♪ what did we learn on the show tonight craig ♪ ♪

[meow] [laughter] craig: good night, everyone. [cheers and applause]

a storm alert. topper is tracking some nasty weather still moving through our area, even as we speak. plus, new buried power lines. do they really help? we'll take you to a local town where they say they know the answer. and 9 wants to know, how did the gsa spend $286,000 at a one- day conference? downed power lines, flooded streets and thousands without

electricity again. yet another bout of severe storms tearing through our area tonight. topper shutt is live. where are the storms now? >> they are now east of town producing some very heavy rains in essentially prince george's county. let me show you live radar. the red indicates the heavy rainfall. rainfall rates of about an inch per hour. we can see to the west, your showers and thunderstorms are over, the back edge of the shower activity, back toward frederick and leesburg and loudoun county. one little kind of trailing thunderstorm here is still on the west side of 95. that's going to roll across into the -- across the river into charles county in the next hour but we'll zoom in and focus on this area of storms. it's a pretty heavy area of storms. this is what prompted all the flood warnings. most of the counties in the metro area under a flash flood warning until 1:30. don't cross a flooded street. look at the heavy rain from bowie, back down to -- essentially upper marlboro, into clinton, ride 50, out to

annapolis, eventually toward the basement we'll put this into motion over the next hour. they essential move due east, a little south of due east. but shady side, calvert, st. mary's will get hammered. the good news, we don't see winds over 35 miles per hour. the bad news, rainfall rates one inch per hour. there will be some flooding. a fair amount of lightning with these storms but you can see now finally the storms just about over 95, and no rain or showers back to the west. we can catch our breath for just a little bit. temperature-wise it cooled us off. 95 today, 73 in bethesda, 76th down town. we'll come back, talk about what the codes are in terms of our 9 weather alert codes and the possibility of more storms. >> thank you, top. we sent reporter gary nurenberg to montgomery county to track the storms. he joins us on the phone. gary is our man with the boots on the ground. gary, i guess the boots are a little damp. >> reporter: i was listening to topper a moment ago say don't

cross flooded roads. don't cross flooded roads if you can see them. we were one block north of democracy boulevard on a side road trying to get to a water rescue when we just hit the water head on. we simply didn't see it coming up on us. it really can sneak up on you quickly. we got through it because of the big van we were in. i'm not sure about the compact karen back of us. we went to the 495 split where the road goes east/wea. spot immediately east of the montgomery county school district bus garage. at that location it's a very low location. it had flooded and there was a car stuck in the water on 270, flashers on, water up to its wheels, unable to go anywhere. montgomery county fire rescue came and closed two right lanes as they were trying to get that car out of there. we saw one worker up to his knees in water with some kind of device trying to unclog a drain to get the water off the road. it's dangerous out there,

derek. we're on river road now headed back toward the station. we're told there's a tree down in goldsboro. it's still raining, though in the as hard. most of the heavy lightning has moved on. it appears, as topper said, to be headed in an easterly direction, but we'll follow this thing and keep in touch with you during the course of the newscast. >> gary, stay safe out there. and of course when these storms hit we always worry about the power going out. at last check pepco reports 15,000 outages, most of them in d.c. and montgomery county. in northern virginia dominion power reporting 1700 outages. in the aftermath of these epic storms a lot of people are calling on pepco to bury the power lines. right now the utility says they're looking into it but reporter matt jablow traveled to one city where the idea is already in place. >> reporter: in the days immediately after last month's dura cho which knocked out

power, most power coworkers in the area were as busy as they've ever been. but not mike moon or the dozens of people who work for him at the city of manassas electric department which provides power to more than 15,000 customers. >> the lights weren't on in manassas. >> reporter: you see, while the vast majority of the major power company customers were in the dark, only 10% of manassas residents were out of power, and only for a few hours. the reason? simple. underground power lines. >> you really see a difference. >> reporter: of the 286 miles of power lines in the city of manassas, 226 of them, or p 79%, are now underground and the city is urnt kl involved in projects like this one to bury the remaining 60 miles over the next 40 years or so. in the wake of the duracho many d.c. area residence and elected officials are calling on power companies to bury their lines. >> right as we were going to

bed, everything went down. >> reporter: margaret is one of the few manassas residents what still rely on above-ground lines. she lost power during the storm. she's now thinking that burying her power lines might be a good idea. >> eventually if they could put them in, that would be good, yeah, sure. >> reporter: for their part, the major power companies have long said that burying their lines would be far too expensive. they point out that underground lines are not foolproof and are very expensive to repair. >> it's not the solve-all or the silver bullet. >> reporter: mike moon agrees with all that but he says there's no argue with the fact that the duracho, which had a hurricane-like effect on all of the d.c. area's electric companies, was not even the most significant storm of the season in manassas. >> that's the difference. >> reporter: matt jablow. >> that is in deed the difference, thanks, matt. pepco's president was trying to apologize today but the pepco executive just

couldn't quite get his thoughts together. >> not having power for a week, you know, it's not reasonable for a person to be upset at all. >> what? >> yeah, he meant the other thing. well, the meeting moved on, and lawmakers in rockville were grilling graham about pepco's inability to get the lights back on faster. well, now you are about to see a confrontation caught on tape as 9 wants to know tries to get answers. here's investigative reporter russ ptacek with the maryland official who gave the order to keep the meter running on your bill even when the power goes out. >> reporter: are you going to change this? >> we will be glad to look at it. >> reporter: what are you going to do? >> we will be glad to look at it. >> reporter: but you won't commit to changing it? >> i can't possibly commit during the course of an interview. >> reporter: but are you getting the message? >> i am not going to say any more than i have said. >> reporter: and we're deeply concerned. you're aware people here are asking for you to be fired.

>> i'm aware of that yes. >> reporter: tonight there is a move to get that commissioner fired but he told russ, as for that billing, he has no regrets. new at 11:00, one man stabbed to death, his killer still out there somewhere tonight. it happened about 7:00 on q street in southwest. investigators on the lookout for a black male wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. he's armed with a knife anticipated was last seen on hassle street in southwest. bruised and beaten, that's how prince william county police describe an eight-year- old boy who showed up at a doorstep desperate for help. now his adoptive parents are being blamed for that abuse. our ken molestina was in the bristol neighborhood, and he is live now with details. >> reporter: the good samaritan who answered the door said the boy seemed lost. what he didn't know was he had just escaped alleged abuse at the hands of those who were caring for him. >> my wife and i were watching television. there was a ring at the door. >> reporter: he answered the ring at his door. >> i saw him standing there and

i opened the door and said, can i help you, son, and he said, i am lost. >> reporter: the unidentified eight-year-old boy had been looking for a safe place to run away to. he came to the crimers' home. the couple tack him in and called 911. >> one of the young ladies from the drugstore asked him, did he have other bruises, and he just stood up and pulled his shirt up and his whole chest was just a mess. he looked like he had been pounded on. >> reporter: hours later police got a call from the child's mother, 41-year-old amy kathleen sweeney reporting the boy had gone missing. police connected the dots and arrested the woman and her husband, 39-year-old matthew sweeney. both have been charged with felony child abuse and each has been released on adds 20,000 bond. neighbors who know the family say the sweeneys live here at this house. it's about four blocks away from where that boy went looking for help. there was no answer when we went knocking on their door. it is believed the boy was born

in russia and adopted by the sweeney family. >> i don't know how long they had adopted him, but i think it was five years or so. >> reporter: now the good samaritan who answered the boy's call for help is hoping investigators get to the bottom of this. >> i think that they need to be reprimanded and deserve whatever punishment the court thinks is necessary. >> tonight that boy remains in the care of child protective services. prince william county police say their investigation is ongoing and the papers will be due in court soon to face these charges in front of a judge. derek. >> thanks, ken. the fbi missed warning signs that might have helped to prevent that deadly shooting rampage at fort hood, texas. that is the finding by former fbi director william webster. he led an independent investigation into the 2009 attack. army psychiatrist nadal hasan allegedly killed 13 people and injured 23 others. the west report says the fbi knew hasan had been trading e- mails with a terror leader but the bureau decided it was part

of a research project and did not consider hasan a threat. you don't normally hear this from a car maker. stop driving our suv's. but that is the message from ford to those driving their brand-new escapes. ford is recalling the escape for 2013. those are equipped with a 1.6- liter four-cylinder engine. it seems the fuel line can crack open and set the engine on fire. >> it's going to put a negative connotation into the minds of consumers. right when ford was coming on strong so unfortunately they're going to have to overcome in that the months and years ahead. >> now, check this out. ford says don't even drive your escape to the dealer. call the dealer, and they will tow it in and replace those faulty parts. now to the race for the white house. a cbs news poll puts president obama and mitt romney in a virtual dead heat.

today romney was looking for votes in the state he once led as governor while the president was focused on florida, one of the big swing states. danielle nottingham with the latest. >> reporter: president obama courted florida seniors thursday, a key demographic in a key swing state. he said if mitt romney becomes president, medicare would become a voucher system, and that would cost them more. >> if the voucher isn't worth what it takes to bay health insurance in the private marketplace, you're out of luck. you've got to make up the difference. >> reporter: the president also pushed his plan to end the bush- era tax cuts for the wealthy, tieing it back to that all- important senior issue. >> it's wrong to ask you to pay more for medicare, so that people who are doing well right now get even more. >> reporter: president obama has shifted his attacks on romney from his business record to his income taxes, and now medicare. romney, however, is continuing to focus on jobs and the

economy. touring a small business in massachusetts, the former governor said the president was wrong when he said business owners don't build companies without government help. >> the president does, in fact, believe that people who build enterprises like this really aren't responsible for it. this is not the result of government. this is the result of people who take risks. >> reporter: romney accused the president of not doing enough to create jobs while holding more than 100 fund-raisers in the last six months. >> the job he's interested in protecting is his own. >> reporter: romney campaigns in new hampshire friday, the president in florida. danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. >> the president also held a couple of campaign fund-raisers today and brought in $750,000. still ahead on 9 news, the restaurant report. this week we visit d.c. and prince george's county eateries what. do we find? it was enough to close

cho,. we've got some exciting news for you on sunday morning programming. this fall wusa will launch an exciting new talk show with bloomberg government. the show will air sunday morning as part of wusa's acclaimed power block. bloomberg's chief washington correspondent will host sunday this fall on wusa 9. if you've had chinese in the shaw neighborhood recently and you wondered what was in your carryout, you are not alone. from insects in the district to rodents in prince george's, investigative reporter russ ptacek is tracking the food dangers tonight. >> reporter: one of the most awkward parts of my job is telling customers who have just ordered what inspectors found inside. by the time we told customers at china dragon chinese carry- out at 11th and p northwest -- >> wish we had came by earlier. >> reporter: they had already ordered. >> wish we had seen you guys about 15 minutes ago. >> today got shrimp with

broccoli. >> reporter: how was the food? >> what i had today was good. >> reporter: any worries? >> with your presence. >> reporter: records indicate inside this shaw restaurant on friday the 13th inspectors found insects that may endanger the public's health. workers handed me a phone with a manager on the line. >> reporter: according to the health department records this is the second time you've been closed. >> reporter: inspectors cited workers blowing their nose and coughing and no one washing their hands. there are three closures including family dollar in oxon hill for a rodent infestation, and two illegal mobile food stands operated by wayne mill burn and raleigh wayne ferrell. the chinese carryout and the family dollar passed

reinspection and reopened. if you know about government waste, 9 wants to know. i'm russ ptacek. it has been a rough night. we started with the storms earlier and they just kept coming. >> they did. in fact, they just issued severe thunderstorm warnings for prince george's county and for anne arundel county. >> we said a whole wave was coming through. >> it held together well. not like the derecho, but more rain and flooding than anything else. let's start with live doppler. anne arundel county lit up in yellow, that's severe thunderstorm warning, and prince george's county lit up as well. it goes until midnight, because of this little slow end of the round. in fact this is the end, the tail end of the heavy thunderstorms today. kind of intensified over prince george's county. some hail, on the east side now of 301, and they're pushing eastward towards annapolis. we're talking big time rains. this is going to cause flooding again. rainfall rates one, one and a

quarter inches per hour. this is a pretty big store. we showed you this at the top of the show. that's gotten more intense from manassas back towards woodbridge, straddling i-95. where are these going to go in the next hour? this is going to move eastward across woodbridge and eventually into charles county. these storms will eventually move over the bay but notice they hold together very well in terms of their intensity. a bigger, wider picture with the lightning on it. you can see the storms now essential running down 95 with that trailing storm back towards manassas that will roll through woodbridge in the next 20 minutes. right now a live weather cam. 75, dew point 7 2. the good news is this is as low as it's been today. our new low temperature for the day. flash flood warnings until 1:30 in the morning. strong storms possible on friday. not as hot friday. that's good news. and cooler on saturday. we've actually lerred the temperatures on saturday. in fact, the next three days looks like this. we're dog go yellow, yellow green for our 9 weather alert

code. showers on saturday could affect little league games. down to 79. 88 sunday, code green. 88, an average day in summer. should in the affect your plans. next seven days looks like this. hot on monday, tuesday mid-90s, isolated storms possible. wednesday and thursday, derek, look fantastic with temperatures in the upper 80s to near 90. so again do not cross a flooded street. flood warnings until 1:30. severe thunderstorm warnings until midnight. >> thank you, top. we've been talking about the radar, the weather maps, the rain that came down in buck and all the lightning. our own gary nurenberg is actually out there in it live in montgomery county. gary, tell us more about what you have been seeing. >> reporter: derek ienl river road. keep a look over my shoulder. you can still see the sky light up. i want to show some video we shot an hour ago at dmok crass boulevard and old georgetown road near montgomery mall. you can see how heavily it was rang and how much lightning there was tipp sky. it hit that part of montgomery

county hard. nearby at the intersection of 270 and the 495 split when you're going 270 south to 495 east or west there's a low area that began to fill with water and a car got stuck, flashers on, water up to its wheel wells. we saw a worker up to his knees in water trying to unplug a drain. the car was next to a parking lot for school buses. 270 south was backed up because of that, only one lane getting through. it seems to have moved east a little bit right now. it is raining on river road but not nearly as hard as it was before, and if the storm is coming towards you, get out of the way. derek. >> you stay out of the way, too, gary nurenberg. thank you. great

tiger woods hasn't won a marling in four years, and this season even though he has the most wins on tour he's been

rather inconsistent, winning a tournament one week only to miss the cut the next. today in england he got off to a good start. now, whether he can stay the course remains to be seen. looking to raise his fourth clarett jug this weekend he lands within feet of the hole. he picked up the first of four birdies on the front nine, long or short today. tiger's putter was working just fine. tiger finished the day three under par, three shots behind this guy, the ausie taking advantage of the calm weather shooting a six under 64, tieing the course record, getting his first lead ever in a major. tiger woods says this day panned out like he had hoped. >> we knew that we needed to at least get off to a quick start on that front nine, and i figured a couple under would have been good, but i look up on the board and scotty is

going pretty low, so is everybody else. so i felt i had to make a few more, and i was able to. >> rory mcilroy will tee off at 4:20 a.m. eastern time, our time. phil mickelson at 4:42, the leader adam scott, 8:43 a.m. i go 0 gonzalez and r.a. dickey both tied with 12 wins apiece today. gio got rocked today going just three and a third innings giving up six runs, including two homers and only striking out two batters. good news on the pitching front with the return of closer drew storen. he pitched a scoreless 9th inning looking pretty sharp but

the nats were in too deep a hole to climb out of. the mets avoid the sweep 1-5. nats open a four-game series with atlanta tomorrow night. finally on the hole, phil mickelson shot from the bunker. watch this. it disappears. that's a deep bunker. it disappears into the lip of the bunker. the worst part is it took seven people, look at that almost two minutes to find his ball in the grass. he took an unplayable lie, bow geed the hole. >> the rest is history. >> he's tied for 99th. >> he's going to have to shoot well tomorrow or miss the cut. >> she's rubbing that in. ñ'