paying for them. they are illegal. but the text messages to the cell phone, they still fall in a gray area. we told you about the text messages, attacking president obama and urging voters not to cast their ballots for him. >> they are just anonymous. and they cost people money. that's a really big deal. >> reporter: we also reported on the sources of those messages, targeting the journalists and many in the 202 area code. just who we are looking for. >> reporter: he wasn't in the mood to talk. an unsuccessful republican candidate for the state senate in virginia last year, his centreville firm is the largest vendor of the gop robo calls in the country. >> now, can we talk about what you are doing? >> it is just so hard to trace

them. really hard to trace them as you were lucky. >> we were able to track them down through the numerous domain names. >> and more often than not, it is impossible to chase them. and so we are seeing increasingly these anonymous text messaging and the robo call campaigns that come over voice internet ip or what could cam from china. >> reporter: and several of the domains have been scanned for spam and abuse. >> reporter: there are a few things for you to do to stop it. you can sign an online petition, urging the fcc to make those unsolicited polical text messages illegal. you can also sign up to be on a political do not call list. of course it's too late for this election, but you can be on it for the next one. for more information on that, go to our website, wusa9.com. back to you. >> thank you so much. that's four yearfrom now, but you know how to do it now.

thank you. well president obama back on the campaign trail today with five days to go in campaign 2012. his busy day included a stop for wisconsin, nevada, and colorado. the campaign announced that they are planning to have a rally on saturday at nearby virginia. appearing at a jiffy lube live with former president bill clinton. in the meantime mitt romney has several plans to stop today. he's due at virgin beach in about an hour. and the last report on unemployment before the voting comes out tomorrow. but today, payroll processer announced that the private employers added 158,000 jobs last month. we'll get the official numbers from the department of labor tomorrow morning. the federal government is paying for emergey transportation. and how a restoration effort in the aftermath of super storm sandy and those efforts, they

are focused in parts of new york and new jersey, after the storm interrupted access to most mass transit. today, new york subway system, they did offer the limited service, but the drivers, using bridges in and out of manhattan, they needed to go through check points to prove that they have at least three people in the car. some cabs, they did stop flooding in new york today because of the concerns about fuel. gas shortages are causing long lines at the stations in new york, new jersey, and connecticut. aaa says that those problems, they stem from the shortages and a lack of electricity to power the pumps. in the last two hours, amtrak announced that they are starting to restore limited service between new york and philadelphia. today, the rail service, they did say that they had cleared the water from one of its tunnels under the hudson river. clearing the water and debris from the new jersey coastline could be a whole different matter. and sarah shuckman filed this report from long island. >> reporter: the new jersey

national guard drove us inside. here on long beach island, the center of super storm sandy's landfall. more than 100 troops are holding the peace and holding up those who stayed behind. >> you're scared because you don't know exactly what's happening here. >> reporter: and we probably won't for a few more days while the lights are dark, the shops closed up, and no one is moving in or out. nothing seems to be in its rightful place. >> most of the boats in the water did better than the ones out of the. >> reporter: kurt davis ignored evacuation orders in an attempt to protect his home and farm market business. it's nothing like i have seen. 26 inches here and further into town at my store, like 49 inches. >> yeah, i'm just trying to keep plugging along. that's all. >> reporter: the local crews, strip away the sand and even the road underneath, trying to clear a path, but it could be a few days before they are ready to welcome people home. >> and let the public officials

do their jobs first. and then when it is safe for people to come on, let them on. >> the people running up to us is the tough part. >> reporter: everyone looking for answers and an extra set of hands. >> you've got to think that they will be all right because they still have the courage to appreciate what we're doing too. >> i mean, we need all these men for help and hopefully it will work out somehow. >> and that was sarah reporting for us. more than 3 million people in jersey and new york still without power tonight. and here at home, utility crews are working around the clock to get everybodies power back on. tonight they have about 5% of their customer base to go, but everyone seems to be back online after outages related to sandy. pepco is even getting some praise. 9news, i should say, is the only outside crew invited when energy secretary stephen chiu came personally to thank the linemen for their efforts

during super storm sandy, which that storm knocked out power to 44,000 customers. excuse me, at the height of it, far fewer than the other utilities. >> now, was this a little bit of luck and preparation? a little bit of both? one or the other? >> you know it's a combination. but i will tell you it is the same amount of preparation for the storm. whether it came, hit us hard, or didn't hit us hard. we still had to go with the same steps. still organize all the instant teams. >> even one of their critics. montgomery county council member. they tell 9news a combination of not burying the brunt of the storm and that lead to a better response. now, he says that it will go a long way for rebuilding the goodwill of pepco customers. how do you think that your utility did after sandy? satisfied? frustrated? share your thoughts on our wusa9.com facebook page. lesli? after a wild chase including explosions, the man

wanted for attempted murder in connection with three pipe bombings in northern virginia was taken into custody this afternoon. but he was not where the atf officials expected to find him. >> i'm peggy fox. northern virginia pipe bomb suspect was apprehended near great falls, montana this afternoon. and he had traveled more than 2,000 miles in two days from his home in stafford. he was pulled over for speeding by montana highway patrol, but then allegedly threw the pipe bombs at them and tried to get away. >> he was arrested by the montana state police. due to the high-speed pursuit. deploying pipe bombs. from what we understand, he was arrested in possession of a handgun, but taken off safely with no incidents. >> he is charged with three counts of attempted capital murder. weapons charges, and terror charges. they stem from three pipe bombings on tuesday morning at the home of their former girlfriend and the home of the detective and the former home

of the stafford county sheriff's deputy. peggy fox, 9news now. a pair of astronauts did a little plumbing work to fix an apparent leak on the international space station. to do so, they have to take a walk -- they had totake a walk outside in space. the astronauts reconfigured coolant lines in what appear today be a leak in a radiator. and then they installed the spare radiator and it is always nice to have one of those handy. and in case that you have not noticed, they have quite an obesity problem on their hands. coming up at 7:00, some new programs that are being developed to help those who are severely overweight and to shed some of those extra pounds. still to come in this half hour. plenty of restaurants blurred up the line between inside and outside and summer. you're going to find out why thatcould soon come at a cost in the district. top? it ended up that sandy gave us 10% of the annual range fall in the day. here's a look at the almanac. 53 and 43.

for the month of november, only a trace. but for the year, we had 28 inches. we're only down 4 inches. we were down 8 inches before sandy came in. some silver lining there. we'll tell you when sandy will finally leave us alone and when the sun will finally return. stay with us.

a commuter alert tonight about major work on one of the worst bridges in our area. the bridge carrying washington boulevard over the columbia pike in arlington has been rated poor by the department of

transportation in years past. and right now work is underway to improve that interchange. this weekend, that means columbia pike will be closed between south quinn street and south orm street. so a part of the bridge could be demolished. so you know if you need to be in that area, you need to find another way to get around. another major transportation project is set to finish ahead of schedule. the department of transportation said that the express lane could open as early as november 17. a federal law is confirming an earlier report this year that found questionable practices by the agency that will be running dulles international airport. the airport authority. that audit found that the executives accepted the disks like the super bowl tickets from the contractors and that the authority, they routinely awarded the bid contracts. they do credit the authority for putting reforms in place over the past few months. coming up, a two-day storm that boils down to just 60

seconds.

he promised to mobilize all the resources in necessary to help those in need. 9news wants to help those recovering from sandy's wrath. that's why we are donating $1 to the american red cross' sandy relief fund for every like we get on our facebook page. please consider logging on and liking our page. all right, top. we have seen some pretty amazing images from sandy over the last few days. now there is a new angle of a storm that hit new york city.

this is a time lapse. this is the entire storm. and it boiled down to just one minute. look at this. >> this is amazing. i think that we're going to see the tides rise too. >> right. >> and then you will see the water level. >> yes. >> and that be rising there. >> if it will slowly go away. >> and the maximum winds again. 75 miles an hour. 74 here in luagardia. >> amazing. and then, of course, it gets dark and the lights go out, right? and sot lights will be on. >> right. >> and then the lights are going to go out. it's just crazy. >> that's one for the record books. there you go. >> the lights went off. >> you see that? >> and it is not every day that the new york skyline, that they will be in the dark. >> no, it's not. i just got off the phone from the national hurricane center. my question is kind of goofy. i said are we going to retire sandy because she technically was a cold course storm.

>> that's interesting. they started the hurricane and then they pulled backseat, becoming an extra tropical. >> that is the deal. that it did not. we were not struck by a hurricane. >> right. >> and in those names when they were particularly destructive, katrina, andrew, that sort of thing. and so now first of all, actually it resides in the hands of the meet logical organization. but mike said that he thinks it will be retired because it also hits jamaica and eastern cuba. and so probably we won't see another sandy. i think that's okay too. >> i think that's enough. >> right. all right, we'll start with a live look outside. this is our live weather cam. that's just about 10 degrees above average. still a couple sprinkles here and there. dew points are in the 30s. the pressure is still rising. 2.9 inches. rising since about tuesday. here is a look at your radar. just a little shower activity, pushing across, well, i-95 and

the baltimore washington parkway here. a little bit of the leftover shower is still back here in extreme western fairfax county. but if you are headed up, you know, through laurel, up i-95 towards baltimore, then you will probably have a wet commute on your way home. nothing heavy, but just enough as sandy is still annoying. temperatures, 46 in rockville and gaithersburg. 47 in bethesda as we are looking at 47 in vienna and fairfax a. little chilly out. there 49 at college park and 49 in bowie. so now cool weather will continue in early show -- an early shower tonight. still breezy tomorrow. dry morning commute. that will be nice. the kids will need their jackets again tomorrow and you will probably need your jacket too. for tonight, early shower or sprinkle. winds are westerly at 10 to 15. and now tomorrow morning, becoming partly cloudy. breezy, chilly. you will still need your jackets.

northwest 10 to 15. by the afternoon, we can't shake these winds. partly cloudy, windy, cool. jacket is a good idea. highs are around 55. and occasionally it will be gusty with a small craft advisory for your bay and for tomorrow. now good news, the next three days. our weather alert codes, they are green. 54 tomorrow, returning partly cloudy. on saturday, 53, kind of cool. we've got the walk now for autism speaks at 10:00 on the mall. we'll see you there at 9:00 a.m. dress for the 30s and the 40s. cool on sunday, 58. but nice for the redskins game and the turps too. dry all weekend long. and remember that it is like an 80-year anniversary. there will be stuff going on before and after the game. monday we'll be partly cloudy. cleaning up the election day. dry, partly cloudy, chilly, mid- 50s. lower 50s on wednesday. kind of cold. and i put that almanac. the november almanac here on the web, on my blog. it is kind of a transitional

month, like march with a lot of cool things that could happen. >> okay. >> you know what at the beginning of this week, we wondered if there was going to be a week. but it sounds like they are going to play. >> yes, they got spared with a lot of excitement this week with carolina coming to town as you can see the big rg3 showdown. there is much more at stake for this game. the skins season is on the line. but are they feeling the urgency? plus, a look at how they plan to move on after losing yet another quarterback.

this sunday marks the 80th anniversary celebration for the notable alumnis that will be returning to the area as there will be a big parade and the team will be wearing the special 80th anniversary uniforms. and also a big match up of the last two heisman winners. that will be exciting for them. this is a critical game for the redskins. a big chance for them to stop a two-game skid. to go into their bye week, 4-5 and keep their playoff chances hanging by a thread. >> you know, you talk about the playoffs. you pretty much need to win off there. and you know, you are still riding in the thick of things. with a bunch of the division games that will be coming up. for us, you know, it is, i guess that you can say a must- win game. >> they also return home this weekend, hosting georgia tech

with yet another quarterback that will be under center. and they will be at the converting linebacker here to become their fifth qb of the season. that was after losing them last week to an acl injury. they are having to once again, simplify the offense and make things as easy as possible for them. they have yet to play a snap this year. >> and they needed to set up a balance for them to find that in terms of what is the best way for us to move the ball and score points. utilizing all of them and the other parts of our offense. >> they are not going to be able to get too far away from what they do. i don't think. so you will try to figure out, what would you do if you were them? >> don't forget to vote in our game of the week. five great high school match ups for you to choose from this week. we will announce the winners tonight. go to high school sports.

and go there to vote. the investigation into the cyclist lance armstrong's role in the doping scandal is far from over just a week after being stripped from his seven tour- tour de france title that could cost him his olympic bronze medal. despite criticism. this sunday's new york city marathon will be going on as planned. however the events on friday and saturday have been canceled. the mayor says that those emergency officials, they will not be used for the race. instead they are going to hire more private contractors for the marathon. and so they said that they are not going to cancel that they want to bring inspiration to the area, but a lot of people are not too happy about that. >> they will make it through. >> exactly. that's it for us. the cbs evening news is next. derek will see you at 7:00. have a great night.