weather time, going to be a little sketchy today. >> i think we have definitely the potential for some dangerous storms later today and early this evening. one of those days where we're expecting the timing to be around during the evening rush hour. it could impact a lot of commuters tonight. lea work early and maybe work from home. here's a look at your day planner for this friday. temperatures in the lower 80s. 84 the chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms. by 5:00, temperatures in the mid-80s. temperaturewise, not that warm. may be a little bit below the average high. we do have a flood watch in effect, the entire area you see in green which does include the d.c. area starting at noon today through late tonight. we can get some really good downpours with the system. here is a look at the risk for severe weather. the main threat from the storms late this afternoon, early evening, damaging wind gusts and the heavy rain which is why we had the flash flood watch in

effect. highs for today around 86 degrees in d.c. 86 in leesburg. 82 in winchester. temperaturewise, not all that warm. right around seasonal if not just a little bit cooler than average. here is a look at your traffic with angie. >> thank you, anny. happy friday, everybody. not too much going on on the traffic front. we start with the green light. we want to begin by taking you out to branch avenue where as promised, i want to let you know it is closed at pennsylvania avenue right now until about 5:00 because of construction. there is a detour in place. that's what you're going to want to follow to get around it early this morning. bw parkway, happy to report things have reopened near 197 following an early morning accident. we've got your lanes back there. 66, take it outside. the construction has cleared out of the way between 50 and 123. 395 drivers in virginia, nothing to worry about, so far, so good coming up from 95, continuing on toward

shirlington and 14th street bridge. 95 also moving at speed out of dumfries. we'll take a look at your district drive coming up 20 minutes until 5:00 back to you. here's a look at things making news now. the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage in grand rapids, michigan, has taken his own life. >> this was late last night. 34-year-old rodrick dantzler shot himself in the head. earlier thursday, he killed seven people. including two children. authorities say his own daughter and ex-girlfriend are among the victims. casey anthony still in jail this morning but not for much longer. a florida judge sentenced her to four years in prison for lying to investigators. that is after factoring time she's already served and for good behavior. she will be released sunday, july 17th. a jury acquitted her earlier this week of murdering her 2- year-old daughter, caylee. the woman accused of killing a coworker inside the lululemon athletica store in march is due in court this

morning. 28-year-old brittany norwood is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing and beating death of jayna murray. after the murder, norwood told them both she and murray were beaten and sexually attacked by masked robbers. the 30-year-old space shuttle program may not end exactly the way nasa had expected. rain is in the forecast and it is threatening to delay the launch of the shuttle "atlantis." >> here is a live picture of atlantis. a lightning strike near the launchpad caused a brief flurry of concern. nasa engineers determined the spaceship is a-ok. joel brown has more on the shuttle program which first took off in 1981. >> launch teams are not working issues right now. >> space shuttle "atlantis" is getting fueled up and ready to go. >> countdown has resumed. >> reporter: this morning, nasa moved ahead with its final launch despite a bleak forecast. >> i wish i had better weather for you but we'll have a 70% chance due to the showers and

thunderstorms we expect in the area. >> heavy rain pounded the region thursday in a lightning strike near the launchpad sparked concern before they determined there was no damage. they'll haul food and supplies to the international space station to keep it stocked through 2012. >> rain or shine, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be here when atlantis finally takes off. some estimates put the crowd at close to a million. kathy cook came from georgia to catch the last glimpse of atlantis roaring into space. she's seen almost all of the apollo missions but this is her first shuttle launch. >> i want to feel the ground quake under me and hear the noise and boom. i'm just not going to miss it. >> for some like mike parish who works at kennedy space center, the moment is bittersweet. >> this one will be a little bit emotional, i think. >> nasa is closing out its 30- year space shuttle program to begin a new journey in deep

space exploration focused on getting astronauts to an asteroid or even mars. joel brown, cbs news, kennedy space center. >> you can watch the shuttle launch this morning at 11:26 right here on wusa 9. kristin fisher will join us live for a preview of this historic day's events. president obama has asked democrats and republican lawmakers for a little special weekend session at the white house on sunday. he wants them to try once again to work out a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling. >> even though president obama called thursday's meeting constructive, he acknowledged the two sides are far apart. both sides are showing signs though they're open to giving some ground on key issues. the white house says it will discuss changes in social security and medicare spending and republicans are leaning toward tax code changes. everything's on the table except raising taxes on the american people. >> we're not going to balance

the budget on the backs of america's seniors, women and people with disabilities. >> a debt limit deal needs to be reached by july 22nd in order to get it through congress in time. one of the first licensed handgun dealers in the district could wind up being the d.c. government. councilman phil mendelssohn is sponsoring emergency legislation which would make the city a licensed firearms dealer. the bill would require anyone who wants to bring a handgun into d.c. to have their guns shift to a government office to get approval to carry them within the d.c. borders. the council is expected to take up mendelssohn's proposal on tuesday. well, the chair of the d.c. ethics board says he believes there was criminal activity in the 2008 campaign of council chair kwame brown. the d.c. board of elections and ethics has referred the allegations against brown's campaign committee to the u.s. attorney's office for criminal investigation. among other things, brown is accused of failing to report more than $100,000 in campaign

contributions. the time coming up on 4:37. at 4:41, unemployed americans trying to save their homes from foreclosure just received some major help. >> coming up at 4:50, metro unveils its new generation of rail cars. >> we're back with your weather first in two minutes.

hey, it is anny in for howard on this friday morning. coming up on 4:40 on this friday morning. big storms are brewing for later on this afternoon. by 9:00, temperatures in the lower 80s. mostly cloudy pretty much all day. by 3:00 and 6:00, especially for that evening commute, we're looking at thunderstorms developing, some heavy

downpours, also damaging wind gusts are possible with these. temperatures though not very hot today. temperatures around mid-80s as far as our highs are concerned. we'll talk more about the storms and your seven-day forecast when i come back. first, here's angie with your traffic. >> problems in d.c. early, anny. thank you very much. outbound new york drivers take note. it is closed at bladensburg road due to police activity. i'll have the latest details and more construction spots to avoid early in my next traffic report at 4:48. now over to andrea and mike. >> 4:40. time for the first "your money" report of the morning. >> cha-ching, here's jessica doyle. we saw green arrows yesterday. >> good morning, happy friday. we hope it will be a happy friday for wall street. we have the much-anticipated monthly jobs report coming out later this morning. economists are expecting growth especially after new reports yesterday that indicated companies are hiring more workers and better than expected retail sales helped to give stocks a boost. the dow stands at 12,719,

jumped 93 points in trading. we're getting pretty high up there. we're going to have to watch this in the next couple of days. the nasdaq added 38 points. s&p 500 climbed by 14. the obama administration is trying to make it easier for some out-of-work americans to stay in their homes. starting august 1st, unemployed homeowners will be able to miss their mortgage payments for a full year before facing foreclosure. the grace period is currently three to four months. this new rule only applies to loans backed by the federal housing authority. that makes up about 14% of current mortgage holders. a commission -- excuse me, a commission working for governor martin o'malley and the general assembly has been setting maryland's struggling pension system. it is recommending the state's attorney general determine whether the state could reduce cost of living adjustments for retirees. the general assembly slashed pension benefits for employees this year. this issue comes down to inflation. running at about 3%

historically speaking and whether or not retirees' pensions will keep up with that. the c.o.l.a. adjusts to how much extra money they get every year. >> with everything else going on with food and gas price, it is difficult to try to keep up. >> absolutely. >> thanks, jess. tobacco company is taking aim at a d.c. law it says is unconstitutional. a little later, a member of the 9news now family gives. >> personal look at nasa's space shuttle program.

>> it is friday morning. we're happy about that. it will be a very difficult weather day. anny hong is in for howard. >> potential is there for a severe weather alert. we'll talk to topper and decide if we're going to declare one. i'm going to say i would not be surprised if we did declare one for today. the models are showing some pretty impressive storms late this afternoon and early this evening. here is a look at your forecast for today. we're looking at mostly cloudy conditions. not a whole lot of warming up. by noon, 86 degrees. 3:00, we're looking at the storms developing and popping up and then by 6:00, the evening commute, you may very well encounter pretty big storms. here's a look at the flood

advisories. flood watches starting at noon. it goes through late tonight. this includes the entire d.c. metro area. now, here is a look at the severe outlook for the storms today. where you can see the areas shaded in yellow. that includes the entire mid- atlantic area and d.c. damaging wind gusts and heavy rain. so, with the heavy rain, we had the flood watch in effect which goes into effect starting at noon. highs today will be around 86 degrees in downtown. 84 in gaithersburg. andrews air force base, 87. annapolis, 85 degrees. around fredericksburg, 86 degrees. a little bit below the average high. here's the thing. the critical time for the storms this afternoon will be 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. that's right. some of the biggest storms can be taking place. we do have cloudy conditions so the instability factor is definitely going to be there. some areas of brakes and clouds will increase the instability later this afternoon.

it looks like temperatures will be in the lower 80s. luray also in the lower 80s. we'll probably see, once this front comes through, the humidity drops saturday into sunday. we won't be as stormy. tomorrow and sunday, things are looking like they'll warm up as well. here is a look at your traffic with angie. we are dealing with early morning issues specifically on outbound new york avenue. we're closed at bladensburg road. traffic is being forced on to bladensburg road because of a police incident. we're going to find out more details and continue to bring it to you throughout the morning show. let's take you over to the construction report. branch avenue right now still closed at pennsylvania avenue. probably for the next 15 minutes or so, looks like they are going to be wrapping that

up by the start of the 5:00 hour. we do have good news for those of who you travel the parkway, near the 197 exit, following an overnight accident that cleared earlier. moving from the wilson bridge past 66 all the way up to the american legion and still ahead, we'll have the very latest on what's going on on new york avenue in northeast. i'll have that at 4:56. now back to andrea and mike. >> next year, marylanders get to vote themselves on whether to grant instate tuition to residents who are not u.s. citizens. >> because a petition drive by opponents -- a plan was successful in getting the issue placed on the ballot on a statewide referendum. gary nurenberg has more. >> it has been a fight all year, the legislation passing and the governor signing a bill allowing instate tuition for students who are not united states citizens. >> no one is getting a free

ride. no one is getting free tuition. you have to show that you've been paying taxes, you have to show you live in maryland. you have to show you want to become a u.s. citizen, that you're committed to the united states. >> reporter: the legislation was meant to become law july 1st but a successful petition drive puts it on hold until a statewide referendum next year. >> it should be an issue that shouldn't be rammed through the legislature by three votes. it should be something that the taxpayers and the citizens are allowed to have a say in maryland about. >> she sees it as an issue -- >> we will be subsidizing the college tuition for someone who has no legal presence in the united states while there are 25 to 26,000 students that are put on the wait list or told there's no room at the inn at the university of maryland. they can't get in. but we're going to allow illegal aliens to come in and foot the bill for that. >> proponents describe the beneficiaries differently. >> this is about the kids who live in our neighborhoods, who

go to church with us who have ties to maryland who are marylanders and who are paying taxes. >> reporter: the declaration thursday that the issue will be on the ballot next year means a 15-month campaign for and against that will likely not be genteal. >> the other side is going to come in and see outside money. >> in a campaign that has already begun. gary nurenberg, 9news now. a kentucky-based tobacco company is taking aim at a d.c. law which makes it tougher for kids to get the tobacco rolling papers which are used to smoke marijuana. >> the national tobacco company plans to ask a federal judge to stop the city from enforcing that law. the company says it is vague and unconstitutional. d.c. leaders say the paper has no legitimate use other than to smoke marijuana. >> metro traffic gave us a peek into its future. it unveiled its new serious of rail cars. the plot covered chairs will be replaced by viable ones.

there will be vertical grip poles at each seat. the worn out carpet is gone and resilient nonslip carpet is in. the trains feature clear privacy shields at priority seats. metro is also considering renaming its stations. if metro customers have their way, several names will be shortened. riders say station names such as the u street african- american civil war memorial cardoza station and the vienna fairfax gmu stop are way too long. changes are expected in 2012 with the realignment of the blue and yellow lines and the extension to dulles airport after that. >> 4:50. it is time to take a look at the question of the morning. >> i'm going to ask my wife to take that survey. >> what did most women say was the most annoying thing about their husbands? a, they watch too much sports. b, they leave their underwear on the floor or c, they played too many video games. what do you think it is? add your answer to our facebook

page, we'll read your comments and we'll reveal the answer coming up in a little while. ♪ [ woman ] sam begged and pleaded... so i sent him to camp. we'd earned lots of points with our new citi thankyou card... and i put them to good use. he told me about his bunkmates, and how he signs up for every activity. ♪ he even hangs out with the camp director.

just like that. [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. hi. looking good! you've lost some weight. thanks! you noticed! you know these clothes are too big now,

so i'm donating them. not going back there again. good for you! how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. whole grain? whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't... multigrain cheerios has five whole grains and 110 lightly sweetened calories per serving... more grains. less you! multigrain cheerios. good morning. time now, 4:53 on your friday morning. we've got some big storms brewing for today. here's a look at your day planner. by noon, scattered showers and storms are possible.

temperatures around 84 degrees. 5:00, mid-80s. yes, we'll definitely be seeing storms and showers this afternoon and early evening hours. our flood advisory, we have a flood watch in effect for flash flooding. this is for the entire d.c. metro area. it starts at noon and goes until late tonight. highs today, not that hot around mid-80s for d.c. because of the mostly cloudy conditions expected. 80 in martinsburg. 84 degrees in frederick. here is a look at your seven- day forecast. so, stormy conditions today. the critical period, 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. you can go home early from work to beat that, i would do that. saturday morning, a chance for some morning showers. otherwise becoming partly cloudy. highs in the upper 80s. sunday, lower 90s then on monday, another system comes on through bringing more showers and storms. we're heating up near mid-90s. here is angie with your traffic. good morning. >> good morning. right now, we're taking a look at outbound new york avenue. it is close at bladensburg road

due to police activity. and drivers are being forced on to bladensburg road. still ahead, we'll have the very latest details on this and a look around the region coming up at 5:01. now back to you. thank you, angie. nfl and baltimore colts fans are mourning the loss of a man described as the best tight end in nfl history. >> john mackie died at the age of 69. he was a five-time pro bowler and caught the winning pass from johnny in super bowl five. he was president of the player's union and an advocate for retired player benefits. hollywood is eagerly anticipating the arrival of prince william and his wife, kate. the duke and duchess of cambridge will arrive in los angeles this afternoon. they'll spend time promoting british film making and british businesses while they're there. saturday night, they're expected to mix with some hollywood elite types when they attend a black-tie bash with the british academy of film and television arts.

more than 150 d.c. high school students will get a firsthand look at the final shuttle launch. they left national airport yesterday morning for a flight to florida. >> the students are winners of a nasa contest, created specifically for d.c. public and charter high schools. many of them, this is the biggest trip of their young lives. >> i think the farthest place i've been is maybe new york. >> i've never been to nasa and i've never seen a shuttle launch live. so, it is going to be a great experience. >> nasa's involvement with the d.c. school system will not end with the conclusion of the shuttle program. they'll continue to hold interactive activities like certain days at the national air and space museum to keep them involved. >> today's launch and nasa's mission will bring to a close nasa's 30-year space shuttle program. >> 9news now kristin fisher is in florida at cape canaveral for this historic event. and for kristin, today's launch

is also going to mark the end of a family connection to the shuttle program. >> kristin, you're going to go bye-bye on a jet! >> it shouldn't be too surprising that my very first word was jet. then came -- >> for christmas, at just 17 months old, i got a toy airport set from santa. >> it is an airport. >> for halloween, i didn't stand a chance. i was going to be an astronaut whether i liked it or not. [baby crying] >> my parent torturers, the first astronaut couple and they couldn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to wear a space suit. >> by golly, kid, you're going to be an astronaut. >> my dad applied to be an astronaut when he was just 12 years old. this is the rejection letter which nearly 30 years later he flew in space. but it was my mom who got the

first flight. >> three weeks and counting. >> she was about to become the first mother in space. >> mommy is going to go on the space shuttle. this is our last night home. i love you more than anything in the whole world. >> welcome to our preflight crew press conference. >> november 1984, it was the golden age of the shuttle program. challenger, the first shuttle disaster was still two years away but my parents knew the risk. that's why they made these movies, if they didn't come back, at least i would have this. >> say mommy, have a good launch. >> kristin is so excited, isn't she? >> she's really up for it. >> three, two, one and liftoff! liftoff of "discovery." >> it was the first and only shuttle flight toward satellites. once mission accomplished, the crew got a call from president

ronald reagan. >> i couldn't help but wonder if you would recommend a career as an astronaut to your daughter, kristin. >> that i would, mr. president. the experience is just everything i expected and even more, seeing the world below us, it makes you realize just how we're all part of this world. it is a truly incredible experience. i'm going to recommend it to her highly. >> sorry, i'm a little choked up right now. that was kristin fisher reporting about her mommy and daddy who are going to be there, too. you can watch the shuttle launch at 11:26 weather permitting. and coming up in our 6:00 hour, kristin will join us live for a preview. pretty cool. >> it is definitely a treat to having her -- we had her mom here on air talking about the landing on the moon. thank you for watching us. 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. anny hong is in for howard. sh