this occurred on fort meade road right off route 1 in laurel near laurel mradza and chopper 4 is on the way to the scene and we'll update you as soon as we get more information. at the live deck, i'm chris lawrence. >>> a local student with a debilitating illness is inspiring a community. the 19-year-old attends high school in montgomery county and he's in desperate need of a new wheelchair. enter a caring teacher and hundreds of his best friends to start a heart warming fund-raiser. >>. >> our melissa malay reports from watkinsville high school on a very popular and very grateful student. >> how are you, sir? >> doing all right? >> he has a smile that illuminates the halls and has transformed hearts at watkinsville high school. >> given the situation and the pain he goes through every day and the pain and trials he's had in his life he continues to smile. >> and right now a reason for ebber's gorgeous grin to stretch even wider. >> i don't know what to say. because it's amazing. >> a fund-raising campaign started this summer by teachers and classmates. the goal, $25,000 to get ebro a n

chief wrote letters complaining about the closure of laurel's hospital to the "baltimore sun" sayingdimensions health care management for laurel hospital announced late july that they will be laying off hundreds of workers and closing departments as they prepare to demolish the hospital and open a walk-in patient center with an emergency room but no overnight stays. the closest full-service emergency room will be nine-plus miles away. next week, the prince george's county council will have a briefing, explaining about what is exactly going to happen with the closing of laurel hospital, the first time that any official board has had that briefing since the announcement was made outside of the hospital's board. in laurel, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >>> coming up, a report on a multimillion dollar plan to help ease traffic on one of the most congested roads in the area. >>> also, drivers targeted sparking fear on a freeway, how here to fehr out west is bringing memories of the sniper attacks in washington. >>> first, here is doug. >> rain off to the west, we will watch the rain move acr

. >> reporter: this is main street in downtown laurel maryland.it's called the historic district because of its old buildings and today some of them have lost roofs, sustained damage to ceilings and to breaks as well as signs that were damaged and windows that were broken. in all, about a dozen buildings suffered damage and this is the old laurel theater and it is now owned by the city. its roof was damaged and we talked to a laurel resident who was here when it happened. >> it sounded like a tornado, and as i was coming around the corner there was very dark skies and the roof right here at this old theater seemed to have been raised up and so i started picking up the debris. >> today was cleaning up and putting down tarp knowing there was more rain in the forecast. in laurel, maryland, chris gordon, news 4. >>> the national weather service tells news 4 that it's aware of the damage in laurel, but they are not saying it was a tornado. as the weather changes, get the new nbc washington app and tap the temperature button to see our live, updated rad

in laurel, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >>> pope francis comes to d.c.er this month, one of the highlights is going to be his popemobile parade. the archdiocese just released new details that you will need to know if you want to see him the parade basically is going to happen after the pope's meeting with president obama on wednesday the 23rd. take a look. basically, what's going to happen is after he leaves the white house, the pope is going to make a giant u. his popemobile is going to drive down 15th street. it's gonna come right across, make a turn on constitution and come right back up 17th street. if you plan to head downtown to catch a glimpse, just be aware your going to have to leave early. security gates are going to open at 4 in the morning. security is going to be extremely tight. those gates will close at 10 a.m. a couple things to remember, no outside food or drinks. you can't bring any food or drinks from outside there are going to be some concession stands set up inside the checkpoint. also, the parade itself should start around 11 in the

tracee wilkins is live in laurel with this story. tracee?porter: she was a mother of four children, a grandmother, great-grandmother, had fostered many children, as well, and now she has been laid to rest, and officials are still waiting on the state to confirm her cause of death, but they are also preparing in case it was west nile virus. >> laurel is a small town and the longer you live here. >> she's been here for as long as i can remember. >> reporter: the more people know you. >> i'll certainly miss her pineapple upside down cake. the 94-year-old lived here for most of her life. >> she's a lovable little package, under 5 foot tall. >> she is a world war ii vet who served in the navy. her daughter took her to the medical center where she passed a few days later. the same day her family received test results showing she had contracted the west nile virus. >> she was, you know, elderly and had health issues and so her body couldnd fight it. >> i live in the same neighborhood she does. >> reporter: laurel is warning its citizens. >> we are

. >>> this was a tense day for more than a hundred employees at laurel regional hospital. they've all been laid off. and more pink slips could be coming as that hospital downsizes. it's in prince george's county. our bureau chief tracy wilkins explains the impact on the workers and on healthcare services in that community. >> jobs are not easy to find. >> reporter: the number rose to over 100 workers laid off from laurel hospital when 80 people received pink slips today. >> people are frustrated, on edge, upset. >> reporter: the letter was expected friday. >> there had been aing about buildup to that. at 3:00 they called up and said, oh, the person with the letters didn't get here yet so you have to wait until monday. most everybody that i've talked to was very disturbed by just being treated that way. >> reporter: the icu and intermediate medical care units were impacted today. their layoffs will take effect in november. the maternity ward is closing in october as dimension prepares to close laurel hospital and open a walk-in care center. >> they made a business decision,

. >>> happening today, your chance to weigh in on the planned closing of laurel regional high school. >> reporter: county leaders call this plan reckless. hospital leaders and the board here at the hospital voted to close the hospital because it was being underused and losing money. they say admissions down 20% in the last several years. so they say by 2018 the hospital will close down, remaining an ambulance care center only. dimensions health care systems is the operating system here. and they say that the critics are well intentioned but they don't simply get it. the county leaders say the closing would have devastating consequences to patients and workers but the company says the new ambulatory center will actually serve the community better. it will include emergency services, outfairkt surgery, -- outpatient surgery and comprehensive diagnostic imaging. so the board will further explain their position before the prince george's county council at 11:30 this morning. you are encouraged to attend and weigh in on how it will affect you. so how much time are we looking at? what's the

clean-up underway from the storm damage in laurel. last night more than three inches of rain fell in under an hour. abc7 news out there looking at the dam including a huge hole in the building's roof. the city of laurel used a drone to get out in the air and survey some of the damage today. the national weather service will determine if the mess was caused by a tornado or micro burst. maureen: with more bad weather expected in the next couple of days now is the time to get ready. mike carter-conneen is live in alexandria with a look at how residents are preparing before the next round of heavy rain. mike? mike: of course, maureen. old time residents are no stranger to flooding and storm impacts. right now at the low tide tonight. but many were unaware of joaquin. some are planning to prepare tonight. >> residents in flood-prone old town will be ready for whatever joaquin brings. >> prepare for it. >> we are a hearty lot in alexandria. we had hurricane isabelle. we are going to stay and stick it out. it's the alexandria spirit. they ex

now, this is located in the 9600 block of fort meade road in laurel. now, someone inside the car is trapped. police say medics are going to rush that patient to a nearby hospital. there were 59 people on board the bus. none of them were hurt. but quite a tragic situation. this is the 9600 block of fort meade road in laurel. >>> a city cop has been charged with assault. police say other officers took a prisoner who was already in restraints. the alleged incident happened last september, but details are just now ngcomi out. police say the accused officer was helping two bondsmen take control of a suspect who was a flight risk. police claim he grabbed the suspect and assaulted him, even though they say the suspect never tried to escape. the officer is is a 24-year vet with the force. he's been on administrative duty since last year: new this week, deputies in frederick county, maryland, are installing motion- activated hidden cameras on trails in the vast frederick watershed. it is the latest effort to catch a person burying booby traps in those trails. t

>>> now at 11:00, new information just coming in about a deadly tour bus crash in laurel. >> passenger iings tell us what they saw and heard before this crash. >>> donald trump's campaign, trying to explain his latest jaw dropper on the trail, not what he said but what he didn't say at a rally in new hampshire. >>> she survived a devastating injury in 2012. now, this d.c. woman is facing a new bat approximately. >> it's pain and all the pain causes spasms and it's just a vicious cycle. >> and that breaking news in this district tonight where a police chase just ended with a crash here. this new video from the corner of florida avenue and northeast d.c. where u.s. park police say they arrested the driver after he tried to run away from them. >> police began the chase about a mile away near the gallaudet university campus. they say the driver hit at least one other car before he crashed. there are no reports of any injuries. >>> now, to that deadly crash involving a tour bus on prince george's county live. >> we know the driver of the pickup truck is dead and passengers hurt. we spoke to

this is via chopper 4, live right now over the city of laurel.he national weather service is there. in fact, on the ground, checking on reports of a possible microburst or tornado. a lot of you on social media reporting this as well. crews are also out doing roof inspections along main street. the city says many signs were blown over because of the high winds. we know the national weather service also using drones to get pictures as they continue this investigation. we will continue to follow it and bring you the very latest. you can find more at nbcwashington.com. barbara? >> all right. angie, right now a lot of folks are stepping over or picking up branches after last night's heavy rain. storm team 4 meteorologist tweeted these pictures of trees down. the wind was almost as much a problem as the rain in some areas. now tom is back from louden county and he's in the weather center with an update on the current conditions out there. >> quite a bit of debris there. that was right now downtown leesburg. right now temperatures are in the low 70s nor

. >> one worker said that she found out about the closing of laurel regional hospital while watching news 4. watching news 4. why officials say t what did iran's supreme leader get in the nuclear deal? to start with, $100 billion. they keep their nuclear facilities and ballistic missiles. there won't be surprise anytime-anywhere inspections. and after ten years, restrictions are lifted and iran could build a nuclear weapon in two months. congress should reject a bad deal. we need a better deal. >> some top stories right now, a guardsman from fairfax is finally buried at arlington national cemetery after one family's fight. >> you may notice some big changes at the reflecting p ini >> and before deflate gate, there was spy gate. >> there are frustrations tonight over the closing of a prince george's county hospital. some say laurel regional administrators are not being up front. >> hospital workers and city leaders held a press conference today to air their concerns. >> they're saying the way this was done was all wrong and they're hoping it's not too late to change things. >> my daug

this morning to discuss dramatic changes at laurel regional hospital. 38 workers, most of them labor and delivery nurses are being laid off. that's because the maternal child and health unit is closing next month. the closing comes as laurel hospital charges from a -- changes, rather, from a full service hospital to an ambulatory care center. >>> it seem the violence just won't let up and right now d.c. police are investigating several shooting scenes in the city. the gunfire started before midnight and didn't stop until just before 5:00 this morning. nick giovanni is in the newsroom with what was a very violent and a deadly night across the district. >> reporter: a total of eight people were shot in d.c. before sunrise today. the latest case happened at 4:30 this morning in northeast. d.c. police tell us a man was shot near the sam company in -- near the amoco in the 5200 block. there were two other shootings last night. one in southeast where five people were shot around the intersection of melon street and martin luther king, jr. avenue. all five are expected to survive. investiga

reporting live in laurel, scott broom, wusa9. >> scott says the bus involved in last night's accident was on a tour to niagra falls. >>> more evidence that synthetic marijuana is still very much a problem in the district. d.c. police tell wusa9 five people suspected of overdosing were taken to the hospital just this afternoon. their injuries are considered to be serious but not life threatening. earlier in the summer police chief cathy lanier attributed the citi' rising homicide rate in mart to the use -- city's rising homicide rate in part to the use of synthetic marijuana. >>> we are just getting started on wusa9 news at 5:00. internet for everyone, peggy fox shows us what's being done to make sure some of the poorest students in northern virginia get online access. >> i'm meteorologist topper shutt, another beautiful day. we'll talk about high school football. boy, this is about perfect really. it will be toasty to start. any 4:00 games already in play, 84 degrees and 81 at 6:00 and 74 by 8 p.m. we'll come back, talk about weather for the terps, redskins, d.c. out and also the pope

lets get to "eyewitness news" reporter diana rocco in mount laurel right now, diana?reporter: ukee, there were some very chaotic and quite frankly frantic moments outside this station just before noon time today when a koran fire along route 73, pulls right up to this gas pump. you can see the charred mess, that was left behind, even one of the pumps caught fire and was severely damage, as you said, no one was hurt and tonight the owner of this gas station is crediting that to the help of the two good samaritans. >> more fire and more fire. >> reporter: scare moments in the mount laurel gas pump 11:00 a.m. monday when a smoking car pulls in the station and then catches fire. cell phone video shows what happens next. black smoke filling the station and then the car eruptness to flames. workers and station owner scramble for putting the fire out emptying every extinguisher that they have. finally the the owner hit the the emergency gas turn off, one of the pumps caught fire and that is when two good samaritans trying by stepped in and jumped in to the car, moving it awa

that's the mountain laurel. mountain laurel is pennsylvania's state plant. and if you go up in the poconos or if you get north of the lehigh tunnel, that's all you find up there as far as the foliage, the trees and those mountain laurels. >> here is the welcoming party in new york. a number of cardinals on the ground and others. and there is the american 777, boeing 777 he will board in minutes. >> welcoming him and seeing him off as he heads to philadelphia. we'll continue to watch this, this live picture again, we have live cameras everywhere to have you covered on this papal visit. right now let's get a check of thele forecast balls a lot of people -- let's go to monique braxton first live at atlantic aviation. >> reporter: good morning. there are hundreds of people here on the tarmac at the airport awaiting the arrival of pope francis. let me show you what's happening now. the steps are in place, you can see the world meeting of family logo. beneath that you see a carpet that has been rolled up. that is a majestic red carpet that was made by a company in

. >>> news 4 was first to report that laurel hospital was closing its doors. find out what it means for healthcare workers and what the county executive had to say today. >>> we're tracking breaking news. paramedics are airlifting a teenager to a local hospital after a bad wreck in charles county. chapper 4 just arrived over the scene, awe thorn and mitchell roads outside la plata. that intersection has now been shut down. sheriff's deputies tell us a school bus and three other cars were involved. the teenager was driving a pickup truck. he suffered a head injury on his way to the hospital now. there are three to four kids on the bus, but deputies don't believe any of the kids were seriously injured. we're working to get more information. >>> we're back with this new video of a guy who terrorized a dc store clerk, from a holdup on mlk avenue and w street on wednesday. the robber came up behind the store clerk, forced him to open the register, then took off in front of a busy bus stop on mlk avenue. >>> two years after city officials announced they fixed the dr

police have identified a pickup driver killed in a crash with a tour bus in laurel. news chopper seven was over the scene every night -- route 198 and rockbridge. michael palermo died. 59 people were on the tour bus, seven of them were injured. police are looking into what caused the crash. we will see how our traffic is moving on this friday. any problems out there for midday? jamie: we do have some problems. i want to start with the delay i-95. we typically see this a lot with people heading out of the city. as you pass through dale city and continuing south closer to woodbridge. 24 minutes it will take you heading on 95 northbound. this congestion will basically be from triangle and continuing on. inhave the southbound delay the teens, which is the live shot we just saw. i want to focus on the capital beltway. we are in pretty good shape. no delays on the wilson bridge. tomorrow at this time at the air show, definitely will be a different story. i want to talk about a gas main break in d.c. we are talking about the smell of gasping reported. they have closed down

archdiocese and the people of the area. >> they had no idea they would present him with the mount laurel, the state flower. >> i thought we were coming to pick up the gifts and didn't know what was going on. i am completely overwhelmed right now. >> will definitely be there. >> thank you. >>the official slogan of the papal visit became the official bowles family slogan. it was difficult on the spot as theyd eye-to--to-eye with him. >> i don't know, what do you say? i have to think about it i guess. >> and the family carries the memory of sergeant mcdonald. and without question, their faith in god carried them through their darkest moments. matt o'donnell, channel 6 "action news." >> back at the big board, a couple of weeks to think about it. what will they say when we meet pope francis, you will see it live here on 6abc. >> indeed we will. >>> the first thing on the agenda is the mass at the cathedral of saints peter and paul. and alicia vitarelli is there staking out the situation. what is the feeling there in front of the basilica? >> it is a feeling of peace, it's a feeling of family.

firefighters battling a house fire overnight on laurel avenue in carney. toitd in new york's tracie strahan talked to firefighters on the scene. >> reporter: michael, the good news is they've been able to turn off the hoses. now they're this the process of evaluating the single family home on laurel avenue. the flames were so insentence the roof collapsed. this is cell phone video when the call came in around 1:44 this morning. at one point residents said smoke filled the entire neighborhood. authorities say at least one person inside was able to gem fire engulfed the first and second floors. crews were able to stage a pretty effective interior attack before the roof collapsed. even as the fire was brought under control there was damage to both homes next door. >> pretty common in this area is how close the buildings are together. there's only about three feet paration between the buildings and when you have a lot of fire in the fire building, it's very e easy to extend to the home next door. >> i doubt they'll be back in. the back is all gone. >> reporte

this happened at the intersection of laurel-bowie road and annapolis road. the man was taken to a nearby hospital. >>> this morning a 15-month-old girl is back at home safe after police issued an amber alert for her last night. montgomery county police said farah muhammad's father took her from the mother's home. two hours after it went out, police cancelled the alert when they were found in frederick, maryland. >>> call it a headset gate. the new controversy surrounding the new england patriots after last night's home opener and this morning we have a response from the nfl. >>> plus, the growing cause of death nationwide and why most doctors say it's totally preventable. >>> a live look at national harbor. chuck bell has a look at what you can expect as you head out you can expect as you head out the door at 5:11. what can i make for you? how about one of our reuben sandwiches? choose from tender corned beef or oven roasted turkey breast, topped with sauerkraut, melty swiss cheese and thousand island dressing. enjoy one while they're here! subway. eat fresh

tonight the weather service is surveying the damage in laurel. let's get to doug hill who is watching joaquin. doug: it's cloudy and breezy. we will take that because we have to see what will happen with the storm. show you details on the latest update of the hurricane center stilt has the track southwest moving from the atlantic ocean to the bahamas but it is expected to make a uturn to the right to head back up the coast. as far as the numbers go, the top winds are 85 miles per hour. gusting to 105. moving southwest at 8 but it is expected to make the turn. in the next couple of day once it makes the turn, possibly coming to a substantial size hurricane, category three. the new track from the hurricane center they shifted it to the west. more land. look at the cone of uncertainty, the way to read this is the preferred landfall area could be here. it could be there. there. anywhere out to here. this is just the center line of the track. it doesn't mean it could come to the chesapeake bay. it could. but it could come west or east. in any case it

new this noon, we're learning more about the plan to restructure the laurel regional hospital. officials there held a press conference this morning to lay out additional details. officials tell us that nearly 40 employees have already received layoff notices. most of them nurses. officials say the maternal and child health units will close first. a date for october 11 is set for that closing. it's all part of a plan to shift the facility from a full service hospital to a ambulatory care center. have you heard this story? a 4-year-old boy and his dog are recovering after both were rescued from a well in mississippi. now, that boy fell in the well nearly 25 feet deep monday evening. the hole was only about a foot and a half wide. well, that forced officials to call out a trench crew. rescuers trieded to hoist that y up with a rope but the youngster did not know how to attach to it. >> him and the dog were out in the yard playing and he was running like normal little kid does and fell off in the hole. jummy: it took 1/2 hours but the boy was rescued and paramedics took the boy to

following breaking news this morning out of new jersey, a home on laurel avenue up in flames. firefighters arriving to find the flames shooting through the roof. "today in new york's" tracie strahan spoke with firefighters. >> it's safe to say that this is a fire that actually awakened the entire neighborhood. many fire departments still on the scene. but because neighbors tell us smoke filled this entire area. now fire officials tell us that the call came in around 1:44 for a three alarm fire here at 199 laurel avenue. there was heavy fire on the first and second floor according to authorities and it damaged the exterior buildings because it was so hot on both sides. a lot of that fire started in the back of the house and extended to the second floor. it is at this point under control but there is because of the roof collapse that happened here visible damage. we spoke to the fire chief a short time ago. he talks about the visible damage that he saw. take a listen. >> i saw a woman and a little boy. >> the collapse of the roof which collapses the second floor. both of the bui

laurel, new jersey. route 38, you can hardly make out some of the roadways.ou can see a light trickles through, cars are still moving. we have a 13-minute drive time headed southbound from this point at 38 up towards the black horse pike. if you have to head to philadelphia, no problems. just be cautious when heading through the airy in south jersey. we have a 13-minute drive time and heading through the conshohocken curve, nice and smooth right there. eastbound from the blue route up towards the vine street expressway. again, 13 minutes. no increase there. as for mass transit, we currently have no problems or delays for new jersey transit, patco and septa. coming up in the next ten minutes, we'll do a live check on the schuylkill expressway. >> 4:42. when times are tough, the generosity of others often shines through. >> it does. police say quite the opposite happened in montgomery county. next, how an online cancer fund-raiser led to a woman's arrest. >>> and as we prepare for pope francis, is anotherç papal vis already stealing our thunder? hear what phil

. >>> take a look at the heavy damage down in laurel, maryland. the national weather service is investigating whether the town was hit by a tornado last night. fierce winds sheared off sections of roofs and dropped several trees on to cars, the wind wasn't the only issue. rain came down in buckets and the mayor says laurel got more than three inches of rain in one hour. >>> to track severe weather while it's happening check our live radar on our new wusa9 app. >>> russian yea gave the u.s. and its partners a one hour heads-up before it began dropping bombs on syria. but questions remain about who the russians were targeting. craig boswell reports from the white house. >> reporter: russian jets could be seen in the skies over syria -- dropping bombs for the first time. russia laid out its case for the air strikes at the u. n. wednesday morning. >> we're trying to get exclusively to operation of the russian air force to carry out strikes against isil positions in syria. >> reporter: but russian jets hit targets near holmes, syria an area not current

we told you the maternity ward at laurel is expected to close early next month and the measure will now go before the county council. if passed, the emergency hospital bill would take effect on the day of enactment and the county council would vote on whether laurel hospital should close. >>> next week's papal visit will have an impact on the hospital center. today the hospital announced it's taking measurement, steps to make sure patients and staff can get into and out of the hospital, but they warned many roads surrounding the center will be closed starting next wednesday morning. hospital officials urge you to plan ahead for the road closures which you can do by downloading the nbc washington app. security will be increased at the hospital so be prepared to show i.d. >>> you will also notice missing mailboxes across the city during the poach's visit. the postal service is removing postal boxes that will be impacted by papal security measures. so you won't be able to drop off your letters in the usual spot, surrounding the national shrine, dupont circle, the naval observatory, the zoo

the city of laurel is responding to this news and we'll show you how. in laurel, i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. >>> the boy known as the clock kid says he's switching schools. yet 14-year-old says he's not expecting to get an apology from administrators any time soon. >>> and what happens after a police officer opens fire in a busy gas station parking lot? >> kansas city police are defending an officer's decision to open fire in a busy gas station. he was involved in a high-speed chase and tried to pin the stolen car in, but the driver rammed him and that's when the officer started shooting even as customers stood a few feet away. three people in the car were arrested after the car spun out after hitting stop sticks and one person had been shot and was taken to the hospital. >>> a fast food burger shop worker had a beef with police and now he doesn't r a job. two north texas police officers said an am employee at whatta burger didn't serve them and he didn't give them an explanation why. >> we do feel it was just that one individual. it's not a conspiracy,

the search is on for a missing woman from laurel. her name is michele glen. the 50-year-old woman you see here on the screen has been missing from her house on kings grant road since yesterday morning. howard county police say she left without any money or i.d. she's about 5'7" and weighs 160 pounds. she was last seen driving a tan 2000 toyota sienna with maryland tags m339316. >>> hoping statements are expect dad in a case against a former falls church democratic party leader. michael gardner is facing a new round of sex abuse charges. he's accused of abusing a niece when she was 12 years old and that girl is now 18 and is expected to testify against her uncle. gardner is set to be retried in november in a separate case. in that case he's accused of molesting two girls at his daughter's slumber party. >>> the monday night football stage belonged to the jets and colts last night. indies picked by some to make a super bowl run this season. not likely if they played like last night. the coments were only -- colt itself were only -- colts were only down 10 and s

this is chris gordon in the 300 block of main street in laurel, maryland. the rain and wind last night brought roofs down and broke windows, smashed signs and even tore bricks from the side of buildings. all new at 5:00, we'll hear from someone who was downtown in the historic district of laurel last night and tells us what he saw and what he heard. that's coming up. back to you. >>> we are on trigate court in the leesburg area of loudoun county where there was some pretty significant flooding last night. take a look here. the homeowner describes a four-foot wall of water literally hit the back of the house and pushed open the basement door, literally brought it off of its hinges and there was a lot of water damage in the basement. that's being kleebed cleaned up right now. some of the items have been destroyed. you have some of the children's items here, some christmas ornaments and decorations for the holiday season that's going to be approaching. all of this is damaged. take a look over here. you have some insulation that's been brought out of the baseme

and we continue to see that development, a few more up around the olney area, just to the east of laurel, right along the patuxent river, prince george's and anne arundel. this was a boundary, we mentioned this yesterday the bay breeze coming in, it comes in from the chesapeake bay and just develops a couple of storms and they send out their own boundaries. look at these boundaries, see them clearly moving across the region here and wherever these boundaries intercept, that's where we have some more showers and thunderstorm activity. we could start to see some in through fairfax county. this is the area under the gun now and has been the last couple of hours, storm after storm, clinton, the oxon hill area, alexandria, mount vernon, business cat away, indian head high wake very heavy rain there and seen it along the belt watch please give yourself extra time if you think about heading thought i want to right now, temperature-wise, way down from where we were earlier, 82 currently, the heat index of 85, hit 96 a little bit earlier. one of the hottest days we have seen so far this summer. 9

. >>> the leaders of laurel city held a news conference this morning to discuss dramatic changes at laurel regional hospital. labor and delivery nurses are being laid off because the child unit is being closed next month. that leaves many workers wondering how they're going to state afloat. >> definitely appreciate it. they are worried for their futures, and many are scrambling to find a job, having to continue to pay the bills and take care of their families. >> the hospital plans to close its maternity ward september 10th. it is working to find those let go new jerry browns. >>> he's getting pushback from conservatives, but pope francis is allowing bishops to review applications if neither spouse is contesting the end of their marriage. the annulment process will also be free. that is the change. >> the pope is also asking bishops to be more welcoming of divorce. >> the mercy of healing people, healing the rift between people and god has been at the heart of everything he does. [ speaking foreign language ] >> the vatican's announcement comes just weeks before the pope is due to visit th

wreath t looks like the letter o for the orioles, but really it's the laurel wreath. that was put up there to honor heroes, the defenders of baltimore from 1814. last year we had our huge bicentennial commemoration of the successful defense of baltimore from the british and the writing of the "star spangled banner." so if you forget everything that you experience here this weekend, if you get totally fried out on all the meetings and that stuff, remember that this week you visited the home, the birthplace, of the national anthem. it was the battle here, 201 years ago, of which francis scott key was an eyewitness, that led to the words that became our country's song. and the war of 1812 was an born conflict. so that's what i want to talk about today. what was this war of 1812? why was there a bombardment in baltimore? why were the words that key wrote so important? how do they live on to this day? people write words all the time. people write songs all the time. people write patriotic songs all the time. why did his become the national anthem? i think it's something we

. >>> the victim of a deadly tour bus crash in laurel has been identified. michael palomo was 45 years old. the crash happened yesterday at a busy section at laurel fort mead road and rock ridge road. investigators say the bus driver failed to yield to a pickup truck as the bus turned into a shopping center. palomo the truck driver was killed and none of the 58 people on the bus were seriously hurt. >>> due back in court today the mother of two missing montgomery county kids. the key question is whether katherine hoggle will tell a judge what happened to her children sarah and jacob. their mother is charged with abduction and neglect and also accused of hindering the investigation into the disappearance of the children. jacob was 2 when he was missing from the gaithersburg area last september. his sister was 4. in the past, katherine has been found incompetent to stand trial. >>> meanwhile the trial of the prince george's county man accused of killing his stem father also -- stepfather also a d.c. police detective is coming to a close. antoine james is charg

. >> people who use laurel hospital. >> the fact that it's been so hidden that all of this happened. >> to its workers. >> they tell you something. >> i kept asking are we closing and i kept being told no. >> it was kept a secret and is it too late? >> we are united in opposing the decision to close the hospital. >> the decision to close the hospital in 2008. >> staff will be laid off leaving only one other hospital that offers delivery. >> now the frustration has turned to anger. who apparently was briefed about the closure before it was announced and supports what he considers the modernization of health care. >> a spokesperson released this statement saying that the baker administration urges the board of directors to meet with residents and stake holders who depend on the hospital to share their current and future plans for health services. in laurel, i'm tracee wilkins, news 4. >>> now those opinions good and bad will be available online sit the first health care system in this region to offer this kind of service. all of the comments will be viewed before they are posted. they

open exemplar who lived near the canyon corral bar. >> here was a log that shows that laurel epler called the sheriff's department the day after the murders, saying she had found a short-sleeved blue shirt that she thought had blood on it, on the road near the canyon corral bar. one of the bar employees testified that one of the men in the bar that night might have had on a blue shirt. the criminal bulletin showed that they were looking for three white men and one of them was wearing a blue shirt. >> hile would argue that the neighbor's eyewitness testimony along with the testimony of christine and josh ryan's original account all pointed to three suspects. and in the new documents released by the prosecution, hile was about to discover the name of one of the three suspects. and that man also happened to be a convicted murderer. >>> while he fought for a new trial for kevin cooper in front of judge marilyn huff, attorney norm hile discovered evidence that put a name to an alternate suspect. >> the night of the crimes, a woman named diana roper had seen her boyfriend, man named lee furrow

eppler who lived near the canyon corral bar. >> here was a leg that showed, that laurel eppler had callediff's department the day after the murders saying she had found a short-sleeve blue shirt that she thought had blood on it near the road of the bar. one of the employees at the bar testified that one of the men in the bar that night might have had on a blue shirt. the criminal bulletin showed that they were looking for three white men and one of them was wearing a blue shirt. >> hile would argue that the neighbor's eyewitness testimony along with the testimony of christine slonaker and josh's original account all pointed to three suspects. and in the new documents released by the prosecution, hile was about to discover the name of one of the three suspects and that man also happened to be a convicted murderer. if you qualify for a sittingham's card today i can offer you no interest for 24 months. thanks to the tools and help at experian.com, i know i have an 812 fico score, so i definitely qualify. so what else can you give me? same day delivery. the ottoman? thank you. fico scores are

looking live at the laurel high school annex. 80 degrees there right now, sunset tonight at 7:17. a very pleasant evening. upper 70's and low 80's across the region. in much difference temperatures from community to community. we are all under the influence of the same weather system, producing comfortably warm temperatures and very dry air. that combination will yield another cool start to the day frederick,0 two in andomorrow in manassas about 60 inside the beltway. see, little if any cloud formations to speak of. you have to go far to the west or south to find any precipitation. this shows how clearly the large high-pressure has dominated allher from the gulf coast the way back to the eastern slopes of the rockies. this will turn the wins a little more to the south, so we will see a little bit of a warm-up. but no rain comes with it. by the time we get into saturday night and sunday, a cold front will drop out of the northern plains with cooler temperatures. tomorrow, another day like this one. sunshine from start to finish and the next seven days show the a slightre rising wit

. >>> in the days ahead the maryland didn't of agriculture will spray for mosquitos in laurel. crews will begin spraying around dusk. you'll see them around. there will be six no-spray zones if you erie worried about being around the chemical. . this will be the last mosquito spraying for the year. >>> one group of catholics are especially excited about the ponti pontiff's visit. how their connection with the pope makes history. >>> let's take a look outside. is there rain? when we could see showers. tom keir ryan next. >>> the montgomery county community picnic is being held from 1:00 to 3:00 and then >>> coming up, you can learn more. construction expected to start in about two weeks. on tuesday a new greenhouse opening at centreville high school. will teach those with disabilities about growing food. that will be used to cook in the cafeteria there. >>> happening today, we invite you to join us for two walks that highlight the need for mental health care and suicide prevention. "news4" is committed to awareness with our changing minds campaign. the first walk kicks off this

. >>> this morning, the prince george's county council will hear about the closing of laurel regional hospital. they will present its plan to the council at 11:30. the company decided to close the hospital and open a walk-in center for patients. county officials say the maternity ward will be the first thing to go. that's on october 11th. hundreds of workers are losing their jobs. >>> we're up to 70 possible cases of salmonella linked to a trendy d.c. city center restaurant. the district's department of health tells the washington post that all 70 people ate or drank there. six patients confirmed cases of salmonella. health officials collected food and environmental samples from the restaurant, but all came back negative. now conducting more tests. restaurant has been closed since last week, but hopes to reopen soon. >>> the pope's visit gets closer, websites selling tickets to see the pontiff say they're going to stop selling them. many of the 80,000 free tickets see the pope in new york and philly are for sale. new york officials and cardinal timothy dolan say free tickets for a rel

critics continue to fight those are posed changes at laurel regional hospital. the hospital owner plans to change it into an out care -- outpatient care center. a forum is scheduled for tomorrow night. today. but sunshine taking a live look over the city right now, a beautiful looking melanie: can't wait to get out and enjoy this beautiful afternn. doug: it is gorgeous. let's take a look at the conditions we expect around here for today, tomorrow, and thursday. mostly sunny skies each afternoon. 84 today. 86 wednesday and thursday. by friday and saturday, humidity levels are on the climb. temperatures are briefly in the upper 80's. it will definitely feel like late summer by friday and saturday. on sunday and monday, a cold front comes through. no rain, just a few clouds. slightly warmer temperatures. don't forget, the thunderbirds will be at the air force base for a show. the weather will be picture-perfect. perfect for looking up. thank you for joining us on this midday. whatever you are doing this afternoon, hope you have a great time and be sure to watch abc

we have crews heading to the scene in laurel now. stay with abc 7. and had toook at it, be at least very strong wind to rip the roofing off. you notice the roofing is rolled back, but my first reaction is it looks more like straight line winds. the weather service will check. i am hopeful by this afternoon, we will get the first report from them. this weatherbug list from our weather stations, hundreds of weather stations on our weatherbug network. and lookp into them for the highest rainfall totals and that is what we did. almost 4.5 inches of rain. over three inches in stafford. rain was widespread. this is the beginning. another episode of heavy rain friday into this saturday and then the possibility of interaction from the hurricane. some showers. winds comingusty our way. moving north to south. this is associated with a cold front. the big picture shows it moving from southwest to northeast. the cold front will come through and get so far along the southeast coast of virginia and it will sit still. that is a problem. it can act as a focus in the

we do look pretty good as far as the delay. 95 slowing through laurel. typical. on the baltimore washington parkway, we are seeing the same thing. we zoom in to talk about virginia on 66. typical delays heading out of the city from falls church to centreville and working your way closer to manassas. 395 heavy volume leaving the city. but as far as the crashes go, the main focus is 270. it is closed. we will keep you updated on the latest and let you know when 270 reopens. jonathan: see you in a little bit. breaking news from illinois. the search right now as we speak is going on for three men accused of shooting and killing a police officer in fox lake. that is an hour outside of chicago. investigators say the officer was checking on some suspicious activity. he radioed in that he was going to check that out. then he got a foot chase and that was it. communication was lost after that. police responded enforce and found the body in the marshy area stripped of the gun and other gear. we will continue to follow the search and bring you updates in the newsroom. kimbe

details emerging about the restructuring plan at laurel regional hospital. 40 employees have received layoff notices, most of them nurses. healthernal and child unit will be close october 11, part of a plan to shift the facility from a full-service hospital to an ambulatory care center come up there is still apes to save the hospital. still ahead, a look at the work week forecast. everyone is saying, "hey! you gotta get fios!" but why? well, fios is a 100 percent fiber optic network to the home, so you can get access to the fastest internet and in-home wi-fi available. and fios gives you big capacity too. so everyone inin the house can get online. but the main reason to get fios? we're rated number 1 in customer satisfaction. ultimately, that's why. get 25 meg fios internet, tv & phone starting at $79.99 a month. plus get $350 back. hurry, offer ends september 19th. get out of the past. get fios. now, be ready for tomorrow. devon: this is not borderline. you will need a coat tomorrow, no doubt. at the top of the low temperatures, -- kellye: a coat, really? you said not to turn off the

the department of agricultural will be spring for mosquitoes in laurel on sunday. it's a twin corpsman avenue and main street and sandy spring road. that is where a woman died from a suspected case of west nile virus. it will begin at dusk. keep your ears open in your mouth closed out there. [laughter] maureen: a beautiful day today again. doug: slow humidity levels are creeping up. it will turn somewhat cooler on sunday. let's get a look at conditions around the area right now with a befuautil -- with beautiful sunshine. you have the beach all to yourself. just a couple of people walking. it's getting to be a bit cooler there for the wind off the ocean. 74 degrees at ocean city right now. 86 and 63 the high and low. the average high is 79 today. yesterday was a. very slowly as a move through the fall the averages will go lower and lower. the next time we haven't 80 degree average high is not until may 31. a lot of weather changes to come. a little bit more noticeable by sunday and monday. by tomorrow morning throughout the region we will have lows in the upper 50'

and the more we've had films on it in television, et cetera, et cetera, incredible activists like laurelhanges minds. it touches people's hearts and it makes it shift from seeing something as other or different and, of course, realizes we're all same, and all we're asking for is equality and to grow up in a society that doesn't make us feel less than, that doesn't make us feel shame, and doesn't make us have to deal with the repercussions of that, which are really destructive. >> stephen: well, we have-- we have a clip here from the movie about the the beginning of their relationship. >> hi. i screwed up. i had no right to talk to you the way i did. i've ruined our date and i really enjoy being with you, and i'm nervous. maybe i am too old for you. >> will you stop saying that. if anything, you're too smart for me. >> no way. you're smart, funny, and you're honest. and basically, i think you're amazing. >> so you called to say i'm amazing? >> yes. can i see you again? >> yeah... yeah, you can. ( applause ) >> stephen: that's very sweet. that's very sweet. it's-- it's almost as if les cou

for commuters traveling from laurel, will you definitely see this.give yourself extra time to get to your destination on time. sky 9 showing us how things are shaping up on i-395 northbound here at land mark. you can see heavy traffic there. we had an earlier accident. that's wrapped up but the delays clearly going to impact the morning rush. >> cbs this morning is next. >> thanks so much for joining us. we're also going to be talking about -- well, a lot throughout the day. we'll have updates coming up in 25 minutes and of course there's always the mobile app. captioning funded by cbs >>> good morning, it is thursday, september 17th, 2015. welcome to "cbs this morning." >>> personal insults fly as republicans gang up on donald trump. we will talk to carly fiorina and chris christie about the fireworks at last night's debate. >>> a powerful and deadly earthquake rocks chile. tsami warnings stretch to the california coast. >>> imagine running a marathon at 10,000 feet and we join the sky riders on what is called the hardest race in america. we begin t

i spoke to one woman from mount laurel. her mother is here from brazil.he said this visit so special and what it means to as many people. >> it's a dream to see the pope, because my mom come from brazil for this movement. we come very early get the train to be here, to see like 15 seconds is great. >> reporter: and back here live in logan square we're looking down the parkway toward city hall. there's security and i felt people lining the parkway, as well. definitely seeing more and more people as its gotten later here, it's going to be a long day, some of them brought chairs to make the wait more comfortable. some of them walked more than an hour to get here. we'll see people walk from new jersey from all around the city. they will be here to see pope francis in person, it's going to be a long, but exciting day for the pill gramtion. pilgrims and of course the pope's arrival. >> so touching to hear the women say just to see him for 1r50 -- 15 seconds would be the world to them. behind katherine people are starting to gather. we'll see pilgrims congregati