of transportation says a quick thinking air traffic controller saved the day. it all happened tuesday at reagan national airport and in the span of just 12 seconds those three manes could have found themselves in disas -- planes could have found themselves in disaster circumstances. think about that, 12 seconds. that's not much time. in fact in, 12 seconds i can barely make it from steweddee b into our regular set -- studio b into our regular set, but it was enough time for that air traffic controller to save the day. our matt jablow is live with the story tonight where the faa is launching a full investigation. >> reporter: the u.s. transportation secretary repeatedly insisted at no time were the planes on a collision course, but he repeatedly placed the actions of a quick thinking air traffic controller here at reagan national. >> there was a loss of separation. it shouldn't have happened. >> reporter: it was just after 2:00 tuesday afternoon. >> 4467 contact depart you're. >> reporter: that's when two

u.s. airways commuter planes were taking off from reagan national at the same time and same general direction as a third u.s. airways commuter plane that was about to land. >> the controller just told 3329 to turn south. we see something developing there. >> reporter: according to the head of the faa, when an air traffic controller at reagan national saw one of the departing planes was within a mile of the plane about to land, she immediately directed the landing plane to change course and head due south and all the planes continued on their way without incident. >> 3395, continue holding on the runway. >> reporter: the faa said today a preliminary investigation revealed the serious breakdown in communication. apparently the potomac radar approach facility or tracon changed the flow of air traffic at reagan national due to a storm that was on the way. >> there was unclear communication. >> reporter: not everybody at reagan air traffic control was aware of the change. as a result, the two departing planes were cleared to take off right towards the plane about

to land. >> the faa has launched a full investigation and we are interviewing the people involved. we will get to the bottom of this. >> reporter: lahood said one of the things they intend to find out is why exactly the faa found out about the incident for the very first time from a news reporter and not from air traffic control. >> got some work to do. thank you. this close call raises questions about the safety of our air traffic control system. was this near miss rare or more common unanimous we'd like to think? industry expert -- than we'd like to think. industry experts say this seems to be an isolated incident. our air traffic control system still by and large is pretty effective. >> we have one of the if not the safest air traffic control systems in the united states. if you take a look at our recent aviation accident statistics, there has only been .17 accidents per million

departures. >> that is reef assuring. even if the -- reassuring. even if the pilots hadn't corrected the course, commercial aircrafts are equipped with a backup system that would have been the final fail safe had this close call gotten even closer. today the senate pulled the plug on a bill designed to protect infrastructure like air traffic control, the electrical grid and the water supply. the cyber security bill fell short of the votes needed to move forward before the august break. supporters say the measure will help prevent devastating attacks on american computer networks. critics argue it would only add costs in the private sector and wouldn't reduce risk. on the day the owner of an arlington jewelry store was laid to rest, some peace of mind for his family. >> reporter: i'm surae chinn in arlington county where a herndon family says they are relieved. police have in custody 52-year- old james sylvester caroline of washington d.c. in custody on a probation violence. he has not been charged with

the homicide, but he is being held without bond. arlington county police say charges are expected to be brought forward. police have been working around the clock since 52-year-old tomorrow wong of herndon, virginia, was killed in his arlington jewelry store on columbia pike last week. surveillance pictures showed a man in a neon reflective traffic vest inside the store. a similar description was given in another robbery in june where ken stein of benson jewelers in northwest d.c. was robbed at gunpoint. >> i'm thankful for the family, for me they got this guy off the street. he needs to be busted and put in jail. we want somebody like that that's carrying a gun off the street. >> reporter: he has six pending probation violations all regarding credit card theft, forgeries and identity fraud. theaves picked up yesterday afternoon. i'm surae chinn for 9 news now. an update on the explosion blocks from the virginia tech campus yesterday morning. police charged a 23-year-old

man from roanoke with manufacturing, possessing and using a firebomb. derek gregory wilson was arrested after police found another bomb making material in a relative's home. several cars were damaged, but no one was hurt when that original device exploded. a new report says the psychiatrist for the suspect in the colorado theater massacre wanted to talk too campus security about him weeks before the attack, but that meeting never happened because james holmes had begun the process of developing out of school, that according to a denver television station. holmes is charged with killing 12 people and wounding 58 at that aurora movie theater. university of colorado is declining to comment on that tv report. there's been another copycat theater threat incident in our region reported today which got us thinking about how medical professionals and psychiatrists view this issue in the wake of the deadly shooting rampage in colorado. scott broom visited with a

professor of the johns hopkins school of medicine. >> reporter: copy category after an incident of extreme violence is a recognized phenomenon in cultures around the world and it's something that should be taken seriously. >> whenever anybody threatens someone else, themselves in a suicide that, should be taken seriously. it is either a demonstration that the person is in so much pain that is an expression of their frustration or more severely they have a developing psychiatric illness for which they need treatment. >> reporter: the latest authority incident happened in anne arundel county, maryland yesterday. 25-year-old kyle tanner is accused of standing in front of a movie audience and screaming threats and pinting his arms as if he had a -- pointing his arms as if he had a gun, among the charges second degree assault, this after 28-year-old neil crofton was hospitalized last week after allegedly saying he was going to go joker on a former employer.

dr. goodman says this is an important time to be vigilant and not afraid to speak up when someone makes disturbing threats. >> awareness has to be heightened for those people who look as if they are growing increasingly paranoid, suspicious, isolated, having very peculiar ideas that won't be balanced by a counter perspective. >> reporter: so does the media help or hurt? dr. goodman says if the discussion includes some raising of awareness of mental illness, the coverage can be helpful, although the actual number of copycatting incidents is relatively tiny. scott broom, 9 news now. >> since the attack in aurora we've heard reports of copycat arrests from arizona, florida, maine, ohio, indiana, new york, kentucky, oklahoma, wisconsin and california. the steel beam signed by president obama, his wife, new york mayor michael bloomberg and the governors of new york

andnew jersey was lifted into place today. president obama wrote we remember, we rebuilt and come back stronger on a marker of the beam. it was placed on the 44th floor of the building in the twin towers. coming up later first amendment fight, congress sending a new bill to the white house that could restrict some funeral process and ignore a supreme court ruling. we'll explain coming up at 7:00. still to come in this half hour they already have plans for five slot machine casinos, so where does maryland who the to take gambling now? >> reporter: some severe weather and heavy weather down toward the northern neck, st. mary's county, north umberland, hail possible. we'll come back, track that and say hello to tropical storm ernesto. >> up next paying tribute to the late great chuck brown.

♪[ music ] hey, chuck brown, you know we love you. >> the woodrow wilson plaza ended its summer concert series today with a tribute to chuck brown, godfather of go go. hundreds of people turned out to listen over their lunch

break. the olympic games is full of tradition, but one has nothing to do with the athletic competition. for more than 100 years people have come to the games to trade collectible pins. they exchange everything from ones about japanese newspapers to the bank of scotland. >> pins are a means to an end. the end is building relationships. >> most collectors refuse to buy or sell their pins. the most popular pins at the london games seem to be the ones that celebrate british landmarks like big ben and pick a pickabilly circus. u.s. taxpayers have spent nearly half a billion dollars to safeguard chemical plants from terrorists. so why are 90% of the plants still uninspected tonight on the cbs evening news. if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own.

if you've got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen. my father's hands didn't build this company. my hands didn't build this company. through hard work and a little bit of luck, we built this business. why are you demonizing us for it? it's time we had somebody who believes in us. someone who believes that achievement should be rewarded not punished. we need somebody who believes in america. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message.

a significant recall tonight impacts nearly 800,000 kenmore dehumidifiers. they can overheat, smoke, melt, catch fire and it's happened at least 107 times and caused at least $7 million in property damage. if you have one, stop using it now. sears is going to issue you a gift card. we'll have a link to all the model numbers to look for on these devices. just go to www.wusa9.com. mitt romney was giving out grades today on the campaign

trail during an appearance in colorado. the republican presidential candidate gave president obama's economic policies a failing grade. his report card included four marks on creating new jobs, the foreclosure situation and americans' income. right now roads are closing in leesburg ahead of president obama's experience later this evening. he's expected to speak at lieu down county high school in half -- at loudoun county high school in half an hour. the president comes as we get new numbers about unemployment. the number of americans filing for benefits rose slightly last week, but the four-week average was down. the candidates fighting to be the next senator from virginia will hold three more debates. republican george allen and democrat tim kaine will meet september 20th in mclean, head to richmond october 8th and their last debate will come october 18th on virginia tech

campus. next week's special session in player to discuss expending gambling won't be duaneed to your conventional casinos -- confined to your conventional casinos. they will also discuss the possibility of developing internet gambling in the state as well. now maryland allows clot machines at five locations. -- slot machines at five locations. bge has a warning, get ready for higher bills. this summer's higher temperatures in june and july may add up to higher than expected bills come august. it recommends taking part in its energy savings programs. if you're enrolled in the utility peak saving day program, you expect to have your air conditioner cycled off between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. just one day after signing off on the district's request

president obama is declaring a disaster in maryland after the derecho in june. the disaster declaration will make federal funding available in the city of baltimore and five counties. montgomery, st. mary's and calvert are among them. virginia's disaster request was granted earlier this month. >> still so amazing how a storm that moves through this area fairly quickly caused that kind of damage. >> it's just a straight line across. >> we were tracking on radar 75 miles an hour plus. also to think that it started just east of chicago. i mean that's really what's amazing. >> and held together that long. >> we have one area of concern to the south and east of town down toward the northern neck. that's about. it in fact, we'll start with live doppler 9000, not a warning on this storm any longer. wouldn't be surprised if we saw a warning reissued in the next little bit. we're quiet around the beltway. this some did produce hail in

north cumberland county not far from newlin. the track is off to the north and east. get ready st. mary's city and county. we'll put this into motion over the next hour. the storm will linger along the northern neck and finally begin to lift out and holds together well. flooding is also possible down toward north cumberland as well. we'll keep you posted on that. we have ernesto still 300 miles east of the winward islands, but here's the projected track. the hurricane center is keeping it a tropical storm. right now winds are 50 miles per hour. monday afternoon it could become eyesight 1 and it could take aim -- a category 1 and it could take aim for cancun. right now that is the preferred track. we will keep you posted go. to our website www.wusa9.com and download it on hurricane tracker. it's free and fun and you can track the same things we do.

right now it's our live weather cam brought to you by michael and son, 90s, high 96 today, dew points almost 70, pressure falling a bit 29.86 inches of mercury. temperatures off to the east are recovering. you had showers earlier, back up to yeast 4 in crofton, 81 bowie, 89 in great falls, 90 in fairfax and springfield and old town as well. with headlines look like this, closing out the week hot, isolated thunderstorms tonight accident hotter tomorrow, a dry commute and more -- tonight, hotter tomorrow, a dry commute and more storms. tomorrow morning dry but hot by lunchtime. we're talking low 90s by lunchtime, partly cloudy, air quality in the unhealthy range. by afternoon partly cloudy, hot with thunderstorms. again the few that develop could be severe, high temperatures around 95. next three days we'll keep it code yellow because of the potential for big storms, not everyone seeing a big storm and

also for the heat. 95 tomorrow, 93 saturday and 95 also on sunday, isolated storms saturday and sunday. next seven days, we got a cold front approaching on monday. that will keep us around 90 and give us a better chance of more widespread activity on monday. in the wake of the cold front, still kind of hot, 2, wednesday and thursday chance of isolated storms. let's go camping, training camping with kristen. >> it is a hot sticky training batch out here for sure. hi, ladies -- training afternoon out here for sure. hi, ladies. the defense has been the strong suit of this team the last couple years. we'll take a closer look. >> plus the nationals getting a special honor thanks to another one of their really good arms in the bullpen. we'll have that story coming up

next in sports. ♪

i've never felt this way before, but it's a scary time to be a woman. mitt romney is just so out of touch. [ female announcer ] mitt romney opposes requiring insurance coverage for contraception. and romney supports overturning roe versus wade. romney backed a bill that outlaws all abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. there's so much we need to do. we need to attack our problems -- not a woman's choice. [ obama ] i'm barack obama, and i approve this message.

now 9 sports with kristen berset, the best sports in town. >> welcome back. we are life at redskins park in ashburn. this redskins defense has been the strong suit of this team the last several seasons. in 2011 they finished tied for seventh with most sacks in the league. of course, much of that was thanks to a strong line backing

core made up of brian orakpo, ryan kerrigan and london fletcher. the last eight games second year player perry riley had his name called and despite coming away with 68 tackles he was not satisfied. riley was a workhorse in summer in the gym and so far he has continued to impress everybody at camp. >> they're looking for me to step up. of course, i want to answer the call. i want to be that call. i train like i want to do something with my name. >> he's really taken everyone by storm how he finished last season and was an effective and pretty dominant player. the sky is the limit for him. >> reporter: this is the first full redskins training camp. it was especially tough for nose tackle barry cofield switching to a brand-new position in a brand-new scheme, but he says this year the

confidence is starting to show through. >> we had a chance to play together this last year and gel together this. year we'll play with a lot more confidence, understand the scheme and also being together every day we're all like a family. >> all in all being together as a group we feel like we're a year better. if we can avoid injuries, stay healthy and have the ball bounce our way, i think we expect to compete all year. >> reporter: a strange situation. the last two days defensive player antwon balmer has been a no show at practice. mike shanahan didn't hear from him, went to his hotel room, found it cleared out and changed his phone number. he apparently did this two seasons ago with the 49ers as well. close your eyes and ears for a few seconds if you don't want to hear the olympic alert. michael phelps won the 200- meter individual relay. teammate ryan lochte nabbed the

silver and 16-year-old gymnast gabby douglas got the all around final. in six starts pitcher of month the goes 4-0 with a .97 e.r.a. accident , the first -- e.r.a., the first time in 33 years a pitcher got that honor for strasburg. the nationals reinstated jayson werth. he will start in the outfield tonight. we'll have highlights at 11:00. i'm kristen berset, back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >> game will be fine tonight at nats park, hot. all the thunderstorms are south of town in southern maryland and northern neck. some of those are hefty. other than that it's okay. >> the cbs evening news is next. >> derek is back with your area's only local newscast at 7:00 and don't forget to join us tomorrow bright and early at

4:25 a.m. >> have a great night. i got the chance to start my own business.

i know what it's like to hire people and to make ends meet. from those experiences, i had the chance of running the olympics. the games were in real trouble. there'd been way too much spending. and in massachusetts i found a budget that was badly out of balance. our legislature was 85% democrat. and every one of the four years i was governor, we balanced the budget. i want to use those experiences to help americans have a better future. we believe in our future. we believe in ourselves.