. a health alert. we'll show you the new obesity pill just approved that some doctors say is the best yet for shedding pounds safely. plus topper is tracking more sweltering weather and a chance for storms tomorrow. but first breaking news, we're on the scene after a 12-ton tree crushes a car. this is 9news now. live pictures from sky9 right now where a freak accident

leaves one man dead and onlookers traumatized. >> a massive tree tumbled over ton top of a vehicle struck in track. it happened in great falls. our ken molestina is there. he has the gory details. ken. >> reporter: derek and anita, this happened just yards away from a firehouse out here. this is an unfortunate case of just being at the wrong place at the wrong time. take a look at the tree. it still remains here on the ground along georgetown pike. officials say this massive tree is centuries old and it simply just fell over. the rescue operation quickly became a recovery effort. it took hours and a 70-ton crane for crews to hoist the massive tree just enough to pull the mercedes out from underneath it. inside fire officials was an unidentified man who was crushed to death. >> it was very traumatizing to see it. it was just shocking to see a tree fall. >> reporter: witnesses who saw it happen say traffic along

georgetown pike was backed up and at a stand still when the tree came crashing down. >> i don't see how a westbound person cannot be sitting in traffic here this time of day. >> reporter: this tree is about 200 years old and it weighs about 12-ton. the bottom of the tree was hollow. investigators believe the deteriorated condition of the tree caused it to fall over. there was no warning, and no one saw it coming. >> the tree just fell over. they didn't even hear it. >> reporter: the tree adjacent was also roped off in fear it may also fall. those who were left in the area are fearing it may happen again. >> now what are we going to do about the tree situation. >> reporter: back out live here, another look at the tree that remains here. an arborist has arrived on the scene and is requesting that the second tree in question be removed before the area is opened up to traffic. investigators are now in the process of trying to identify the man killed. we're told that car was registered to some kind of

company. this part of georgetown pike we're being told is going to be closed off for hours. again, with they have to remove -- they have to remove the tree that came crashing down and they're going to uproot the one still standing and make sure to get it out of the way before they open it up to traffic. back to you. >> all right. thank you. well, another scorcher out there today. and, guess what, another one is on top for tomorrow. we have heat, we have storms. >> yep. >> the whole thing. >> yes. and today was just heat. but i think we'll add storms to that tomorrow. we're a little concerned about storms. let's start with the highs today. no records today. close but no cigar. 102 is the record at national today. we hit 100 and we missed it by 1 degree at dulles. records tomorrow 100 at dulles. record high at national is 103. i think that is safe. and up in baltimore they missed it by a degree. still we hit 100, and that's the sixth time this summer we've been in the triple digits. 86 in college park right now.

84 in bethesda. 85 in rockville. these are pleasant afternoon temps. not so pleasant late after at night. there is a -- late at night. there is a heat advisory tomorrow from 11:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. that means heat indices can be from 105-109. just keep that in mind if you have to be outside. wakeup weather 72-82 by 9:00 and # 4-822 by 7:00 -- 74-82 by 7:00. we'll tell you how many days are rated code yellow. some members of the space xhubt will be outside -- community will be outside in the weather. unlike members of the city council, they're insisting gray doesn't resign. more on what they want. gary. >> reporter: this apparently began as church leaders to have a press conference. but when word hit social media sites, it grew to a rally on

gray's behalf. it seems like more than only a week ago that the u.s. attorney revealed an illegal shadow campaign for vincent gray. >> the 2010 mayoral election was corrupted by a massive infusion of cash that was illegally concealed from the voters of the district. >> reporter: within a day, political enemies began to line up. >> he is the beneficiary re of the illegal activity. >> reporter: some area church leaders want him to stick to not resigning. >> there is no need to rush to judgment. there is an investigation going on. the city has been through trauma and drama with the resignation of council members. and it's the role of leadership to be sober, reflective, to help unify the city and lead the city in that way and not continue to spiral into the divisiveness that comes about when people do

their own political ground scrapping, operate out of their own self interest, and the call for the mayor's resignation is premature. it was personal, political en engrandizement and we need to hold on. >> reporter: gray's office says he will not attend the rally. that rally tomorrow is where gray has offices. new at 11:00 tonight, a 14-year-old boy in recovery after getting his hands stuck in a metro escalator. it happened at the smithsonian station. the teen got his flip-flop stuck between the escalator step and the plate at the bottom and when he reached down to free his sandal, his hand got caught as well. rescue workers were able to free the hand after 30 minutes. in a 9 news follow-up, the ntsb is now investigating yesterday's small plane crash.

it killed a local aviation legend, a 79-year-old instructor pilot named frank smith. and he another pilot were practicing touch and go when the small plane crashed just a few hundred miles from the runway. the student pilot survived. he's still in the hospital. but smith was killed almost instantly. he had been an instructor at davis airport for 40 years. a burst of gunfire inside a home and three members of a family shot down. police say 33-year-old shea camya proctor shot and wounded his own mother and step-dad and then he shot himself dead. janice proctor-wills and her husband jeff are in the hospital. they have serious gunshot wounds. why the son opened fire so far, still a mystery. a half a million shoe drop today in the wake of a 9 wants to know investigation. the general service's administration announced it is cutting bonuses for 85% of its

high ranking officials. they uncovered the bonuses in the aftermath of the las vegas convention and the videos. >> our investigation shows the very gsa officials responsible for organizing the las vegas conference were among dozens of employees receiving $10,000 bonuses apiece. we uncovered the bonuses shortly after those gsa videos with workers bragging about easy government. ♪ buy everything wrappers can afford ♪ >> reporter: with 2400-square foot hotel rooms and $823,000 las vegas conference run for a man now infamous for his champaign bathtub shots. officials learned about the convention but our freedom of information act request showed he wasn't alone and went on for

years. one official received 38,880 in 2009. 1,501,500 in 2010. another 22,000 in 2009 followed by 10,000 in 2010. off the most recent bonuses, documents show 6700 ranking officials splitting more than a half million dollars in bonus money. almost all between $8,010,000 apiece. today's announcement from the gsa will eliminate 85% of that. they said i believe these immediate changes will help the agency achieve better clarity about our compensation and hiring process as we continue to bring the maximum level of efficiency and effectiveness to the work we do every day. there are still a lot of bonus questions the gsa will not answer. our freedom of information act requests identified those bonuses of $10,000 and up. but government play role records don't record those bonuses at all. if not for that 9 wants to know

freedom of information act request, those numbers may have never come out. i'm investigator reporter russ ptacek, 9news now. now to utah a bizarre suicide case in which the killer try to steal an airplane. he killed his ex-girlfriend in colorado and today he tried to make a get away. he climbed a fence in utah, boarded a 50 passenger jet and started the engine. the plane crashed into parked cars. when police got there, they found him dead of a gunshot wound. we move on to campaign 2012 tonight where mitt romney now trying to get back on the offensive after days of president obama slamming him for his business record. romney told the crowd mr. obama funneled federal grants to companies that he says belong to big democrating sfourtters and donors. -- supporters and donors.

>> that kind of capitalism does not create jobs and it does not create jobs here. >> at a fundraiser in san antonio, he took another shot at the president's record. he called him a pioneer of outsourcing. he argued that his opponent beliefs prosperity comes from the top down. >> i believe in fielting on behalf -- fighting on behalf of working families and giving them opportunity. >> tax havens. >> romney's refusal to release more than two years of his tax returns continue to be a hot button issue. even republicans are asking for him to release more returns. a major milestone for the dulles metrorail project. they put in place the final segment of what is called the aerial guide way. eventually it will carry silver line trains over the beltway and into tyson's corner. four stations are for the tyson's corner. still ahead tonight on 9 news, our health alert brings

you two exciting and important advances on losing weight safely and an old timers treatment that could delay memory loss for years. plus ♪ music playing >> forget american idol. metro puts on an addition for local music performers. we'll listen in and show you the best ones coming up. because you know you need permission to perform at a metro station. what makes the sleep number store different?

you walk into a conventional mattress store, it's really not about you. they say, "well, if you wanted a firm bed you can lie on one of those. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. oh, wow, that feels really good! take it up one notch. oh gosh, yes. once you experience it, there's no going back. now, save $500 on our p6 bed set. and hurry in for the final closeout of our 2011 flexfit adjustable base.

only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. american idol comes to metro headquarters. well, sort of. as matt jablow tells us, musicians from all over the dc area were auditioning today for the chance to play at the metro station. ♪ music playing >> the dc musicians who calls himself the unknown pianist has been tickling the iveys at -- ivories at metro stations for 25 years now. often without permission. >> i've been locked up a lot. >> reporter: now apparently tired of keeping one on eye on the keyboard and the other for police, he wants to play by the rules. >> this time i won't be getting locked up. >> reporter: so today he waited in line at metro headquarters for several hours with a few other musicians. the chance to be selected to

play at certain metro station entrances. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: michael mcbride is manager of metro's art and transit program. while careful not to criticize any of the people that audition or even acknowledge the wide range and ability. >> your mike is not hot. >> reporter: he did say that many of those that came out will not make the cut. ♪ music playi >> reporter: judging by the judges overwhelmingly positive reaction, this woman has nothing to worry about. and she will soon be playing at a metro station near you. ♪ music playing >> i think they'll like it. >> do you hear it? >> the judges seem to like you a lot. >> you were in there? >> reporter: yes. >> shut up. >> reporter: the musicians selected have to perform for free and are not allowed to sell merchandise or solicit donations. >> the best acoustics are near

the escalator in the circle. >> reporter: they're not exactly thrilled with some of the conditions, but the metro gig is not about the money but the experience. >> once you start playing, people say where is the music coming from and they come over and it's like real personal. >> reporter: matt jablow, 9news now. . on to tonight's health alert, a couple of medical advances with big time potential. we start off with a weight loss drug many doctors consider the most effective therapy in a generation of pills. they approved kuseria. qualifying adults have to have one weight related health condition like diabetes or high blood pressure. patients taking it for one year lost 11% of their body weight on average. also tonight, a new iv therapy that seems to stop alzheimer's disease in its tracks. in a small study gamma guard ivig, the four people who got the strongest dose saw no

decline in their memory or daily function for three years. 71-year-old joyce williams is one of them. >> i would say it's been a success. i don't expect her to revert back towards normal, but she has not gone down hill rapidly. >> and sometimes people do in a matter of months. gamma guard ivig comes from the blood of healthy young people and is already used to treat immune system and blood disorders. joining me now is bridget reynolds, a nurse practitioner who has upped clinical trials at med star georgetown. how big a deal is this? >> i think this is a big deal to have stability over a three year period of potentially new treatment for alzheimer's disease is very encouraging. >> these people are not getting worse for three years time but this is only four people. >> correct. very small number of people in the trial. >> but more of them are being studied, including at georgetown. >> yes. there is an ongoing study of

close to 400 subjects nationwide. and we anticipate the results of that study in 2013. >> but in the study, people get it in an iv and this immune treatment focuses on these plaques in the brain. is that right? >> yes. it's designed to remove plaque in the brains of people with alzheimer's disease. >> is that what they think makes the memory so bad? >> yes. it's what we think leads to memory loss and cognitive decline. >> when people see the story like we have seen today of this woman who did not get worse for three years, you know they're going to be many people out there looking for answers, looking for a chance to participate. will there be new studies at georgetown to enroll more patients? >> certainly we hope to have more trials of this in the future. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. it's wonderful to be here. >> inspiring stuff there.

>> yes. top, we have yellow alerts as far as the eye can see. >> pretty much. although i think when we get to the weekend, things will calm down. a little concerned about thunderstorms tomorrow and thursday as the cold front drops down from the north. the good news is it will break our temps a little bit. let's start with a live look outside. a live look outside the weather cam. again, the high was 100. it's still just under 90. it's 88 downtown. dew points in the 70s. you don't want to see that with this kind of heat. pressure 29.86 and rising. salt light picture, radar combined, we'll zoom into the front. this is where it is. north of chicago, north of detroit kicking off some big thunderstorms in new england. and this front is going to drop straight down tomorrow, thursday and probably get south of us on friday. but big thunderstorms now in new york state and back into new england. and that is going to be south of

the mason dixon line in the immediate areas. so get ready for strong winds possibly and heavy rains with these storms, especially wednesday, tomorrow and also thursday. so muggy warm start. no doubt about that. triple digits are possible again. the record high 103. that seems out of reach at this point. strong storms are possible in the afternoon and then strong storms again on thursday, particularly wednesday night into thursday. we'll keep you posted, and we have gone code yellow for wednesday and thursday. overnight, partly cloudy and muggy. exercise in the morning. 72-80. that's as cool as it's going to get and then temps go flying up. by lunch time, temperature up to 94 by lunch time. partly cloudy. it gets hot almost right away. and then by afternoon, very hot. lower temps a hair. 95-100. scattered thunderstorms. some heavy and some severe. to break it down, we're looking at 72-80 to start.

90-94 by noon. 95 to about 100 for the rush hour. alert code yellow, yellow, yellow. why not, we have heat tomorrow with storms, 98. we have strong storms on thursday. 90. took it down a couple degrees. and strong storms possibly on friday. i took it down one degree as well. so temps are going in the right direction after upper 90s today. we should settling in the upper 80s by friday. next seven days, we should actually hold there on saturday. maybe a sprinkle south of town. but weekend looks pretty good. the front should stay south of us. 88 friday. 88 on saturday. isolated storm monday and tuesday and by then temperatures settle back into the low 90s. again, code yellow tomorrow and code yellow on thursday. kristen will be back with sports after this. stay with us.

now 9 sports with kristen berset, the best sports in town. >> if you missed tonight's nationals game, you missed a classic. good things we have the highlights for you. the nationals fought back twice in a game that went to extra innings. things got exciting after that. pick it up top of the 9th.

nats up 2-0. go ahead run at the plate. check this out. hits the fan in the front row. umps take a look at it and call it a homer. nats would rally to tie it up in the 9th. bryce harper clutch line drive to right. harper with reckless abandon. stretches it into a triple. we're tied at 4. and then three batters later, a wild pitch. zimmerman comes into score. that is how the nats win a game. a lousy w. but dramatic, nonetheless. 5-4 the final. short top stop ian desmond was held out of the line up because of his sore oblique. johnson says he could return in 1-2 weeks. after seven seasons, andray

blatche is no longer a wizards. as we first reported, wizards designated blatche. blatche will become a free agent but still gets paid the remainder of the contract. his time in washington has been marched with poor play, plenty of injuries and off the court embarrassment. they gave him 23 million to get on a dodge. bradley beel having a good night. he flips the defenders for 2 of his 14 points. the wizards outrebounded the grizzlies 56-22. they win this one. and today i got to play a little tennis with redskins hall of famer darrell green. he participated in the washington classic. when i asked him about the redskins, greene had some harsh words for his former team. >> i said this is ridiculous.

it just was a joke. the last 10 years has just been a joke and it's about time that they step up to the plate. and i think the showing that they're serious about it, to get rg3, that to me says they're serious. and a lot of other good changes this year. so we'll have to see what happens. >> we'll have to see what happens. fans are excited. former players are excited. he looks good for 10 years out of the league. >> i'm glad we have somebody that says what they want. >> you don't get that too often. >> we'll be right back. >> i speak my mind. >> yes, you do.

and that's 9news for tonight. thanks for sticking around. >> and we're going to leave you tonight with a look at some of those metro musical auditions held earlier this evening. letterman is next. enjoy, everybody. good night. ♪ music playing