it happened here on 395 just after 10:30 a.m. >> this is especially bad. >> reporter: it appears up to five vehicles were involved in the crash. a fire department spokesman says one other driver also went to the hospital with possible injuries. a u.s. park police officer was air lifted to washington hospital center. >> he has got some substantial injuries. i think he will have a long recuperation process. >> reporter: at this point investigators won't say how the officer was hit. we do not know whether the officer was on his bike or if he had stopped to help someone. this is bruce johnson in the district. in past years metro bus operators have been spit on, cussed out, assaulted and threatened with assault. metro's bus drivers transport more than 400,000 passengers every day. their union says it has become dangerous work in some parts. >> there are operators who arm

themselves. >> why? >> they can't get the protection they need. >> the bus drivers union has recorded 59 assaults against bus operator, 39 attempted assaults and 140 threats have been made to metro's bus operators. the union tells us right now there are only 10 metro police officers assigned to the buses and they want more. they want them on those buses. in southern avenue and minnesota avenue, those are the hot spots. passengers confirmed the verbal and physical attacks on bus operators. the union says protective fields like the one seen in this youtube video could help protect the operators. >> reporter: i'm brett haber in chantilly, virginia. if you're disgusted about the nfl bargaining agreement. this is billionaires arguing against millionaires. you would think they would have found common ground to keep the

nfl alive. so far, no. this is day 9 of negotiations between players and owners. all 32 owners met here at the marriott this afternoon. 10, the labor committee, took a trip downtown. drew brees among the players that were there. here is what the owners are say. >> the objective is to negotiate a fair agreement for the players and the teams and so far obviously we haven't been successful. >> reporter: the owners were scheduled to meet here again tomorrow. we have heard that meeting has been canceled. there is one more negotiating session tomorrow downtown. the deadline is 11:59 p.m. tomorrow night. >> thanks, brett. the father of the marine killed in iraq had some choice words for the supreme court. specifically for the eight justices who ruled against him in favor of a controversial church that pickets at military funerals. >> eight justices don't have the common sense god gave a

goat. >> that's albert schneider regarding to a court decision that says the 1st amendment protects even the hurtful speech of the baptist church in kansas. they picketed at the funeral of a marine, schneider's son. schneider sued the baptist church for invasion of privacy and won but today's ruling undoes that. the baptist church says to expect to see them picketing at a lot more funerals. the last time anybody saw 21-year-old bethany decker was when her husband, emil decker, a soldier in afghanistan, was visiting back on january 29th. the family didn't realize the busy george mason college student disappeared until february 19th. her mother says emil decker is

shocked that his wife has gone missing. >> he feels quite helpless being so far away. he is willing to cooperate in any way and wanting to be able to be here to help find her. >> emil decker, police say, is not a suspect. he is speaking to investigators. there is no reason to believe that the baby she is carrying is not his because he was back home in october. monica, any major tieups in traffic tonight. >> definitely on trains. that's why we have had the yellow light all evening. let's take you to the trains right now. metro and vre are fine. mark brunswick experiencing delays on 875, 891, 877 delays due to a disabled freight train. so i would say use an alternate plan if you can. let's take you to 395 on the

southbound side. pace improves at duke street. over to 66. just volume right now. no incidents report. as you leave the beltway headed towards route 123. derek, back to you. >> thank you. let's get outside to the weather terrace for a check on the forecast with topper. great day today. had my windows down a little bit. wearing sunglasses. >> don't get used to it. march is a changeable month. 64 the high. satellite picture. clear skies right now. all the clouds in pennsylvania staying to our north. that will enable temps to start falling. in the 40s in the suburbs already. just happened in the past hour. 46 in gaithersburg and frederick and 50 in leesburg. so for tonight then, we are looking at clear skies. it will be breezy and much colder. lows 24-32. winds out of the north at 10 to 15. we will come back and talk about a touch of winter and we will just see how long that can last. also talk about the week. >> thank you, topper.

the president tonight signing the stop gap bill to keep the government running for two weeks. now is he urging the congressional leaders to immediately get to work meeting with the vice president and come up with a longer term plan. bruce leshan says federal worker unions fear that thousands of jobs are still on the line. >> we want to work. we want to work. we want to work. >> reporter: hundreds of workers from treasury, homeland security, the park service and other agencies rallied outside the capitol. >> i have big news for the republicans. this is not wisconsin. >> reporter: democrats suspect the attacks on collective bargaining in some states and the threat of furloughs and layoffs for federal workers will galvonnize it. >> they won't be getting refunds. >> from the way they tell the story you would think that all of you were the cause of the economic meltdown.

>> no. >> reporter: not a single republican attended this rally and critics say that donations to democrats and union strength may be the very things that have made the labor movement a target for the gop. >> you can't get something from nothing. and we have no money. >> maryland republican roesco bartlet says it is not an attack on civil servants it is an attack on deficit spending. if we were going to have a balanced budget now it would require that we spend only two thirds of what we are now spending. cut my salary by two thirds. i'll still make it. >> reporter: the democratic house whip says there has to be some compromise. >> freshmen will learn it can't be their way or the highway. they have to understand democracy is about reaching agreement. >> reporter: on capitol hill, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> that rally was organized by the national treasury employees' union. we talked with sean riley, senior staff writer at the

federal times. that's our sister publication aimed at federal managers. we asked him what do you see happening between now and the new deadline? >> but i think obviously it will probably go down to we will have another cliff hanger and this will go on, the current, newly signed agreement will go to march 19th. my guess is it will go on straight to the wire. not clear if there will be a solution for the rest of the fiscal year. >> check out our special section on wusa9.com. learn how a federal shutdown could affect you and your family. well, just ahead we get down to the dirty business. those grocery carts you use at the grocery store could be dirty. up next, see if you're on the list for a big payday of money that wants to be returned. 9news traffic is brought to you by geico.

it is your money and this week we are helping to you claim it. forgotten money from bank accounts, stock funds. even valuables left in safety deposit boxes. if it is yours, we are making it our mission to help you reunite with it. here are some of the people on the list of unclaimed riches. let's start in virginia. tasha boon of alexandria. andre deloche of arlington. and lesli carter of falls church. across the river in the free

state. rosemary. rita ryanhart. you're on the list four times. all of you named log on to our website wusa9.com and there you can learn how to apply for your cash. plus, if you didn't hear your name, look it up here as well. that cash could carry some germs. still not as dirty as your friendly neighborhood grocery cart. researchers from the university of arizona swabbed the handles of shopping carts and found 72% of them had fecal matter. others were contaminated with e. coli. >> ewe. i had no idea. >> when i come in i don't touch too much. they have wipers over there. i use my wipers, wash my hands first and put it and touch with the wiper.

>> i think that's a good idea. and these days most grocery stores do have you covered by keeping those sanitizing wipes at the entrance and may be a good idea to start using them. topper is back with your full forecast in a minute. plus... >> i'm scott broom with firefighters in prince george's county with a question what happens when it is the rescuer who is the one who needs help? in a moment we will go through a dramatic and brand-new training scenario that will really surprise you.

you... don't have a choice of getting breast cancer. i had no choice. that 3-day gave me that opportunity. and i can actually do something to help. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. we can rid the world of this terrible disease... so that no mother... granddaughter... sister... daughter... mother... go through what my wife had to go through. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

a dramatic rescue at a fire in landover last week. the spotlight back on the rescuers. today when they invited our own scott broom and a photographer along to see a new training scenario for firefighters in distress. here is what scott broom found out. >> reporter: the first thing you need to know about training about this is you do it with blinders on to simulate smoke and you fall a lot before someone literally takes the floor out from under with no warning. it is called mayday training for that universal call for help. >> proper way to call in a mayday. >> reporter: the man in charge. >> we activate it and put them in a situation that they knew was going to happen to them but they are not really prepared for it. that one time we go a little bit too far and don't quite find our way out and we get in

trouble. >> reporter: major schneider tries to prepare pupils for an experience so confusing even veterans will struggle. in the training exercise one fire lieutenant injured his back and had to leave in an ambulance. >> the fighters here have given me some of their gear and now it is my turn to see how disorienting yourself can be. >> reporter: i was told where i was. even so the mock fall was show shocking i couldn't remember the location rescuers would need to find me. >> number is 806. and i'm in quadrant c. >> reporter: and i couldn't feel for a personal emergency alarm. >> it is entirely new appreciation for what disoriented means. >> reporter: scott broom, 9 news now. >> very interesting lessons

there. this training scenario was developed by a fire department that lost firefighters. german police identified a shooter as a man from kosokov. two u.s. servicemen were killed. right now tennis star serena williams is in an l.a. hospital. she had to go through emergency treatment after doctors found a blood clot in her lungs. her spokesperson says doctors are monitoring her situation closely. very nice outside early today. gorgeous day. >> up to 60. >> one point high 50s then went up to the low 60s. >> just popped to 64 then it is falling again. it is march as you remind me constantly. can't stay cold for long and that's the day. right now temps are falling. down into the low 50s downtown but already in the 40s now. just in the past hour we have

kind of fallen into the 40s in rockville and great falls and gaithersburg. even up toward laytonsville and even 49 now in reston and fairfax. so the colder air is on the way. winds gusting to 32 miles per hour at national. out of the due north. beginning to turn and begin due northerly now. 25-mile-per-hour wind gust in hagerstown. so the cold air is on the way. no doubt about that. turning colder. breezy and colder tonight. like winter tomorrow. chilly on friday then milder and unsettled on the weekend. we will trade in the warmer air for chance for showers and a wet sunday. clear and breezy tonight. colder. winds due northerly at 10 to 15. look at the lows after highs in the 60s. hard to believe. in town and inside the beltway we are talking about temps below freezing. 31 in arlington. 31 downtown.

burbs in the 20s. 27 in college park. bowie. down to the south in charles county 28 in waldorf. 27 in reston and fairfax. far enough west 24 in leesburg and 24 in manassas. tomorrow morning, sunny with a cold start. grab your shades. 20s and 30s. thankfully not much wind tomorrow. by afternoon, sunny and much colder. it will be like winter again. just for day. high temps around 40. the winds will turn out of the east at about 10. let's break down tomorrow. 24 to 32 to start at 7:00 p.m. 39 by lunchtime. and 40 by evening. so temps really don't go up very far or very fast tomorrow. just remember that if you're bundling up the kids at the bus stop or heading out to grab a bite at lunchtime. the next three days temps are going to go up. mid-40s on friday. maybe a shower late and then upper 50s on saturday. some showers possible late. but, wow, upper 50s good deal.

55. rain. showers. thunderstorms possible. now looking at the potential for heavy rain on sunday. we will keep you posted on that. 53 behind the system on monday. not that much colder really. then we go back into the low 60s on tuesday and we go back in the mid-60s next wednesday with a slight chance of a shower. >> hard to be mad about that, sir. >> not bad. >> not bad at all. >> all right, from our weird news file an ice cream flavor for those of you who may be lactose intolerant. to england we are government officials have banned an ice cream parlor selling a flavor made from breast milk. i kid you not. it is called baby ga-ga. officials say that it could pass on disease. the owner said, come on, please, this is the good stuff. >> breast milk ice cream is perfectly safe. it is perfectly good for you. most natural thing in the world. >> apparently a little too natural for some folks. still that owner says they follow the same safety precautions as you would for a

blood transfusion. the breast milk was donated by the way and one of the women involved said if people tasted how good breast milk really is more people would breast feed their children. maybe so. but at 23 dollars a serving i'm thinking most of us are going old school with maybe frozen yogurt or something. i can't do that. >> we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. the address at mailbag@wusa9.com 9 news now will be right back. [ male announcer ] from maryland to the mall and beyond,

it's easy to spot a capital one bank. ♪ ♪ ♪ the most branches and atms in the dc area. one near you. what's in your wallet?

in the mail bag tonight a quick response to our subway systems ongoing crime problems. dean says no surprise about the crime on the metro. the crime is indicative of the downward spiral the country is facing and the failed antigun laws in the nation's capitol. okay, fair enough, but if the gun laws fall short by not stopping the crooks from getting guns or by keeping the law abiding folks from packing heat. or both? just wondering. then there was this on the possibility of a federal shutdown. a two-week reprieve. but this person said they need a little incentive to seal the deal. are they going to take a pay cut if they can't pass a new budget? i believe that they should have the congressmen take a 5% pay cut or 10%. that would allow us some breathing room on the budget

even if only slightly i think the word slightly is correct. the real power of a pay cut wouldn't be to save much money rather if might motivate the lawmakers to work faster. would that work? who knows. i have no idea. but do i have one final e-mail. this one on charlie sheen who has lately been the gift that won't stop giving when it comes to saying crazy things. lori says enough is enough. please stop give that use use also arrogant charlie sheen air time. he is the first thing you talk about when the news come. i'm so tired of hearing about it. he is such a waste. i heard a comment from one of the news reporters that is the story everyone wants to hear. no. not everyone wants to hear. there are plenty of people like me who don't give a bleep. lori, the bad news is they can fall into the category too good not to use. never been the lead story. i can say that.

the good news is we will be all tired of his particular brand of insanity soon enough. i never get tired of your e- mails though. the address mailbag@wusa9.com. well, that is our report. i will be right back here tonight with anita brikman at 11:00 p.m. and don't forget log on anytime to wusa9.com. we will see you a bit later. bye-bye. captions by: caption colorado, llc 800-775-7838 email: comments@captioncolorado.com

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world. heartbreaking new video. charlie sheen on the brink? >> charlie, forced to surrender his baby boys. >> good-bye. >> don't say good-bye. say see you later. >> the dramatic new images. >> bye, love you. >> taken by court order. police at his door. >> tiger blood now drips from my fangs. >> where are max and bob now? >> brooke, tell me where our sons are. bob, max. you're right here. >> good-bye. and then charlie's women. does this photo move brooke mueller is a drug addict? what goes on inside his mansion. and -- >> erratic. shocking. scary. >> why this adult film star fears for charlie's children. >> no adult under the influence belongs wi