nomination and here is how things look so far. romney 415. santorum has 176, beginning river 105, paul 47. the federal judge has rejected a lawsuit challenging maryland's new congressional redistricting plan. he said the plaintiffs did not prove the plan violates the constitution or the statutes. >> the new restricting plan which was approved by the state assembly last fall adjusted the shape of maryland's eight congressional districts. republicans argue the plan is nothing more than an effort by democrats to get g.o.p. representative ross cow bartlet -- rosco bartlet voted out of office. the metropolitan washington airports authority released numbers yesterday for the silver line. the low number is based on fairfax and loudoun county agreeing to pay for the

project. the higher number, $3.2 billion is what it would cost if neither one chips in. the d.c. council has given preliminary aoff to a bill -- approval to a bill which would roll back rules for guns in the city. changes include eliminating a vision test as well as ballistics training and a ban on some types of ammunition. gun ownership rules in d.c. are still being worked out nearly four years after the supreme court ended the city's 32-year- old handgun ban. after a lot of public pressure, prince george's county council woman is facing some new charges now after she was caught speeding over 100 miles per hour on the beltway. >> a number of people were upset that she received only a summons for an improper lane change. >> reporter: it was exactly two weeks ago that the prince george's county council woman karen toles was pulled over for driving apparently 100 miles per hour on the beltway. >> 105 was registered on the

camera in the patrol officer's car. >> reporter: she was given a ticket for an improper lane change but not for speeding leading to speculation she was given preferential treatment. >> he didn't have probable cause to charge for speed. >> reporter: the police chief today announced the results of an internal investigation of the incident, an investigation that he said revealed the unnamed officer did nothing wrong. >> the only way you can actually charge for speeding, you either have to pace an individual and to have that -- to do that you have to have a certified calibrated speedometer which he did not have and denot have a radar -- he did not have a radar gun. >> reporter: the chief said a further review of the case made it clear that toles should be issued an additional ticket for reckless driving which carries a $500 fine and will put six points on her license. >> i take no pleasure in this additional action but know it is the right thing to do for our county.

>> reporter: matt jablow, 9news now. >> she was given the second ticket at her attorney's office. toles has a history of traffic tickets, including speeding. the mysterious deaths of three family members in lusby spurred an investigation. the u.s. centers for disease control and the health department is looking into the cases. 81-year-old ruth blake, her 58- year-old son lowell and 51-year- old daughter vanessa have all been hit with some sort of respiratory illness. another daughter in her 50s was also ill and is recovering. opening statements yesterday in the wrongful death lawsuit against virginia tech. it was filed on behalf of the parents of two students killed april 16 in the 2007 massacre on campus. the families of erin peterson and julia pride are asking for a judgment of $100,000 each. both families say their main goal is to get a full account

of the events of the day and get an apology from school administrators. new allegations are being made about sexual assaults at the u.s. marine barracks on capitol hill. in a federal lawsuit, eight current and former female service members claim they were either sexually assaulted or harassed while serving in the u.s. military. the women also claim they suffered retaliation when they reported the allegations. several women's groups have stepped forward in support of the plaintiffs. >> it's time for the country to hear the unvarnished truth. young women who sign up to serve in the armed forces are more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than killed by enemy fire. 40% of homeless female veterans were raped bisexual -- or sexually assaulted. predators in the military are unafraid because they know an unwritten code shields them. >> a defense department spokeswoman says the military

doesn't tolerate sexual assault. she says steps are being taken to combat this problem. 4:35. here's a look at some of the other stories making news now. the united states is working with other members of the united nations security council to get a resolution passed calling for an end to the violence in syria. russia and china have vetoed previous attempts. syria's president says his regime will not stop the fighting. yesterday president obama said assad will fall but the united states cannot take unilateral military action in syria. the u.n. estimates more than 7500 people have died in the year-long uprising. the mine safety and health administration says its inspectors either missed problems or failed to properly inspect for them before the deadly 2010 explosion at a west virginia mine. yesterday the agency reviewed its internal review of inspections at the upper big branch mine. it announced failures of the agency field staff that concluded there was no evidence they caused the disaster.

29 miners died when a spark ignited methane gas in coal dust. two miner employees have either been charged or convicted in the disaster. peyton manning may be released in a matter of hours. a news conference is scheduled for later today. manning is owed $28 million by friday. by releasing him, the colts don't have to write that check. the washington redskins, miami dolphins and seattle seahawks are all rumored as a possible new home for manning. the time 4:36. at 4:40, how we're looking this morning after the do you suffers its worst trading day of the year. drivers, if you don't stop for school buses in montgomery county, you will be caught on video soon. we're back with your weather first in two minutes. keep it here.

coming up on 4:39 on this wednesday morning. a little breezy but it's really going to warm up compared to yesterday when we stopped at 49. today we'll be 49 by 10:00 a.m. by 11:00 54. we go into the 60s, in fact closer to 65 with a high today. those winds will be out of the south, southwest at 10 to twn miles an hour. looking -- to 20 miles an hour. looking ahead to the weekend in a few minutes. right now here's monika. things are looking great from gallows road to the beltway. the dulles toll road, both loops at the beltway -- both ramps at the beltway, watch out for construction that should be clearing up shortly. another look at virginia roads at 4:47. time right now 4:39. i am watching your money. ouch from wall street. today stocks will try to come back from their biggest loss so

far this year. but we are seeing red arrows in global trading this morning. investors worry greece is moving closer to a default. there are also concerns about a recession in europe and slowing economic growth in china. checking the numbers the dow stands this morning at 12,759. it dropped about 204 points in trading yesterday, the first triple-digit loss of 2012. the nasdaq was down by 40 and s&p 500 was down by 20. 20. leiman brothers touched off the financial crisis but now they have exited from bankruptcy production. they will distribute about $65 billion to creditors. they once employed more than 25,000 people but went belly up in the faces of billions of losses on subprime mortgage investments. for the first time in 27 days, gasoline prices actually

dropped yesterday. that ended a streak of price hikes going all the way back to february 8. not a big drop, though. the nationwide average for a gallon of gasoline slipped to $3.76. gas already tops the $4 mark in california, hawaii, alaska. despite the one-day drop, experts predict they will continue to rise the next few weeks. apple expected to take the wrap off the ipad 3 at an event in san francisco. the next generation tablet is expected to have a sharper screen and camera. apple already controls 73% of the tablet market and is looking to grow that number. research predicts about one- third of americans will own a tablet by 2016. a sharper screen and better camera, who knew. i never heard that before from apple. >> i bet it weighs less, too. 4:41, still ahead, put down your cell phone and save a life. where that's working and how it could lead to changes nationwide. we'll have more on that story and your weather first in

just two minutes. keep it here.

4:44. >> i'm waking up now. i've been up for almost three hours but the body is not waking up. boosting temperatures today into the 60s. around 70 tomorrow before we get back to a little more reality on friday. here's a look at your bus stop forecast. it's kind of chilly this morning. a little bit of a breeze but nothing terrible. we have 30s and 40s out there

right now. low 40s with sunrise at 6:31. it's -- it sets at about 6:08 this evening. then next week it will be setting in the 7:00 hour. day planner, we've got temps as i said in the 40s early. mid- to upper 50s by noon. look at those winds, they'll be out of the south and southwest in the 10 to 15, 20 mile an hour range. they'll stay that way all day. i think we'll get to about 65 for the high before falling back to the middle 50s by 8:00 p.m. clear to partly cloudy skies. we'll only dip into the mid-40s tonight so it won't be even as cold as this morning where we're into the 40s in gaithersburg and winchester 39. same with fredricksburg. to the south 41 at the patuxent naval air station. easton at 37 degrees. there's a little bit of a breeze. we've got winds which are blowing 15, 20 mile an hour bad

take the jackets and bundle up. here's a look outside on our michael & son weather camera. clear to partly cloudy skies. good visibility. 41 officially. with the south, southwesterly wind at 13, that gives it that windchill of 34. the barometer falling a little bit. it's at 30.55. yesterday it hit 30.72, a strong area of high pressure. that is pulling away. as it pulls away, our winds turn around and that draws up the warm air. you see the cold on the east side of the appalachians and then to our west, temperatures in minneapolis at this hour up to 50. chicago 56. kansas city 61. so this very warm air mass for this time of year will be moving toward us. that's why 60s today and even 70 tomorrow. on the back side we've got the cold air coming down. this is where some snow is flying this morning. across the rockies and utah and into wyoming and colorado in the next day or so. so pretty good skiing out there. spring skiing conditions very nice out on the west coast. a few showers down across areas

of oklahoma and texas this morning. but this big area of warmer air as the jet stream lifts well into canada, that is going to overspread the region a little later this morning. we've already seen milder air move in as opposed to yesterday. as we look at the future cast, as that high pulls away, we stay with the southwesterly winds today, tonight into tomorrow. 5:00 today. you notice verith around here. we -- very little around here. we continue to put everything in motion as we head into tomorrow. maybe a few sprinkles to the south if the winds are light enough. but right here, that's a cold front. that's coming our way. ahead of it the winds will stay southwesterly through the day tomorrow. so at 5:00 p.m. we should be partly sunny and about 70 for a high but here comes the front. it will be raining tomorrow afternoon in pittsburgh and williamsport toward cincinnati, lexington, toward buffalo. this front will slip through tomorrow night into friday morning with some showers.

behind it colder. winds turning northwest. can't rule out an early shower on friday but i think we'll have some afternoon sunshine and cooler, highs probably mid, maybe upper 50s. today really pleasant except a little breezy. we'll take these temperatures in the mid-60s. maybe cooler on the bay. some areas even mid- to upper 60s south and west of d.c. a nice warm-up. your forecast then for the next three days, today we've got 65. tonight about 45 or so. tomorrow 70. another breezy day. tomorrow night into early, early friday the threat for showers. cooler friday into the mid-50s. breezy, too. your weekend kind of chilly on saturday around 50. saturday night the time change. we spring forward, set the clocks ahead one hour. so sunday 62. then we're back in the mid-60s by monday. i would say spring has sprung. monika? >> that's good news. >> they didn't like it the other day when i said winter is over. if you're planning to head

around town, i think most of the construction is over, especially to the west as you travel in from the dulles toll road, 66 and the beltway right here at gallows road. i think you'll be all right through those areas. let's take you to the north side of town. the beltway running well between college park and bethesda. no problems on 95 out of baltimore or 270 out of frederick. if you're planning to head over to the american legion bridge on the west side of town, again no problems to report between 270 and 66 here across the river. back over to the maps, this time over to the bw parkway and route 50. inside the beltway no problems through cheverly as you head into the northeast area. you may encounter just a little bit of volume on new york avenue but no big deal really. live look new york avenue at 9th street coming in from bladensburg road and this corridor everything is looking great. in my next report we'll take a peek into the district at 4:55. >> thanks a lot, monika. a new study suggests cell phone ban laws are working in california. >> researchers at the university of california

berkley found a drop since the ban began. >> reporter: this woman is a realtor and says she almost always uses a hand free device. a new study crunched the numbers for traffic deaths before and after california's cell phone ban four years ago. deaths blamed on drivers using cell phones were cut almost in half. deaths decreased 22%. >> fewer people on the phone while driving. >> reporter: a spokesman for the state department that commissioned the research says the findings prove california made the right decision banning hand held cell phones in 2008 and texting the next year. >> what we think is happening is that people are understanding that it's dangerous to use a cell phone, talk on a cell phone, text, check your facebook page. >> reporter: still it's not hard finding drivers ignoring the law. a quick ride on the freeway shows the problem. >> i get angry when i see somebody talking on the phone. that's what the ear pieces are

for. >> reporter: 84% of the people in the study say texting and talking on the cell phone are the most serious distractions while behind the wheel. >> peter says he's changed his behavior in the car. >> the cell phone bans have a very good effect. if it can decrease road accidents, it's got to be good. >> reporter: not everyone feels the same. the state of california plans more research to try and find ways to get more drivers to put down their phones. edward lawrence for cbs news, los angeles. >> maryland, washington, d.c. and nine other states have all banned hand held cell phone calls. 35 states including maryland and the district also ban texting and driving. school buses in montgomery county will have traffic cameras very soon. they will capture drivers who do not stop when the red stop sign comes out and kids are getting on and off the bus. the plan is to install the cameras before the start of the next school year in the fall. violators will be fined 250 bucks. have you gotten a parking ticket in the district?

you're not alone because the district set a record in 2011 on their fiscal calendar. the city took in $370,000 every day. that adds up to $31 million in parking fines collected in the first four months of the current fiscal year. aaa says a total of 1.6 million tickets were issued in 2011. >> that's a lot of tickets. there's new medical evidence that public smoking bans are leading to wide range health benefits. researchers in scotland credit add smoking ban for a drop in pre-term deliveries. does scotland banned smoking in all public places, premature births have fallen by 10%. swedish researchers found that exercise helps turn on some genes in the muscle cells and reprograms them and makes them stronger. they also found caffeine could influence the muscle. yay. the same way. researchers, however, do not recommend you have a cup of joe

in place in exercise or 17 cups of joe. a new study shows how hunger can influence our choices. a french university tested people who had just eaten and others who had no food for hours. researchers flashed words very quickly on a computer screen and found hungry people were much better at identifying words related to food. >> really? >> that's why i'm so great at food words all the time. it is time now for the question of the morning. >> manicotti. according to the survey in men's health magazine, women are more attracted to men who don't do one of these things. a, smoke, b, shave every day, or c, brag about themselves. >> you're looking very attractive, mike. log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page and leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 hour.

a little chilly this morning. breezy, too the winds will push temperatures well up today. we'll be 57 by noon. look at those winds sustained out of the south at 15 miles an hour so gusts 20, maybe 25 with a high about 65 degrees. even warmer thursday. more on that coming up. right now monika is in with time saver traffic. here's a live look pennsylvania avenue coming out of the southeast southwest freeway over the sousa bridge. it's nice and quiet. all of the potomac and an cost came -- anacostia crossings are doing well this morning. the lineup for the upcoming season at the kennedy center has been released. the 2012-2013 season will

feature 2,000 performances. dance, theater, music. among the high lates? celebrations of the music of bob marley and a new production of "showboat." the kennedy center will also present a nordic festival which will feature both the arts and food of the scandinavian region. an 81-year-old newport, rhode island woman says she's going to take the lump sum. louise white is the winner of last month's $346.4 million jackpot, the sixth largest in u.s. history. she bought the ticket at a newport supermarket stop 'n' shop in fact where she stopped to buy some rainbow sherbet. the. meryl streep visits japan for the premiere of "the iron lady." >> and the ole son twin little sister throws a scare into moviegoers. >> reporter: meryl streep got a lavish reception in tokyo for the japan premier of the iron

lady. the oscar winner visited just days before the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands. >> the film was respect to the victims and with great hope that things will get better soon for them. >> reporter: two films honored here in los angeles at this year's oscars are now headed for a showdown in new york. the artists and woody allen's midnight in paris will battle it out to best picture at next month's comedy awards. the nomination for best film are "the artist ," "crazy stupid love ,," "bridesmaids ." elizabeth olson, the younger sister of mary kate and ashley stars in a new horror movie. the 23-year-old plays sarah, a woman held hostage inside her family's haunted vacation home after her father is hurt. >> i always like it when a

woman takes control of things and i kind of like it when they fight back. >> reporter: "silent house" opens friday. connie smith, keyboardist and superstar garth brooks will join the country music hall of fame later this year. brooks whose hits include "no fences" has sold more than 128 million albums worldwide. and that's your eye on entertainment. cbs news, los angeles. good morning. you are watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm jessica doyle in for andrea roane. >> she is. i can swear to that i'm mike hydeck. good morning. monika santami is here and will have traffic momentarily. howard bernstein. how are we doing? >> spring-like today. >> have another mug. >> the third cup of coffee just kicked in. weather wise spring like today and tomorrow. we'll go into