wiedefeld was down on the track during the more than 24 hour closure. one thing he has seen in the agency is the thing he has seene agency is the change in the comm to the top. hi hopes his decision to shut down the system was an example of safety and communication. >> i expect them at the decisions they are making to make similar decisions. if they seed something unsafe deal with it. move on. brianne: a week after paul wiedefeld took over the job we asked what he is searching for. he said the floor of the problem. this many months later we asked him the question have you found the floor? he says he is getting close. still digging through the issues when it comes to metro. he said, too, he is confident moving forward that there is nothing like what they found here during the inspections. plans to have a new practice in place and says what was done here, the fixes to all2 the time to lay all of that out. reporting life, brianne carter, abc7 news. >> it is worth noting now for the next month any work on metro is unscheduled. this weekend begins five strai

alison: wiedefeld says he has to get to nuts and the bolts. that they need to focus on what is happening here. he has focused on the finances, the safety and the reliability. talking about the reliability it comes with what is happening on the trains. the cars. the tracks. also the operations. meaning the train operators and the station managers. this is taking a holistic approach, look liking at the aroundlying cause as well. for the safety within the system wiedefeld put more alwaysers in the stations and restructuring some employees' roles and training employees to bring new employees in to be the platform attendance and at the key stations in the rush hour. oh he will be transparent on what needs to be fixed and says they need to be accountable and one way is launching a new report card. it's a website that riders can check in on the progress of what is happening. take a listen for the new plan to look at and doing just that. >> one thing we are looking at is putting rail information out on the pylon and the street level. we have the elect

insiders tell news4 that's how dead set paul wiedefeld was about shutting down the system for safety checks yesterday. wiedefeld told our adam tuss it was the right decision and trains shouldn't have been running under the conditions metro crews found. wiedefeld also opened the door to more shutdowns, something riders support, if necessary. >> i would hope they would try to schedule more work maybe on the weekends, but yeah, i definitely prefer to be safe than sorry. >> i think the new general manager is taking efforts to show that he's a tough guy and wants to make it better. >> sources tell news4 the metro board did support wiedefeld's plan to shut down the system 100%. >>> another day of mild march weather coming our way before we really begin to cool down. doug's here with the latest on our weekend snow chances. doug? >> yeah, jim, we have seen a steady decrease in temperatures the last couple days. yesterday 74 degr degrees, tomorrow another step down and then a pretty big drop as we head into the weekend. taking a look at the numbers today, 69 in d.c., 63 up towards hagerstown,

metro gm paul wiedefeld trying to ensure safety. one rider telling us he was pleased that metro made that decision. commuters relegated to other forms of transportation we talked about, buses, taxis, uber saying they will cap surge pricing. federal workers are scheduled to work at home or take unscheduled leave. and kids still have to get to school, people still have to get to work. let's hear from those rhode islanders now. >> there are a lot of people traveling like myself, working, who depend on the metro. and it just never occurred to me to think about an alternate route to get there. now, i have to think about that. so that's making it really difficult. >> reporter: and he was saying that he had chosen to go ahead and shutting this down for one day instead of piecemealing it for several days. whether or not that takes longer to get solved, remains to be seen. >>> it's 6:05. with metrorail shut down at least until thursday morning, thousands of commuters do have to find a way to get to work. so many options, marc and vre will ru

wiedefeld told adam tuss it was the right decision. he said that trains should not have been running under the conditions metro crews found. sources tell news 4 the metro board did support wiedefeld he'd plan to shut down the system 100%. we will hear your thoughts on the potential for more shutdowns. >>> in decision 02016 now, presidential candidates on both sides are trying to make hair case in utah and arizona ahead of next tuesday's primaries. democrat bernie sanders is stumping in both states today. hillary clinton has fund-raisers planned on the east coast. utah will be the focus for john kasich who is in third place and ted cruz will visit the border when he stops in arizona today. donald trump is planning to rally in arizona on saturday, but the politicians to try to shut himi 4:45. >>> three teams we're keeping an eye on in march madness all hitting the court today. any one of the maryland terrapins, west virginia mountaineers or the vcu rams could be the next upset in the ncaa tournament. although maryland is favored to win.

gm paul wiedefeld says metro will open at 5:00 in the morning. we want to go to adam tuss about what he had to say about the inspections. >> reporter: yeah, chris. you know, there was some serious questions that were asked to the general manager in there right now, but let's talk about again what's going to happen tomorrow morning for commuters. 5:00 a.m. the system opens and you can potentially see some single tracking or some bus bridges if the problems aren't all taken care of by tomorrow morning. so metro kind of hedging its bets there. here is where metro stands right now. 80% of the suspect cables have been inspected systemwide. they found about 26 defects in those 600 cables, and all of the defects were along the blue, orange, and silver lines right now. that is where most of the problems were found. and, again, if all the problems can't be fixed by tomorrow single tracking or bus bridging. i asked the general manager what

you asked the general manager paul wiedefeld that question today. brianne: wiedefeld says yes. for the safety of all of the folks getting on the rails tonight. it was the right move. as wiedefeld says now is to get to in bottom of why it is happening. >> clearly this one weighed on me heavily about what is going on here? brianne: 24 hours after 26 defects were found along the rails in the emergency inspections, metro's general manager says policy changes are coming. >> i will review everything we have done. it's unacceptable to me. we are going to come up with the other ways to make sure that this does not occur. >> wiedefeld says routine track inspections, including new resources and the technology will likely be part of a plan to detect potential hazards before they lead to another tragedy on the tracks. >> there is asth employees who don't see the need to report potential public safety issues shouldn't be employee. >> that has to be address and why some heads need to roll. >> his call for personnel changes. >> i look at it from that perspective, too. to me this is not a witc

wiedefeld says they need to manage efficiently and adding tough decision. he also addressed an issue many riders focus on in the morning and the afternoon commute. crowded platforms inside the station. he said some station employees will now be reassigned to be platform attendants at the key transportation in addition to metro transit police getting down in the system on the platform and on the train. when he was asked about the system as a whole this is what he had to say. >> worse than i expected. we have to go after the issue. brianne: they announced a new customer accountability report. so they will be able to see the progress made on each one of the projects. he says he expects to be updated every other week or every month depending on the project. he talked about getting more information out to riders as they approach the stations. we have more on how he plans to do that tonight at 5:00. jonathan: news from around the nation, alabama lawmaker proposing a controversial new bill to permanently and physically punish the child molesters. i would requir ca

paul wiedefeld is entering the room. listen in. >> good evening. with me today is jack evans the chairman of the before i begin i want to say i know today presented a hardship to the region. i thank everyone for the support. the shut down was necessary. they identified 26 areas where the damage, the jumper cable and the connector boots exist. let me charity with you what we did. we segmented the system in 22 underground inspection zones where 600 jumper cables are located. this includes all areas of all lines. they were looking for jumper cable or jumper books that were damaged. order in the infull tration and dew bree to burn near they were making repairs to areas that were identified. if you look at the map behind me if you could, we found as of 5:00 p.m. i mentioned the 26 affected areas. we completed 19 of the zones. we got three more to do. that is why we are roughly at 86% there in terms of the inspection. we accomplished 18 to date. eight are open. the map shows where this is located. some have the multiple ones we would not run train if we

the clarendon metro stop tonight with a look at wiedefeld's proposal. brianne: he is focused on safety, reliability and the finances of the system. he knows it will take an effort to get the transitm in on top. paul wiedefeld is speaking candidly today. >> it's expected and something we have been talking about. we have to clearly go right at the issues. >> the agency needs to be accountable but transparent and announced the launch of a new customer accountability website lifting actions and timelines for the metro new general manager is looking to get real-time information on the street level to address the crowding issues in the station. they are working to get this on the street level. he does understand when the incidents happen it is jarring and he plans to have more in the system. maureen: breaking news from nashville, tennessee. jury awarded erin andrews $55 million in lawsuit against owner and operator of nashville >> exelon hopes a new proposal will get enough to finalize the merger. last week the d.c. public service commission would not approve

now, wiedefeld says that reliability is the number oneum issue for riders.s. on time performance fell to 85 percent and many riders hadid it even worse if they ended up d on a car with a mechanical prob problem. probl planned and unscheduled trackeda work. safety also a concern. wiedefeld maintains crime ond metrmao is lower nan most n m communities but recognize thatni is riders are in his words w alarmed by recent assaults andsa says that they deserve more active policing. pic finance also part of the plan.sp revenue is slowing down and increasing. there will be some managementann restructuring and reductions in back office staff through thh retirements, if possible.ossie. metro will still need moneyon from local governments andts fare increases over the next 10 years wiedefeld says just to keep service levels wheres we they are now.. among some of the bullet oul points that he laid out inout this four-page letter on metro's web site said that the t system is going to hire a newhin chief safety officer, thaticer,a they are going implement amplemt rail servic

. >> reporter: paul wiedefeld made the shut down call on his own after seeing for himself a track fire monday that was alarm mingly similar to the fire 14 months ago that killed 61-year-old carroll glover and sent scores of people to the hospital. what about the riders that say, my gosh, if they have to shut the whole system down for 29 hours, how can i have any faith in implications for the commute and business. but at the end of the day i have to keep you safe. that is my prime responsibility. that's why i did it. >> reporter: now, wiedefeld is hopping that the shut down helps restore the confidence of metro riders, not shake it. he said it should make it absolutely clear that if he feels something is unsafe, he will do whatever it takes to fix it. live at the continually -- tinnily metro station. >> they unloaded a silver train when malfunctioning brakes filled cars with smoke. crews moved the train tout get it fixed. watch the entire interview with the metro gm. down loud or free wusa 9 app. >>> president obama's suspect nominee is making -- supreme court nominee is making the roun

later today, wiedefeld will talk about his plans. we've posted his entire letter on the nbc washington app. >>> prt of a bigger plan to improve health and create jobs. montgomery county leaders are breaking ground on a new hospital. >>> happening today, people in western massachusetts will pay their final respects to officer guindon. funeral and burial take place later today. >>> department is holding a vinlg till today for the two other officers. a blood drive will be held. they are still in the hospital recovering. the blood drive gif begins at 10:30. >>> so you may notice your water may start to smell just a little funny. and it may smell like chlorine. today is the first day of the annual spring cleaning of the water system. authorities are flushing it out to improve the water quality. they will monitor chlorine levels to make sure that the water is indeed safe. to get rid of the smell, you can run tap water for about 2 minutes or you can refrigerate it. >>> a bit chilly out tlrgs but just you wait. we're in for some ever the nic

wiedefeld indicated there might be a transportation system that could be put in place. some buses for both regular passengers and perhaps for school children. we will have to see. reporting live, richard reeve, abc7 news. leon: thank you. you hit it on the head. this is going to affect the entire region. because of that as you might of commuters' draws to job. we pick up the team coverage from the rosslyn station in arlington. you have talked to folks who expressed shock at the news. mike: frankly, leon, they don't believe me. they are just hearing about this from us or more twitter or from our coverage. many people hear at rosslyn just learning about this. on the message board here by the arlington county there is a warning to riders they can expect the shutdown for 29 hours starting at midnight. but many folks here just getting word and just starting to contemplate what it will mean. unprecedented shut down of the entire system impacting 700,000 people. more than 700,000 people ride metro rail on the weekdays on average. that will have a major spillover effect on the

also, wiedefeld wants too accelerate the delivery of those new 7,000 series rail cars.publicly kind of about the plann today.da there is a luncheon he will beib the keynote speaker at nationalo press club. c however it is not open to the public much eighths ticketed tic only event. ent live in new carrollton, melanien alnwick fox5 local news.ews >> this morning d.c. police aree investigate a deadly doubledl shooting that happened at ahapdt metro bus stop this happened yesterday onesay o alabama avenue in southeast dcta that's where we find fox5's bobb barnard with the latest now.tow bob, good morning. >> reporter: allison andter: steve, good morning to you.ningu yeah, the bus stop looks like it did yesterday afternoon around 12:30. take look.take look there's shattered glass herete from this bus stop. there's bloody gauze and surgical gloves still here at the scene. sce this man and woman were shot s here around 12:30 yesterdayesrd afternoon at the bus stop.p. the woman was killed.il she is not been identified justj checked with dc police again ana they say that her fam

metro gm paul wiedefeld wanting to ensure safety. monday there was the electrical too similar to that deadly smoke incident that we had last year. because of that, metro employees will spend 29 hours inspecting equipment. but as i mentioned before, commuters relegated to other forms of transportation, buses, carpools, taxis, uber saying it will cap surge pricing. federal employees have the option for work from home or take unscheduled leave. so that helps alleviate some of the pressure. people still have to get to work. still have to get to school. congress is in session. there's a basketball game this evening. i mean, this could turn out to some serious traffic snarls. and as shomari was reporting last night, will this spill over and affect others? we have to wait and find out. >>> we have reporters across the region. news4's angie goff is in montgomery county. morning to you. well, as commuters brace for a day without metro, this is a morning a lot of people are trying to get to work. we are here at the metro station, grovener at m

we expect metro director paul wiedefeld tom come out any minute now. excuse me, coming out at 4:30.riefing us on what is the plan going forward and what happened to tip him off that the risk was so high they have to schult down the entire system. so again, the word we are getting is that me system. every single line of midnight tonight. you can just imagine what it will mean for travel. whatever way you get around town will be ridiculous because of the move. we also have mike carter-conneen out there to see what people will do to get through and around town tomorrow once metro shuts down tonight at midnight. we will keep you posted as we learn more. back to you. michelle: thank you. for the first time the nfl is acknowledging a link between football and c.t.e. a type of traumatic brain injury. the senior vice president for health and safety made the admission in a congressional hearing. he said to date, c.t .e. has been found in the brains of deceased former pro players. c.t.e. has been linked to memory loss, depression and dementia. ahead, injuries and concussions are part of the p

today, metro general manager paul wiedefeld saying he is raising questions about how this could happen. saying he those inspecting and repairing the cables are saying they are doing work that they are not doing. >> another fire eerily similar to a fire that left a woman dead. this despite the implementation of repair to faulty cables, the culprit in both fires. >> it's shocking, especially being an everyday rider to have the safety issues that keep coming up over and over and over. stephen: in the board meeting paul wiedefeld raised the possibility that those entrusted with repairing problem cables say they are doing work which they are not completing and he questioned how an almost identical problem could develop despite aggressive effort to address the cable issues. >> we had an incident a week ago that basically had a lot of the same characteristics. so for me to say well, the first 14 months, must have been something. something out of the i don't accept that. stephen: despite assurances from metro the system is moving in a positive direction some passengers continue to worry. >> i

wiedefeld told our transparency reporter adam tuss it was the right decision. he also shutdowns something riders tell us they support if it's necessary. >> i hope they would try to schedule more work maybe on the weekends. but, yeah, i definitely prefer to be safe than sorry. >> the new general manager is making efforts to show that he's a tough guy and wants to make it better. >> sources tell news 4 the metro board did support wiedefeld's plan to shut down the system 100%. >>> human remains were found in the debris and ashes of a townhouse fire on thursday. the fire started wednesday morning in woodbridge. a large crane was brought into help secure the building. a man who lives there is unaccounted for. we're told the remains are being sent to the medical exam noer identification. at least two other families in neighboring homes have been displaced. >>> new video of a brazen robbery in montgomery county. two men managed to crack open cellphones at a sprint store on connecticut avenue. they pried open the safe with a crow bar. detectives believe the same suspec

. >> and paul wiedefeld said that's why the shutdown was so important. crews found frayed jumper tables. take a look at what they looked like. you can see they were totally exposed to the elements. these are the sam conditions found after the fire at mcpherson square on monday and very similar to what was found after the deadly smoke incident at l'enfant plaza about a year ago. >> we have team coverage in maryland, d.c. and virginia to make sure you make to work on time. >> first though chuck bell has your out the door forecast. >> good morning, everybody. your weather headlines for today, a nice cool start here morning. it will be a mild finish with temperatures today mid to upper 60s. so about five degrees cooler than yesterday. just like yesterday, there is a chance for a quick little shower this afternoon. not everyone will get wet. and still tracking a chance for snow on weekend forecast at 6:21. out the door you go, temperatures mostly in the 40s this morning. there are a few cool spots down in the 30s, but mostly 40s on your way out. cool and dry

it's been 90 days since paul wiedefeld took the job and released a letter spelling out what metro is most in need of. derrick ward is live at metro center. >> reporter: three months in has given him enough time to do an assessment of the system and he sort of hit the ground running or rolling. started riding the system, talking to customers. and he's come up with some assessments but it's not without some pain. metro general manager paul wiedefeld says that safety, that's the first thing on everybody's mind and that's the challenge for them, restoring faith in the safety of the system. not only on the rails, but on the railcars. the other thing is keeping those trains, buses and parra transit running on time. and there is a lot of need for capital improvement. that means track work. and that means delays. that is one of the things that erodes passengers' faith in the system is those delays. of course the answer to problems like this so often is more money. and there is going to be a need for an increase in revenue. and he balance of combination of increases in the subsidy that the sy

marcia wiedefeld, the wife of the speaker. bloomberg news, the past npc president and vice chair of the speakers committee. skipping over the speaker for a moment, the reporter for the defense daily and a member of the speakers committee to organize today's luncheon. the executive director of the metropolitan washington council of governments. daniel, the chairman of the greater washington board of trade. paula read the justice reed justice reporter at cbs news. and reporter of the gray sheet and board of governors. thank you. [applause] >> a fatality during a smoke related incident, fiscal attacks on pastors, derailments, the drop in ridership and other events might be keeps our guest wiedefeld at the night. the communication improvements for first responders and to work with vendors to develop a real-time smartphone app shortly made that he is more exciting for the new general manager and ceo of the washington metropolis in area transit authority. hired in november, mr. white house's courier has been a public and private sec

wiedefeld didn't mince words as he outlined his plans today.e said metro is in worse shape than he thought when he took the job. he says long-term closures on the rails could be needed to stop the cycle of band-aid repairs. and he says metro launched an online tool so you can see what the crews are working on. >> this is going to be traffic to the public. in two months we're going to have this done, in one year and we can judge you? >> yes. that's what we started on our website today. a customer report accounting system, basically. >> metro play mai also put tote boards outside stations to let you know how trains are running before you commit to getting on board. you can also take a look at the gm's complete letter to riders on the nbc washington app. just search "metro." >>> we're just getting started on "news4 at 11." we saw the emotion in court today, erin andrews wiping away tears as a jury awarded her $55 million for living through a nightmare. still to come tonight, her response and what we're learning about a possible appeal. >>> also, y

metro general manager paul wiedefeld said this is a matter of public safety.said metro cannot risk another deadly incident like the one at l'enfant plaza last year. >> i cannot rule a potential life safety issue here, and is this why we must take this action immediately. it's happened twice in a year, i can't wait for the third time. >> 61-year-old carol glover died in the 2015 smoke incident. the same issue that caused that problem, also called the fire and delay at mcpherson square earlier this week. metrorail never shut down accept for weather-related problems since the beginning of operations since 1976. it's going to be a long morning for commuters. we'll have you covered on everything you need to know with the traffic alert. we'll also have other o >>> 4:48, montgomery county police now say last week's shooting of an honors graduate was a homicide. 20-year-old shelden williams graduated from cesar chavez charter school west east. he worked at a local restaurant and was taking classes. three days after he was gunned down, williams accepted an acceptance l

. >> metro general manager paul wiedefeld with a sobering assessment of the transit agency today. those were his first public policy remarks since taking over metro. >> wiedefeld took questions for about an hour at the national press club downtown. adam tuss was there and joins us live from metro center. so adam, we know there are a lot of issues to get to but was the overarching focus for wiedefeld? >> reporter: i think the over arching issue was you can't focus on the big things. you really have to focus on the small things, the nuts and bolts of the transit system. you have to look there first before you can start loong at other areas. he talked a lot about that and talked about way that is he would b take care of the small issues first to get metro back on track. >> so, adam, what kind of changes can riders expect to see right away, the most immediate changes? >> reporter: one of the things he talked about was setting up a new website where you can track the projects going on. something like a lighting project or a station elevator or an escalator being replaced. >> this is go

a source tells news4 transportation reporter adam tuss metro gm paul wiedefeld actually considered theossibility much walkiof walkiny if the shutdown didn't happen. >> news4's meagan fitzgerald -- megan mcgrath rather caught up with redline riders to see if this closure was worth it. >> reporter: a return to normal service for metro this morning. emergency inspections and repairs were finished overnight all this time for a 5:00 a.m. opening. how do you feel about coming back today? >> oh, i'm very confident it worked. i'm glad they did what they did. i wish they would have done it on a saturday or a sunday, but i think it was worth it. >> reporter: mcpherson station on monday uncovered a larger problems with fraying electrical cables prompted the unprecedented 29-hour shutdown of the entire system. while inconvenient for thousands, many riders say it had to be done. >> safety first. you know, i'd rather get to work and not to worry that, guess what, something is going to happen down the road. i feel more comfortable. >> if it's safer in the long term, i guess that's the most important

in that letter, wiedefeld says there is an inconsistent commitment to safety. he also says more ambitus improvements are needed to apply the brakes to a five year downward slide in ridership. later today wiedefeld will speak at the national press club where he will address his improvement plan. we've also posted his entire letter on the nbc washington app. just search metro. >>> 5:10. and looks like our rain chances are trying up. >> yeah, finally a chance to get the car washed and drive a clean car for most if not all of the week ahead. so send the kid out to the driveway with a hose. skies are mostly cloudy, there are hints of fog out there. nothing all that thick. visibility generally four miles in frederick, six in martinsburg. but there are some pockets on us there with a little bit of fog. for your commute, a cold start and cold ride in. temperatures in the low to mid-30s early this morning. so you will need your winter coat one more morning, but turningic temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. and if you're traveling locally, in problem. regionally r

wiedefeld says he wants to be transparent with riders about what projects are happening. a new customer report card just wept live on metro's website detailing ongoing projects. >> this is going to be trackable for the public? we'll be able to see in two months we'll have this done, in one year this will be done and we can judge you? yes? >> yes, we started a customer basics that matter now for metro. >> where i need to focus on is making sure that what we put out there operates. >> reporter: making sure the trains and buses show up and they run relatively on time, getting back to basics. now, the general manager also made some organizational changes today, things that he says will streamline the transit agency, and they're also talking about changes here on the street level that can give riders more information. i'll tell you what they're thinking about coming up next hour at 6:00. >> adam tuss. thank you, adam. >>> right now prince george's county police are looking for the man who attacked a woman near the university of maryland campus. that woman woke up on saturday m

. >> paul wiedefeld. world. [inaudible] will the minister met that it will have scottish -- [inaudible] >> once again we have a request from the s&p for hard-working people to pay their taxes for those taxes didn't be used to lobby the very government which is giving out the grand. i think that is wrong in principle. we have been using this in practice over a year and because it was working well that's why we've extended it across the government. >> order. questions to the prime minister. >> question one, mr. speaker. >> thank you, mr. speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and in addition to my duties in this house, i shall have further such meetings later today. >> people look for to their share of 3 million apprenticeships. but the question how this is going to happen. on the eve of national apprenticeship week in the prime minister tallis does have a delivery plan or is he making it up as he goes along? >> we've achieved 2 million the last parliament. we are confident of

thisrd press conference is really rea that ther they were given credee to why general manager paulaul wiedefeldid make the right call.ll they found defects on theouec tracks in some cases soes s serious that shouldn't have been runningt ee over those tracks at all.s a all take a look at some of thesome o video that they showed at the press conference yesterday. yese there were 600 jumper cablesumps that needed to be inspected. ine these are the lines that covereh parts of the third rail.hi r they connect the electricalri power there.wer and inspectors found 26nd defects along 100 miles ofes o line. three of which they said involved major issues with those cables, we're talkingwe'ri about that damaged insulation, l exposed wires. ex a situation capable of sparking an electrical fire atri any minute. now, the most stunning s admission was what could have been had monday's fire andire smoke incident at mcphersoncp square happened just a little bit later when the trains wereha packed with more riders. >> ly. >> it would have been very similar i believe to the l'enfant plaza again dependsgaip on whe

night metro's general manageran paul wiedefeld is speakings s with fox5.th f tom fitzgerald is live at the tenleytown metro.ro tom, really was a gutsy move by the gm.by the gm. >> reporter: g paul r wiedefeldep says what would havl been riskier was allowing thehe trains to run.un the metro gm sat down withn wi fox5 news today giving ugg aning update on where we stand on snd this repair work and alsolso talking about how he made this i bold decision.isn. the moment he says came deep inside the tunnels of the mcpherson square stationlily monday morning when he laidni his own eyesng on those frayed electrical cables and realized at that moment that something needed to be done that hadha never been done before.efor >> it was combination of that. physically when i went outn i wt there, when i first got of the report, of course my a is waantennais way up. u when i learned there wereer similaritys to 14 months ago.tos give me information on x, y on x and sea and that information was not -- i just was not comfortable with it led me toeo where i had -- where i got to.o. >> reporter: well, where

gm paul wiedefeld showing some frayed cables take they found yesterday. of course there was that fire on monday that caused this shutdown. and before that, a very similar and all too eerie similar incident at the l'enfant plaza metro station last year. but again, everything is a go, all lines are back open. we're live outside the foggy bottom metro station, i'm erika gonzalez, back to you. >>> happening today, investigators are bringing in a crane to help in the search for a northern virginia man still unaccounted for after the fire you see here. this blaze happened early wednesday morning in woodbridge. neighbors stood by helplessly as it was destroyed. unsure if the man was still remove debris. one firefighter was seriously hurt, but is he expehe is expec survive. >>> a woman arrested after doing yoga on tracks heads back to court. holly bentley was charged with trespassing after being spotted. her attorney says the charges may be dismissed today. she was given a deferred deposition, that means she had to complete ten hours of community service and the

. >> today paul wiedefeld says the m to deal with the hard truths. we may have got a glimpse for what he is talking about. gates like this may have to road with the possibility of a multi-day closure on part of the system. >> the system to do the maintenance that needs to be done can't be done three hours a night and on weekends. it can't. >> today, jack evans said a solution to complete the much-needed work on metro could be multi-day closures up to six months on a stretch of a single line. >> we may have to close the blue line for six months. hard decisions have to be made to get it fixed. >> wiedefeld hasn't made any plan for shutdown but he is looking to long-term shutdown and single today he told other officials, business and community leaders at the metro summit the metro still has to confront additional hard truths about the system. progress is being made but the approach to deal with the problems like the track and the car maintenance isn't working. >> we have to be held accountable. we are accountable. they have a war to play. they recognize

d single trac tracking now paulau wiedefeld the general manager is due here at mcpherson squareon u where fire started this thi morning, guys. they've got the fire cleared, cd the smoke cleared. ced single tracking now but residual delays to last most of the morning.mornin >> that is a major inconvenience but safety first i suppose. supe i don't know.i don't know. >> you can sense the frustratiot though. >> for sure.>> f >> and understand it muchndstan 7:00 loom let's get to our topt story this morning in princeng george's county.ge's cy f an officer who was was gunned down right in front ofono police headquarters.. >> truly unimaginable police say officer jacai colson was killedl yesterday evening in an ambushmb style attack. a he was a four-year veteran and undercover agent in the agentn t narcotics division. he would have celebrated hisratd 29th birth is growi has lot of people outraged.of po ithe t second time in lessnes than a month in our ut thisut this incident on our facebook page.a. michelle friedman writingn wti incredibly sad and heartbreaki heartbreaking. unnecessary violence

paul wiedefeld is entering the room. listen in. >> good evening. with me today is jack evans the chairman of the

paul wiedefeld is outlining his plan of action to improve the transit system. in the receiptor publ eletter, there is an inconsistent commitment to safety and he. >> shon: says more am brish issues improvements are needed to apply the brakes to the downward slide in ridership. later today he will talk at the national press club and we've posted the entire letter on the nbc washington app. just search metro. >>> it is raining lead in flint. and the state is derelict in not coming forward. >> should understand that his dereliction of duty was irresponsible. he should resign. >> both democratic presidential candidates calling for to step down because of how he's handled the lead water contamination in flint. the water crisis there dominated much of the democratic debate last night in michigan. the two candidated sparred over several issues including the 2008 auto industry bailout. clinton attacking sanders for voting against the bailout. sanders responded by criticizing the former secretary of state for accepting money to speak to financial industry groups. michig

wiedefeld called it unacceptable. other around the region are calling for them to step down to metro. we will have that tonight at 5:00. jonathan: stay with abc7 news on air and online. we will hear again from brianne carter at 5:00 and 6:00. michelle: we have the sun and the clouds and i had my today. but check in with doug hill. doug: there are showers north of metro washington. looking live in laurel. cloudy. we can see showers on the horizon. the plan for the evening if you are going out there will be scattered showers for the next few hours hours in the meto area. beyond that we will see the clearing skies later tonight. the temperatures will drop. eventually in 40's overnight. most of the might is fairly mild. just a bit of a breeze. the radar is showing the showers making progress across pennsylvania and new york. a few north and west of the district. but those will come to an end later this everything. fairly quiet tonight and tomorrow. a coastal storm is possible this weekend that could result in a rain/snow

and paul wiedefeld said he questions whether those entrusted to repair the cables are saying they are doing the work and not doing it. fire near the mcpherson metro station caused major delays for commuters and eventually shut the system down for a full-day inspection. the cause is a faulty cable just like the one that led the fire at l'enfant that led to a woman's death. >> i think about the things that have happened to other people. stephen: the fire comes after metro conducted a system wide investigation and began implementing repairs of the problematic cables. >> i hav attitude. i listen to managers and people and i question them. >> in the metro board meeting the general manager raised the possibility the fire at mcpherson square stem from workers entrusted with the inspection and repair since the l'enfant incident stating work is completed when they haven't done it. >> i will go back to find out what we did in the 14 months to months to be see what needs to be done differently going forward. stephen: despite assurances that the misrepresentation of work will not be tolerated som

waiting to hear later this evening from the metro general manager from paul wiedefeld regarding service tomorrow morning. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: thank you. the trickle-down on this is huge. it's everywhere. think about it. metrorail system funnels from northern virginia, prince george's and montgomery county to d.c. michelle: the heart of the subway beneath d.c. streets is above where we are seeing the significant impact. d.c. bureau chief sam ford continues the team coverage from southwest washington. sam? sam: something else that numbers in here is traffic. we are at the southwest freeway where there is a lot of traffic in every moving slowly out of the city. for commuters in downtown washington it was rougher than usual. the traffic was slow. the downtown garages that normally would fill up by noon were full by 9:00 a.m. closing of the metro meant people had to find other ways to get to work. taxis today were able to pick up multiple fares. in the old days. but some cabbies say they weren't doing that much. mayor bowser said today the city is coping but

is there a smarter way. >> reporter: paul wiedefeld made the shut down call on his own after seeing for himself a track fire monday that was alarm mingly similar to the fire 14 months ago that killed 61-year-old carroll glover and sent scores of people to the hospital. what about the riders that say, my gosh, if they have to shut the whole system down for 29 hours, how can i have any faith in

so wiedefeld has ordered an inspection of every jumper cable in the system. he knows short notice will take its toll on the region. >> when i say safety is our highest priority, i mean it that sometimes means making tough, unpopular decisions and this is one of those, for sure. i fumy recognize the hardship this causes to the region and to the community -- fully recognize. >> an administration official with d.c. mayor bowser said they were disappoint to get such late notice on the closure. as for d.c. public schools, they've announced they will open on time tomorrow. there will be extra buses for students who typically take metro to school. but they say any tardy students or absent students will be excused. that's the latest from metro. back to you. >> metro has linked the cause of yesterday's incident to the l'enfante plaza incident from last year. i recall they inspected those jumper cables after the deadly smoke incident. why are they inspecting them again? >> that's exactly right. when they did that, barbara, they found about 125 that did not pass inspect

wiedefeld says to stay on budget, they will need to increase fares 6% annually over the next 10 years. of theiedefeld's outline future. we will carry his speech at the natural press club luncheon on our sister station, news channel 8. coming up next, from tragedy a call for change. two fathers opening up for the first time after losing their sons to a dwi crash following an underaged party. new this week. an injured bald eagle is healing. in update on his condition today. update on his condition. at a darin your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. you want to stay free from artificial preservatives. and your debit card wants to stay on a diet. fill your cart with small victories like giant's nature's promise brand. great prices on over 800 items. eat well for less. only at my giant. i do everything on the internet. but it's kind of slow. my friends said i should get fios because it's the fastest... i just downloaded 600 photos in 60 seconds. that's seriously better. (man) we'

now wiedefeld maintains that crime on metro is lower than it is in most communities.ever, he's recognizes in his words that riders are alarmed by recent assaults and says they t deserve more active policing. pc some of this also is something i that we predicted.rect back on november 19th i took aoo look at the budget documents for 2017, and saw how heavy, top heavy they were as far as a personnel costs in metro.. wiedefeld clearly says that thet need to raise more revenue expenses or out pacing revenue.e we're getting a sense perhapsnss there's going to be managementen shake up and there may be trying to baby notary appliesarp some people as they retire. ther he says as far as managementemen goes, too much of what's beent'b going on is a turf war ratherare than people having their utmost concern about rider safety.y. he's going to lay out all of this as well to the public kindd of.of there will be a luncheon wherech he's the keynote speaker today t at the national press club buts it is a ticketed only event.ve live in new carrollton, melanie alnwick, fox live local ne

that's according to metro general manager paul wiedefeld. he sent out an e-mail alert this afternoon to metro riders describing the problems that happened here at this station saying that the disruptions in service will last late into the night. metro's orange and blue lines are single tracking this evening between foggy bottom and federal triangle stations. this caused delays for riders that began in the morning and lasted throughout the day for many of them. >> we sat for about 15 minutes, maybe 20 minutes in l'enfant plaza with no announcements and they finally came on and said they were asked to hold in l'enfant plaza until an earlier issue had been resolved. >> >> no, they did not. >> reporter: the report of a fire in a tunnel at mcpherson square tunnel, came in at 4:30. buses substituted for trains until the fire department cleared the scene at 6:00 a.m. paul wiedefeld came to assess the situation for himself. >> i can't make any promises for the afternoon rush. what you have is where we are. we'll work to get it better but this is whe

wiedefeld says he wants to be tr transparent about what projects are happening. a new customer report card just went live on the website detailing ongoing projects. >> this is going to be trackable for the public. able to see in two will be done and we can judge you. >> yes. we started a website today, a customer report accounting system basically. >> reporter: he said it's the basics that matter now for metro. >> where i need to focus on is making sure that what we put out there operates. >> reporter: according to metro this morning was the first morning rush in recent memory where there were no train offloads. we have a link to the general manager's new letter about the state of the transit system in our nbc washington app. just search metro. back to you. >> adam, thank you. >>> road crews will be out in force this week filling potholes in montgomery county. county executive ike leggett announced add equipment and staff being added to fill up the holes. they have filled more than 1,000 of them since january and we want to know if you see any potholes causing bi

wiedefeld says he understands this is a huge impact on the d.c. area but said safety is the biggest concern. >> the risk to the public is low. i cannot rule out potential life safety issue here. we must take this action immediately. this will impact the entire metropolitan region. no doubt. we recognize it's difficult to get to work and get to school. everyone relying on metro. they are trying to figure out a plan to deal with this. they are talking to the d.c. public schools. they will provide buses above ground to include for school is a major hassle tomorrow. reporting live, richard reeve, abc7 news. leon: first time we have seen this without a storm involved. because of that the announcement is causing a lot of commuters' draws to drop. maureen: sam ford picks up the team coverage in southeast washington. sam: we are at the armory metro station in southeast washington. people have heard about the situation. the way it is affecting the city, the mayor's office feel the government will open on time. they say it is a work in progress. some could

though the repairs have beenee made, wiedefeld said there iseri much more to answer for. f >> the issue two days ago. a i'm asking the same question, qt how can this be? we were here h 14 months ago. mon. how did we get here again.e agan that is the next step rightep rt now, what do we dodo d differently, what have wet have learned, what are we findingwe out f there to change this? thi >> reporter: so, the three most serious defects found part of the system.e ystem. and so here's the thing.he t they do annual inspectionspeions pretty much those happen every june and then even in betweenn t those annual inspections therene are people that walk the tracks and visually inspect. ipe they can't get that close tot ge the third rail where they would be able to see thatha frayed cable insulation so thene question really becomes areeallo the inspections not up to par? p do they need to step those up u or is there some other problemro that is contributing toibut deterioration of thedete insulation sooner than it would be ordinarily expected. ec on top of that, also lastlast night m

wiedefeld did not mince words when he outlined his plans yesterday for the struggling agency. he says long term closures on the rails could be needed to stop the cycle of band aid repairs. metro now has and online tool so riders can see what crews are working on. >> this will be trackable for the public and we can see in two months we'll have this done, in one year this is done, we can judge you? >> yes. we started on our website a customer report accountable system basically. >> metro may also put toast boards outside of stations to let you know how trains are running before you commit to riding. >>> police in new york city will stop arresting people to minor offenses. a number of off tensenses will result in just summons. low level crimes like littering or public consumption of alcohol is no longer subject to arrest. this new policy could mean 10,000 fewer cases a year and will free up police officer to investigate more serious crimes. >>> a man claims to be your neighbor and then asks you for money. a warning from d.c. police this morning about a man scamming peel. the l pe

despite the beating that it has taken, paul wiedefeld said it should be the best system in the country and by one recent analysis of commute times the number of commuters from the tag company, it already is. >>> breaking news from the white house. a would-be fence jumper was arrested late this afternoon shortly before 5:00. he went over the bike racks on the north side of the white house and secret service arrested him before he got to the main white house fence. the person posted this video to twitter showing people running from the scene. the white house was put on lockdown for a short time but is back to normal now. >>> funeral arrangements have been announced for former first lady, nancy reagan. she will lie in repose at the ronald reagan presidential library and simi valley on wednesday and thursday and the public may pay respects. on friday, a private will be held at the library and she will be laid to rest next to her husband. >>> former secretary of state general colin powell served in the administration and said nancy reagan was a major force in the white house. >> she was an