back away from this instead of confronting the public with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, we, the descendents of those who fought the british empire are sounding the call for retreat. >> late this afternoon, the virginia house of delegates did in fact amend and approve the bill, thus making the invasive ultrasound optional for women who want abortions. the bill goes to the senate where a vigorous debate, as you can imagine, is expected. derek. >> vigorous indeed. matt, thank you. despite the governor's reversal, there are other bills directly related to abortion gaining support. >> we are going to take a closer look at those, plus, dig deeper into the political ramifications that is coming up at 5:30. anita. in the yeardley love murder trial, jurors have been deliberating for 7 1/2 hours and they are still at it. reporters and satellite trucks are live to broadcast what they

decide. there's no verdict, but jurors do have some questions. bruce leshan has been covering this trial and is live in charlottesville. what are they asking, bruce? >> reporter: well, anita. one of the questions is about the jury instructions, but it is a little bit tough to figure out because the judge so far has declined to put those jury instructions out there publicly where we can look at them and read them and compare them with what we are hearing in the courtroom. it sounds like they are wrestling with exactly what you might expect them to wrestle with. the murder charges. in a question for the court, the jurors suggested that three of the instructions contradicted each other. one dealing with intent, whether george huguely intended to murder yeardley love. the other two apparently deal with causation. the cause of yeardley love's dealt. how she died. even the judge was con feuds about what the jurors are asking. the judge and the lawyers sent the jurors back a note asking

them to clarify their question and we have yet to hear back from the jurors on that. >> okay, bruce, also, are they asking for a copy of a letter? >> that's right. they are asking for a copy of a letter and it's a pretty important letter. pretty chillings piece of evidence here. a letter that huguely sent to yeardley love. detectives found it in her desk drawer. huguely apologized for an earlier violent incident in which friends say they heard yeardley love streaming for help and found huguely inside his bedroom with his arm around yeardley love's neck. in the letter, huguely apologized, said he couldn't believe how out of control he could be when he was drinking and promised to stop. the jury was supposed to have that letter back in among all those boxes of evidence. somehow it was left out. they have sent it back to the mail. at 5:00, right about now, we

are expecting the bailiff to go back and ask the jurors how they are doing, what they want to do. whether they want to quit now or continue into the evening. we should hear that any minute. put it out on my twitter feed at bruce leshan or update you at 6:00. anita. >> we will look forward to that. thank you. >> we are learning more tonight about the virginia man accused of plotting to blow up the u.s. capital. 29-year-old amine el khalifl appeared in federal court today. scott broom joins us live from alexandria with more on what happened. scott. >> reporter: he waived his rights to a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing and it just gets kicked to a grand jury for a formal indictment. so khalifl will stay locked up for the next 30 days. he stood business like with his attorneys today, clearly understood them in english and they made no attempt to argue

that he deserved to come out on bail or anything like that. if you have been following this case since last friday, khalifl was arrested friday in a federal sting operation. he was walking toward the capital wearing a suicide vest and carrying a gun. both of those were harmless because they have been provided by under cover operatives working this case. court records accuse khalifl for setting off a suicide bomb. now we did get a new glimpse of khalifl through the eyes of a man who said he attended prayers with the suspect for two years at the mosque at falls church. the man who did not want to be identified said khalifl stood out because he had a lot of tattoos, which is unusual. the man said. he said khalifl was distracting because he carried a white towel. he said khalifl was in paris at 11:00 on friday. that's a couple hours before he

was arrested, and he said khalifl appeared very stern and had very sweaty palms at the time. he was here just as an observer. he said he was curious about this because he found the whole thing so unbelievable. at the end of the day, khalifl stays locked up for another 30 days while a grand jury works on the case. and there is no bail. he is not getting out any time soon. reporting live at the alexandria courthouse, 9news now. >> the sound of a cell phone ring tone just might have been a lifesaver for an alexandria babysitter. two nights ago, the 16-year-old says she heard a loud noise at the front door of the home. when she went to investigate, a man was there and grabbed her and pushed her down to the ground, but then he ran away when her cell phone went off. that man still out there. the police are looking for him, but that girl was not seriously

hurt. a commuter train left people dead. hundreds of others were hurt in all of this. investigators say the train came into a busy station too fast this morning and slammed into a barrier at the end of the platform. the train was packed with people and many of those riders were stuck for hours inside it. investigators are trying to find the cause of the crash. >> ground was broken today on the national museum of african american history and culture. president obama along with other dignitaries and celebrities gathered around tent to mark the start of construction of the smithsonian's newest addition. the staff started collecting artifacts for the new museum and looking for more help to tell the complete story of the african american experience in this country. >> the generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational, but always central role that african americans have played in the life of our country. >> the legislation creating

the national museum of african american history and culture was signed in 2003. by then president, george w. bush. his wife, former first lady, laura bush, was on hand for today's ceremony. >> for many, this museum is a long time coming. bruce johnson reports some are asking what it will mean to the many other community museums that preserved and shared the black experience. >> it was on this ground long ago that lives were once traded. where hundreds of thousands once marched for jobs and for freedom. >> once complete at the national museum will be the mecca. the smithsonian staff collected more than 20,000 artifacts to help begin telling the story. >> this is going to be a museum that doesn't shy away from telling the hard story, but uplifts people. >> this museum is important not just for the present, but for the future and generations yet unborn.

>> 5-acres adjacent to the washington monument, but some fear the new $500 million museum will mean the end to places like cedar hill and the districts, anacostia community. this is the museum and former home of frederick douglas. a slave who taught himself to read, escape to free freedom. >> no site could possibly encompass all of the history that needs to be shared. >> not far from the frederick douglas home is the smithsonian's anacostia community museum. it's been preserving black history since 1967. >> we have always wanted to make history mainstream. >> they are projecting some 3.5 million visitors. which would make this one of the more popular museums in town. >> i want people to be changed. >> founding director, he sees a role for the smaller museum.

>> we can draw people to washington who don't go to any other museum at all. we'll push them back to local museums. >> bruce johnson, 9news now. >> congress pledged $250 million for the museum, which will cover half the cost of building it and now museum staffers are reaching out where you can make smaller donations online. english is the official language of the frederick county government. it requires official government action to be taken only in english. supporters say the measure will help deter illegal immigrants from moving to frederick t. deems the county as unfriendly. he has been called the run away quarterback and we aren't talking about the football field. former redskin, jason campbell, trying to set the record straight after calling off his wedding just hours before the ceremony.

that's a tough one to explain. i'm meteorologist, topper shutt. another mild day. it's going to get warmer. let me show you temperatures. a light jacket will take care of you. 59 downtown. 64 in fredericksburg. and 63 in culpeper. we'll come back and talk about whether or not the april-like weather will bring april-like showers.

9 wants you to know, since our first series of reports on under age drinking began reporting, addressed some of the tough questions that have emerged. reporting today, chief major says he has been surprised and disappointed by the parents reaction to party bust.

he said his officers find parents hosting underage parties every weekend. >> while i would think most parents would be appreciative of somebody who is trying to combat this under age drinking, which results in needless tragedies every year, you get this reaction of why are you interfering with our kids having fun? >> the chief added that when parents are caught hosting under age drinking parties, they are charged with providing alcohol to a minor. so then, how can we as a community help teenagers understand how dangerous it is if you drink and drive? well montgomery county police have come up with something ingenious to do just that and andrea mccarren takes us on a wild ride. >> on a wind swept evening, we sent some montgomery county police interns on a mission, to attempt a driving course wearing goggles that simulate alcohol intoxication. >> had a few drinks, you're ready to go home. >> julian was up first. >> you know what?

you realize things aren't quite the same and you drop the keys on the ground. >> now julian will get behind the wheel of a john deere gator. >> it doesn't have the power a car does, so it's safer and the gator is equipped with a kill switch. >> trying to focus, he knocks over cone after cone after cone. >> i think you just ran somebody over. >> i don't think enough kids recognize how difficult this is and they think they can handle it. they should go through this to learn that they can't. or i'm not getting in a car with someone who has had a few drinks. >> can you get the keys in? >> next up is sarah who is confident about her driving skills. >> i would never consider driving after i drink. >> i already hit half of them. >> sarah fairs even worse. >> i know i hit a lot. >> she hit seven cones.

>> would you have a single drink and get behind the wheel after this? >> no. it wouldn't make sense. >> what you're going to do is take nine heel to toe steps. >> we put victoria to a field sobriety test. >> watch what happens. >> okay. >> one, two, three. >> put your hands by your side. >> it is neither straight nor steady. >> it is so hard to maintain my balance. i think it's really ridiculous how people think they are sober enough to drive like this. >> what do you make of this? if she was a driver -- >> she is under arrest. no question. >> ann andrea mccarren, 9news now. >> and police are working with schools and community groups using goggles to demonstrate how dangerous it is with drinks and driving in the same car. for moreinformation, you can go to our website and look at our

special coverage section at the top of the page. christians in washington and around the world are celebrating ash wednesday today. in the archdiocese of washington, cardinal donald celebrated the holiday with a mass at the cathedral of st. matthew on rhode island avenue in northwest. ash wednesday marks the start of the lenten season. it is a day of fasting and receiving ashes on their forehead in the sign of the cross. let me take it out to you guys on the weather terrace. it is a lovely wednesday indeed. >> it is. a little bit of a breeze. >> getting the breeze going. my hair is taking a beating. >> you poor thing. it's tough for you. >> it's a warm breeze. when the sun goes down, it's chilly. it's going to pay dividends tomorrow. it's breezy to windy here. check this out. this is unusual. this is an ever green colorado. it was so windy that it blew cars off the road. >> wow. >> they had winds over 75 miles per hour. if you are driving a high profile sport vehicle or utility, boom.

between that and snow and just blowing snow, it was a mess out in evergreen. again, winds hurricane force in colorado, it is crazy. let's look live outside. is this brought to you by michael and son. we'll take this back in time over the last three hours. remember that song, it's a little black hole in the sun. sun on the way down. a few clouds beginning to come in and that is simply because some showers are approaching from the west. nothing heavy. i think for the most part, we're in good shape inside the beltway in terms of a dry commute. 59 right now. 35 is the dew point. winds out of the south at 14. that's a warm wind. that's a good thing and really, really going to pay dividends tomorrow. satellite picture, radar combined. not a very well organized system, but some showers in the midwest and also in the ohio valley. a couple showers to the north of us.

especially between hagerstown. that's where most of the showers are found. nothing really heavy. a couple showers possible north of frederick in the next couple of hours. we'll show you live doppler 9,000 and you go past frederick into hagerstown and south down toward winchester. a couple showers popped up down toward fredericksburg. everything is light. tomorrow night, we might hear the rumble of thunder. 60 in bethesda. 60 in arlington. 59 downtown. 59 in gaithersburg. 60 in reston. still 60 in sterling and 63 in college park. should be 45 this time of night. like april tomorrow. showers tonight. breezy and warm on thursday. mainly a dry morning commute. a couple sprinkles here and there and a dry evening commute tomorrow. for tonight, looking at mostly cloudy skies, breezy and mild. some showers. lows in the 40s. only in the 40s. that should be our high for the day. winds southwest 10 to 15. not only will we not go below freezing, you won't go in the

30s tonight. 44 in gaithersburg. 45 in reston. but 47 in arlington. 47 downtown for a low and 46 in college park. now tomorrow morning, maybe an early shower, primarily partly cloudy, breezy and mild. 40s and 50s and by afternoon, april-like. partly cloudy, breezy, warmer. 65 to 70. winds west, southwest at 10 to 15. we'll break it down for you. 6:00, 40, maybe a sprinkle. by noon, breezy, 58 to 60 by noon and 64 to 69 by evening. all right, next seven days. it's going to still be warm on friday. a cold front will go through. temperature around 61 for a high. that will occur early in the day and temperatures will fall in the afternoon. yes, we have a little bit of a return to winter over the weekend. maybe a flurry on saturday. temperatures in the low 40s. mid 40s on sunday and a little change from yesterday. we're going back into the 50s on monday and tuesday and wednesday and maybe some

showers by wednesday. that will be the 29th of the month and it could mean march could come in like a lamb. >> hard to be disappointed with that. >> all right, folks. i do have a script somewhere. has to do with jason campbell. he runs around just an hour or two before he was supposed to be walking down the aisle. tonight, we get the word directly from him as to what he was thinking.

a recall to tell you about. 46 honda odyssey minivans. there's a problem with the power lift gate that can cause the rear doors to fall on you. the recall affects all 2008 and 2009 models. honda reports two incidents with some minor injuries. the company is going to contact you so you can have the parts

replaced for free. >> the fees we love to hate are getting new attention. now looking into those overdraft charges. now the agency says they can really inflict some economic harm on consumers. right now you have to opt in for this added coverage if you over draw your bank account, but they may decide to crack down on the fees all together if they find that banks mislead you about how those fees can accrue. >> well, former redskins quarterback, jason campbell, called an audible just before his wedding ceremony. change the play and that's never a good thing when it comes to weddings, or at least almost never. kristen berset is here to let us know what was going on down there. >> surprised a lot of people. campbell was to get married this past saturday to jenny, they have been married off and on for seven years now. but when 162 guests arrived at

this exclusive resort, they were told, there will be no wedding. they weren't given a reason why, but go on and party and have fun tonight. we have pictures of the couple from their wedding website. of course, campbell got traded to oakland in 2010 and then he proposed 11 months later. that's when they rekindled their romance in 2010. of course, campbell has been taking a lot of slack for this. folks reporting he left his bride at the alter. he stood her up. he called off the wedding momenting before, but he has been saying the decision not to get married was a mutual enough. i love her enough to talk to her before it gets that far. i don't know why people would put all those lies out there. and went on to say there's so much going on in both our lives right now. we are taking one day at a time. letting the air and dust clear. the couple took down their

wedding website on tuesday after all this information came out and started. but he said this is a mutual decision. something they have been talking about the last couple of weeks. >> do we have any idea, are they still together? are they pals? what's going to happen? >> apparently, they are still in the anyone can. dominican. >> difficult situation. back to you in the studio. >> the proposed town slogan that is causing tons of controversy in colorado. >> also ahead, bombings kill two reporters in syria. one a veteran war correspondent. >> several antiabortion bills become law in the state of virginia, what will happen to women seeking abortions? i'm peggy fox. coming up, we'll talk to one abortion care provider for some answers. 9news now is sponsored in part

by nissan. choose nissan.com.

updating our top story. the abortion debate is heating up in virginia. late this afternoon, governor bob mcdonnell backed off supporting a controversial bill that would force women seeking an abortion to have an invasive ultrasound. he called for an amendment so that women would not be forced to undergo that kind of procedure. that bill was amended and has passed the house of delegates. now headed to the senate. that is just one of three bills being debated in virginia that opponents claim would infringe

on women's reproductive rights. give unborn children at every stage of development the same rights as any other person. that is what is known as the personhood bill and the other would draw abortions of abnormal pregnancies. anita. >> lesli, as you know, people around the nation are watching this. but what do these bills mean for the women who live in virginia who may seek an abortion? peggy fox looks into that today. >> women with money, of course, will be able to travel to other states to seek abortions. but for poor women, they won't be able to do that. and the people who provide these services are fearful of the consequences. >> and these regulations and laws coming through the general assembly promote illegal abortions. >> rosemarry is a health educator. she believes poor women in virginia may not have access to safe abortions or even

contraception if certain bills become law. delegate, bob mohr shall's personhood bill defines life as beginning at conception. every stage of development. the iud is the most popular and cheapest form of contraception in the world, but a personhood law could make it illegal along with all abortions. >> an egg can be fertilized, and it has a couple days for it to attach to the lining. and during that period of time, that iud would interfere with that. >> the ultrasound bill modified would require a waiting period after viewing the ultrasound. it puts up another unnecessary hurdle. >> as far as i know, these legislators aren't md's and according to virginia law, only doctors can practice medicine. >> currently, the only state money spent on abortion is medicaid funding for poor women whose fetuses have severe

complications. >> something might be that the arms are growing inward, that the skull is not closing up. >> the abortion funding bill would eliminate that money and fears women would once again resort to doing it themselves. >> they did before roe versus wade and many with dire consequences. we have come so far in those 40 years. what a tragedy to be going backwards again. >> in 2008, there were 50 abortion providers in virginia, now there are 22. that has to do with the law that is already in place, which says abortion clinics have to meet hospital standards as deadlines come to meet more regulations, more providers could go out of business. people who want to outlaw abortions think that's a good thing. >> obviously passionate opinions on both sides. it's good to hear what the impact may be on women who live in the commonwealth. >> could be dire. peggy, back to you guys. >> actions today do not put

the controversy surrounding this bill to rest. we are having a conversation tonight. chris is the 9:00 a.m. talk host. i'll start with you. the government should not force someone to get a procedure. sounds conservative to me. >> there are many cases early on in the term where you can't determine whether the woman is pregnant or not, much less the gestational age of the child without this type of ultrasound. and it's designed to provide information to women as doctors would provide if you are having hip replacement. >> you're okay with it? >> i understand the debate over it. i also understand the desire to be provided with information that may allow them to reconsider. >> all right. erin, i'll turn to you. the governor seems to be backing off, does that make you feel better? >> regarding the governor's statement, the state has no

proper role regulating, forcing a woman to undergo an invasive medical procedure. his statement telling the legislature to go back and remove the vaginal probe that he had directed before does not satisfy the terms. forcing an ultrasound is forcing an invasive medical procedure. >> you are just as opposed as you were before? >> absolutely. the 24 hour waiting period is unacceptable. 88% of counties have no abortion providers. the state should not have a part in regulating women's health. >> if it were a guy on death row, the 24 hours would be something you welcome. planned parenthood uses it to determine the gestational age of the baby. planned parenthood uses it. it's in common usage. the only difference here is

they ask a woman to take a look at it. there's a human life at stake. >> fact is, the latest dispatch polls, 55% of virginiaens don't like this idea. the governor is going against what people want. >> it's a difficult and complicated and polarizing issue and they have to make the argument to the people of virginia to win them over. that's up to the politician. >> are the republicans over reaching on this? >> look, if you believe. if you are pro-life and believe as all of us were once fetuses, that the fetus is a human being and may become a supreme court justice, you may want to stand up for that life. if you are casual about it, you probably won't. >> erin, you'll get the last word. >> the issue at stake here is whether the state should compel a woman to undergo an unnecessary medical procedure. going inbetween a woman and her doctor. in fact, the closest bill we've had to this bill in virginia that is just now going to be amended was in texas and it went all the way up to the texas supreme court where there

are vaginal ultrasounds being performed. >> thank you both. we appreciate your time today. back to you. >> coming up, grammy award winning singer, adele, does what a lot of winners would probably like to do when they are cut off at award shows. top. >> we have some clouds moving in, but it is very mild. we'll show you temperatures. everybody is still in the 50s. 59 downtown. even 59 in gaithersburg. manassas is 61. we'll come back and show you live doppler. there are some showers out there and we'll talk about warmer air tomorrow. >> but up next, three masked robbers go on a rampage inside that jewelry store. it's all caught on tape. and don't forget, we are always on wusa9.com. stay with us. we'll be right back.

caught on tape, thieves in a smash and grab robbery at jewelry store. police in houston are sharing this i video hoping it will get them to the thieves. making off with $225,000 worth of rolex watches. the entire heist took less than two minutes. police are trying to determine if these robbers are connected to other similar crimes in the

houston area. police in frederick, maryland, are looking for a vehicle that stole an atm. >> investigators say the thief stole a vehicle from a repair shop, then ran it into an atm kiosk a block away. the vehicle was found not far from there. >> more honors for adele and her grammy winning album, 21, it's what she did while accepting an award last night. she was making her thank you speech during the live broadcast when the host cut her off. the singer responded by giving the host the middle finger. now adele, the host, and the tv station are apologizing. the host and the station say we're sorry, adele, for interrupting you and adele is sorry if she offended anyone. but the suits offended me, end quote. meanwhile, a town in colorado has folks talking about his proposed new slogan. welcome to a place called

fruita or wtf. this controversial catch line is dividing the town along the utah border. >> understanding the community we live in, we can use those same creative juices, if you will, to come up with something that doesn't offend the sensitivities of our people. >> you know, maybe that might be a better plan. the town hasn't decided whether it's going to adopt the wtf slogan. anita. still ahead, the fda has been debating whether to give dieters a new weapon in the battle of the bulge. a decision came down within the last hour. but first, a second day of protests against the u.s. actions in afghanistan. it turns deadly.

the president of afghanistan is appealing for calm amid continued protests over the burning of holy books at anyway toe's main military base in that country. for a second day, demonstrations flaired in several cities. as many as seven people have died in clashes with afghan security forces. the american embassy said its staff was in lockdown with

travel suspended. the u.s. apologized for burning copies of the koran, but they said the books were mistakenly given to troops to be burned at a garbage pit. marie's colleagues say she was always on the front line. she was an incredible war correspondent and tonight she is being remembered for her ability to really gain access to the front lines and get into the thick of the fight. tina krause reports. >> syrian forces reportedly shelled a house in the rebel house, killed an american reporter. 57-year-old marie was a veteran correspondent for a british newspaper. the new york native lost an eye covering another war more than a decade ago. >> this is a desperately sad reminder of the risks that journalists take to inform the world of what is happening and the dreadful events in syria. >> just a day before she died,

she was on tv saying it was shocking. >> the sickening thing is the complete merciless nature. they are hitting civilian buildings. >> a french photographer was also killed. witnesses say a rocket hit the journalist as they tried to escape a barrage of shelling. helicopter gun ships are helping forces. weeks of attacks left hundreds dead. this amateur video reportedly shows hundreds of syrian soldiers joining the fight to take down assad's government. western powers, including the u.s., have not ruled out arming rebels to help end the conflict. tina krause, cbs news. >> now reporters without borders maintains that syrians are targeting journalists to try to keep information from getting out of that country and they tell us that 11 rockets have hit a compound that is believed to be a headquarters

for journalists. back to you in the studio. >> divers located what appears to be eight more bodies aboard that capsized cruise ship. the costa concordia tipped on its side after hitting a reef last month. 17 bodies have been recovered. another 11 still missing. the body of a five-year-old is among those discovered today. it's going to be some time before they can be recovered from the wreckage. the superintendent of the west virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the federal government. gary becomes the highest ranking employee so far to face criminal prosecution. in connection with that mine disaster. conspired with others to conceal dangers hidden in the mine. the deadly explosion took place in april 2010 at the upper big branch mine. today marks the one year anniversary of a massive earthquake in new zealand. the 6.3 magnitude quake killed 185 people and most of the

downtown was destroyed. today the names of the dead were read allowed at a memorial and the entire country observed two minutes of silence at the exact time that quake hit. and tomorrow marks six months since the 5.8 magnitude quake hit our part of the world. that was centered in louisa, virginia. the quake cracked parts of the washington monument and national cathedral and those repairs could take years. today, the cathedral announced it raised $2 million of an estimated $20 million it needs to repair the stone work that was damaged. wow, there you go. >> they just finished the cathedral. now it's another decade before they fix it. >> all the damage, we are only finding out how much really happened. >> we were lucky, in terms of loss of life and everything. 63 today. if it wasn't warm enough, you want it warmer tomorrow? >> let's go for it. >> we can do that. let's take a live look outside. live weather cam brought to you

by michael and son. and see a few clouds, but also see the sun behind the clouds. it's not a whole bunch of showers are heading our way. most of the showers will stay north of us. temperatures, 59 right now. winds are still out of the south at 14. but that is a warm wind. that's okay. and dew points well above freezing. only 35. all right, here's a look at live doppler. a couple showers. once you go north of frederick and back down i-81 toward winchester. but for the most part, we're looking at a dry commute home and everything tonight will be light. a little different story tomorrow. hear a rumble of thunder. right now, 59 in bethesda. 60 in beltsville and even out to the west. 59 in reston. 60 in sterling and herndon and 61 down in manassas. so, more like april tomorrow. mild with some showers tonight. breezy and warm thursday.

mainly dry morning commute. i think we'll have a dry evening commute tomorrow before the cold front rolled through later thursday night into friday morning. so mostly cloudy, breezy and mild. some showers tonight. lows in the 40s and winds continue out of the southwest at 10 to 15. temperatures tonight downtown, nowhere near the freezing mark. everybody holds in the 40s. 47 downtown. 45 in rockville. 44 up in gaithersburg. 45 in reston and 45 in fairfax. 46 in college park for a low. all right, tomorrow morning, early shower possible, but then partly cloudy, breezy and mild. 40s and 50s. winds south, southwest. by afternoon, pretty nice. partly cloudy, breezy, even warmer. more like april. winds southwest at 10 to 15. we'll break it down. 40s to start. maybe a shower, but breezy and mild by noon. 58 to 63. downright warm by evening. 64 to 69. a few clouds coming in late and

that is ahead of that next frontal system that comes in tomorrow night and early on friday. here's the deal. i did have a chance of a thunderstorm. still warm on friday, but one of those days where if you're out, maybe 5:00, 6:00, 7:00, or getting dinner after lunch after work, you aught to bring a jacket. temperatures are going to fall in the afternoon or evening and back to reality on saturday. maybe a flurry, colder temperatures in the 40s. next seven days. stays cold on sunday. temperatures still in the mid 40s and goes in the mid 50s on monday and tuesday and wednesday. next chance for rain will be wednesday with temperatures again in the mid 50s. so looks like march could come in like a lamb after all. >> thanks so much, topper. >> 31 of 32 nhl teams reported having one player sustain a concussion. >> despite improvements, a number of cases keeps going up. >> kristen berset is looking at what the nhl is doing to make that game safer. kristen. >> thanks, guys. sports related concussions have

become a hot button topic from the nfl to the nhl. leagues and teams are trying to reverse a troubling trend. dave owens takes a closer look at how concussions are diagnosed and treated. >> for years, the word concussion has been misdiagnosed, misunderstood, and misrepresented at all levels. today, we know more. >> it's the toughest injury by far to come back from. >> the caps should know. he recently had one and the process to get back is not as simple as shaking it off. in fact, it starts immediately after the initial blow. >> we administer a test. >> it examines everything from memory to balance to concentration. once the player is clear of symptoms, it's on to phase two. prior to each season, the caps visit children's hospital to conduct baseline testing of the brain using a computer program. >> search through a screen and find things or respond in a

certain way that is time of how quickly they were able to do that task or how many words or shapes they were able to remember. >> after a concussion, players return to take the test again f. reaction times are lower, they are not allowed back on the ice. there are problems to deal with as well. >> people being symptomatic over a year. sidney crosby still has symptoms. >> took a blow to the head. in a recent interview, he voiced his frustration, saying all i can do is lye around on the couch and try to get better. >> nog the process he has to go through to get back, it could be a while. dave owens, 9sports now. >> between 75 and 80 concussion cases are reported each year. last season, this is how they occurred. 44% were from legal hits. 31% were accidental. 13 were from illegal head shots and 8% from fighting.

we'll continue to investigate this topic as it relates to youth athletics and how scientists link concussions to depression. lesli, back to you. >> thank you. coming up, victims of sexual harassment on public transit speak out tonight and they are demanding more from metro. it was one of the worst by sackers in the u.s. space program and tonight, we are getting a new view of the space shuttle challenger accident. but first, nobody likes sitting in traffic. now we're learning about the toll it can take on your heart. our health alert, plus the latest on a new diet drug is next.

topping tonight's health alert, it's not exactly a surprise. it is scary. being stuck in traffic like that can be very harmful to your heart. the report in the journal of medicine and science and sports and exercise looked at data on 8,000 men over twenty years. the result showed men who spent ten hours per week in a car or more than 23 hours watching tv and driving combined were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease. if you have a long stressful commute, doctors say you need to be exercising to offset some of that stress. look at changing up your

routine. possibly telecommuting if at all possible. overwelmingly approved a diet pill called qnexa. patients have been waiting for a new option. >> merial tried just about every diet, but just could not lose weight. >> family and friends were convinced that i must have been doing something wrong because why wasn't it coming off? >> she weighed more than 200 pounds when her doctor put her on a combination of drugs, phentermine. the new diet pill, qnexa combines both those drugs. lost 10% of their body mass. but the fda rejected this drug back in 2010 concerned about potential side effects, including heart problems and birth defects.

the makers of qnexa showed encouraging findings. >> one of the outcomes of the studies that have been performed said all of the risk factors seem to improve. >> fda has not approved a new drug more than a decade ago. marion says people like her need more options. >> there are these two medications that work so well for me, you know, i think it would be amazing for more people to be able to have access to this medication. >> we're going to be watching when and if it becomes available. it isn't binding, but the agency usually does follow their advice, especially when a vote is like this. the fda is expected to make its final decision in april. this is 9news now. >> how safe do you feel on public transit? the washington metropolitan transit authority has not done enough and they are putting th