one lane was blocked bothrt noound and southbound here onn wisconsin i bethesda. sort of between willard and western avenues, that's cleared out of the wa 66 and 95 looking good. let's look at the travel times for you. n miles per hour 66. 62 miles per hour on 95. you're really flowing there just fine. 270 southbound, 63 miles per hour, t top of the beltway, 49 miles per hour. everybody's at speed here. remember to listen to wtop 105 f.m. when you hop in your car. >> thank you. >>> 5:53 now. cutting down on fatal accidents. that is the goal for prince george's county officials. >> a numbe of the fatal accidents we've seen across the area have been at the hands of a drunk driver.ol news4's mte green is working for you with details on a new campaign aimed at keeping you safe on the roads. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you guys. this brand-new campaign is called dry focussed -- drive focused, sober, it kicks off this weekend. i am here on the side of the road here on 301 in bowie with the state's attorney and members of the office, county police, bowie p

edand end in bethesda. the guy posed as a ride share driver. he took her home and then he took her valuables. it's caught on surveillance video. he follows her into the building. then into the elevator. he tries to steal her purse. but it didn't stop there. the man forces his way into her apartment and rips her off big time. how long was he in your apartment? >> it was -- i mean, it felt like a lifetime, but i want to say it was n more than two minutes. >> reporter: we call her sandy. for obvious reasons, we're not revealing her identity or place where she lives. today i tald to herho by. >> i really hope they catch him more than anything to give me piece of mind just because he obviously knows where i live. it still terrifies me to think that maybe he'll come back. >> reporter: that ride sre bber made off with a rolex watch worth $14,000. anotheex

ride share car but instead of dropping her off and leaving her, the driver followed her into her bethesda apartment building and had her handgun and credit cards inside. a different man later used credit card that sre in arlington landover and these are pictures from the stores. if you can help identify either of these emen, polic would like to hear from you. >>> a band of atm thieves strikes again. thisne even more aggressive. by our count tonight, it's at least the ninth hit in three months. last night's heist began the way they always do, smashing the stolen truck through a window of a 7/11 store. this time, it's the store on south dakota avenue northeast dc. unlike the pndvious smash a grabs, this time, the group attacked employees inside the store. >> once inside, they forced two employees to theground. they robbed them of personal property. >> sometimes the thieves get away with the atm. la night, they did not. police found three of the atms stolen in past robberies on fire in an empty lot in prince georges county. >>> university of virgini ba basking in the glow of the first ever m

there was a tunnel system built beneath a home in bethesda. the homeowner is on trial for the death of a young man who was digging those tunnels. late inftnoon the case went to the jury. news 4 nicole jacobs was in courtor the closing arguments. >> reporter: this is a case of secrecy over safety in the eyes u prosecutors. secrecy to cov the location of this bethesda home where the tunnels was having built for a nuclear bunker heai clms for protection from north korea missiles. but that desire to maintain the secrecy led to the death a man beckwitt hired to dig tunnels. in an interview with police, beckwitt said he brought him to his home with his eyes covered so he was surprised to learn he figured out the secret location of the home saying that's kind of scary. that's what i was trying to the bethesda home had hoarding conditions. prosecutors agree beckwitt did not cause the fire that claimed is life, but they say he did cause the inability to escape the blaze. the defense attorney says this case is a mystery without an answ and prosecutors f

news 4's shomari stone just heard from students and he's live in bethesda to explain what's going toh happen we students involved. shomari? >> reporr: good evening. the students who we talked to say that they are disappointed and saddened about what happened and say that this is isola dd ands not reflect on the inclusion, the welcoming nature here at walt whitman high school. the principal sent home a letter to parents basically saying that the image was deeply disturbing for students, staff, and the parents in this community. >> reporter: controversy surrounds walt whitman hh school in bethesda, maryland. two students posted a photo of themselves in blackface, with the n-word superimposed over it. the photo was posted on a private social mediaaccount, but was shared, gained traction, and school officia say many students saw it. in a letter to parents, the principal says, quote, racist incidents have a profoundly negative impact on how our students of color a their families perceive the safety, education, and support our school has to offer. again, want to reiterate that acts of racis

she said it began here, downtown and ended in bethesda. it got ugly in bethesda she said. ashe just wanted ride share home. she ended up becoming a victim of a terrifying robbery. surveiance video of the guy cops are loong for. this is no purse snatching. this is the beginning of a re fhare ripoff. a ripof that could have had tragic consequences. >> i was in the elevator where he tried to assault me twice.at that moment i was extremely terrified. >> reporter: the victim, a 29-year-old bethesda woman. we call her sdra. for obvious reasons, we're concealing her name. i talked to her by phone >>toda it's been almost three weeks and it's horrifying. >> this all began downtown on the "u" street corridor. it was saturday, march 30th, 4:00 a.m. our victim sandra had been out partyingith some friends. she thought she called for a ride share. a white sedan pulls up to the curb. she gets inside. the driver doesn't know theat destn. she thought that was strange but she gave him her address and off they went. th ride to her bethesda condo was uneventful. once they arrive her driver fo

give us theio loc and time again. >> it's from 10:00 to 3:00 at the bethesda north marriott conference center, and you can go to our website on th news and events and you can see all about the expo and who is to be attending. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> it was our pleasure. thank y. >>> that's "news4 your sunday." to see any of our programs log on to nbcwashtington.com. i am pat lawson muse. thank you for watching. for 50 years, cracker barrel has been making folks feel right at home, with meals like homestyle country fried steak, grandma's sampler, and our signature chicken n' dumplins. so, come on home to what you love. come on home to cracker barrel. so, come on home to what you love. i'm off to college. i'm worried about my parents' retirement. don't worry. voya helps them to and through retirement... dealing with today's expenses ...while helping plan, invest and protect for the future. so they'll be okay? i think they'll be fine. voya. helping you to and through retirement. >>> "news 4 today" starts now. >>s breaking n overnight, gunfire ends the life of two people in

play say a bethesda woman was robbed by a man who claimed to be a ride share iver. the man took her back to her building but then followed her inside. now surveillance videohe shows t man grabbing for her purse inside the elevator. he then forced his way into her apartment and stole more stuff before runningof the woman was not hurt. >>> safety was the topic of discussion at laplada high school in charles county. hundreds of parents were called to a meeting after two students were caught with guns. the head of safety said maryland makes it difficult for the school to install metal detectors. >> you can't have metal detectors because it might be an invasion of privacy but i think that probably most parents here would rather have a little bit of invasion of privacy thanav he their child shot. >> the dector of safety says over the last two weeks his staff has increase its presenc at the school. >>> today several denver area school districts will be closed nid a investigation into threats again some colorado schools. the fbi says an 18-year-old woman has made those thre

in bethesda, near western avenue, lefng lane getti by.as cleared. 270 near montrose, we'll take a look at that. sometimes we'll get a glitch if there's a slowdown. inner loop and outer loop, no problems there. 68 miles per hour gets you there in ten minutes. eun? >> melissa, thank you. road repairs tt started this week could require crews to temporarily shut down a busy highway in fairfax county. we're talking about route 50 near ferros mall. a pipe underneath the road has become corroded. now part of the road is sagging. they shay say it's got a problem. >> chips ahoy with what i calls an unexpected solidified ingredient. this recall involves 13 ounce packages with the best buy dates in september of this year. if you have a package, throw it out or take it back to the store for a refund. >> just chocolate chips, that's it. >> youon't want the other stuff? >> no. >> that's the problem. >>> still ahead on "news 4 today," we'reho swing you how a maryland man is turning the food you don't want into big business. >>> facebook discusses sellin

>>>iz are plot has a man in bethesda locked up. >> he's accused of trying to pay somebody to threaten the little girl, even put a gun to her police say the man thought he was hirg a hitman to do the job. instead he waalking to an undercover cop. news first jackie bensen is live with what we know about this twisted case. jackie? >> reporter: 3$350. that is what the suspect offered the would-be intimidater who turned out to be an undercover cop. massoud mokhtari tand the that he wanted him to break into the home of a woman and her little girl. he wanted him to tell the mother if they didn't vacant in three days, the child would be ne. he was unaware of who he offered $350 to threaten mother and child was an erundercov cop. >> we feared for the safety of the adult female and her daughter. they immediately arrested him. >> reporter: mokhtari is facing four felony counts. >> what a strange story,jackie. do we have any idea why the man wanted to terrorize the child and the mother? >> reporter: it begs the question. i actually went t that hom tonight, spoke to a man and woman who answered th

. >> at aunday open house in bethesda, maryland, homebuyers were taking advantage of warmer weather andtgage rates. >> everything was falling into place and interest rates are going down and the weather is nice and we have houses to look at and people a excited. >> things were busy at this five bedroom colonial and while the supply of homes for sale is higher than last spring, the market is still very competitive. >> it seems like there are fewer houses on the market that armo affordable and it also seems that they would go very quickly, so within the first couple of weeks of showing. >> tan and her husband matthew want more space for their young family. >> see if we look at the upper end of our price range and it seems like there are more options and price i still clearly an issue and while the most markets are shrin the run-up over the last few years is dramatic and falling mortgage rates are not making up for it and the average 30-year fixed are justver 5% last november and began falling slowly. itdent to aro 4.5% in february and then took a deep dive toward the end ofmarch, only to

a man found burned to death inside this bethesda home.hat fire lding investigators to a set of underground tunnels. prosecors tells daniel beckwitt's actions led to the death of a man who waselping him build the bunker. news 4 cory smith was in court today and spoke to the victim's father. >>. >> rr: was it an accident between friends or something more sinister? that isio the que a montgomery county jury will begin to answer as daniel beckwitt a million air stock trader and computer hacker goes on trial for murder. it was september of 2017 when a fire broke out atwi be's home in bethesda. when crews arrived, they found e body in the basement. several weeks later the case took a bizarre turs when it revealed investigators found a hole in the basement floor that led a shaft that dropped 20 feet down into tunnels that extended some 200 feet in length. police say they were part of ane underground b to protect against a nuclear attack from north korea. he allegedly hired khafra to do the the attorney says his client is ger to get the trial sta

. >> justin finch live in bethesda. thank you. >>> a similar incident is under investigation @a loudoun county high school. the principal at stonebridge tugh sent a letter to parents saying that some snts sent racially incensensitive messagen a group chat over the weekend. the letter from the principal says in part, quote, the derogatory and raciall inappropriate statements made to the female students in this group chat saturday are unacceptable. he says the sheriff's office is investigating, and the children involv will be disciplined. >>> this morning, renewed calls for safety changes on the gw parkway. >> last night an early evening crasd kille a taxi driver, left ree people hurt, and snarled traffic for hours. this happened during the evening rush in the bellevue area ofir fax county. both the northbound and southbound les had to be closed. a taxi and vw bugli cded head on. the cab driver died at the scene. two tthers were airlifted the hospital with life-threatening injuries. a local lawmaker says the crash is a re

met him at a bethesda restaurant. left her drunk a unattende then woke up later in an unfamiliar place while vann was raping her. vann is now being held at a detention center while he awaits trial. >>> a sterling man senteed today f running a prostitution ring out of his home. authoritiesay louise hernandez spoke little if any english and struggled with money troubles. he will traffic the women from new york and advertise services fo them on business cards. he is an undocumented immigrantl from sel salvador. he was sentenced to two years in jail for that crime. >>> we have a news 4 consumer alert this evening. a strengths ended local effortp to khieves from cashing in on your credit. as northern virginia bureau reporter shows us, fairfax county police are using recent credit card fraud to educate retailers and protect your money. >> these are referred to these aslted cards. >> tysons urban teamas credit cards taken from thieves. >> they made them up from scratcho look like real card. >> and will match an >>d. olice sa

all need to tt s you have to ask, "what's my name," because it can be anyone. >> reporter: in the bethesdamaryland, case, police say that suspect got all the way into the woman's apartment early saturday morning, stealing some property, then fleeing. the parents of the woman who was killed are also asking that all states require front license plates so that riders can compare the license they get on their app with the car that comes to pick them up. david? >> really important to try to do that. all right, david kerley, thank you. >>> now, to the race for 2020 tonight, and the fiery town hall. bernie sanders on fox news. and the question about health care in america, it drew a huge response from the audience. and tonight, president trump tweeting, positiveuzzled why be sanders was on fox news. their response tonight, and here's abc's mary bruce. the t'favorite network, fox news, bernie sanders asked voters to embrace one of his most progressive ideas -- medicare for all. >> do you think it makes sense to spend twice as much per capita as the people of any other nation and be the only countr

in september of 2017, fire broke out at the house on danbury road in bethesda. its owner, 27-year-old daniel beckwithas charged with second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. he didn't cause the fire but created dangerous conditions there. it caused the death of this man who was helping dig a tunnel to protect beckwi from north cro kore missiles. beckw's lawyers argue he's a strange young man saying the eare and the d was a mystery. >> reporter: the jury is continuing their deliberations.e will be updating you, the latest live from the montgomery courthouse, chris gordon, news4. >>> i'm erika gonzalez with more breaking news. the search for a missing 5-year-old in illinois ends with a grim discovery and a doubling arrest. a short time ago, detectives say they believe they found the boy's body. his paren are facing murder charges. a.j. was reported missing a week ago. they put him to bed and the next day they couldn't fin him. they say the child's parents provided new information that led authorities to find the boy's body in a shallow grave today. >> j.

. >> rep he says ownerreshspageh, french bakery in bethesda. he was born and raised in paris. >> my world, where i grew up when i was young, is collapsing. it's a b shock. especially this week, it's holy week. >> reporter: at mass people are relieved the paris fire chief says the church's structure had been saved. but there is a lot of damage. >> we offer our prayers and express our solidarity with all of the people of france and particularly the church in paris. >> reporter: shamari stone, news 4.t' >>> known as one of the deadliest roads in maryland are we're talking about the indian head highway. over the last0 decade 6 people have died there including three children just before the new year. there have also been 134 crashes with injuries along route 210. now a grassroots effort by neighbors has resulted in several new speed cameras going up. news 4's megan mcgrath has more on the safety changes onhe way. >> reporter: route 210. indian head highway. it's one of the most dangerous roads in the dmv. yasmine duncanll knows that too well. her da

she met him at a bethesda restaurantk left the drunattended.ke up later in an an familiar place says vann was raping her he's held has a detention center awaiting trial. >>> meanwhile, a man sentenced for running atu prostion ring out of his home in sterling. he w exploiting women who spoke little english and struggled financially. police say he would traffic the women from new york and advertise the service on business cards. he is an undocumented immigrant from el salvador and sentenced n to more than two yearsil for that crime. >>> greg craig back in court monday. the former obamahite house counsel about work on behalf of for governments. he was released from custody and scheduled to be back in court next wednesday for a hearing whether tois surrender passport. the charges grew out of special counsel robert mueller's investigation into paul manafort's lobbying activities. craig is accuses of sleading the justice department aboutr woon behalf of the pro-russian president of ukraine in 2012. three years aftter craig he white house. >>> to the

thinki thinking was a ride share, the driver followed her io her bethesda apartment building. her bag inside with credit cards. police say a different man then later used tho credit cards at stores in arlington and landover. these are pichores from t stores. if you know either man, police want to hear from you. >>> af band o atm thieves stri anggain by our account, this is the ninth time this happened in just three months. thursday night's heist began the way they all do. smashing a stolen truck through the window of a 7-eleven. now, this time it's the store on south dakotae avenu in northeast, d.c.li the previous smash and grabs, this time the group attacked employees in the store. >> once inside, they forced two employees to the ground. they robbed them of their personal property. >> sometimes the thieves get away with the atm. this time, that was not the case. police found three of the atms stolen in past robberies on fire in anmpty parking lot in prince georges county. >>> happening today at reagan national airport. a large emergency drill going to be held there to prepare

we are in bethesda with what ould be the next step for the students involved. >> reporter: at the very least, the principal here at whitman said the students will likelyhe face wha calls significant consequences based on the schools code of conduct and goes on to say the behavior exhibited in the image will not beto rated and adding to that it was reported to montgomery county police as a high bias incident and the police did participate in e investigation with the image. no writing to parents the principal saying it is important that all students at whitman feel this is their sool. in that letter he said in part that racist incidents have a profoundly negative impact on how our stu ants of color their families perceive the safety, education and support our school has to offer. again, i want to reiterate that acts of racism are unacceptable and not t werated att whitman. and as well, the principal wants to reach out to his peers in the county and work on way to address racism here within the atlture at whitman high school and also ways to c better cultural understanding, too. here in b

today presentations at pyle middle school in bethesda that start at 10:00 this morning. if you want to go to a presentation search beltway to find one near you on the washington app. >>> speed limits going back up on the bw parkway after massive poleholeses were finally repaired. the national park service it will return the speed limited to the 55 miles per hour on route 197 and route 32. chose to lower the speed last month due to the major potholes problems on the parkway. speaking exclusively to news 4 yesterday, the new secretary of interior says the park service needs some he. >> we need to work with congress to come up with a better wa to manage the assets we have and take care of what we have, and it's not just he in the baltimore-washington or gw, it's throught the resources we have and people love therk pas, and we need to up our game a little bit across the board. >> saying the park service is currently facing $12 billion in backlogged maintenance. >>> i see that my good friend dav is ready next to me. >> this, just sitting on the desk. >> happened to be right h

this is farmland elementary school in north bethesda. 400 kid i spoke with the other day.hird, fourth, and fifth gradesers. great questions -- graders. great questions. thanks for having me. they were well behaved and respectful. i was impressed with all of them. >> thank you. >>> ahead, we're helpingou y stay stress free. we'll show you one way toe beat estress while it satis your sweet tooth. >>> here'sup what's comin -- >> think of one animal that scares me, that i wouldn't want to be in a room with -- >> ah! >> what the -- [ laughter ] >> that guy -- >> seriously. he was going to get kcked out. >> jump out of a box -- chris hemsworth on "ellen" at 3:00 followed by news4 at 4:00. we'll be right back. >>> just about 5:25. we all have our ways ofst relievingss. have you ever heard of stress baking? >> this i surprising stress relief trend that's helping a lot of people cool off with a wareward. news4's justin finch takes us to a bakery in bethesda. >> reporter: fancy cakes' owner megan remo has always loved baking. >> i couldngake somet and give it to other people, and th

and merriman came in and said, "bill i know the president's going to bethesda "but i have to have it confirmed." in those days pierre salinger who had been kennedy's press secretary, had urged me to leven to smoke cigars, i smoked. he said because you're going to be asked very tough questns and you're going to need 30 seconds to think of the answer. and if yu 're smoking a cigar n light it up and you've got 30 seconds to compose your answer. (audience laughs) so i was hooked i smoked a cigar th on my son's front porc afternoon, i got used to them. and anyway, so i ease up lighting my cigar and he said, "let me light it." c he smoarettes, so i walked around him and locked my door from the inside, took the key and put it in my pocket. fromwhy office to the lobby e the press phones were and he said, "damnit i know it "i'm gonna go out and write it." so he opened the door, he couldn't get it open. s we were seven minull three and he couldn't, and he started chasing me around the room. no, i'm serious, behind the desk. he started coming at me, "y, son of a bitch," he sa know you got, "jus

it's a module that may show up in your news feed that would say today in -- bethesda, which was the one i first signed up for because i wanted to see what it was like. it will show you the weather and pull in algorithmically, in the course of doing that research we had tons of local news content but we discovered where there was nun. it turns out people as we were discussing today people love local news. . . . . how close is that to becoming a reality, is that in the works? >> she just mentioned over the weekend and we are excited about the prospect. it's going to require testing and building and all the things. the reason for it right now you have to wait for it shows up because your friends and family recommend it or you follow a publishers page. if you don't do that, you would have to wait until they give it to you. the ide idea would be you can gd look for news and be exposed to more. today is our hope has been we are not making payments to publishers become dependent on the payments. they should be able to begin monetize directly and have a direct relationship with their audience r

. >> cory smith i live in bethesda with the allegations that go back more than 50 years. cory? >> reporter: well good afternoon. th litigation scope is absolutely massive. we're talking about an organization that serves some million children. and hearing these allegations are quite shocking when you think about everything the boy scouts have been through. but victims are starting to come forward and it appears more and more will continue to do so. >> when we got this information, we had to sound the alarm -- >> reporter: rights' right attorney jeff anderson is the attorneys making a nationwide plea for more victims to come forward. eaking at a press conference in new york, anderson called for a full release of known as the perversion files. once secret documents detailing decades of alleged abuse by scout masters, and leaders and volunteers across the country. according to anderson, the files show 7819 alleged perpetrators. and som 12,254 alleged victims. >> we don't knowrehere they a we don't know if they got reported. we don't know who all they are. we don't know if the polic

what the injury heard about a man's death inside tunnels underneath a bethesda home. >>> and a reminder to think before you retweet. a new nbc news report about twitter bots seizing on the tueller report. >>> temperas today beautiful. around 80 degrees. tomorrow we're dropping by 5 to 10 degrees. i'll show you what else comes in this forecast over the next couple of days. you'll start to everyone's got to listen to mom. when it comes to reducing the sugar in your family's diet, coke, dr pepper and pepsi hear you. we're working together to do just that. bringing you more great tasting beverages with less sugar or no sugar at all. smaller portion sizes, clear calorie la bls and reminders to tance. because we know mom wants what's best. more beverage choices, smaller portns, less sugar. balanceus.org >>> days after the easter sunday terror attacks in sri lanka, the death toll there continues to climb. now more than 300 people are dead, including a little boy from d.c. >> we're working for you tmight with tea coverage. news 4's aimee cho shares the story of that local student that was kille

a man from bethesda who was the lot serving u.s. attorney when he served in pmaryland. >>> right now at 5:30, a mother whav says police no respect for her privacy or her property. now the aclu is suing the d.c. police on her behalf. >>'s the wild thing. just days after her son died in a crash with a police cruiser, officers showed up her house and searched her yard. they never even brought a search warrant and never gave an explanation. >> news 4 darcy spencer is live at police headquarters with the mesage this woman i trying to se darcy. >> reporter: wendy, that's nd ri.ght. this woman tells me that she wan at her o home gathered with family members, making funeral arrangements for her son and that's when the police showed up. she still to this day doesn't know why they were there. this video is part of a lawsuit against d.c. police and one of its officers. the aclu d.c. says in t suit the officer illegally searcd denise price's property in northeast last may. >> sir, sir, cany you leave property, please. >> reporter: you can hear

imagineoloing fromlege park to bethesda in rush hour in less than 15 minutes. it almost sounds too good to be true. some residents say it is, especially sce governor hogan has said eminent domain would not bees nry. nate cooper's home is a few door us down from theelt way. while he's opposed to the expansion, he says for the grceter good sacri have to be made. >> it's easy to say when you're four houses away from the project itself. it's just the way it is. >> reporter: try telling that te someone l montero. >> it's not right. here recently. >> that was cory smith reporting. meanwhile on the other side of the potomac, congresswoman jennifer wexton says a new setback on thein silver is unw ceptable. a sue with concrete pedestals at the future dulles airport stop, those pedestals have apparently been constructed without internal reinforcement. thosel pedestals w secure glass walls on the first level and glad wind screens on the second. this latest issue means the contractor is unlikely to hit its august deadline. >>> let's go back toig twoy controversial and pote

it's a module that may show up in your news feed that may say today in bethesda, it will show you the weather and it will pull in algorithmically some of the news. in the course of doing that research we had tons of local news content but we did then discover where there is none. people love local news. but in the course of doing it we found all this data in our product team that built it said why am i sitting on all this data. this isn't fair. we need to share it with academics. we had to work out all the privacy considerations and we shared it . i think it's a little misconception that we didn't have enough content. there is a lot of content. i think our goal is to figure out how that can continue to be even more beneficial to publishers. >> so facebook doesn't pay publishers for news but you pay for music and entertainment. mark zuckerberg just said in an interview earlier this week that he's considering paying publishers for their work and creating a sort of news tab, a walled off area for news. how close is that to becoming a reality? is that in the works or is it -- >> he just m

justin finch is live in bethesda now with reaction to all this. good morning. >> reporter: goomorning. we spoke with whitman students who found that image hurtful in one word, they say. the principal says it's one reason why this behavior simply cannot be tolerated. it turns out he says an image was first seen on line in a private account, then shared t manyimes afterwards. the principal saying, too, the students involved here are going to face serious consequences under the county school's public conduct code. they also said the image was rerted to police here as a hate bias incident. it was, of course, seen by students, staff, and many others o found that image deeply disturbing. students here tell us that they do not believe that this is whao their sch is about. >> i like a to say we have supportive community in which everyone's welcome. it doesn't feel good to know that you come to school here and there are people like that, especially people being treated like that. and if i knew before hand, i would have done somethin >> reporter: in a lette

it's a module that may show up in your news feed that would say today in bethesda, which is the one i first signed up for, i wanted to see what it was like back here. and it will show you the weather and it will show you some-- it will pull in algorithmically some of the local news from there. in the course of doing that research, we had tons of local news content, but we did then discover where there is none. so we actually -- it's been very successful. it turns out people, as we are discussing today. people love local news. but in the course of doing it, we found all of this data and our product team that built it, this wonderful woman, said that why am i sitting on all of this data. this isn't fair. we need to share it with academics and so we had to work out the privacy considerations and we shared it. but, no, i think it's a misconception, it's been reported a little not quite right that we didn't have enough content. there is a lot of content. i think our goal is to figure out how that can continue to be even more beneficial to publishers. >> i want to ask you, so facebook doesn

this wmland hollywood in north bethesda. spoke with 400 third, dfourth, ifth graders.t was fun chatting with them. thank you so much. they were well behaved, i have to say, and respectful. i was i supermpressed and loved everything they had to say. >> thank you so much. >>> still ahead on "news4 today," we are hping you stay we'll show you one way to beat stress while it satisfies your sweet toh. listen, there's nothing chocolate cake can't cure. >>> here's a look at what's coming up on "ellen." >> think of one animal that -- >> that scares me? that i wouldn't wanto be in a room with -- >> ahh! >> what the -- >> see, the guy in that box almost lost his face. did you see him make a fist? four was about to hit you -- actor chris hemsworth stopping by theshow. you can watch it at 3:00 on "ellen" followed by news4 at 4:00. stay with us. >>> another delay for the launch of the spacex "falcon" heavy rocket. it was supposed to go up today but is nowlated to be launched on wednesday. it's the fifth most-powerful rocket ever 'sbuilt. intended to carry super-big satellites into

a man was found burned to death in a bethesda home. they fund a set of tunnels under the home built to be a bunker. daniel hired his friend to do the digging at his home. d.c., you probably know, is the birth place of go-go music, but in one neighborhood, an effort to sence the sound i getting a lot of push back. >> people were out in full force,in m sure music was heard. ♪ news 4's derek ward was in shaw and explain ing why the go-go there is gone. >> there is something different intersection. is it the buildings? there is a change, but there is something missing. that's it. it's the music and them. for more than 20 years, they have been part of a sonic scene blaired from the speakers of this metropcs store. it it's something we grew up with. a spirit here. >> it has been a main stay for the last 15 or 20 ars. >> hard core go-go and everyone from celine deion to the talki heads. that ended recently from a complain from a nearby resident to the company squelched the show. there are more pressing nuisa e isances than sidewalk music. >>

. >>> now to another rideshare horror, this time in bethesda, maryland. >> a woman thought she was inhare. she made it home but police say the fake driver followed the woman into her apartment and robbed her. abc's david kerley has the story. >> reporter: this is the man police are looking for who they say possessed as a rideshare driver. that woman had ordered a car and believed he was the driver. >> the car pulls up and i get into the car. he just said, you know, your address is not registering, which should have been alarm bell number one. >> reporter: when she got home the man demanded payment, even though she said she'd paid on the app. he then follows her into her building and then into an elevator, allegedly attempting to steal her purse. frighteningly similar to another rideshare case when a 21-year-old student, samantha josephson, got into what she thought was her uber ride in south carolina last month. her body was found the next day. the man posing as the rideshare driver charged with kidnapping ntents on "good morning america" saying, we all need to ask rideshare drivers,

a jury will soon decide if a deadly fire in a bethesda home was a crime. but this was not an ordinary house. in fact,ashis w a labyrinth of tunnels. and here to talk more about that, cory, this has been something else t see this play out. >> goes back to an t incidentt haened in december 2017, a house catches fire, investigators go in,hey find body in the basement. weeks later they come to find out that there are a series o tunnels underneath this home, about 200 feet spreading out in each direction. the big question is, well, what was this person doing down there? he was digging -- he was digging those tunnels. 21-year-old man, askia cofera, hired by the son of the homeowner, daniel beckwith to dig tunnels. he was worried about the north korean nucle threat. wanted to build a nuclear bunker if you will underneathe his in bethesda in exchange for investing in mr. cofera's business. a fire started in t me. he is unable to make itout. now mr. beckwith ts onrial for his murder. prosecuthis are saying t tunnel and this basement was a death trap, hoarding condi

the national institute, ere and infectious diseases at the national institutes of health in bethes bethesda. >> there are some core vaccines that all adults shouldget. >> among those core vaccines, the flu you should get one every year. the tjab vaccine which protects against diphtheria and whouling have is recommended for all adults and for women during and a td booster everyen yea to protect against tanus and diphtheria. the doctor also recommends young adults to the age of 26 get an hpv vaccine to protect against cancers caused by the human papillomavirus. at age 50, a shingles vaccine is recommended. and at 65, a vaccine to protect against pneumonia. side effects are the same for adults as they are for children. >> overwhelmingly, vaccines are very, very safe. etsometimes that you might a low grade fever or feel a little off for a day or two. it usually only lasts 24 to 48 hours. >> you may have someen ss and redness on your arm after a vaccine. but it will not make you sick. that's a myth. for alex, staying up to date on his vaccinations has given h and his family peace of mind. >> now

. >>> happening today, thnsfirst defe witness in the bethesda tunnel halse murder tri is set to take the stand. the prosecution rested its case yesterday. daniel beckwit is accused of depraved heart murder. prosecutors said he let a -year-old die when a fire broke out in the tunnels beneath his home. investigators say beckwit hired kafra to help him dig a doomsday bunker. today's witness worked in the tunnels before fra was hired. >>> the man many known as the so-called amel can taliban wil be out of prison soon. john walker lindh is serving 20-year-old sentence for helping the taliban after the attacks. he is getting out of prison next month. he will be on probation for three years and be required to have mental health treatment ant his interne access restricted. >>> 064: this morning. we're seeing surveillance video from that attempted atm theft at a 7-eleve in mt. rainier. we brought this as breaking news yesterday morning. look closely at the pickup. itacks up into the store to dislodge the atm inside. now one try didn't do it, so they did it again. then the robbers pull and push

in bethesda, southbound wisconsin between willard and western, left lanetis g by that work zone this morning. here we go in clinton. branch avenue near surratz road, lanes have reopened after a gation overnight. zoom flooding to arlington, there is the same thing we were dealing with yesterday. th thought they'd have it wrapped up. still going on. crystal drive at south 27th, police direction there. follow that. water main break. aaron? >> all right. 4:01. >>>his morning, we're not following one but two developing stories both in prince george's county and both involving gun violence. >>e ust bef00 last night a ma swas foundt to death in his car in hitland. twrs earlier, arkiverdale pa homeowner opened fire on a man who t bed toak into his home. we'll begin at riverdalepark. officers were called to a home on 59th avenue around 5:30. the homeowner says a man tried ou break t his fronts door. he grabbed his gun and fired a shot at the would-be burglar, but doesn't know whether he hit him. e man took off running. police spent hours on the scene, but so far they've made no arrests. >>> a

. >>> good mornin bethesda, outer loop before river road, right shoulder blocked by a disabled vehicle. not seeing any delay on the maps. that's a very good ing. rest of the beltway is looking fine. earlier issue has disapered. thcamp springs, norund branch avenue before allentown road, the left side blocked by an accident. owe rest of the routes into town and out of t are looking fine oight now at least. 270 southbound the spur, going 66iles per hour. gets threw in 27 minutes. hopefully the volume stays light with some kids still off of school for spring break. 66 and 95, nothing in your way. guys? >> thanks. yikes. i'm glad you're reading this one. >> if you're eating breakfast, you might want to take a break. easter sunday traffic near seattle stalled because a truck carrying human waste crashed anp led it all over the busy highway. >> heavens. >> authorities say the driver of the truck femme asleep behind the -- fell asleep behd the wheel. the person suffered just minor injuries. cleanup of the scuff caused four-mile back -- >> stop it. stop it. stop it. >> caused a four-mile backu

the wealthy stockbroker who hired a young man toig tunnels underneath his bethesda home has been convicted of second-degree murder. >> prosecutors say daniel beckwit wanted to have a nuclear bunker but created a deathrespect to a man was found underneath the home. police say when a fire broke out 2017, he was unable to escape. new video is showing how dangerous conditions were.n >> the per had absolutely no care whatsoever for the welfare of this young man that he put down in the pit. >> i'm very happy with the verdict. it has restored my sense of faith in the justice system. >> beckwit faces a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in june. >>> new, we are working to learn more about a house fire in upper marlboro. it happened on mallard court. prince george's county fse officialave not released details on injies or on what may have caused the fire to start. >>> later today a judge will decide whether a.s. coast guard lieutenant accused of plotting terrorism will stay in jail. christopher hasan is awaiting trial on firearms and weapons charges. prosecutors say he was stockpili

a bethesda restaurant don't -- donated part of its proceeds to project hope. >> the nonprofit provides medical services around the world. prect hope says it often helps communities affected by always great to see communitying in together. >> -- community c.ing togeth >> sure is. >> a lot of people came to the tidal basin over the weekend. the traffic was- something that's been the second spectacle this year. it's been unbelievable. >> i avoid it at all costs. >> we've had them at peak all week. last weekend -- >> that's lucky. >> two weekends in a row with neareak conditions. at said, it started to look like a snowfall. >> snowing. >> with the white petals coming down fast -- >> also pretty to look at,ou . >> still there? >> they are still there. they're probably just about done peaking and a couple of warm days today and color along with breezes and raindrops. putting the finishing touches on peak blooming. that said, if you're just arriving in our fair city for a vacation hoping to see flora an, faood news is a lot of flowers are still out there. the tulip garden also down, not too f

of course, bethesda's ownie k ledecky is on board. the five-time olympic gold medal winner has signe on as a league ambassador and will also compete in meets. no one else is going to win. the new international swimming league is set to launch in october. the d.c. trident will be one of four u.s. teams along with four european-based squads. ae "washington business journal" reportsleast one event will be in the d.c. area. she's training for tokyo, you know. fo the next summer olympics -- >> let somebody else win. just once -- >> >>> get ready for your n folks on pets. yesterday was national siblings day -- did you see the pictust of my and me? >> yeah. today it's national pet day. the annual day started in 2005 and is celebrated each year on april 11th. >> take a look. we're aeady in the spiri here. you see leo? he's the black dog with the bandana. here are some of the photos of our four-legged friends. cuties. it's estimated about 85 million american families own pets. so g ready to see a lot of photos. we see iza and lou, chuck's dogs

. >> at a sunday open house in bethesda, maryland home buyers were taking advantage of warmer weather and lower mortgage rates. >> everything is falling into place where interest rates are going down, the weather is nice, we have houses to look at and people are excited. >> reporter: things were bedroom at this five bedroom colonial but while the supply of homes is higher than last spring the market is competitive. >> seems there are fewer houses on the market that are more affordable and go quickly, within the first couple weeks of showing. >> reporter: tonya and her husband matthew want more space for their family. >> if we look towards the upper end of our price range there's more options. >> reporter: price is still an issue while the price gains in most markets are shrinking the run up over the last few years was dramatic and even falling mortgage rates are not making up for it the average rate on the 30-year fixed saw a peak just over 5% last november but then began falling slowly an went to around 4.5% in february and then took a deep dive toward the end of march, only to bounc

after a man pretending to be a rideshare driver robbed a woman inside her bethesda apartment, officials victim was targeted after a night out with friends. when she got into the wrong vehicle, assuming it was her ride home. the suspect is seen here on video attempting to snatch the woman's purse. police say moments later he entered her apartment, stole property and ran. detectives determined the suspect did not work for any of the ridesharing companies. he's still on the run. >> now to a standoff in san antonio where an armed suspect barricaded himself inside his home and lit it on fire with people trapped inside. police were called to the home after reports that the suspect and his wife were fighting. when they arrived, the man started shooting at them with a rifle. authorities exchanged gunfire. the home continued to burn until firefighters got the all clear. one woman, rather, was able to escape. the suspect was killed as well as a neighbor. the suspect's wife was taken to the hospital and treated with severe burns. >> 3-d printing is proving to be one of the most gain saving technol

. >>> the power is back on for some folks in bethesda. the montgomery county fire department says a tree fell on mcarthur boulevard and maryland avenue yestery. this is video from the area. you can't see the treeecause lice closed off the boulevard. the tree knocked down lanes and daged a-- down lines and damaged a utility pole. >>> prince george's county a aare -- prince george's pice are trying to find out who shot a transgender woman. >> hanti carmen was shot and killed at fairmont heights. there's not a suspect or moticl. it's ur whether the fact that ashanti was transgendered play a role in her murder. >>> transgender people face violencenary levels of and assault, especially women according to the human rights ig cam ashanti carmen is the second transgender person violently killed so far thisyear. last year, 28 transgender people were murdered. >>> the woman accusing former vice president joe biden of appropriate behavior is going public. lucy flores says biden behaved inappropriately during a 2014 campaign event in nevada. flores s

that you will order or one person or one and you all can do need the capacities of countries dr bethesda shabaan thank you well while some nations lucrative contracts for the reconstruction of syria britain is turning the other way tourism is government has confirmed that there would even be a post rex a trade deal signed with neighboring turkey that learn the economic superpower of japan after march the twenty ninth but one signed off post rex a trade deal trumpeted by the u.k. government concerns the pharaoh islands in the north atlantic population just of fifty thousand joining me now is the man who negotiated the deal minister of trade on foreign affairs for the pharaoh islands pull mickelson joins me now via skype from the capital torch on trade minister welcome to going underground so britain keen to emphasise the trade deal saying the pharaoh islands is an important trade partner as well as switzerland and chile the big deals we've signed how difficult with the negotiations you know i don't think they were especially difficult. we didn't do that in the in the beginning when the pr

police say a bethesda woman was robbed by a man claiming to be a ride share driver. this happened a couple ofoeeks agfter a night out with friends on u street. the man took her back to her building and then followeder h inside. surveillance video shows the man grabbing for her purse inside of the elevator and then forces his way into her apartment and stole more stuff before running off. the good news here is that the woman was not hurt. >>> check out this footage taken inside of the kennedy center last night. three young adults wer trapped in an elevator about 30 feet below ground, that is d.c. fire and ems on the scene use a specialized hauling device to lift the trapp people out o the elevator shaft. no one was hurt. >>> well here is good news for your upcoming summer trips. amtrak is adding mor express trains from d.c. to new york. the additional stations at 11:00 a.m. on saturday and trips will start may 4th and the additional saturday service was a direct response to customer requests. >>> major safety milestone for vre. the computer rail system is use a brand-