going to be with us another few hours. now the watch itself is west of us. it's a flood watch, actually so many counties under warnings right now. it looks like a just warning, but this is a flood watch essentially either side of i-81 and points west. it's under a warning which means flooding is occurring. radar, you can see the lightning roll in if you look carefully under the 270 symbol and pretty good lightning to the south as well, no reports of hail, no reports of wind damage with this. we'll come back, let you know when this finally clears our area and what this means into tomorrow. will it come in like a lamb or a lion? our storms pale in comparison to those that left a path of death and devastation in the midwest early this morning. a total of 16 tornadoes were spotted between kansas and illinois and nine people died in those storms, six of those in harrisburg, illinois, where an ef4 tornado flattened homes and businesses. another twister hit the tourist town of branson, missouri, killing one person in a trailer

park and the threat of severe weather remains tonight for people from mississippi to georgia to kentucky. today 9news caught up with the prince george's county council member accused of going 105 on the beltway, but karen toles was not so happy to see our crew. she would not answer any questions. >> reporter: i'm scott broom at prince george's county police where the case of a county council member accused of driving 105 miles an hour on the beltway and getting off with just a warning will be reviewed. ma'am, is 105 miles an hour warning appropriate? prince george's county council member karen toles out in public today but not taking questions. ma'am, you're not going to speak to us about this? could you at least tell us what happened on the roadway? >> reporter: you got a slam on the wrist? >> she should have got charged. >> in car camera speed did indicate 105 miles an hour. toles was spotted at noon february 22nd on the beltway at branch avenue making an unsafe lane change at high speed police say, but she got off

with way, for the speed because the officer chasing her did not have radar or a calibrated speedometer to match what his in car camera logged during the chase. >> preliminarily we don't believe this police officer afforded anyone any special treatment and, in fact, we do know that he issued a $90 citation to the council member for her unsafe lane change. the review process that's in place will review this incident in its entirety. >> reporter: this afternoon toles issued a written statement saying she will give up her county car until after she has completed driver safety training. in prince george's county scott broom, 9 news now. >> so the question tonight are those concessions from the council member acceptable for what she did and police say basically they didn't have enough evidence to give her a more severe penalty than the one she got. so are you okay with that explanation as well? send your thoughts to mcginty's mailbag, the address mailbag at wusa9.com. a clean sweep for mitt romney last night in the

michigan and arizona primaries and now the four republican presidential candidates are gearing up for super tuesday vying for 437 dl gates next week when voters in these 10 states head off to the polls. that's more than 1/3 of what you need to claim the nomination and three of the gop candidates spent today focusing on different states. romney is in ohio trying to build on his recent success. rick santorum is in tennessee counting or courting social conservatives and newt gingrich is in his homestate of georgia where he hopes to get his campaign back on track, but their messages are pretty much the same, vote for us. >> that is the key building block that we have to have to move forward in the presidential campaign. >> we've got work to do. i need your votes. i need you guys to get out. >> i'm running because i want to return the power that's gone to washington back to the american people. >> the one candidate not on the trail today? ron paul, the texas congress member was at work on capitol hill where he was going after

the federal reserve in a committee hearing. he hopes his message of economic reform will resonate with the voters and perhaps give him a chance of catching up with those front runners. so who is poised to win big next tuesday? susan pain, washington bureau chief for u -- susan page, washington bureau cliff for usa today has been out on the -- chief for usa today has been out on the campaign trail. we're glad to have her here. >> nice to be here. >> you get the sense the republican voters are trying on different candidates. they tried on rick perry, newt gingrich, rick santorum and mitt romney you're the guy. >> he's been down and up and down and up. we've seen a series of other alternatives surge to the top of the field and then fall back again. now rick santorum seems to be beginning to follow that apparent. he had a surge after winning big on february 7th and now he seems to be on his way back down nationally. so mitt romney won big in arizona and narrowly in michigan but enough to count for a win.

>> now folks are focusing on romney's mistakes last week, but the fact is a week ago santorum was ahead. did he blow it by getting so far out on the social issues? >> i think he did cost himself some support with statements like saying that jfk speech on religion made him want to throw up and saying president obama was a snob for saying that everybody should go to college, not exactly what obama said, but that was how he characterized it. so yes, i think that got him off the economic message. we know from exit polls and every survey we've done in the past year the first issue is the economy voters care about. >> super tuesday is next tuesday. could this finally put to bed the other candidates? could mitt romney begin to wrap this thing up? >> super tuesday could push newt gingrich out. if he doesn't win in georgia, hard to see how he stays in this race. it won't settle the nomination once and for all because it's going to take until at least may, maybe even june before

anybody has the 1,144 convention delegates needed to win, but if romney has a good night next tuesday as did he last night, that could make him the presumptive nominee, the guy with the momentum behind him. >> if he does end up as the guy with the momentum, how badly have his prospects been damaged by this fight? now you see polls that show in a head to head competition romney losing to president obama. before he was tied or beating him. >> he's been damaged some. his unfavorable ratings are a bit higher. he's been forced to talk about some social issues rather than economic ones, but it's a long way till november and we know there's one thing that unites republicans and that is they want to deny president obama a second term. so if he becomes the nominee, i would expect to see the party unite behind him. >> we will watch closely with your help. we appreciate it, susan page. we get to a hairy situation, pun intended for one local politician tonight. maryland congressman roscoe bartlett denying reports he's spearheading a drive to give

men with moustaches a $250 federal tax i can. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan did. a maryland -- tax credit. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan. did a maryland congressman really propose a $250 tax credit for male grooming? it may have been congressman bartlett's bushy moustache that made him a target for the jokers at the american moustache institute which is lobbying for a tax break to cover the expensive grooming habits of those who sport hair on their upper lip. >> the cost has been products such as beard and moustache trimmers, moustache wax, facial hair coloring implements such as just for men hair dye. >> i think we have some other ire that are a little more important than facial -- issues that are a little more important than facial airport. >> reporter: bartlett's press secretary may have started this controversy, but when i asked her to interview the congressman, she declined and said nothing to discuss. his chief of staff put out a statement saying for the record, roscoe is pro moustache

but does not believe that americans should pay for people's personal grooming habits. >> i, too am pro moustache, bruce leshan. opponents to maryland's recently passed same sex marriage bill can start to collect signatures to get the issue put to a public vote. the board of elections gave approval today to the referendum petition, close to 66,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the november maryland ballot. governor martin o'malley plans to sign the bill into law tomorrow. talk about adding insult to devastating injury, turns out a house fire in maryland that injured several firefighters was arson set deliberately. that fire burned friday night at a vacant house in riverdale and while crews were working to smother it, a blast of wind pushed a wall of flame into a group of firefighters. seven of them went to the hospital. six are out including 21-year- old ethan sorrell who sustained severe burns to his airways but

still in critical condition 22- year-old kevin o'toole with burns over half of his body. >> i want to say to those who are responsible that you can be assured that you will be apprehended, that you will thereafter be arrested and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. >> investigators say the person who started this fire could very well be the same one who started other fires in that same riverdale neighborhood. still ahead on 9 news now a d.c. native earns a bronze star in iraq and now a very special honor from the white house. hear about the service and sacrifice of captain yolanda lee. but the first massey energy convicted in that deadly virginia mine explosion is off to jail, sentence details up next. people! look at you!

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five times the national average!!! that's new school banking. sign up for high yield free checking at a capital one bank. what's in your wallet? somebody help me down. the former security chief of the west virginia coal mine where an explosion killed 29 men will spend three years in prison. that is the sentence a judge handed down to huey stover today. stover was convicted in november of lying to investigators and trying to destroy security documents at the upper big branch mine. the 2010 explosion at that mine was the worst u.s. coal mine disaster in four decades. an ad posted at the clarendon metro station is causing quite a stir tonight. it is for a documentary film on healthcare and it reads, "barack obama wants politicians and bureaucrats to control america's entire medical system. go to hell, barack."

earlier today congressman jim moran asked metro to take it down calling the ad offensive and disrespectful. metro responded saying, "wtama advertising has been ruled by the courts as a public forum protected by the first amendment of the constitution and we may not decline ads based on political content. ads do not reflect the position of the authority." but the congressman doesn't agree and moran responded saying this specific language in the ad that should be removed is not political. it's profane. i repeat my call on wmata to exercise appropriate judgment and remove this offensive ad. dozens of you are already talking about this one on the wusa9 facebook page. i'll have some of your comments later in mcginty's mailbag. if you haven't weighed in, join the conversation on facebook or e-mail me, mcginty as hemail back at wusa9.com. tonight -- mcginty's

mailbag at wusa9.com. topper's spring-like forecast is coming up. but first the rains could not cool down marylanders heated over new tax proposals, the message to their governor up next. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

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proposal from governor martin -- to reject a budget proposal from governor martin o'malley to limit tax deductions. taxpayers with income over 100 grand a year would only be able to write off 90% of their deduction. so a homeowner's interest deduction could take a big hit. senate president mike miller says he does not think that will survive the general assembly. in virginia the last budget plan in the assembly now dead. the state senate vote along party lines to a 20-20 stalemate and republican lieutenant governor bill bolling is not allowed to vote to break the tie. now lawmakers must agree on a version by july 1st or virginia could face a partial government shutdown. options to get a deal include a new proposal from the governor or perhaps a special legislative session. top honors for a local soldier tonight. he is one of 78 service members being monerred at a white house dinner. thomas james -- honored at a white house dinner. thomas james introduces to us

captain yolanda lee. >> over the main supply route or convoy was hit. >> reporter: d.c. native captain yolanda lee accounts her most horrific day in iraq, losing a member of her platoon. >> we had so many engagements where they've left a mark in each of our lives. >> reporter: during that ordeal lee's platoon captured several iraqis earning every member a bronze star medal. the white house invited captain lee to represent the district at tonight's dinner with the president and first lady. >> my mom actually cried. >> reporter: lee invited her mother as her guest. >> one of her words was i'm going to meet mr. obama. i hope i don't faint. i said i hope you don't faint, too. >> reporter: since she is a guest of the obamas tonight she will ask for an opportunity to return the favor. >> if given the opportunity, i definitely will invite president obama and mrs. obama

to come join us at the d.c. armory and visit his very own capitol guardians because, of course, we're d.c. guard soldiers. we're here to support him. >> captain lee is a full-time service member of the army national guard where she has served 19 years. a sad note, a memorial service earlier today for the brett-o-meter. >> it's gone. meteorological winter ends tonight comprised of dem, january and february and we gotten ex -- december, january and february and we gotten extra day. north of dawn thunderstorms are pushing off to the east and -- north of town thunderstorms are pushing off to the east and we may see some later tonight. temperature-wise they haven't moved much the past few hours. up to 52. that's been the high so far today. pressure falling now 29.81 inches of mercury, winds out of

the south at 9 and we're looking at temperatures remaining almost steady overnight, very mild. here's a look at the radar. we'll put this into motion. these are all flood warnings. you name it, it's under a flood warning in frederick county, warren county, jefferson, everything in ww. if you look carefully, you -- in west virginia. if you look carefully you can see the slightening strikes around 270 and clarkbsurg off to the east. reports of unusually laud thunder and frequent lightning, kind of weird for february. heavy activity to the north and once you get south of fredericksburg essentially moving due east. now over to clarksville and howard county around 32, columbia big time rains between 108 and over toward 29 and everything is kind of training off to the east at about 20 miles an hour. all right. well, here's the deal. we're under a flood watch.

at least if you're under i-81 north and west and all these now light green are actually flood warnings. so we'll keep you posted. there was a flood warning issued up in baltimore. drying out after midnight, that's good. another round of heavy rain, though, some thunderstorms, too time period between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. and thursday still looks like it's going to be a lamb. march will come in like a lamb thursday. this will not change that. look at this, 7:15, heavy showers and storms across most of the metro area. i will put this into motion and stop it at 8:45. that batch goes through. we may see another batch move across the mountains as you get back into west virginia and western virginia. you see the yellows and oranges, which is heavy rain 10:00 we see yellows, which is moderate rain across most of the metro area through frederick and gaithersburg and manassas and points east. at the midnight hour we see clearing and most of the showers pulling off to the east. we'll still be left with a very nice day on thursday.

as we clear out, clouds may linger west of the divide. tonight breezy, milder, more showers and thunderstorms ending by midnight, 45 to 50, winds out of the southwest at 10 to 15. now tomorrow morning becoming partly cloudy, in like a lamb, 40s and 50s, winds west, southwest 10 to 15 and by afternoon a very nice day, returning to mostly sunny, breezy, warmer. grab the sunglasses, high temperatures around 65, average high now about 52. next seven days friday is okay, clouds coming back at us, maybe a shower late friday or friday night, but more rain and showers and maybe thunderstorms on saturday and then colder sunday and monday, still got that flake in there, snow showers, looks like a pretty good bet sunday night and i tell you, what if it snows sunday night, that's going to be the last flakes we see this year. >> we cannot be sad about that somehow. we'll be back. >> we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's

mailbag, the address mailbag at wusa9.com. 9 news now will be right back.

in the mailbag tonight the

facebook page is exploding with comments on that new ad in the metro subway station expressing its opposition to president obama's healthcare reform law and then going to say go to hell, barack. congressmen jim moran said the ad needs to come down and is disrespectful. metro would beg to differ and so would ira. what happened to free speech? i don't remember people going nuts when anti-bush ads were placed and similar sentiments we got from christopher maple vicky. google anti-bush signs and they get worse than that calling bush a murder irand terrorist. there are signs that say he -- murderer and terrorist. there are signs that say he should be hanged. telling the president to go to hell is kind of tame compared to those against bush but tracy says that is not so. during eight years of bush metro never had advertisements that said hey, george, stop killing our kids and go to hell or hey, george, stop screwing our country and go to hell. i'm announcing my own personal boycott of the metro system. i think that's your right, but

the other right on this one, telling the president to go to hell is totally rude and disrespectful but without question is protected by the first amendment. you don't have to agree with the statement too stand up for someone's right to say it -- to stand up for someone's right to say it. you've got the same rights with mcginty's mailbag. that is our report. i'll be back here tonight at 11:00 with anita brikman. have a great evening. stay dry. bye bye. the word is swapportunity. can i have the definition? swapportunity: the opportunity to swap a higher calorie snack for a yoplait light. can you use it in a sentence?

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now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. ♪ the death of monkee davy jones. ♪ daydream believer >> new information tonight. >> what our sources have just learned about the cause of death. plus -- the songs that made him a teen heartthrob and his rare monkees screen test. whitney houston's daughter smoking a bong? is bobbi kristina in trouble? the new tabloid photos, when they were taken and accusations that she shared the same drug dealer with her mom. then, paula deen with oprah. the fear that reduced her to tears. in their pajamas inside the tv chef's home. angelina's oscar legy