hello, i'm andrea roane in for j.c. hayward. she's not going home today but casey anthony can go free within the next few weeks. a short while ago, a judge sentenced anthony to four years for lying to investigators about the death of her daughter. a jury acquitted her tuesday of murder, manslaughter and child abuse charges. but since she's already served nearly three years in jail, she

will be released next wednesday, july 13th. we get more now from manuel gallegus in orlando. >> reporter: casey anthony smiled in court as she waited to hear her punishment. but her demeanor changed as the judge sentenced her to four years in prison for lying to police. >> i will sentence you to one year in the orange county jail on each count, all four counts to run conskivly to each other. >> the judge says he will credit anthony for the nearly three years she's already served and factor in good behavior. the court struments she'll walk free by early august. >> not guilty. >> the 25-year-old mother was cleared of murdering her 2- year-old daughter, caylee but she was convicted of lying to investigators. the judge says the lies were costly. >> as a result of those four,

separate and distinct lies, law enforcement expended a great deal of time. >> reporter: demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse, are disgusted by the jury's decision. they do not want casey anthony ever to be freed. >> i'll take a couple of months but is is not enough. >> there was a lot of evidence and i don't know what the jury saw. >> reporter: when anthony finally gets out of jail, many expect her to cash in on her story with interviews and a book deal. those could fetch anthony millions in advances and sales. >> could set new standards for both movie and television publicity. >> but anthony will have to wait a few more weeks to start the next chapter as she heads back to jail. manuel gallegus, cbs news, orlando, florida. again, the update is she'll have to wait a few more days. the judge has ruled he will release casey anthony next wednesday, july 13th. because of all of the police manpower and the investigation,

the prosecution filed a motion to have anthony cover some of the costs. that will be decided at a later date. a report card out on metro today is not giving the transit system high marks when it cops to safety and reliability. there are familiar and new problems in the report including broken escalators and transit police radio issues. surae chinn was at the meeting and brings us the latest. >> why is it broken? why would you pay for a service that doesn't work? >> reporter: barbara roscoe takes metro every day and on most days, she faces an uphill trek. >> i'm a little winded, as you can hear, too. >> reporter: but she comes prepared. >> i keep my gym shoes on. i don't want to mess up my shoes anymore. >> reporter: in its monthly report card presented at today's regularly scheduled meeting, the transit system needs to go forward. >> we've lowered the goal because we're doing so much track work on the system. >> metro is replacing 60 miles of rail over the next six

years. and they're pouring in $150 million to fix and replace 150 escalators in the system. another safety issue, police transit radios don't always work, especially underground. an attorney for the transit police officers union said the problem is so widespread, officers think twice about patrolling in some areas around metro. metro would not go on camera this morning about this issue. they stand behind their statement, saying that spotty radio problems is not a widespread problem. metro goes on to say whenever an officer reports a communication issue at any time, day or night, technicians are dispatched to investigate and make any necessary repairs. we're advancing projects that are intended to improve radio communication within the tunnel environment. in northwest, surae chinn, 9news now. other issues in the report card include increase in bus delays and injuries. metro is also discussing

shortening station names at some stations such as the woodley park zoo/adams morgan. six focus groups gave their opinions to metro. >> sky 9 was over the scene of a huge house fire in maryland this morning. flames broke out in the 500 block of east indian spring drive off university boulevard. everybody got out safely. the blaze is out now investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started. a woman is struck and killed while crossing the street and now prince george's county police are talking to the driver. it happened this morning along route 202 near firehouse road in landover, maryland. the unidentified woman died at the scene. police say the driver involved in the collision remained at the scene. maryland state police are searching for clues in a bizarre attack on the bw parkway. they say a man in his 60s went after a speed camera vehicle be and the contractor inside. it all happened yesterday morning along the parkway near interstate 95 and bwi marshall airport. the contractor was sitting in

the jeep which is used as a mobile speed camera vehicle. he says the suspect came up to the rear window and began tapping on it with a shotgun. >> the witness was obviously frightened at that point and began blowing his hoch -- his horn. he said the individual came around and began striking the front windshield with his hammer. >> police shut down the parkway while they searched for the man. they never did find him. the contractor inside the jeep was not hurt. the national park service is looking for a bilingual volunteers to spread a life saving message about the dangers of swim inspection the potomac river. the recent deaths handled by the park service involves victims who are not fluent in inglish. >> the last two and a half to three years, 14 persons, none of whom is native english speaking, all of whom are spanish speak or vietnamese speaking. >> the park service is hoping to arrange large meetings in

predominantly spanish and vietnamese communities to tell residents while the river may look pretty, it is too dangerous to wade and swim in. still to come when the news continues, atlantis is poised and ready for its 135th and final mission, provided the weather cooperates. coming up, see the new spacecraft that will eventually replace the shuttle program. president obama calls democrats and republicans to the white house with the new proposal to try to end the debt showdown. i'm danielle nottingham. i'll have that story coming up.

a fresh round of talks on a deal to raise the debt ceiling at the white house. this time, both sides are hinting they're open to a compromise. as danielle nottingham reports, that could lead to even bigger spending cuts. >> president obama took control of the debt debate arguing now is the time for lawmakers to do something big. the president proposes that congress agree to raise the nation's debt celling and slash $4 trillion in federal spending over the next decade. that's double the amount of cuts lawmakers originally considered. both parties are sending signals they're ready to compromise on some major issues. top aides to the president say he's ready to support big reductions in medicare and some

cuts to social security. >> what we need to do is to have a balanced approach where everything is on the table. >> in return, republican leaders appear to be open to closing some tax loopholes and ending some federal subsidies that benefit big companies. >> everything's on the table except raising taxes on the american people. >> reporter: today's debt talks come days after house speaker john boehner and president obama met secretly at the white house, hoping to get past political posturing. the two have talked regularly since their round last month. lawmakers have until july 22nd to strike a deal. that gives them enough time to pass the plan before august 2nd. that's the date when the federal government could go into default for the first time in history. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. some democrats though are concerned the president may be giving in too much to republican demands. anny hong is up next with the forecast. >> muggy and hot with the sun being out and we could see some

strong storms later today. we'll talk more about that when i come back. but first, here is your allergy report. the pollen is not too bad. the mold still in the medium range. your forecast is after the break.

the first bull run in the festival in pamplona, spain, went off this morning with very few injuries. no one has been gored yet. one runner fractured his ribs. the yearly ritual dates back to the 1300s. >> space shuttle "atlantis" and its crew are ready for tomorrow's final historic liftoff. but weather could be a problem. joel brown has the latest from the kennedy space center in florida. >> reporter: rain could delay the lift shove of space shuttle "atlantis." there is only a 30% chance it will launch tomorrow.

>> the clouds have rolled in. we're starting to see some showers. >> reporter: when atlantis does blast off, it will be nasa's 135th and final shuttle mission. nasa predicts up to a million spectators. the family brought their grandkids over from louisiana to watch the historic launch. >> feel as though it is history being made. we wanted to give them a chance to see it. >> usually, shuttles fly with six or seven astronauts but atlantis only has a crew of four since this is the last mission, there's no back-up shuttle on stand-by for a possible rescue. in case of an emergency, a much smaller russian soyuz rocket would retrieve americans from the international space station. one astronaut at a time. the 30 year shuttle program has had success and tragedy. "discovery" delivered the hubble telescope to space and 36 shuttle missions helped build and supply the space station. but two shuttles and their crews were lost, challenger in

1986 and "columbia" in 2003. >> in the history, we've lost one going up and one coming down. it is a tremendously risky endeavor. >> nasa plans to use american- made commercial spacecraft to carry cargo and eventually crew to the international space station and beyond. joel brown, cbs news, kennedy space center. >> our kristin fisher who is also the daughter of astronauts is in florida. she'll have live reports on this final mission beginning tonight at 5:00. the launch, for now, is still scheduled for 11:26 tomorrow morning. an unusual block party is taking place this saturday in the district. there will be the usual games, music and food but at this party, you can get free medical screenings for diabetes, prostate cancer and stroke. the party takes place at the 19th street baptist church on 16th street in northwest. the hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. well, howard is not here. in fact, he's down there,

hoping, fingers crossed, he'll get to see liftoff this time around. anny hong is in with the forecast. 30%? is that enough of a window? >> well, it is tough to say. tomorrow doesn't look as good. saturday doesn't look better. we'll have to watch that. in our area, storm chances as well for today and the storm chances increasing for tomorrow on your friday as well. we want to keep the umbrella handy today and tomorrow. here is a look at our day planner for this wednesday. temperatures, i bump temperatures up today actually by 3:00, we'll be at 93 degrees. it will be hot and muggy. by 6:00, a chance for showers and thunderstorms to be scattered. a couple could be severe. that threat does continue through the evening hours as well. here is a look at the national -- the mid-atlantic satellite and radar picture where we saw fog go through, maybe even some misty conditions out toward culpepper and fredericksburg. we'll see more sunshine for the afternoon but we'll see a few

clouds moo in. maybe some storm clouds as well. here is a look at live doppler 9000 hd. right now, it is dry. we have lots of sun out there. it will heat things up quickly today. already 90 degrees in downtown. 82 annapolis. around culpepper, 90 degrees. martinsburg already at 89 degrees. your dew points, yeah, you feel the humidity. i do. i feel it. it is 70 in downtown. 27 in manassas. 66 in leesburg. fredericksburg, 77. tappahannock, 79. steely stuff out there. so, it is going to be muggy and hot today. some thunderstorms could impact parts of the evening commute. not everyone will see them. better chances will be to the north of the d.c. area. some could be heavy and severe. friday, even more storms. storms are pretty likely tomorrow. here's a look at the future cast. this is what one model thinks will be happening the next 24 hours. by late this afternoon, some spotty showers and storms coming through. the district could be impacted,

too, this evening around 6:30 or 7:00 according to this model. that threat continues through tonight. overnight, after midnight, maybe still some activity, more out toward the mountains and to the south and west of us but we can't rule out still some lingering late showers and storms late tonight as well. then overnight, it is going to be cloudy and the clouds stick around for much of tomorrow. highs for today, it is going to be a hot one. near mid-90s for downtown. leesburg, 95. 92 in winchester, annapolis warming into 90 degrees. overnight, very mild if not warm overnight. temperatures around mid-70s for downtown. annapolis only 77. that's their low for tomorrow morning. and leesburg, 72. winchester in the far northwestern suburbs, you may get down into the upper 60s. here is your next three days. so, today, hot and muggy. 94. afternoon, evening scattered

showers and storms. some could be severe and strong. damaging wind gusts, maybe some hail and locally heavy downpours at times. tomorrow, not as hot. 85 degrees. more numerous showers and storms. a bigger risk for severe storms as well tomorrow. tomorrow can be a tough day and it can be dangerous. saturday, still hot. 90 degrees. sunday, partly cloudy conditions. and the heat is on for monday. 95 degrees. we're looking to be storm-free that day and then we get back down to more seasonable conditions toward wednesday around upper 80s. all right, it is thursday. it is time for pet line 9. with us is b.j. from the montgomery county humane society. you've got lucky, right? talk about lucky. >> lucky will be lucky if somebody takes him home. he's about 7. he's a rat terrier. he's really a sweetheart. i think he's a little bit nervous being on the spotlight. he was great while we were waiting to get ready. he's very responsive. he usually will sit on command.

>> is he good with kids? >> adults, cats and dogs. very good-natured guy. rat terriers can be feisty and mischievous but this guy is settled in. the nice thing about adopting an older pet is what you see is what you get. >> they need a lot of exercise. >> he's older so he won't need as much as a puppy would, for example. a nice, gentle walk. he will enjoy that. >> for being in unfamiliar surroundings, he's very good. >> he's just adorable. i'm crazy about this guy. >> if you want to make lucky, his lucky day today, please go to our web site, wusa9.com and click on pet line 9. how much would it cost to adopt him? >> i would have to double check what services we've already performed. he's already neutered so you won't have to pay a neutering fee. if he's already microchipped,

they wouldn't have to pay for that either. >> thank you so much. we'll be right back with andrea cooking in the kitchen.

>> welcome back to 9news now. we're in the kitchen.

we have a very special recipe for you, especially if you're feeling crabby and that's a good thing, not temperamental. john shields is hosting an all crab dinner at wildfire in tysons corner. john, a pleasure having you here. a lot of people know from you pbs and out there in the chesapeake bay. first off, the crabs are plentiful and wonderful this year. >> it is a good year! very good year which is great, you know. >> exactly. now, what are you preparing for us today? >> basic, it is a crab sweet corn and red pepper salad. very, very easy to make. >> and very, very healthy. >> healthy. totally summertimey. >> let's get started. >> we'll take a little bit of olive oil, basically, you're making a vinaigrette. and then some lime. just want some fresh lime in there. and then a little bit of garlic. >> always good. >> you can't go wrong with garlic. there you go. you have your basic

vinaigrette. little sherry wine vinegar. nothing to it, right? look how easy that is. >> the recipe will be on our web site at wusa9.com. here is the sweet corn. >> fresh corn. >> right off the cob. a little bit of -- >> don't do any frozen, thawed out. >> no, especially this time of year. you can get the good stuff. >> it is plentiful. >> let's go for it. >> that was chopped red bell pepper. then just a little bit of red onion to give it a nice taste there. then i'll toss this together. put in a little bit of cilantro. you like cilantro? >> yes. it is very controversial. >> if you don't, use a little fresh basil. >> john, tell us a little bit about what you'll be doing at wildfire cooking but talking to the people who come and answering all of their questions? >> it will be a great time. it is crab 101 next tuesday at wildfire. and we're going to have a whole

dinner. chef eddie, he just -- it will be so much fun. >> he enjoys food so much. he loves learning new things. what's left to be put into the salad? >> this is the -- just a little bit so you know where you are. now we know where we are. >> exactly. we have a little coarse salt here. as john is stirring up, again, this is on our web site at wusa9.com. he will be at wildfire next week tuesday so come and say hi to him. we're going to sample later on. but john, thank you very much for being here. it is good and it is healthy. and it is using the foods we love. the next news is at 5:00 p.m. i'll see you again tomorrow morning starting bright and early at 4:25. until then, have a great day. bye-bye.