conditions, isolated storms possible, lows cooling down to 69 to 73 degrees. when i come back, we'll talk more about the chance for some better showers and storms for tomorrow. back to you. right now thousands of people are stuck in traffic sitting in their cars trying to get home from the memorial day weekend at our area beaches. >> how is the heat affecting drivers? scott broom is live from chesapeake bay bridge with a look at the traffic. >> reporter: let's make that hundreds of thousands of people in their cars now as i look over my shoulder checking the bridge going westbound. it looks like it's about 20 miles an hour moving up bridge and all the usual choke points for people coming back there, at ocean city coming out of town 5 to 10 miles per hour, route 404 out of denton 5 miles per hour. so it's going to be some extra time as you might expect on the monday of memorial day holiday weekend for folks getting back in. it was a crowded day here as people tried to beat the heat.

for one example, sandy point state park across the bay from me it got so crowded they had to close the place. >> park's closed. >> reporter: natural resources police facing long lines of hot impatient people in their overstuffed cars. >> we just drove an hour 20 minutes. >> reporter: this is send point state park. that beach on the west end of the bay bridge you see, a park that reached its capacity of 10,000 people at 11:40 this morning. >> there's only so much room. >> reporter: just as the heat advisory kicked in forcing officials to turn away thousands more who wanted to cool off in the chesapeake bay and who couldn't get there. >> so what do we do now? >> reporter: disappointing? >> very disappointing. >> how do you close a park? it's 92 right now and heat index is over 100. >> my friend got stuck in there. he called us. he got turned back, but we were in.

>> reporter: the lucky early birds got a picnic table and prime real estate near the soothing cool water as temperatures soared over 90. >> we got food and fun and we're in here. happy memorial day, everybody. >> reporter: some good news this weekend was found on the highway where motorists enjoyed gas prices down for the seventh week in a row and 16 cents a gallon lower than this time last year. >> we are so happy. that means when the gas prices are down, we have more money to put into food, family, friends and fun and other things. >> reporter: and more good news this afternoon over at sandy point. the park front gate was reopened to allow people to start flowing in at about 3:30 this afternoon as some people left. they made some room for more to come in and perhaps some of those folks coming back from the coast this evening will be so out of patience they'll want to stop at sandy point on the way back and take a dip. traffic moving slowly as you would expect from beaches, but no major indents on the roads.

it's just a typical memorial day. reporting live at the chesapeake bay bridge scott broom, 9 news now. >> thanks a lot for that. president obama joined military leaders and veterans in services honoring the country's war dead. the president said the country must keep up its commitment to the fallen veterans and families of fallen soldiers. we have a report from the white house. >> reporter: president obama marked the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war this memorial day with a visit to the famous wall. >> you are often blamed for a war you didn't start when you should have been commended for serving your country with valor. >> reporter: actor tom selleck himself a vietnam navy era veteran led the ceremony. >> today i join with you to again dead case myself to the memory of my friends whose names are on this wall. >> reporter: in a day full of

remembrance the president also laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery. >> these 600 acres are home to americans from every part of the country who gave their lives in every corner of the globe. >> reporter: and the president is promising returning war veterans that they will get the benefits they deserve. the nine-year war in iraq is over and combat troops are supposed to be out of afghanistan by 2014. republican white house hopeful mitt romney was in san diego attending a memorial service with senator john mccain at the veterans museum and memorial center. romney called for the country to continue building a strong military. >> we choose that course in america not so that we just win wars, but so we can prevent wars because a strong america is the best deterrent to war there ever has been invented. >> reporter: since the september 11th terror attacks some 6,400 men and women have died defending the u.s.

>> a new gallup poll finds america's veterans lining up behind mitt romney. of those veterans recently surveyed 58% said they were supporting romney while 34% said they would support president obama. the national park service held a special wreath laying at the national world war ii memorial this morning. that ceremony honored our nation's fallen heros from all wars with special recognition to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the second world war. secretary of the u.s. air force mike the wynn gave the keynote address. >> they gave all their futures so that you and i could live in this strong free and beautiful america. freedom is not free. >> the world war ii memorial's freedom wall contains 4,000 gold stars commemorating the more than 400,000 americans who gave their lives in world war ii. delia goncalves was at this

morning's ceremony and talked to some of those that attended. >> reporter: in an intimate ceremony at the world war ii memorial -- >> deeply honored to be here. >> reporter: -- veterans and their loved ones paid tribute to the 40,000 american heros who lost their lives in the conflict, each represented by 4,000 gold stars on the freedom wall. some will never forget. >> it was something we just lived through, something that was there every day and a lot of prayers. they're very aware. >> the big pop memorial for big pop. >> reporter: and others have learned to remember like 6-year- old twins bri and allie who wear pictures of their great grandfather the vet around their neck. >> they thank the veterans everywhere they go and they will tell them in other country, as they say, you cannot go eat ice cream when you want. you can't go to washington any time you want to because your soldiers fought for you here. >> we're fortunate to have all the young people we do have in the service today and they just

want to continue to fight for our freedom and to care for those folks at home. ♪the red white and blue >> a total of 60 million people, that's 60 million including europeans, lost their lives in the six years that spanned world war ii. u.s. troops observed memorial day in kabul, afghanistan with a wreath laying ceremony. the top u.s. commander in afghanistan read a letter written by an american soldier to his family before he died earlier this year. general john allen said the words of marine sergeant william stacy speak for all fallen troops. the 23-year-old stacy wrote, "it would be worth giving his life for the safety of an afghan child who may one day change the world." at least 1,851 members of the u.s. military have died in afghanistan since the u.s. led invasion of 2001.

[ bugle playing taps ] a lone bugler place taps at the arlington cemetery, but across the nation today that something was missing and now people are volunteering to fill the space. bruce leshan is here with that. >> what is missing is a live bugler. there's actually a nationwide shortage of buglers and trumpeters to offer our country's final thanks to our veterans. 66 years old. struggling with cancer and the after effects of a stroke, retired navy musician doug sorenson braved the heat to play taps on memorial day at the

cheltonham cemetery. more than a decade ago congress decreed that every vet deserved a two person military escort to fold the flag and play taps on a cd. and a recording is all many vets get. >> we don't really know anyone out here. >> reporter: about 1,800 american veterans pass away every day and for far too many that final live salute is missing. >> about the third note that comes out handkerchiefs come up. they know that there's nothing else. we're going to have to let our friend go. >> right now let's just have a silent moment of prayer. >> reporter: it has been 20

years. >> mom, miss you most of all of. >> reporter: but wardell thomas' daughter still remember that moment at their dad's funeral when the bugler sounded those first three notes. >> love you. >> peace. seemed like it just brought peace. >> reporter: and they cannot believe any family should have to do without. >> the cd, that's fake. >> reporter: a group called buglers across america is recruiting volunteers. >> we are actively looking for volunteers who are able to play taps competently and correctly. >> reporter: it is hoping to ensure that every veteran has a live bugler to call them home. >> so if you're a bugler or a trumpeter who can play taps, we're going to have a link on our website in a little bit to bugles across america. you can volunteer. >> you know, those note bring

tears to your eyes every time. >> it's so recognizable. >> it really is and a cd, she's right, it's not the same. bruce, thank you. thousands of people lined constitution avenue for the eighth annual national memorial day parade. retired air force pilot chuck yeager was the grand marshal of this parade which this year honored the air force. for the second straight year heat was a concern for people marching in the parade and everybody along the sidewalks as well. several were treated for heat- related illnesses and a couple people were taken to the hospital as a precaution. ♪got a little story >> final preparations underway for this week's public farewell to the godfather of go go chuck brown. public viewing for the d.c. music legend will take place tomorrow. the time is 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. at howard theater and that's on t street in northwest. then the community can attend a memorial thursday from noon

until 3 in the afternoon at the washington convention center. now you know chick died at the age of 75. he passed away may 16th weeks after being hospitalized for complications from arthritis, then developing pneumonia in the hospital. since then generations of chuck brown fans have been recalling and celebrating his life and homegrown music. organizers are urging those planning to attend this week's farewell to use public transportation. many streets around the howard theater and the convention center will be closed for the event to. see the complete list of closings log onto our website www.wusa9.com. we will broadcast thursday's memorial live on the air and on our website, www.wusa9.com. a lorton, virginia man is under arrest this afternoon accused in a drunk driving crash that killed a pedestrian in ocean city, maryland. 30-year-old diogo facchini didn't stop after hitting a cooksville, maryland man with his suv early this morning on

coastal highway. witnesses followed him until police arrived to arrest him. facchini is charged with homicide by motor vehicle while intoxicated, that among other offenses. four more farm animals have been attacked at frying pan farm park in herndon this. comes one month after three horses were stabbed on that same property. that is where kristin fisher joins us live with the latest on this investigation. what's going on? >> reporter: it's pretty ridiculous. fairfax county police are till still trying to figure out if these two incidents are related, but i tell you what. talked to a lot of people out here today and almost all of them said they are quinned the same person is responsible and -- convinced the same person is responsible and, in fact, a lot of people think that there is a serial animal slasher somewhere on the loose. >> was that very nice? >> no. >> no. that's not nice to hurt animals, is it? >> reporter: parents at the kidwell farm are having a tough time trying to explain to their kids where someone would want to hurt these baby animals.

>> i got to save them. >> you got to go save them? okay, buddy. >> reporter: when farm staff came to feed them sunday morning, they found four animals that had been stabbed overnight, two goats, a chicken and a calf. you can see the cuts on its head are being held together by staples. >> that's atrocious. >> i think it's disgusting. >> that's scary. it's senseless. >> reporter: it's especially scary since the same thing happened one month ago to the day, but that time it was three horses. >> it's a nightmare. i survived war in croatia and it's kind of similar. you cannot accept it. it's hard to say okay, that's a life. it's not a life. it shouldn't be. >> reporter: the horses are part of the spirit open equestrian program. it's therapeutic riding lets ding lessons -- lessons for people with special needs. >> reporter: that's likely

what happened again a month later in this barn. two of the four animals stabbed here are under a year old and still bottle fed. they had no reason to fear humans until now. >> how many people out there would want to do something like this? so for it to happen twice you got to believe it's the same person. >> reporter: at this point police have very few leads. they hope somebody saw something. as for the animals, all of them are expected to make a full recovery. in fact, two of those horses that were slashed, two are now back in service giving rides to kids with special needs. anita? >> that is good news. what a mystery. hope they get this person soon. thanks. did you know that 1/3 of all homeless people in this country are veterans? still ahead on this memorial day, a local vet tells us why he feels forgotten. up next beryl is now a tropical depression, but still strong enough to wash out memorial day plans along the southeast coast. 9news will be right back.

we have breaking news fauquier county, virginia where two planes crashed about an hour ago. one of the pilots died when the plane went up in flames. the other pilot was taken to mary washington hospital. the crash scene is said to be in a secluded area difficult to get to. police don't know what caused

the crash. we are sending sky 9 to the scene to bring you more details. beryl has, in fact, turned into a tropical depression now and is dumping rain in the southeast. >> but early monday the storm was much stronger ruining memorial day plans, knocking out electricity to thousands of people. randall pinkston reports. >> reporter: crews fought strong winds to put up storm flags in jacksonville warning people to stay out of the water. the beaches in northeast florida and southern georgia are usually packed on memorial day, but this year are in shut down. beryl hit the coast early -- are shut down. beryl hit the coast early sunday morning. low level roads were shut at times stopping traffic. powerful waves sent this boat crashing into a nearby wall. the winds mocked out power and tens of thousands do -- knocked out power and tens of thousands

do not have electricity. parades across northeast florida were canceled. beryl weakened by the afternoon and people went to see what the storm left behind. jacksonville's mayor is warning resident to stay close to home. it's feared beryl's outer bands could bring more wind and possibly tornadoes. >> if you don't have to drive, please don't drive. don't go out into the water. >> reporter: but this storm does have a silver lining. beryl is moving further inland bringing rain to a region that suffered through a long drought. >> we could see widespread 5 to 10-inch rain. so in some respects that would actually be some good news despite the washout for the holiday weekend. >> reporter: the remnants of beryl are expected to head back out to sea late tuesday bringing rain to to the carolinas. >> a washout on memorial day weekend, that is kind of a bummer. >> they definitely need that rain especially in parts of georgia, so much needed rain there. in fact, around here we're talking about the heat. can you feel it?

>> yeah. >> it does feel like summer. look at this video from the cameron run regional water park in alexandria. you can see it was packed. everyone has the sunscreen on. they brought out the summer bathing suits. this looks like a great way to cool off, doesn't it? i'm glad they were out there hanging out because it definitely was a warm one today, a hot one with temperatures well into the 90s. what a way to start the unofficial start to summer. our live weather cam brought to you by michael and son, nice shot of iwo jima, temperatures downtown are 89, winds coming from the south at 13 miles per hour. live doppler 9000, we're looking at basically sunny conditions around the beltway, but look out. this allegany county, maryland, right around cumberland, the area in green, that is the flash flood warning in effect until 7:45 because a storm just went through there and it is causing some flash flooding now

as we speak. here's a look at the radar again, quiet for much of the beltway, but you can see up point west we've got some pop- up thunderstorms that will continue for tonight and the threat mainly staying west with interstate 81 and points north. you can see right around downtown into the beltway we are looking at some pretty quiet conditions, but boy, it's hot. here's a look at that heat advisory. again until 9:00 tonight where it definitely is feeling hot out there, technically this is not quite at level of heat advisory criteria, but because it's so early in the season it was issued today. 89 downtown, 90 gaithersburg and culpeper and fredericksburg. our national satellite and radar picture, cold front going through the upper midwest, we'll get that over the next couple days and we will cool down eventually. also watching beryl made landfall. we talked about basically just after midnight and bringing some much needed rain. you can see around our area

we're looking at a chance for isolated storms tonight, better chance tomorrow. beryl expected to bring more rain into savannah for tuesday night and by wednesday coming through charleston, again going out to sea after that. so in our area what are we talking about? we're talking about some warm and muggy conditions again where temperatures will be in the 60s to lower 80s. it will be hot and humid and isolated storms possible tonight, hot and muggy for your tuesday, better chance for storms tomorrow afternoon. it will be cooler for thursday and friday. check out your next seven days. still hot through tuesday and wednesday. then thursday we're cooler, 79 degrees and we'll all feel the humidity levels go down for the end of the weekend where we top out in the upper 70s by friday, looks pretty good for the washington nationals game against the braves, but you do have a chance for some scattered showers and storms. right now they're timing it to be overnight friday into

saturday. saturday looking to be a little unsettled, but sunday we'll be in the mid-70s. so next couple days the heat is still on. drink plenty of fluids and don't forget your umbrellas and your sunglasses tomorrow. back to you. >> good advice. >> absolutely. she may be young, but a local 6-year-old girl can spell with the best of them and she will beginning tomorrow. the story is coming up. >> but first one of his biggest hits is a pop song overboard. now singer justin bieber is accused of going overboard during a run-in with a photographer.

the jury gets back to deliberating tomorrow in the john edwards trial after six days behind closed doors, there's speculation these jurors may be deadlocked. edwards faces six felony charges. prosecutors contend two wealthy donors contributed $1 million to help hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 run for the white house. jurors must not only determine whether edwards knew about the secret payments, but whether he knew he was violating federal law by allowing them. justin bieber is wanted for questioning after a photographer complained of being roughed up by the pop star at a shopping center.

the photographer tells the l.a. county sheriffs investigators the scuffle happened yesterday when he tried to snap pictures of bieber and his girl friend salina gomez while walking out of a theater. the photographer then called 911, but the couple was gone before deputies arrived. the photographer was taken to the hospital and reportedly treated for a chest injury. beyonce back, hasn't missed a beat. this is video from her performance in atlantic city saturday night. it was the singer's first concert since giving birth to her daughter in january. first lady michelle obama and malia and sasha were in the audience. beyonce wrapped up her memorial day weekend concert tonight. 75 years ago today the first cars drove across the golden gate bridge. we'll take you to the big celebration. >> also ahead we introduced you to a young war widow who is now helping others who lost spouses

in battle. >> i come back from there. i didn't like nothing that happened over there the time that i spent there. >> but coming up next the scars of war, hear why one homeless vietnam veteran says he's been unable to heal since returning home. [ breathing heavily ] we hurried.

it's the chevy memorial day event, right? yeah, that's right. okay, are we running fast enough? don't worry. you made it in time. there's still plenty of award-winning 2012 models left to choose from. we hurried. you want to take a look at some chevys? [ both breathing heavily ] [ male announcer ] it's the chevy memorial day sale. hurry in now during our memorial day sale for $750 cash on the chevy silverado. plus trade in an eligible vehicle and combine trade-in allowance with other discounts for a total value of $7,750.

the veterans administration says on any given night 75,000 veterans are homeless, right here in the nation's capital. frank garver is one of them. when we found him, he had a lot to get off his mind. some people might find it surprising that frank garvin is still alive and standing 45 years after arriving from vietnam in d.c. >> he came home with skills as a mechanical engineer. he's got some children, daughters out there somewhere, but frank garvin like a lot of combat veterans came home with deep psychological scars that have yet to heal. >> we didn't get nothing. they came out saying we'll get this, we have this program set up for you, that program, that was bull. >> reporter: what did you need when you came back? >> we needed psychiatric treatment. >> reporter: according to the

veterans administration roughly 1/3 of all the homeless people states are veterans. the homeless veterans are well represented in the washington area here at the community for creative nonviolence by far the largest shelter. the ccmv shelter is frank's home today. he's really brief when you ask how he ended up here, on the streets like scores of men and women who hover around the shelter with no fixed addresses. >> i messed up my own life. that's how i got here. >> reporter: he does blame the veterans administration for the care he feels he'd been denied since returning home. >> i don't even go up there no more. last time i went up there, they classified me as low priority for housing telling me that i wasn't on drugs. i didn't have an alcohol problem. >> reporter: when president obama was at the wall today presiding over the 50th anniversary of the start of the vietnam war, frank garvin was but a few blocks away in the

shelter. he never gave it a thought to attend the ceremony at the wall. he's only been there once. how many names you know on that wall? >> i know quite a few names on that wall. we lost about eight people in the unit that i was in right there on that wall. so don't ask me about the names on that wall because those people died for something and don't even know why they were dead. >> reporter: president barack obama set a goal of ending hopelessness for veterans by the year 2015, but get this, the national coalition for homeless veterans says an estimated 140,000 veterans are now in state and federal prisons. the wars in iraq and afghanistan turn an estimated 3,000 u.s. military wives into widows. on this memorial day manuel gallegos introduces us to one young woman who is working to help others like her endure the pain and grief of losing a spouse in battle. >> reporter: 27-year-old jenna grasspa is visiting her husband's grave at national

arlington cemetery. decorated army captain jonathan grasspa was killed in iraq in april 2007 when an ied hit his convoy. the couple was married just 10 months. >> he was as perfect as anyone can ever be for me. he was funny, kind. >> reporter: they met at johns hopkins university in the rotc program. she was a freshman. he was a senior and a battalion commander. army ranger grasspa always went the extra mile for his troops. >> commandeered a couple helicopters and getting 60 boxes of hot pizza from the nearest big base and flying it out to each different landing zones. >> reporter: after john died jenna, a captain herself, deployed to iraq. she admits she struggles at times. >> i don't want to do what everyone else tells me to do is go on and get married or move on because there is no moving on from the person that you thought would be your everything forever. >> reporter: she finds comfort in the american widow project, a support network for military

widows. >> it's only when i talk to other women that know and that have been there and they have been in that dark spot and they have been in that place where it's so hard to pull yourself out and they're why i couldn't get back out of there again. >> reporter: jenna is now in law school trying to be a jag attorney. she thinks about the husband she lost every day and hopes on this memorial day others will take a moment to honor him. manuel gallegos,cbs news, new york. >> jonathan grasspa received a purple heart and bronze. >> for his service in iraq. fireworks lit up the sky over san francisco to mark the diamond anniversary of the golden gate bridge, one of the nation's most iconic symbol, the famous bridge opening 75 years ago today to vehicles. family events, music and fireworks and an appearance by the uss nimitz marked the celebration.

a northern virginia girl is said to become the youngest person ever to compete in the national spelling bee. nobody expects 6-year-old lori madison of lake bridge, virginia to win, but just being part of the preliminary rounds tomorrow here in washington is a unique accomplishment and she can spell with the best of them, kids twice her age are considered prodigies. the bee doesn't have a lower age limit, but no one younger than 8 had ever qualified for the nationals. >> wow. a wounded warrior has quite a fish tale to tell after she loses more than the catch of the day in a weekend tournament. >> don't forget we're always online, www.wusa9.com. stay with us. we'll be right back.

wounded warriors fishing trip didn't go as planned this memorial day weekend. >> he was part of a tournament in florida when the fish turned the tables on him. ryan kruger has a fish tale you have to hear to believe. >> reporter: of fisherman has the story about the one that got away, but jack wiseman tops them all. >> it went quick and the rod went down. the captain tried to throw

another hook in the water and cross over the lines. >> reporter: but it disappeared into the bottom of the gulf. among the hundreds of the world's best tarp and fishermen at boca grand pass this weekend wiseman stands out in his bright green shirt. did you notice the back of it? he's a wounded warrior. maybe now you've realized this story isn't about a fish. >> we watched it happen and we're going like did you see that? his arm is gone. >> reporter: yes, you heard correctly. >> i have a special prosthetic that's got different devices i can hook onto it and all of a sudden the hand snapped off the prosthetic device still hooked to the rod and the rod and reel and hand bent in the water. >> for us it was funny -- went in the water. >> for us it was funny. we said you're going to be a legend. you're the only guy that lost an arm out here yesterday. >> reporter: but unlike most fishing stories this one has a happy ending. >> somebody else hooked that

same fish and our rod with my hand was still attached to the rod and they brought it back to us. so that's my fishing story. >> reporter: and what a story it is. >> you're just cracking up next to me here. eight wounded warriors were invited onto the boat during the fishing tournament and said they've already been invited back to next year's event. still to come a history making win in the naacp lacrosse championship. >> but first to fight the invisible wounds of war. we'll talk about it in our health alert.

on this memorial day our health alert focuses on some of the invisible injuries our servicemen and women have suffered in recent tours of duty. the military said 60% of those returning from iraq and

afghanistan have damaged hearing. >> the total number over the decade for the current conflict are 840,000 members with tinnitus and just over 700,000 with hearing loss which are the no. 1 and 2 disability. >> i'm trying to sleep, take a nap, concentrate on, something all you hear is the ringing. >> veteran rebecca nava has both hearing loss and tinnitus after being exposed to loud blasts in iraq. she now wears hearing aids and urges other veterans to get treatment for hearing lost. another visible wound is post-traumatic stress disorder. the military has acknowledged the tremendous toll both ptsd and traumatic brain injuries can take on a veteran's life and family. tonight a new tool to fight these injuries one mind at a time. >> there's been an explosion of data from a neurophysiologic standpoint showing what happens in the brain as we practice

these relaxation and meditation techniques on a regular basis. we actually see changes in the brain that are conducive to better mental health. >> dr. gary kaplan is founder of kaplan center for integrated medicine in mclean and he says mindful meditation works to both overtime ptsd and even prevent it by making the mind more resilient. dr. kaplan says ptsd not limited to soldiers. 6% of the general population suffers from the disorder mostly after violent car crashes. he says those with ptsd tend to be emotionally withdrawn. they may have trouble sleeping, higher irritability and a tendency to experience an instant replay of their traumatic event. >> one is hyper arousal so they've have situations where they hyper react to things. so hearing the backfire of a car in mclean, virginia gets reacted to as if it's an explosion of an ied in the battlefield. >> retired navy commander peter

griffith hopes these techniques can help today's soldiers reach deep inside themselves to heal. that's what he had to do to banish the emotional stress that was contributing to his physical pain. >> we all have those feelings and unless you spend the time to look into them you'll go through life wondering why things like the backfire happens and you aren't ready for it and it brings back some memory of something you weren't prepared for at that time. >> another place teaching mindful meditation techniques to both soldiers and first responders is the mind fitten training institute in alexandria where they've -- fitness training institute in alexandria where they've shown the practice makes people more mentally resilient to trauma. a man in ohio is remembering his dad this memorial day. jim lawson is honoring his father also named jim who was a pilot during world war ii. the german shot down his plane over italy. two crew members died.

watson died in 2006. recently a man in italy found parts of his plane at the crash site. he sent them to jim watson, the son. the son's only regret that, his father never had a chance to hold pieces of that plane in his hands. >> i think it would have brought a smile to ms. face, something he had put behind him and at the same point i think all of us seek some type of closure on events in our lives. i think it would have been good. >> jim watson was awarded a purple heart for that bombing mission in 1944. it seems like a match made in heaven. today is not just memorial day, but this year the holiday falls on may 28th and coincides with national hamburger day and national brisket day, seems appropriate since memorial day is one of the top grilling days of the year. an estimated 70 up with% of grill owners will light up the barbecue this weekend -- 70% of grill owners will light up the barbecue this weekend if they

haven't already. at key west there was a schooner wharf minimal regatta because the boats were made of plywood and duct tape and tried to see who could keep afloat the longest. the top prizes went to the most creative design and the least sea worthy. >> that water looks great. >> you had shots of a pool earlier and you couldn't even see the water there were so many people in it. >> exactly. the heat enticing a lot of people into the pool. a lot of folks are firing up their barbecues tonight and i think most of us, for those barbecues, should go off without a hitch. we have a slight chance of isolated storms. we got up to 90 degrees today. the average high is 79, record high 97, but we did tie two records at baltimore and over at dulles where dulles got up to 90 degrees. that ties our record that was

set in 1991. it was a hot day. here's a look at our live weather cam brought to you by michael and son. right now 89 degrees, a few clouds, winds from the south at 13 miles per hour. that's a nice shot of the iwo jima memorial in the background. our live doppler, we did have a flash flood warning up north in cumberland allegany county that has now been canceled. we did see a little storm system go through there. now we're looking at generally sunny conditions and look storm free as of now. heat advisory is on until 9:00 tonight for most of the d.c. metro area. look farther up into the philly. they've got a heat warning in effect. so it's worse there. right now temperatures have cooled off a little bit, 89 in downtown, 90 in gaithersburg, mid-80s for winchester, even out toward ocean city, 87 degrees. so if you're out there enjoying the beach weather, it's also toasty for you. so it's hot and humid the next

couple days. isolated thunderstorm possible tonight north and west of town, hot and muggy tuesday as you're heading back to work, better chance for scattered thunderstorms possible for tuesday afternoon and evening. then we'll be cooler thursday and friday. our 9 futurecast shows us most of us will be storm free, a chance for some isolated storms generally west of interstate 81 tonight. tomorrow we start out lots of sunshine, bring out the sunglasses and sunscreen, but then in the afternoon a front comes through and we'll see scattered showers and thunderstorms, potentially also in the evening commute. you will want your umbrellas tomorrow as well. here's a look at our forecast tonight, partly cloudy and muggy, isolated storms possible, 69 to 73 degrees. downtown lower 70s, manassas 70, 69 degrees in leesburg. tomorrow morning heading out the door expecting plenty of sunshine and it will be a warm start, temperatures in the 70s and 80s. we warm up to the upper 80s

once again. tuesday also some morning showers and storms possible, then clearing for wednesday afternoon and then once that front comes through, thursday and friday it is cooler. we've got 79 for thursday. friday's nats game looks good, upper 70s with right now the shower and storms timing to be overnight friday into saturday. so take it easy tonight. >> that's going to feel good. talk about a banner day in sports as well. >> it was a big day, that's right. maryland and loyola fighting for bragging rights on the ncaa lacrosse championship. dave owens has the results. >> on this memorial day military service and sacrifice, a predominant theme in boston. fans observed a moment of silence, the national anthem sung by a member of the united states air force and a touching moment before the game. the families of brendan looney and reagan were honored.

maryland scoring first. they really got going here. we saw their last game as they put 16 on duke. they got it going here. jesse earnhardt apparently invisible. nobody wants to guard him, so he struts in and puts maryland up 1-0 five minutes in the game. later in the 1st quarter watch the stickwork. kevin cooper, takes two to make a single. he completed a two-goal run for the terps. they're up 3-2 and loyola coach charlie toomey said i think we got some problems here. no problems, coach. loyola greyhounds win its first ever ncaa division 1 championship. they score seven straight and win it 9-3. >> there's so many people that have gotten us to where we are today. it's been such a big support of our program. this is for them. this is for our alumni and our university. our kids got what they deserved

because they were great all year. hats off to the maryland seniors who finished the season 12-6, tip of the cap to those seniors. they lead the terps to back to back championship appearances. coming up at 6:00, a busy sports day continues. wait till you see what this guy did. nats pitcher jordan zimmerman needing all the help he can get against the marlins this afternoon coming up in a bit in sports. still to come on 9 news now honoring d.c.'s war dead a memorial specifically built for them, but suggestions to change that is not sitting too well with everybody. >> plus communities across the d.c. metro area pay tribute to our troops on memorial day in their own special and local way. >> but first a salute to a local family that changed the lives of 17 foster children. meet the perkins family in today's hero central report.

may marks national foster care month and for years the perkins family in fairfax has been taking in babies and loving them as their own. this week's hero central jc hayward salutes the foster care family, northern virginia family services. >> i love my babies. >> reporter: gail boo perkins cuddles with a new foster baby. her family is a mix of biological children and one adopted child. along with her husband jerry everyone cares for the little ones. >> we have seen very, very sick little ones turn out to be amazingly great little kids, you know. so we do it for the love of the

kids. that's for sure. >> reporter: seven years ago the perkins helped a friend care for a sick foster baby. they worked with the nonprofit organization the northern virginia family service and they were quickly hooked and even adopted one foster baby. >> we never got into foster care to adopt. we actually got in to do weekend respite care. 17 kids later here we are. >> reporter: foster care is tough, especially when the baby comes with severe health issues like fetal alcohol syndrome or drug addiction, but it's worth it. >> as a family, we feel called that god's called us to provide that safe haven for children so that they cannot be saddled with attachment disorder with the rest of their lives. >> reporter: despite the years gail says it is still very easy to fall in love and never easy

to say good bye. >> it's hard. you cry. you get upset. and you just know that they're in the lord's hands and you've done what you can do. >> reporter: northern virginia family service works with 60 foster care families, but the need is always there. >> there are hundreds of kids in foster homes and, you know, we need parents of all types, you know, all different cultures, races, ages, single parent, married. >> reporter: to be a good foster care parent the perkins say you need lots of patience, but it is an experience that changes lives. >> love them deeply, care for they deeply and then let them go when it's that time. >> that's an incredible set of parents. they say foster care parents help their own children learn about life's serious issues like drug