entering amadon elementary as nervous parents and grandparents waited outside. >> i'm kind of upset, sir, because i want my grandchild out of there and they won't let us get in and out. >> reporter: a school employee had opened an envelope containing an unknown white powder. two hours later, two miles away, another similar envelope was opened bia chef at a restaurant. it was evacuated around lunchtime but later given the all-clear. >> everyone's fine. >> but a little uneasy, i would guess. >> the fbi is now investigating six of these incidents in the district this weak alone. yesterday white powder-filled envelopes were opened at two other locations. there's been incidents along the east coast. in each case the white powder has proven to be harmless but just because it isn't dangerous

doesn't mean it's not disruptive. schools and restaurants have been evacuated as emergency responders chased down these false alarms. that's likely no accident, according to david willman, the author of a study about the 2001 appear thrax attack letters. >> is i think it's a cheap, easy, and anonymous way for someone to try and make a point or to grind an axe. they can bring a building to a halt, they can have it evacuated. they can in their way punish an institution. >> reporter: fbi is still investigating if all of that's incidents are related and if a single sender is responsible. the envelopes are now being sent to an fbi forensic lab for further testing. kristen fisher, 9news now. >> as we told new is not just a d.c. story. officials kept a school in newington connecticut closed today after a white powder-

filled envelope was discovered. a total of three schools in connecticut have received packages just this week. we have breaking news four out of prince william county. sky 9 is tracking an ongoing police investigation in brings bristow. police tell us a child has died after being found unresponsive. she was a very young child, a little girl, only three months old. and police tell us there is no sign of foul play but they do say an unlicensed day care appeared to have been operating out of that home. smoking is already banned in restaurants and workplaces but lighting up with your kids in the car, that is still legal in most states, including d.c., maryland, and virginia. that subject is on our radar tonight because maryland's senate is scheduled to debate the issue tomorrow. and scott broom is working this story with smokers and nonsmokers alike. >> reporter: smoking in the car with kids. i spent two hours outside this

big convenience store in beltsville, maryland today talking to people about it, and not a one of them said it was a good idea. >> smoking in the car with kids is not good at all. >> kids should not be around smoke whether it's in a car or outside. >> reporter: so why has it been so difficult to pass law against it in maryland's legislature? in maryland's legislature, proposed bans on smoking with dipdz car has been shot down eight times since 2007. and this year another fight is brewing over a bill that would ban smoking with kids under eight. eight years old. with republican senator ed rail lee ready to lead the opposition. >> this is another intrusion of government on private lives. >> reporter: baltimore county senator bobby zurkin is on the other side. >> this is about the effect on somebody who has no choice. >> the science on this is a slam dunk. a harvard study found that inside a car with a smoker contaminants are hazardous even for the general public. and they are seven times past

the unhealthy level for kids. it's even hazardous with the windows cracked. and the levels go off the charts only five minutes after lighting up. in beltsville, scott broom, 9news now. >> turns out six other states including california, louisiana, and arkansas already have laws banning smoking in cars with kids. so is this a case of a law desperately needed to protect the very young, or is it government do-gooders trying to get even more deeply into your business? the address here is mailbag@wusa9.com. supporters of maryland's recently passed gay marriage law are not going to let the issue go to a referendum would you tell fight. marylanders for marriage equality say hat launched its own petition to uphold the law. the group will hold community meetings on its plan should the issue be put to a public vote. governor martin o'malley signed the law intoesque last week. in virginia voters may soon

need to show id when they cast a ballot. the house of delegates passed a voter id bill today, and under it virginians who do not show an accepted id can only cast a provisional ballot. the bill now heads to the governor to be signed into law. so far he's not taken a position on this one. on capitol hill, deposit crates have won the latest battle over a proposed extension of the keystone pipeline. that's the pipeline that would run from canada down to refineries in texas. today the senate gave a thumbs down to a republican plan that would have sped up the project. president obama personally lobbied democrats to defeat the proposal. >> the president of the united states is lobbying for sending north american energy to china and lobbying against american jobs. >> despite claims that this would somehow -- this pipeline

would somehow solve the pain that families are feeling at the pump, the company itself has said it would take years before sang gal drop of oil would flow through that pipeline. >> president obama rejected the proposed pipeline back in january siting, among other things, environmental concerns. republicans have repeatedly bashed him over that one accused him of standing in the way of jobs and greater independence from foreign oil. apparently even this year's solar stores are underwhelming. the largest in five years hit the earth this morning but scientists say we just lucked out. so far no reports of any issues with power grids and gps and other electronics that solar storms can disrupt. delta air lines did reroute seven flights that usually travel over the north poll, but the airline said that was just a precaution. no storms to worry about around hear other than the wind. it was picture perfect, huh, top. >> yeah, 74 for a high today. the record 95. a very nice day. let's start with the

temperatures and the winds, because that's the key. winds are still gusting to 23 miles per hour downtown. we had a wind gust earlier of 39 miles per hour. they are going to be with us all night. it will change direction when the cold front goes through by dawn tomorrow. look at the temperatures. 69 downtown, 6 in manassas, 66 in gaithersburg. still 70 in culpeper. for tonight rain and showers developing, mostly cloudy, still mild. winds become northwesterly 10 to 20 before dawn, and that will usher in some cooler air. we'll come back, tell you just how cool it is going to get tomorrow and look ahead to the weekend. >> top, thanks. it's not just us. a whole lot of folks all over the country have enjoyed this warm winter weather, but could that come with a cost? first, though, the terrible two's turn interest a terrible two grand. how a toddler got his family kicked off of their flight home. actually, it's a her. that's up next. ♪

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back now with a consumer alert that many frequent flyers probably do not want to hear about. fur looking to snag a good deal on your next flight, well, don't count on it. the faa says airfares will likely stay high throughout the rest of this decade. the reason? it's all about supply and demand. more people flying, fewer seats. the faa says consumer demand is growing about 3% per year but airline mergers are reducing the number of available seats. and speaking of air travel, the terrible two's cost a rhode island couple two grand.

the family was flying back home from a caribbean vacation but when it came time for take-off, two-year-old natalie just wasn't cooperating. she would not sit down. but federal rules and airline policy require everybody has to be in their seat so the jetblue pilot had the family removed from the plane. >> we weren't yelling and swearing. my child wasn't running up and down the aisles. we were trying. we were putting in an effort. we didn't just say, so what. we were doing our best. >> apparently the best not good enough, at least as far as that pilot was concerned. the parents say there was no other flight available until the next day so the whole rescheduling mess cost them an extra $2,000. our beautiful weather is moving out. the rain is moving in. but it will clear up in time for our weekend? we're going to hope. so top's forecast will confirm or deny. but first, metro is out with a report on its recent brake failures on railcars but one board member says the agency had known about this stuff for years. we'll hear what his claims are.

that's coming your way next.

metro knew about those failing brake parts on some of its railcars for years but never did anything about it. that's what one metro board member told the washington post today. he says the transit agency knew about the failing brake hubs six years ago and came up with a plan to fix it but he says

metro canceled the plans because of financial problems. part of that brake system, known as the friction ring, fell off railcars twice in the last five months, the first one happening just days before christmas on a 5000-series car. a report says a hub on the car

had fractured. 98% of hubs on 5000-series cars have been replaced. the second i want happened in january on a 2000-series car but metro says it is not related to hub failure. heads up for metro riders

about track work affecting four of five lines over the weekend. the biggest delays likely to be on the red line where metro is closely the woodley park and cleveland park station. there will be free shuttle buses to take riders. trains will also single track through certain parts of the yellow, orange, and blue lines. those passengers are to add15 to 20 minutes to their expected trip time. it will last through closing on sunday. a falls church man has played the powerball only twice. now he figures he will keep on playing. after all, winning comes easy. you see, john won a million bucks only the second time he ever played. he matched five numbers, missing only the powerball number. the virginia lottery gave john his big check today. he bought the winning ticket at an exxon, out on route 50, in falls church. the free ride is over for one lottery winner. she kept on getting food stamps even after she won a million bucks. state officials heard about it, and now they've. was warmer than normal. it's having big effects throughout the nation. >> reporter: no jacket required in washington, d.c. >> the weather feels good. >> temperature in the sit, even inspired some to lose the shirt. >> this is great. unbelievable. >> reporter: in new york's central park would you never know it's still officially winter. >> it's definitely weird that it's this warm this early. >> from the northeast to the south, millions are enjoying unusually high temperatures. the u.s. is approaching the end of the fourth warmest winter on record. in washington, d.c., 70 of the last 91 days have seen higher than average temperatures. and this balmy weather is having an impact on the national economy. many cities have saved millions of dollars just keeping their snow plows parked. americans are spending less to heat their homes and the construction business is booming in the warm weather. but not everyone is a fan of this mild winter. many allergy suffererrers are

struggling with an early pollen season, and forecasters are concerned the high temperatures could trigger more severe storms, like last week's deadly tornadoes. warm ocean water could even create bigger hurricanes this summer. but right now, they're sing mother nature's praises, and the beautiful weather is even leaving a few -- >> how do you like the weather? >> reporter: speechless. meteorologists say enjoy it now. a cold front is moving in, and temperatures will drop to normal levels. susan mcginniss, cbs news, washington. >> you know what, it's still hard not to love a day like today. >> it is. >> regardless of what the ramifications may be down the road we will live for the moment. >> exactly. live for the now, as it were. we were 20 degrees above the average high of 54 or 53. a live look outside. we're looking at the white house. temperatures are still very balmy. until the cold front goes through, and that will happen well after midnight, it is going to be warm.

69. the winds are out of the south- southwest at 16. pressure falling at 30.02 inches of mercury. that's our live weather cam brought to you by michael & sons. some showers just getting into parts of the metro but none of this is reaching the ground. most of the showers that are reaching the ground are in hagerstown and cumberland. we certainly have a few hours before we have to worry about a jacket. 69 downtown, 67 in reston, 68 in manassas, 66 up in leesburg. to the north it's still mid to upper sick. gaithersburg 66, rockville 67. 67 in bethesda. still 70 in college park. so here's the deal. cold front is on the way w. again, a dry commute home. if you are home in the next hour you are going to be fine. mainly a dry commute tomorrow except for southern maryland. breezy and cooler friday. bright but brisk on saturday g. news on saturday, no winds to

speak of. 10:00 tonight, now we see some showers getting into parts of the metro area. manassas, up 270, path gaithersburg, heaviest activity still in the mountains. we advance the map and by 4:00 in the morning heavy activity down into southern maryland but notice the back edge of the precipitation already at the district. so it really mavs out very quickly. in the a tremendous amount of moisture, probably less than half an inch. by 9:30 in the morning we have seen a return to clear to partly cloudy skies and lots and lots of sunshine. so they come in fast, and the showers and rain moves out very fast. so for tonight, mostly cloudy, breezy and mild, mainly showers developing. he wills in the 40s. winds southwest 10 to 20 and becoming northwest at 10 to 20 by dawn. by morning turning partly cloudy. there could be some residual clouds south of town. breezy and cool, 40s and 50s. the winds northwest will make it feel cooler than it actually is temperature-wise. by afternoon partly cloudy, breezy and cooler. will you need your shades.

highs 55 to 59. that's still above average and winds still northwest at 10 to 20 and kind of gusty. next seven days, it's going to be kind of chilly on saturday. temperatures right around upper 40s to near 50. but then we get right back in the low 60s on sunday. upper 60s on monday. maybe a shower monday night, and then unsettled tuesday, wednesday, and thursday, but i don't think derek is going to complain, because it's in the low 70s. >> so unsettled means rain later in the day. >> not even rain. just scattered showers. might rain in bethesda, might not rain in fairfax. >> gotcha. in most games it would be considered cheating to carry a stun gun. like i said, in most games. but not in bangkok, thailand for ultimate tack ball. the object is to get your ball over the goal but just to make it more interesting, every player has an electric stun gun. yeah, you get the picture. johnson is about to make a play, zap. and now he's not.

four players per team. the ball is large and strange. there are the stun guns. if you have the ball you can be tase teared. there are likely more comfortable gyms out there but this one is probably the most shocking. >> doh! >> it's a low voltage. >> yes. >> we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mailbag, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

take a knee, everybody. time for the mailbag. in the mailbag the wusa 9 facebook page fielding many comments regarding council member and alleged beltway danica patrick karen tolls and her no-question news conference. basically she read a written statement saying i'm sorry to cause all this trouble, now leave me alone while my lawyers and the lawyer work this out. patrice matthews was just one of many who were not buying it. what's the attorney for? pay and move on if it's such a distraction. for the record, not all of us have a speeding ticketed nor any type of moving violation.

and susie says this. shows a lack of good judgment, a lack of responsibility, and a disregard for the law. a council person ought to be a good example, and law-abiding, no, reading a prepared statement is not good enough. and cassandra roberts, she says, "hell no, she's not sorry. why are we still giving her any attention? if we visit this at election time hopefully she will be out of a job." then there was this about the possibility of peyton manning making d.c. his next stop. let's see, 36 years old, four neck surgeries, no zip on the ball, according to public reports. the colts owner likes to win football games. he is a smart guy. he cuts him loose. mr. ?ierd likes to win football games and mr. snyder is seriously pursuing him? did i miss something here? well, we have been told that manning is rapidly regaining that zip on the ball, john, but i agree, manning is not the

right move for the scifnlts however, i've got little confidence that team management will figure it out. our only hope, peyton manning decides to play somewhere else. drop us a line, the address is mailbag@wusa9.com. that is our report. i'll be right back here at 11:00 alongside anita brikman. log on any time at wusa9.com. have a great evening. we'll see you a bit later. bye-bye.

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