americans, humanitarian worker in syria still unknown tonight. hello, everybody, i'm bruce johnson. welcome to this 7:00 edition of wusa9. still more questions than answers tonight about the fate of an american humanitarian worker this evening. isis claims kayla mueller was killed in a jordanian led air strike. u.s. officials say there's no evidence to support that claim. wendy gillete parents are hopeful that kayla is still alive. >> friends and family of 26- year-old, kayla mueller still don't know if she's alive. isis claims a jordanian air strike in syria and the aid

worker from prescott, arizona, is buried beneath. jordan launched a number of air strikes against isis and its stronghold, after the group released a video that shows militants burning to death, a captured pilot. but isis offered no further proof that mueller is dead and no militants were killed in the bombing. jordan says the claim is propaganda. the u.s. defense said saturday that the target was a known weapons storage compound and there's no indication hostages were held there. mueller is the only known american hostage still being held by isis. >> i am in solidarity with the syrian people. >> she came to syria to help in the humanitarian crisis and taken hostage in 2013. >> one of those folks that looks for the good in everything. >> mueller's parents say they are hopeful she's still alive. meanwhile, the attacks against isis continued. coalition aircraft conducted 11 air strikes in syria and 15 in

iraq friday and saturday. wendy for cbs news, new york. >> mueller is from prescott, arizona. turning elsewhere, a maryland woman says her backyard is riddled with holes. they are even popping up in her neighbor's yards. surae chin joins us with the latest. surae. >> well, bruce, the homeowner tells me she's worried about walking into her own backyard. she is worried about letting her dog out here and here is why. a sink hole right next to her deck right there is just one of them. throughout her yard, she says there are a bunch of them popping up. through the years, she felled them up, called the county several times in the last 20 years and feels like she's been ignored. she says inspectors have come out and they tell her since it's on her property, she is responsible for it. but she's recently seeing the problem worsen and discovered her neighbors on each side have sink holes, too. she says the thought of her or

the home being swallowed up keeps her up at night. >> it looks like, it scares you. i don't know what to do, how to save me. >> well, i got an immediate call back tonight from prince georges county and inspections office. they did come out here yesterday and they will be out here again on monday. they want to make sure at least the home is secure, safe, and the homeowner is also okay to live in her own home. the next step will be for the environmental department to come out and find out the root of this problem. she says if it comes back that it's here issue, she has no homeowner's insurance to pay for it. she's on social security, bruce. >> okay, surae, thanks a lot. an update from our earlier newscast. many of us are familiar with the avon39 walk to end breast cancer that takes place every spring. hundreds of people attended a

kickoff celebration at the claireton ballroom. the walk to end breast cancer. four participates embark on that 39-mile walk in may. a lot of preparations, training, and fund raising that has to start. it is starting right now. >> you need your family and friends and this is the introduction to what that experience is going to be like. we're in february now. they have february, march, and april, in anticipation of may to fund raise. >> the avon39 walk funds breast cancer programs across the country. but organizers say much of the money raised from the d.c. area event stays right here in the d.c. area. let's go to erica grow right now for the latest on that forecast. erica, we like today, tomorrow promises to be better. >> even better tomorrow, bruce. as temperatures will get close to 60 degrees in much of the metro area. and we're going to be able to keep it dry as well. you can see here on our wide view of satellite and radar, not much going on in the eastern half of the country.

just a few clouds and some snow showers in new england. zooming in here to our next disturbance that will arrive. it doesn't take a lot of energy with it. it does become a cold front that will arrive on monday. in the meantime, we have this mild weather in place, just those clouds that move through today. but high temperatures were a little bit above average today. we got 50 degrees at reagan national and overnight tonight, we're not going to dip below freezing in most of the metro area. partly to mostly cloudy. 30 to 38 degrees for your overnight lows. as i mentioned before, getting to around 60 degrees in much of metro tomorrow. but cooler air is on the way. we'll talk about that as well coming up in the first alert seven-day forecast. bruce, back to you. >> looking forward to it. a sled collided with a vehicle last week and ever since then, a whole community has been rallying around six-year-old, virginia boy, online. today that support hit the pavement in a rally and a walk. the walk went from oak crest school in mcclane, virginia, to

the club where benson's family swims. the family says it is the power of prayer that is helping the six-year-old through this. supporters came together saturday hoping to keep up with the positive energy. >> see all the support and all the people within their community that are here to show their love and support. >> i think it's tough to know what to say. i think that the only thing that you can do is be there and be supportive. >> caps announcer, wes johnson gave his sisters a signed jersey to give to their brother at the event. the caps say they won last night's game for benson. >> the pastor said he was robbed and shot while trying to be a good samaritan. that pastor faces charges for making false statements to authorities. pastor george told police that he stopped to help a family having car trouble. he said the driver then shoved a gun in his chest, shot and robbed him before driving away in his ford. but the sheriff's office says

the pastor's story didn't add up. didn't make sense. >> there was no armed robbery. there was no biracial couple. none of that really happened. >> the vehicle that he was in where he drove home from the robbery, there's no blood in it at all. and we did manage to find his wallet in his checkbook and everything in his vehicle. >> the sheriff's office is now looking into how the pastor somehow got shot. meantime tonight, the pastor is free on bond and he told reporters that he is sticking with his story. >> affordable housing was on the minds of dozens of d.c. activists and city leaders at today's housing for all rally. d.c. mayor, murrell bowser in northwest washington. she says the city needs to balance its growth with the ability to provide affordable housing to all city residents. >> people like new restaurants, they like improving schools. they like safer streets.

but what they don't like is thinking that all of that stuff is for somebody else. they want to make sure that we're building a washington, d.c. that is affordable for washingtonians. >> the to spend some $100 million annually toward affordable housing. >> still ahead tonight, forget about just say no. this class is teaching a local student how to profit from pot. >> but up next, new information about that eviction of a blind man from a maryland residence, maybe it should never have taken place. we'll have an update for over

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brian williams is taking himself off the air while they investigate reports from baghdad and hurricane katrina. williams says it has become apparent that i'm too much a part of the news due to my

actions. managing editor of nbc nightly news, i've decided to take myself off my daily broadcast for the next several days. lesser holt agreed to sit in for him. join us now is joseph campbell. a professor at american university. the author of several books on this very subject. professor, i apologize for the name. tell me what this means. >> well, good evening. i think this is the first step in a coreographed departure. he will not return to the air. >> because -- >> because there's no compelling reason for him to return. i mean, everything we learned about him in the last several days has pointed to his departure. and he will have to leave. >> quickly, let's go over what he said. there was a helicopter landing in baghdad that came under fire. he gave the impression that he was on that helicopter. his helicopter came under fire. >> in fact, he said he was

under fire in iraq in 2003. that his helicopter was hit by a rocket propelled grenade and it turned out that was not the case. >> okay, he also says that something happened in hurricane katrina that was not true. >> they are investigating whether his claim about having seen a dead body float by his hotel in new orleans during hurricane katrina was true or not. many people say that the hotel in @ french quarter was not under water. >> what does that do to journalism? what does that do to all of us when the leading anchor man in the country comes out and caught saying things that didn't happen? >> there has to be a ripple effect. there has to be a ripple effect. he'll have to step down and that's not going to be a great thing for journalists overall. i think there will be a short- term hit, if you will, a dent in the profession. yet another dent, if you will, that will have some reprecushions. >> when you say sit down, you mean temporarily. you don't think this will turn out for him. brian williams is gone.

a compelling reason for his return to the anchor chair. i just really can't. i don't think that's going to happen. >> thanks for coming in on such short notice. >> thanks for having me. >> we have a follow up to a wusa9 exclusive. it was in october of 2013 2013 when we first told you about a blind man was evicted along with his wife and seeing eye dog. since that eviction, residents of the co-op have been fighting the management in court over escalating rents and user fees rtgage was paid off years ago. this week, we learned there may now be evidence this blind man's family and others were overcharged for utility services. >> in october of 2013, when neighbors alerted us to these scenes. >> you've been here how long? >> 45 years. >> ray, a retired blind vendor had been evicted, along with his wife, renee, and seeing eye dog. >> how dare you treat somebody like that. that's the worst thing that you can do. >> after 42 years living here, the management of the village

green coop was tossing the family out for what they say was nonpayment of some $600 no overdue fees. >> back there over my shoulder is where ray, renee, and their dog used to live. if you believe the numbers here that were developed by the county's own auditor, it's an eviction that should never have happened and there have been others. >> turns out, an auditor for the government assigned to help investigate the village green dispute turned up evidence that ray raiser and other residents have actually been over billed for water and sewer fees in 2012 and 2013. >> based around evidence that they were talking about. they owed no money. >> the amount overpaid according to the auditor, more than $285,000. >> this figure represents the fact that what we have been saying for years, that the members have been over billed. that members have lost their home. >> ray raiser, his wife and dog, neighbor, county politicians, and others all

gathered today to discuss the overpayment discovered by that auditor. >> we miss our home. we miss this community. >> i'm under the understanding we have 25 people on the chopping block to be evicted, to be put out of here. something has to be done. >> the county to look further into the situation and to make sure that these, the number, the $285,000 number is accounted for. >> to be made homeless is the most agregious thing that can happen. >> bernard cook, attorney for the village green co-op declined an interview. he says there has been no double billing at the co-op. the documents that alleged $285,000 in overpayments, those documents now being examined by his auditors. coming up, meteorologist, erica grow is back with a look at your sunday forecast.

just may be the most popular new class in college, even though the subject matter is still not legal where it's being taught. a business professor at the anne arundel county community college is teaching a course on how to profit from pot. >> the green that i'm talking about in this class is money.

>> that's anne arundel county community college business professor and d.c. resident. >> i don't want to talk about getting high. i don't want to talk about the last time you were high. so, any of that stuff we're going to leave outside. >> turns out on this first week of class, the professor has nothing to worry about. >> i'm thinking this class more so for the philosophical implications of the probation. >> really serious students. >> this seems like being proactive. >> laura already owns successful bar restaurant operations like cantina. >> in the future, we may be adding some warehousing. >> today in class, students discussed opportunities in financing for a grower and retail startups, becoming security or transportation contractors. medical product research. marijuana possession in maryland remains illegal, although it was decriminalized last year to the status of a traffic ticket rather than a crime. but most here think prohibition won't last for ever.

thanks to colorado's economic boom after legalization. >> it's a big opportunity. >> i think the individuals that made the money off of the gold rush were the people that sold the picks and shovels, rather than the people that used the picks and shovels. i would rather have students ready to go, if and when it does get legalized here. with all these other industries that i mentioned, they can be involved in those right now. >> there's no reason why a community college student couldn't be making t-shirts and selling them through a dispensary in denver right now. >> at the community college, scott broom, wusa9. >> always watching. always tracking. wusa9's first alert weather. >> so, we're going to do a lot of things outside tomorrow, it's going to be okay. >> it's going to be better than it was today. high temperatures will be warmer than they were today. it's going to be dry. let's get started with a look at the michael and son weather cam. we have the capital dome here and it is 45 and cloudy right now. well mostly cloudy and just a very, very light breeze out of the northeast at only 3 miles

per hour. and our weather headlines, most of us are going to stay above the freezing mark with those clouds in place and a little bit of a south breeze that will keep our temperatures from falling off too far. then tomorrow is even milder with just a few breaks of sunshine. it's going to be a partly to mostly cloudy day. a weak cold front is on the way. that arrives on monday. that will bring us showers primarily in the afternoon, maybe the early evening as well. not a lot of shower activity, which is why monday is still a green alert day despite those showers moving through. behind that area, the milder temperatures are going to go by the wave side. you'll see that here on 9 future cast. we will be nice and mild on sunday. high temperatures near 60 degrees in much of the metro area, here comes that weak cold front. you can see a little bit of shower activity 7:00 a.m. during that morning drive, maybe it's raining in hagerstown, possibly in frederic. but most of us are still dry at that point. in the afternoon, that's when more showers arrive and it looks like the heaviest activity will be confined to

the mountains. most of our model data is indicating the mountains will get the brunt of the shower activity. but during that evening drive, we could have a full sprinkles and showers popping through. it doesn't look like enough rain to really cause any problems. the colder air comes in behind the showers, but not at the same time, so we don't have any wintery weather in our forecast. 30 to 38 under mostly cloudy skies. tomorrow morning, temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s under that partly cloudy sky. so not too chilly and in the afternoon, high temperatures near 60 degrees under that partly to mostly cloudy sky. so it's going to be even more pleasant than it was today. monday, we're watching those showers arrive. most of the shower activity between the mid afternoon and early evening hours. then it dries out, but it will get awfully breezy on tuesday. chillier with a high of 48. that's still just slightly above our seasonal average. in the first alert seven-day forecast, we get back into the arctic air by thursday and it's going to stick around for the first half of the

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now, wusa9 game on sports brought to you by dave owens. >> the wizards just tipping off against brooklyn and they are up by 10 early. 10-2. the nets simply a sight for sore eyes at seven games below 500. the nets are just kind of prey, the wizards need to get out of this funk and they are doing so. again, up by 10. it has been a tough stretch for the wizards, particularly a couple losses to charlotte which ended a loss at atlanta. and bradley beale not playing tonight because of that toe injury. we spoke to the team who say without beale, others have to step it up. >> we have to get production, get injured, we have guys have to have guys step up. we have to have players that have been playing good prior that aren't playing good now to step up. >> beginning to see this all over. it takes a lot away from my team. we have a lot of guys in

garrett, through butler and dre. it's an opportunity. >> out otto porter -- how about george mason on the road. in the corner pocket, bulls eye. this is a really tight game as we went along st. joe's up by four. corey edwards to thompson for the crush. as we come down the stretch. st. joseph's making the big bucket. aaron brown with a license to drive. i would say so. all the way to the 10. hawks winning it 58-54. of course, we'll be keeping an eye on that wizards game as the night goes on. >> they have a credit card, should he decide to take us to dinner. what's the weather going to be like? >> should be pleasant. lots of clouds in place, completely dry and mild out there as well. >> okay. >> cash. >> thanks for joining us, we'll see you tonight at 11:00.

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hello, everyone. the 57th grammy awards will air right here on wusa9. >> we will get up close and personal with the greatest names in music as our cameras go behind the scenes. we'll hang out with two local ba nds who have a shot at a grammy. we'll help you possibly