lied? >> i don't know if they did or didn't and quite frankly that's not a big concern of mine. my client and i are obviously concerned that they suffered through this but that was not our choice. >> reporter: prosecutors say burke continued to touch the children even after being warned twice by her principal not to. but the defense says the school staffers who testified, burke was untruthful, never witnessed any of these alleged assaults. though the attorney is not ruling out the possibility that something went wrong in that classroom. >> as far as mrs. burke is concerned she did all the right things. she is a human being like everybody else and people make mistakes. >> reporter: burke's attorney says she has no interest in returning to the montgomery county school system. meanwhile she is not out of the woods yet. burke has a second trial and two felony counts of child abuse. in rockville, 9news now. >> the verdict is in.

what do you think about it? what does it mean when you try to prosecute someone with only the word of small children. we want to hear from you. send your comments to the mail bag. or join the conversation already ongoing on our wusa 9 facebook page. >> so today i can report that as promised the rest of our troops in iraq will come home by the end of the year. after nearly nine years america's war in iraq will be over. >> the president's address lasted about seven minutes and that's all the time he needed to announce the pending end of the nearly 9-year-old war in iraq. now it means that about 39,000 troops will leave iraq by the end of december. danielle nottingham is at the white house. >> reporter: president obama declaring an end to the war in iraq. >> our troops in iraq will definitely be home for the

holidays. >> reporter: the president said all u.s. forces will be on their way home by the end of this year. his announcement came after a secure video conference with the prime minister. the two leaders congratulated each other and promised to move forward as allies. >> our diplomats and civilian diplomats will help. >> reporter: spending months leaving several thousand troops as a training force. a deal breaker for the obama administration. the nearly 40,000 u.s. troops in iraq right now will come home or be redeployed. only a small group of marines will say on to secure the u.s. embassy in baghdad. >> reporter: top administration advisors are confident iraq is ready to stand on its own.

>> iraq is emerging as a secure, stable and self-reliant country. >> reporter: to date more than 4,400 u.s. service members have died fighting in iraq. more than 30,000 others have been injured. the war has cost the u.s. more than $800 billion. danielle nottingham, cbs news, the white house. >> so then what's your reaction to the president's big announcement? do you think he ought to get political credit for ending the war as he said he would do or with the economy the way it is do you care so much about that? out of that people that died there more than 4000 troops killed the greater washington area has paid a high price in iraq. more than 200 families have sacrificed a loved one on iraqi soil. scott broom spoke with people today for measure of the local reaction. >> reporter: they use terms in war, today it was most of the blood people were thinking

about after the president's announcement. >> reporter: there have been a lot of funerals like this one in our region in the last nine years. >> i don't think we should be fighting wars in other countries. >> reporter: the visitors were in a particularly reflective names. >> you look at the names it is so sobering to see that. you hate to see how many people will be added to that. i would love to see it snowboard i had a. >> i'm shocked. i didn't expect that. >> people want their brothers, sons to come home. it is about time. we have been there ten years now? >> reporter: the cost in the regions, five killed from washington, 77 dead from maryland and 134 lives claimed on iraqi soil from virginia. of course, lots of americans and people from our region are till in iraq.

everyone hopeful that there are no additional casualties before everyone is out by the end of the year. in washington, scott broom, 9news now. >> leaders of the transitional government in libya not banning moammar gadhafi. the human rights office is calling for an investigation into just what happened during the dictator's final moments. one day after his death nato officials say they did not know that gadaffi was riding in that group of vehicles they had targeted. hillary clinton delivered a pledge to help the government. >> i want to underscore the commitment of the united states to supporting the libyan people as a friend and partner as they embark on this new democratic path. >> as residents of tripoli consider to celebrate the death of gadaffi nato will recommend

an end to the alliance in libya. the '01 anthrax attack is. it has been a long 10 years. former and current postal employees paid tribute to two of the men killed by exposure to anthrax. moremorris' widow talking about it. >> i get a joy listening to him. he loves life. his quality of life has changed but he still has life and as i say he is one of the survivors. >> joseph kristin jr. was honored as well. switching gears now. a commuter alert for you.

a reminder for bridge work that could mean delays for drivers overnight in virginia. part of the metro line being built out to dulles airport. the interchange scheduled for tonight from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. three right lanes of southbound 495 will be closed from old dominion drive down to 123. we have got a commuter alert for metrorail riders. expect delays of up to half an hour on the red, blue lines. there will be the shuttle buses provided. on the blue line trains will be single tracking it between stadium armory. time now for a quick check of our forecast. topper, we know that today was nice but can tomorrow follow up? >> i think it can. in fact, looking at really a nice cool, crisp evening and

very nice cool evenings. temperatures. if you're headed out you need a jacket. 56 downtown. low 50s in the burbs. high school football if you haven't left yet. bring a sweatshirt. temperatures are going to be 55. 52 by 8 p.m. barely hanging on to 50 by 11. for tonight then, we are in pretty good shape. chilly. lows in the 40s. winds northwest at 10. we had come back and let you know if we can make it three in a row. >> thank you, topper. the jury selection in the lululemon murder trial is about to get started and before the questioning begins 9news now learns more about the suspect from one of her closest friends. we will have that coming up. first a warning for some folks that live in prince george's county. a sex assault suspect out on the loose and he is very dangerous. the details are up next.

in prince george's county police are looking for a teenager that they say sexually assaulted a young girl yesterday afternoon. >> as i got to the speed bump

right here i started hearing screams decrease. i noticed it was a hill girl saying stop, get off me. i don't want to do this. i told you don't touch me. >> he says he saw both the victim and her assail ant. police describe the suspect as a black teenager between the ages of 14 and 16, 5'5" inches tall wearing jeans and a grey hood. police in alexandria investigating their first murder of the year. they found a man shot to death lying along wythe street last night. medics rushed him to the hospital and he later died. they are asking anybody who may have seen anything to come forward. an intruder accused of hiding in a woman's bathroom at a local college has been arrested tonight. frederick county police say justin morgan illegally entered a hood college dorm yesterday

then went into the woman's room. he was found hiding in a shower stall. up next, inside the life of brittany norwood, the suspect in the lululemon murder trial. hear from one of her closest friends.

>> 9news now is sponsored in part by michael & son. if you can't, we can. the murder trial of brittany norwood starts on monday in montgomery county and like most trials begins with

picking a jury. norwood accused of beating to death jayna murray over what may have been a confrontation over stolen yoga clothing. here is some interesting information on norwood. >> she was really good at soccer. so really strong. she was very tough. very strong. very good in the weight room. >> reporter: brittany norwood was a soccer standout at stonybrook university in new york. >> she is very small but very strong. >> aggressive? >> yes. yes. >> temper? >> it is hard to say. she was always calm. >> reporter: fellow player megan healy bonded with norwood when their team traveled to europe for two weeks of preseason play. >> she was as nice as they come. really friendly.

>> reporter: but older players on the team issued a warning. >> you might want to watch out for her. keep an eye on your stuff. what are you talking about? what does that mean? and they were like she has a history of stealing stuff. >> reporter: even on the flight from europe a teammate accused norwood of trying to steal her purse from under an airline seat. >> one of the girls that was a sophomore said, oh, my god, and everyone is like what? and she was like, she just tried to take my purse. and brittany stood up and said you are crazy. she would steal money and clothing, clothing a big thing. >> reporter: they didn't know what to think. >> you start to think maybe i shouldn't give this person the benefit of the doubt any more. >> reporter: court records uncovered by 9 news reveal norwood may have struggled financially. new york state filed a civil suit after she was so far in

default on her student loans she owed nearly $20,000. andrea mccarren, 9news now. montgomery county is getting a new hospital. a six-story hospital on the campus of montgomery college. construction will get going later this year. hospital expected to open in mid-2014. the debate is over at the university of maryland over helmets for those who ride those little scooters. the university senate has voted in favor of a campus-wide helmet policy for drivers of motorized scooters. opponents say it infringes on personal rights but others say student safety far outweighs that right. the annual make a difference day and it is the largest national day dedicated to helping others and sponsored by the parent company of wusa,

gannett. lindsey mastis will take us to one school that will reap the benefits of all that goodwill. >> a lot of helpers. >> reporter: the kids love their school but they say it needs a makeover. >> it is really getting old. >> some students in our schools peel off the paint so we need our walls painted again. >> reporter: volunteers from hands on greater d.c. care today dropped off supplies for national make a difference day. the volunteers will spend their day painting the hallways in the classroom creating murals and organizing the library. outside they will work on landscaping. the students are excited but they also have some ideas of their own. >> if we could have lunch in our classroom that would be great. i just want to spend more time with my teachers. we need more windows. air-conditioning. >> reporter: many of the volunteers are from gannett, wusa 9's parent company and

people from across the country are expected to participate as well. >> this day was started in 1992 and we have been helping hundreds of millions of people through make the difference efforts over the years. >> reporter: this time it is their turn. >> i appreciate what they are going to do for our school. thank you to all the people that are volunteering and making the school a better place. >> reporter: in southeast washington i'm lindsey mastis, 9news now. >> and that's just one of the places you can donate your time. to learn more about volunteering in your neighborhood for make a difference day go to our website. wusa9.com. we have got all the information you need so you can get out there and meet the folks who live around you. it is going to be really nice. cool but not too hot. a bill chilly at night. >> and not raining? >> and not raining. that's the key. after our first week in october we have been treated now. let's start with the fall colors. if you want to go out to

skyline drive, hagerstown and winchester winchester colors have piqued. temperatures cool. 53 in bethesda. nothing crazy cool about that's temps. 55 in college park. we are looking at mid-50s in great falls, sterling, 54 also out toward leesburg. so, yes, three in a row. crisp for high school football tonight. a chilly start tomorrow. early golf game tomorrow it will be chilly. cool but nice for the rest of the day. we get a break on sunday. a little bit milder on sunday. so for tonight partly cloudy and chilly again. low temps in the 40s. winds out of the northwest at 10. so even downtown by tomorrow morning, 6 a.m., 7 a.m. temps will be in the upper 40s.

42 tonight in rockville. 43 bowie. even down in charles county. 45 in waldorf out to the west. 43 in reston and fairfax and sterling and herndon. tomorrow morning mostly sunny and chilly. temperatures in the 40s and 50s. winds still in check out of the northwest at about 10 and by afternoon mostly sunny and calbut nice. high temps around 60. winds out of the northwest at 10. our average high is about 67. a little bit below average but not crazy cool. you go out across the divide tomorrow it is kind of crazy cool. 44. that's it. 54 in cumberland. low 60s in culpeper but warrenton and manassas and leesburg you will struggle to get to 60 but i think you will make it. 61 in gaithersburg. 61 by the bay. not enough wind for a small craft advisory. actually a nice weekend to be on the water. all right, here we go. 40s the start for your day

planner. 55 to 60 by noon and 58 to 63 by evening. a pretty sweet day. the next three days again milder on sunday. 65 sunshine almost 70 on monday. next seven days. well, we will crank it up to 75 tuesday before a cold front rolls through here. showers and thunderstorms possible as we get into wednesday and thursday and then a little temperature correction as we like to say, derek. >> 59 on friday. >> when you say 40s tomorrow night, is that 42 or 48? or tonight i should say? >> in gaithersburg 41 or 2. >> let's get to the weird news tonight. desperately seeking susan or karen or linda. boys night out can be a lot more interesting when you get texts from your girlfriend.

you can hook up with a fake gal pal. you have to sign up at fakegirlfriend.com. >> mostly it is about avoiding feeling ashamed you are not with somebody. i remember as a teenager making up about a story from summer camp because my friend was with somebody, i was feeling left out. >> but, dude, that was high school. let's be real about that. right now there is no fake boyfriend site but the developer does say he is working on it. >> look, you've got a text.

monday morning on 9news now a local company tells us which jobs are available and how you can get hired. new hope for young women with breast cancer. they may be able to save their breast. all that and more starting. >> that's it for tonight. "e.t." is up with the newest entertainment stories.

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. hollywood's older women with younger men. >> i am cher after all. >> cher's boys club. val kilmer, tom cruise. >> i loved him. he was amazing. >> plus, halle berry. >> something so wonderful found me. >> and the ugly custody fight. >> mariah carey and nick cannon. >> this is my best friend. i'm very -- >> soul mates. madonna's string of boy toys. >> we understand each other. >> which may-december romances stood the test of time? and which fizzled out? we're counting down the top five. now, in depth on the biggest entertainment stories from around the world.