mansion. >> facebook, the movie. >> i don't k