degrees by 5:00 p.m. with a northwest wind 10 to 15. tomorrow we're going into the 90s. by friday we could be 100 or hotter than that even. clear skies over us. we still have the storm system spinning in maine and new england with showers there. that's protecting us in the short term. unfortunately that will be exiting stage right here pretty shortly. 69 in town. look at all the 50s as you get away from town. culpeper, manassas 54. low 60s in the shenandoah valley. cumberland 52 degrees. petersburg, west virginia 45. our forecast highs this afternoon with sunshine, low humidity. should be another nice day with a bit after breeze. range from mid-80s to parts of the shenandoah valley to the upper 80s here in the metro. let's go to monika at 5:00 a.m. she has a big smile on her face this wednesday morning. >> it's kind of calm right now which is a great thing if you're heading out the door, heading to work early or the gym or whenever you're going. i think things are going to be absolutely fine now. on the beltway north of town, it's green between college park

and bethesda. no problems on 270 coming in from frederick. we'll take a live look from i- 95 and bw parkway. you're going to be absolutely fine heading for the beltway and beyond. let's go back over to the maps and if you're planning to head in from southern maryland, route 4, route 5, 301 everything is good around andrews air force base, out of ak week 21020 -- accokeek 210 to ox why hill as well. if you're planning to head in from route 50 from the bay bridge to the beltway, the lanes are open. in my next report we'll go over to 66 at 5:09. many troops return home without physical injuries only to have their invisible wounds surface. today is national post- traumatic stress disorder awareness day. >> ptsd activists have organized a big event to get the attention of lawmakers. 9news now reporter delia goncalves joins us from capitol hill with a preview. good morning, delia. >> reporter: good morning, jessica, andrea. the event happen drag is in its third year and it recognizes

what's become an epidemic among service members. suicide up 80% for army soldiers alone. staggering statistic there. among distinguished guests and military members also speaking at this morning's event will be 10-year-old barbara webb. she and her mom megan visited our studios yesterday to talk about how post-traumatic stress disorder affected their lives. barbara's dad steven worked at dover airport base processing all the dead soldiers returning home. >> it changed him. made him very sad, very closed in, very depressed, suicidal and for the longest time we didn't understand what was wrong. >> are our own anita brikman will be emceeing the event that starts at 10:00 at upper center park at new jersey and

constitution avenues northwest. coming up at 5:30, we'll talk about how barbara experienced her father trying to commit suicide. there is a happy ending to this story but certainly some very tough moments for a little 10- year-old girl of the back to you, jessica, andrea. >> delia goncalves reporting live from capitol hill. after a 28-hour standoff, a barricade in falls church, virginia ended last night. the situation started monday afternoon with a domestic disturbance call on hillwood avenue. when officers arrived, a man barricaded himself inside a home. police say in the early hours of the standoff, the suspect fired a gun and at one point they feared he had doused himself and the home with gasoline. eventually officers talked their way close enough to the suspect to taser him and he surrendered a short time later. a woman paralyzed in a 1985 shooting died this year but while her death has been ruled a homicide, no one will be charged.

pamela prowlett was found shot multiple times in laurel nearly 27 years ago. she died from those injuries in january. state attorneys say old laws prevent them from prosecuting the case. in 1985 maryland state law required a victim to day within a year and a day in order to charge someone with murder. now to the possible end of the president controversy at the university of virginia. the board of visitors unanimously voted to reinstate teresa sullivan as president less than three weeks after forcing her to resign. the move comes after hundreds of faculty and students rallied to support dr. sullivan. the board director helen dragas whose term expires on saturday and governor bob mcdonnell can choose to replace the memberes. >> i am watching your money. can we keep the rally going today? we'll have to see later this morning. it was an up day on washington even though we found out consumer confidence is hovering at a five-month low.

investors were encouraged by news that home prices rose in most fay m.i.a. major cities in -- major cities in april. the nasdaq was up by almost 18 points. the s&p 500 was better by 6 points and the bough 32 points. senate leadsers from both parties say they have agreed on a plan to keep student loan rates from doubling next week but they did not make a formal announcement because they're not sure house republicans will sign on to the deal. lawmakers would fund the lower rates by raising premiums on federal pension insurance. house g.o.p. leaders expect to discuss the proposal in a meeting later this morning. the d.c. city council has given preliminary approval to millions of dollars in tax credits for technology companies. according to the washington examiner, the companies would have to hire city residents to qualify for the credit. the legislation is designed to encourage living social to keep its headquarters in the district. if the bill wins final passage next month, living social could

benefit to the tune of $32.5 million in tax breaks. >> sweet enough deal? >> it's a pretty sweet deal. they would have a hire a lot of people, basically doubling in size to about 2,000 d.c. workers. so it could mean a hiring spree for the district and could attract new technology companies. >> that sounds good. we know you'll be following that. >> you bet. this city could use some of that help. a large city in california declared bankruptcy overnight. that story coming up. >> thousands of more people are on stand by in colorado. >> it's the thing college football fans have demanded for years. there will soon be a playoff to determine the national championship. we'll be right back.

it is 5:08 on this wednesday morning. very comfortable still. low humidity. temperatures are going to start to creep up. 28 was the high -- 82 was the high yesterday. today maybe 88 or so withle 2 at lunch time -- with 82 at lunch time. still not too humid. don't forget to slap on the sunscreen. lots of heat headed this way. i'll break it down with the seven-day forecast in about five minutes. traffic is moving well on 395 northbound leaving the beltway to here at 14th street bridge and into downtown. in fact, all the potomac and anacostia river crossings are incident free. in my next report, a closer

look at area roadways once again at 5:16. making news at almost 5:09, authorities are evacuating more people away from the path of the waldo canyon wildfire near colorado springs. in the last day flames have destroyed more homes and a large ranch which was a popular tourist attraction. and many nearby residents have been put on standby in case they have to evacuate later today. what was tropical storm debby has been downgraded to a tropical depression. flooding is still a my major problem because -- is still a major problem because the storm system is moving slowly across the sunshine state. stockton, california has become the largest city in the u.s. to declare bankruptcy. the city council voted to declare chapter 9 overnight. about 20% of stockton residents are unemployed meaning the city has lost a huge part of its tax base and is facing a 26 million deficit next year.

5:09. coming up on 5:10, campaign 2012 is headed to northern virginia today. we'll tell you when mitt romney will be stopping coming up at 5:29. at 5:38 i'll debunt some popular mipght abouts your credit -- myths about your credit score. >> and howard's seven-day forecast. stay with us.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. 5:13 on this wednesday morning. hump day. we're almost there and we're almost into the thick of the heat, too. >> it's really going to get scorching around here by the time we get toward friday, saturday, sunday and into monday. >> break out the flip-flops. >> can you go less than sleeveless i wonder on the wardrobe. weather wise, it's going to get toasty around here. today we're starting to warm up a little bit but still not bad. low humidity levels, sunshine, breeze out of the northwest at 10 to 15. the lunch time temperatures will be in the low 80s. pretty nice lunch hour. again with the low humidity levels highs will be approaching about the 88-degree mark here in town. some areas could stay in the mid-80s but mid- to upper 80s will do it. this morning we're in the 50s in spots. lake cumberland at 52. it's 59 in fredricksburg. la plata last check along the tappahannock and newland at 55

degrees. easton 59. 57 at prince frederick this morning with 69 here in washington. the waters of the potomac and also the city just all that cement and asphalt keeping things a little bit warmer. we've got good looks visibility on our michael & son weather camera. humidity only 47%. humidity levels fell in the 20% range yesterday afternoon. there's a lot of heat in the middle of the country. i'm show you the map. you can pick out the high heat here in the kansas area, central plains. it's going to be 95 up to minneapolis. 102 in oklahoma city. parts of west kansas might approach 110. i want to show you as we get into thursday how that heat expands eastward. lexington 102. it will be 102 in chicago. detroit gets into the mid-90s. we're looking at the 90s in here as well. then nine hundreds could be here by friday. we have to watch this. this is a big ridge of high pressure in this part of the

country. this is what's giving all the heat and there's really not much to block it from moving east. dwe have the storm up in new england -- we did have the storm up in new england. we'll talk about that in a moment. we have beby in the -- debby in the southeast. it's weakened to a tropical depression. it's starting to pull into the atlantic. this may regenerate into a tropical storm over the open waters. in the northeast this storm system that's spinning here in maine bringing them rain has been blocking somewhat of that heat and high pressure out west moving in. but this thing is going to start to pull away. again, there's nothing to block that heat. we will see this threat of a thunderstorm here or there, especially up in pennsylvania over the next couple of days. it's a little bit of a northwesterly flow and we can't rule out that something could maybe in the overnight period just get down toward the maryland-pennsylvania border here. but as you look at the future cast, boy, we're sitting high and dry here. it's a friday morning. this is when the heat really starts to build in here.

and i mean triple digit heat for several days we'll be flirting with it. 88 today, a dry day, not too much humidity. a little bit of a breeze. tonight 60s and low 70s. tomorrow i think we get to 96. may not feel too bad but the humidity is creeping up. a hot, humid friday, 101. isolated thunderstorm in the afternoon. the heat, the humidity, the isolated storm with us through early next week at least. it is now 5:15. that means monika samtani is in with time saver traffic. want to let you know that marc penn line 401 is running 10 to 12 minutes late. 401 marc penn line 10 to 12 minutes late this morning. otherwise i think you're going to be on time. around town using the roadways, no problems on the dulles toll road as cow in from the airport right -- as you come in from the airport right through herndon. 66 the same story coming from manassas into centreville and fairfax. we'll take a live look at the beltway at the american legion bridge. both loops pretty much look like this between tysons and

bethesda on the west side of town. back over to the maps and this time we'll head over to the insides of the beltway. 395 to the 14th street bridge looks great. no problems to report on 295 you're heading north to the 11th street bridge. we'll take a live look at the inbound side of i-66 at the roosevelt bridge. nice and quiet into the downtown area as well. coming up in my next report, we'll go to the north side at 5:23. back to you. in our next hour, we're going to be live from the at&t national. tiger woods is getting ready to tee off in an early morning practice round. next in sports the nationals recover from a bad throwing error by scoring the most runs they've had in a single game they've had all year long. >> first, we're going to take another look at the question of the day. 55% of americans say they keep this thing in their car. is it a, a flashlight, b, toilet paper or c, candy. terry posted this on our facebook fan page. i keep all three in my car. you just never know what you

might need out on the road but i think it's b for the answer and that would be toilet paper. >> be prepared. log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page. leave your response. we'll reveal the answer during the 6:00 hour.

it is 5:20 on this wednesday morning. still very comfortable out there. we have lots of 50s and 60s. closer to 70 in town and by the

bay. by 9:00 still plenty of sunshine. temps in the low 70s here. look how quickly we'll warm into the 80s. lunch time 81. this afternoon might see a patch of clouds. we'll call it partly to mostly sunny. not humid. temperatures in the mid to the upper 80s. over to you. >> thanks, howard. the nationals recovered from a bad third inning last night in denver. >> the rockies tied up the game on three on a throwing error by bryce harper to catcher jesus flores. however, the nats responded with a barrage of scoring in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings. get this. washington downs colorado 12-5. here's kristen berset with the rest of your morning sports. good morning, everybody. there are changes coming to college football. after years of controversy and complaints surrounding the current bowl championship series, the presidential oversight committee decided to implement a playoff series.

four teams will play in semifinal games to determine who plays for the national championship. one game will be on new year's eve. the other on new year's day. the games will rotate among six different sites around the country over the next 12 years. it's not the 18 or 16 games that many fans wanted and those teams that get to compete will still be chosen bay committee, but the oversight committee says this agreement should appease people on both sides. >> it's a best of both worlds result. it captures the excitement of a playoff while protecting the best regular seasons in sports. i think it's a consensus built on compromise. i think they've done a terrific thing in bringing us to a milestone that's good for college football generally speaking and certainly for the acc. >> washington capitals once again digging into their past in hopes of helping their future. the team has hired former captain adam oaths as -- oates

as their new head coach. he hasn't been a head coach in any hockey league but as an assistant he helped guide them to the playoffs this season. oates will officially be introduced at a press conference today at 3:00. we'll of course have that for new our evening shows. we will also be live all day at congressional. that's a quick look at sports this morning. i'm kristen berset. have a great wednesday. mint romney will be trying to sway northern virginia voters later today. that story is coming up. >> plus, one of the organizers of the smithsonian's folklife festival joins to us preview this year's event. here's monika. >> if you're planning to head through rockville here's route 355 at congressional lane. no problems on 355 heading through this point to the beltway and 270 looks pretty much the same. nice and quiet. coming up in my next report, a closer look at maryland roads at 5:28. you're watching 9news now. stay with us.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. happy wednesday. i'm andrea roane. i'm jessica doyle in for mike hydeck. thank you for joining us on this wednesday morning. monika samtani will have your time saver traffic in a moment but we're going to start with howard and weather first. a nice morning out there. we have clear skies. humidity levels are still in check. that's going to change over the next couple of days as the humidity level is going to creep up and temperatures are going to soar here by friday and for the weekend. this morning i take you outside with a look at tysons corner on our weather camera. it's pretty morning out there. got clear skies. we're looking west at the buildings. i love this time of morning. they're reflecting the brightness in the eastern sky. we've got temperatures in town which are in the upper 60s. some areas are in the 50s this morning with a noontime temperature of 81 degrees and a high today right about 5:00 at 88. should be comfortable. not too humid today. that's going to help.

sun is up at about 5:45. looking at the satellite and radar, clear skies over us. still have the clouds and showers in new england. that's helping us keeping the western heat at bay at least for another day but as the storm system pulls away, the heel is goes to -- the heat is going to roll in. manassas is down to 52 degrees. 55 in culpeper, frederick and gaithersburg. easton also in the upper 50s. in southern maryland we have 57 at the pax river naval air station. looking at highs later today in the mid to the upper 80s. 87 down south at pax river. winchester a very comfortable 84. let's check in with monika at 5:28 time saver traffic this wednesday morning. >> good morning. good morning, everybody. you know, normally if you're planning to head out the door right now, things start to look a little bit heavy but i would say right now things are looking pretty good for a wednesday morning. no problems to report here on the beltway between college park and bethesda. we're looking good. we're going to take a live look outside right now and show you what it looks like on the beltway or 95 coming to the

beltway from laurel at route 198. really both directions of 95 between our beltway and baltimore look really good. let's go back over to the maps and this time to the other side of town. bw parkway route 50 both look good through cheverly into the northeast corridor downtown. and we'll take a live look at the beltway on the east side of town here at route 202. traffic is very light. coming up in my next report, we'll go over to virginia at 5:38. back to you. in campaign 2012 presumed republican presidential nominee mitt romney is in virginia this morning. romney campaigned nierro neck yesterday. -- near roanoke yesterday. both romney and president obama are preparing to respond to tomorrow's supreme court ruling on health care. president obama defended his reform plan yesterday while speaking to voters in florida. >> i believe it was right to make sure that everybody in this country gets decent health care and is not bankrupt when

they get sick. >> i'm going to get rid of the cloud of obama care and return us to personal responsibility and states' rights as it relates to health care. >> romney went on to say the president's health care sls making the economy sick -- care is also making the economy sick. a "wall street journal" poll say americans see romney's business background as a negative. overall the poll finds the candidates are in a virtual dead heat. an audit of d.c. mayor vincent gray's 2012 campaign expenses are entering its final stage according to the washington examiner. the district's office of campaign finance launched a full investigative audit of the gray campaign last year. two gray campaign aides have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from that campaign. an audit of kwame brown's 2008 campaign by the same office eventually led to the criminal charges that forced brown to resign earlier this month. it's called the invisible wounds of war, but today activists want to make a high visibility statement about post-

traumatic stress disorder. they want to raise awareness of the effects of ptsd and what it has on both patients and their loved ones. 9news now reporter delia goncalves is live on on capitol hill with more on this story. >> reporter: there will be a huge rally at 10:00 a.m. happening here at the upper senate park hosted by our own anita brikman. ptsd is no longer the silent and dark secret that many soldiers struggle with alone. according to the department of veterans affairs, it's becoming increasingly common. studies show that up to 8% of americans will suffer from ptsd at some point in their lives. for barbara webb, that happened when her father steven returned home from active duty at dover air force base where he processed war casualties. he became depressed, withdrew from his family, and then one day tried to take his own life. >> he went upstairs inside the

of the bathroom and he didn't come out for a while. my mom went upstairs to check on him and he was gray, laying on the bathroom floor. she had to call 911. i said daddy, don't die. don't leave me. >> reporter: there is good news. denot leave. he's recovering finally getting the help he needed. that brave 10-year-old girl and her mom will be at the event sharing their story hoping to affect many other people who could be going through the same thing and shed light on ptsd and what families are going through, tie to get help for other folks but it takes a long time. there is a struggle to get help. we'll have more on that side of the story coming up at 6:00. andrea, back to you. >> we'll be looking forward to that update. few people have heard of the montford point marines but they're a proud part of this nation's history. the unit will receive the congressional gold medel. they're the -- medal.

they're the first blacks to serve in the united states marine corporation. they were segregated from whites to a spot named montford point. carroll braxton was among the first to sign up. he was just 18 years old at the time. today he'll receive the congressional gold medal just weeks before his 88th birthday. the 46 annual smithsonian folklife festival kicks off later this morning. emily gravenstein is here to kel us -- tell us what cultures they're celebrating. thank you for coming n. i know you're getting ready for the huge festival that goes on every year. one of the major things that's so fun about it is you have themes. this year you have three. why don't you tell us what they are and why you chose them. >> we do have three themes this year. the first is a celebration of the -- [indiscernible] it's the 25th anniversary. we'll also be celebrating

universities and their partnerships with the usda and we'll also be celebrating certified. >> tell us a little bit about that. that theme is local to the area. it draws from sort of a southern heritage, doesn't it? >> it does a little bit. we'll be looking at really what makes the anacostia such a great community here in the area. we'll have tattoo artists, story tellers, muralists, a little bit of everything. >> that's a lot of fun. we also are excited about all the concerts that are going to be out there specifically the folk festival. tell us about that. >> we'll have a bring back the concert tonight starting at 6:00 p.m. on the national mall. it will be featuring the george clinton group as well as -- [indiscernible] >> obviously we're getting a lot of heat in the area. what should people think about as they're headed out to the folklife festival over the next couple of days given we could be in triple digits? >> we could.

we suggest always bringing a bottle of water to keep cool. there are plenty of water fountains on the mall for people to refill. we'll also be selling beverages and we have tents all over the mall so they can duck in for shade. the marketplace is air conditioned and you can always pop into a museum which is air conditioned. >> those will be very popular spots i imagine for people ducking in and out of that crazy heat we have in the forecast. emily, before we go, give us the nuts and bolts. how long will this go for, what are the times, what's the cost for folks? >> it is free and open to the public. the only thing people will have to pay for are food and bef arches and anything from the marketplace. it starts today. it runs from 11:00 a.m. we'll be off monday a and tuesday and pick up again july 4th through 8th. >> thank you for coming in to talk about the festival. >> thank you. just because schools out doesn't mean students can't get healthy meals. that story is coming glup plus,

we'll debunk some myths about credit scores that could get you in trouble.

it is 5:37. out on the weather terrace still very pleasant out here this morning. there's a coolness, a dryness to the air that unfortunately will be leaving here over the next 24 to 48 hours. so i urge you to enjoy it while we've got it. here's a look at the day planner. we're going to have plenty of sunshine once again. a bit after breeze out of the northwest at 10 to 15, maybe gusting to 20. noontime temps in the low 80s. warmer than yesterday but still not humid with highs in the upper 80s. i'll tell you how hot things are going to get and toasty is one word for it. right now talking about traffic. we go to monika samtani. overall delays on the northbound side of i-95. you'll find them going into quantico. here in lorton everything is

fine and it bunches up again through springfield headed for the beltway. i'll have more on area roads coming up once again in a few minutes. back you to, jess. >> thank you, monika. the time right now is 9:39. i am watching your money and your credit card. a recent study finds a lot of people don't understand how a credit score works, what makes it go down, what makes it go up and why that stuff matters anyway. so this morning i'm credit score myth busting. >> reporter: a bad credit score can really hurt you. score low and the higher interest rates you'll pay on loans and credit cards can cost you thousands more every year. so how do you earn a high score? don't buy into these myths. picture number one, -- myth number one, canceling credit cards or moving debt to one card will boost your score. >> if you're canceling all your credit cards, that can hurt you because some of the other factors that go into a credit score include the ratio of credit that you have available compared with the amount that

you owe. also the helping t of time you've -- length of time you've had credit cards. >> reporter: paying for everything with a debit card or cash is also a bad idea. myth number two, a bankruptcy is a cure all for your credit problems. >> bankruptcy is going to hurt you in the long run. it does not make all debts go away. notably student loans. and it stays on your record for seven years. it will haunt you if you look for a car loan. it will haunt you if you look for a mortgage. >> reporter: myth number three, you can pay someone to fix your credit score. >> in many ways that's one of the worst myths that's out there. there are national credit counseling organizations that are there to help you figure out how to get a handle on your debt, but if you're thinking you can pay someone for a quick fix, think twice because it won't work. >> reporter: bottom line if an offer from a credit counselor seems too good to be true, it

probably is. >> our expert was jerry walsh. among many findings the consumer federation of america says only a third of people surveyed actually knew how costly a low credit score can be. that's a tough situation. >> exactly. i know when we were doing mind over money and had phone calls coming in, what people didn't know was amazing. >> it's complicated. >> very complicated. now let's take another look at the question of the day. no complications here. 55% of americans say they keep this in their car. is it a, a flashlight, b, toilet paper, or c, candy. >> let's take a look at a response you posted on the wusa9 facebook fan page. debra davis cook wrote flashlight. you never know when you're going to need it. that's very practical. >> i think a lot more people have flashlights. log on to the wusa9 facebook fan page. leave your response. we'll reveal the answer in about an hour. >> if you're ready to save some money, i've got today's daily deals coming up. >> plus, we'll take a closer

look at how area schools are helping needy students get healthy meals over the summer. >> let's see who is celebrating a birthday today. former presidential candidate ross perot is 82 years old. fashion designer vera wang is 63. and actor toby maguire is 37. >> reality tv personality chloe kardashian is 28. gossip girl ed westwick is 25 and a very special happy birthday to 9news producer jessica glasser.

hear ye, hear ye! this 4th of july, celebrate the red, white, and blue with ocean spray cranberry, white cranberry, and blueberry juice cocktails. how did you wear this stuff growing up? it's so itchy. thou art not funny. [ fife and drum corps plays ] good morning. welcome back to 9news now. 5:45. we're going to feel like we're on the barbecue grill today and what about those people out there? this is a live look. one of the most beautiful spots in our area. it's the congressional country club, the 10th tee. in about 45 minutes, some guy named earl, jr. or something like that--

>> he goes by tiger. >> i think he goes by tiger. he will be teeing off, a little practice round. all eyes will be on him plus lots of media cameras. as you can see our camera has a great vantage point. >> we'll be bringing it you to live when it happens. live coverage of tiger. >> of tiger. on the prowl. >> today is the pro am. >> check out our facebook marriage of hot how we. -- hot howie. >> just can't undo certain things, can you? weather wise, look at the -- mr. sunshine our floor director likes to call me. weather wise -- let's just get moving because it's getting worse for me by the second. we're looking at the allergy update. i wanted to show this because andrea is so interested in the allergy update. yesterday was a tough day. grass pollen was high. >> tree may be the problem. >> okay. some folks the grass got to them and there was a reason it

could have been a bad one for you. looking at the day planner, we're looking at a good day. not too humid but warmer than yesterday as temperatures will be in the low 80s by lunch time. 88 at 4:00 p.m., the high for the day but that is about normal. 84 by 8:00. temperatures are really going to climb starting tomorrow and friday through the weekend of the uncomfortably hot. 53 lovettsville. pleasant readings. to the south fort belvoir also in the mid-50s. upper marlboro in the mid-50s. andrews 10 degrees warmer at 66. columbia, bwi62. looking outside we've got generally clear skies this morning. still a little dark. sunrise coming up now here in tysons corner, 69 with mostly sunny at reagan national. a west, north west wind at 12. that michael & son weather camera, just picking up those clear skies nicely. humidity at 44%. so still a nice, dry air mass. but the heat, been showing this this morning because i just

want you to get a feel for what's coming. when you see the white on the map, that's a hundred plus. in west central kansas, even this grayish, white area, that's 105 to 110. that will be expanding off to the east as we head into thursday. look how the hundreds move into st. louis, nashville, lexington, chicago. upper 90s in detroit. i think we'll get into the mid- 90s tomorrow with the potential triple digit heat here on friday. the record, by the way, on friday is 101. today we've got clear skies. the storm system still spinning in maine keeping us with the northwesterly flow. the northwesterly winds will start to abate sm. as we get into -- abate some. as we get tomorrow into friday, a more southwesterly flow takes over so this allows the heat to build in and it certainly will build and it's going to be around right through the weekend into early next week. maybe a hot five, six, seven days. 88 today, warm but not humid. so that's pretty good. 60s and low 70s tonight. tomorrow 96 but friday we're going to go code yellow due to

the high heat. isolated storm in the afternoon. 101. that would be a record tying 101 on friday. then the high heat with us through the weekend. 99 saturday. 100 sunday. still in the upper 90s early next week with the isolated afternoon storms. it's now 5:48. monika samtani stepping in with time saver traffic. it's been a pretty good morning. it's been a great morning weather wise and traffic wise i'm happy to say. good morning, everybody. the beltway looks great. all lanes are open all around town. 270 southbound you're beginning to see a small slow stretch as you head into clarksburg right here but otherwise no big deals heading southbound on i-270. let's take a live look. if you're planning to head here down to the point where the lanes divide, see, i've proven it you to. things look great. very light this morning whether you're headed to the american legion bridge or the inner loop of the beltway to silver spring. back over to the maps and this time we'll check out the beltway north of town. still no brake lights to report

leaving college park through into bethesda. we'll take a live look outside near new hampshire avenue. traffic is moving well here as well. coming up in my next report, we'll go to the south side of town at 6:00. back to you guys. making news now at 5:50, new attacks are reported this morning near damascus, syria. this follows witness claims that yesterday's fighting was the heaviest in the capital city since the uprising began 16 months ago. president bashar ala sad swore in the new government but it's made up of hard line loyalists. a body has been found at the scene of the wood hollow wildfire. authorities have evacuated hundreds of homes. this morning they'll decide if more evacuations are needed. more than 40,000 acres have been scorched and the fire is only 15% contained. a massive dust storm prompted warnings for parts of arizona that lasted into the late night hours. gusty winds picked up dust particles forming huge dense

clouds that covered several city blocks. conditions started to improve overnight. we've been searching through the day's daily deals, e-mails and retailer websites to find you some deep discounts. here are some of our favorites on this wednesday morning. d.c.'s skydiving center in warrenton is offering 51% off a tandem jump. you will receive 15 minutes of on ground preparation. then you fly to miles above the ground and jump for a seven- minute long descent. this normally goes for $329. right now it's on sale for $160 and you can find this one on living social. e-bay is offering 73% off a 7- inch touch screen tablet. it uses android 3.0, 16 gigs of memory. the tablet can be yours for $144.99 with free shipping. here's another gadget. the kodak factory recertified

easy share camera with 730 ph.d. fancy lens on this one. you can find this camera at sears.com for $79.99, a savings of $110. if you have an offer you've seen or you're a local merchant with a deal for our viewers, i'd love to hear from you on facebook. this summer free lunches are being offered at more than 100 locations in one of the 15 wealthiest counties in the country. in montgomery county the center meals program feeds at least 9,000 youngsters. some families say unemployment is the biggest reason for the need. about 33% of montgomery county kids in public school qualify for free lunch, an indication poverty is growing. the montgomery county -- montgomery county isn't the only area offering free meals this summer to students. i'm joined by diane with the school nutrition association. she's here to share information about the free lunch program for summer school students in alexandria. diane, thank you very much for being here with us. have you noticed a trend like

we're seeing in montgomery county with more children being in need of these meals? >> absolutely. during the school year, more than 21 million of america's students rely on free or reduced priced meals for much of the nutrition that they need to be able to focus in the classroom, to do well at school and on the soccer field. so when summer hits and school lets out for the season, many of these kids are at risk of going hungry. so the summer food service program was designed to make sure that kids continue to have access to healthy, well balanced meals throughout the summer so that they're well nourished and ready to return to school in the fall. >> keeping the mind and body healthy. you brought samples of the food served. you serve two meals to these youngsters. >> yes. i was picking up these meals at alexandria public schools yesterday. they're offering these meals in 11 schools and 23 sites throughout the city through a partnership with the department

of recreation. as you can see, they offer breakfast. they have a grab and go style breakfast program where kids grab one of these bags and inside there are healthy choices, like this fat free yogurt and granola and every meal comes with low fat milk to provide the calcium and protein that kids need. >> you were talking about in the various areas in the county. how do people find out where to go and are they -- how are they eligible for this program? >> absolutely. every child age 18 or younger is eligible for one of these meals. they just need to go to one of the sites and parents can find out where they're being served by visiting alexandria city public schools' website. >> how long will this program continue? how long is the summer service, summer school going on? >> this continues until august 17 throughout the city. as you can see, there are a variety of healthy choices at lunch time, too, including fruits and vegetables with every single meal.

alexandria works very hard during the school year and during the summer to make sure kids have a variety of fresh fruit. you can see they'll be offering oranges in the summer. tuna salad is school made by the cooks at tc williams high school. >> diane, thank you very much for sharing this information with us. if you need to get more information where it's located just go to the website for alexandria public schools. >> correct. >> thank you again. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. today a rally on capitol hill aims to get more help for people suffering from post- traumatic stress disorder. that story is coming up. plus, with their own jobs on the line, the university of virginia's board restoresser is reece is a full -- restores teresa sullivan to her job as president. you are watching nine nine now. you, watching -- you are watching 9news now. kids, do you know what it is that makes this country great?

the constitution our forefathers wrote? our unified belief in the american dream? yes! those are some of the great things i was thinking of. celebrate america with the tour of america. only at denny's. she was a journalist, best selling author and directed some class imromantic comi -- classic romantic comedies. >> yes, yes, yes, oh. oh. >> i'll have what she's having. >> you remember that one, the iconic scene from when harry met sally thanks to nora ephron. she also directed meg ryan in the hit sleepless in seattle. she dietz of leukemia -- she died of leukemia in new york. she worked with meryl streep on

julie and julia. she was 71 years old. andrea, you got to interview her. >> got to interview her in 2006. the national portrait gallery is marking a mysterious disappearance with a new exhibit. one life: amelia earhart opens on friday. the first woman to fly solo attempted to fly around the world 75 years aldz but van -- ago but vanished. her story is told through portraits, books and artifacts. two incredible women, they're starting another search again using some of the equipment they used to find the titanic to find amelia's plane and body. she wrote the book about her neck. she says no matter how old you are, your