possibly even up until the midnight hour. we'll keep you posted. temperatures 80 downtown. 75 in gaithersburg, 79 in frederick and 77 in leesburg. so for tonight, mostly cloudy, mild with showers and storms. some will produce heavy rain. low temperatures in the 60s with light wind. we'll come back and take you through the holiday weekend. >> rush hours go, this morning was miserable, wet, and for a few of us, it became scary. rising waters trapped several drivers inside their cars and there is flooding there tonight. >> this is some video right now from sky 9 taken just a should remember short time ago in prince georges county. and the large sink holes have washed out bridges and closed at least three other roads. >> then there's the lake jackson dam, people who live nearby are on alert tonight. peggy fox joins us live from near the dam with the latest on the situation there. peg. >> well, anita, we are six

miles south of manassas here in the town of lake jackson. and this is the lake jackson dam right here on the river. you can see that rushing water, very dangerous current. you can even see something submerged in the water. we aren't sure what that is. we are told a couple of homes up stream already have their basement flooded. authorities are on alert watching this dam and keeping all the people who live downstream on notice. they have already evacuated two homes as a precaution. they are paying close attention to this in case the river rises anymore. vdot workers hurried to close a dozen flooded roads in prince william county after overnight rains pushed creeks over their banks. rushing waters ripped out part of the road when pipes underground could handle no

more. >> first thing to do is assess it, make sure it's safe, fill it in. get traffic flowing and come back and make a permanent repair later. >> also, prince william county police closed park gate road when a small bridge was deemed unsafe because of the volume of water flowing under it. on valley view drive near the bristow manner golf course, it was kettle runs waters that crippled this bmw. and even this pickup truck became submerged in rising broad run, putting up to five feet on piper road near the bre station. the truck's owner was rescued by boat from lake jackson station firefighters. >> unless you are driving a tank, i would, and even then, depending how fast it's moving, i wouldn't even attempt to go across. just find an alternate means to get around. i know it's an inconvenience, but also insures that you aren't going to get stuck out there and threatening position. >> now the flood waters caused

several school bus routes to be canceled this afternoon, but this evening the focus is really on this dam and the river and they are keeping a close eye on it tonight. i'll be back at 6:00 with more information. i'm peggy fox live in lake jackson, back to you. >> hard to fathom. thanks, peggy. no word on whether this morning's wet weather caused two separate crashes that killed two people along i-95 in northern virginia today. both of them occurred in prince william county. in one case, the driver of a van ran off the roadway on southbound 95 near the weigh station. two passengers were ejected. one of them died. the other is critically injured. the other chain reaction crash happened on northbound 95 near the dale city exit just before 8:00 a.m. three vehicles involved and one person was killed. one other ended up at the hospital. now both of these accidents and the resulting investigations caused big backups during the morning rush hour as we were saying; which was bad today. and as 9news now was the first to report on twitter and

wusa9.com. gary has been charged with indecent exposure. you remember this guy. he is from maryland and he was the main suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardner down in aruba. he was arrested on friday along with another female companion. and scott broom is there now live with the details. scott. >> well, behind me here is the parking garage right in downtown annapolis. it's right behind the bar and restaurant district. and this is where annapolis police say they arrested gary giordano and a female companion on a mattress in the back of his cadillac escalade. right about this time of the everyoning, 5:45 on friday. this is gary giordano after his arrest may 18, charged with indecent exposure. police claim they found him completely naked on a mattress in the back of his suv with this woman, carol ann bach, who

was also exposed. both were charged. according to the police report, two people complained to the manager about people having sex in a car right near the pedestrian stairwell on the second floor. the manager called police after seeing a completely naked man in the suv. giordano is the one and only suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardener. who went missing while the pair were in aruba on august 2. the couple had met on match.com. giordano spent 116 days in an aruban prison and released from lack of evidence. extradite him back if they could ever make a case. giordano returned to his home in november, the same home police searched in 20 2010 after a woman accused him of secretly video taping her and choking her during sex. giordano was not charged. a short time ago, giordano's

girlfriend reacted. >> this incident, 5:45 in the amp and he had a mattress in the back of his car. says a whole lot about the guy. >> giordano refused to talk to us about this indecent exposure incident. we did try to call him. he had nothing to say, but police said he had an on going relationship with the woman he was charged with here at the parking garage in annapolis. live in annapolis, scott broom, 9news now. >> thank you, scott. yes. uh-huh. >> okay, is that i hear him doing those snoring noises? >> yes. >> but that snoring heard on the 911 call was not the woman's sick husband, it was a sleeping dispatcher who was supposed to send help. anny hong joins us with more on the baffling audio and the reaction to it, anny. >> lesli, what a scary

situation. especially when every second counts. your phone call is received by a taker. that's when it's transferred. in this case, the montgomery county dispatcher was caught sleeping on the job. >> hello. hello. >> hi ma'am, fire and rescue there? >> 911 call came from a woman in this rockville condo just after midnight on april 4. her husband was having trouble breathing and he was turning blue. the call taker quickly transferred the call to a dispatcher, but quickly realized something wasn't right. >> hold on a second, ma'am, let me get them on the line again. what you're hearing in the background is snoring from a sleeping dispatcher. the call taker finds another dispatcher to help the woman who eventually starts to panic. >> i don't know, he is blue again. >> okay. can you tilt his head back? >> uh-huh, yes. i don't know

what to do. >> is he still making the snores noises? >> there's confusion over who is snoring during the call. >> is the blueness going away? >> to me, looks not good to me. >> he is still making noises? >> yes. >> okay. help is on the way. >> montgomery county assistant fire chief confirms all of the snores are believed to be from the sleeping dispatcher who was 17 hours into a 24 hour shift. >> the employee was immediately taken from the floor, placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the inquiry. >> after the caller was on the line for more than 4 minutes, the sleeping dispatcher wakes up and takes over the call. >> he stopped breathing for a little while and now i put my

hand on his chest. >> ma'am, what's the address? >> the woman's husband was taken to the hospital and released without any life threatening injuries. >> the 24 hour shifts are decided by county and union that represents uniformed firefighter dispatchers. union spokesman tells me it's an issue that could be brought up at their next negotiations this fall, but it will be difficult to change as firefighters prefer 24 hour shifts because they get more days off. and he adds this was a one-time incident. >> that's interesting that most people don't realize that dispatchers are working that long a day. >> apparently, it helps with recruitment when they want more firefighters helping with dispatching. they want those 24 hour shifts. >> anny, thank you. smoke, fire, and explosion. people trapped in a tunnel. what would you do? for a couple u.s. capital police officers, there wasn't a

moment hesitation, inhaling all that smoke sends them to the hospital. bruce leshan got a chance to talk to those heros today. >> i think so, definitely. this bus fire on monday in the 3rd street tunnel is a reminder of just how different some of these emergency responders are than most of the rest of us. >> we told them to put their hand on that jersey barrier and follow it all the way out. >> they rushed into the 3rd street tunnel when everyone else was trying to get out. >> smoke is coming fast. >> 75 or so cars were trapped in the tunnel unable to go forward because a school bus was on fire ahead. unable to go back because people were abandoning their cars behind them in terror. >> it was a pop and then you could hear the fuel igniting. >> they did have a fierce determination to get everybody

safely out of the tunnel. >> we just saw the dense smoke coming. it was so dense that you couldn't see the light. >> what was scary is the smoke. >> one woman was so terrified, she left her car and left her one-year-old behind with the keys locked inside. >> i broke the window out, opened up the doors, got the child out of the car seat. >> smoke was so thick that special agent wade and canine tech lost sight of the fire truck that roared in to extinguish the blaze. >> special agent wade and i were obviously yelling at each other the whole time, making sure we had sight of each other. it was very easy to get disoriented. >> while firefighters rushed both men and another capital police officer to the hospital for smoke inhalation, they never even considered that their rescue mission could have cost them their lives. >> thought never crossed my mind. it was just to get people out

and for us to get out. >> both men say they were going to get out, get their partner out, even if it came to crawling and dragging the other one, but for some hacking and coughing and some tightness in the chest, both say they feel great today. right back to work at the u.s. capital police and ready to do it again if they have to. >> you can imagine the sheer panic that had to be going in there, in the darkness and the smoke. wow. >> for a mom to leave her one- year-old behind -- >> it's hard to fathom, but in that chaos, luckily these guys were there to help. >> thank you. back to you guys. tonight, the man who managed the finance of d.c. mayor gray's campaign is a convicted felon. thomas admitting in court today that he illegally diverted gray campaign funds to minor candidate, sulaimon brown to keep him in the race and keep him attacking adrian fenty. he admitted in court to destroying evidence and lying

to federal investigators. bruce johnson has been all over this case since the very start. we know one thing now. sulaimon brown was not lying about getting money from the gray campaign. >> absolutely right. wasn't lying about this and makes the mayor look bad. the mayor isn't available for comment. we also know tonight, derek, the name of somebody who helped get that money to sulaimon brown from the gray campaign. that same person helped nab gore. >> mr. gore, what about you? any comment? >> thomas gore left the federal courthouse in d.c. a convicted felon, now facing at least 12 to 18 months in prison. this after the man with a master's degree in social work management helped divert money from the vincent gray campaign to sulaimon brown when gray was trying to unseat incumbent mayor, adrian fenty. >> mayor gray gave me cash and money orders to maintain my campaign for mayor, cover living expenses, and attack

then mayor fenty. >> the gray administration hired, then fired sulaimon brown after fenty was defeated in 2010. since then, the new mayor denied brown's allegations. >> can't even imagine engaging in such reprehensible behavior. i know absolutely nothing about any one of my campaign who did that. >> today in federal court, thomas gore for mayor gray confessed he and a second campaign staffer were involved in a scheme to get money to sulaimon brown. sources identified howard brooks to 9news now as that second campaign staffer. here's what we now know. in 2010, thomas gore diverted more than $600 from the gray campaign and gave that money to brooks who used it to purchase a total of five money orders that were delivered to sulaimon brown. >> you might recall that it was seven months ago that 9news now was the first, with the

government as part of that agreement, brooks was wearing a wire for prosecutors. he was wearing that wire in september of last year. it came out in court today when he had a private conversation with gore in gore's office. during that conversation and on tape, gore admits that he destroyed the notebook that was documenting the payments to sulaimon brown. >> i don't believe. >> thomas gore's attorney denied what most thought they heard in court, that thomas gore slipped in his responses and admitted that his conversations had been recorded on the wire. there was no disagreement, however, that gore admitted in court that he lied to the fbi and questioned about the shredding of the notebook. that's why he is facing a felony obstruction of justice charge tonight. >> thomas gore is free tonight, also part of the plea agreement. howard brooks has a plea deal on the table that he accepted. not sure when he's going to be in court.

allows for immunity. we'll explain that. mayor gray in vegas. we haven't gotten word to his. his attorney is refusing word. >> and the question tonight, did the mayor know about it? >> not just the mayor, but green who headed up the campaign. was it just these two? this go all the way to the top? we are talking $660 total. five money orders. they didn't need to win the election. >> as always, cover up. there you go. thank you, bruce. back to you. we are still awaiting a verdict in the corruption trial of john edwards. this is the third day of deliberations for the jury in greensboro, north carolina. edwards is accused of campaign finance violations for allegedly using nearly a million dollars to cover up an extramarital affair during the 2008 presidential campaign. he faces up to 30 years in prison if he is convicted on all counts. a guilty verdict today for man accused in a string of serial stabbings in michigan.

convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing of a 49- year-old man back in august of 2010. it's the first of several murder and attempted murder cases expected to go to trial, including one in leesburg. a total of 14 men were stabbed in and around flint, michigan, two summers ago. attorneys argued that he was insane. montgomery county police say they have someone under arrest for the murder of a local rapper. 24-year-old franklin amobe was shot last december in the white oak section of silver spring. police announced that 29-year- old dennis of chevy chase is charged with first-degree murder. a popular local rapper known as frank digy. they have information he was killed during a drug deal. the first commercial spacecraft is on its way to the international space station. >> two, one, zero, and launch of the space x falcon nine

rocket as nasa turns to the private sector. >> falcon 9 rocket blasted off from cape canaveral in florida earlier this morning. this is an unmanned flight and hauling gear and supplies. now that the shuttle fleet is permanently grounded, space x is one of several private companies competing for nasa to carry astronauts into space. it should dock by friday. if you are a blade of grass, you are a reservoir, you are a happy creature today. everybody else kind of wet and damp. >> frogs, toads, they are happy, too. we have an unsettled pattern throughout the end of the week. the chances diminish. gets warmer and we could be setting the stage like a july 4 weekend. >> it's been warm all year. >> let's start with a live look outside. it is brought to you by michael and son. it is very nice outside around the immediate metro area. we are in, well fine shape.

temperature 80 degrees. that's as warm as it has been so far today. temperatures are still kind of going up this time of night. relative humidity still up there pretty much. we're looking at a muggy situation for the next few days. it's really going to feel like summer as we get into the weekend. winds are calm. pressure low. 29.90 inches of mercury and it is holding steady. all right, live doppler 9,000. good news, if you're trying to get home, could be dry for the next few hours around the metro area. mostly showers and storms are setting up well south and west of us in parts of the sheen shenandoah valley. they aren't moving very far. they are training and that's what happened last night and that dumps a tremendous amount of rain where they sit. so, we're in good shape. closest storm inbetween harrissonburg and warrenson. we'll keep you posted with storms that do develop.

temperatures, 80 downtown. 74 in bethesda. 77 in great falls. 79 out towards leesburg. those areas have seen a few minutes of sun. 78 in college park, in fact, and 76 down toward andrews. so here's the deal. unsettled and humid for a while. some storms tonight. more sun tomorrow which means more showers and storms tomorrow. and thursday more of the same. a little bit better chance of seeing more sun by friday. each day goes by, gets little better. mild, showers and storms. some with heavy rain. lows in the 60s. winds light. tonight at 11:00, we'll talk about the prospect of dense fog after midnight. right now, we'll concentrate on the chance of showers and thunderstorms. tomorrow morning, returning partly sunny and mild. shower or thunderstorm possible in the morning. temperatures in the 60s and 70s. by afternoon, a little more sun. better chance for showers and storms. some could have heavy rains.

high temperatures around 80 and winds out of the southwest. notice the winds go southwest 5 to 10. mainly they have been easterly over the past few days and that kept us mostly cloudy. they will turn southeasterly on thursday. next seven days looks like this. low 80s as we get into thursday. chance of thunderstorms. friday more sunshine. a few storms possible in the afternoon. upper 80s and then we raise temperatures a little bit. 90 on saturday. a few thunderstorms possible. but not a washout. 91 on sunday. memorial day, we're talking about temperatures in the low 90s with isolated storms and even tuesday, we're looking at temperatures around 90 with some storms possible as well. so, you know, this may be we are setting the stage for a nicer weekend. we'll put up with a few storms and payoff will be the holiday weekend. back to you. >> it's going to be hot. >> get ready. >> time to hit the pool. >> still ahead, a verdict in the case of the liquor store

owner. our cameras caught selling alcohol to minors. but first, more people than ever before visited d.c. this past year. we'll tell you how many up next.

washington just set a brand- new tourism record. tourism officials say 17.9 million people visited the nation's capital last year, which surpasses the previous record set in 2000. statistics also show visitors spent $6 billion in 2011. the average washington household would have to pay $2400 more in taxes each year. one year ago today, a tornado ripped through joplin, missouri, and the community is marking the anniversary with a day of unity. >> they are beginning construction projects and they remember the day that changed all of their lives. drew is there with the story.

>> reporter: joplin community members broke ground on a new elementary school. it's one of three buildings that will replace the schools that deadly tornado destroyed a year ago. >> it's a new beginning for joplin and the school district. they worked so hard to get to this point and this is just an incredible feet. >> i got it. >> reporter: the giant twister a half mile wide and spinning at more than 200 miles an hour tore through joplin. the storm killed 161 people and wiped out a third of the community. this surveillance video shows the funnel cloud plowing into the st. john's regional medical center. joplin's residents spent the last year rebuilding. new homes are going up and businesses are reopening. >> 85% of our businesses are open for business in joplin, missouri. it's a fabulous number. >> more than 130,000 volunteers from across the country have come to help. >> we were here a total of

nine days volunteering, helping with removal, food delivery, search and rescue. and we wanted to come back and look around and see the changes and positive changes that have been made. >> reporter: throughout joplin, there are many signs of recovery. there's a long way to go. drew, cbs news. >> now survivors, first responders, and volunteers all gathering tonight for a unity walk that will follow the same path that tornado took. it will also include the ground breaking for a high school, replacing the one blown apart one year ago. i'm kristin fisher in spotsylvania. the scene of a home invasion and robbery overnight. it's the second in this area in just two days. we'll have the latest on those investigations coming up. >> and the verdict has just come in in the case of a local liquor store owner charged with selling alcohol to a minor. i'm andrea mccarren at d.c. superior court. i'll have a live report when we

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superior courthouse when the judge issued her decision. andrea, what happened? >> richard kim wept in the courtroom as the judge declared him guilty of selling alcohol to a minor at his northwest washington liquor store. yesterday, you'll recall we heard testimony from a 17-year- old high school junior from mcclane, virginia, that he bought 30 containers of beer and a bottle of vodka at town square market before he was arrested in february. the teenager said kim asked him for identification and he handed him one with another person's photograph. someone who looked nothing like him. the id had expired in 2010 and had two hole punches in it to indicate that expiration. kim will be sentenced on june 7. he faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. later st week, kim also faces a

hearing at d.c.'s liquor control board. that agency will determine whether he gets to keep his liquor license. that's something his local neighborhood advisory commission has been petitioning against. once again, richard kim, the owner of town square market has been found guilty of selling alcohol to a minor. he now faces up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. reporting live from d.c. superior court, 9news now. >> we know how long you've been following this particular case and all that confrontation and here you are giving us this final verdict in court. thank you. some maryland lawmakers might have to put off their july vacation. that is because there could be another special session of the legislation. the potential expansion of gambling. governor martin o'malley says the plan is to hold the special session, but only if a work group reaches a consensus on a

proposal by leaders to bring gambling to the national harbor. >> charges are being brought against several nightclubs in prince georges county. prosecutors unveiled indictments today accusing seven businesses of tax, alcohol, and licensing violations. they include the cse club in forestville and the black amethist in temple hill. >> avoided paying taxes and this is a crime and we will not tolerate it. i think the chief of police can speak of the fact that closing clubs has had beneficial impact in our communities as many of them were encouraging violence and crime. >> officials say the nightclubs owe more than $700,000 to maryland and that number could go up once audits are completed. a woman in spotsylvania county lucky to be alive after she was tied up and robbed inside her home late last night. now this is the second home

invasion in that same area in just two days and as kristin fisher reports, investigators are trying to figure out if these two cases are connected. >> two men armed with a club force their way inside this spotsylvania county home around 11:00 last night. inside, a 46-year-old woman all alone. >> tied her up with some cords they found in the residence and then stole some undisclosed jewelry and electronics equipment. >> the two men fled on foot. sheriff deputies are looking for them, but several neighbors believe the men live nearby. in fact, no one on slater street, the street where it happened, would talk on camera because they were afraid the suspects would recognize them. as for the victim -- >> i believe she was shaken up last night, of course, but there was no physical injuries. >> what happened is the second home invasion robbery in this area in just two days. on monday, a husband and wife and their ten month old baby were sleeping in their home

when two armed men broke in, forced them to undress, tied them up and robbed them. sheriff deputies in spotsylvania are now investigating if these two crimes are connected. >> it is fairly rare. we generally do not see a whole lot of home invasion robberies. >> the last time the county sheriff's office had to investigate a home invasion was back in january. there were two cases, both were solved. now, there's two more in the region and there could be as many as four suspects still at large. in spotsylvania, kristin fisher, 9news now. >> and perhaps you have any information on either home invasion, call the sheriff's office. we have a phone number for you. 540-582-7115. the world's second tallest building opened today in tokyo. it is the landmark sky tree. about 2100 feet tall. the world's tallest building is in dubai. the sky tree is the world's

tallest free standing broadcast tower and it took four years to build. will i am joined this. the black eyed singer made the most of the opportunity by tweeting about the experience with one hand while holding the torch in the other. he even performed a brief moon walk in honor of michael jackson, the olympic torch is on a 70 day tour of the uk before arriving back in london for the beginning of the summer olympic games. >> still ahead, a daring rescue of this teenager clinging to a ledge just a few feet away from a dangerous water fall. but up next, these are supposed to be parents, so then why would they put their toddler in a washing machine? in front of cameras? we have it. we'll tell you about it. and don't forget, you're always on at wusa9.com. we'll be back.

caught on tape tonight, unbelievable video of parents putting their toddler in a front loading washing machine? mom and dad just stuffing him right in there and they think it's all fun and games and they laugh about it a bit at first, but then they start to panic because they can't get the door open again. it automatically locked. later on. an attendant had to disable the machine. that's the only way the kid was able to get out of there. the toddler is expected to be okay. no word on whether those parents will be investigated. >> that is never funny. >> never. also caught on tape, an alleged puppy napping in texas. surveillance video shows a woman and two kids enter the pet store and play with an english bulldog and leave. two men come in, one grabs the pooch and runs. everyone took off in the same

car. sheriff deputies got a tip that led them to two of the suspects and that puppy was returned to the store safe and sound. now we're learning more about what happened to the man who plunged at least 180 feet over niagra falls. it looks like this was an apparent suicide attempt. >> they saw the man climb over the building yesterday morning and jump into the niagra river. amazingly, he surfaced near an observation platform and made it to shore on his own. rescuers appeared to have chest injury, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung. he was air lifted to the hospital where he remains in stable condition and he is the third person known to have lived after going over the falls without a safety device. >> washington state teenager also lucky to be alive after nearly getting swept over a water fall, perhaps not quite as large. video shows them erecting this makeshift ladder over these

raging waters. trying to get to 13-year-old william hickman, huddled up on a ledge. he tumbled ten feet down the water fall. had he not regained his footing, he would have dropped another 250 feet down the river and that wouldn't have been good. >> i would say he was in a very, very dangerous spot. >> he's a smart kid. he asked me if i had a plan. >> the rescuers did have a plan and after eight hours, they were able to escort william out of the woods and air lift him. still ahead on 9news. when a maryland singer couldn't hit the high notes he loved, he knew something was wrong. our health alert focuses on his shocking diagnosis and what doctors had to do to help him. but first, getting ready to hit the road for a long weekend. we're going to tell you just how bad one group thinks the memorial day traffic will be up next.

pack up the car, fill up the tank and head out of town. that's what an estimated 900,000 of us will do in the washington area to kick off the

unofficial start to summer this weekend. aa released its annual summer forecast near the bay bridge today. auto club projects the memorial day holiday will break out the largest numbers in five years. expect plenty of traffic on thursday and friday. plan to leave early or very late to avoid all the brake lights. all right, high gas prices have people driving less and thinking more about fuel efficient cars and the newly released survey shows 37% of us say fuel economy will be the most important consideration when they shop for a new car. >> car owners are open to different ways at saving at the pump from downsizing to getting an alternative fuel vehicle. >> nearly 3/4 of survey participates say they will consider opting for an alterative vehicle. and while those high gas prices are a key motivation to change to a more fuel efficient

vehicle,. now to an alternative to a crash. vehicles can now talk to each other to prevent a collision. today the department of transportation showed how they work. and new research shows more of us want this kind of technology in the cars we drive. these test cars are going to hit the road this summer and how they respond could change how they make. >> debris from the disaster is still washing up nearly 4,000 miles away along the beaches of islands of alaska. and it raised concerns about pollution. chris has been cleaning marine debris for 15 years now and he has never seen anything like this. >> the tsunami debris really concerns us, mostly because of the amount of styrofoam that is coming with it and the toxic chemicals. >> now it will take years to

clean up all this mess and as for the radiation dangers, initial tests on this tsunami debris have found no abnormal levels of radiation. some areas hit so hard by that rain, others saw nothing at all. >> 4 inches in fauquier county and prince william county and you know, nothing in the district, really nothing in montgomery county. right now they are west of us. we will show it to you on radar. check this out, big time surf down to the south of us around brazil. two fishermen had to be dragged out. check out these waves. life guards kept a close eye on surfers. two fishermen were pulled out after the powerful waves. >> wow. never smart. >> that's not breaking gently. that's like they break on the east coast.

>> look at him. >> oh man. >> mad skills. >> yeah, all right. let's take a live look outside. we're looking at some sunshine. some clouds off to the south and west particularly, but we had more sun today and temperatures have responded. 80 right now, the high so far today. the winds are calm and the pressure is the same. holding steady at 29.80 inches of mercury. live doppler 9,000, i mean, big time, big time storms. we showed you these a half hour ago around i-64. they haven't moved. this is what is causing the problem. you get storms that develop. the atmosphere is very moist with a lot of water in it. we get flooding. right now, we are dry around the immediate metro area. we'll watch where these go. they will move eastward a little bit tonight. they will become weaker as they drift eastward, which is good news for us. we'll keep you posted throughout the evening. locks like most of us will have a dry commute home.

78 in rockville. 75 in bethesda. still 80 downtown. we're looking at temperatures in the mid 70s in reston. looking at 79 in college park. some of the areas are just hitting their high right now. so unsettled and humid for a while. some storms tonight. some will have heavy rain. more sun tomorrow. more showers and thunderstorms tomorrow and more of the same on thursday. yeah, more showers and thunderstorms. so for tonight, mostly cloudy and mild. showers and storms. some will contain heavy rains. lows in the 60s. becoming partly sunny. light wind and by afternoon, winds turn a little bit. southwest 5 to 10. partly sunny, more somehow expwers storms. highs again right around 80. next seven days, gets better with each passing day. gets warmer, too. friday we're in the mid to upper 70s. a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm late. hotter over the weekend. it will feel like july 4. 90 on saturday. 91 on sunday. 93 for memorial day.

isolated storm. even a few storms next tuesday, but again, as we go through the week, the chance for storms will diminish. that is in fact some good news. we'll take it, top, thank you. these days it seems our most popular sport is under some attack. >> from an unlikely source. today another former nfl player sued the league, seeking compensation for head injuries. >> he joins us now with their reaction. derek. >> you know what? today's new lawsuit comes from hall of fame runningback, eric dickerson, concussion, depression, and in some cases, even suicide. how are they all connected and should they be in time and research will tell us that. but the former players we spoke to say the brutal nature of their score has an impact long after their playing days are done. fernando: touchdown are. touchdown. andre, suicidal in retirement.

junior seau, same story. circumstances which led d.c. native and former nfl linebacker to react this way. >> man, another one. i think this is the fifth guy that i know of that has taken their life in this manner. >> disturbing numbers and more and more, the question is being posed, what role do collisions lyings this and subsequent concussions play in the equation? water stopped counting his concussions at 15. when i asked june how many he sustained, he says hard to say. >> the way we look at concussions, i was out of it. you know, i may have went to sleep. a lot of guys had a will the of concussions. you know, even though they may not be documented. >> the medical community seems to be putting a full court press on the issue. the data revealing some correlation between long-term jarring of the brain and mood

disorders. so where does that lead veteran warriors like former redskins hog, joe? he says in a state of limbo. >> it's a violent game, whether we all know that. there's a will the of questions where we told everything at that time. that this can cause it. what i know is there are guys that are in serious health issues that need some answers. >> i asked him why he thought some former players took their own lives. i wanted to ask. he says the combination of living in pain after their playing days coupled with not having the adrenaline rush in their lives may have a lot to do with it. we'll broaden the discussion to include current players and hear their thoughts about the dangers they face every time they suit up. >> wow, thank you. still ahead, a pen designed it save you from an allergic

reaction that becomes part of the law with the sweep of a pen of a different kind. then a little later, just months after the intercounty connector became reality, another plan is in the works to improve transportation in montgomery county. >> but first, a health alert about the benefits of those maps for people suffering from sleep apnia. they are many. we'll be right back.

not breathing is bad for your health.

you're probably saying no kidding, right? that's a quote from a doctor talking about mounting evidence on the dangers of sleep apnia. researchers released a study saying people are five times more likely to die from cancer and today, report in the journal of the american medical association says controlling sleep apnia with a device can ward off heart risk. we went to the head of cardiology from georgetown university hospital to put the new science in perspective. >> i think if you snore and you are overweight, getting on cpap is one approach. you should also think about losing weight. >> also found the mask which keeps the air way open has the most benefits when people use it for more than four hours a night. a vaccine for pancreatic cancer could be available in the next couple of years. this is welcome news because this is one of the most deadly forms of cancer. the result of a trial presented

today shows 62% of patients who had the cancer taken out and use the vaccine stayed cancer- free for at least a year. the overall yearlong survival rate, 86%. a final phase 3 research already underway as scientists try to get this out to the public as fast as possible. also tonight, a local man's battle to regain his voice and save his life at the same time. i was working on some songs that i am very familiar with. i wasn't able to get the notes. i was wondering, what is really going on with me? >> first, the notes became out of reach for gospel singer, jeff washington of temple hills. then he started noticing discomfort in his chest. washington saw his doctor who advised him to get more tests. >> i got one of the most devastating statements ever given to me. e >> the main cause of cancer is

chronic acid reflux. what most people think of is indigestion. in this case, the tumor affected jeff's ability to sing, but fortunately, it was not in his voicebox. the oncologist at the cancer treatment centers of america needed to surgically take out his esophogus and part of his stomach to keep from spreading. >> fortunately, dr. russell says the stomach can stretch and is actually pulled up to create a new esophogus. >> is his food tube working? >> yes. he has the ability to eat normally, chew, swallow, and the food goes down into the intestines just like anyone else. jeff says prayer was a huge factor in his healing process. something the staff at ctca understood and supported. >> i had two passes that came by every day and pray with me

what i need. >> now, nearly a year later,. >> is he singing again? >> every couple of months, he delivers a new cd of his recorded gospel songs and i love playing it. >> great story there. now the doctor says if acid reflux is a recurring problem for you, go get screened. many people take over the counter medications and that relieves the symptoms of heartburn, but the acid can cause long-term damage to the esophogus. the only way to be sure is have a test done. this is 9news now. enter smoke, fire, and explosion terrified people trapped, desperate to get out. what would you do? bruce leshan reports for two capital police officers, there was no question. get in there and get the people out. >> we told them to put thei