less. you get toward the metro, the visibilities are much better. 5 to 10 miles. we're not having those issues. your temperatures, down to 30 in manassas. 32 in martinsburg. 36. a chilly start. this dry air will warm up nicely. looking at highs this afternoon, anywhere from 66 in frederick and 69 in culpepper. 67 right here in washington and 64 for our friends in southern maryland with that wind coming in off the cooler water. let's get an update on your timesaver traffic. here's monika. >> it has been a relatively quiet wednesday. i'm happy to say that. let's keep our fingers crossed that it stays that way. the beltway is looking great. no problems on the dulles toll road from leesburg, same story on route 7. 123 is fine through the tysons area. let's take a live look at 66 at the fairfax county parkway. if you're planning to head inbound, this is the sousa bridge, if you're planning to head inbound, you'll be fine into fair oaks, vienna and to

the roosevelt bridge. back over to the maps, this time, it will be on 95 if you're planning to head coming up from dale city to the occoquan river, you're fine. we'll take a live look into newington where you're looking good. a little bit of volume. no big deal as you head on to 395 and up to the 14th street bridge. coming up, we'll go into maryland at 5:09. back to you, mike and andrea. >> herman cain scheduled to take part in a republican debate in michigan tonight. this is the first debate since all of these sexual harassment allegations surfaced against potential presidential hopeful. >> cain continues to deny the allegations and even says he's never met of some his accusers. 9news now reporter surae chinn is live outside cain's former office at the national restaurant association. good morning, surae. >> reporter: good morning to both of you. right, the debate is supposed to happen tonight in michigan. but things could happen -- other things could happen because they're supposed to be talking about the economy. but herman cain's sexual harassment allegations could steal the spotlight yet again

like it has been for the last ten days. as you recall, four women have come forward about talking about inappropriate conduct. sharon bialek, as you remember, went public monday saying the presidential front-runner groped her more than a decade ago when cain was the ceo and president of the national restaurant association here in northwest d.c. cain held a press conference last night denying all sexual harassment allegations. >> i have never acted inappropriately with anyone, period. and these accusations that were revealed yesterday are simply -- simply did not happen. well, not only is he rejecting all of the allegations, cain says he's not stepping out of the presidential race. andrea, mike? >> surae, we have yet another accuser, even though mr. cain maintains that he's not stepping out and doesn't know these women. what do we know about this

fourth woman who has come forward? >> she's 55-year-old karen from germantown, maryland. she's one of the original accusers in the first round where it ended in a financial settlement. she revealed her identify et yesterday. she wants to hold a press conference with the other three women who say they were sexually harassed by herman cain. we'll see if that happens. >> surae chinn reporting live from northwest this morning. this morning, it appears republicans will take control of the virginia senate in the deciding race, democratic incumbent ed hawk trails reeves by 86 votes. this district includes some counties on the fringe of northern virginia. no word on whether houck will ask for a recount. if this result stands, the state senate would be a split with the republicans controlling the tiebreaker. the g.o.p. already has the state house and

the governor's mansion. there were also plenty of state delegate, county supervisor and school board races in virginia as well as municipal elections in maryland. you can look for the results running at the bottom of our screen and on our web site at wusa9.com. one of the teenagers shot in d.c. on halloween night has died. this was the case on m street in georgetown. the teen was one of six people shot in the district on october 31st. police are not releasing the victim's name but they will say the 17-year-old died from his injuries monday. police have a man in custody in connection with this shooting. and they say he will likely face additional charges. a federal jury has found maryland state senator ulysses curry not guilty of all charges in a corruption case. prosecutors accuse the prince george's county democrat of using his influence to benefit shoppers food warehouse while he worked for the grocery store chain but his lawyers argued it was consultant work and wasn't illegal because others knew about it.

it is five minutes after 5:00. time for the latest "your money" report this morning. >> jessica doyle is here with today's headlines. where are you starting? >> we have our favorite color at work around the world today. green air rose. european and asian markets higher this morning. investors are getting a boost from signs of progress in europe over the recent debt crisis. checking the numbers here at home, the dow starts this morning at 12,170, added 101 points in trading yesterday. the nasdaq tacked on 32 points and the s&p 500 was better by about 15. local mortgage giant fannie mae is asking the federal government for $7.8 billion in aid. that would cover its losses racked up between july and september of this year. low mortgage rates reduced profits and caused more default on loans guaranteed. fannie mass received $113 billion from the treasury department. it is the most expensive bailout of a single company. here's a surprise. the more money you make, the

more likely you are to head to a fast food restaurant. researchers at the university of california davis found that fast food is most popular with the middle class. findings contradict the idea that fast food is the main culprit for higher obesity rates in low income neighborhoods. fast food visits rose along with income up to about $60,000 a year. beyond that, the visits started to drop back down again. interesting. >> that is interesting. i would not have guessed that. huh. >> i guess we've got the money. got the money, we don't have the time. >> what do you have for us in the next half hour? >> one local county hasn't done much on the job front lately. we'll talk about that coming up. >> thanks, jess. we'll have the election results from some controversial referenda in other states coming up. >> plus, some new signs this morning that penn state, the child sex abuse scandal there could be forcing joe paterno out of his football coaching job. >> and ahead in sports, the capitals face the only team in the league with a better

record. 7 after the hour. you're watching 9news now.

5:08 on this wednesday morning. still fog in southern maryland, the eastern shore, the northern neck down toward richmond. the rest of us a clear and chilly morning with jupiter showing up near the moon. a neat site early this morning and late last night. here's a look at our day planner. we're expecting sunshine once again. one more really fine day. by lunchtime, we're pushing 60 degrees. highs today mid to upper 60s. still in the low 60s. we head home. i'll be back in about five minutes looking ahead toward the upcoming weekend.

here's monika look ahead toward the morning commute. >> howard, we'll take a live look at 66 in the oakton area here at 123. where there's still some construction in place although it doesn't seem to be affecting traffic. just be aware of it until about 6:00 this morning. more on virginia roadways coming up again at 5:16. back to you. >> making news at 5:09 this morning, because of the child's sex abuse acharges at penn state, university trustees are looking for a way to force joe paterno out as head football coach. he notified his supervisors when he learned about the child sex abuse allegations of former assistant coach jerry sandusky but his critics say he should have taken the next step and involved police. voters in mississippi rejected the so-called personhood initiative. the bill would have defined a person as every human being from the moment of fertilization. in effect, outlawing nearly all abortions and possibly preventing doctors from performing in vitro

fertilization procedures. voters in ohio rejected a proposal to limit unionized government workers to engage in collective bargaining. this is yesterday. republican lawmakers said the bill would have reduced government costs. unions representing police, firefighters, teachers, prison guards and others locally opposed the measure. a breast cancer patient has enough to worry about just fighting the disease. now, electronic records are helping some survivors with their peace of mind. that's coming up in the buddy check 9 report. >> it is the patriots turn to dispose of a former redskin problem child. we'll explain. >> next, howard says if we can endure a day of rain tomorrow, the weekend is looking pretty nice!

welcome back to 9news now. it is 5:13. after you. >> i have a weather question. >> uh-oh. >> we've heard over the years and actually look forward to indian summer. are there actual digits that apply to that or hey, it is warm out and it is in november. >> so many definitions are after you get a warm spell after the first frost. some are more technical than

that. >> i've never mowed after the first snow either. but a lot of folks haven't but they have through this year. leaves are coming down. >> it is a fine question, michael. >> i just wondered if there are certain digits associated. >> generally the warm spell after the first frost. >> thank you for the knowledge. >> all right. let's get you moving. your bus stop forecast on this fine wednesday morning. calling for clear and chilly conditions. although some patchy fog once again. parts of southern maryland. eastern shore. southern calvert down toward the northern neck headed down to richmond. sphog a lot denser there. 30s and 40s there. a good day ahead. temperatures will be climbing into the 50s. by noon, around 60. winds out of the south and southeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour. 3:00, 55. highs in the mid to upper 60s. yet's high was 67 degrees.

61 by 5:00. sunset today, by the way, 5:01. it rises at about 6:45 this morning. ten mile visibility in washington. you'll notice in tappahannock and pax river, quarter mile visibility down there. everybody else between 5 and 10 miles. we're in good shape. temperatures frosty once again. it is 30 in manassas. 31 lovettsville. 37 in gaithersburg. great falls, just a couple above the freezing mark. off to the east and crofton at andrews air force base. laurel at 36 degrees. columbia, good morning. to our friends in howard county. you guys are sitting at 49. the dew point at 40. the humidity, 89%. winds right now, well, they are calm. none to speak of. storm system coming out of the middle of the country will head toward the great lakes. cold front will head toward us as we get into the day tomorrow. out ahead of it, winds out of the south today. another sunny, mild day. a little bit of moisture trying to come in off the atlantic,

southeasterly winds. with the front coming out from the west from tonight to thursday, we'll have a few showers with it. heavier rains will head up toward areas in new england and behind the front, the mountains will switch over to some snow showers as the colder air moves in. we'll get chilly on friday. friday, we'll struggle just to get back to 50. the good news here is that cold spell on friday, we'll get it out of here pretty quickly. so, the weekend once again, we've been on a roll. we'll have another good weekend. today, 67. tonight, not nearly as cold as the clouds roll in. tomorrow, some showers. cooler, 57. winds turn to the northwest. becoming breezy. a blustery veterans day. only around 50 on friday. the weekend though, sunshine. 59 saturday. 64 on sunday and then monday and tuesday, warm again. mid-60s to around 70 degrees. more outside from monika. more outside tennis for monika. >> doubles anybody? >> if you're planning to head outside right now, everything

is looking great except there is one accident right here in dale city. it is on dale boulevard at mini vail road right at the center shopping plaza. be aware of that. 95 itself is not affected. you're doing fine leaving the occoquan river. a live look at springfield on the northbound side. no worries here. all lanes are open. just a bit of volume to deal with right now. as you head through 395 and the 14th street bridge. key bridge, no problems to report right now on 66 as you head for the downtown area. the key bridge through the rosslyn area and georgetown looks fine. remember though if you're planning to head northbound on the gw parkway at spout run, the long-term construction project has begun and that's blocking the left lane. just getting word of an incident in greenbelt. i'll have that coming up at 5:24. mike and andrea? >> putting a traditional meal on the table for thanksgiving is easier said than done in some households. >> we're proud to be team up with the boy scouts again this year for food drive 9. you may have received a bag last

weekend in maryland and virginia. please consider filling it up and leaving it for the scouts to pick up this saturday. in the district, you can make your donations at any safeway store. just log on to wusa9.com for those locations. the redskins make some changes at the position. >> the capitals have the second best record in the league but they took on the only team ahead of them last night. highlights coming up. >> now, let's take another look at our question of the day today. >> what are the -- what were animal crackers originally used for? was it a, just to eat as a snack? b, christmas ornaments or c, arts and crafts? >> terri mullen, one of our regular contributors wrote hung on the christmas tree with care. >> log on to the facebook.com/wusa9 page and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 a.m. hour. [ man ] i got this citi thank you card

and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes, i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ keep on going in this direction. take this bridge over here. there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective.

♪ [ male announcer ] write your story with the citi thankyou premier card, with no point caps, and points that don't expire. get started at thankyoucard.citi.com. we've got frost in spots and fog in spots. fog pretty much confined areas. down to the northern neck toward richmond, the rest of us pretty clear. 30s and 40s this morning. we'll have temperatures by 9:00 into the 40s, even near 50 at andrews air force base. as we head toward the noon hour, a couple of clouds may try to be hanging on here down south. we won't get showers.

61 in fredericksburg. sunshine this afternoon. with highs in the mid to the upper 60s. andrea and mike, over to you. the redskins pick up a player to help out on the struggling offense. >> it had to happen eventually. kristin berset has more on the caps first home loss in the morning sports. >> good morning, everybody. the cap tass have been off to a hot start this season, three losses and undefeated at home, but if there is any team that could change that, it would be the dallas stars. they have been on fire scoring 12 goals in the last two games. last night, they were too much for the caps. michael getting a start. not a great game for him. john carlson with a quick goal off the face-off but then the wheels fell off. the dallas stars got three goals past newby within the first ten minutes. caps defense pretty much nonexistent as the stars hand washington their first home loss, 5-2, the final. >> this group can be so good

and so complete and then we come out and play an incomplete game and we're outclassed and third. it is a couple of times it happened. it happened in vancouver and it happened here. the redskins making moves to get better with santana moss out, they're in need of a big play making receiver. they released stalwart yesterday. >> the orioles presented their g.m. dan was with the montreal expos and g.m. of the red sox for over eight years but the orioles have had 14 straight losing seasons. he says he is the man to help rebuild the franchise. >> nationals are going after philly's right-handed pitcher. that will do it for your morning sports. i'm kristin berset. have a great wednesday! >> just a few years after getting a $100 million contract from the redskins, defensive lineman albert haynesworth is out of a job.

the new england patriots cut haynesworth yesterday saying he wasn't working out with the team. we've heard that before. he had just three tackles this season. >> bye-bye. >> herman cain is trying to get past the sexual harassment allegations because there is a debate coming up tonight. >> in michigan. plus, remember this, carmageddon. today, local governments will take a closer look at how to prevent another snowy rush hour disaster. speaking of rush hour, here's monika. >> thank you so much. if you're planning to head on the bw parkway southbound, good luck, a deer struck in the left lane. crews are with it. stay to the right to get around it. more on maryland roadways in my next report. you're watching 9news now. stay with us. 3q you disgust me. prove it. enough's enough. d-con baits are specially formulated to kill in one feeding, guaranteed. d-con. get out.

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don't forget to call your buddy. i'm andrea roane. >> here's monika samtani who

will have traffic momentarily. we start with howard bernstein. you cannot beat yesterday. >> we'll try to get real close again today. monday was real good. by the way, the indian summer, we were having the discussion, after the first frost, paired with mild weather into november, some use 70 degrees as the marker on that. but whether it is 70 or 68, it is pretty darn nice out. here's a look at our day planner. another beauty today. temperatures will be climbing well up in the 60s. 60 by noon. 5:00, 61. sometime around 2:00 or 3:00 is when we'll hit the 67, 68 degree high. right now, we sit at 43. sunrise, 6:43 setting at 5:01. the moon early this morning with jupiter, partnering in the sky. even though they're close together, jupiter is 1400 times further away. clear skies overhead has allowed fog to form. visibilities are near zero. down at the tappahannock airport, patuxent river, also in parts of the lower eastern

shore. we've got fog up toward dover, delaware. we're in good shape. visibility is 5 to 10 miles. temperatures running from 30 in culpepper and manassas at petersburg to 45 at pax river and also hagerstown, surprising, warmest on the board as well. monika samtani is stepping in this wednesday morning. how are things looking so far? >> they're look ok. definitely compared to yesterday, it is all relative, isn't it? the beltway looks great. no problems to report on the northside, we're looking good as well. let's take a live look if you're planning to head through college park into silver spring, no issues from route one past 95 all the way into silver spring and over to 270. let's go back over to the maps. this time, we're going to go over to the bw parkway and route 50. if you're planning to head in through cheverly, there has been a deer struck in greenbelt right here at good luck road. that's been cleared. no problems on all of the corridors heading into the northeast area. 295 looks good as well as 395. we'll wind a live look if you're planning to head inbound

on route 50 from the severren river bridge, no problems to report right over to the beltway through cheverly. coming in the next report, we'll go over to virginia at 5:38. mike and andrea? >> thank you, monika. about 5:30 now. carmageddon. it reminds you of knee-deep snow, brake lights everywhere, people stranded, absolutely exhausting for a lot of people. now, local policymakers are getting ideas on how to avoid another situation. >> it was a disaster. remember what happened on that january 26th snowstorm. if you were stuck in the traffic, you can't forget it. that's when everyone left work as the snow started coming down really fast. some people had 12 hour commutes when the plows couldn't work around the rush hour traffic volume. some just gave up and walked away. at noon today, the metropolitan washington council of governments will get a report on carmageddon and recommendations to try to prevent it from happening again. >> italian prime minister sylvio berlusconi has confirmed this morning he is resigning!

berlusconi's last major act was hurting an economic us austerity through the parliament. the union insisted on the cuts. berlusconi has led italy for 11 out of the past 17 years. it is the economy but the economy might not be the main topic at tonight's republican presidential debate in michigan because this will be the first debate since the wave of sexual harassment allegations against front-runner herman cain. 9news now reporter surae chinn is live outside cain's former employer, the national restaurant association with more on the story. surae? >> well, herman cain is defiant. he's rejecting any and all accusations but he's doing so as another accuser revealed herself to cbs news. she is 55-year-old karen kraushaar of germantown, maryland. she's one of the first to accuse cain of sexual harassment while both worked here at the restaurant association in northwest.

it ended in a financial settlement. although cain says it was a financial agreement to end her employment at the lobbying group and said the accusations were baseless. she released a statement though to cbs saying the whole situation is so volatile right now, i just don't want to say anymore. but not keeping quiet is the fourth woman, sharon bialek who went public monday about an alleged groping incident she said happened in a car outside this building. >> on my leg, under my skirt and reached for my genitals. he also grabbed my head and brought it toward his crotch. >> i tried to remember if i recognize her and i didn't. i tried to remember if i remembered that name and i didn't. the charges and the accusations

are absolutely -- i absolutely reject. they simply didn't happen. >> cain squares off in a debate with the other republican presidential candidate tonight in michigan. they meet for the first time since this scandal broke. unfortunately, you know, instead of talking about the economy and the issues at hand for this country, it might turn to the scandal and steal the spotlight. back to you. >> i bet it will. thank you, surae. in local politics, it is all but certain that republicans will control both halves of the virginia state legislature. if the current results hold, the state senate would be split 20/20 but the republicans have the tie breaking vote. in senate district 17, the candidates are separated by less than 100 votes. the g.o.p. increased its majority. the one had already held in the state's house. we're running the results as well as the local races in northern virginia and maryland at the bottom of your screen. you can also check the results any time on our web site at

wusa9.com wusa9.com. bob mcdonnell is trying to get aid for those affected by tropical storm lee. the early september storm caused problems in northern virginia which was already soaked from hurricane irene weeks before. lee caused major damage to roads, fewer systems, buildings and equipment. if it is approved, the aid could go to fairfax and prince william counties as well as the city of alexandria. meanwhile, president obama has signed a disaster declaration in d.c. for the august earthquake damage here. mayor vincent gray requested federal funding to repair schools and other government buildings as well as the washington national cathedral scheduled to reopen this saturday. a fema spokeswoman says the funds there can go toward areas of the cathedral not used for religious purposes. 5:35. it is time for another "your money" report. >> jessica ca is here with zero job growth in one major local county. >> zero. no new jobs. we're talking about montgomery county. this is a pretty long-term

view. over the last ten years, the washington area of course has had some of the strongest job growth in the country but montgomery county has been at a stand still. "the washington examiner" reports on data from george mason center for regional analysis. over the last 20 years, job growth has grown just 15.4% in montgomery county. that's compared with 57.5% job growth in fairfax county and 31.7% in the washington area in general. now, federal spending has been growing at a much faster clip in fairfax county. that means more jobs. fairfax county now makes up almost half of the entire region's economy. well, the folks over at occupy d.c. are about to get more company. today, some occupy wall street activists plan to set out on a 240 mile march from new york to washington. about a dozen of them plan to leave manhattan and noon and plan to arrive in washington by the november 23rd deadline for a congressional committee to

decide whether to keep president obama's extension of bush era tax cuts. did you recently move your money to a credit union? it is a big trend. more than 40,000 people joined credit unions tour the move your money and bank transfer day movements this past saturday. it is a sign americans are getting fed up with the big banks and their fees. the last service from the credit union association, 650,000 people had already moved to credit unions. interesting to watch these trends. the story on montgomery county with zero job growth on top of another company leaving maryland and going to virginia. >> that's right. we talked about that yesterday. fairfax county, of course, has been drawing in the federal dollars as we talked about. also been drawing in the private dollars as well. >> very interesting. >> thanks, jess. another sign the holiday season is upon us is now on its way to washington. that story is coming up. >> plus, an oscar winner shows up for the d.c. premiere of his new film about the legendary

head of the fbi.

there is a touch of fog off to the south. southern maryland down to the northern neck, richmond ond the eastern shore. our day planner, another beautiful november day. sunshine, 60 by noon. 65 at 3:00 with highs in the mid to upper 60s. a few clouds roll in with changes by tomorrow. your seven-day forecast in the next five. right now, here's monica. >> a serious accident right now in germantown on the northbound side of route 27 blocked with a two-car accident. authorities are on the scene. this is just south of clarksburg. more on this coming up in my next report. mike, back to you. thank you, monika. the u.s. capitol christmas tree has started its cross-country trip on its way to washington. the 63 foot tall sierra white fir is from a tree farm in

california. a four ton tree. cut down saturday. loaded on to a truck. the tree will make about 25 stops on its three-week journey covering 4500 miles. it will be escorted by armed forest rangers. oscar winning actor and director clint eastwood premiered his latest film in d.c. eastwood directed j. edgar starring leonardo dicaprio as the famed fbi director. the film ex-supporters his personal and public life as he headed the bureau for decades. and concealed secrets that would have destroyed his image and career. let's take another look at the question of the day today. >> here is another look at this morning's question which is... what were animal crackers originally used for? was it... >> dana wrote on our facebook page, i'm think since it is mainly for the kids by the look of the circus kids, it would be arts and crafts. i still like to eat them as an

adult as much as i did as a kid. >> me, too. log on to facebook.com/wusa9 and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 a.m. hour and we'll be right back. find out how easy is to take part in a fund-raiser. >> doctors at a virginia hospital put off their first ever surgery to separate conjoined twins. çñ

welcome back to 9news now. coming up on 5:45, a glorious day yesterday. we have another good day today. >> my dog was loving it outside. running around a little bit. >> it was fun. >> nice to be in shorts and short sleeves in november but you know, enjoy it because soon enough, soon enough, we won't be able to do this.

let's get you going. bus stop forecast, won't be able to do it this morning. you'll be cold if you're wearing shorts and short sleeves. we have temperatures in the 30s and 40s with patchy fog. sunrise at 6:44. it sets at 5:01 this afternoon. as far as the day planner, lots of sunshine. by noon, 60 degrees. with a light south wind at 7, it will feel good. another great day to be outside. 61 by 5:00. expecting highs in the mid to the upper 60s. the weather headlines, gorgeous again today. i've done it all week. why not one more time. cooler, showers on thursday. we're staying in the 50s tomorrow. winds turn northwest. that will bring in cold air. it will be downright chilly on veterans day. highs on friday only about 50. but the good news continues, another nice weekend headed our way. this morning, visibilities are down to zero. at the airport at tappahannock, richmond, between that and a quarter mile same with the patuxent river air station. problems over there.

in the metro, we're doing well. annapolis, visibility down to two miles. temperatures holding 30s to 40s. warm spots being pax river and hagerstown. 30 culpepper. down to 30 in manassas. 38 up to bwi. washington, 43. dew points at 40. three degree spread. kind of humid out there. we're warmer. we don't have visibility problems. where we get closer, down into the 30s, closer to the 40 degree reading. we can condense some of the moisture and get the fog to develop. we've got a lot more than fog. rain and snow across the colder areas in iowa this morning. this low pressure area is moving northeast but it is going to drag a cold front through it, giving us the threat for showers late tonight and on thursday. then the shot of cold air moves in as we head into friday. look at the east coast today. it will be another beautiful day up and down the eastern seaboard. the forecast, 67 today. tonight, not nearly as chilly. 40s and 50s. tomorrow, cooler, 57 with the

showers. winds picking up out of the northwest. on friday, only around 50. a blustery day for veterans day. the weekend forecast, saturday, 59. sunday, 64. a lot of golfers are happy looking at that. by monday and tuesday, still in the 60s to around 70 for a high. let's keep it rolling. >> unfortunately, we have an accident in germantown. good morning, everybody. if you're planning to head on route 27 northbound at brink road, that is blocked with a two-car serious accident with crews on the scene right now. i suggest that you plan early. now, you can either use, if you know the area, route 355 through aurora hills and make your way back over to route 27, the other option is to get to damascus, use route 124. northbound 27 is blocked at brink road with this accident just south of clarksburg in germantown. so, keep that in mind for your travel plans. let's take you over to a live look at 270. that's doing fine at father

hurley boulevard all the way down to the point where the lanes divide. all of your lanes are open on 270. a quick live look at georgia avenue. no problems to report. leaving 95, you'll find the volume as you head through springfield on the beltway, outer loop, westbound 495. by the way, if you're planning to take marc train 870, that's running ten minutes late into germantown. i'll update you on the accident there. making news now at 5:48, the air force is disciplining three senior officials responsible for handling the remains of u.s. the military says twice in 2009 the mortuary lost portions of the remains. in another case, the mortuary mishandled the body of a marine whose family wanted him buried in his military uniform. for the first time, doctors at children's hospital in richmond have separated conjoined twins. the 19-month-old girls from the dominican republic shared a liver, pancreas gland and small

intestines. it started on monday morning and didn't finish until early yesterday. this afternoon, the government will run its first ever nationwide test of the emergency alert system. every tv station, radio outlet, satellite service and cable system will be briefly interrupted at 2:00 p.m. the eas is designed to quickly alert americans about a national emergency. you have just over 18 hours to give to the max day. a one-day fund-raiser for charities in d.c., maryland and virginia. to explain that that is, we have lesli mansford with us. the ceo. an online fund-raising site. and bill, ceo of united way and national capital area is here to tell us how we can get involved. what this is all about. this is one place where you can find how many charities? >> 1300 charities competing today to raise as much money as they can and bring in as many

supporters as they can for over 140,000 in award money. >> we were talking earlier just in the break with the economy, with natural disasters across the united states, people -- and right here in our area, people are dealing with a lot so this can be a big help. >> local nonprofits are hurting out there. the tough economy, tough times across the country. and the needs are up. but because the economy is so bad, the resources are down. so, this is a great opportunity, great time for us to really step in and help our nonprofits that really are trying to do the work that government hasn't been able to do. that the economy has hurt across the country. now, it is time to do something significant. >> lesli, this can make an impact. you talked about a fund-raiser in another state. how did that work out? >> yes, in minnesota, we did another 24-hour fund-raiser and raised $14 million in the 24- hour period. so, throw out the gauntlet to

the residents of the greater washington area, to, as you said, give to the max today. >> now, among the charities that benefit, you said there are quite a long list. here is a look at the web site now. what is the web site address? >> give to max.org. give 2max.org. >> among the types of charities? >> it is across the whole gamut of nonprofits. it can be the arts and cultural entity, animal rights and welfare leagues, it is really the whole spectrum of the nonprofit community in the region. >> it is very easy to give to your neighbors, too. people start giving in this particular give to the max event, this is about our local region, correct? >> yes, this is about nonprofits serving residents through the greater washington area. when you go to the web site, you can still see real time who is winning in the leader board. it is like this super ball of nonprofit. >> lesley, give to the max. and bob hanbury.

we'll have the link for the give to the max web site. >> herman cain is try not to let sexual harassment allegations derail his campaign. "the washington post" political reporter discuss whether cain can stay in the race. plus, today's buddy check looks at how electronic medical records are making the fight against breast cancer easier for patients.

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queen anne county yesterday, you guys are in a 90- minute delay again because of the fog and the visibilities there way down. pax river, tappahannock, quarter mile or less. this extends through much of the eastern shore. here in the metro, our visibilities are still good. it will be a great day with highs later on, 60 to near 70. andrea? >> cutting waste and reducing deadly preventable medical errors, that's why president obama and former president bush are advocates of electronic health records for every american. the current administration hopes it will happen by 2015. a local survivor who wrote about her cancer journey on the buddy check 9 blog four years

ago experienced the transition from paper to electronic medical records, the difference it made for her is the subject of today's buddy check 9 report. >> in 2004, i received a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer. which is the very rare form of breast cancer. >> three weeks after learning that shocking news, pam started chemotherapy. complicating matters, she was 22 week pregnant. pam eventually delivered a healthy daughter grace at 36 weeks. >> i was overjoyed. i was so thankful. >> but the new mom had to quickly get back to the tough job of surviving cancer. the day after grace was born, pam was back at georgetown lombardi to begin a different round of chemo. >> i had surgeries, i had radiation. i had subsequent surgeries after that. >> and her insurance company required all of her mammograms be done in virginia, not at

georgetown. that meant she spent a lot of time driving 35 miles back and forth from virginia to d.c. taking her films and meds to all of her appointments. >> so, it was very hectic. >> pam's new norm until about two years ago then georgetown made the transition from paper to electronic medical recordkeeping which meant all of pam's medical paper trail was now on computer just a mouse click away. >> if i need something or have a question about a study she had done or a blood test that she had done, i have very ready access to it. >> pam gets a break and her doctors believe it helps them provide even better medical care. >> electronic medical records are a terrific boon for consumers, provided that they're covered by national privacy laws. >> but pam dixon with the world privacy forum says consumers run into risks when their records aren't operated by a healthcare provider and covered under hipaa. she spoke to me via skype from california. >> so, for example, a

commercial company may have an electronic healthcare record that they offer to you. it can be free but it also can be, for example, add supported. >> more than likely, the private records could be disclosed to the general public or marketers. that's not a concern for pam krum. electronic recordkeeping at georgetown has given her peace of mind. >> it has helped me to relax and focus on wellness as opposed to treatment and medical records. >> you can see pam is doing very well. in fact, she's a mentor at georgetown to other breast cancer patients. another piece of advice from privacy expert pam dixon, get a copy of your healthcare records in whatever form and keep them on file. if there is ever an identity theft crisis problem, it is hard to get your records after the fact. also, after you access your electronic healthcare records, make sure you clean out or empty your browser, then reset

it. to see the story again, click on buddy check 9 on wusa9.com. and if buddy check has made a difference in your life, i would like to schaffer your story. e-mail me at aroane at wusa9.com. >> great story. >> good to see pam doing so well because it is very, very tough. thank you for watching 9news now at 6:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. monika samtani will have traffic momentarily. >> on this buddy check 9 day, it will be a great day weatherwise. here's howard. >> another beauty. we do have a minor issue this morning. fog once again. that's down to the south and southeast of d.c. the other issue, it is chilly. frosty. you may need to scrape the windshield in a few areas. small price to pay for the gorgeous weather we'll have this afternoon. clear skies, 42 at the moment. by noon, 60. highs today, 64 to 69 with a 5:00 p.m. temperature of 61 degrees under the mainly sunny skies. we may be seeing a up