update on his home state. the white house is monitoring states under states of emergency. crews are fixing up some of the music theaters badly damaged in branson. a tornado marched down the main street of this country music resort town. a tour bus was picked up and thrown across the road. >> a friend of mine is still in the back. they pulled him back. >> reporter: branson tourist season hits its peak later this this morning. they say the storm won't ruin the city's economy. maryland will become the eighth state to legalize same- sex marriage later today. governor martin o'malley will sign the bill into law. opponents want to send the issue to a referendum in november. they'll have to gather 56,000 voter signatures to make that happen and a state board of elections gave them permission to start the process. the man dubbed the aspen hill rapist will be sentenced

later today. timothy busby is sentenced for rape cases dating back to the 1970's. the additional charges surfaced when he could be eligible for parole. he could be sentenced to two life consecutive sentences. a fire in riverdale sent several firefighters to the hospital that was intentionally set. seven firefighters went to the hospital. six have been released, including 21-year-old ethan sorol who sustained severe burns to his airways. still in critical condition is 22-year-old kevin o'toole with burns over 20% of his body. >> you can be assured you will be apprehended, that you will thereafter be arrested and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

>> investigators say the person who started this fire could very well be responsible for starting other fires in the riverdale neighborhood. more than a thousand stranded cruise passengers and crew are finally on some dry land this morning. the costa allegra had been drifting without power in the pirate infested ocean. it docked a few hours ago at the island nation. lawmakers held a hearing yesterday regarding the cruise ship safety. any ship entering an american port is held to the highest standards according to the admiral. >> passengers spent 10 to 12 hours longer at sea than expected because a french vessel pulling the ship refused to give way to tugboats.

prince george's county council member karen toles confronted by 9news and refusing to answer our questions about the warning she got on the beltway for allegedly going 105 miles an hour in a county-issued car. this happened back on february 22 near branch avenue. she was only ticketed for making an unsafe lane change because the police officer chasing her did not have radar oracle greated speedometer to match the high speed in his log during the chase. >> he did not have enough probable cause to issue the violator a ticket for her speed. preliminarily we don't believe that this police officer afforded anyone any special treatment and in fact we do know he issued a $90 citation. >> prince george's county county's assistant chief of police says the incident is now being reviewed under the direction of the county's new

attorney general. toles released a statement saying she would give up her county court while she takes a driver's education course. students in chardon, ohio are planning to march to the site of monday's deadly shooting. students and parents will also meet with grief counselors. three students died when the alleged shooter t.j. lane opened fire in the cafeteria. two others are still in the hospital. lane admitted to randomly firing ten rounds into the cafeteria and he told authorities he stole the gun from his uncle. government forces in syria say they are preparing to cleanse rebel strongholds in the city of holmes. the opposition -- in homs. the opposition are gathering outside the city for a ground invasion. the nuns estimates more than 7500 people have died in the year-long pro-democracy uprising. former u.n. secretary kofi annan says he will travel to

syria soon to try to broker a cease-fire and get humanitarian aid into the country. three years in prison for lying to investigators. that's the sentence for former security chief at upper big branch mine in west virginia. 29 men were killed in the 2010 explosion there. he was convicted also of trying to destroy security documents from the upper big branch mine. that was the worst u.s. coal mine disaster in four decades in the united states. massy energy owned the mind at the time of the explosion. no funeral plans have been announced for singer davy jones. he died suddenly yesterday at the age of 66. >> he became a household name as the lead singer for the monkees. we have more on the music of the 1960's teen idol. >> reporter: they were america's answer to the beatles, a made for tv sitcom band put together in 1966 to capitalize on the popularity of

the fab four. ♪ >> reporter: jones born in england became a teen idol which led to this tv moment playing himself on the brady bunch. >> are you going to come to the prom? >> there is one little problem. >> what? >> well, i don't have a date. do you know a girl who would like to go with me? >> do i. >> reporter: the monkees lasted just two seasons on tv but they paved the way for today's music videos and sold 65 million records along the way. davy jones was 66. >> i've seen more of my yorchgees shows back in the day and reruns. it's kind of sad -- monkees shows back in the day and reruns. it's kind of sad. find out next how a deal

between home depot and martha sue water could be a good -- stewart could be a good deal for homeowners wanting to spruce up for the spring.

it is 4:39. we've got some fog north of town this morning but overall a sunny, breezy day. could have gusts to 30 miles an hour and a warm one for this time of year. average highs 50, 51. we should be in the mid- to upper 60s later today. i wouldn't be surprised a couple of areas getting toward 70, especially south of the district. i'll be back with the weekend forecast in just a few minutes. right now monika santami and a lot of construction canceled thanks to the rain. we sure did so that's not the worry. the worry this morning will be

the fog as you can see coming here through route 121 down to the point where the lanes divide and coming out of frederick as well on i-70 and 270. in my next report we'll go into virginia at 4:47. >> thank you, monika. the time 4:40. i'm watching your money. dow 13,000, just a distant memory. well, not too distant. stocks pulled back a little bit in trading yesterday so february was the best for the market since 1998. for the month the dow was up 2.5%. the s&p 500 up 4% and the nasdaq rallied by 5.5%. the nasdaq briefly touched the 3,000 level for the first time since 10 years ago. the dow dropped 53 points in trading yesterday. the nasdaq lost about 20 and the s&p 500 was down by about six. home depot is extending its deal to offer martha stewart living branded products at its stores through 2016.

the products include paint, outdoor furniture, kitchen and bath and cabinetry. the deal also include as new martha stewart craft line, furniture line and more holiday merchandise. a group of realtors and homeowners braved the wet weather in annapolis yesterday. they urged lawmakers to reject a budget proposal from government martin o'malley, a plan to limit income tax deductions. for example, taxpayers with incomes above a hundred grand would only be able to write off 90% of their itemized deductions so homeowners mortgage insurance deductions would take a big hit. the senate president mike miller does not think the deduction limit will survive in the general assembly. you start dealing with income tax deductions, people get pretty upset. a big deal. 4:41. before you make your weekend plans, you want to hear howard's forecast coming up. plus, find out why a local congressman is insisting metro remove a billboard telling the president of the united states where to go.

keep it here.

we are back. it's been a crazy year so far. >> the cherry blossom press conference, itself preview of the the festival is coming up. we'll get the prediction later this morning about how early or late the cherry blossoms will be. >> we've had crazy more weather. >> i think it's going to be more difficult. i've covered this in the past. there's a process. where are the buds now. there are four, five stages of development. depending on where they are and

there are some indicator trees. you may have already seen some cherry trees in bloom. some of those, when they bloom, all right, two weeks from now-- >> where i live the forsythia is out already, everywhere. >> that's what they say. it's crazy. it could be very early this year. >> like in 12 hours. >> if it's mid march instead of the end of march, it would not surprise me at all. we have a couple of problems this morning. actually really one big one, the fog north of town. we have some areas from leesburg and especially up near the maryland-pennsylvania border and along the potomac. quantico reporting that a big range in temps from the low 40s in the cold spots to the low 60s. yes, the low 60s in the warm areas. i left my jacket at home this morning because we're going to be warm today. mid- to upper 60s, maybe even 70. 68 by 8:00.

low 6s on at noon. gusting potentially to 30 miles an hour. i won't be surprised if we shoot to 6 65. at least 65 at 4:00 p.m. winds northwest at 15 miles an hour. and by 8:00 we're down to the 50s. some cooler air starting to return for tonight but just not a lot cooler. here's a look at the satellite and radar. big loud thunderstorms last night. the cold air with the warm air on top tends to bounce the sound back down and it amplifies. a dense fog advisory north covers freeze rick county, through the panhandle of west virginia, caroll county, washington county as well. in loudoun county, we have visibilities in leesburg right now down to one quarter of a mile. martinsburg up to hagerstown, that is a slow ride there. even south we've got some fog places like andrews. i've seen quantico down to a

quarter. now they're saying 10. even warrenton a quarter mile. the dense fogry is north but we have patchy dense fog in some other spots thanks to the record breaking rainfall yesterday. not at national but dulles and bwi had their wettest leap day on record. some areas had an inch and a half or even more than that. 40 in hagerstown this morning. where the cool air is, that's where we really have the fog. 50 in winchester. culpeper 55. as we look outside on our michael & son weather camera, no fog in the nation's capital. good visibility under mostly cloudy skies. 59 degrees this morning. that barometer is bouncing around so if you're sensitive to pressure changes, this has been a rough week for you. we have a storm, the high pressure. this storm is producing a bunch of snow. they're expecting locally a foot of snow in southern new hampshire from this. boston is going to see 4 to 6 inches of snow, sleet, freezing rain. a real wintry mess for them. for us we'll get high pressure

to build in behind the storm. the storm is going to drive the wind. high pressure builds in for tonight and tomorrow morning. then as we head into friday night, another storm system will be coming with a chance of more showers and storms friday night and the first part of saturday. we're quiet on the future cast. here we go friday morning, 6:00 a.m. during the day on friday the clouds start to come in from the southwest. we're still okay through late afternoon. look what happens here by 8:00, 9:00 at night. we have showers around. showers and storms will be approaching for saturday morning. maybe by saturday afternoon we'll salvage the second half of the day. the forecast, 67 at least. i may be upping that we'll watch the trend this morning. tomorrow we're going to be 59 after dropping down to about 40 or so tonight. tomorrow night 50 with the showers and storms into saturday. at least saturday morning 64. hopefully salvaging the afternoon. sunday colder, upper 40s, maybe a flurry sunday night. by monday only in the middle 40s before warming up by

wednesday. got to love spring, monika. >> got to love spring. i'm very happy it's here. if you're planning to head around town, i don't think you'll encounter many problems, especially close in d.c. as howard has been saying you want to watch out for the patchy dense fog, especially coming in from the north. here on route 50 fine through cheverly. no problems on the beltway prince george's county. let's take a live look at the beltway at university boulevard. i'm just getting word of a possible disabled vehicle in the roadway on the outer loop after university boulevard. so just be aware of that. they are headed to see if they can find that. if you're planning to head over to the other side of town, let's take a look on our maps on 66. no problems out of manassas, centreville. looking good on the beltway through annandale. a live look on the inbound side of i-66 at the roosevelt bridge. no problems to report into downtown and a quick look live as well northbound i-95 here in springfield still nice and light. in my next report we'll focus on maryland at 4:55. caught on tape, a robber

with a hammer. this is in alexandria. fairfax police say he held up the mobile gas station on richmond highway twice in three days. during the second robbery last month, the suspect tried to hit the clerk in the face with a hammer before demanding the money. anyone with information please call fairfax county police. this fast and furious chase was caught on a dashboard camera with a police cruiser. it reached speeds over 90 miles an hour over ice and snow covered roads in marshaltown, iowa. it all ended when both vehicles crashed 20 feet down an embankment. both people in the fleeing car attempted to run from the scene. the officer was not hurt in this. also caught on tape, a cab crashed into a house in the bronx. the vehicle took out a brand new car before slamming into the garage of the corner house. the owner says this isn't the first time it's happened. he says another out of control car ran straight through his house and into an adjoining

apartment. >> i don't know. maybe i should move to the middle of the block. >> not a bad idea. there were no injuries stemming from the accident. city engineers say it appears the garage is still structurally sound after that. >> those are about the biggest signs you're going to get that you should move. can a local congressman force metro to take down a billboard that slams president obama? >> metro says free speech legal decisions prevent it from doing that. gary nurenberg talked to the players and has the story. >> reporter: this is hardly a conspicuous location. at the very end of the metro platform just before orange line trains disappear into the tunnel for new carrollton. it is likely that most metro riders at the claire clarendon station, won't even see the sign. the sign promotes a movie

called "sick and sicker ," a documentary using canada as an example to demonstrate government regulated medical care is ineffective. it is available online. >> profanity, obscenity, the kind of crudeness this represents is just wrong. >> reporter: democratic virginia congressman james moran says children shouldn't have to see that and want it is removed. >> it doesn't matter whether it's a democrat or republican. it's not about politics. it's about appropriateness. and they simply shouldn't have ads like this that everyone has to see. >> reporter: in-- >> in a government-run medical system, everyone is going to suffer and die. old people, children because when the government attempts to run the medical system, there's never enough medicine, there's waiting lists, shortage of drugs. so better that children be offended than children die. >> reporter: some metro riders agree. >> i think it's free speech. i don't really care for his

approach to the medical system but, you know, i'm perfectly okay with the free speech aspect of this. >> reporter: some metro riders disagree. >> i think it's kind of harsh. i think they should take it down. >> reporter: metro issued a statement saying it has been ruled by the courts as a public forum protected by the first amendment and we may not decline ads based on their political content. like it or dislike it, if the idea was to generate buzz for the movie, it worked. gary nurenberg, 9news now. >> i had thai food last night but it's not every day that you get to eat with the commander in chief. >> pretty good day if you do that. [indiscernible] one of 78 service members being honored at a white house dinner. the d.c. native was deployed in iraq when her convoy was hit. her platoon captured several iraqis earning every member a

bronze star. >> if given the opportunity i definitely will invite president obama and mrs. obama to come join us at the d.c. armory and visit -- [indiscernible] >> lee is a full-time service member in the army national guard where she's served for 19 years. then there's maryland congressman ross company bartlet -- rosco bartlet trying to keep a stiff upper lip regarding a mustache tax. his office says there is no such legislation giving a tax deduction for grooming tools for the mustache. >> it is very funny. >> it's hilarious. time for the question of the morning. according to a new survey, this is the number one food women crave when they're pregnant. what is it na, peanut butter,

b, ice cream or c, pickles. >> diana writes b. i crave the sweet-salt combo of spam and bryers ice cream sandwiches. share your responses on the facebook page. we'll have the answer in our 6:00 hour. we'll be right back. one woman, one powerful savings tool, one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr!

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welcome back. 4:57. howard here with your weather first. we have fog especially north and west of town. sunny and windy today. we're going to have temperatures in the mid- to upper 60s, maybe near 70 before the day is out. the winds could also gust near 30 miles an hour. let's go to monika. not too bad on the west

side of town. at the american legion bridge between tysons and bethesda, you are good to go. in my next report, another look at maryland roads at 5:01. you don't hear this every day. lady gaga goes to harvard and award season not over yet. >> hugo is in line for even more prizes. edward lawrence has those stories and more. >> reporter: pop sensation lady gaga took her initiative to harvard. she launched her born this way foundation named after her hit song. gaga wants her foundation to empower young people by promoting self-confidence and working to stop bullying. >> the more kids that i can get to eat hamburgers and talk about it outside my show, i really think, you know, it sounds small but over time i feel it will be very big. >> gaga's foundation also does specific outreach to gay and lesbian youth. celine dion fans are out of luck. the singer had to cancel more

shows because of vocal cord inflammation. she is hoping to be back on stage june 9. hugo and harry potter in the deadly hollows part two lead the pack for the saturn award nomination. it honors the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror films. the awards will be presented here in burbank on june 20 and this year they've become more mainstream. woody allen's midnight in paris scored for best fantasy film and best writing. the film festival kicks off with a little comedy this year. >> you have pick add date yet? >> not yet but within the year. >> the downtown manhattan festival will open with a five- year engagement on april 15 15. >> here's the guest list. >> reporter: that's your eye on entertainment. i'm edward lawrence for cbs news, los angeles. good morning. you're watching 9news now at