marvin gaye. i am driving home from the golf course. i have the radio on. guy comes on the radio and he corrupts the song -- interrupts the song and he says that soul singer marvin gaye has been pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. i remember it like yesterday. he did not just say that. he did not say that. he goes on about it. i am thinking to myself, this is april fool's day. that is what this is. i pulled into the gas station. before she said hello, she said hello. i said hey, baby. she said that it is true. the guy that i grew up with and knew since i was 10 years old, he was one of my closest friends in life. he had been going back and forth to the hospital. he thought that something was happening with his blood count. he called me one day and he said that i am going to the hospital. he was still living in detroit. he said that i am going to keep you for a couple of days. i said, do you want to go to detroit? i said that i am going to the hospital, i am not going to die. the next day, he was gone. when you hear something like michael jackson, it

marvin gaye park has undergone major revitalizaiton. the park will feature a new state of the art playground, a marvin gaye ampitheater and bike trails. it marks the first public playground in 30 years. >>> a number of recalls to tell you about including popular voax wag against and a warning about a baby bassinet. those stories just ahead.  need a lift? hey buddy, i appreciate the ride, you know. no problem. ♪ mind if i take a shortcut? yeah, sure. ♪ i knew the subaru legacy was the smart choice... what i didn't expect... was the fun. the all-new subaru legacy. feel the love. >>> recapping the big stories, a wi fight between two groups of girls posted on you tube. it began with a dispute between the group and ended with an adult trying to run over two people on the sidewalk. >>> the man convicted in the flight of bombing flight 103 is free. >>> if you are hoping to get in on the cash for clunkers program, you have one weekend left. the government announced late this afternoon that it is ending the popular $3 billion rebate progra

the district breaks ground o marvin gaye park. >>> it's not just job suffering in the recession. the impact the economy is havi on families. >>> in 2008, the birth rate in the u.s. declined. for the first time in seven years, there were 4 million births in 2008. that figure is down 2% compared to the year before. analysts don't know for sure what caused the decline but say it may be tied to the economic downturn. the largest decline in births occurred in california and florida, the two states hit hardest by the housing crisis. >>> eating disorders like anorexia are well-known. but its extremely dangerous when it happens during pregnancy. we take a closer look at the hazards of starving for two. >> reporter: six months progress. you can see something is wrong but she couldn't. >> i wasn't thinking about the baby so much. it's more like i'm not going to le myself get out of control again. >> after gaining 33 pounds during her first pregnant, she ate 1,200 calories a day. >> i was in this rigid obsessive compulsive drive to not let my body get big. >> she had intrauterine growth ret

marvin gaye, stevie wonder. my dad got me into jazz. was growing up in rwanda and none of my friends were listening to that. my dad was such a western music lover. he got me into classic as well. tavis: you said that your dad was the only one in the village listening to it. >> i was fortunate enough to be brought up in a family where we were part of what you would call the intellectual elite. both of my parents studied in germany. they were in tune with what happened in the west. my dad was an engineer. i think that he secretly wanted to be a musician himself. tavis: don't we all? >> i believe that. i think we all have an artist waiting to come out. my dad was the first one -- this is far from being the common rules in rwanda. my dad encouraged me in the music career choice. he encouraged me to take my first studio sessions. he always had a fascination. he was really fascinated by western culture as a whole and music in this particular case. i grew up listening to a lot of african-american artists and watching a lot of eddie murphy and

marvin gaye is dead. these people have died to fight. they followed me.- and i said this 50th coming up is for them. it's not for me me. -- for these unsung heroes. because motown people that came through the time that came through cannot, not love each other. will's nothing that anybody can do about it -- there's nothing that anybody can do about it. even the white people, they came to work on 12th street in detroit, in the midst of the riots. and i said you guys better stay home. [laughter] >> you guys better be cool. get out of here. no, we come to work. we were there. and they were like brothers to us. you know? and they had a different kind barney who ran the whole thing was a genius operation man. but he was italian. and there was people who were jewish. and then there was a crew that was mid eastern. and then there was phil jones. and i think one other person was all there. and they were like brothers to us. and they fought. it was something. so my whole thing is this is the 50th. i want these people to know that nothing has changed. you know, we'r

well, when i am working on a book especially one that is to mark an anniversary like the marvin gaye book or my book on tupac i tend to work in concentrated bursts of energy so i might put in 17 hour days depending defeat could depending upon their wrath of the editor and how much i miss my deadlines to that point, so i will get up in the morning and sit at the computer and i will go for like four hours, take a break, kick back, stretch a little late, and then sit right back down and go at it again, so i can work anywhere from a good ten to 17 hours a day when i am in that rhythm. .. was at the seminary, i regularly and routinely state until 6:00 in the morning. i definitely got my groove on, writing proved, there. as i moved up the ladder and could afford better computers, it afforded me the possibility of mobility on the road, especially at home. when i listen n.c. i could write a letter at the office that brown university. i wrote a lot in office and some at home. i moved to d.c. recently. they favor me well. and favor the writing life well. it is not driving full crazy, relativel

today mayor fenty and other officials broke ground on what will become marvin gaye park. now that's what is going on. >> it is located at division avenue and fifth streets northeast. >> what a great day to break ground. >> what a great artist. >> great artist, great man and like you said great forecast for today. if they had done this tomorrow. >> forget about this. they would be fanning. >> over the weekend it will be tough but so far this summer we can't complain. a couple of hot days in a row and when you look back on the upper of 2009 you will put in your head this wasn't such a bad summer. >> usually by now we have had at least one. >> usually a lot of those with heat index over 100 and code red days and all of that. we haven't done that once this summer. we may do it on sunday and monday with the heat index over 100 degrees and poor air quality and that stuff but certainly a rare event this summer. start with the three-day trend first. you will see what we were talking about, there it is 95 on sunday and monday. the heat will not stick around long, though. i will sh

er a a.4 a c6:t nuon00ftesti >>> marvin gaye park is getting a face lift. the mayor was on hand today as workers broke ground on the first phase of improvements to the park in northeast d.c. $2.4 million revitalization project that will make the park more accessible to d.c. residents. >> some of the most fantastic green space that you'll find anywhere in the wod. certainly here in our nation's capital. but like a lot of other green space areas, there's always been a need tore some infrastructure upgrades. >> the improvements will include a community stage, play grouped, picnic tables, new trees, shrubs and a new bike trail. >> boy, we needed this day. it was lovely to turn off the a.c. >> great day to be shoveling, redoing a parkway. whatever. one day. >> hey, we'll take it. >> one day, we got it. what a beautiful, beautiful sky to have a sparkling blue sky like that in august. and then a few high clouds coming in. there are showers out in indiana. that's sort of some of the things off for those clouds and showers out there. 86 degrees was all we made it up

the marvin gaye park in northeast has been restored.ayground and ampitheatre have been revitalized and a mile of hiking and biking trails have been rebuilt. >> if you were to ask him, i think you would hear some gratitude that the old -- what was it called, watts branch park now has the name and the care. this beautiful piece of green space deserves. >> reporter: this is the first public playground built in the park in more than 25 years. >>> we now know who will help to toast bill cosby when the comedian gets the mark twain prize for american humor at the kennedy center, chris rock, jerry seinfeld, danny glover, dick gregory and phylicia rashad are some of the stars that will take part in the event. >>> one maryland delegate is in hot water after a stunt he pulls which used public money. >>> and one washington redskin player is using the team's parking lot to build a family- run business. >>> you are watching 9 news now. i've had asthma forever. i've had asthma for 5 years. 10 years. i used to wonder why my controller medicine wouldn't

. >>> and a playground at marvin gaye park. and friends of the national zoo host brew with the zoo. the microbrew fund-raiser begins tonight at 6:00. >>> time for today's hero central report. this morning the story of a teenager hero win. reach rachel she is 16 and a camp counselor in new york city. she was filled on a bus with children headed to camp and the bus driver collapsed and died. she sprung in to action, though. >> i was here, right. and so i just got up, i ran and put my foot on the brake and pulled it. >> out of the darkness comes the light. his gift to you is that he left you in charge for a moment. you had three seconds to react and you discovered. so even if his death he gave you something. >> reporter: that was the camp director and he's already inviting rachel back as a camp counselor for next summer. >>> don't forget to visit the hero central page at wusa9.com. whether you are in need of help or trying to find a place to volunteer. if you want to spotlight someone send us an e-mail. the address is heros@wusa9.com. >>> it is 6:13 this morning. here's what is in the

one of the rolling stones married somebody under the age and marvin gaye slept with somebody under age. >> i said that michael jackson led a perverted lifestyle ignored by the media and i will stand by that and say anyone who goes on television and talks how he wants young boys in bed with them that is a horrible, horrible example and i will stand by what i said and say that is pedophilia. whether or not a court can prove that particular case, he is still a pedophile. would you let your child be in same room alone with michael jackson overnight? i don't think so. >> you're saying the justice system failed in that case? >> certainly it did like o.j. simpson was acquitted. i don't think anybody thinks o.j. simpson wasn't guilty of murder. in one sentence he was acquitted but if o.j. went on television and said he brought women into his room and he had carving knives then i would say he is a murderer. in this case with michael jackson i stand by what i say and i think common sense is my side on this. >> congressman king, appreciate you joining us. >> carlos, great. thank you very much. >>