jackie bensen reports. >> reporter: by night fall firefighters were still spreading water on the smoldering remains of the chapel at the virginia theological seminary in alexandria. agents from the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms

jackie bensen is live with more. jackie? >> reporter: doreen, u.s. officials tell us the alert is based on many streams of information, including a prisoner the u.s. has bn ent terrogating in afghanistan. people confirm seeing tighter security when they left europe. washington, u.sattorney general eric holder refused to get into specifics but insist the the state department alert was, in his words, a timely thing to do. >> when using mass transit, to be cautious. in marketplaces to use caution, perhaps, to avoid political demotration, things of that nature. >> police in europe are looking for ten al-qaeda suspts. u.s. experts are worried. >> this is the most significant threat we have seen towards europe in the past five years. it speaks to al-qaeda central still hing the capability to threaten the west. >> reporter: al-qaeda is said to be training europeans in pakistan. five troops a reported to have been attacked by a rocket from a u.s. drone. they have not identified any of the victims. >> we need to put something out to warn people about the pote

in tysons corner, jackie bensen, news4. >>> lots of lightning outside tonight. doug cameron is in here to tell us what's going on out ther doug? >> we saw a pretty good storm make its way through prince george's county. that line of storms has now made its way across the bay and into parts of the eastern shore. but a few minutes ago, it made a line over 50 and io the bay bridge. there are more storms to the north and we'll be watching those storms make their way to our region during the day tomorrow. here's the boundary, it's making its way to the south. we could see a couple more showers, maybe some storms overnight tonight, and better chance of thunderstorms during the day tomorrow. some of those could be on the strong side, maybe even severe tomorrow. if you're waking up tomorrow morning, partly cloudy skies, 62 to 64 degrees. yomight want to give your kids an umbrella and maybe have one yourself before you step out. jim? >>> the man charged in a shooting rampage last year on a u.s. military bases going to face his victims for the first time tomorrow. survivo

. >>> i'm jackie bensen. some are asking what's one that train signal? they say it is maddening. >>> people on socialsecurity won't get their raise this year but the president has an idea he said might help out. >> plus, a dramatic chase i the streets of brazil. >>> the weather is looking pretty good. a little cool. some nice fall weather. >>> cong up in sports, the terps trying to catch a tiger in death valley. lorenzo alexander is flourishing in jim haslett's defense. plus the offense trying to keep it rolling against a suspect. [ male announcer ] martin o'malley sworn in. inherits a blion-dollar surplus, low unemployment. o'malley signs the biggest tax hike in maryland history. raids chesapeake bay fund to cover spending. gives raises to top aides. business climate ranks 45th worst in the nation. now 200,000 jobs lost. o'malleyovers up jobs report that proved maryland's economy stall. if re-elected, o'malley will raise taxes again. whether he does, is up to you. meet pnc virtual wallet. it comes with a calendar that shows you all your finces at once.

jackie bensen has the story. >> reporter: almost all of the homesargeted by the prolific bular have onehing in common. they sit on fairly large suburban lots. matt decided to increase exterior lighting near his home after learning four houses in his fairfax neighborhood were hit last night including one on his street. >> at my wife's urging i changed the timer setting on the gate lights so we have the entire night covered. >> reporter: fairfax county police say increasing home security is a good idea. given the fact that the bularies seem to be crim of opportunity committed in the overnight hours. the suspect is most likely driving around. he sees open garage door or finds an unlocked sliding door and in seconds is in and out with a purse or wallet that was left in plain sight on the kitchen counter >> please lock your doors and windows of your home and that includes your garage doors. have your doors and winws locked before you go to bed. >> reporter: a map created by investigators shows the tally of crimes committed by the same suspect is mind-boggling. >> we put a significant number

jackie bensen, news4. >>> still ahead on news4 at 5:00, rescue from a dog figing ring. these animals are safe but they need a loving home. >>> what the moss man did that landed him behind bars. >>> how do you get rid of a broken down sofa or mattress? that's the question. the answer is coming up on "ask liz." >>> what does the term indian summer really mean? why doesn't every u.s. business accept every type of u.s. currency? and how do you get rid of one of those broken down mattrses or sofas? we're not having an indian summer right now. >> i think we're having fall. >> our first question come from rachel in northwest. she wants to know what the term indian summer means. where did it come from? >> when are we going to get it? rachel, we turn to the national weather service for your answer. it said that indian summer can be simplydefined as any spell of war quiet, hazy weather. indian summers normally occur in october, early november. they aressociated with significantly above normal temperatures and drier, hazy conditions. the phrase dates back to the 18th century in th

it's just something that we love is gone. >> reporter: jackie bensen, "news4 today." >>> the district will ha to look for a new fire chief come january. chief dennis rubin announced he'll resign and not be part of vincent gray's administration. he's being worked in fire rescue jobs for 35 years. it's the latest shake up of depament heads as the city begins its transition from the fenty administration. several have announced their intentions to step down. police chief cat think lanier said she would like to stay on. it's likely gray will reappoint her. >>> after five days theury is set for the chandra levy murder trial. there's strict rules in place. the 12 member panel as well as the four alternates were told they could not use social media when discussing the case. one potential juror was smissed after fense complained about him using twitter during the selection process. ingmar guandique is charged being with killing levi back in 2001. opening remarks are expected to begin on monday. >>> meanwhile a former student who shot and killed a frostburg university basketball play has pleade

it's just something that we love is gone. >> reporter: jackie bensen, "news4 today." >> d.c. will be looking for a new fire chief come january. the chief announced he'll resign and not be part of the vincent gray administration. he led the department since march of 2007. he's worked in fire rescue jobs for the past 35years. it's the latest shakeup in the department as the city begins s transition from fenty administration. police chief cathy lanier said she would like to stay on. gray will likely reappoint her. after five days the jury is now set for the chandra levy murder trial and there are some strict rules in place for those 12 jurors. the 12 member panel as well as the four alternates were told they could not use social media when dcussing the case. one potential juror was dismissed after theefense complained about the jurorsing be be social media. opening arguments are expected to start on monday. >>> meanwhile a former student who shot and killed a frostburg university basketball player has pleaded guilty to manslaughter. he originally claimed self-defense. but he cha

back to you. >> jackie bensen. thank you. >>> the younger brother of dskins defensive albert haynesworth has died after a motorcycle crash in nashville, tennessee. police say 23-year-old lance mccoy crashed into a car that pulled into his lane. witnesses say mccoy was speeding, going up to 100 miles per hour. the driver says he didn' see the motorcycle before the impact whh was so fierce, it spun his vehicle around 180 degrees. mccoy was the youngest of three sons of lin haynesworth. haynesworth has left town now for tennessee. it is not clear if he will return for this weekend's dskins game. >>> a serial burglar crime spree in northern virginia may have expand. this latest crime is the home burglary in the waterford area of loudo county. investigators are looking into whether it is linked to 87 crimes in fairfax and 14 in prince william coun. authorities say there are significant similarities. aaron gilchrist is just back from northern virginia. he has the latest. >> reporter: the burglary in loudoun is like many

jackie bensen, "news4 today." >>> a toddler expected to survive after she and her mother were hit crossing a street in marynd. this happened yesterday morning at the interseion of aspen hill road and georgia avenue in aspen hill. mother was pushing the 17-month-old in her stroller through the crosswalk when they were side swiped by an suv. the driver had a full green light when the accident happened. luckila nurse happened to be close by and performed r on the toddler. >> there's a baby laying in the middle of the intersection being tended to by a citizen. >> the baby went to the ground without breathing or moving. i just started giving cpr, chest compression. >> after a few seconds we started to get a little bit of a pulse back, became stronger as we continued cpr. >> after the nurse performed cpr the child was taken to hospital. no charges have been filed against the driver. >>> after yet another burglar in northern virginia police are investigating if a serial burglar may be expanding his territory. this latest rglary happened friday morning in the waterford area of loudoun county. inve

jackie bensen. thank you. >>> there was heavy police presence at a funeral. jamal coates was murder last ek following another funeral and police believe he was the victim of gang violence. >> reporter: a massive swing of grief and support dnesday morning as throng of people filed into the baptist church to say goodbye to 21-year-old jamal coates. mostf the funeral attendees didn't want to speak on camera but found other ways to honor a friend whose life was cut short. >> it is a tragedy to see this stuff happening repeatly. >> reporter: brian weaver runs a nonprofit and work with jamal last year. >> a funny, outgoing dreamer. >> reporter: he died on u street september 28th. he had attended the funeral of ashley mccrae. another homicide victim. police believ two rival gang got into a dispute and gun fire erupted. outside jamal's funeral, dozens of police officers in uniform and plain clothes. show of force designed to stave off any retaliation. meanwhile it featured a collage ofhotos and the check of memories. >> every time we would engage with them, this was

jackie bensen has more on this. jackie? >> reporter: jim, the question tonight, is it t same suspect? the weekend burglaries have con founded residents of this high-end gated community in haymarket, virginia. >> right now i put my alarm system on all the time, even when i go to bed. yes. i think that happened to this lady, one of them, that the alarm came on and she didn't go down, andt went on again. >> reporter: in addition to the enance gate, home security is a big deal here. each one of the 50 or so houses in the development is equipped with a state of the art security system. >> i go around at least once a week and check my windows. because the houses are bigger in here, so there is maintenance people here and landscaping people, so you just kind of are a little more aware. >> but prince william county police note that of the four homes broken into on ridin club drive during the overnight hours saturday and sunday, three were entered through unlocked doors or windows. >> whoever is doing it is just going in real quick,

. >> jackie bensen reporting tonit. thank you, jackie. >>> we're going to take a break now. as you look at pictures, they're getting ready to send the capsule back dow that mine in chile. another rescuer going down to bring up what we assume to be the second of the 33 miners who have been trapped there for two months now. we'll be back ght after this. i'm bob ehrlich. i'm not the kind of guy who likes hang on the sidelines. today maryland'in trouble. we're worse off than we were four years ago: dangerous debt, higher taxes, not enough jobs. we need real leadership to turn this state around. fix the budget -- honestly. grow small bunesses -- really. excellent schools -- everywhere. protect the bay finally. it's why i'm running -- to make the state we love not just good, but great. now let's get down to work. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a universal gesture... ♪ a way of telling the world "you didt!"... witut saying a word. introducing the mercedes-benz sls...amg. [ engine revs ] ♪ the best or nothing... that is what drives us. sync: i d as ged my property taxes 60 percent. man 1

. >> all right, jackie bensen reporting tonight. thank you, jackie. >>> d.c. closing in on a suspect of a shooting today at the department of public works. it appeared about 6:30 this morning at a dpw building on w reet northeast. witnesses say a man wearing a department uniform walked up to the front gate, pulled out a gun and started shooting. two workers were hit. 51-year-old larry wilmer-hutchins of suitland was killed. police say at leastwo security cameras may have captured images of the suspect. >>> d.c. school chancellor michelle rhee made it official by stepping down. she oversaw a massive shake in management, school closings and the firgz of hundreds of teachers. as she announced her resignation today, rhee announced presumptive rules and said those rules will continue. >> to not be in this role anymore is heartbreaking. >> w cannot and will not revert to the days of incrementalism in our schl. >> kaya henderson wasamed the successor of michelle rhee. she has worked with the schools for 13 years. >>> tperatures are really falling. they were in the 80

sdp >> jackie bensen reporting from springfield. >>> they sent out a crime alert this eveng after a young woman was raped last night in washington circle. that assault happened in an alley just off of pennsylvania northwest. there are a lot of security cameras covering that area because of its pximity to the embassy. police are looking over those tapes. it is not yet clear if the victim is a student of the embassy. >>> a d.c. police officer shot and killed a dog during a street festival and has faced a number of threats. he ss it's all a horrible case of mistaken identity. aaron gil crest has the story. >> reporter: meet scott syke. he invited us to listen to all the threats he's receiving. september 12, the adams morgan day festival. there are conflicting reports of what happed buthe story always ends the same. a police officer pur suz a sharpei mix that came at him aggressively, foing him to pull his gun and shoot the dog. that officer's name is also scott fike. since september 15, fike says people have inundated hisin box with hate messages, calling him a dog lover and telling him he s

. >> jackie bensen reporting. thank you. >>> a toddler is recovering after she and her mother were hit crossing the street. it happened this morning. the mother was pushing a stroller across the street in the cross walk when they were sideswiped by an suv. fortunately a nurse happened to be close by. >> this was a baby lying in the middle of the intersection being tended to by a citizen. >> the baby was not breathing, was no moving. i started giving cpr and chest compressions. >> after a few seconds we started to get a little bit of a pulse back, it became stronger as we cntinued cpr. >> the child was taken to the hospital. she is expected to survive. no charges have been charged against the driver. >>> it involves t energy-wise reward model. the batteries can leak causing the thermostat to overheat. about 13,000 customers have this particular model. petco says the thermostats should work just fine without the batteries. it's only used for the thermostat's clock in case of a power oute. so far no fires have been r

jackie bensen, "news4 today." >> the investigation continues this morning into a myerious murder on a wooded estate in fairfax county. the body of 61-year-old young yun was found in his home by a family member. police call it an apparent homicide and said he died from trauma to the upper body. missing from his home a gold lexus with virginia tags. police ask that if you see the vehicle or have any information contact them immediately. >>> after yet another burglary in northern virginia police are questioning if a serial burglar may be expanding his territory. the latest burglary happened friday morning in the waterford area of loudoun county. investigators are looking into a possible link between 87 incidents in fafax county and 14 in prince william county. all happened over just the past two months. the latest break in is similar to towers. it happened duringhe early morning hours while the residents were asleep. the burglar came in through an unlocked door and took small valuable items. >> we suspect this person is comfortable with the area. walking around during hours of darkne. on

. >> jackie bensen. thank you. >>> the younger brother of redskins player alber haynesworth has been killed in a motorcycle crash in nashville, tennessee twoox-year-old lance mccoy crash head on to a vehicle that pulled into his path. he was rushed to the hospital where he died. witnesses told police, the motorcycle was going about 100 miles an hour. the driver said he never saw the motorcycle coming. haynesworth had gone to nashville to be with his family. it is not clear yet whether he'll be playing in this weekend's game. police are looking for the man who allegedly tried to kidnap the person from the park. it happened in the 8600 park of seasons way. the suspect trie to snatch a 7-year-old boy at the park. anyone with information should call police. >>> 15 illegal immigrants nvicted of second crime have been arrested in the district and northern virginia and will be deported after their seences have bee served. they were arrested as part of operation sore. that stands for sexual offender alien remova

jackie bensen has more on this. >> reporter: there are a lt of unanswered questions about this. even though this location is very close to george washington university, we do not believe the person was a student there. it was repted about want:30. the woman said the man forced inrcourse with her just off washington circle. what is somewhat odd is that is the garage entrance to the embassive spain and the area is full of security cameras. at least a half dozen of them. most people who live and work near here say they consider this to be very much a safe area. >> i am mainly safe about it feels good. >> ver, ever feel unsafe. i'm actually really confident. i not like new york. it is relavely call. i think it is safe. >> the victim will police she does not know the suspect. she describes him as a latino man. she said he had short black hair, was wearing a black jacket and blue jeans. >>> there are now seven kafsz break-ins just this week in the hay market area. there are two cases of attempted break-ins. in most cases the brglar goes through an unlocked door or window. they are loo

. >> reporter: jackie bensen, "news4 today." >>> a fire that killed one person in northwest d.c.er this week may have been intentionally set. that blaze broke out early wednesday morning on the busy 16 street corridor in columbia heights. one man died after he jumped from his fifth floor apartment. several other people were seriously hurt. they are talking to several persons of interest. >> we began to eliminate every single accidental cause and that's going to le us to one area. we're not quite ready to make that jump yet but speculation would say most likelyt's going to be some type of a set fire. >> investigators say a mattress on the fifth floor may have been the source of the fire. >>> tens of thousands of americans who were close to losing their homes are getting unexpected good news. three of the biggest mortgage lenders in the country have stoppe foreclosure, bank of america, gmac and jpmorgan chase admitted thousands of documents may have beenimproperly processed. >> reporter: new evidence the nation's foreclosure crisis is far from finished. thousands of people, some fr