elections for local office in the district of columbia. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. issa, and the squom from district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from california. mr. issa: i'll be brief. today we're doing a small and technical change to everyone except the people of the district of columbia who consistently have to live under a rule that costs the voters and the residents of the district of columbia to expend enormous additional dollars to have special elections rather than have having the ornary flexibility to try to combine their votes at a time in which it would be less expensive. the bill which is, if you will, an omission, under the home rule act, provides for the district of columbia to fill vacancies on the first tuesday, 114 days after the date of such vacancy occurring. unfortunately, this does not provide the flexibility necessary to time special elections concurrently with other general and primary elections. there

congresswoman now in her 11th term as a congresswoman of the district of columbia is the ranking member of the house subcommittee on economic development of the buildings and emergency management. she also serves on the committee on oversight and government reform and the committee on transportation and infrastructure. the congresswoman is a tenured professor of law at georgetown university, received her bachelors degree from ohio and her law degree and a masters degree in american studies from yale. i've been organizing meetings for quite a few years. i've learned to avoid inviting members of congress because congress is a jealous mistress. we're very, very fortunate with the help of monica laws and to schedule with congresswoman holmes norton's staff, and she showed up exactly on time. thank you. >> thank you very much. my chief regret, of course, is that yes, my mistress is in session. and if anything i was concerned that i might not get here on time. but my chief regret is that i wasn't able to hear the panel because when i -- i read of what you were seeking to do here today, i know

and i can tell you that the capital of the united states, the people of the district of columbia were controlled by southern democrats for 150 years and did not get its home rule until 1974 precisely because of that fateful decision. it was not because at that time or at any time until about 1960 the majority of people living here were african-americans. it was because there was a fair number of african-americans so southern democrats, people in my own party, kept the city from getting its home rule, kept is segregat segregated. i went to segregated dunn bar high school, everything was segregated in this city. the district was one of the five brown versus board of education cases. this was the legacy of that fateful decision. it was the capital of the united states and it was the capital of slavery. slaves were sold in the streets, slaves -- of course slavery thrived here even afterwards until nine months before the civil war when lincoln, as i'm sure someone said, as a war measure liberated the slaves of the district of columbia. my great grandfather, richard holmes was among them. r

the very first things under home rule, is the consolidation of all of the colleges, dc tc, district of columbiaeachers college, fcc and wti washington technical institute into the university of the district of columbia. >> dr. lightman i could sit here and listen to you talk this entire week i could it is wonderful history i would just encourage you where can we get this book? first of all the university? chef >> yes, look on our website www.udc.edu we are trying to make our neighbors know and the region and nation know there is more to the university of distransact of columbia than what you thing you know -- district of columbia than what you thing you know. >> so we gave you the most supreme tease with all the great history buy the book look into our history if you went to udc or not it is fascinating. tony this book is the encyclopedia on it. >> if only your birthday or christmas was coming up. >>> coming up researchers say a new test may be able to diagnose depression. >> imagine getting the work one day only to find out people there think you are dead. hear from a guy who is very much aliv

and i'm proud that the district of columbia will be its home. thank you very much. w museum. thank you very much. >> we all know that the smithsonian institution is a place of learning. it's a place where history, art and culture come alive in a vibrant way. and helping to make sure that this happens is dr. richard curran. for many years he was the force behind the annual folk life festival which draws more than a million people to the national mall for two glorious months, two glorious weeks rather in the month of june and now as undersecretary for the smithsonian he helps guide the work of the history and culture museums including the one for which we are breaking ground today. it gives me great pleasure to present the smithsonian's undersecretary for history, art and culture, dr. richard curran. >> good morning. all that undersecretary stuff, i am lonnie bunch's down field block. only once in a generation has citizens and leadership of this country gathered to sink a shovel into the ground of this national mall to establish a museum, a library, an archive or galle

the district of columbia school of law to come here today to give us some analysis. how difficult will it be? >> it's a mountain to climb for sure. the evidence against him includes the fact that she was found in a pool of blood face down in her dorm room. on the other hand, when her roommates first found her, they assumed it was alcohol related what was wrong with her and they called the ambulance to talk about that. she had a 1.4 blood level from alcohol. legal limit is .8 so she had been drinking quite a bit. and she takes add rel -- aider roll which is attention deficit medication and that with the alcohol could have caused this to happen. >> huguely has already admitted some things that are quite damaging like he slammed her up against the wall. >> the question is a, did he go there with the intention of killing her? did he premeditate this crime? dethink about going there to kill her? there's no indication of any kind that we know of now that he did. they had been sweethearts for two years just until a week or two before. he has no violent history. he was gradu

the district of columbia. southern montgomery county. northern prince george's county. ifting east. to the west, lingering sprinkles, and we'll have much of this ending here over another happy new year or so. it's -- another hour or so. doesn't feel like february. 50s from the mountains to the atlantic beaches. a few isolated spots in frederick county, loudoun county in the 40s. montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's county, low and mid 50s as is the district of columbia. much of southern maryland, northern neck, eastern shore. here's your day planner. sunrise at 7:15. a sprinkle and cloudy, 50s. later this afternoon, we'll get sunshine back, we'll be climbing into the 60s once again this afternoon. the dream comes to an end later tonight. an area of low pressure coming in, increasing our cloud cover. here's your evening planner. sun set at 5:29. temperatures, 50s through the evening. then after midnight, we could get some sprinkles of light rain and maybe light rain for tomorrow morning through midday on thursday. highs in if the 50s tomorrow. -- highs into the

of the area and a laid out a 10-mile square area, which is diamond shaped and that was the district of columbia, at each mile marker theys tab established one of these boundary stones they are very significant because they lay out our nations capital which is the seat of government. >>> on this one you can see writing on the side that says maryland which we are at the boundary of maryland and dc at this specific location. tell me a little bit about what you are going to do at this location these are some of the original stones and they are original spots but they need to be taken care of. >> exactly 1915 the district of columbia daughters of the american revolution adopted the care taking of these boundary stones because many had fallen into a state of disrepair remember these were laid in 1791 and 1792 this stone was laid 1792 you can see engraving on the side there. what we are going to do is we are going to clean up the stone, removing the tree stumps that surround the area impeding the protective cages around the done and we have a wonderful capital tree service is providing services to rem

there is some rain over the district of columbia. these darker shades of green south of baltimore and on the eastern shore is actual rainfall reaching towards ocean city and into southern maryland. that is the farthest north this has gotten right now. this evening, it will create further north. we may pick up a rain shower. if it is re if it is leading us, there may be a few -- if it is late enough, there may be a few snowflakes. the real heavy stuff is down in virginia. 48 was the high at the inner harbor. the readings last night were above freezing. you can see a sampling of temperatures from around the area. where they have more moisture, they are ready to change over to snow. we are 45. it is 39 at westminster. temperatures are in the 30's, closer to freezing, in far western maryland. they are north of the activity. it is all down here where the action is. here are the clouds. here is the storm system itself near south carolina. these bright clouds are producing most of the moisture. farther north is just been teased at this stage

they're not residents of district of columbia. over the district of columbia, but they should leave it alone and take it to their home state if they want to. >> bob: they have -- >> dana: they have an obligation to govern district of columbia. not that they want to do it. they are the -- congress the government for the -- >> bob: not since home rule. >> dana: okay. >> bob: it's different. it used to be they govern and appointed the mayor. now we elect our own mayor in the district of columbia. want to thank the republicans for that. go ahead. >> andrea: this is such, this is disgusting. it's insulting. why are we even elevating someone like this who says something so terrible? to paint republicans as all being like this? you are trying to say they vote not to fund the program. but the republicans have been pretty big in funding the poor. and a lot of the conservatives religious organizations that liberals step on do work to help the black babies. >> bob: i didn't pick the subject so stop yelling at me. >> andrea: i'm not yelling a

. >>> employees in the district of columbia are being investigated for unemployment fraud. prosecutors say the workers were collecting unemployment checks and a government paycheck at the same time. they say the fraud cost the district at least $840,000. of the 130 people involved, 90 are currently employed by the district. they've been placed on administrative leave pending the results of investigation. >>> ahead, the catholic university of america will have an earthquake drill. they're taking part in the great shakeout. people are encouraged to drop, cover, and hold to keep themselves safe in case of an earthquake. the drill follows the 5.8-magnitude quake that hit the washington area in august. >>> 4:38. ahead on "news4 today," we're learning new details about the death of a man and his two sons in this house explosion as the family speaks out for the first time. >>> people are out of work, and they're hurting. all wondering what they're going to do to make a comeback. >> this ad was a hit during the super bowl. but was it politically motivated? what clint eastwood's resp

i am going to put you on the district of columbia committee and so the district of columbia committee and foreign affairs committee. the interesting thing about the district of columbia committee, after the difficulties that charlie digs had then i became the chair of the district of columbia committee with the least amount of seniority than anybody in the history of the country but it was fascinating. when i became chair of the district of columbia committee nobody called me mr. chairman but when i became subcommittee chairman on the armed services, good meriting mr. chairman. good morning mr. chairman. it was very different, right? fast-forward. i have to tell you how i got on the armed services because this is important. it's important to the evolution of the expression of the black caucus. part of our concern was that we would spread out across all the committees so that our voice and our perspective and the perspective of our people and the perspective of the movement would emerge in all of these different committees. but ron dellums, i am the first african-american elected to co

they're heading east now into the district of columbia, to the beltway and prince george's coun county's going to continue to move east to the northern neck, too. farther west, sprinkles in leesburg and loudoun county up to frederick county, maryland, and washington county. then it breaks up, a few scattered, light sprinkles in the shenandoah valley. temperatures in the mid 50s, low to mid 50s in the mountains, as well as from the blue ridge to the bay. just a few locations are done in the 40s. leesburg's at 48. frederick at 41. here's your forecast for today. your day planner, sunrise getting earlier and earlier, 7:15. we might have a lingering sprinkle around 9:00. then a little sun breaking out around noontime. and temperatures back into the 60s again today. not as much sun, though. a partly sunny afternoon, then clouding up tonight. by midnight we'll be down to the low 50s. during the day tomorrow, does look like we may get some rain moving in after midnight tonight that may linger through midday thursday and then clearing out during the afternoon a bit. highs in the 50s tomorrow.

congresswoman eleanor holmes norton of the district of columbia walked out of today's hearing.empers flared at that house oversight hearing called lines crossed, separation of church and state. that was the name of the hearing. has the obama administration trampled on freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. that title alone will give you the tone of the hearing. new york congressman carolyn maloney criticized both the premise of the hearing and the makeup of that all male panel. let's listen. >> where are the women? when i look at this panel, i don't see one single woman representing the tens of millions of women across the country who want and need insurance coverage for basic preventive health care services, including family planning. where are the women? of course this hearing is about rights. contraception and birth control. it's about the fact that women want to have access to basic health services, family planning through their health insurance plan. >> u.s. congresswoman and delegate eleanor holmes norton of the district of columbia took on darrell issa on the wit

money or people are carrying credit cards and valuables. >> we are trying to go through the district of columbia. lot of people saying the crime is in northwest, most of the robberies. the robberies are happening throughout the district of columbia. getting a lot of focus. >> reporter: again, this is the citywide problem. as for the guardian angels they plan to be out of the anacostia subway station this evening. doing the same thing. passing out common sense tips for commuters and people everywhere, be aware of surround sxg ings. most of these victims found themselves unfortunately during this spate of violent crime. in northwest, derrick ward, news4. >> thank you. >>> a fire critically injured a woman in the district. the fire broke out you a round 8:00 last night inside an apartment in the 2300 block of good hope road in southeast washington. a child was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. several others were treated for smoke inhalation. no word on the cause of that blaze. >>> 11:09. coming up, u.s. military accused of burning the koran in afghanistan. why one commander says it happen

we now recognize the distinguished lady from the district of columbia, for five minutes. .. thank you, mr. chairman. and thank you senator for being here. a portion of a conflict my time back to the good chairman, mr. issa. i may be senator. senator, i did want to follow-up on a couple questions. you mentioned earlier teddy roosevelt's famous appointment. but those are specifically when the congress like gavel to gavel. in other words during the anticipated history chances -- and commented the public have that option in this case or could he have had that option to do it on january. because it was unfair in fact a moment between sessions? >> well, i don't regard doing it then an opportunity for him to issue an actual recess appointment. they should point out that that hypothetical task at a different set of facts that deals with what you might call them intersession recess appointment. >> is not one in which the court spoke? >> well, that is one in which a court has spoken. i believe you might be referring to the 11th circuit decision in that regard. >> that would be one in w

the chair recognizes the gentlelady from district of columbia. for what purpose does the gentlelady rise? ms. norton: i don't agree that we're past the midnight hour but i think we're past the point of no return. the gentleman wanted to talk about costs, this bill costs $68 million, a great deal more than another bill that i did that i do support. the government -- the oversight and government reform bill. i serve on that committee as well. i was willing, since this bill was coming to the floor first and since i had worked with the gentleman on this bill all along, to support this bill but i don't think you can make the case that this bill is less costly than the oversight and government reform bill. i would have thought that my colleagues on the other side would have gotten together to work that problem out for themselves. my chief regret is to spend a lot of time and effort and conversation that i believe was getting somewhere, perhaps it was all a big misunderstanding, if it were, if that's what it was, we certainly informed the other side abou

and so's the district of columbia. much of southern maryland, northern neck eastern shore near 50. strong cold front coming in by later today. there's capitol hill in the distance. live view, sunrise at 6:48. here's the day planner -- partly sunny near 9:00. near 60 by noontime. by 5:00, low to mid 70s. then the cold front between 3:00 and 7:00, triggering showers, perhaps thunder. temperatures begin to drop back into the 60s during the afternoon. and winds will increase. we could have gusts to around 40 to 50 miles per hour this afternoon. that will continue into tonight. a look at your friday evening planner in ten minutes. danella has a look at our traffic. good morning. >>> good morning, if you're taking metro this morning, expect delays on the red line right now due to a track problem at bethesda. metro single tracking between medical center and friendship heights. you'll have delays in both directions. traveling on i-66 looking good heading eastbound as well as westbound, no problems for you. eastbound travel speeds, 62 miles per hour from fairfax county. 11 minutes to get to

district residents have to really take note of what is a first of its kind, never in american history has any member of congress suggested that the district of columbiathe same constitutional rights as everybody else. we know they cite a section of the constitution that gives the congress certain kinds of jurisdiction over the nation's capitol, but seldom is it mentioned that congress gave up its ability to govern the district of columbia except when it wants to, and it gave it up in the 1973 home rule act. so, we don't believe congress has the right to step in at all, and certainly not to step in when it wants to, and never to step in this way. this is a bill that would say, if you lived in the district of columbia, roe versus wade essentially would not apply to you. >> anywhere else in the country -- >> -- it would. >> -- it would. so, understand what they are trying to do. this is senator trent franks of arizona and mike lee, the representative, and senator mike lee of utah. essentially, i think they're trying us out as guinea pigs, and that's what we most resent. we are accustom and resent very much keeping us from spending our own local funds on

, though, that mayor gray pointed out in his district state of the state speech was that he's recognizing the change of population in the district of columbiad i think that's very important. gentrification, call it what you want, but the fact is that the mayor's on top of that, and there should be provisions that's going to address the issue of changes of the district and the changing face of d.c. >> in conversations that i've had with mayor gray, one of the things that he is very proud of, and you heard it in the state of the d.c. speech, is the fact that they had this surplus. >> right. >> the economic house is in order. now, what do you do with that surplus? do you keep it for a rainy day fund? do you invest it in various pet projects that council members have? the other thing that i find interesting, and maybe -- i'm not trying to say i have a deaf ear to it. but you know, we don't hear a lot of complaints about how the city runs. now, we hear complaints about metro -- >> right. >> but remember, we used to hear complaints about the trash not being picked up, the streets not being cleaned -- >> haven't had any snow removal yet, but you'r

the bill maryland could become the 8th state to legalize same sex marriage along with the district of columbia. >>> in the district of columbia house april senate negotiators have reached a deal to extend the payroll tax cut and will continue to save the average worker 20 bucks a week through the end of this year and also renew and extend unemployment benefits and protect doctors from big cuts in medicare payments. congress is expected to vote in the next few days. >>> with the world still mourning the loss of whitney houston the investigation into her death is growing more intense. here is vic carter with the latest. >> the medical examiner hasn't released a cause of death. right now the focus is on her prescription medications. whitney houston's medical history could become key to the investigation into the superstar's death. the coroner's office has issued subpoenas seeking her medical records, investigators are also contacting her pharmacies and doctors to determine whether she was filling multiple prescriptions. houston was found dead in a beverly hills hotel saturday. medication was foun

legislation making the evergreen state the 7th state to legalize same sex marriage long with the district of columbia. >> fans of whitney houston are happy they are going to be able to watch her funeral service. it was originally going to be private. now the memorial will be broadcast over the internet. randall pinkston reports for wjz from outside the church in newark, new jersey. >> reporter: fans snapped pictures at the shrine outside the church where whitney houston's church will be held, many are thankful they will be able to see her final send off. >> she gave lots to people but what she needs in life is a privilege to pay our respects to her. >> the family decided to stream the service live over the internet. >> i think it is very good for the public to see it. >> officials at the baptist church are hammering out the arrangements with the police department for saturday's services. they are discussing how to handle the crowds and the vips expected to attend. the church can seat 1500 people. among the invitees aretha franklin, who may sing. the superstar was found dead in her beverly hills hotel

. >> national arbor provides us with a unique opportunity to take advantage of the district of columbia, and i-95 corridor, one of the busiest highways on the east coast to build a high- in the destination facility. >> overall it will bring about $2.5 billion to the state of maryland during the construction in the first five years of the construction phase. it will bring about 2000 jobs to the state. >> mike miller supports opening a slot parlor, but his preference is our raceway. if a six-casino site is ok, the casino next to the mall could lose millions. i do not want to see anything to jeopardize the much-needed revenue. >> baltimore planned casino stands to lose money, too. the mayor pledged the money to lower property taxes. eaker added this could spark lawsuits. the prince george's gaming bill provides a sweetener. operators who now get 33 percent would not get 40%. >> the bill will need a super majority in the house and senate. 29 boats in the senate, 85 in the house. take of the mayor does not oppose the bill her office says, because it bans gaming statewide. it has to ultimatel

been doing that a lot lately t includes the district of columbia. southern maryland and portions of virginia as well down towards slopial beach. you've got a dense fog advisory until 6:00 this morning. it doesn't mean counties off to the north and west aren't encountering it too. temperatures at reagan national, we are currently 41 degrees. 39 out at dulles. 40 in hagerstown. 45 in ocean city. going to be a sort two stories here. first the fog but once we burn the fog off, a beautiful afternoon. bright sunshine expected and warm temperatures. how about low to mid-50s. mild and breezy. winds out of the north and west 10 to 15. should be a gorgeous afternoon. >> more details on the forecast. we'll talk about the weekend coming up in a couple of minutes. >>> traffic alert now before we talk with julie. a part of the beltway is closed in montgomery county after an early morning accident. the crash between a tractor- trailer and a car happened somewhere around 3:00 a.m. we do know one person died in this accident. right now, the inner loop is closed at co

some good news in the proposed budget for the district of columbia where they could have their own controlthe city budget, that is something city leaders have wanted for some time. >> >> it is the second week of the university of virginia murder trial. jurors are getting a better sense of the troubled relationship. jurors read a handwritten letter found in a dresser drawer after her death. the jury also read an e-mail with a heated exchange between the couple. prosecutors are expected to introduce dna evidence this week. he has pled not guilty in the 2010 murder. one person was critically injured in virginia this morning. the news chopper was over the scene. the accident involved several vehicles. three people were taken to the hospital, one with life- threatening injuries. the crash shut down the parkway for some time to read -- the crash shut down partly for some time. here is the first with the forecast. >> tomorrow you will notice a few changes, but not a big deal. there is still a bit of snow on the grass in some of the shaded areas, trace amounts. it is 41 in arlington. we will be in

the district of columbia is getting $40 million. and maryland will get about $960 million and many say it's long overdue. >> the money will go directly to those who need it, need it now. >> for all of virginia and our economy, it will help us finally start to clear the market so we can get out of this, what we hope is the bottom of this housing plunge. >> now if your loan was serviced through freddie mac or fannie mae, you will not qualify. checks won't begin going out for the next six to nine months. >>> another photo controversy for the u.s. military. up next, what the marine corp is calling unacceptable. >>> plus, mass illnesses onboard several cruiseships. what is making passengers sick coming up.  >>> in the race for the republican nomination next on the list for candidates is a low from file caucus in maine. ron roman catholic paul has been campaigning there. after that, the candidates have a break until arizona and michigan at the end of the month. newt gingrich, rick santorum and mitt romney are speaking t

district of columbia at 43 and it's in the low 40s near the basement weather watchers checking in this morning reporting cloudy skies. sunrise at 6:59. might have a few sprinkles but a greater chance of any significant rain will be during the afternoon hours. not much rain. maybe a ten kts to a quarter of an inch by later this afternoon. more later tonight. we'll have a look at your evening forecast in a few minutes. danella has traffic. >> good morning. we're not seeing any incidents. nothing but green. traveling up i-270. we'll take the trip together. if you're traveling southbound making your way through urbana south through clarksburg, you're at 56 miles an hour. continuing into gaithersburg, connecting through rockville, again, no issues on i-270. a live look at west montgomery avenue. the headlights coming toward us is traveling southbound toward us. no issues at this time. joe and eun, over to you. >> danella, thanks. >>> now to a developing story from about an hour ago. crews reopened the interstate 95 after a tractor-trailer crashed overnight. last night the tractor-trailer ov

joins connecticut, massachusetts, new hampshire, vermont, new york, iowa, and the district of columbia. california, the ban on same-sex marriage was struck down in court last week. but ceremonies are still on hold while apone wants work on a appeal. we will be right back. more news to come. ♪ [ male announcer ] the 2012 m-class continually monitors blind spots, scans the road to reveal potential threats, even helps awaken its driver if he begins to doze. so in the blink of an eye it will have performed more active safety measures than most cars will in a lifetime. introducing the all-new 2012 m-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial services. through mercedes-benz whatcah, these new jeans i want. i've been looking everywhere. new blue jeans? oh, don't be crazy, i've got tons of blue jeans. frank! frank! get my jean bin, susie wants my jeans. no she doesn't. here we go. nice and loose. ohhh. those are loose, but i actually just ordered three pairs of this kind. ooooohhhh. oh. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay. denny's ne

and circumstance venting congress he's overstepping his authority. 28 other states and the district of columbiae indicated they may also seek waivers. >>> tonight the head of the roman catholic church in washington is jumping into the birth control battle speaking out against the obama administration's plan to force religious institutions to provide contraceptive coverage to employees. the church says it's being ordered to violate strongly held beliefs. fox 5's tom fitzgerald spoke with cardinal donald wuerl on this guess sieve issue. >> any time religion -- on this issue. >> reporter: this controversy surrounds a government ruling requiring hospitals and universities owned by churches to offer birth control as part of their employee health insurance, an issue some churches say they cannot support. as head of the archdiocese of washington cardinal donald wuerl says birth control is an issue that cuts to the heart of catholic teachings. >> this is wrong, mistaken, let's just find another approach to this. >> reporter: at issue is an obama administration mandate requiring that birth control be of

. >> reporter: the district of columbia is getting 40,000,480,000,000 will go to virginia. >> and for of virginia and our economy, it will help us start to clear the market to get out of this, what we hope is the bottom of this housing plunge. >> reporter: the nationwide deal is to settle claims of abusive practices among the five largest banks, pushing through foreclosures, delaying aid and using fake signatures on court documents. eligible home owners who are behind or in danger of falling behind will be able to get a portion of their mortgage debt forgiven. home owners who are current on their payment and imore than their homes are -- and owe more than their homes are worth will be able to finance the rates. those who unfairly lost their homes will get a cash payment, $2,000 as a pen title banks and they can still sue for -- as a -- to the banks and they can still sue for damages. >> we're bringing some form of justice to a lot of people hurt. >> and this puts a 93wide standard to keep more families in their homes in the future. we're told it will take six to nine months for the st

. >> a growing crime spree across the district of columbia. a new group joining the fight to keep residents say. two more armed robberies overnight. they are the latest of hundreds of robberies. brianne carter has more on the prevention efforts. >> we want to make people aware of what's going on. >> with robberies on the rise and residents on edge, this morning the guardian angels gathered around the blocks of the attempted robberies. hoping to stop the next attack before it happens. >> when they see it and they know they can get it, they take it. we tried to make people aware. >> this comes after nearly 600 robberies were reported so far this year -- a majority of them happening in the northwest. >> it is distressing to think anybody would be concerned by that. i have not heard it would be that high. it sounds like a high number to me. >> another one, this time at the intersection. police believe it was a snatch and grab kind of robbery. also reporting this morning, eight armed robbery. residents say what is most concerning is that most of the

others battling a fire at a high school in the district of columbia. there's reportedly fire coming from the roof of anacostia high school, 16th street southeast. firefighters have sounded a 2nd alarm and we have a crew of the way and will bring details as soon as we get them. they are battling a fire on the roofs of anacostia high school in southeast. much more coming up. that and much more coming up on abc 7 news. >> crack is cheap. i made too much money for that. >> the private life of whitney houston. a preview next. and later -- >> toddlers in tiaras have always sparked controversy. why are they drinking red bull. and pageant moms get a makeover. next "anderson." clicks' we have an update on breaking news out of southeast. 16th street at anacostia high school, a far has been reported on the roof. these are live pictures. this is at anacostia high school. we are told that a firefighter has been injured in this incident. a 2nd alarm has been sounded. we will follow the situation and update you on and later newscasts. >> a big story this weekend is wh

support. >> the judge said this was an historic and memorable occasion in the history of the district of columbia. >> reporter: the ruling frees the district from spending millions of dollars in court and monitoring fees to focus on the $160 million mental health system including expanding those services. patient advocates praised the court ruling but they say cuts in federal funding and rising costs have driven some neighborhood mental health services out of business and that they need more help. >> the system still needs to invest in the community based care as a way of getting better treatment and more cost effective treatment. in the last 18 months because of rate cuts we've had eight mental health provide thaers have goev out of business early or laid off the majority of their staff or shut down programs. >>> the jury in the george huguely murder trial got an unexpected day off today the trial postponed until tomorrow because one of his defense attorneys is sick. when the testimony resumes the defense will be back at work challenging the charges against huguely who was accused in the death o

emily miller - once a crime despite a supreme court ruling 3 thht ordered the district of columbia toxpenses and ssone-walling.sot miller says: "... these gun control measures are so counterproductive because they are not stopping the criminals from getting guns. criminals are getting guns, easily. they are stopping the law abiding people frommgetting guns to protect themselves." miller has been writing about herrexperience for her employer, "the wwssington times." guns must be purchased áoutside d-c, and bring them into the district - at a cost of $125. then - in order to complete the apppicants must find a there are ánoneá actually áin dc. you must e fiigerprinted, take a written test, submit your gun for ballistics testing and make multiple visits tt the police to dd it during business hours - which for most applicants - means taking off work multiple times. it took miller nearlyyfive months, and almost fiie hundred dollars.. plus the cost of her gun. - who aakkowledges d-c has a problem with áillegalá guns - says he is working to lessen the burden on law-abiding &pcitizens.sot - m

if you look at how far we have come in eight years, six states, the district of columbia issuing marriage licenses, i am not disappointed with the ruling at all. in fact, i am very gratified with where we are at today and we continue to make progress and move forward. >> [inaudible] >> i don't pretend to be in the minds of justices, but as we know, and the high court oftentimes like to take cases when they are ready for them and take an incremental approach. as we see things develop, we have seen progress, and i have no doubt that the tide of history is that our side. i am sure that whether it is a narrow or brought decision, it will inform how the justices look at the case and how they decide whether to take it or not. i am sure it plays a little better. >> [inaudible] >> you know, i have never gotten cynical on this. we have always had hope that the right thing would be done in this is another verification of it. it is a brick, but it is a huge brick. we needed that confirmation from these ports. is it legal? is it not legal? we have quite a few hundred challenges. it was very frustrati

. >> the district of columbia adding nearly a dozen green vehicles to its lead. the mayor announced the city is moving ahead with plans to purchase tent city vehicles that will run on alternative fuel. the vehicles include garbage trucks, street sweepers, and snow plows. vincent gray says its one of many steps toward making d.c. and a pollution-free and sustainable city. >> coming up i know you have been waiting for this, the past. the new season of "dancing with the stars." correct a short stack all for good cause. >> teen drug abuse -- not just a hollywood epidemic. two sisters addicted to pain pills. how much are you taking a day? are you ready to make a change? one woman, one powerful savings tool, one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name yoyo price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> ♪ >> get ready for another season of fireworks. it's go

you can't function in traffic, if you don't know how to parallel park in the district of columbia becauses such an essential part of the day-to- day life in the district. most parking a is on the street and that is in neighborhoods. if you're trying to park downtown, you're out of luck. you have to circle the block before finding a place and if you can't park, you can damage another car. >> absolutely, and we're talking about people going to get their driver's license that don't have to take the test right now. 16, 17, 18, 19-year-olds and could this be a safety issue? >> it's a safety issue. were talking about the youngest drivers who should know this. this is what you should know and that is --ever you can't park, you can't in the city. in other parts of the country not as congested, that is not a critical matter n. d.c., this is the number one skill you should have. how to parallel park. not only in terms of pedestrian safety, but in terms of the safety of the other motorists and to protect other people's property. >> and let me get your response. the city said it doesn't have adequate

it is a black bmw with district of columbia plates. we're trying to get that information out to the public. if anyone saw or heard anything, we want them to conform to expedite the investigation. -- come forward to expedite the investigation. >> police have increased patrols. the black bmw has d.c. tags. we're told of three suspects took off in it. if you recognize the vehicle, contact detectives. >> a change in the state university system in tonight's education alert as the president of the university college is placed on indefinitely. the chancellor announced believe in a short letter sent to students and staff. we requested more information the spokesperson declined to elaborate. umuc is the largest public university in the united states with more than 90,000 students, many of whom live overseas and take classes online. the vote of no-confidence for president avery. members of the faculty pointed to problems including the number of cabinet level staff members, increasing debt levels, and the failure to give up hundreds of thousands