happened? >> about maybe 30 minutes later, we heard gunshots down on the quarter. >> reporter: which is like a quarter of a block away. did everybody scattered after that? >> yes. >> reporter: according to sources, a group of men came from an alley at 13th and u street and opened fire on an suv as people leaving the funeral were entering that vehicle. >> there are some participants we believe that were at the funeral who had walked a couple blocks down to get in their car. as they attempted to get in their car, presumably to get into the funeral procession, suspects approached the car and opened fire on the individuals in that car. >> reporter: the suv flipped over, a passenger identified only as jamal was shot and killed. he had been hit multiple times. the driver of the van identified only as little phil was shot and wounded. >> right now we know we have one person with a gunshot wound who is being treated, from my understanding right now, that is not a life-threatening

gunshot wound. we have one person who is resang on the scene who is deceased at this time. >> reporter: the female verizon worker in that vehicle right there was injured. she has been treated at a local hospital and the elderly gentleman in the mercedes back there was also injured when the overturned vehicle crashed into him. he was also treated at a hospital. we don't have their conditions at this point. we don't believe they are serious. the 1-7 crew located in the car doesa area of -- car doesa area of washington street, these are the two gangs, two crews that have been warring. but we are told the ignition, the match that lit this violence today after this funeral was merely a taunt. somebody said something to one of the rival gang members that he or she didn't like and that's what started this. people then went to their vehicles and got their weapons out. back to you. >> just senseless really. >> it really is: we want to continue our live coverage now, bruce. thank you for that. we are going to go to armando

trull who has more on how this investigation is affecting people who live and work in the area. armando. >> reporter: this is the aftermath of that brazen shooting that bruce johnson described to you. we have police cruisers just like this one at every major intersection between 9th and 13th street, all along u street. you can see ben's chili bowl one of the landmarks of this neighborhood basically closed down. nobody can get in and out. this is the heart of ward one and council member jim graham cut short his vacation to return. he said the community is sick and tired of the violence. >> we are absolutely fed up with this madness which is present today but it has been present before and we need new legal remedies and i know there are root causes and i'm the first one to say let's address the root causes but the fact of the matter is we need new tools to deal with this from the

point of the view of the criminal law. >> reporter: right now you are looking at a live image of u street. this is now what u street usually looks like during rush- hour but closed down. no word yet on when it will reopen because the overturned vehicle and the other vehicle are still behind me. police are still processing this very active crime scene. reporting live, i'm armando trull. back to you. >> looks like it could be that way for some time. armando, thank you. meantime former president jimmy carter is reportedly resting comfortably after being rushed to the hospital today. he suffered what's described as an upset stomach on board a flight to cleveland. rescue crews took the 85-year- old former president off the plane to get medical attention. carter was in cleveland to promote his new book, white house diary, a message on his grandson's website says carter is doing just fine. the doctor shot by a patient's son at johns hopkins hospital in baltimore has been released. dr. david cohen went home from the hospital yesterday, 11 days after the deadly standoff.

police say paul partis became distraught after dr. cohen told him his mother would likely never walk again after surgery. the gunman shot his mother before killing himself. sky 9 got a bird's-eye view of a close call in charles county today. a worker fell down a well at a sewage pumping station this morning and that man was trapped about 22 feet below the ground before he was rescued. he was taken to prince george's hospital. the cause of that fall is under investigation. police trying to determine what caused a man to crash his car into a germantown pharmacy today. the hyundai snawd duh slammed into the wall of the ridite -- rite aid on century boulevard. for car owners who live in the columbia heights in northwest washington, authorities investigating several suspicious vehicle fires over the past month. all those fires have occurred in the area bordered by 16th street, columbia road, georgia and arkansas avenues and with a few of them being reported near

the wood apartments. most of the fires have occurred late at night or early in the morning. nobody has been hurt. for more stories from where you live go to wusa9.com, find your community in our where you live section and keep up with what's happening in your neighborhood. got a story or a news tip, we want to hear from you on contact us and be part of the wusa9 team. a landmark in fauqier county burned to the ground. our kristin fisher brings us more. >> i don't know how much i liked it until it was burning. >> reporter: cattle manager lindsey easton says he's still in shock. the barn he ran is gone. the fire broke out around 8:00 monday night. massive flames could be seen from miles away. it took firefighters from five counties to finally get the fire under control. 24 hours later, the remains were still smoldering. >> it is really traumatic to see something like that, especially when you have

animals inside it and it's pretty hard to look at. >> reporter: when the fire started, this barn was packed full of cattle, so this is where firefighters had to literally saw through the fence to get all of the cattle out. >> it's a miracle. we don't know how many died. we've gotten out over 200 head. >> reporter: at least eight cattle were killed in the fire and there could be more. fortunately, no people were inside when the fire started, but one firefighter was injured. >> transported to fauqier hospital with minor injuries, treated and released and now they are just starting the investigation portion now it's lighter so they can see things. >> reporter: as for easton he doesn't know what will happen to the local landmark. he says they will either have to rebuild from the bottom up or it could be gone for good. kristin fisher, 9 news now. >> they are trying to figure out exactly what started it. a $1000 reward is being offered tonight to find the person who abandoned an

emaciated dog in southeast d.c. the 6-year-old poodle mix was found locked in a cage behind a dumpster in the 3300 block of 22nd street. the humane society says the dog was severely matted. he was soaked with urine. prince william county animal act 1reu69s are asking area vets to help reduce the area's friel fer ferrell cat population. more storms are heading our way after the rain we have already had. topper is here with details on what could become tropical storm nicole. >> in terms of the effect on our weather, it doesn't matter if it forms into a tropical storm or not. we are in trouble. let me start with a satellite picture in the radar combined. down to the south. the storm itself, the circulation 300 miles south of miami. you can already see a

tremendous amount of tropical moisture now pouring across all of the peninsula of florida and now working its way up into the coastal areas of georgia and south carolina and this is just going to eventually move our way. remember how all the storms yesterday were moving from south to north? same deal. we still have the same sort of upper air pattern with this activity moving from south to north and that's going to cause big problems for us, we think, late wednesday night and into thursday so here's the deal. you have 24 hours to get ready. heavy rain possible thursday, critical time is 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on thursday, along with the flooding, we may see severe weather with this system. check your sump pump, basement and attic and downspouts and also your gutters. this is the time to sort of get ready. right now it's very pleasant. 81 right now at national, 77 in gaithersburg and we are looking at 79 in manassas. low temperatures 54 to 62 and winds light out of the north at 10. we will come back, talk about the exact track of the storm

and we will also talk about the rainfall amounts, pretty impressive. back to you. >> all right. car crashes are the number 1 killer of american teens. in 2007 alone, nearly 3200 young drivers died in accidents. and as kendis gibson reports today, a new law that would give young drivers restricted licenses. >> reporter: jamie portal died on the way home from a high school football game. her best friend was behind the wheel. >> they hit like a ditch embankment on the side of the road causing the vehicle they were riding in to flip five times. >> reporter: her father jim is in washington today hoping to help other families avoid the same tragedy. he's urging congress to pass new legislation that will require all states to toughen up the licensing rules for young drivers. under the stand-up act, drivers would have to be 16 to get a permit and 18 for a full

license. teens would have to be supervised while driving at night until they are 18. cell phone use would be strictly prohibited while behind the wheel and teen drivers would be allowed only one friend in the car under 21. drivers age 16 to 19 are four times more likely to die in crashes than those with more experience behind the wheel. advocates of the new law say granting young drivers restricted licenses will save thousands of lives. jim portal believes if this law had been in place eight years ago, his daughter would still be alive. >> i think the driver in that car that she was with was distracted. there were so many kids in the car, their cell phones were all over the ground. >> reporter: if the law passes, states will have three years to comply with the new rules or face losing highway construction money. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. >> the bill is still stuck in

committees waiting for a vote. let's get a check on the evening rush-hour. patranya bhoolsuwan in the 9 news traffic center. >> we are keeping our eyes on the capital beltway for you this tuesday evening and as you can see behind me it's starting to slow down here from 66 all the way to the 270 spur on the west side of town but accident- free through virginia and maryland. moving onto 395 folks, leaving d.c. via this route, no major complaints coming from drivers in this part of town once you hit 95, though, it will be slow from fairfax county parkway to route 123. and finally, we are going to wrap it up in d.c. where here in the traffic center we are also keeping our eyes on the police activity around the u street area. u street closed between 9th and 14th streets. you will want to take florida avenue to get around this. back to you. >> thanks. still ahead tonight, confusion at the university of texas after a gunman opened fire on campus before shooting himself. plus the battle over the will left by the late anna nicole smith's husband heads back to the u.s. supreme court.

from back yard politics to big college rallies. president obama hits the campaign trail hard for democrats. i'm joel brown at the white house.

president obama is on a campaign style swing through three states in two days. he's raising cash and supporting democrats running for office this november and with control of congress at stake, they will need every vote they can get to keep their majority on capitol hill. joel brown is live at the white house with more on the latest. joel. >> reporter: lesli, with democrats facing trouble in the midterms, the president is on the road again trying to light a fire under his base and hoping to turn 2010 into the new 2008. the president is back out campaigning. his first stop, not a huge rally, but this small back yard

in new mexico. president obama came here to look undecided voters in the eye and convince them not to give up on democrats in november. his theme was education. >> and the number 1 issue in terms of us succeeding as an economy is going to be how well we educate and train our kids. >> reporter: but the audience had more immediate concerns. >> if we don't have homes to go to what good is the education? >> reporter: just five weeks before voters decide who will control congress, republicans have the advantage. polls show more americans trust the g.o.p. to turn around the economy. >> the american people have taken a back seat to the democrats' big government agenda. >> reporter: the obama administration is trying to counter the republican's momentum by trying to recapture some of the president's campaign magic from 2008. the white house has launched a series of big college campus rallies. vice president biden paid a visit to penn state as part of

the administration's attempt to reconnect with so-called surge voters, the millions of 18 to 29-year-olds who were a key force in delivering the oval office. young voters typically don't show up at the polls for midterm elections, but democrats know if they can deliver just a fraction of the president's young 2008 support, it could help swing some of november's closer races. and at the top of the hour, president obama is head lining another big college campus rally, this one at the university of wisconsin. he's expected to impress upon those young voters what's at stake in november. >> what do the republicans think about this new campaign strategy? >> reporter: wisconsin is a state that the president won handelly in 2008 but his poll numbers there have taken a big hit in the last two years so republicans are having these campaign events as a sign of desperation. >> thank you. it looks like white house

chief of staff rahm emanuel is leaving washington. he is reportedly told -- he has reportedly told colleagues he is all but certain he will run for mayor of chicago. timing not exactly ideal. midterm elections are just five weeks away and he needs to act quickly. the filing date for the mayors' primary is november 22nd. former alaska senator ted stevens was laid to rest today. the 86-year-old was buried at arlington national cemetery. stevens was killed back in august on august 9th in an airplane crash. he was the longest serving republican in senate history representing alaska for more than 40 years. at least seven people are dead, hundreds are missing after a landslide in southern mexico. >> and this landslide swept through a village while many people were asleep, about 100 homes were buried and the residents who made it out are trying to dig out their neighbors. now, the rural mexico town is about 130 miles southeast of mexico city and it has been drenched for days by this tropical weather. >> at least 20 people are

missing after this mudslide in colombia, south america. the disaster happened about 150 miles outside bogota. the slide happened just as people were boarding a bus. ironically the victims had gotten off a first bus because debris from an earlier mudslide was blocking the roadway. several homes also destroyed in that disaster. to wisconsin now where emergency authorities are keeping a close eye on a 14- mile levee system in the state. floodwaters have breached the levee but in some places it is held back the swollen wisconsin river for the most part. about 25 homes in one neighborhood are stranded because their only access road in and out is impassable following days of heavy rain. the curtain goes up again tonight at the grand old op pre. it's been closed since floodwaters ravaged the historical building last may. an all star act of country luminaires will be on hand. it cost millions of damage to

repair the damage at the grand ole opry and the opry hotel. this is going to be -- it doesn't matter. i want to emphasize whether it forms into a tropical storm or not, it doesn't matter, it's going to throw tons of moisture our way. if it doesn't, don't think we are off the hook. we are not. here's your forecast first now. the next three days you've got a day to prepare, tomorrow clouds increase, i think we will stay dry through the daytime hours. high temperature about 74. and then flooding is possible, at this point almost likely on thursday. rain showers, thunderstorms, in addition to the heavy rain we might have severe weather. 78 for a high, still mild and then nice on friday, breezy, back to 74, very nice for high school football. let's break down tomorrow. you'll need your shades in the morning. that's probably about it. 65 to start, kind of cool, 70 by lunchtime and then 75 pretty much mostly cloudy by evening and some showers maybe as close to us as fredericksburg by

tomorrow evening. in the immediate metro area we are dryduring the daytime hours. tonight partly cloudy, a bit cooler, 54 in the suburbs, 62 downtown and winds out of the north at about 10. lows tonight if you're inside the beltway you're right around 60, 62 downtown, maybe 59 at andrews, but plenty of 50s. in fact, 55 in rockfield, 54 in gaithersburg, 56 in bowie, 55 in sterling, and 54 out towards leesburg and 56 in manassas. wednesday morning, good start, 50s and 60s. by afternoon clouds come in quickly. increasing cloudiness, a little bit cooler because of that. high temperatures near 75, winds turn a little bit east- southeasterly at about 10. here's the satellite picture and here is what could become nicole. still just a tropical depression but again has so much moisture with it it doesn't matter. winds don't really affect us anyway with these kinds of systems. it's the heavy rain. here's what we call the spaghetti plot.

we look for confluence and we have four models taking this storm essentially west of d.c. so if i had to draw a bull's- eye in terms of heavy rainfall i would draw it west of 95 over to east of i81. that's going to be the bull's- eye for the storm. we will talk about the accumulated rainfall precipitation. check this out. i think howard showed you this at noon. it hasn't really changed much. you can see a tremendous amount of rain from d.c. all the way back essentially to i81. we are talking three to four, four to 5 inches with pockets of five to 6 inches of rain be. so needless to say this is the time to get ready, check the downspouts, check the -- you know, everything, check the leaks, check your sump pump. get ready. 74 tomorrow, clouds come in, then the mess on thursday, 78. returning nice on friday. a little chilly on saturday. fall for fairfax on saturday. i'll see you out there -- i think i'm there at noon. noon to 3:00. 68 and then only 62 on sunday. only 60 on monday and then we are back in the low 70s on

tuesday. speaking of tuesday, very nice shot of the dragon fly, i think. you see it? >> yes. >> we called it darth dragon fly. >> you've got the insect thing going lately. the preying mantis. >> no name, no town kicked out. dragon fly fell away, forward backwards, from side to side. >> look how transparent the wings are. >> if you want to submit something, go to our website, wusa9.com, click on weather, follow the dropdown menu and follow the directions. >> got it. coming up next on 9 news now. >> this little girl is testing out her voice. she can hear it today. yesterday she couldn't. i'm lindsey mastis in washington. that story is coming up. but first a new survey of americans' knowledge of religion finds that gists atheists, agnostics and --

>> what was the name of the person whose writings and actions inspired the protestant reaction? we will have the answer when we come back.

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. key lime pie, pineapple upside down cake,

raspberry cheesecake... ...yeah, every night its something different. oh yeah yeah...she always keeps them in the house. no no no, i've actually lost weight... i just have a high metabolism or something... ...lucky. [ wife ] babe... ♪ umm, i gotta go. [ female announcer ] over 30 delicious flavors at around 100 calories each. yoplait, it is so good. indulge in yoplait light's two new flavors. triple berry torte and black forest cake. 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. before the break we asked you if you know the name of the person who inspired the protestant. it is martin luther. to take the entire quiz log onto wusa9.com and click on 9 news now extra. an investigation is underway into another bomb scare at the eiffel tower. it's the second time in two weeks the paris landmark has been threatened. the monument was evacuated september 14th after a similar bomb threat. france is on alert for a possible terror attack. authorities suspect al-qaeda's north african branch may be plotting an attack on the highly visited landmark. the supreme court will hear an appeal from the estate of the late anna nicole smith. this dispute centers on a 15-

year battle over the fortune of an elderly texas billionaire she married in 1994. in his will jay howard marshall left nearly all his money to his son and nothing to smith. smith's estate is challenging the will claiming marshall promised to leave $300 million to the former "playboy" bunny. the income gap between the richest and poorest americans grew last year to its widest amount on record. census figures show those making more than $100,000 receive more than 49% of all income generated in the u.s. that is compared to 3.4% earned by those below the poverty line of just under $22,000 and that ratio of 14.5 to one was an increase of 13.6 in 2008. coming up next new at 5:30, s.w.a.t. teams rush to the university of texas. a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire on campus today.

çñ four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.

right now new at 5:30, chaos on the campus of the university of texas after a gunman randomly fires near the school library. donations for the deaf. how dozens of area children are

now able to hear their own voices with a very -- for the very first time. and how to best go hands- free. we go shopping for the best devices to help drivers keep their hands on the wheel while they talk on the phone. a possible tragedy was averted today at the university of texas. new at 5:30, randall pinkston reports, police have now given the all clear after a gunman opened fire on the austin campus. >> reporter: s.w.a.t. teams rushed to a 911 call, about a minute carrying an assault rifle at the university of texas in austin. >> as i turned my shoulder and he literally turned the corner and ran and had a gun in his hand and it was that fast. >> reporter: the shooter believed to be a student, fired four times before police chased him into the library, where he apparently took his own life. >> very fortunate in the fact that no one else was injured other than the lone gunman. >> reporter: one man used his phone to record students running from campus as authorities locked down the

school. many of the 50,000 students already in class were told to stay inside. >> it was pretty tense, like everyone was really reacting to any sound that came to the door and the teacher just tried to keep everyone calm and made sure that, you know, everyone kept a straight head. >> reporter: the school remained closed while police searched for a second possible suspect, but by the afternoon, they determined the gunman had acted alone. >> the university of texas at austin was prepared for this situation. >> reporter: this is not the first shooting at the school. in 1966 charles wittmann shot and killed 14 people from the top of the clock tower in the middle of the campus before police killed him. one witness of tuesday's violence says the gunman did not appear to aim at anyone and had many opportunities to shoot students but didn't. randall pinkston, cbs news. >> the shooter is now identified as a sophomore named colton tooley. police say he was wearing dark

clothes and a ski mask. it really is the gift of sound. a group of kids in washington got hearing aids today. lindsey mastis was there as some of them experienced crystal clear sound for the first time in their lives. >> reporter: for high schooler, this has been the only -- high schooler this has been the only way -- skyler this has been the only way he can communicate. now he's hearing sounds for the first time after five years. >> thank you. >> reporter: although skyler can hear, he's never heard english and he doesn't know what people are saying. >> so they have to learn that the sound has a meaning. it's a whole new language. >> reporter: the stark hearing foundation worked with several organizations to get these hearing aids donated. these kids never had any before because their families couldn't cover the cost. >> this hearing aid is lightweight, it's waterproof and it's high tech. this one costs about $7000. >> before i got my hearing aid, i could hear nothing, only when someone was screaming from

behind me. >> reporter: this man says he's been borrowing a hearing aid from his school but he couldn't take it home. >> i live in a little bit dangerous place, if i'm not able to hear i feel lost. >> reporter: today he could hear better than ever. >> i could hear a lot of voices in this room. it's very loud. >> reporter: one of the kids making all that noise is 4-year- old akeisha jackson. she is hearing her own voice for the first time. it's only a matter of time before she and skyler spell their names using their voices. in washington, i'm lindsey mastis, 9 news now. >> according to the starkey foundation, 63 million kids around the world suffer from some form of hearing loss. the kids that got hearing aids today are all from the washington metro area. people in howard county who are part of a unique program for the uninsured make fewer trips to the hospital last year than the national average. that's the conclusion of research at johns hopkins

university. scientists found 8.5% of people in the program made an er visit in 2009. when you compare that to the national average of neeb .5 -- 19.5%, big difference. howard county offers residents bay sick care -- basic care for as little as $50 a month. about 1000 people are enrolled in the program even though there is room for 2200. so clearly room for more. it is another day of really intense heat in southern california. a fall heatwave has set new records. yesterday's high of 113 degrees melted the old record in downtown los angeles and the l.a. department of water and power recorded the highest ever demand for electricity. warnings went across for fire danger and they are posted in some areas. it is a much drier evening for us out there tonight. meteorologist on the terrace -- topper shutt out on the terrace with your out and about forecast. >> air cooling off, it cooled off a little bit today. they will cool off more so tomorrow. we are very comfortable.

out and about forecast at 6:00, temperatures still right around 80 degrees, partly cloudy, quite pleasant , and then temperatures back into the mid-70s by 8:00 but nice to walk the dog and then 70, we will fall fairly quickly, little more quickly tonight, about 10:00 we will be around 70 downtown. we will do your county close-up and we will start in fairfax. clouds on the increase tomorrow, i think we will be dry during the day, 75 in lorton, 75 in old town, looking at 74 in burke, 75 in vienna, 75 in fairfax. downtown mid-70s. clouds come in here too, 75 in capitol hill, 76 in cleveland park. we will work our way up the river, montgomery county, 75 in bethesda. we will come back and talk about the tropical system heading our way and talk about how much rain will fall. >> thank you, topper. coming up next, the length some thieves went to to get their hands on those little debbie snack cakes. >> just had to have them, huh? coming up new at 6:00.

>> reporter: don't answer that phone unless you have a bluetooth. changes are coming. find out when and where coming up. >> and don't forget we are always on at wusa9.com. stay with us. we will be right back.

police in wichita kansas are on the lookout for thieves who were pretty hungry and craving some little debbie snack cakes. they were so hung agree that they stole a -- hungry that they stole a whole delivery truck outside of wal-mart yesterday morning. the truck was later found in a shallow canal. thousands of dollars of snacks had been stolen. police later found a trail of empty boxes of snack cake wrappers. there's a familiar face looming high above the nation's

highways including this one near ft. worth texas and it features a picture of former president george w. bush with the word miss me yet? there's no word on who paid for the ads? those billboards have cropped up around ft. worth as well as wyoming and minnesota. amtrak unveiled its vision for a high speed and we mean really high speed train between washington and boston today. the key question is where amtrak will get the 118 billion it needs to build a link. amtrak says the new trains could operate up to 220 miles an hour and would drastically reduce travel times along the eastern corridor. the goal is to bring the system to the east coast by 2040. metro is starting some repair work that could cause headaches for riders on the orange line. the plan is to fix track problems near shelly. you can expect weekend delays and station closings on the orange line. this is going to take about the next two months. the track problems have slowed train speeds for almost two years now. any traffic headaches on

the roadways? >> no rain tonight. that is definitely good news for drivers out there but it's still a slow ride on some stretches of the capitol beltway now, north of town from connecticut over to the mormon temple, pretty much bumper to bumper and from university over to new hampshire. now, if your destination right now is going eastbound out of d.c. via new york avenue right now from third street tunnel all the way to the times building it's going to be slow but no lane closures to report on this stretch as well as route 50 all the way out to annapolis. more traffic coming up at 6:00. for now sending it back to you. >> thanks. suspense is building, who will alicia pick? peter or will? >> coming up next, actress juliana margulies want fans to choose as her love interest on the series "the good wife." a very nice evening. we will take you out with titan and look at the moisture organizing over the florida coast.

we will talk about how much rain can fall and give you a timetable. you have time to get prepared. but are you ready to go hands-free in maryland? up next, we are going to give you the 411 on what you're going to need if you plan to talk behind the wheel.

my dentist gives me act restoring mouthwash. act kills germs, restores minerals strengthens enamel. act restoring-- for strong teeth act now. starting friday, you're going to need one of these if you plan to talk and drive in maryland and we wondered with all the hands-free choices out there, whether price really makes a difference. if you are looking to go hands- free by friday, there are plenty of ways to take a call without touching your phone. >> when it really gets down to specifics, it's going to depend on the consumer. >> reporter: at the best buy mobile store at westfield montgomery mall, there is a device for every budget. they start at $20 and go up to 130. >> you will notice things like a difference in audio quality, features like noise cancellation. >> reporter: how different can they really be in expect a

basic level entry set for $19.99, $29.99 gets you betterio quality and $39.99. >> audio quality is starting to get to that mid-range peak, comfort better, battery life is starting to improve. >> reporter: $59.99? >> much better battery life, audio quality and much higher comfort level. >> reporter: $79.99 buys you what aaron uses, the blue ant. it will announce callers if they are in your phone book and ask you to answer or ignore. i put his ear piece up to my ear to give it a try. hi. >> hi. how are you? >> reporter: good. this actually sounds pretty good. >> and now to give you the other end. >> reporter: switch? >> and now you can hear what it sounds like on that end. >> reporter: ah. for just under $100 you'll get high levels of noise cancellation, you'll hardly hear any ambient sound and expect more features like audio streaming, more comfort and battery life. the top of the line model at $130 gets you all that plus. >> you're actually going to

pick up a little carrying case that's an extended life battery. >> reporter: so, yes, price really does make a difference. >> it's kind of the old saying to a degree you're going to get what you pay for. >> reporter: and if you don't pay for a hands-free device you could end up paying for a ticket. it is $40 for a first offense in maryland, $100 if you get caught again. you can find a link that rates some top selling hands-free devices on our website, just go to wusa9.com. a new study finds apple gets more media coverage than any other technology company. according to the pew research centers project for excellence in journalism, apple was the focus of more than 15% of all tech stories in one year's time. google came in second, followed by twitter, then facebook and microsoft. all very familiar names. the new season of the popular cbs prime time drama "the good wife" premiers tonight right here on wusa9. the series picked up after it left off at the end of the last seen with alicia played by

julianna margulies forced to make a choice between standing by her husband peter or pursuing her passion for her coworker will. on this morning's cbs "early show" terry smith asked the actress. who do the fans want her to pick? >> very invested in who this character should be with and what she should do in her romantic life. >> right. and? >> you know, nine times -- >> is there a preponderance -- do they tend -- >> the younger groups, especially the women all want me to go with will gardner, josh charles' character and the old people and all the men, all the men say i should give chris nose the peter flora character another chance. >> so who will she choose? tune in for the season premiere of "the good wife" tonight at 10:00 right here on wusa9 and then stayed tuned for us at 9 news now at 11:00. i'm voting for will. i have to tell you, i watch the show. i want will. >> she's going to have to fill

me in because -- >> it's a good show. >> very well written. here's the deal. prepare now. let's just say that right now. you've got about 24 hours, check your gutters, sump pump and get ready because big rains coming. here's your forecast first now. the next three days, tomorrow clouds will roll in, i think we will stay dry through the day. there could be some showers wednesday night, heavy activity really late wednesday night and a good deal of thursday, at least through the morning and mid-afternoon. 74 tomorrow, 78 on thursday. in addition to the flooding, we could see some severe weather depending on the track of this system and once again, it does not matter if it becomes a tropical storm. we are going to get heavy rains no matter what. on friday it leaves us alone, we will be breezy behind the system, 74, a nice day and night for high school football. you can always check it out d.c. high school sports.com. of course we will have highlights on 9 news 11:00 on friday. cooler start, mid-60s downtown, 50s in the burbs,

maybe some high schoolers might want a sweatshirt. 70 by lunchtime, clouds come in and then mostly cloudy by evening. temperatures in the mid-70s but still pleasant. all right. for tonight, partly cloudy, a little bit cooler, winds will die down, become northerly at 10, low temperatures 54 to about 62 and again that's a little cooler than it has been. in fact, inside the beltway you can open up the windows, why not? 62 downtown, 62 in springfield and arlington, but 58 in college park, 56 in buoy, out to the west mid-50s in fair fox and reston -- fairfax and reston, 54 in leesburg and 56 in manassas. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy and cool, temperatures in the 50s and 60s, winds start turning a little bit, becoming northerly at 10. by afternoon clouds come in quickly, increasing clouds, a little bit cooler but about average. high temperatures near 75 and winds go more east- southeasterly at about 10. here are the numbers with our 9 future cast. this is our little scale here, a legend, if you will and we

are looking at anywhere from three to four to five to almost 6 inches of rain between, say, tomorrow night and thursday night. so again, take this seriously. it is time to prepare. next seven days, 74 tomorrow, clouds come in, 78 on thursday, get ready for a crazy morning and evening rush. it will affect both rush-hours. 74 on friday night for high school football and then a little touch of fall here, just in time for fall for fairfax on saturday. i'll see you out there noon to 3:00. upper 60s. and then low 60s on sunday and monday, back in the low 70s on tuesday. >> we are going to transition. >> be prepared. >> better be with that warning. >> all right. >> i'm kind of excited about that fall weather, yes. up next, a closer look at ecigarettes. learn how they work and why some people aren't happy how readily they are. coming up new at 6:00.

>> refused to deploy to afghanistan and now he's looking at a possible four years at hard labor. i'm bruce leshan. i will have the latest legal setback for lieutenant colonel terrance laken.

four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do. students from the georgiatown school of business rang the closing bell from here in washington today. back on wall street, the dow

finished the day up. maybe it was the students in georgetown. 46 points up to close at 10,858. the nasdaq up too, nine points. even the s&p 500 jumped five points. maybe they will ring that bell tomorrow too. we are talking rain and we are talking about the circus surrounding donovan mcnabb going back to philly. it is crazy. >> i was trying to think of what we would compare it to if it was the other way around and imagine if darrell green after playing here for 15, 18 years went and played for dallas and then came back here and to me that's the comparable frenzy but weird for next four days. for 11 years as you know donovan mcnabb was pretty good to the eagles but his accomplishments were barely celebrated when he left town because he was leaving for the enemy, for us. sunday mcnabb as you well know returns to lincoln financial field for the first time as an opposing player, an enemy player and if you're wondering

what kind of reception he'll get at his old home place, here's what his good friend and eagles head coach andy reid had to say. >> he is a redskin so normally they don't get the best acceptance in our stadium there. >> i think he's being kind and so the buildup begins for sunday's reunion game in philly. our greg is in virginia tonight where even the redskins and eagles wives are getting caught up in the frenzy of donovan's return. >> reporter: they are getting into the spirit of things. on saturday in philadelphia the redskins' wives will be taking on the eagles wives in a charity basketball event and joining us now, deangelo hall and his lovely wife jada. and jada, i know there's a lot of pride at stake and you want to win it for the guys. >> of course. we definitely want to win. go out there, set the tone and have a good night on saturday or afternoon and that way the guys can take over on sunday. >> reporter: done von mcnabb is

the big -- donovan mcnabb is the big storyline. what do you think he's going to be going through his mind? >> a lot of emotions. he's going back to a place he spent a lot of time and did a lot of things for that organization so we want to go out there, you know, fight as hard as we can, get this win, you know, the last couple of weeks hadn't been the best for us so we can go out there, get this one, we will be sitting perfect in the division. >> reporter: hopefully you guys can get the win and you guys get the win as well. reporting live from loudoun county, i'm greg tolen, back to you. >> i'm hoping the wives have a little more game than the husbands have had for the last couple of weeks. thank you for that, greg and listen, if you know if the wives want to beat the eagles, the husbands are going to be going crazy. >> this is some kind of game. you called it a circus. >> it will be the circus vargas for the next four days. yeah. we are going to send it over to anita.

>> helping seniors avoid life- threatening falls with simple workouts they can do at home. the cdc says one in every three adults over age 65 will have a bad fall, hip fractures, brain injuries can result and some of them end up in the hospital for a really long time but a study found teaching seniors basic exercises to strengthen balance and leg muscles can drastically cut fractures from falling. exercise builds muscles and bone mass, which can make a huge difference in keeping your balance steady. with smoking now band in most -- banned in most public places, die hard smokers are looking for new ways to feed their nicotine habit but as andre ron reports one product growing in popularity raises concerns. >> reporter: like most places of businesses these days, marie's employer has a strict nonsmoking policy. >> i can smoke it anywhere and no one can say anything to me about it. >> reporter: the it is an electronic cigarette. it's tobaccoless and runs on a battery. when she inhales, liquid nicotine and other chemicals

from this cartridge are turned into a thick odorless vapor but not everyone is crazy about these. >> we are deeply concerned these products are being sold in shopping smalls with flavors that directly appeal to kids. >> reporter: flavors ranging from apple to cotton candy, but e sig supporters say the cost is too much for kids. >> they cost between 90 and $120 to buy the starter pack and most kids walking around do not have $90 that they can just spring out to buy these things. >> reporter: the food and drug administration say kids are getting their hands on these high tech versions. >> we don't know what is in these products. what we are urging is simply that anybody who wants to sell a product to help people quit smoking undergo rigorous testing for safety. >> reporter: the makers insist their products are a much safer alternative to smoking tobacco products. a reform smoker for over five months and counting, she says it's made all the difference in helping her quit. >> my skin is better. i feel better. i can go up the stairs and not

be out of breath. >> reporter: so what's happening now? earlier this month the fda sent letters to the electronic cigarette association saying the agency now intends to regulate these e-cigs. the fda says makers can't claim their devices treat nicotine addiction unless the products are proven to do so. some states have banned the sale of e-cigs to anybody under the age of 18. in our area the district will not sell them to minors but in maryland and virginia as long as the product remains tobaccoless, there are no regulations on e-cigs. thank you for joining us for 9 news now at 5:00. 9 news now at 6:00 starts right now. this is 9 news now. right now police still searching for suspects responsible for a shooting and car crash during a funeral this afternoon. one person was killed, two more were wounded during the shootout and this all happened near the intersection of 13th and