whistles and fences. they say the devices aren't going to always help. this is 9 news now. good morning. welcome to 9 news now. today is friday, october 15th. whistling will. i'm andrea roane. angie has the traffic and tom sater is in for howard with the weather. tree down in the roadway and you are talking about 30-mile an hour gusts. >> maybe stronger in some locations. we haven't lost the leaves yet. look for winds out of the northwest today. they will blow 10 to 15, gusts to 30, 35 miles an hour and that's the story today. they will die down later this evening but tomorrow they pick up again. look at the satellite picture. good rainfall yesterday. a nice, light soaking rain across the area. some trees down in st. mary's as the winds kicked up there. tighter closer to the area of

low pressure. that's off the coast of upstate new york now. we are feeling the affects of that and therefore the temperatures, with some clouds, have been slower to drop. they will get cooler tonight of course. look for some sunshine, the possibility of a stray shower is with us but again most of us will be dry today. temperatures about a high of 65. >> let's look at the traffic right now. what we have as andrea mentioned is a tree in the roadway in "titanic" park. 410 is closed between park avenue and cedar avenue. we will let you know when lanes open up. notice the beltway, move outside. everything is nice and green out here. everyone is moving at speed north of the district. live shot at university. back to the maps, 95 and the bw parkway, no problems to report baltimore to the beltway. in virginia, 66, we are tracking it, heading eastbound looks like drivers are moving

at speed from mass transit to the beltway. 95 northbound from fredericksburg through dumfries and the mixing bowl no, incidents to report. a one hour drive. it now appears the number of children abused by a day care worker is larger than believed. last week we learned he had been accused of sodomizing a girl and now charges he also molested a 5-year-old. >> he almost got away. >> the detective with a little foresight placed a warrant on file for the suspect so when he attempted to enter canada that showed up on the radar screen already is accused of sodomizing a 4-year-old girl as he worked at this minnie land day care in fairfax county. and he was charged in the molestation of another girl

here, a 5-year-old. >> the taking of an object and inserting it in the body of a victim in a sexual manner. now we have two victims we have to admit the possibility there that there are more out there. >> reporter: the day care center is taking additional precautions including security cameras to better monitor the staff as it interacts with children. >> it's devastating for children. >> reporter: licensed psychologist says molestation can change the lives of young victims. >> they may avoid relationships. they may fear relationships. they may see people who interact with them from say the opposite sex in this case as aggressors, as people who are violating them, and so they may have a feeling that they can't ever trust a male again. >> reporter: minnie, land is

helping to find psychological care for their kids. a good thing. >> it stays inside inside and festers like a cancer if they don't work it out. >> minnieland said he had prior experience elsewhere before he signed on in centreville. because of that there maybe other young children who are his victims. the serial burglar struck again. a total of five homes were targeted overnight in vienna. police say the burglar entered three homes and stole purses and money. in one casing the thief used a ladder to climb in to a second floor window. the suspect tried to get in to two other homes but was unable to open the looked windows. the burglar has hit more than 100 homes in the past several months. it's in your face politics time as the race for coveted congressional seats and power of the house and senate

escalates. as joel brown reports the president and first lady are using their influence an the candidates themselves are going head to head in debates. >> reporter: it was anise feisty faceoffs in one of the tightest senate races. >> man up, harry reid. >> reporter: republican sharon angle traded swipes with senate majority leader harry reid, painting him as the ultimate political insider. >> i live in a middle class neighborhood in reno, nevada. senator reid lives in the ritz carlton in washington, d.c. >> the four-term democrat shot back calling her extreme and a friend to special interest groups. >> my opponent favors big banks. she's against wall street reform. >> reporter: with so many senate seats up for grabs, the nevada contest is considered especially important. reid holds the most powerful position in the senate and has been a driving force behind president obama's policies. leading up to their first and only debate, both candidates

were pouring money in to attack ads. >> introducing sharon angle's. >> harry reid, the best friend an illegal alien ever had. >> reporter: on stage they disagreed on just about everything from immigration and federal funding to president obama's knelt care law. >> we passed health insurance law because we had no choice. >> obama care is destroying our economy. >> reporter: it couldn't have come at a more critical time. early voting in nevada begins tomorrow. joel brown, cbs news, washington. in a little more than two weeks, maryland voters will head to the polls to make their pick for governor. it was round two between incumbent martin o'malley and former governor ehrlich. they discussed taxes to immigration an gay marriage. both candidates questioned each other's credibility several times. >> in a time when our economy is crazy nobody can predict

what will happen. does it make sense to make a blanket statement saying no matter what happens, if i have to fur i low maryland workers for ten weeks, i'm not going to raise taxes. >> you do not hammer taxpayers or small business people, entrepreneurs. >> the former governor's credibility on this issue is nonexistent. he made the same pledging ayears ago and when you got in you raised the property tax and college tuitions by 40%. you raised 30 dump tolls and fees. >> reporter: both candidates claim victory. round three is next week. a form in northern virginia which was supposed to include all the candidates didn't have two. he said he had a commitment to attend an even forker the

prince william bar association. his challenger attended the forum and debated an aide to connelly. congressman connelly said he has already participated in debates where and it was recently fimian who declined to participate in a debate. you can learn about this race and all the races at wusa9.com. just click on politics. investors and traders are waiting to hear about new efforts to help to jump start the economy. and traveling to parts of the northeast just got a little easier. our time is 4:38. you are watching 9 news now. we'll be right back.

rob, what's up? how's it going? how's it going? guys, this is my cousin rob from michigan. whazzup! he's a teenager. totally. hey, what's up? rob: all right. whoa. hey, you wanna slow down? no. really? huh. hey! do you know what a beautiful animal is? a horse. a horse. yeah. beautiful mane. unbelievable muscle tone. when it runs, it looks like poetry in motion. it's the most beautiful thing on earth. and sometimes when you feed a horse, its lips will tickle your hand. just, just tickle it just a little bit. it makes me giggle sometimes. i don't know.

i guess what i'm trying to say is, if you don't slow down, i'm going to bite into your head like an apple. and thanks, guys, for listening to my horse stories. i could talk about ponies all day long. smooth sailing from 97 to bowie and beyond. coming up, we will have a look at that downed tree in takoma

park and a way to get around it. it is time for the first "living $mart" report of the morning. jessica doyle is here with the headlines. good morning. happy friday, everybody. the week is set to end with a busy slate of economic reports before the bell we have the consumer price index expected to pick up modestly. and september retail sales are expected to show 0.4% and consumer sentiment, and the federal budget are all due out today. in overnight trading asian markets were lower. the dow stands at 11094 after dropping a point yesterday. in the nasdaq off by six and the s&p off by foyer. for the first time in five years, virginia is not the best state for business. according to the forbes magazine ranking this year the honor goes to utah. utah jumped to the top from a third ranking last year, the governor credits business friendly environments with a low income tax rate and unemployment. check out the deal on

jetblue. starting now airfares on tuesdays and wednesday between washington and boston are $7 each way. that's a $14 round trip flight. the fare is valid november to december 15th, november 28rd and 27th are blackouts if the deal. can you imagine, $14 round trip to boston? i like it. >> i like hearing that. for more living smart headlines, log on to wusa9.com and click on the "living $mart" tab on the front page. major changes can are coming to metro transit and the free state has the first case of the h1n1 this flu season. here's weather? here's tom sater. >> a nice soaking rainfall yesterday. we are looking at drier conditions and a chance of a stray shower. i really think most of us will be dry. it will be windy today. 10 to 20-mile an hour winds currently right now in the a 0s and the average low is 50

degrees. there's a live picture outside. we have variable cloudiness and the northwest winds will gust over 30 at times today. the full forecast in a few minutes. stay with us. you are watching 9 news now.

this is fine. thanks. [people yelling] [young men speaking indistinctly] [sounds from tv] [applause]

those pancakes and cup cakes sound good this time of the morning. i was telling you last night i went out with the dog and it was chilly. this morning not so bad. >> the winds will kick up later on and it will feel colder.

a 0 degrees, 52 where we stand now. not bad. >> i'll take it. get ready for today with winds 20 to 30 miles an hour you will need maybe a jacket. look at what we have at the bus stop for the kids. again, rainfall, there's a chance of a stray shower but we remain dry for the morning hours. i think rain gear, you can leave it at home or toss it in the back of the car but jackets definitely. 44 to 50. in the next hour we will see the temperatures try to rebound a little bit. we may drop one or two before the start to warmup. the winds are the big story. northwesterly. right now lighter than they will be in the afternoon period but still ten miles an hour, 15 is enough to give you a little chill. here's the day at a glance. 50 at 9:00. that's after we drop a degree or two and by noon 60. then 64, average high of 68 degrees. you see where we are standing at 52 but code green and everything is fine. air quality.

rainfall yesterday, nice. a nice, steady soaking rainfall. dropped an inch and a quarter at reagan national. although with that you get a little weak root system. still have leaves on the trees and with the winds howling around this energy, wrapping around the area of low pressure around long island now we could see some trees down. angie mentioned we have a little this morning and around saint mary's yesterday afternoon. if the moisture holds together, we have a chance of a stray shower. here's the forecast. variable cloudiness for the morning hours. sunrise 7:17. winds around ten. some gusts already this morning, around 15 to 20 and even a few 25. there's an old saying that the winds of the daytime wrestle and fight, longer and stronger than those of the night. so when you have the heats and instable in the atmosphere they will kick up. easily 10 to 20. that's sustained winds. a stray shower is possible tonight. i think we won't see much in the way of rain. keep in mind, as i mention a

stray shower, most of us will be dry. partly cloudy skies. we remain dry this everyoning and a gorgeous day tomorrow. very autumnal. very pleasant. but still the winds, still northwest, still 10 to 20 miles an hour. in the mid-60s and then upper 60s. the strong area of low pressure. you can see it off the new england coast, wrapping around it, that energy, a little bit with paula going on in cuba. we will have a reinforcing shot of cool air. 46 gaithersburg, manassas 48. easton 50. here's the latest on what was hurricane paula. tropical storm status moving at a snail's pace. dropped a lot of rainfall on tobacco fields of western cuba and not going to do much. the front that moved through our area and to the south will suppress the movement northward and keep it in to cuba. for the fall colors, this is the weekend, we don't get many great weekends in fall that are saturday and sunshine with

sunshine in the fall. skyline drive would be perfect this weekend. a chance of a stray shower, mostly sunny tomorrow, windy and 66. near 70 on sunday. freight high school football night tonight an looks like a pleasant day on sunday. angie, you mentioned a tree down. might be more than one coming up. >> i hope not. but the good news about this is -- actually we will start with a fly of 50. i want you no know everything is clean and green out this way making your way past 97 in to washington. no incidents or accidents to report. you want to watch for the wind warnings crossing the bay bridge. in takoma park, show you that 410 is closed in both directions. not in the right map. don't look at it. that is between park avenue and cedar avenue. the way to get around it is to take piney branch to 197.

that's if you are heading eastbound. verse the directions if you are going west to get around this. route 4, route 5, 301 everything is nice and clear out here. outside, 270 southbound from frederick to the split. going southbound no problems. going northbound f you leave right about now, construction should be clearing near the falls road exit. we are okay in virginia. 395 northbound, no major delays to report from the beltway to the 14th street bridge and i will wrap it up in the district. inbound new york avenue is nice and light to the third street tunnel. back to andrea. an independent oversight committee has questions over whether metro is doing enough to secure the system from terrorists. the committee issued the first audit of the system since the june crash that killed eight passengers and an operator. however, the audit notes since the last report metro has dramatically improved its reaction to safety complaints. >> in 2007 there wasn't the

level of managerial attention there is now and i think they have already made a lot of progress, even just since june in addressing these. the audit found that escalator and elevator break downs are the biggest problems for a lot of riders and that's because of poor preventive maintenance. metro says they are hiring a dozen mechanics and will use a rapid response team to solve the problem. the transit system announced a massive makeover it hopes will address rider complaint. the metro board finance committee approved a $272 million, six-year plan to overhaul the 27-mile, 23 stations blue and orange lines. the plan includes repairs to 100 escalators and 22 elevators, reconstructing station platforms, installing new public address and upgrading air conditioning systems. the boo board will vote in two

weeks. if you have gotten a speed camera ticket in olney, maryland you have had plenty of company. police say 23,000 citations were issued there since september of last year. it's the busiest speed camera in the county. other busy cameras in the top five include the 10100 block of connecticut avenue. the 27000 block of ridge ride. the 13600 block of darnstown road an the 19600 block of georgia avenue. the way to avoid them is to slow down. taking a look at the living well headlines, maryland has the first official case of the flu this season. it's been confirmed as h1n1. that's the strain that caused last year's pandemic. the first case is an adult from the baltimore area who was hospitalized but is recovering. now is the time to get vaccinated. this year's flu shot includes protection against h1n1 and two other strains. prince georges county is holding a series of walk-in

clinics for flu shots. the next one will be tuesday at the shoppers in the penn mar shopping center in district heights. children can get a fry free flu mist nasal vaccine and anyone over 18 can be vaccinated for 26.99. the event runs from 4:00 to 7 p.m. for more stories where you live go to wusa9.com. are your eyes tired and itchy by the end of the day? you may have computer vision syndrome. it is caused by extended periods of time staring at computer screens and smart phones but there is a simple way to make your eyes feel better. >> reporter: peter johnson spends about five hours a day working at a computer. all that time staring at the screen takes its toll. >> i found my eyes got very tired from it. the screen began to blur. >> reporter: he suffers from computer vision syndrome, something that can be brought on not only by excessive

computer use but other devices like smart phones. symptoms include eye fatigue, eye strain, headache, dry, itch you eyes, burning and tearing. what you do about it, tom the 20/20/20 rule. every 20 minutes look up and focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to allow the eyes to relax. >> it will take the strain off of the muscles and you will feel a lot better. >> reporter: when at the computer we blink 60% less than normal, drying out the eye surface. they recommend using eye drops or blinking more. >> sounds like something we should be doing subconsciously but when you are on the computer and concentrating and working the blink rate goes down. >> reporter: peter johnson found relief using reading glasses designed for the distance his his eyes an the screen. >> the strain disappeared.

>> reporter: one more tip, check the lights in the room to make sure there is no glare coming off the screen. glare can make your vision blurry causing you to strain harder to see what's on the monitor. for more living well headlines, log on to wusa9.com and click on the living well tab on the front page. a much anticipated ground- breaking ceremony finally gets underway. and local officials push for tougher protection for pedestrians. it is 4:55 and 62 degrees. we'll be right back. new kitchen, new us? ty woman: who are we? chic, modern, daring dinner-party hosts. that sounds dangerous, maybe we're more the traditional sunday brunch set? i'll expect slippers and a cocktail to be ready when i get home from work. point taken. how about... peaceful, quiet cottage in the country folk? now that's us. spend over 2500 dollars on a new kitchen and save 40 percent on custom countertops

until november 28th at ikea. the life improvement store. i'm diahann carroll. when i was a young girl i dreamed of becoming an actress, singer, movie star it was not my dream to become a cancer patient. it wasn't ann marie's dream or judith's. but we've all survived cancer with the help of someone special- our stars. my husband bruce is my star he's my star. my son is my star. now the wellness community created our star campaign to honor the people who were there when we needed them most. my son drove me every day for over three months during my treatment. he'd even go out at midnight to get milkshakes. log on to star campaign dot org. meet our stars and share your own. it's a wonderful way to say. thank you.

thank you. thank you. aah! i'm a lion! yes, you are. come here. let's see how this looks. hey, how's my little horse? she's a lion. yes, she is. grrr! ha ha! announcer: you don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent. when you adopt a child from foster care, just being there makes all the difference. 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. welcome back. ground breaking ceremony was

held for the national law enforcement museum in dc. the ground breaking is two years lair than planned because fund-raising and design approvals have taken longer than expected. the museum site is located next to the national law enforcement memorial along the city's courthouses. it is scheduled to open in 2013. we have all the been here, on the verge of stepping out in to the cross walk when a car goes racing by. as the walker in a cross walk, you have the right of way, but it can be a dicey situation for you and the driver. armando trull has more on the push for pedestrian safety. the trail of broken pedestrian bodies can be found in montgomery county. >> pedestrians have to real size as soon as they step on the surface of the street they are in a danger zone. >> reporter: there's pedestrian carnage in prince georges county. >> last year at this point we had 11 pedestrian fatalities and this year 14. so we have seen an increase in

pedestrian fatalities. >> reporter: in the this district, pedestrians make up 40% of all traffic deaths. >> going up is pedestrian fatalities. pedestrians and bicyclists. >> reporter: as winter approaches the danger grows. >> we're afraid we may see increases in pedestrian fatalities because it will be darker earlier and more people will be out at night. >> they are speaking with one voice when it comes to pedestrian safety. >> we have distracted drivers and distracted walkers. if you go downtown and watch people crossing the street count how many are on the phone, using their blackberry or have both ears plugged with some sort of music. >> if you are walking with a friend, having a conversation, the conversation needs to stop. if you are on a cell phone, put the phone down. if you are texting, stop that. use cross walks, wear light clothing, don't cross in the middle of the road. >> reporter: armando trull, 9 news now. >>