that's the word today from a fenty supporter an key player on the dc council where the red ink is just piling up. here is bruce johnson. >> reporter: dc workers say they are willing to take pay cuts and furloughs if that will save jobs. a lot of people would like to take a week off. >> they sure will. >> generating roughly $1000 per day writing parking tickets but the dc government will have to raise a lot more or cut a lot more to avoid the type of deficits that nearly sent it into bankruptcy years ago. >> this council has an opportunity in the next two weeks to either make those decisions or someone will make those decisions for us. >> senior councilman, jack evans, says $50 million must be cut from dc schools. that would be a serious if not crippling blow to mayor adrian fenty and michele reed's reform with evans supported. >> it will certainly slow down hiring of teachers at higher levels. it is going to slow down possibly the renovations of the schools. we cannot afford to do what we are doing right now in education. >> they must keep the lights on, trash picked up, awrong with ot

mayor adrien fenty, e-mail us. fenty@nbcwashington.com.ll get those e-mails to him and you will continue to answer their e-mails. >> sounds good. thanks for having me. >> thanks very much. good seeing you, mr. mayor. >>> west virginia rest stops ltve become anotheryasltua of ee ormypo noco these.ysdano rginning on july 21sthe tes t area on i-95 in dale city will close for cars but remain open torus.ck theest are on eastbound i-66 in manass will cseil to cars and trucks beginning jul21 st. the westbound stop will close to all traffic beginning in september. in all, a total of 19 rest areas will be shuttered around the state. v-dot is trying to close a $2.6 million budget gap. >> we looked at closing these rest areas, we saw that some of the rest areas are as close as 20 miles apart. what we did is try to keep them at least 120 miles apart, so about a two-hour gap in between. >> aaa warns drivers could get drowsy if there is nowhere to rest. 20% of all traffic fatalities across the countryre caused by drowsy drivers. >>> well, futures are po

. >> we have had a vacant buildings and properties so long, mayor fenty has not done anything about. now it is finally taxing the taxpayers. >> the top floors have been vacant several years. all of the people downstairs were able to escape safely with no injuries. if nothing else, the businesses on the ground floor have suffered major water damage. the cause of the fire is still not known. john gonzalez, abc 7 news. >>> now the other breaking story, on capitol hill, where congressional leaders have suspended the popular cash for clunkers program because it is out of money. jennifer donelan has more on the big decision and a late reaction. >> this came as a big surprise. according to experts, the program is being suspended out of fear the money will run out too quickly. tell that to the brand new father to be who was counting on the money. turn in your old beat-up car and get up to $4,500 on a new set of wheels. it turns out it may be a victim of its own success. the program is so popular that it may be out of cash. >> that is amazing. i did not know. i came here to purchase a car, an

council has yet to act on mayor fenty's request. bruce johnson has more. >> the program gives the mayor's program high marks. this would help spruce up playgrounds. >> mayor fenty is asking the d.c. council for more $24 million to complete the nine- week, three-day summer jobs program for the nearly 19,000 young people. the director of the summer jobs says there's been no repeat of the debachable last year. >> we built a new things. >> the d.c. council has get to formally agree to give the mayor the $24 million to finish the. rah. legislators have been meeting in closed door sessions all week long trying to figure out how to close the $660 million shortfall. they say legislators will ask the chief financial officer to verify the $24 million needed to complete the program. that amount will likely be approved, say sources, who add that next year's summer jobs program will be reduced to six weeks because of the budget constraints. >> any time you cut back on the budget you are cutting back the number of -- the number of youth that can

dc mayor fenty ordered the firings after the escape of seven inmates in the last five weeks. the mayor blames both physical short comings and staff indifference. nearby residents say they are worried about their safety. >> there were staff on duty who either should have, could have or just plain did not do everything they could have and should have done. >> reporter: the fenty administration is promising improvements and there could be more firings. >>> metro's red line riders should prepare for several months of delays and slow commutes. the transit agency plans to begin the $177 million overhaul of the red line early next year. our 9 news now digital correspondent, armando trull , has more information. >> over those 48 mondays red line commuters can expect some delays. metro plans to single track many of the trains passing through the areas and the repair. however, metro will do most of the work after 8 p.m. nevertheless, a portion of the red line between judiciary swear and fair gut north will be most impacted. the improvements had been scheduled before the deadly train cr

mayor fenty is promising a quick investigation in to water pressure issues after wednesday's fire that destroyed the home. neighbors showed us and they showed us how a private pump kicks up the water pressure in their faucets. the mayor says a detailed report, spelling out what the government knew and did about pressure problems will be made public. >>> as mayor fenty talked to some neighbors they say they want to believe something will get done but they are not entirely confident. >> give you the report and tell you what we will do about it. >> i'm hoping that you, as mayor, will make sure it goes through quickly. >> sure. we will get it done early next week. >> the chair says she doesn't want to wait long for the report in case there are more problem areas that are compromising public safety. >>> firefighters had a much easier time fighting a fire in northeast washington. in this case, the fire broke out at a five-story apartment building on rhode island avenue northeast. firefighters had plenty of water pressure. and what's more the building was vacant. the roof collapsed but no one

the project was first approved three years ago when fenty represented that area on the d.c. council. >> stay with us, everyone. "news 4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m.

mayor adrian fenty said today the city will eliminate 250 jobs coming just months after dc announced the elimination of 1600 jobs. but even that won't be enough to balance the budget. the city will also take $125 million from the rainy day fund. the mayor says three areas that won't see cuts are police, fire an education. still, because of the shortfall the city's charter schools are facing huge delays in funding and as peggy fox reports it will mean doing without when school starts. >> reporter: students from community public charter school in the north east are getting back from a field trap. inside a transformation is going on. >> this will be our media lab. >> reporter: when school starts august 31st the new media lab will be available for children's after school program and for families who don't have computers at home. executive director saying the city will only be spending a portion of its $400,000 payment. >> even though the funding is coming the fact that a poshes of it is being delayed means that there are certain expenses that you have to defer until that new funding come

. >> dc council member sent a letter to the fenty administration following our report on monday. why is this an issue now? back on july 4 in san diego, a woman riding fell out, hit her head, and died from her injuries. nobody in the industry or out wants to see a repeat of that here. >> what are the rules, regulation, who is in charge? >> no one. i think that's the problem. >> dc attorney general says he saw one tip over in the streets of new york with two passengers on board. following our report on monday, he took action. >> what i directed our people to do about three or four days ago when you asked me the question, really, is to look at best practices, look particularly at new york, philadelphia, other surrounding jurisdictions, what do they do? >> by early next week, he expects to assign them to an agency, which issued licenses to the operators. bruce johnson, 9news now and wusa9.com. >> those new regulations might also apply to segway scooters, which are being rented for tourists in downtown dc as well. keep it right here. to is ckthbawi yourforecast in less than 3. if we d

mayor adrian fenty announced the firings of five correctional officers tonight and said two others are suspended and the man in charge of the city's next generation juvenile jail has been demoted. new beginnings opened its doors in laurel maryland six weeks ago replacing the notorious oak hill youth detention center. >> we are not going to run a prison. we are not going just lock people up and throw away the key. it doesn't work. it hasn't worked. >> instead new beginnings would provide a campuslike atmosphere to reeducate troubled teens from the district of columbia. >> we do not back down from what we believe in. >> reporter: but those kids have been trashing the place and escaping with apparent eae. d.c. mayor adrian fenty says preliminary investigations blame the guards. >> there were staff on duty who either should have, could have or just plain did not do everything that they could have and should have done to prevent these escapes. >> reporter: the district's attorney general also faults the facility itself. on sunday six young people broke through a classroom window and escaped

" el alcalde adrian fenty junto con la canciller de educacion michelle rhee anunciaron que un nuevo programa mejorara la ensenanza en 13 escuelas... " estamos comprometidos a que nuestros estudiantes tengan una educacion de primera, como las que hay en escuelas privadas y charter..." dijo este programa expandira las conecciones con instituciones internacionales como el banco mundial y embajadas .....tambien agregara un nivel mas de clases bilingues comenzando en el sexto grado los estudiantes van a poder tomar clases bilingues todos los anos, en espanol e ingles y antes no habiamos tenido eso pero para algunos padres la prioridad el proximo ano escolar es la seguridad de sus hijos afuera de las escuelas... "que los pandilleros vengan bien vestidos a la escuela y que no vengan con los pantalones hasta abajo , eso seria uncambio mejor porque eso da mal aspecto en una escuela.." " afuera de la escuela siempre hay m uchos ninos, incluso un poquito mas adultos que no so

. >> reporter: today mayor adrian fenty said it's too early to say what the real problem was. >> lessthan 24 hours to come up with any conclusions that would say with any levelof certainty that we know this happened or we know this didn't happen. >> reporter: the fire call came in at 7le 17 p.m. -- 8:17 p.m. at 8:22 firefighters arrived as flames were exploding from inside the house. more than 150 firefighters were called to assist. but they ran into water pressure issues. they had to drag their hoses several feet through several neighborhoods blocking off streets to hook up to hydrants with more pressure. >> we had situations in the past that led to exactly this kind of review. namely, they would go out and firefighters would have to go from this hydrant to that hydrant to that hydrant losing valuable time. this is a terrible example of it. >> reporter: council woman mary chase given the history the city has with fire hydrants not working this should have been resolved a lost time ago. >> i'm losing confidence in wasa saying things are fine and they're not fine. >> everyone knows is

mayor adrian fenty stops by during our 7:00 hour. we'll have the overnight developments of the g-8 summit and the national barbie doll collectors convention is here. holly morris, who else, will be there live.  >>> now to a medical first. british scientists have created human sperm in a laboratory using embryonic stem cells. >> researchers at new castle university hope the technique will help fertile couples but it's sparking an ethical debate. >> reporter: two sperm samples, they may look as they should, they may wriggle as they should but the ones on the right are far from natural. these are the world's first artificial human sperm created in the lab from embryonic stem cells. scientists at new castle university believe they could one day allow infertile men to father their own biological children. that's currently illegal and for now they're using the technique to study why around 1% of men produce no sperm at all. >> we can use this system to study male infertility. for example, it could endorse the sensors. >

mayor fenty signed it in to law yesterday. the money raised by bag fees will be used to help to clean up the anacostia river. >>> in sports the nationals and rockies wrap up their series this afternoon. it is a 3:10 start in denver. nationals lose 5-4. >>> in team tennis, williams, and roger heads to dc. the wimbledon runner up easily won her matches. philadelphia defeated washington 26-13. >>> our time 6:50. 66 degrees here at the information center. >>> president obama is in italy right now talking an the economy here at home. in three minutes what he's saying. we'll be right back. >>> here's what is in the news now. two people are dead after an overnight crash on the beltway near the clara barton parkway. their car was hit from behind and went crashing down 200 feet. the driver of the other vehicle was arrested. >>> marion barry says the stalking allegation against him were fabricated by a former girlfriend who is mentally unstable and the fact he hired her and put her on the payroll is irrelevant and legal. >>> president o

as mayor fenty talked to some of the neighbors they say they want to believe something will be done but aren't entirely confident. >> i'm hoping that you, as mayor, will be able to make sure this goes through quickly. >> we will get it done. >> reporter: dc council woman says she doesn't want to wait long for the report in case there are more problems compromising public safety. >>> firefighters had an easier time fighting in fire in northeast washington. it happened on rhode island avenue apartment complex. the building was say can. the roof collapsed and no one was hurt. there is no word on the cause of the fire. >>> a dc family hopes someone will come forward with information on the beating death a former boxing champion. dukes said he tried to fight off two robbers who want his wallet. he was attacked on july 20th near the 2700 block of martin luther king avenue in southeast washington. he hung on for a few days before he died. his children said he won golden gloves in in the late ' 60s. he broke both hands in his last fight. >>> the arraignment of a man accused of killing a securit

mayor fenty says the city is adding quick start tennis to the recreation menu. he expects the tennis program to encourage health and encourage an active style for children. >> we will introduce 4,000 children and youth, ages 6 to 13 to tennis through the dpr discovery summer camp program. >> the number of camp discover locations will be increased from five to 21. the expanded tennis program will be offered from july 13th through august 21st. >>> a few new words are added to the american version of the english language. and that stadium is transformed in to an outdoor concert venue. it is 6:37. we focus on virginia's weather and traffic. here's kim. >> thank you, andrea. good morning, virginia. time to focus on your weather. the temperature is delightful. felt so good outside. we have mostly 60s on the map and earlier some 70s but they have relaxed a bit. leesburg 68. winchester 59. quantico 65. ft. belvoir 60. culpeper is 64. today in front royal you will reach for 81 under partly cloudy skies. ash burn 83, staff ford 81. 80 in recommendington. everyone is partl

mayor fenty helped cut the ribbon earlier with several students.e talking about the nats and poking fun at them but they are making me eat my words. >> if they had done a month ago manny acta would still be the manager. unfortunately he does not. >> nothing funny about a four- game win streak. the nats offense goes off again including a history-making shot from adam dunn. plus, the latest installment of the good, bad and ugly is on the way. 9 sports coming up. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act. julie loves target, it's got the supplies teacher told her to get and for a great deal. she also expects he'll love the sandwich. she expects he'll think of her when he sees th

el alcalde de washington adrian fenty o!o!o! cinco centavoso!o utilizada por las tiendas para retirar la mercaderia comprada....la ley entrara en efecto el pmeroe enero y o!o!o! permitira a la ciudad recaudar fondos para la limpieza del rio anacostia..la legislacion tambien exige que las bolsas puedan ser recicladas... ?????????????p?p;p en varias estaciones del sistema de transportes metro han sido redobladas las patrullas policiales, que participan en un ejercicio de preparacion para cualquier emergencia, sobre todo de caracter terrorista...maria rosa lucchini tiene este informe.. policias resguardaban las estaciones de metro.... recorriendo las plataformas.... los vagones.... y sus alrededores..... como parte de un entrenamiento para hacer frente a un ataque terrorista... "el proposito del entrenamiento es para asegurar que las comunidades que trabajan adentro de montgomery county, las agencias diferentes que practican las tacticas de policia juntos para asegurar que en

mayor fenty promised answers as to what went wrong this time and what needs to be done to fix it and we can only hope. >>> more michael vick blow back. last night i suggested it would be a mistake to let the return of vick to ruin one's enjoyment of it all together. and one viewer said it is i that was mistaken. okay, wait a second. now you are comparing michael vick to a rapist and those that don't like him are victims of post traumatic stress and flash backs. come on, let's be real. if anything that idea could be an insult to people who have actually endured such crimes. i think the reality is we will have to agree to disagree on michael vick. some think he should be ditched forever and others say give him a shot at a comeback. i say keep the e-mails coming. the address is mailbag@wusa9.com and don't forget your name and where you are writing us from. >> that's our report for this evening. back here tonight at 11:00 along with anita brikman and log on anytime you like to wusa9.com. tony, want to look at the weekend weather. >> let's do it. as we say good-bye tonight. the weekend we

mayor adrien fenty, send us an e-mail to fenty@nbcwashington.com.s very much. >> thank you. >> eun? >> thank you, joe. thank you, mr. mayor. >>> well, a loudoun -- a woman from loudoun county has been inn died on a $50 million mortgage fraud scheme but she's nowhere to be found. investigators say 42-year-old diane fredricka tar i took advantage of more than 100 home buyers in virginia. they say atari inflated her clients' income and fraudulently fixed their credit to get them homes they couldn't afford. >> they didn't have the ability or the money to pay. the sad part about it is their credit's ruined. they're bankrupt. they're foreclosed. and that's the way the scheme worked. >> the massive losses suffered by mortgage lenders will likely be passed on to all homeowners in the form of increased insurance rates. investigators believe that atari has fled the country. >>> futures are pointing to a negative opening this morning and the sears tower is getting a new name. cnbc's courtney reagan joins us live with all of today's business headlines. >> repor

if y'd hike the ma r yatyo l t'deikhe mayor us an e- e-mail to fenty at nbcwashington.com.ay use your question on the air. and, again, thank you, mr. mayor. >>> well, the recent stock market is losing some of its momentum. courtney reagan joins us live with today's business headlines. courtney, good morning. >> good morning. futures are pointing to a higher open this morning. that's good news. of course we saw another downed day on wall street from yesterday due to a big drop in demand for durable goods. much larger than what was anticipated as well as the continuing slide in oil. commodity prices a we sill have the lingering worries about the pace of economic recovery. that's never good for gains at least. asian market disrise overnight with china rebound trg yesterday's big losses. europe is mixed. we'll get reports this morning on new filings for unemployment benefits as we did every thursday. as well as tons of earnings reports including from the world's biggest oil company, exxon mobil, sure to make headlines when that crosses. the dow did fall 26 points yesterday to 9

mayor fenty was on hand to get things going.he tournament is designed to improve the players' ability to interact, set goals, and improve their overall situation in life. >> some talent out there. >>> kind of a wednesday for folks to be out there playing. >> hopefully -- kind of a wet day for folks to be out there aypling. ay>> take a look at what is goig on with our liv dploperer radar, mainly everything to the south and east of dc. everything is moving off at heaadrlier, we had a tornado warning.fortunately, that has md offe.or outside with our weatherbug network, a pretty impressive time lapse view to show you parade notice how the clouds rolled in, the wind began to pickth thin o moved on out of here. we are looking at a little bit of shunned china -- sunshine now. just about an inch of rain out e. 74 mile per hour wind gust up in frederick, maryland. children's hospital, a current temperature of 72 degrees. high temperature at reagan national airport, 90 degrees after a morning low of 71 degrees. 75 currently in frederick.

. >>> mayor fenty helped to open a housing resource center in washington, d.c. on tuesday with an official ribbon cutting. mayor fenty is billing it as one-stop-shopping for low to moderate-income families and individuals trying to find places to live in the city. >>> a new warning will be attached to painkillers which have been on the market for decades. that story is coming up. >>> a muddy mess after an unbelievable amount of rain and it happened not too far from here. >> good morning. i'm getting ready to show you the seven-day forecast that looks in to the weekend. it is jump day. i'm ready to go. are you? stay with us. fios guy! where ya headed? ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) switch to verizon fios tv, phone and internet today and get an ultra-sleek compaq mini netbook. call the verizon center for customers with disabili

fenty on fox coming up as adrian fenty joins us after the break. >>> also the come -- coming up, michael jackson burned during a commercial shoot. >>> and one man's achievement, 40 years since the launch of apollo 11 and the mission to the moon. (announcer) the official $5 combo of summer is here. with curly fries and a drink for only $5. it's the $5 combo done better. the pontiac summer closeout is here; hurry to get t pontiac you want before they're gone. the price on the tag is the price you pay. get a 2009 pontiac vibe for $1313,708 after all offers. or get 0% apr for 60 months on most 2009 pontiac models! all are backed with the best coverage in america, including a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. get some excitement while you still can, during the pontiac summer closeout. visit pontiacdealer.com >>> we're joined this morning as we are every thursday by d.c. mayor adrian fenty. >> mayor, we appreciate you being here with us. >> good morning, team. >> rough day in the city. bad time for tourists and in a hot spot. a call no mayor would want to get. >> that's true. and you do

the mayor says the towns leader paid a friend and confidant of mayor fenty $11,000 cash to t ship a fire truck and ambulance. since that shipment was turned around eric the town hasn't heard a word about the deal or its money. read more in the examiner. >>> a landslide leads to a deadly train crash. >>> plus shuttle astronauts are on their own with an important task before returning to earth. >>> if you use a tanning bed in hopes of avoiding the sun's cancerous rays you may have done more harm than good to your body. you are watching 9 nnewsow . >>> welcome back. the time is 9 after the 5:00 hour and we are traveling eastbound on the dulles toll road where we have no issues to report early this wednesday. it is angie with the traffic in realtime coming up. >>> in the news now, a landslide caused a train to derail in southern china on wednesday killing at least four people and injuring 50 according to state media. this is the second deadly train collision in china. last month three people died when two passenger trains collided in central china. >>> today astronauts on board "endeavour" w

mayor adrien fenty lead the ribbon- cutting ceremony to celebrate the housing resource center. center will help families purchase and rehab homes as well as work with homeowners to prevent mortgage defaults and foreclosures. >>> usually one lifesaving procedure is amazing. eight at the same time is astounding. we will introduce to you a rockville couple that became part of a medical marvel that saved so many lives at once. it qualified as a world record. >>> at an age when most girls are worried about cell phones and clothes, she is taking to the skies. (bell ringing) woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! kobak. mr. miller (announcer) everyone's heading to arby's for the official $5 combo of summer. featuring arby's new bbq bacon cheddar roastburger with curly fries and a drink for only $5. big on bbq taste, 's the $5 combo done better. >>> a montgomery county couple is part of a record setting medical miracle. fox 5's beth parker has the story from john hopkins hospital. >> reporter: when they married less than a year ago, robert and mary new they were compatible. ro

. >> to the exat any time anyone says fenty, you're not excused from blame in this instance at all, i with them. >> reporter: mayor fenty's budgeet for next year calls for spending money on rent, utilities, securities and fixed costs tied up in 20 large buildings. >> whatever the reason, we've got to own more of our property and to the extent that we have leased it, we have to be a lot tougher in negotiating, making sure that we're paying a fair price spending taxpayer dollars. >> reporter: we asked councilman kwame brown way why the ci doesn't just sell the properties. >> the vacant properties, we do something with them, can he we clean them up but we do not undersell the properties with we know that whoever buys them can't get the proggettes done. >> reporter: brown says in an economic downturn, property values are down so selling below market equals a major loss for taxpayers. >> we get rid of the vacant properties in a way which will produce development which would increase the tax rolls. >> reporter: the city's new approach, take advantage of the space by putting agencies in the

. >>> and the federal government credits mayor fenty for trying to fix dc's public school system. >>> of course it is mind over money friday. call us with your financial qu questions. the number 202-432-9045. es when morning comes in the middle of the night... rooster crow. ...it affects your entire day. to get a good night's sleep, try 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer dissolves quickly to help you fall asleep. and unlike other sleep aids, a second dissolves slowly to help you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or driving while not fully awake with memory loss for the event as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation and halluciations may occur. don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these behaviors. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and in rare cases may be fatal. side effects may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including r

mayor fenty added a bill to add a 5 cent tax on each bag leaving a grocery store most of the money will go to cleaning up the anacostia river. >>> the record-setting eight- way kidney swap has been successfully completed. doctors in baltimore, mich., okla., and misery participated in this procedure. -- and missouri participated in this procedure. >> it is like i hit the jackpot. >> the matches remain through a modeling system in the computer. it is certain says this exchange can drastically reduce the number of patients waiting for eligibleonors. >>> oil prices have -- has fallen. stock house have risen. -- stockpiles have risen. analysts predict that prices will drop for the rest of the year. right now, the price is $2.55. it is down $1.54 from a year ago. >>> president barack obama spent the day meeting with russian leaders but took a brief moment to recognize a russian. >> as a resident of washington d.c., i continue to benefit from the benefits of russia -- of russians, specifically of alexander ovechkin. >> the president also met with prime minister putin today. he conceded that he

mayor adrian fenty and the police chief will kick off phase four that will put every police officer on duty. officers made nearly 400 arrests and seized more than $7,000 worth of drugs during april's all hands on that weekend. >>> another celebrity joining a ght against plans to build a wal-mart near a civil war batter -- battlefield. ben stein wrote that the retail giant should look for a location away from the wilderness battlefield in orange county. he joined rober duvall, filmmaker ken burns and others in opposing the project. county supervisors will hold a hearing on the proposal on july 27. >>> time for a check of how we can weather is shaping up. adam caskey is here with a look at our first forecast. looks like a beautiful shot. still nice. >> gorgeous, especially locally and east of the metro area. but west of 15, roughly frederick to leesburg and southwest, that is where we are aldeg with cloud cover. allook at a live local weather station in mt. airy, the camera does show we have a lotf osu in g. eet clouds develgin in th side this mday -- cumulus clouds m delin dg this midda

adrian fenty has added a bill that adds eight 5 cents tax. the money raised will be used to help clean at the anacostia river. >>> a big opportunity for home buyers in prince george's county. jack johns has announced a new downpayment assistance program. this is to help people buy foreclosed homes. the $13 million program is aimed at stopping the erosn of property values o'clock -- caused by foreclosure. still to come, in these tough times families across the u.s. are trying to save on their summer vacation. if you are still trying to find a great deal, it is not too late. >> here is the problem with michael. no matter what he wanted somebody would give it to him. >> as the investigation into michael jackson's death continues, one of his doctors speaks out on his prescription drug habit. adam is coming back with a full check of our forecast on a beautiful wednesday. we thank you for watching watchg >>> there are still many questions surrounding the cause of michael jackson's debt. sources say he was addicted to powerful pain relievers. -- bec

mayor adrian fenty responded to our fox 5 investigation vftion by timothy mcveighing quintana j if sheere, she would be the first to say no way in the world have all the problems been ironed out but you look it a certain pace of reform and she has been able to get a good pace and although we still have a long way to go. >> she won't talk to us. we can't get her to talk to us. why that is? why can't we get her to answer the questions. >> e-mailed, contacted your office. calling. the folk like the fop are saying they're hiding something. >> what are they saying we're hiding? >> they're claiming there is bad training, no actability. you guys fox 5 and all the outlets have come over. i'm pretty sure we've had no shortage of at least four press conferences there and janice quintana is always there to talk to you. >> reporter: but she wasn't the day we showed up. security guards wouldn't let us past these gates and quintana refuseto answer our questions. >> my first reaction is that the director ought to be responsive. she ought to be answering questions about what is going on. >> reporter:

maybe they're connected to the [unintelligible] [laughter] >> fenty for your time. and with the department of defense. but my comments are my own. you spoke about the future of the fata and the conversation that needs to be had regarding that. but i want to get to the southern and jab and karachi. would you be willing to terrorizgive you a theory on whe areas would look like, southern and j --southern punjab and karachi? >> i have not seen the thing. but it's been on the table and people have talked about increasing the number of provinces for a long time. it has not gone anywhere as far as political institutions are concerned. but i was hopeful, optimistic on the political thing because we have an elected government now. we have a government in baluchistan with all the ministers being baluch. we had a similar thing in the past, but this time it seems more durable. and we have a fix on the grievance is the other side has. the job opportunities and educational facilities and in terms of loyalties for the gas being pumped from baluchistan, infrastructure development,

. >> reporter: mayor fenty phrased the new development as long overdue for georgia avenue. the project was first approved three years ago when fenty represented the area when he was on the d.c. council. > >>> beautifying the trinidad recreation center. they picked up trash, planted flowers, spread mulch and did so to answer president obama's united we serve call to national service. today's event also included a hip hop ballet as well as sports and academic competition. >>> coming up a prominent motoring group wants the governor of virginia to rethink a plan to close rest areas. >> the eye-popping charge one man got on his bill after he orid f a pack of ñññ id >>> tonight at 11:00, we will have a report about a tough job market but some enterprising job seekers have given up the search to make their own jobs. julie carey has a preview of her report. >> reporter: sarah didn't plan on a career in soup. she had to get creative. >> i was working in the travel business. middle eastern travel. and i was afraid i was going to make less than half of what i made the year before b

in a letter to mayor fenty on wednesday,.c. council chairman vincent gray expressed regret that charter schools that last-minute notice said the city was planning to reduce first-quarter payments because of the fiscal 2010 budget was not balanced. the fenty administration now taking the drastic step of tapping into the city's rainy day fund to help the charter's meet payroll. >> fixed kind of a technical glitch. the first time it's used and a rainy-day situation. >> the different staff at charter schools like this school for the performing arts are glad to hear that money is coming. what they want to know is when. not all d.c. charter schools are affected by the crisis. the d.c. prep elementary school in northeast for one. that didn't stop parents from being concerned. >> you don't know for sure if you're confident that your child has a school to go to. >> we have just tried to be kind of through the years very conscious of saving and spending appropriately. >> reporter: the city financial watchdogs are weighing in. >> they sho

. >>> mayor fenty prays it is new housing development as long overdue.he project must approve three years ago when fenty represented the area. >>> another beautiful day. could it be enng? >> well, that depends on how you define beautiful. if we have the low humidity, that's ending. winds turning to the south. arlington, dew point, 64. which is still for july not bad. not like it was in the 40s yesterday. overnight tonight, our temperatures will fall into only around 70 because of the moisture that's in the air and we may see a morning sprinkle and a slight chance, slight risk of an afternoon thundershower. only 30% chance, though. once again, on friday afternoon, right now, friday afternoon, looks like a greater risk of some showers or showers. with the humidity around. clouds will be lingering. maybe a passing shower on saturday. certainly a rainout. then rather cool for sunday with a little pattern with northwesterly winds coming back and again temperatures into next week. remaining below average as we are into the hottest time of the year. think you h

mayor fenty's proposal reallocates $152 million from dedicated taxes and the city's fund of previous years' surpluses. the mayor's plans calls for using federal stimulus money, selling district assets and slashing agency budgets, which will include layoffs. >> the metropolitan police department has identified the suspect in yesterday's police-involved shooting mere the capitol. this 27-year-old was shot and killed by capitol police after a high-speed chase yesterday afternoon. his welcome allegedly struck a capitol police officer when he fled a routine traffic stop. authorities say white fired a weapon at the officers. they returned fire hitting white, who later died at the hospital. the suspect who locked himself in a falls church home is now dead. this incident started tuesday night and lasted 24 hours. 44-year-old john valentini allegedly shot the mother of his 8-year-old child and then ran into a house, where he stayed for 24 hours before police say he shot himself last night. he was taken to the hospital, where he died. police say the female victim is in grave condition. >> a lo

as mayor fenty talked to the neighbors say they say they want to believe something will get done but are not confident. >> we will issue a report and tell you what we will do about it. >> i hope that you as mayor will get it done as quickly as possible. >> we will get it done early next week. >> they don't want to wait long for the report in case there are more others compromising public safety. >>> the mayor of capital heights is on a recruiting drive. he is hoping to get people to sign up to become volunteer firefighters. as of next week the nearest station won't have as many people. residents fear it could lead to slower response time. the judges assigned to hear a civil lawsuit in the virginia tech murder case have recaused themselves. in court papers, montgomery county, virginia, judges cited a conflict. the lawsuits were filed by the families of two of the students killed in the massacre. >>> a new witness in the chandra levy murder case and the man charged with filling the federal intern heads to court today. prosecutors say the new witness identified the suspect as the man wh

mayor fenty gave this to the council late friday. if you go through here, there are 141 earmarks. some people call that pork spending. that's a lot lest dollar-wise than it has been in years past. but there are some in here that may surprise you. >> hell, no! no! >> 40 grand of your tax dollars going to the greater washington fashion chamber of commerce? that's just one of about $8.3 million worth of proposed earmarks in the d.c. budget currently being considered by the council. >> that's $40,000 that doesn't need to be spent. >> what do they even do? >> exactly. fashion police maybe. >> reached by phone, the group's president says the money will go to fund a business incubator to encourage growing the fashion industry in d.c. also in the proposed budget? $20,000 for social and etiquette programs for young women. >> definitely not a good way to spend our tax dollars. >> have we lost our minds? no. we don't have time for that. >> >> earmarks often go to worthy organizations. but it is a process that is not competitive and smacks of favorite simple. >> there are pricier earmarks, to

it praised mayor fenty and the chancellor's efforts to close under enrolled schools and improve test scores. the report shows concerns that some false steps had interfered with efforts to improve the system. >>> you could call it the non- starbucks, they opened a new kind of store but its famous logo is nowhere in sight. instead it is being called the 15th street coffee and tea. independent coffee shops are complaining this will hurt their business. some of their customers are bitter as well. >> it is like a bait and switch to me. i think people are going to know. >> starbucks claims it is not shying away from its famous name, they say these shops are inspired by starbucks. the idea could expand nationwide with more shops bearing their neighborhood names. >>> just like with the original starbucks started out there and now we cannot go two feet without one anywhere in the country. >> outside it is pretty comfortable and not to muggy. we still have a couple of storm chances tonight, and tomorrow should be nice. rn it was rngfrhiseshi t in et lw ho w s like on the weatherbug network. we

. >> part of the -- mayor fenty has suggested giving government employees -- some government employees their pink slips. >> i will take the bite. i will take the loss, as long as you tell me that everything is going to go where it is supposed to. >> councilmembers say eight counts -- a tax hike will rate in nearly $40 million. if the proposal happens, it will go into effect by the next fiscal year. reporting live by the wilson building, pamela brown, abc 7 news. >>> democratic leaders say they have reached an agreement clearing the way for a sweeping health care bill to move ahead in the house. helping low and middle-income americans get health insurance. henry waxman expects the committee will pass the bill today this is the house's final de in session before a monthlong summer recess. professor henry gates and police sergeant james crowley are pledging to move on following a meeting with president obama. the three men and vice-president obama -- by president joe biden had beer, pretzels, and peanuts at the white house yesterday. the president extended upst "idlypoupstidly" interestin

and yeah, this is a distraction. >> meanwhile, mayor fenty is referring to the council will making a judgment on the possible ethics issue. looking for a little love? this weekend may be your chance. thousands of people are expected to trek to tysons corner this weekend to receive a blessing from the woman known as the hugging saint. the woman believes that her hugs have healing properties, and it's estimated she's given out 25 million hugs over the course of her life. she'll be at the mclean hilton. and your time is 6:37. it's 67 degrees. still ahead on "good morning washington saturday" -- a food fight is brewing in maryland. why some roadside fruit and veggie stands may soon have to close. plus, he stayed out of the spotlight, but now he'll be remembered forever. and adam's got your forecast right after the break. stay tuned. we'll be back. when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and powering those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. broad da

today mayor fenty announced that 1 18,350 youngsters in the jobs program will get their first paychecksty officials are using a new system that deposits payments on to a pay card for each employee every two weeks. right now, those workers are making the city's minimum wage $6.55 an hour. but they will get a raise later this month when the local minimum wage goes up to $7.25. before making the announcement the mayor met with young people working to remove invasive plants from fort dupont park. >>> president obama wants to boost nation's community colleges. he spoke today at mccomb community cole negligent warren, michigan. he said that auto industry jobs that have been lost there and elsewhere are not coming back. and that new jobs will require greater training and education beyond high school. he unveiled a plan to spend $12 billion over the next ten years to help community colleges teach and train more people for what he called the jobs of the future. >>> and as he made that announcement president obama also challenged his critics and said he welcomes the task of turning around the eco

mayor fenty announcing new initiatives today for the 2009-2010 school year. 13 d.c. schools selected to change their curriculum in a theme-based catalyst program. that means each one will have a specific curriculum such as math, science and arts. >> all 13 of these schools, provide yearlong coaching, summer enrichment, connections to other d.c. catalyst schools will produce opportunities to move throughout the city. >> fenty says the program will encourage cross curriculum over different subjects and departments. >>> when our broadcast continues bwi is eliminating the preparking and not going to cost if you you are making a quick trip to the airport to see someone off. >> i'm liz crenshaw. before the couple says i do they ought to say i do to financial compatibility. the nuptial reasons is coming up october "news4 at 5:00." >>> coming up in sports tonight, lindsay sins sits down for lunch with two players and the redskins hope will be making a difference on the field th.ll year. stk arouic >>> bank of america is planning to close up to 10% of its branches, according

mayor adrian fenty proposed a 66% cut in the upcoming fiscal year, but critics contend non competitive city grants are out of control and they actually propose the bigger problem. >>> some local police officers are the target of a federal investigation. according to "washington post," 5 prince george's county police officers, one from d.c., are suspected from taking money for a suspect -- for a powerful gambling operation frequented by drug dealers. >> i would trust that the police are doing the job that we paid them to do. >> the cups are our saviors, and we do not want them to look out for those who are not doing right. >> it is not clear how much money they took to provide protection. so far nobody has been charged. >>> police in loudoun county are investigating a murder at a birthday party. it happened early yesterday morning a home in sterling. police say 20-year-old guillermo and rasheed nurse got into an argument with another man, and rashid shot and killed him. >>> michael vick had been under home confinement for the last two months of his 23-lock box 23-month sentence. the nfl

. >>> mayor fenty cut $12 million from his upcoming budget. while it is signature it only puts a minor dent in the district's $660 million budget short fall. the dc council is scheduled to vote on the budget on july 31st. >>> the health industry releases a nationwide ad campaign in support of universal coverage an an offer to insure people who are already sick. an overhaul of the industry topped the agenda for president obama this week. both houses of congress are working on bills. the president, who calls it vital to the nation's long term economic recovery hopes to have legislation to sign in september. >>> well, here's some good economic news about 100 new jobs will be created at a gm facility south of detroit. workers will assemble battery packs for the new rechargeable electric car. the chevy volt is due in show rooms late next year. >>> metro transit wants to make rail stations more biker friendly. the agency plans to make some $45 million in bicycle and pedestrian improvements at rail stations and the transit agency wants your help in d

the owner introduced this year's [ inaudible ] and mayor adrian fenty was present. the players hope that the team format will make kids tennis fans for life. >> i think if people in d.c. and throughout america create a greater awareness of a sport like tennis, fans will enjoy themselves. >>> tiger woods and roger federer have a bond with coming the best in the world at what they do. they're also pretty good friends. they have a little contest going on to see who can win more majors. at the beginning of sunday morning they both had 14. but by midday sunday, early evening in england, roger federer had won a epic wimbledon final over andy roddick. the 6th on grass courts of wimbledon and a grand slam title on major. and tiger texted federer to congratulate him and said roger, i'm going to win now. true to his word. he won his tournament by a shot over hunter mayan and they still have the contest going. >>> and lance armstrong, a 7 time champ, he's 37 and 40 seconds off the lead. we'll be back to wrap up the edge right after this. (bell ) woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo!!!! woo-hoo

mayor fenty has asked for $23.4 million to finance the last weeks of the program. >>> a man has pleaded guilty in a brutal christmas eve attack in college park, maryland. wayne williams stayed in the hospital for nearly a month after being beaten outside of holy redeemer church. the 69-year-old lost sight in one eye. well, a judge has sentenced shanon washington to 28 years in prison after washington pleaded guilty yesterday to attempted murder. >>> former atlanta falcons quarterback, michael vick is finally able to return to the national football league. he has been granted a conditional reinstatement by the league. under the ruling, made by the commissioner, roger goodell, vick will be able to participate in training camp immediately and play in the final two pre-season games. however, he will not be eligible to play regular season games until week six at the earliest. his return to the field is at the sole discretion of the commissioner. >> i believe he deserves the opportunity to earn his way back on to the field but he will have to earn it. it is up to him now. i believe i had a re

dc mayor fenty signed the bag fee bill in to law yesterday.ey raised by this fee will be used to help to clean up the anacostia river. that's a good thing. take a bag with you if you are going shopping in the district. >> i have a couple of those. i keep forgetting to bring them in the car to keep them in my car. >> i have to say something about that. it is glass. >> it is antique glass. >> i got it in florida visiting my mama. >> pretty. >> thank you. >>> a gorgeous picture to share with you. we have facebook friends that like us here at channel 9 and they become our friends and then they share with us picture and i can share them with you. my friend donald h action rwood's front yard. this nest is hog something he built, like a so they could build the nest. he is helping with the wildlife. they love to roost. thank you, donald for finding me on facebook and sharing it. they are great. so how w argsinthingoing, ving a good lunch? if you can sneak outside, i don't know about you if you rkwoin rkplace where theyeykee it like a fridge dare in th

the mayor of the town said he sent $11 million to a friend of the mayor adrian fenty.he money was meant to handle the shipping costs. questions were raised about the equipment donation. the vehicles never got there. the mayor there says the town wants the equipment delivered or wants its $11,000 back. > [ speaking foreign language ] >> send the fire trucks to the city. >> the dc council and city inspector generaare investigating the whole matter and we will keep you posted. >>> we get in touch for free. you can now connect and save cash. a new service let's you make a free 5-minute long long distance call in the u.s. or almost anywhere else in the world. no limit on the number of times you can listen to it. you will just have to listen to a 10-minute ad every time you call. >> i don't know. >> want a free call pretty bad. >> let's talk about the weather. you warned us yesterday this could be a day for unsettled times. >> we wound up with thunderstorms. they started rotating surprisingly and the storm prediction service never issued a tornado watch. we had four or five