another day of rivetting testimony in the brittany norwood trial. now in day number 4 at the montgomery county circuit court. >> first-degree murder charges in the death of jayna murray and staging an elaborate coverup. andrea mccarren is joining us live with more. the details just coming out through twitter have been captivating. >> reporter: lesli and derek, the courtroom absolutely fell silent as the jury listened to an audiotape of brittany norwood's first interview at suburban hospital. she told a story of two men that sexually assaulted her and murray. in a quiet voice, muffled by snivels, norwood asked the detective about jayna murray. can you tell me how my friend

is doing, she asks? her interview soon after she was brought to suburban hospital was vivid, violent. she said her attacker told me if he heard another word he would slit my throat. as far as murray, he drug her by the hair and repeatedly hitting her and she was screaming and i couldn't do anything. she also raised a racial almost saying the two masked attackers sounded white and the man assaulted her repeatedly used racial slurs. the jury also saw photographs of norwood soon after her hospital arrival. a 1 to 2-inch cut on her hand and minor scratches on her abdomen and thighs. black stretch pants with the crotch cut out and slashes on the legs. also, a pair of socks saturated in blood. now, something extraordinary happened just outside the courtroom this afternoon.

brittany norwood's two sisters approached jayna murray's mother phyllis, touched her on the arm, looked her in the eye and said we are so sorry. this day has been filled with extraordinary moments. our legal analyst is here with something else that just happened in the courtroom. >> the judge showed a videotape of the scene. there was so much blood like a horror movie. blood all over the show and finally it showed the body of jayna murray. the courtroom was hushed. one of the spectators ran out sobbing. even our state's attorney had tears in his eyes and the defendant just turned away, cold, no reaction. >> jim, thank you so much for your time. we will see you again at 6 p.m. tonight. lesli, derek, we will have the latest from the courtroom coming up at 6 p.m. for now live from rockville, andrea mccarren. >> it has to be an emotional thing to be in that courtroom. >> we thought day 1 was tough

to hear. >> absolutely. >> andrea has been publishing and updating the latest from the trial on our website. log on to our website wusa9.com. anita? power outages dangerously crowded platforms. metro struggling with all kinds of problems these days. bruce leshan is live at the bethesda metro station. any good news for us? >> reporter: there is. all three of the escalators here at bethesda are working right now. and there is more. metro is now promising to work harder to get the word out to people when there is trouble on the line. >> reporter: metro admitting now it could have done a better job earlier this month when passengers were ordered off at rosslyn onto a platform so jammed with riders trying to escape up stopped escalators some feared they would be pushed back into a moving train. >> you were almost pushed up against the moving train when

it was going to leave. >> we could have left it on the platform with the doors closed. >> reporter: but the general manager says metro was trying to rescue a man up the tracks who had jumped in front of a train. >> this was indicative of a two-hour shut down of the railroad. >> reporter: a two-week review concludes metro really needs to do more to get the word out. >> we should be telling more people stay off the system. it is going to be a two-hour delay. you're not going to get home any sooner. >> i'm trying to get home. anybody going to stafford? >> reporter: the escalators shut down because they were overloaded with people. >> yeah, no [ bleep ] quote me. >> reporter: the bethesda escalators often shut down and make people's blood boil because the escalators are ancient. >> it is crazy. >> reporter: metro saying they will replace them at bethesda but it will be at least another year. >> as a group the board is very

concerned about bethesda. >> reporter: so metro is really encouraging people to go to its website and sign up for these metrorail e alerts. they will send them to your e- mail, to your phone, directly to your phone so you can get word before you go down into a system that is completely jammed up. if you're already in there, well, at least you'll know what's federal government on. anita? >> sounds like a good idea to at least get those alerts and possibly avoid frustration. thank you. we know the rails can be problematic. a lot of talk about the roads and gridlock in washington, specifically about the phenomenon known as blocking the box. matt jablow is joining us live from northwest d.c. matt. >> reporter: nobody knows what to do about it and nobody likes it. today that's exactly what they were talking about today in this traffic filled town. drivers in washington are in

complete agreement. gridlock here is a major problem. >> it is terrible. >> reporter: but what to do about it is still very much up for debate. today the debate was as loud as rush hour traffic. after the city reported that 1500 tickets for failing to clear an intersection. >> the traffic cannot move because everybody is stopping in the middle. >> reporter: more commonly known as blocking the box were written in the fiscal year just ended. a 50% increase over a year. the city made $155,000 last year from gridlock. >> it can be one of the most ridiculous tickets in the whole country. >> reporter: aaa mid-atlantic says many of the drivers ticketed have no way to avoid locking the box is simply not the right way to solve d.c.'s gridlock problem. >> too many cars. too many people. and not enough officers

patrolling and controlling the intersections. >> reporter: drivers we spoke to, even those who admitted to occasionally blocking the box themselves completely disagree. >> do i have a problem here. >> reporter: saying gridlock tickets have to be part of the solution. if d.c.'s traffic problem is ever to be solved. do you think people should get tickets for blocking the box? >> of course. i have no doubt about it. it is a good ticket. >> reporter: another possible part of the solution gridlock cameras that would automatically generate tickets. the city has been talking about them for years but so far no signs they will be installed anytime soon. derek? >> another possible solution. wait until the intersection is clear before you drive in. that's just me. thank you, matt. >> all right. stocks surged today on wall street. the dow finished the day up 340 points to close at 12,209. the nasdaq climbed 88 points and the s&p 500 jumped 42

points. and part of the reason why the markets responded that way is because european union leaders agree to slash greece's debt and they offered a plan to keep the region's debt crisis from spreading around the world. alexis christophorus reports from the new york stock exchange. >> reporter: well, lesli, the do you, s&p and nazdaq have all turned positive for the year and the dow is on track for its best october since 1987. banks led today's advance. the buying spree was sparked after news of a unified deal from european leaders 245 will attempt to tackle their debt crisis and prevent it from spreading to other countries. the news out of europe was exactly what wall street was waiting for. stocks surge with the dow closing more than 300 points higher after leaders of 17 nations agreed on a plan to rescue debt laiden greece and strengthen the finances of other european countries. >> that leaves the investors feeling things are moving in

the right direction. >> reporter: the announcement came after more than eight years of negotiations in brussels. the european union will double its rescue fund to help countries alt risk of default like spain and italy. >> in taking today's decisions we lay the foundations for our future. all members of the euro summit are determined to have this pass. >> reporter: it is the unified front coming out of europe. the news at wall street came as a relieve. >> once everybody gets together on the same side of the table looks as that as a very positive effect and positive motion on our market. >> reporter: president obama says the agreement is an important first step. >> the key now is to make sure it is implemented fully and decisively and i have great confidence in the european leadership to make that happen. >> reporter: e.u.

leaders must still finalize details of the deal they expect to finish by the 1st of december. while european leaders are hoping cash rich countries like china can contribute to europe's rescue. i'm alexis christophorus at the new york stock exchange. lesli, back to you. >> european leaders are hoping that cash rich countries like kline can contribute to europe's rescue. students at howard university will join wall street protestors. the demonstrators took to the streets last night marching at wilson building and removed the d.c. flag. meantime, police in oakland, california, are backing down a bid in an effort to avoid another violent confrontation with ante wall street protestors there. officers pulled down barricades near city hall and police will

now allow nightly demonstrations in an oakland plaza until 10 p.m. the city's police chief is promising a vigorous investigation into the serious injury of an iraq war veteran during this week's crackdown on the protests. no sign of the missing autistic boy. coming up more on the search for little robby jr. >> i'm kristin fisher inside the studios at 106.7 the fan where a car came crashing through their windows earlier this morning. what happened? i'll explain coming up. [ screaming ]

[ zapping ]

there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. sky 9 out over a lot of shattered glass this morning. take a look at this. fairfax studio of radio station 106.7 the fan. seems a car had a little problem this morning as in it crashed through their front window right during the sports

junkies morning radio show. would be like somebody crashing into our newsroom in the middle of the newscast right now. kristin fisher stopped by the studio to check in with the sports junkies after their early morning scare. >> 3 to 5 seconds. one of the loudest bangs you have ever heard. >> reporter: that bang was a car in the middle of the morning show. two hours later the junkies were interrupted by me trying to get an interview. >> kristin is here. >> she is with four american heros. >> this happened early in the morning. what did you all think happened when you heard it? >> lightning. >> but then the building started shaking and frankly i thought we were having another earthquake. >> reporter: it was a honda civic. the driver was a 59-year-old man who lived across the street. he told city of fairfax police that he had swerved to avoid a pedestrian. >> what do you think happened? >> i believe he fell asleep at the wheel because if you actually look at the tire tracks they go straight into

the building. >> i believe it is a disgruntled listener that didn't get his prize on time and is he trying to make a statement driving through the building. >> reporter: this is bad but it could have been so much worse. normally there is a producer or intern sitting in this chair. check this out. this is a table where normally they keep all of their food in the morning. just imagine if somebody had been standing there. >> seriously injured or possibly killed. that car possibly hit at between 30, 35 miles an hour. >> reporter: or as one of the sports junkies put on twitter "i can't believe anybody is dead." >> by the way, police say alcohol not a factor here but the driver has been charged with "failing to maintain proper control in an accident." lesli? still no sign of a missing autistic boy in hanover county, virginia and the sheriff is

saying they need more people to find him. the 5-year-old boy disappeared on sunday on a walk with relatives. volunteers can expect a grueling search prepared to hike through dense woods. on sunday blood hounds picked up the scent of the boy but it ended at the north anna river. kansas city expanded the search for baby lisa irvin. meanwhile, the baby's two older half brothers are being prepared for another interview about the case. the interview with the boys is planned for tomorrow and they are expected to be asked about what they heard when their sister went missing. that by the way was more than three weeks ago. columbus zoo officials are refusing to allow an ohio woman to reclaim six exotic animals that were set loose by her husband. the zoo has been carrying for the three leopards, two primates and a bear ever since her husband freed dozens of

animals at their farm. he then killed himself. zoo officials admit they have got no legal right to the animal but they vowed to keep them away from the woman who wants them. rescuers in turkey pulled a man out of the rubble alive. one bit of good news in an otherwise grim situation. 535 now confirmed dead. a teenager is the latest person who was rescued. rain and snow are contributing to the misery in eastern turkey and what is more a new smaller quake in a neighboring province sent people rushing out of buildings in panic again today and some people were slightly injured in that episode. cleanup underway in denver. several cars crushed in downtown denver by falling tree limbs. more than a foot of snow accumulated in some areas with higher amounts in the southern and western suburbs. the snow didn't keep members of occupy denver off the streets

though. about 30 protestors bundled up and braved the cold. some say they were trying to put up some tents but police made them take those downs. so, topper, does that mean there's going to be a lot more snow this winter? is that the word you would like to use? >> a good winter. that's what we call a good winter. >> exactly, yeah. >> well, we are actually going to have our winter outlook in a little bit. we are kind of running that up right now. >> fine tuning it? >> if you're a snow lover doesn't look great. i'll just say that. >> really? >> even though we have got the early thing happening. >> not out there. here. >> at least a few people are happy. >> we have got showers pushing into the metro area. out in rockville. and once this rolls through, the colder air is going to move in. so we are looking at cold air is going to rush in. not many showers left but just a few. all right, let's talk about temps because they are still pretty mild ahead of the front. can't really complain about 60s. 61 in bethesda.

62 in arlington. 61 right now in rockville. we rust saw the live shot. looking at low 60s out to the west. sterling 63. leesburg is 63 as well. all right. here's the deal. peculiaring more like winter really. clearing and colder overnight. frost possible well north and west. chilly on friday. you will need a jacket. first makes of the season on saturday not out of the question north and west of town. we do have a frost advisory for frederick county, carroll county and all the candles in the pan handle. even downtown if you have something outside you want to keep all winter i'd bring it in because even downtown we are talking low 40s. clearing and colder. breezy early. frost advisory north. 34 to about 44. winds will calm town after midnight, become north westerly at 10. gaithersburg in the mid to upper 30s as will rockville. low 40s downtown essentially.

even 44 in arlington and 44 in springfield but upper 30s in college park and bowie. down to the south 42 in waldorf. upper 30s in reston, fairfax, mid-30s leesburg and manassas. 30s and 40s. winds northwesterly at 10. by afternoon partly sunny. high clouds tomorrow ahead of the storm system and high temperatures only near 55. winds turn more north easterly at about 10. so here is your day planner. 34 to 44 to start. 48 to 53 with sunshine by noon but then fading sunshine in the afternoon. temperatures only 51 to about 55. all right. next seven days. we have had the rain on saturday all week. i will put a flake in there. it is going to be cold. 44 for a high. we are still salvaging a nice sunday though. sunshine and 54. upper 50s for hallowe'en. clouds will come in monday night. i think it will stay dry for

the trick-or-treaters. next chance for showers will be into thursday. it is thursday by the way. nice fall pictures. we got some. this is up on skyline drive on the 11th. just about perfect i think. very nice competition. larry patterson a very nice job from madison, wisconsin. go to our website and include your name, location and description. >> how that road kind of winds through that. >> rocks and colors. >> gorgeous stuff. parents in one local school system complaining too many preservatives in their food's school. their call for healthier lunches. but up next details of one of the largest penalties leveled against toy maker by the federal government. ñññ

a recall to tell you about. pretty important. general motors is recalling 34,000 new chevy and gmc

crossover suvs. the car maker says the tire pressure monitor in its 2012 equinox and terrain vehicles doesn't work. the warning light does not come on until your tire pressure is more than 25% below the recommended amount. this could cause a tire to overheat, blowout, leading to a potential crash. this box right here. they are in some big trouble with the government. spin master, the company behind the toy, is going to pay 1.3 million, the third largest penalty ever for a toy maker to the government and here's why. the ctsc says spin master kept selling these dots back in 2007 even after children kept getting sick from the colorful beads. a chemical in the beads converts to the date rape drug ghb when ingested. it is alleged that spin master never reported complaints about the product. now, the company says they have done nothing wrong but they have paid the fine to settle

the case. at least two children fell into comas after they swallowed the beads. nuts being recalled. 5000 pounds of turkish pines. the nuts were sold in bulk in states along the east coast including maryland. salmonella poisoning the issue. other pine nuts sold at wegmans are not affected. well, talk about a house party. >> or maybe a party hours. as the creation of a verizon fiberoptics technician in california. his name is kevin. he takes a week off every year to program and then install 5000 led lights on his crib. and there is a new song every year. years ago it was "thriller." something else this year.

you might expect a repeat show come christmas. kevin says no thanks, folks. an apple orchard. the latest couple that had to call 911 because they got lost enjoying a fall favorite. are your children being served overly processed foods in their school? i'm peggy fox. i will tell what you some fairfax county parents want to change. ignoring a cry for help. a surprising turn in the lululemon murder trial has some asking why do some people fail to act when life may be on the line?

we are going to take a moment now to look more carefully at some of the testimony that has come out during the ongoing lululemon murder trial in rockville. and we were all stunned to learn that witnesses in a neighboring store actually heard the brutal attack in progress but apparently ignored the cries for help. our scott broom joins us now to talk about a phenomenon that is pretty well known and documented called the bystander effect. >> reporter: it has been around since a famous murder and rape that happened back in 1964 in new york. it sparked dozens of psychological studies over the years. and if you're wondering how someone could simply ignore clear signs of trouble you

might be surprised to learn that the human brain is hardwired to do just that. march 11th in bethesda the shocking murder of lululemon jayna murray and now that the murder trial is underway we heard about the violence of the fight that included a hammer and wrench as weapons. screaming. it may have gone on half hour expert witnesses say. and we also learned that witnesses in the neighboring apple store reported hearing screaming and noise on the other side of the partition wall but never lifted a finger to find out what was going on. >> people are afraid to get involved. >> reporter: it leaves people in bethesda asking why? >> i can't really understand that. i think at least they should have had the police come. they might have saved her life. >> it is avoidance. >> reporter: a washington psychiatrist says it is because humans are hardwired to remain bystanders. a part of the brain we share

with lesser animals like rabbits. >> in many ways it repeats animal behavior that most animals when they see danger they stay away from it. the human beings who were listening to the noises were not in the state of mind of risk taking. they said to hell with it, you know. >> reporter: among the most famous cases the rape and murder in queens new york, 1964. it was witnessed by dozens who all looked the other way. and on the other side of the world just weeks ago a surveillance video caught images of a 2-year-old being struck by a truck and more than 17 passersby ignoring the dying child in the road. but there are plenty of examples in the opposite behavior. last month cooperating to rescue a injured motorcyclist from under a burning car. >> i call 911. >> reporter: it is what most of us want to think we do. >> i think a majority of folks

in this town do. >> reporter: but the doctor says you just don't know until you're put in the situation and of course you can't predict when that will happen and you will undoubtedly if you're in the situation have to suppress the hardwired desire because we are hardwired not to get involved. >> it is interesting. because you think that you would just try to help your neighbor. >> that's the key. because you have the time to think. when it happens you revert to that animal brain. >> you just never know. scott broom, interesting findings. thank you for that. jurors in the trial of michael jackson's former doctor are hearing from an addiction expert today. a doctor testified he has treated many celebrities with substance abuse problems and insomnia is one of the symptoms of withdrawal. dr. conrad murray prescribed a powerful anaesthetic propofol

to help jackson sleep. waldman examined medical records from a dermatologist that was treating jackson with injections of demerol. >> 200 milligrams over 30 minutes is a large dose. >> look at benzo diazapines. >> dr. murray is not listed as a defense witness but the judge reminded him he does have the right if he wishes to take the stand. well, a woodridge man now behind bars accused of placing a video camera in a shower stall for women. he was arrested on tuesday after a woman discovered the camera at the healing hearts counselling center. rodriguez was a custodian at that facility. a pledge today to say no to bullying. >> i pledge -- >> i pledge -- >> to take a stand --

>> to take a stand -- >> against bullying. >> and cyber bullying. >> you hear them. dozens of students came together in temple hill to take the antibullying pledge. the event was sponsored by the prince george's county school system and wkys radio station. it is bully prevention month. what are your kids eating at school? plastic bags that are microwaved? two fairfax county moms are trying to change that. peggy fox is mere to explain. the plastic bags in the microwaves. >> reporter: here is another one, anita. these two moms say a mcdonald's hamburger is actually healthier

than the hamburgers they are serving in the fairfax county schools. mcdonald's ingredients have ground beef, salt and pepper. in a fairfax county schools there are 24 ingredients. >> it is a sad day when i would rather my child eat at mcdonald's than eat at the school cafeteria. >> reporter: joshlyn and joanne are making a push to get fresher foods in fairfax county schools. salad bars. they want to get rid of the processed food. they started a website called realfoodforrealkids. >> if i can't pronounce the ingredients. we had a nutritionist go through the list and literally had to look up everything just to verify and say what is this.

>> reporter: the two women would like it to be made with just beef, salt and pepper like a mcdonald's better -- burger but better. >> they just have warming ovens now so everything comes frozen. >> reporter: to the criticism that all the cooking and fresh foods would be too costly the women point to other school districts that are doing it. here in d.c. they have made huge changes. they renovated kitchens, brought in stoves again. retrained cafeteria workers so that they are actually cooking the meals again. >> reporter: the d.c. school website lists the 13 farms in virginia, maryland, pennsylvania and new jersey where all their fresh vegetables come from. >> if you're just checking a box and saying i want spinach versus actually going out there, finding a farm that sells the spinach that tastes good, you know the transportation time is not going to take two weeks to actually get it to your schools. it makes a difference in how it tastes. if it tastes good then the kids

are more likely to eat it. >> fairfax county says they do put a lot of time into nutritional foods that they serve and they try to make sure it is food that kids like. they have taste testing. i have gone to one of them. my kids like the spaghetti and other things they serve. but the school system also says they are listening to these parent groups and they are open to change. so we will see. >> you actually have an example of change in d.c. >> exactly. you know what it is like when you're a guy. you don't really like to ask for directions, right? maybe sometimes you should because one husband and wife actually had to do that because they lost their bearings in an apple orchard. also, how some very special surgical techniques can make lives easier and continue longer in breast cancer patients. don't forget, we are always on for you at wusa9.com. stay with us. we will be right back.

under the influence, over the speed limit and nearly nude. okay, police in ohio say they stopped a car following a chase that reached speeds of 128 miles per hour. the driver was topless and wearing only a g-string and tennis shoes. dash cam video shows her becoming combative in the back after cruiser and trying to kick out the windows. despite overwhelming evidence against her she pleaded guilty to a set of charges. she is due back in court next month. >> i don't think she has got much of a case. >> husbands routinely don't like to ask for directions. i don't know what that is

about. >> it is sort of empowering if you're lost, right? >> i think so. well, this time it is the husband blaming the wife. they got lost in a massachusetts apple orchard and had to call 911. >> we can't find our way out. >> i said we are going the wrong direction. she was screaming to me to shut up in a whole different language. >> we have never had anybody lost in the orchard to the point where they had to call for help. >> okay, they are divorced now. but another couple called 911 earlier this month when they couldn't find their way out much a massachusetts corn maze. now that looks actually pretty complicated. topper? >> we have got a couple of showers pushing through the metro area. through chantilly, vienna and here in d.c. we will tell you when the showers roll out and if the showers could turn to flakes. also coming up. some very reassuring news for any woman that may ever face a

breast cancer diagnosis and hag to make medical choices after that. that is our local health alert. a new study from a local hospital coming up.

promising news for women against breast cancer. a new study released just today from georgetown university hospital shows there is a same and effective option for women who want to keep their cancer from coming back that also want to preserve their own body image as much as possible. >> it felt like a bean underneath my skin. >> reporter: she found her stage ii breast cancer through a self-exam. because of her family history this mother of three wanted to fight that cancer with all the weapons available. >> i chose the bilateral masectomy as the option that fit me the best. >> reporter: and kristin also chose a different type of masectomy called nipple sparing. the procedure involves the removal of breast tissue while keeping all the breast skin

including the nipple and aereola in tact. >> this is an option that makes having a masectomy a little more palitable. >> reporter: raising the risk of reoccurrence thinking the cancer cells may get left behind. researchers looked at 162 nipple sparing masectomies over 21 years and found no cancer occurrence in the nipple tissue. but breast cancer surgeon dr. seana willie told our own andrea roane this procedure isn't for all women. it depends on the size of the breast and the tumor. >> smaller tumors. tumors that aren't close to the nipple. we don't want a tumor that we might leave cancer sells behind so more peripherally located tumors. >> i don't look like a cancer

survivor when i look in the mirror. >> she certainly is. she is now two years out from her diagnosis and taking the cancer preventive medication. >> we are talking about cooler temperatures. >> we showed you the snow in denver yesterday. 8 inches in denver popular. it dropped down into the texas panhandle. >> don't they have a drought down there? >> they do. >> this is a good thing for them? >> exactly. >> so this is the same system that is head our our way on saturday. will give us cold rain and maybe a few wet snowflakes too. right now, snow not the problem. showers pushing through. cold front about to push through the metro area. lighter showers up near frederick. pretty good rain showers toward annapolis. and actually the red is showing up pretty heavy rain. so if you know somebody leaving d.c. now tell them to wait if they are heading east before the storms can die down a little bit. we will put them into motion. they track essentially east

right parallel to 50 right through davidsonville and annapolis. after that cloudy skies will prevail. here is the deal. clearing and colder overnight. frost is possible well north and west. chilly on friday. get a jacket. maybe the first flakes of the season north and west of town certainly in the mountains talking about that all week. frost advisory west along the border and a freeze warning up into pennsylvania. for tonight, we are looking at evening shower then clearing and colder. frost advisory north. 34-44. winds northwest at 10. by morning not really. partly cloudy and cold but bright. 30s and 40s. by afternoon though, high clouds come in. it will be chilly. high temperatures only near 55. good news is it will not be windy. winds north easterly at about 10. next seven days. on saturday here comes our cold rain. only 44. in the 30s in the burbs and we put a flake on.

kind of cool. nice on sunday. sunshine. 54. and then hallowe'en still looks dry, cool, upper 50s. should be in the 50s for the trick-or-treaters. the showers will be wednesday into thursday with temperatures in the 60s and low 50s. >> i like the fact that saturday night the temperature is a scalding 41 degrees. >> oh, yes. >> the high is a scalding 44. >> got to break out those winter coats already. >> thank you. still ahead on 9news now. the summer's u.s. open in montgomery county, a major money maker, right? maybe not. a closer look at the numbers and how it could cost you in the end. if the mayor gets his way we may be paying more for a bag of popcorn. that story is coming up. çñ

state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember,

you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm. if you tried to drive by the verizon center this week you may have noticed the traffic is a little worse than usual because streets are closed down. >> that's right, downtown d.c. is being taken over by forces this week for the washington international horse show. kristin berset gives us the sights and sounds from the equestrian bowl event. >> reporter: i'm in the arena part of the verizon center. usually there is the hardwood floor down for the washington wizards or ice rink for the capitals but this week it has

been transformed into a horse riding arena. it is the 53rd annual washington international horse show. one of the biggest shows in the world. 500 of the best horses and riders from all over are competing here all week long. >> not only is this a big area for riders but it is like having wimbledon in your backyard. everybody aspires to this event no matter where you come from. >> an unbelievable team that puts this whole thing together. hotel oftotal of 500 horses that come in. probably the most difficult logistical horse show to organize.

>> reporter: one local teenager saw her dream come true this week. >> this is lucy, my horse, and i love her very much. >> reporter: the 16-year-old girl from bethesda and her horse lucy are preparing for their first ever competition at the international level. >> i'm really proud of myself for just getting to this horse show because i have been wanting to do this for a really long time. >> reporter: this performance qualifies the two for the final round. they finished eighth overall, a proud moment. >> i feel really good and i'm really happy with how i did. and i try really hard. and lucy was great. she couldn't have been better. >> i am joined by my new friend lucy who just had a wonderful day of competition here at the verizon center. this event goes all week. the president's cup is on saturday to end the event. back to you guys in the studio.

>> thank you, kristin. investigators in michigan are trying to figure out how the wall of a gym collapsed killing a 14-year-old boy. witnesses say the 14-year-old boy jumped and grabbed the top of the wall to do a pullup. that's when a pile of cement block came crashing down and buried him underneath. >> i want to emphasize this is an accident. a preliminary investigation shows that it is a tragic accident. >> we will have extra counselors, people working with students who have questions who need assistance. and we will do all we can to see that things proceed as normal as possible. >> this all happened inside a locker room at corbett's high school. the school says no reports of structural problems since the school was built in 1990. keeping local trick-or-

treaters healthy this hallowe'en. they are free but give them by next friday for a safety vest. go to your local maintenance county facility to pick one up. a young boy in colorado likes to play dressup. not for hallowe'en though. all the time. >> he likes dressing up like a girl so much that he wants to join the girl scouts but as an bolt it is reported that may not happen. >> these mexican dolls. i like any girl stuff. >> reporter: everyone has favorite toys no matter what age they are. >> this is my pony. >> reporter: liking stuff some would say is not quite for him. >> i named him. >> what do you like? >> girl stuff like me. >> reporter: he is happy most of the time but says sometimes in school being a boy and dressed like a girl even

occasionally is tough. >> it is like hurting my heart. >> what does it feel like when they talk down to you? >> it hurts me and my mom both. >> reporter: bobby's mom tells us a troop leader told the 7- year-old he couldn't be a girl scout. bobby cried. >> it was like somebody told me i can't grow up properly and have to change my name to something else. >> i said what's the big deal? she says it doesn't matter how he looks, he has boy parts. he can't be a girl scout. girl scouts don't allow that. i don't want to get into trouble by other parents or my supervisor. >> reporter: girl scouts told us in part girl scouts is an inclusive organization. if a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, girl scouts of colorado welcomes her. our request for support of transgender kids in colorado

and we will try to serve them. >> there has definitely been this increase of questioning at an early age. certainly exploration. and it is about providing a healthy environment for that to happen. everyone needs to be prepared or at least have a policy and procedures manual. >> the glbt community center of colorado is state wide nonprofit organization. >> there is an organization that tries to connect parents with other parents who may be going through similar situations. this is 9news now. okay, so we have seen the first major snowfall of the season out in colorado. now that storm system, it is coming this way. coming east