megan mcgrath has the story. fire fighters go door to door. the program part of an outreach program in communities touched by tragedy. tragic the only word to describe what happened at the oak ridge apartments last night. two children, age 5 and 7, were trapped inside a smoke filled apartment. investigators say the kids were home alone. as neighbors tried frantically to get inside, the father came back. and realized what was happening. >> he was frantic. when he got here. he was -- running and saying, that's my apartment, that's my apartment. my kids are in there. and you ow, everybody was just -- at that point, everybody was just like, converging on the apartment. trying to get in. >> investigators say the father was cooking in the kitchen and for some unknown reason he left the apartment locng the front door behind him. the food started a small fire. the apartment filled with smoke. >> food on the stove. pretty much burned itself out. by the time fire fighters arrived. generated a tremendous amount of smoke. >> the 5-year-old boy died at an

megan mcgrath is joining us with more. >> reporter: good morning.ing track circuits since the crash and they have found some problems in other areas of the system. so how dangerous is this situation? well, an article in "the washington post" says the problems have been found in four of metro's five lines. at times, the article says trains cannot be seen by the operation's center. metro on the other band hand is calling it a gross exaggeration of what's happening. riders using the frog by bottom area station say the trains have been slowing down lately and they don't know why. >> there are a lot more delays than there used to be. >> reporter: according to an article in "the washington post," the slowdowns are because of ongoing track circuit problems. the post says the problems are seen across the system on four of metro's five lines. the article says engineers have sometimes disabled troublesome circuits causing dark spots, meaning the operations center cannot see the trains in service. metro has called the article a growth exaggeration. general man

megan mcgrath joins us with the latest.good morning, megan. [ inaudible ] [ inaudible ] [ inaudible ] . >> thanks, megan. we're learning more about the prosecution's case against the d.c. mother accused of killing her four children. two witnesses testified in the trial of bonita jacks after u.s. marshals found the decomposing daughters of her four daughters in her southeast d.c. home. a forensic anthropologist testified that jack's teenage daughter was stabbed three times in the stomach. he said the younger daughters were probably strangled. also an insect expert testified that based on t bugs found in jack's home, the girls were dead at least two months, perhaps even longer. >>> the wife of a former prince george's county police corporal convicted of killing a furniture delivery man wants a new trial for her husband. keith washington is serving 45 years for killing furniture delivery man brandon clark and wounding his co-worker. the shooting happened at washington's home in january 2007. his wife says new evidence that sur

megan mcgrath just arrived on the scene.what's going on here? >> reporter: this is a police-involved shooting that happened at an apartment complex on eagle's nest court. two montgomery police officers fired their weapons in this incident and they were responding to a 911 disconnect call. an adult male is dead on the scene. he was armed with a gun and a knife. we don't know if he was shot by the officers or someone else. that's still under investigation, but at least the police officers are responding to the disconnected 911 call and they did fire their weapons. this unfolded around 2:40 when someone from the wearing station neighborhood called 9 is 911 and hung up. it is routine to dispatch officers when there's a hang-up call. they called for backup after arriving on the scene. addional officers arrived to find the man dead inside the apartment. he was suffering from a gunshot wound. we are told that a gun and knife were found next to the man's body. one of the two officers fired their service weapons. again, the man died

i'm megan mcgrath.live report comi u p. >>> out of control gunfire erupts at a home in loudoun county. what police believe may have led to this outbreak of violence. >> held hostage. an american man believed to have been captured by the taliban in afghanistan. his upclose and personal emotional plea to family and friends. >> history. 40 years ago today, one small step, one giant leap. the unforgettable words of neil armstrong. the unforgettable moment in history. >>> good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs o this monday, the 20th of july, 2009. >> i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison this morning. we're going to take a look live outside at 5:30, 71 degrees out there. lots of clouds overhead. a little bit of a change for the weather this week. >> let's go to meteorologist tom kierein in storm center 4. tom? >> after a dry pattern we're kind of going to be going into a bit of a wet pattern for the next few days but it's not wet now. we do have the clouds around, temperatures are ple

back to you. >> thanks, megan mcgrath reporting live.hank you very much. >>> a dangerous and deadly problem. distracted driving. motorists doing everything from sightseeing from behind the wheel to texting and we're learning shocking statistics about how big the problem really is. researchers from virginia tech used cameras to observe drivers in real life. they found drivers of heavy trucks are 23 more times likely to get into a crash while texting. car drivers were six times more likely to get into a wreck while texting and that's not all. >> those people that admitted to texting or e-mailing while they drive, 8 out of 10 said they knew it was dangous. that's outrageous to me. >> it's illegal to text while driving in d.c. and virginia. maryland's ban takes effect in october. t> we're connected to your rseill get some relief from a major hcfieadaea ache and there are h g changes along chain bridge during construction there. tracee wilkins joins us with more on what they are and what commuters need to know. >> reporter: since construction

. >> now we'll go live to megan mcgrath live on the scene. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. on this barricade situation, it has been going on since about 6:30 last night. you can see we have quite a police presence here at lyle avenue and edgar court. what we have is a barricade situation involving a man who they believe to be armed who may be involved in a shooting that happened around 6:30 last night in the 7700 block of fisher drive. witnesses reported hearing the sound of a gunshot. the police arrived on the scene. they found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound. she's been taken to an area hospital and is still being treated. witnesses reported seeing a man run from the area and that individual went into a house nearby where the shooting occurred. now, police have surrounded the home and are trying to talk to the individual inside. they have not gotten any response at this point. we are also told that there are other people inside this home with the individual that police are trying to speak to. now, at this point, they

megan mcgrath has more. >> reporter: good morning.ore issues for people who take the red line and use the tacoma station. you can see that the front gate is locked. the tacoma station is closed again this morning. it actually closed at 7:00 a.m. and will remain closed for 12 hours so it won't reopen until 7:00 tonight. you can see that metro has employees here on the scene. they've just put up some signs here to help people get to where they need to go. they're running shuttle buses and they've got employees here to answer questions. so if you are traveling on the red line, you use the tacoma station, you're going t have to give yourself a little extra time. you have to hop on a shuttle bus and kind of get where you need to go that way. the ntsb is conducting more tests on the tracks trying to figure out at what point the driver of the striking train could actually see the other train stopped on the track so to do that work they have to go down there on the tracks and they had to shut everything down. so that is why the tacoma station

megan mcgrath, thank you. >> our time right now is 5:37, 65 degrees.ocal airport launches a new way for your pet to travel the friendly skies. >> plus, arlington national cemetery gets a makeover thanks to hundreds of landscape specialists. >> dozens of people voice their opinions about a controversial school in fairfax county. discover a light yogurt like no other. activia light! delicious, fat free, and above all... the only one that has bifidus regularis and is clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system. activia light. ♪ activiaaa! julia tolbert, tell me your story. well, my irregularity was only occasional. i honestly thought it was just a part of life. what made you first try activia? i saw this ad, and i said, ok, i love yogurt. and it worked. ♪ activia >>> here's today's news 4 bargain blast. how about some dessert for free? t>>usn jig s up to receive ndyoils from tig melting pot a llveu'eiec a coupon for a free cco tela tefondue. u gncan an p ut thep melting pot.com. >> time to go upstairs and check in with tom kierein for traffic

. >> news 4's megan mcgrath is working our top story this morning. she's live right now in front of d.c. superior court. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. it was certainly a grisly discovery. it was january 9th, 2008, when u.s. marshals entered the home of banita jacks in southeast washington to serve an eviction notice. once inside, that's when they found the decaying bodies of jacks' four daughters, age 17, 11, 6 and 5. the medical examiner concluded that the girls had been dead since the summer of 2007. jacks had been living in the house with the decomposing bodies for about seven months. now, jacks' trial is set to begin today. the first order of business, judge frederick weissberg will decide on a defense motion to postpone the case, that defense made by the defense so they can contest some of the physical evidence. attorneys for banita jacks have encouraged her to use an insanity defense but jacks has refused. she's been found competent to stand trial. jacks has waived her right to a jury trial so her innocence or her guilt will be

back to you all in the studio. >> megan mcgrath. thank you. >> thanks. today's news 4's morning persons are described as the best people in the whole world. kate gonzalez and testsy yates nominated all of their swim coaches for the lake ridge lancer swim team in woodbridge, virginia. they say every morning these coaches are happy and cheerful and ready to help them be the best swim team ever. team members say the coaches go above and beyond each and every day. well, congratulations to them. if you know someone like these coaches, e-mail their story and a clear, close-up video or picture to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. >> a produce-wearing playboy playmate brought droves of capitol hill staffers out to the rayburn office building. yes, those are lettuce cups, people. jade nicole helped peta launch its vej yy dog day. nicole who was a 2008 playmate of the year says eating vegetarian helps her maintain her figure. >> i'm seurll those guys in line were interested in the issues. >> of course. >> i'm sure they were. absolutely. >> taste the hot dog. the sp

megan mcgrath joins us live with that part of the story. >> reporter: good morning., very large project, $177 million project. there is a lot of work that's going to be done initially on the red line, but really ultimately affecting all the lines. and there are going to be some disruptions to motorists. they'll try to minimize the impact, do a lot of work in the non-peak hours, not during the rush hour period, but you can expect to see some evidence of this large scale work being done over the next couple of months. now, as i mentioned, it's a $177 million project. it's going to begin on a section of the red line between dupont circle and silver spring, the work beginning early next year. ultimately there will be work done on all five lines before it's all over. now, let's take a look at some of the specifics of what's planned here. at the shady grove and rockville stations, they're going to to do a major platform overhaul. they'll add escalators, a canopy and a stairwell at the foggy bottom station. also going to be doing a lot of work on the automatic train control

megan mcgrath is joining us with details on aig gas giveaway today.ing to you. >> reporter: good morning. it is about to get underway. all-state is here to congratulate alexandria drivers. they are the most improved drivers in the country going 7.2 years between accidents. and this is the first lady in line. hello, you are on live television. talk a little bit about why you came out this morning. >> i have no gas money or nothing so i want free gas. it is great. >> reporter: and how did you find it? you came at what time? >> 5:00 this morning i waited. >> did they move you around before they let you line up? >> yes, they did. >> reporter: what do you think about the fact that you are going to get 10 gallons? >> that's great. it will last me about a week. i don't go nowhere but work. >> reporter: let's get to it here. they began to line up at 6:00 this morning. we are expecting a crowd. there's a process. you can't just drive up to the gas station. you have to go to the ben brenman park adjacent here to the shirley duke shell station on duke street. th

and megan mcgrath joins us with more on that. >> reporter: he is facing stalking charges with an alleged instant that involved a personal friend of marion barry. he held a press conference. it's wpping up right now. he did not speak himself on the advice of counsel, rather his attorney, fred cook, spoke on behalf of barry. he said that he did not stalk anybody. this is an issue involving a personal relationship gone bad. the u.s. attorney has not filed charges and they are reviewing the case and it's barry's hope and the hope of counsel that this will not go any further. >> we believe that the charge is baseless. we believe the charge stems from a personal relationship that has gone horribly wrong in a lot of ways and resulted in one party of the relationship striking out at mr. barry, and repaying him for some of his kindness and efforts to be of assistance to that individual by offering up these charges, which we believe to be false. ic ere flagged down an o that was in patrol in the area, bad she pointed to marion rr ba he was in another car and said that he was stalking her. sh wae t

megan mcgrath joins us live from the scene with more on this story.e've been having this problem for several years now. >> reporter: that problem of course being fire hydrant that the are out of service as well as low water pressure. apparently that was a huge problem in this fire last night. the firefighters who arrived on the scene could not establish a sufficient flow of water to start fighting this water, to start knocking down the flames. they actually had to run hoses to high drantss that were more than five blocks away and it took them hours to establish a consistent water supply as they were scrambling to do that, the fire just kept growing and growing. the flames lit up the sky. homes a mile away were impacted by the smoke. the large house on chain bridge road in northwest is a total loss. neighbors say it didn't have to end like this. >> there is no question if the water pressure had been available for the fire department here early, this fire could have been controlled easily. it was just at the beginning it was isolated to a small corner o

and megan mcgrath is at the auction house and told us the bidding began 15 minutes ago.nd the opening bid was $25 million. we are hearing that was a cash bid. we should know the winner any moment. we will bring you the information on any new owner as soon as we get it. we understand there has been a break in the action there. a pause in the bidding at the moment. but once we find out more about the bid, we will let you know. >> all right. right now, let's check the weather. we could see much-needed rain this afternoon. chuck bell is up inhe storm center with details. >> i am disappointed, i am $20 million in the checkbook, and now i am already out of the bidding. >> only cash, your checkbook is not good. >> if i have checks, i have money. isn't that the way it works? temperatures are climbing in the upper 70s and low 80s. 80 in fairfax county. and 79 degrees in leesburg, and frederick, maryland. and doppler shows not much, if anything, in the way of rainfall at this point in time. leave your umbrellas at home if you are planning a lunch. and highs close to 85 degrees aro

megan mcgrath has that story rope things are back to normal at southwest airlines following overnint respectses at the carri carrier's entire flight of the aircraft. a spokesperson says there were no problems found, no delays, or cancellations. good news for passengers leaving bwi thurgood marshall airport this morning. >> get back, 1:00. >> reporter: investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a one-foot by one-foot hole to open up in the fuselage of a plane. traveling from nashville to bwi airport last night and flight made an emergency landing in charleston, west virginia. startleled passengers and snapped these photos of the hole. at bwi, passengers found the incident somewhat disturbing but not scary enough to change their travel plans. >> take your life in your hands every time you go. that's the way i feel. but i'm willing to take the chance. >> little scary especially i have the kids with me. >> reporter: still flying. >> still flying. i have to go home. >> reporter: the 737 300 makes up about a third of southwest's fleet. the carrier says that they have never ha

love chip mcgrath. he was a friend of john updike who read a lot of his work before it went into "the new yorker." he got extraordinary chance to deliver john updike's last book of points in the audio book. it is a great pleasure to introduce chip mcgrath. [applause] >> i sometimes think that john updike is responsible for much of the happiness and satisfaction in my life. it began when i started reading him. it has always been a pleasure of his writing. i started in high school, and i even sort of imagined i was the updike characters. i think i prefer his adolescence to mind. by the time i was in college, i was such an idolater that it seem to me that the great man needed to know about me. so i made a pilgrimage to ipswich. i took the bus from new haven to boston and then the trains to the -- the train to the north shore. i got there about dinnertime, when it occurred to me that the great men would probably be sitting down and his family. what i say to him? i did not have a clue, so i got back on the t

in silver spring, megan mcgrath, news4. >> area police do conducts the drills on paerdic basis.ned and not done as a result of the metro train crash or any known threat to the region. >>> metro wants to pick up a stretch of the red line decided that deadly train crash. the rehab project was proposed nearly a year ago and not in response to the crash that happened two weeks ago. the mey from the proceeds pod $177 million contract would be used to fix up the public address system, closed circuit tvs and platform tiles, track, fencing, and station signs between the fort totten and and the takoma stations. the metro board will consider the proposal at its meeting thursday and decide whether to award that contract. >>> let's get a check now of the forecast. >> hi, kimberly and wendy. another great sky with a few puffy cumulus clouds. it is mighty fine. near 90. look at how the dew point at arlington is 50. maensz, 54. we have dew points in the 50s. even though it is quite warm and summerlike. it is mighty comfy. nothing really on doppler. overtonight tonight, later on, temperatures i

i'm megan mcgrath.live report coming up. >> and thousands of michael jackson fans picking up their tickets as the city of los angeles gets ready for a massive memorial service. we'll have a preview for you. stay with us. we're back in two minutes. >>> welcome back at 6:30. making news right now, marion barry getting ready to address charges of stalking a woman after he's arrested over the holiday weekend. >> it's the hottest ticket in town. millions wanted one, but only a few lucky ones got them. we'll have a preview of the memorial service for the king of pop. >>> good morning, everyone. welcome. i'm barbara harrison. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. let's take a live look outside this morning at 6:30 on this 6th day of july 2009. 63 degrees. a lot of beautiful, brit sunshine out there this morning. looks like we -- well, we'll hope for another wonderful day here in the nation's capital. >> the person who can tell us if we're going to get one is tom kierein sitting right here with his forecast. g

news 4's megan mcgrath joins us now from the silver spring metro station with more.ng. >> reporter: good morning, joe. yeah, both the metro system as well as the marc train system. don't be alarmed if you're traveling metro or marc and you see a big law enforcement presence. it is all a part of this training exercise that is taking place. this is something that they do every year. there is no information, no intelligence information that suggests that there is any threat or problem. they do it every year. in fact thirgs video was shot from last year's exercise. we are expecting very similar things to take place all around the system later on today. now, this exercise is designed to teach law enforcement officers how to detect and deter terrorism. again, there is no threat, no information indicating that there is a problem on either metro or marc right now. they just want to be in practice. they take the information from these training drills and they use them in the event of a real emergency alg th system. also keep in mind that you may also see some trucks in the ar

joe, back to you. >> megan mcgrath reporting live.ry much. >> if you've got some extra cash, you can own one of washington's most famous landmarks. the famed watergate hotel is on the auction block. monument realty bought the hotel five years ago with hopes of restoring it to its original glory. but the watergate fell behind on its mortgage payments and it is now in foreclosure. the auction will take place on tuesday. historians hope the highest bidder will keep the hotel as is and not tear it down. >>> conflicting emotions on economic recovery this morning. the dow jones is up again this week but foreclosures are still at an all-time high. brooke hart reports on what could be a fragile recovery for wall street. >> reporter: it was hard to imagine just months ago. first goldman sachs and now jpmorgan reporting stellar profits last quarter. >> some of the financial institutions that taxpayer money helped pull out of the difficult crisis that we had last year are now in a position, because so many competitors are weak, that they can mak

eun, back to you. >> megan mcgrath outside the watergate.ank you. >> it's going to cost some parents more money to get their kids ready for school this year because d.c. is canceling the sales tax holiday that it's offered for many years. the holiday generally runs for nine days in august, but district officials say they cannot afford not to bring in an estimated $640,000 shoppers would have saved. >> i think that it will personally hurt a lot of families who are already struggling with paying for school supplies, clothing and all that. >> certainly saves us money, you know, so we buy more during that tax holiday time. when there's not a tax holiday time, i might not be buying as much. >> maryland is also suspended its tax-free holiday this year. it will pick back up next year, it says. virginia's tax-free holiday is still scheduled for august 7th through the 9th. >> today supervisors are expected to vote on a proposal to combine booze and books at loudoun county libraries. the plan would allow beer and wine at after-hour library fund-raiser

megan mcgrath is at the zoo. ready for the party? got the balloons ready?reporter: that's right. i'm hopg they have gift bags. that's my hope. well, you can see that they just opened the gates a little while ago here to the national zoo. and you can see the banner there that depicts tai shan with his mother, a younger tai shan. today, of course, is tai shan's fourth birthday, and that means that in panda years he is officially a teenager. so there are lots of big goings-on that will take place here at the national zoo later on today. in fact, at 11:30 -- i'm sorry, 8:30 this morning they will present tai shan with a very special and unusual birthday cake. it's going to be out there in the yard when they let him out this morning. it's made t of water, bamboo, shredded beets and beet juice. yummy. that whole concoction has been frozen and there's an ice sculpture with a 4 on the top of it. so he'll be treated to that unusual cake when he comes out into the yard this morning. he'll probably eat it and play with it for about an hour here today. a great day actu

megan mcgrath, news4. >>> today another display of the progress made in space exploration. two "endeavour" crew members celebrated the moon landing anniversary by starting a 6 1/2-hour-long space walk this morning. it's the crew's second spacewalk in three days. the astronauts are using a huge robotic arm to transpir shutting parts to the space station. it's a cautionary measure to make sure that repairs can continue after the u.s. shuttle fleet is retired. >>> we heard from folks about where they were. where were you? >> i was in barbados. i was working on a project called barbados ocean mead meteorological experiment. we were on a nasa airplane and flying oug ining out over the o study the clouds and the ocean. there was no cable tv, no satellite tv, no tv, no live tv in barbados, so i had to listen to it on short-wave radio. >> was it coming in clearly? >> it was a little scratchy. then when i got back to the united states, i was able to see the first television pictures. >> it was remarkable. >> people were like, you haven't seen this? i was like, no, i was in bar bade

in northwest, megan mcgrath, news4. >> d.c. council member brown says metro did not go far enough to discipline that operator. he is calling on metro to fire the operator and anyone else who is caught texting. >>> metro is devising red line passengers to add another 30 minutes to the rush hour commute for the next week or so. there are going to be fewer and slower moving trains on the red line for the next ten days. the changes are to accommodate the ongoing investigation into last month's deadly crash near the fort totten and takoma stations. the takoma station will close early, 10:00 p.m. for the next ten days. >>> coming up on "news4 at 5:00," a woman is in trouble with the law. after burning a flag on independence day weekend. >> a dog has its day in court after biting a police officer during what his owner described as a raid gone wrong. >>> bottled water is everywhere. consumers know less about their premium h20 than what comes out of the tap. that has some lawmakers concern. >> rest stops closing across virginia this mon

in oxen hill, maig making a mcgrath, news4. >>> he was just 20. bryce gillies dispyred during a backpacking trip to the grand canyon. his body was discovered saturday by center much party and he died from dehydration. his father said his son began the trip july 17th and didn't hear from him. his father also says it seems their son got lost in and ran out of water in the extreme heat. the trip was to celebrate his 20th birthday. >>> the latest in a judge's pants lawsuit. >>> fears of an explosion at union station. >> four other stories making headlines in the washington area today. >> maryland senator barbara mikulski is recovering from surge roy her broken ankle this weekend. a spokesperson for the senator says she is expected to make a full recovery. she broke her ankle in three places when leaving church in baltimore. in a statement mikulski says she wants everyone to be able to receive the same type of health care she's got. >>> another law sue by the so-called pants judge has been ordered thrown out of court now. this time former d.c. judge ro

megan mcgrath was there. >> reporter: the line started at exhibit hall c. then it went on and on, all the way to the other end of the building. and then it kept going. right on out of the convention sent zper on to the sidewalk. >> what do you think of the line n. >> it is something else. i feel like i'm in line for "american idol." >> reporter: congressman eleanor holmes norton held this job fair before. but the turnout today was huge. more than 80 businesses and agencies with jobs came to meet perspective employees, despite the long lines, and there is a lot of hope. >> wide open. something material. something like that. you know, maybe government, you know, civil service. something along those lines. >> right now, something in the hospitality area. construction. those are two fields i have been working in. >> reporter: there are jobs. thanks to large-scale construction projects and millions in stimulus money. the department of homeland security, for example, is bidding a $ 1 billion head quart others the ground of st. elizabeth's hospital. and millions m

megan mcgrath has the story. >> reporter: at first glance, it looks like the metro train operator is sleeping. but he's actually writing a text message as the train speeds along the tracks. the cell phone video taken by a passenger was posted on youtube. the operator was suspended. >> there is no excuse for it. and it's very dispinting. especially given the fact that our train operators and really all of our operations personnel, for that matter, every single person of the transit agency knows what the rules are. >> reporter: the video was taken june 5th before the recent train collision that killed nine people. but metro officials say they only became aware of the incident after the crash. the operator captured in the video has already served the five-day suspension and is driving once again. a fact that some metro riders find disappointing. >> too short. too short a time to be suspended. i mean people get -- that is a smack on the hand. maybe a month. but it could be better. >> when i'm driving and if i use my phone without a blue tooth, then i'm driving with me, myself and any the

megan mcgrath reports. >> it looks like april giant pink wedding cake.shan didn't know what to think. the giant panda got into the spirit of things. and began eating his cake of frozen bamboo and beat juice. >> didn't know what it was. he was like hitting at it and smelling it and stuff. and after a while he kind of starts eating it. >> reporter: look out, mom and dad. tai shan is 4 years old. that means that in bear years he is a teenager. although judging from the reaction of his adoring fans, this teen can do no wrong. >> i have been coming here since he was born. and love him to pieces. he's brilliant and he's handsome and he is beautiful. >> he is cuddly and beautiful. perfect. >> reporter: now he is a teenager. >> i know. better clean that bamboo up. >> reporter: it was 2005 that tai shan came to the nationals zoo. like his parents, he's on loan from china. and it is unclear how long he will stay in washington, though. hi ter is about to expire. >> the adults are here on a ten-year loan and tai shan had a two-year extension which expired this year.

i go ask alister mcgrath, scientist, biophysicist and atheist who became a committed christian. he is now professor of historical theology at oxford. >>well, the cosmological argument in its simplest form would say, "look, everything that happens seems to have a cause, we traced this back and in the end we are to see there is an infinite progression of causes or the buck stops somewhere. and the place where it stops is called god. >it could stop with something that is self-existing and self-explanatory. can you live with that? >>i can live with that. what i tend to say to myself when thinking about this, is "look, one of the great themes of modern science is the quest for a grand unified theory, a theory of everything. why is that so important? well, because it's a theory which explains but does not require explanation. now what you see in modern physics is that this feeling that there has to be something behind everything, which explains everything we can observe. and in many ways that is analogous to this whole argument, the distance of god. we see many things which have expla

news 4's megan mcgrath is live in northwest washington with more on this story. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, joe. this attack happened at 7:00 in the morning on wednesday, but as you know, many of the bike paths that run through rock creek parkway go through heavily wooded areas and they can be quite isolated. now, police say the female jogger was on a path near beach drive south of bingham road when a man grabbed her, pulled her into the woods and sexually assaulted her. police say the victim had seen her attacker actually earlier on her jog. she said that he smelled of alcohol and was talking to himself in spanish. she then encountered him just a short time later and that's when he attacked her and pulled her into the woods. suspect is described as a hispanic male in his 30s, 5'7" to 5'10" tall with a stocky build, black, wave have i, shoulder lengthair. he was wearing a t-shirt and blue jeans at the time of the attack. anyone with information, you are asked to call u.s. park place and, of course, anyone jogging through the area, jogging thro

. >> and there should be more in a moment, but first let's go live to megan mcgrath for more details. >> the company offers instruction as well as other ariel services. the fourth person onboard was a passenger onboard the helicopter. the chopper took off from frederick municipal airport about 10:00 as night, and bursted into flames just east of haguers town. >> the four-seat helicopter barely recognizable as it lay in the median of i-70. the chopper went down just before 10:30 last night. it killed all four people onboard. rescue crews arrived to find a helicopter engulfed in flames. >> at that point, there was some fuel spread from the helicopter that covered the interstate and so forth. initially there was heavy fire from the helicopter itself. >> it's unclear whether weather played a role onboard. three employees from the instruction school and a passenger. drivers traveling on i-70 watched in shock as the helicopter fell to the ground. no vehicles were struck. >>> advanced helicopter concepts released a letter that it sent to tye tlompes just a short time ago. it read in part thr

megan mcgrath reports. >> reporter: firefighters go door to door checking smoke detectors and installing new ones. tragic is the only word to describe what happened at the oak ridge apartments. two children, age 5 and 7 were trapped in a smoke-filled apartment, and the kids were home alone. the father came back as neighbors were trying to get inside. and he realized what was happening. >> he was frantic, and he was running saying that's my apartment, that's my apartment, and my kids are in there. and everybody was converging on the apartment trying to get in. >> investigators say the father was cooking ithe kitchen, and for some unknown reason he left the apartment locking the front door behind him. the food started a small fire and smoke filled the apartment. >> generated a tremendous amount of smoke. >> the 5-year-old boy died at an area hospital. his 7-year-old brother is in critical condition. the father sustained minor injuries trying to break into the apartment. it's unclear if he will face charges for leafing the children home alone. >>> we have sports and weather straight ahead.

love chip mcgrath. he was a friend of john updike who read a lot of his work before it went into "the new yorker." he got extraordinary chance to deliver john updike's last book of points in the audio book. it is a great pleasure to introduce chip mcgrath. [applause] >> i sometimes think that john updike is responsible for much of the happiness and satisfaction in my life. it began when i started reading him. it has always been a pleasure of his writing. i started in high school, and i even sort of imagined i was the updike characters. i think i prefer his adolescence to mind. by the time i was in college, i was such an idolater that it seem to me that the great man needed to know about me. so i made a pilgrimage to ipswich. i took the bus from new haven to boston and then the trains to the -- the train to the north shore. i got there about dinnertime, when it occurred to me that the great men would probably be sitting down and his family. what i say to him? i did not have a clue, so i got back on the t

and megan mcgrath has more on the anniversary of "apollo 11." >> reporter: it's one of those once in amenoments. we have been talking to people about their memories about the first steps on the moon, and it's something they will always remember and won't forget the images. >> it's one small step for man. one gntea lp for mankind. >> reporter: it was 40 years ago that neil armstrong took the historic first step. but for those that watched as it first happened it's something they will always remember. >> we were gathered around the tv, and we were so excited we didn't know what to do with ourselves. had he stepped on the moon, it was like we all stepped as well. >> it was late at night and i stayed up and watched the whole thing. it was quite amazing. this man on the moon, it was pretty amazing at that time. >> millions of people around the world watched in awe as armstrong walked across the surface of the moon. it represented so much, the promise of science and technology. a cold war victory over the ussr. >> it was just quite amazing to think that somebody was up there. you look up a

. >> megan mcgrath has the story. >> reporter: everybody is pretty amazed of what happened. it's wild to see the sight of the hole that just opened up. and investigators are not sure exactly why the plane had this problem. they had never seen it before here at southwest airlines. as a precaution, they went overnight and inspected all the 737st in the fleet, and that's about 200 planes. they did not find any similar problems. all of the planes flew on the regular schedule today. but investigators are trying to figure out what happened last night. >> things are back to normal at southwest airlines following overnight inspections of the carrier's entire fleet of 737 aircraft. there were no problems found and no delays or cancelations. good news for passengers leaving bwi this morning. >> on time. get back at 1:00, i guess. >> investigators are still trying to figure out what caused a one foot by one foot hole to open up in a plane. and the flight made an emergency landing in charleston, west virginia. and startled passengers snapped these photos of the hole. and the passengers

megan mcgrath is still on the scene. >> an interesting find that was found after the fire was being responded to by emergency crews, they found a number of cars parked up alongside the burning buildings. those tags were run and came back as stolen. so there is another investigation going on in addition to the fire. and the damage to the burned manor hall is a complete loss. the facility is known as the knights of columbus hall. and they were grabbling with financial and legal issues, and last night it was destroyed by fire. fire crews are deciding what to do next. it was gutted by an early morning fire. >> it is totally burned down. >> the lodge, a community landmark, as been at the center of legal rangling. the building was recently sold in foreclosure, but the facility of the sale is being challenged in court. kenneth holmes is a member, and he said a new generation recely took the reigns and planned to turn it around, but the fire put those plans on indefinite hold. >> we were trying to get back in the community and so forth, as the knights of columbus. and it's just a shock. >> reporter:

megan mcgrath is now at the station with more. >> reporter: good morning, joe. an article in the "washington post" says metro found issues and problems with circuits on a number of their lines, not just in the area of the crash. and those circuits are not properly detecting the presence of trains. now, metro is taking issue with that article. they say they are doing detailed tests of the circuits, and in doing so they have found issues that likely would have gone undetected under previous maintenance procedures. they say they are fixing the issues, and saying it's not a safety risk, and it's nothing like the failure that was seen in last month's crash. trains run slower than normal through the work zone there. and crews are inspecting track circuits in the area, and so trains headed to virginia are restricted to 15 miles per hour. >> they are like delaying going down, and they pick up speed. >> the inspections are an in-depth analysis. minor iues have been found but nothing like the failure that prevented the monitoring system from seeing the train involved in l

megan mcgrath has the story. >> reporter: the video was taken by a rider aboard the train, taken using a cell phone camera. it shows the operator of the train looking down while text messaging instead of looking ahead at the tracks ahead of the train. that operator has been suspended for five days without pay, but he returned to work on monday. >> at first glance, it looks like the metro train operator is sleeping. but he is actually writing a text message, as the train speeds along the tracks. the cell phone video taken by a passenger was posted on youtube. the operator was suspended. >> there is really no excuse for it. and it's very disappointing. especially given the fact that our train operators and really all of our operations personnel, and for that matter every employee at the transit knows the rules. >> the operator captured in the video already served the five-day suspension and is iving once again, and that's something metro riders find disappointing. >> too short. that's just a smack on the hand. maybe a month. that would have been better. >> when i am driving, and if i use

governor sarah palin met with smoke jumpers in the small interior town of mcgrath praising their courage and sending out a number of messages including the somewhat cryptic, today try this act in accordance to your conscience. risk by pursuing larger vision in opposition to popular powerful pressure. she has just 18 days left in office till she becomes citizen sarah, in large part she says she's quitting because of a host of accusations of ethics violations costly and time consuming for her and the state. >> it doesn't cost the critics anything to file frivolous lawsuits or ethics violation charges. it costs our state such a great deal. thousands of state staff hours, millions of dollars in public resources that aren't going to things it should. >> andre mccloud has been an especially sharp thorn in her side. >> i have all of the evidence. >> she's filed four complaints against the governor and her staff and two lawsuits. here are some of the litany of complaints levelled against palin. a conflict of interest because she wore a jacket that had a logo on it while at a snow meebl race. ano

. >> megan mcgrath, thanks. >>> we are now hearing the 911 call that was made by a friend of a family held hostage in their home on friday. >> he called and talked to me in a low voice and said there is a male with a gun in his house. i texted him and hung up on me -- he hung up, and i said do you want me to call the cops, i texted him, and he said i am scared. >> after leaving that home, the man held an elderly couple hostage. the gunman stormed into the two homes after robbing a nearby pawnshop. the woman was released on friday night, and her husband was found inside the home after the gun must not surrendered without incidents. >>> crews are continuing to search for a missing swim inner in the potomac river. a 32-year-old man disappeared yesterday afternoon while trying to swim across the river with a friend. authorities have not released the identities of the missing swimmer or his frid that made it out of the river. >>> the search is on for a an nhiruved- drit-r dho w h ait man and left the injured. that's in the capital heights area of the pnce george's county. they found the ma

. >> megan mcgrath is live at a job fair kicking off right now at d.c. convention center. >> reporter: good morning. isn't the first time congresswoman eleanor holmes norton has sponsored a job fair but this year turnout was absolutely tremendous. behind me here is the end of the line at the convention center. that line goes all the way in and around and down to one of the lower levels exhibit halls. just a tremendous turnout here today. probably not too surprising considering that unemployment in the district is about 10.7%. looks like we're going to have thousands turning out for this event today. they're hoping to meet with employers and secure jobs. the line started at exhibit hall c. then it went on, and on, all the way to the other end of the building, and then it kept going, right on out of the convention center and on to the sidewalk. >> what do you think of this line? >> it's something else. i feel like i'm in line for "american idol" or something. >> i'm not bringing such a big project to the city without being a d.c. resident. >> reporter: con

megan mcgrath talked to some of the job seekers. >> the line. >> it is something else. i feel like i'm in line for "american idol." >> i have my resume. i have been doing a lot of job searching lately. i have skills in construction, demolition work. >> hoping i can get a job. >> there are some large-scale construction jobs, department of homeland security is building a $1 billion headquarters on the ground. millions of dollars in stimulus money is also being directed d.s rd she intends for city residents to get some of those jobs. >> employees from several washington area bridal salons are going to be looking for new jobs. the recession has hit area bridal shops pretty hard. julie carey has more in our report. >>> in a half century of d. business, thousands of brides found a perfect wedding gown at the lady hamilton in arlington. brides were beginning to settle foless. >> instead of finding the dress that's the perfect dress, they are going to find one that's close enough or it is pretty enough or good enough. and it might be half the price. >> reporter: lucky retailers

in riverdale, megan mcgrath, news 4. >> and another eaydl fire th wetod enokehed if lf anif den.elmay hyeped neerda myd orng in no e thrtheast d.c ie netgersbur artments onln lcoin codre.iv fi fielte b trsreveieheanveas was ov bmeokcoy sme as he tried to extinguish the fire. >>> authorities believe they found the body of a man who disappeared while trying to swim across the potomac river. the 32-year-old man was seen on tuesday. this morning, fishermen found a body on some rocks about a half mile from there. investigators say the body matches the description of the missing swimmer. >>> it is now 6:07, 62 degrees. still ahead on "news 4 today," it's been a beautiful weekend, but the grass is getting a little dry. steve is back to tell us if there's any rain in the forecast. >>> and who would have imagined the t.w. everyone wa talking about at the british open was tom watson, not tiger woods? we'll tell you why the veteran is getting so much attention. 1x y there are moments in time when the paths we take do determine our future. today we are communicating with each other as never befor

megan mcgrath is live with more on this story. >> reporter: good morning. the ntsb has just released an update on their investigation, and there's no official cause for the crash but they're continuing to focus their attention on track circuits that detect the presence of trains on the tracks. we've known for a while that a circuit in the area of the crash site five days before the accident that it began to -- it was replaced, rather, and that it had bee malfunctioning since being replaced five days before the crash and that it did not see the train that was stopped on the tracks. the ntsb is saying the bond on the other end of the circuit was also fluctuating since it was replaced in 2007. the problem in that e of the bond since 2007, a year and a half apparently that it was not working correctly. the ntsb update says they've identified problems at other circuits, that those problems crop up more frequently during rush hour. they are analyzing the data to see if it is the same type of situation they've seen in the circumstance at the crash site. with the s

we have a huge crowd here, and mark mcgrath, the head of sugar ray. >> the head of sugar ray.ars, and it's been the same guys, too. the biggest testament that we're still together, we have awards, platinum records, been around the world, but we're still doing it. brian: you have a new cd out. what are you going to play? >> "boardwalk." brian: for guys that grew up in newport beach, you understand that well. if you're in newport, go by his house. >> come by my restaurant. brian: i didn't know you had a restaurant. >> come by. gretchen: we've been waiting all morning to hear it, so take it away, guys. brian: sugar ray! [ applause ] ♪ boardwalk ♪ what's up new york city ♪ good morning to you ♪ boardwalk ♪ when the summer is on and the heat is there ♪ ♪ i'll be waving goodbye while the girls are cryin' ♪ ♪ it was a vacation ♪ but it was really just nothing at all ♪ ♪ check it out ♪ had to start the morning ♪ roll out of bed with sand in my hair ♪ ♪ couple drinks and it always happens ♪ ♪ we end up right here ♪ last night we got caught up and swept away ♪ ♪ we both know it couldn't