on virginia governor, bob mcdonnell, area transportation officials, fairfax and loudoun county leaders to meet as metro's silver line hangs in the balance. phase one from west falls church to reston is expected to be up and running by 2014. but plans beyond that have come to a halt. >> we don't want to see the silver line extended from falls church just to reston. we want to be able to get to the airport. >> but loudoun county with a newly elected board is holding out on phase two, getting metro to dulles airport and further into loudoun county. board members say incentives to bring in labor unions, drive up costs, brings competition down. loudoun county board of supervisor chairman. >> stays in, it's dead in loudoun county. >> after the hour long meeting, all sides seemed encouraged. >> the one sticking point, i think can be worked out and i think it will be worked out pretty quickly and we will proceed ahead. >> the transportation secretary has called on several

more of these meetings before the july 4 deadline. when the loudoun county board of supervisors votes on their share of the funding, which is more than $200 million. i'm suray chin for 9news now. a trial date is set for a driver whose bus crashed north of richmond last year and killed four passengers and injured dozens more. ken will head to court june 25. he's now charged with involuntary manslaughter. he was the man driving a sky express bus from north carolina to new york city. that bus swerved, hit an embankment and turned over. he has admitted he fell asleep behind the wheel. the state of virginia is asking a judge to overturn the jury's verdict in a wrongful death lawsuit against virginia tech. back in march, the jury rule in favor of the families of two students killed in the 2007 campus shooting. the jury said virginia tech waited too long to alert students and the staff that they could be in danger. the state argues the evidence

presented at trial just did not support the jury's findings. guilty. that is the jury verdict in three of the four counts against the prom that prominent falls church political activist. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox in arlington, where a jury convicted michael gardner of sexually abusing two young girls. then the jury recommended he spend 22 years behind bars. >> how do you feel this morning? >> reporter: michael gardner walked in a free man for perhaps the last time until he is 70 years old. a jury convicted him on two counts of sexual battery and one count of sexual penetration of two young girls. the jury relied upon testimony of the girls and strong dna evidence from their pa jam ma pants and underwear that pointed to gardner. >> we think this is a great moment for victims of sexual assault and for children who have the courage to come forward. >> parents of the two girls spoke out about the verdict and the recommended sentence. >> there's really no victory. this is bad business that had

to be done and we're thankful for the jury's decision and how things have come out. >> the judge set a sentencing date on september 7. peggy fox, 9news now. >> police are hoping that you can help them find this missing 12-year-old girl. take a moment, look at your screen right now. that's her. her name is ashley may o'brian and she was last seen friday in the 8,000 block of oak leaf drive. if you have seen her, contact police. police in silver spring are looking for a thief who posed as a cop. the man was driving behind a woman, got her to pull over this morning. he showed her a badge and ordered her out of the car. but then he ransacked that car and stole the woman's purse and cell phone. he climbed back into his car and drove away. investigators say the man is dressed all in black, he has a dark baseball cap and a vest similar to a police vest. he's driving a small black compact car with maryland tags.

police in california believe the death of former football star, junior seau was indeed a suicide. seau found inside his home shot in the chest earlier today. investigators say the gun was also found right near him. a crowd of people gathered outside his home as the news got out and spread. his mother wept uncontrollably as she spoke to reporters this afternoon. he called me. he never took anything from me. why you never tell me? >> seau beloved by fans, teammates, and obviously his family. seau played for the san diego chargers, the miami dolphins, and the patriots. pitcher andy petit was back on the stand today at the roger

clemens perjury trial. under cross-examination, petit admitted he may have misunderstood the conversation the two had 12 years ago about human growth hormones. clemens is accused of lying to congress when he denied using the performance enhancing drugs. and the second round of the stanley cup playoffs gets going at the verison. who are rocking the red. right kristen? >> reporter: that's right. the red is starting to fill up here at verison center. fans are excited. the players are warming up. they have a chance to even the series. we saw monday night. he got that game winning goal and some changes could bode well for the caps tonight. during practice today, nicklas backstrom were on the first line of places they haven't been under dale hunter yet. that line up for tonight's game. that familiarity could help in each of his goals this post season, he has been assisted by

nicklas backstrom. >> it's nice. >> we should know each other for a long time, and i mean, we have to go out and do our job out there and make sure we get some chances. >> i don't know who is playing who yet. see what happens. >> derek, as you can see, the fans are piling in. lots of red here at the verison center. the energy is building. fans excited. the caps really have a chance to take control. of course we'll have full coverage for you at 11:00. i'm live at the phone booth, kristen berset, derek, back to you. >> looking forward to it. thank you. it felt more like late june today than early may. you know what we have? thunderstorms. top is in the weather center tracking what's left of them on the radar. >> a good way to describe them because they are running into cooler and dryer air and consequently, they are dying,

which is good. no warnings out across the metro area. let's go to live doppler 9,000. we'll show you this one storm. it was a monster as it rolled down the river in portions of upper frederick county and also into jefferson county. but now, just a little bit of rain with it. not a tremendous storm. it looks like it's rolling off to the south and east. p temperatures are so much colder on this side that it's going to keep rolling down on the west side of 270 and gaithersburg, but you know what? i don't see anymore severe weather right now. we'll come back because we have the same front that is bisecting the metro area. we'll let you know where that will be and how warm it's going to get. thank you, topper. take a look at this lady. she's the mother of the national zoo's ten-year-old elephant calf, but still ahead, find out what else this elephant can do. the words stevey wonder mean anything? then, later on, you saw the flames last night.

now, find out what started that fire at a local apartment complex. but first, new video of the moment of impact in that deadly crash from two years ago.

today, the national transportation safety board released video that captured that deadly crash in philadelphia two years ago. 35 passengers and two crew members were on that boat when it was hit by a barge being

pushed by a tug boat in delaware river. two people died. lawyers for them say they plan to use the video at a civil trial to highlight that the crew didn't do much to help the passengers before or after that accident. a cab driver behind bars accused of running over a man and racing off. we have to warn you. this video is disturbing. the video shows a group of folks yelling at the cab by, throwing things at him. one man kicks the taxi door. another man climbs on the roof and stomps the roof. the cab driver hits the gas and then runs over a man. there he goes. that man is now in critical condition. the cab driver charged with assault, his lawyer says his client feared for his life. one airline wants to start charging passengers for their bags more than what they pay for the ticket. spirit airlines currently charges $45 for a carry on. starting november 6, that goes up to $100. the fee only applies to things you put in the overhead bin,

not the stuff you can slide under the seat. fair and square or have they lost their minds? send mcginty's mail bag your e- mail. mailbag@wusa9.com. topper is back with the forecast. first, well the anticipation. it wasn't exactly killing us, but today newt gingrich did make it official. more on his big announcement and mitt romney's visit virgini

if there was any doubt at all that virginia will be a battleground state in campaign 2012, consider this. president obama will launch his reelection campaign in the old dominion saturday and tonight, the republican front runner is holding a fundraiser in arlington a few miles away from where one of his last opponents threw in the towel today. here is bruce leshan. >> leaving behind 1700 unemployed people. >> the rapid response team was up with the video. hours of the former speaker had even dropped out. >> wants to run for president of the united states who can't be honest with the american people. why should we expect him to level about anything? >> but in the steamy ballroom where gingrich let the air out of his run. >> today, i'm suspending the campaign. >> the excandidate made clear he will support his former rival. >> i'm asked sometimes, is mitt romney conservative?

compared to barack obama? this is a choice between mitt romney and the most radical president in american history. >> romney was just a few miles away in an even hotter, more cramped, and steamier warehouse in chantilly, focusing on job creation. >> it was the most antismall business administration i've seen probably since carter. who would have guessed we would look back at the carter years as the good old days. >> tuesday, romney highlighted national security and 9/11 with former new york mayor, rudy giuliani. but having been upstaged by the president's surprise visit to afghanistan. romney pivoted right back to the economy, his wife at his side, and women business owners behind him. >> people ask me, what would you do to get the economy going? i say look at what the president has done and do the opposite. >> romney now off to a fundraiser at the pentagon city

ritz carlton with the governor. president obama campaigning in richmond on saturday. u.s.a. today washington bureau chief, susan page, says virginia could be the battleground of all battleground states come this fall. bruce leshan, 9news now. >> a chevy chase man is charged with setting the fire that left nearly three dozen of his neighbors homeless. tonight they want to know why. >> i'm scott broom in silver splining where we learned today that an apartment complex fire that left more than 100 people homeless and 34 units burned out was no accident. >> i lost everything. >> 24-year-old abraham turned himself in to montgomery county police in silver spring early today and admitted he is the one who set the fire. the target of the arson, the top floor corner apartment where his family was living. the same apartment he grew up in from elementary school through graduation at bethesda

chevy chase high school. investigators have not said what his motive may have been. >> getting back at somebody, because you know, you are hurting them and other people too. >> it was a particularly vicious fire that spread quickly through a shared attic space up and down the building. the damage tally, 100 homeless, 34 units burned out, 1 million in damage. two firefighters hurt. in silver spring, scott broom, 9news now. in howard county, fire officials have a warning about kids starting fires. kids are watching youtube videos and learning how to start fires or even make bottle bombs. watch this guy dressed in a banana costume who ends up in the hospital with burns when it gets out of control. there's details instructed on how to light your hand on fire with dish soap and deoderant. >> in reality, it's not safe. it's not tested. it's just kids teaching other kids how to do things that are

wrong. >> i never thought i would say we didn't have youtube when i was a kid, but maybe i am. teenagers are using alumbar numb foil, toilet bowl cleaner to light fires. fire officials say the teens may be curious or bored and trying to get some attention because they are unhappy. 6 1/2 years ago, some marble fell off the front facade of the supreme court. next week, the scaffolding will go up around the branch to begin some repairs. now the court says the work shouldn't get in the way of anyone trying to get in or out of the building. it's expected to take a couple of years to get done. a drift is making some music at the national zoo. that is a 36-year-old female asian elephant and yes, she is playing the harmonica. the zoo trainer put the harmonicas and horns after suspecting she might be musically inclined and she

often surprises them with a song when she thinks they aren't paying any attention. >> my question, how do they think she was musically inclined in the first place? >> she could shake. >> okay. >> i'm with you. good news, although severe weather is dying out, no warnings out and we are looking at pretty quiet evening. but the frontal boundary is going to drape over the area and that's going to be a battleground for another round of storms later on tomorrow. let's start with a live doppler 9,000. a big storm with hail and very strong winds and rain fall rates of 1 to 2 inches. we'll zoom in. it's not much left of it right now. a little bit of rain. notice it's all green. it's all light rain. primarily on the west side of 270. it's going to march down on the west side of 270. might dampen the ground in rockville and maybe into

potomac. we'll put this into motion over the next hour. it dispates and goes across 270 through rockville and through wheaten and georgia avenue and colesville. and that is about it. so good news, no warnings in effect. all right, satellite picture, radar combined, here's the warm front that is bisecting the area. this is a monster storm as it moved on the river. we'll get a break. i'm still going to keep the chance of a shower or thunderstorm in tonight because the front is right on top of us. live look outside. this is our live weather cam brought to you by michael and son. 65 downtown. winds north, northeast at 10. any time we get that easterly component, temperatures are on the cool side. 64 in arlington. the further south and west you go, the warmer it gets. you get past manassas and temperatures are in the 70s. all right, here's the deal. warm yes, but unsettled. some thunderstorms, some could be heavy. warm tomorrow with more showers and thunderstorms.

and even warmer on friday with yet another round of showers and storms. we talked about that was the give and take. we get warm air, but have to deal with showers. some could be heavy west of town. low temperatures 58 to about 64. winds southeast at 10. tomorrow morning, returning partly cloudy, just a slight chance of an isolated shower or thunderstorm. temperatures in the 50s and 60s and by afternoon, warm but more showers and thunderstorms. high temperatures around 80 and winds out of the southeast at 10. so a little cooler to the northeast. warmer to the southwest. next seven days, friday even warmer. the warm front will definitely go past most of the metro area on friday. we'll go back in the mid 80s with showers and storms. cold front comes through on saturday. and then sunday, i put a drop in there. a slight chance of a left over shower. upper 70s on monday. >> by the way, our producer found out the answer to your question about how they knew

that elephant was musical. she used to hit her ears on things to make noises in a rhythmic way and rub her body against things in a rhythmic way and she was missing the right instrument. there you go. and there it was. a harmonica. >> followup question, how did jessica find that out? >> that's pretty good. let's talk about the weird news instead if that wasn't weird enough for you. it was one of the defining movies of our time. the matrix. what would it be like if they were peanuts? apparently i'm not the only one asking this question. to the video. this is the iconic lobby scene from the matrix and those special effects are awesome, right? yeah, man, you have all kinds of things. gunfire, everything. let's take a look at this. that is a youtube video created by someone who really, really likes that movie. you have the machinery blowing up, even the walking on the

walls later on. the gunfire, everything is happening there. the beginning of this, the funniest thing is, you see somebody reach in and take out a peanut. i guess we don't see that. in any case, this is a really amazing piece of work. it has thousands of hits on youtube. one viewer comment, i can see your nuts. another one says, this is kionu reaves best performance yet. we'll be back. we want to hear what you think. send your e-mails to mcginty's mail bag. the address, mailbag@wusa9.com. 9news now will be right back.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

tomorrow morning, no secrets. the cost of going to the prom has skyrocketed. tomorrow morning at 6:30, how you can cut costs and still wear that designer dress and accessories. that's our report. i'll be back here at 11:00 along with anita brikman. 9 wants to know how clever teenagers are getting when it comes to sneaking alcohol to the prom. we'll see you then.

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment newsmagazine in the world. is jessica's baby already earning millions? >> jessica simpson is a very savvy businesswoman. >> her luxurious birthing suite her plans to get her body back, and hollywood babies, pregnant women posing nude. baby bumps and all. and is bobby brown to blame for whitney houston's death? his new interview. >> i didn't get high before i met whitney. rihanna's wild new photos. posing with strippers. and then tom ford, one-on-one with vogue's andre leon talley. >> you have dressed madonna, gwyneth paltrow. >> the rare interview with the fashion icon and his troubled childhood. >> were you ever bullied in school?