and i expected it you know metro to have their stuff together. >> reporter: tonight metro says the widespread power outage across d.c. and maryland caused

in today's metro meeting, board members and metro employees expressed deep concerns for metro's safety. when it comes to injuries involving metro riders and employees, the numbers for the year are up more than 50% from this time last year. while the l'enfant plaza incident remains under investigation, metro is not wasting time ordering new safety measures. the biggest changes will be maintenance improvements. 88,000 tunnel lights must be functioning, no exceptions. underground passageways must be clear of debris. new protocols must be put into place when it comes to metro's alarm system. the ventilation fans that should have cleared smoke during january's incident will now be under a microscope. under the new plan they must be routinely tested and properly maintained. and while these complex issues are tackled, metro tells us passengers can help with safety too. >> we continue to for example, be concerned with passengers' trips and falls. they're the most common type of injuries in metro. we see that when platforms are wet and people are running for a train. sam: 37% of those incidents

the work will last most of the day. >>> and breaking news on metro, the glenmont and wheaton metro stations closed. there are reports of smoke in the tunnel. pa list melissa mollet will be tweeting about this tlou thehroughout the morning. >>> that's right, glenmont and wheaton shut down so a nasty morning on the red line. a lot of people out of town so that might help a little. >> rain headed toward the metro area sweeping in later this morning. could get some thunderstorms this afternoon. 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., some of hosefof those storms have a low risk of wind damage. so grab an umbrella. a wet day is on the way. >>> and that is the broadcast this morning. we appreciate you getting up with us. >> the "today" show is next. we'll be back in 25 minutes with weather, traffic and any breaking news. until then have a great day. >> make it a great friday, everybody. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ yoplait. with a smooth and creamy taste your whole family loves. don't miss yoplait's exciting new flavors -- creamy caramel and cookies 'n cream. . >> good morning. breaking news. severe weather in the south. tornados ripping

years ago on metro. stephen: got an e-mail from metro just a short while ago. apparently, the problem here the source of the smoke about an hour ago, a faulty brake system on one of the metro trains. reporting live stephen tschida abc 7 news. maureen: thanks, stephen. we hear for the first time from former c.i.a. director david petraeus after his sentencing for leaking classified information. today, a judge sentenced the retired army general to two years probation and fined him $100,000 for giving classified information to his miss res -- mistress paula broadwell. after the sentencing petraeus apologized. >> today marks the end of a 2 1/2 year ordeal that resulted from mistakes that i made. i now look forward to moving on with the next phase of my life and to continuing to serve our great nation as a private citizen. maureen: petraeus is working for a new york based private equity firm k.k.r. after five months of delay, the senate approved loretta lynch's nomination as attorney general. >> on this vote the ayes are 56 and the nays are 43. the nomination is conf

not only on the road for metro. that's where i want to start. so the rail service is then suspended on the green line because of the pedestrian bridge collapse. that's between greenbelt and college park. shuttle buses do replace and then the yellow line, you have the service to and from college park. traveling on the camden line marc train, that service has been restored but still expect some delays. as we take a look outside i want to show you the area where we are working an accident and it was closed. this is on river road near bradley. you are under police direction now. but it has been reopened as we take a look in this area to give you an idea. no problems for you as far as slowdowns. we got a good idea of that. i want to move to a crash we are working. this one just coming in. arlington, it is right at chain bridge. you already see this red line. so we are seeing big big delays. again, that's crossing the chain bridge. but it is closed. we've got a pretty serious accident. that is a look at traffic. back to you. leon: all right. thank you

metro customers pushing the limit and walking on the metro tracks.ting not only themselves but other passengers at risk. an investigation by the news 4 iteam reveals a series of people doing so recently at different stations and for different reasons. as scottnow, all of them facing the same deadly risk. >> reporter: like so many of us the guy was typing on his phone waiting for his train at the pentagon metro station. >> he fell off right in front of us. >> as a train approached. >> the lights started flashing when he fell off. >> jennifer buchanan and her dad pulled the man from below. >> right on edge. you have to reach over. hi to reach over and grab him. >> they say, they too, were nearly pulled down on the tracks in the process of saving the man who had fallen but the news 4 iteam are saying some are deliberately ending on the tracks. >> a dare or a stunt and something they want to pie on service -- to see on social media. >> this couple on an empty section of the platform at the west falls church metro station. watch as she takes off her coat

a spokesperson says metro doesn't set the rules. the jurisdictions metro travels through makes them. so far none of the surrounding jurisdictions has said no to e-cigs on metro. there is some passengers who say lighten up. while there's not a lot of controversy surrounding e-cigarettes, angela says she's convinced they're not as bad as the other kind of cigarette. >> i don't think they're harmful to anybody. stephen: the issue of banning e-cigarettes has come out before. opponents think e-cigs will go the way of tobacco cigs on metro. leon: other issues regarding metro this evening. metro is federally mandated to make passengers and first responders can get cell phone service in every station and every tunnel. it's a project that began in 2008, years after flaws in that system came to light. but according to wmau deputy manager rob troop says the work won't be finished for another three or four years. fire departments say their radios are only 89% reliable in stations and tunnel inbound metro trains are single tracking after they fi

and i expected it you know metro to have their stuff together. >> reporter: tonight metro says the widespread power outage across d.c. and maryland caused the escalator outage at the bethesda metro station. the escalator stopped working. the station closed around 3:00 this evening. metro employees told people to use the medical center or friendship heights station. several buses drove people to the medical center station. she told me at the end of the day she's exhausted but says metro does a pretty good job fixing problems. >> these things run pretty quickly. >> reporter: again, the escalator is fixed. if you're wondering about the bethesda station, you can get your free washington app on your smartphone and we'll continue to update what's going on here again, it has reopened. live in bethesda shomari stone, news4. >> thanks shomari. our coverage of the power outage doesn't end here. you can head to nbcwashington.com. >>> looking at our weather now, veronica, some more rain coming our way, huh? >> that's right. i'm tracking some showers right now, even a little bit of fog and definitely cool

metro made that announcement a few moments ago. a pedestrian bridge collapsed on top of the train tracks between the greenbelt and college park metro stations. news4's megan mcgrath is live at the greenbelt station with the quick work. this is good news for the commuters. >> reporter: yeah. absolutely good news for commuters. they worked overnight, they got that debris off the tracks and they were able to just recently -- just in the last half hour less than that reopen the greenbelt station. if you take a look behind me here, you can see people are starting to file in. we also still have the normal bus activity here as well. but for the first time really this morning people who arrive here at the station are actually able to go in and hop on a train. we encountered a lot of people when the station was closed earlier this morning that didn't realize that there was a problem. they showed up only to be turned away or directed to the shuttle bus. the good news here is that is no longer the case. we have now gone back to normal operati

so these are some the metrics that we used in evaluating metros. we look at job growth, wages, technology growth, over the most recent five years and over the most recent one year. that smooth things out over the business cycle is of what anyone year determine the rankings because that can be very volatile. so, we also include your over your job growth in the most recent month which is in this case, prior to publication was august of last year. so, employment and wages are more highly rated because they are critical to community vitality. wages and salary signal the quality of the jobs being created a metropolitan area and also there are other measures to measure the concentration of diversity and it's really a way to look at the community involvement in the so-called knowledge-based economy. this is a chart that shows employment growth relative to the peak of this recession relative to others and what you'll notice is that this recovery has been relatively mild compared to previous ones. and overall job growth in the country really determine some

now at the dupont circle metro station. it's one of the deepest in the system and it went out. the power's back on now. but it was a scary experience for one tourist couple from austin, texas. >> we got off and it was really dark inside of the train area and then we headed up here and saw this long staircase and it was completely stopped. so we walked up here. wasn't a problem as much for us but -- >> there was peep stopped. >> two or three ladies stopped and the police were being helpful and metro employees being helpful. but there were some folks that got up that were out of breath and having to get water and it was difficult for anybody that has any physical limitations. >> reporter: coming up at 5:00 we'll hear from more government workers and private office worker who is had to leave their buildings. one person thought it was an earthquake. in downtown washington tom sherwood news4. >>> university of maryland students also caught by surprise today. computers went dark emergency lights went on in classrooms and some stu

metro area until the evening. temperatures right now are in the 50s and 60s, 61 in washington, 59 in leesburg, 63 down in fredericksburg. here's your hour-by-hour planner for the evening it's a nice night for walking the dog of the just grab the jacket. temperatures in the upper 50s, dropping into the low 50s around 9:00 p.m. if you'll be out later, you probably want to grab a warmer jacket, 51 degrees by 11:00 p.m. with a low in washington around 38. that's where we'll be tomorrow morning around 7:00 a.m. it's a cold start so you're doing that saturday morning run getting your errands done, definitely bundle up. 11:00 a.m. still cool, plenty of clouds, a temperature of 52 degrees. i will say though, tomorrow is looking like the better of the two weekend days because most, if not all of the daytime hours are dry. not necessarily going to be the case on sunday. 3:00 p.m. a temperature near 60 that will be our high for the day. by 7:00, showers are inside of the beltway with a temperature around 51 degrees. this is

in the metro area that is the area you see in the light green.e been heavier downpours with thunder and lightning. that's south of us. a little bit of light rain in prince george's county calvert, arundel crossing the bay. farther north and west to just a few sprinkles now here in montgomery, howard and northern anne arundel. another batch of light rain here in west virginia that is moving in to the shenandoah valley about another hour and then maybe 8:00 9:00 into the metro area. chilly morning. we're in the low and mid-40s from the dough a valley to the bay. we'll stay this way through 8:00 with a few sprinkles. by noontime, just cloudy maybe a few breaks in the clouds climbing in the 50s. upper 50s by late afternoon. still cloudy just a small chance of additional sprinkles or drizzle during the afternoon hours. possess your pictures, i posted this one yesterday on facebook twitter and instragram of a view from sugarloaf's overlook looking east under low gray clouds. we're getting more and more gray showing up. tomorrow won't have any storms in

but again, glenmont metro station is closed.'ll tell you how that shakes out. right now we want to take you to another map we have. the delays in the green line as well in both directions as a result of earlier issues. the bus is now running on schedule. we'll continue to follow this developing situation and going on on the red line between the wheaton and glenmont metro stations. andrea and nick back to you. >>> at 6:41 a quick shoe of the state -- view of the state of the economy begins this day's your money report. economists are predicting employers added around a quarter million jobs in march. and if that holds true, it would be the 13th straight month of job gains over 200,000. >>> mystic pizza was made famous in the 1988 movie of the same name. starring jewel somewhere roberts as the waitress at the small town connecticut parlor. it's since become a tourist attraction and now the restaurant's real owner pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. prosecutor says for years the owner diverted more than half a million dollars fro

a man at the congress heights metro station. it happened april 13th at the station entrance on alabama avenue southeast. the victim told police the men in these surveillance videos touched him slightly. when he turned around one of them punched him in the jaw. one of the attackers called the victim a homosexual slur. police say two of the attackers are juveniles. they are drawing up warrants for their arrests. new information from baltimore tonight where justice -- the justice department has opened a civil rights investigation into the death of a man in police custody. today, police released the names of six officers suspended after the death of freddie gray. four of those officers joined the department in the past five years. gray died sunday, a week after his spine was nearly severed. a vigil is planned tonight at the spot where gray was arrested. the march to justice arrived in washington today. demonstrators are calling for an end to police-related deaths. and what they see as systemic racial injustice. their protests began

north and west of the metro area.a few popping up to our south around 3:00 or 4:00 in southern maryland could get strong storms. charles county calvert, st. mary's and the northern neck. this is as of 4:00 p.m. after that they quickly move off to the eastern shore. still pretty strong storm there's. most of it done in the metro area by around 5:00. minimal impact moving through and a beautiful weekend to follow. near 70 saturday and sunday with sunshine. that's wait it looks. >> all right. we have a happy update on a local group of students who were nearly robbed literally, of a chance to compete in the world robotics competition. the team had just won a regional competition in tennessee when the school suv was stolen with the robot and equipment inside. the team now tells us a new robot has been built, and is ready to go. so they'll get to compete after all. >>> and today, a first is about to open in montgomery county and you might enjoy it if you want to switch up your workout. rockin' jump is what it's called a tra

metro did provide shuttle buses several other metro stations were affected but everything is back toormal this morning. >>> 6:48. power is back on to for majority of pepco customers, as well. lights flickered at the white house. the u.s. capitol, as well. visitors had a chance to look at the smithsonian from the outside because they were evacuated when everything went dark in the museums. oprah was talking at the warner theater when lights went out there. she you spoke she powered through. michelle obama was escorted out by secret service agents. >> power went out, but we still rose. we kept going. and that's what you to. that's what maya angelou wanted us to do. >> an equipment failure at a power station in charles county is to blame for the outages. >>> breaking news out of afghanistan. an exchange of gunfire as an american dell ghags visited the governors compound. about a we're hearing from police they're telling nbc news crews on the ground that as the chopper that was carrying the delegation was exiting the compound that is when an afghan soldier fired upon u.s. troops they whi

right now just a little scattered drizzle around the metro area. otherwise just some low clouds and it is rather chilly. our temperatures right now are just in the 40s. and that's from the mountains all of the way to the chesapeake bay and eastern shore. our nearby suburbs north and west of washington, in the low 40s. and right around the metro area, we're in the mid-40s low to mid-40s around the bay as well. so quite a chill in the air. hour by hour for the day ahead, just a chance of a little drizzle through the morning, but still chilly in the upper 40s by 8:00 a.m.. but then by noon with a southwesterly breeze we should jump into the 60s and maybe a few breaks in the clouds. overall a lot of clouds around. then thunderstorms likely by 3:00 p.m. we'll be in the upper 70s and a lot of the storms will be ending by 6:00 p.m.. so here is the hour by hour timing on this. by 3:00 4:00 we'll have the thunderstorms beginning to move into the shenandoah valley. and then after that they will be getting closer to the metro area. this is as of 3:00 p.m.. th

metro and d-dot want to hear your thoughts on the project. those hearings -- or those heading west on connecticut avenue won't have to cross the busy street. a meeting will take place in northwest at 7:30. >>> pat roberts is taking the helm of the dwight d. eisenhower memorial project. he faces a challenge, building support for the project. it's been delayed for years over objections to the design by eisenhower's family and others. roberts says eisenhower never stopped in the face of adversity and the commission won't either. >>> it is an unforgettable image, the marine corps image has become a bit weathered. and now philanthropist david rubenstein is giving more than $5 million to help restore the bronze, and improve the landscaping. the memorial will remain open during the work. >>> "news4 today" begins with breaking news.

metro area. the closer you get to the border, the better chances of getting hit with a shower or sprinkle. by 7:00 8:00 those rain chances will be gone. skies will clear out a bit overnight tonight and with a clearing sky and fading wind we could have scattered frost or freezing temperatures by tomorrow morning. seven-day forecast when i see you next. >>> passengers terrified after a plane suddenly drops 10,000 feet. >> we'll explain what >>> terrifying moments for passengers on board a sky west flight headed to connecticut. all of a sudden, the pilot sends the plane into a nosedive fearing a cabin pressure problem after a passenger passed out. >> i had to sit down. i was short of breath light-headed didn't feel great. >> the captain had said that all the symptoms led him to believe that it was a lack of cabin pressure. >> the plane landed safely in buffalo, new york. flight radar reports the plane dropped 24,000 feet in just under 10 minutes. sky west says there was never an air pressure problem

and then by late afternoon, hitting upper 50s metro area.ntains begin to goning to climb into the 60s. we'll have a look at the storm timing for friday coming up at 6:51. alexis how is traffic now? >>> we're seeing normal slowing top side of the beltway. volume is building. northbound bw parkway, accident after route 197, it has cleared but still delays. outer loop in maryland, 95 to 270, 24 minutes. and northbound 395 between the beltway and 14th street bridge will take you about 18 minutes. southbound 295 to bw parkway, 14 minutes. >>> right now we're watching a developing situation in france where a television net swork dealing with major problems after a cyber attack by people claiming to support isis. what the hackers did and the he will impact it's having. >>> plus the story that could have you checking shall label people of the coffee drinking world, dunkin' has a dark roast coffee that's deliciously roasted just right for a bold start and smooth finish that's never bitter. put down the dark roast you've been putting up with and reach

melissa has breaking news about the metro. >> breaking news on metro.belt station is now open. the green line service fully restored so those buses are going to stop running between college park and greenbelt now. now that the station is open. wide look at things. no major problems as you look at the beltway there. 95 here, we're a little slow. northbound through dale city. 29 mile per hour. that's pretty typical as we are past the 5:30 hour and that starts to happen every day. 66 at ox road no problems there. and 270 at father hurley a couple of trucks off to the right here. no major problems headed northbound. southbound good as well. back at 6:01 with more on the metro opening with megan mcgrath. >> thank you. >>> a new study looks at who is being ticketed the most. drum roll thank you adam. drivers between the ages of 30 and 49. i think we both fall in that category. >> yeah. >> they're the most ticketed in the country but insurance rates are not going up like you think. younger drivers were found to be more likely to see their rate increase after a

metro preparing for the worst. a large-scale drill outside the greenbelt metro station after a chaotic incident in january. richard is covering metro tonight. richard: firefighters were underground they could not use their walkie-talkies and had to use their cell phones instead. today, two big issues, getting the various emergency agencies to speak with each other and getting people out in case of an emergency. >> it could happen to anyone. richard: metro transit police, first responders, and volunteers simulating a smoke incident evacuation at the greenbelt metro station. the drill comes three months after heavy smoke in a tunnel left one woman dead and dozens hospitalized. >> i have my eyes open at all times. richard: among the concerns that day, onboard electrical fans were blowing smoke inside the cars and firefighters underground could not communicate with commanders about. a d.c. fire spokesman says clogged radio repeaters had been cleaned. drills like this will help in an evacuation. >> you have the fire mar

it moved east of the metro area. the radar the moving green and light rain across southern virginia. that will stay south of the metro area here for the next several hours. but still a bit of arain. and later today here is new timing just coming in by 10:00 this morning. maybe a little bit of that rain to the south. later this afternoon we'll get showers coming through around 3:00 maybe a few thunderstorms here in the shenandoah valley and pan handle of west virginia. these tracking off to the east later into the evening hours. temperatures right now in the 50s to around 60s degrees. and we'll hold steady here a few breaks in the clouds. a little sunshine breaking out. occasional light rain later in the afternoon we reach the low to mid 70s. certainly looking like spring. tomorrow cooler 120 degrees cooler. in the mid 50s. jumping into the 70s on friday. might get thunder showers friday. just in time for the weekend drying out. great weather for outdoor fun. melissa has break news. >> the alexandria section of fairfa

it happened on branch avenue near the naylor road metro station. as mike conneen reports, metro riders say the roadway is not pedestrian friendly. >> he's special at night after dark, people speed through there. mike: according to prince george's county police around 12:30 a.m. a woman was apparently trying to cross this section of branch avenue when she was struck by a metro transit police cruiser and suffered severe injuries as a result. medics metro transit police supervisors and pgpd all responded. the woman was transported to the hospital in critical condition. a spokesperson for metro transit police tells me the officer involved was driving in routine status not responding to emergency calls and lights and sirens were not active. we're also told this incident did not happen at an intersection, a crosswalk or a stoplight. this is a multilane highway but many residents admit they, too have jaywalked here to get to the metro station or nearby convenience stores. >> the timing and the lights sometimes are too long and if you're clear to go throug

metro just took a big hit in funding.the house committee that oversees the agency released a plan yesterday to cut its federal funding in half. to $75 million. metro has to demonstrate what it's doing to fix problems before getting that money. now a committee spokesperson says that the goal is to force metro to make improvements. metro says they need full funding to improve safety and reliability reliability. eleanor holmes norton is threatening to go against any funding cuts. >>> some of you living in the best cities for young families gainesville tops the list at number one. seven of the top ten family friendly locations to live are in northern virginia. now, these rankings are based on the cost of homes, prosperity and growth. quality of education and family friendliness. in gainesville, 40% of the households are families with children. the highest in the state rounding out the top five, best places in virginia burke, centerville, vienna and bonn air. bonn air is outside of richmond. >> good schools, nice neighborhoods

metro is discussing the environmental impacts.ill take place today at the rec center in alexandria at 6:30 p.m. shuttle buses will depart every 30 minutes. >>> metro is also holding a meeting about a major escalator project. we are hearing from a lot of you who are upset that one entrance to the van ness metro is closing next week. metro is replacing the escalator on the station's west sides at the entrance. that's the entrance next to starbucks. the project could take three years and tonight's meeting will take place at the forest hills of d.c. senior center at 7:30. >>> two candidates for the d.c. council watching closely as the last votes are counted in a special election. more than 1,000 uncounted provisional ballots will likely decide who wins the ward 8 seat. right now fewer than 200 votes separate laruby may and trayon white. white is behind but he says he is in it until every vote is counted. >> we have the numbers in those numbers. we just pray that's no fraud or anything that's misleading going on with those numbers. you

. >>> the future of metro travel begins today. we're getting a closer look at the 7,000 series rail cars which will hit the tracks on the blue line. there's a ton of new features and metro says it's a lot faster as well. news 4 is live at the train station. >>> i can report to you that the train just pulled in to the station here. it rolls out here about 7:12. we want to get right to it bring in stand stessel. safety is really the name of the game? >> safety is the number one reason that we're doing this. it is an ntsb recommendation. these cars are much safer than the cars they will replace that are more than 40 years old. we're taking advantage of the latest technology for our riders. that means digital announcements, taking advantage of flat screen displays in the car, better information, no carpeting, wider aisles more leg room. >> you've got nonslip flooring in there. it's going to get a workout with the rain today. >> we have 528 of these cars on order. the second train set is already on the property. it will go into service

by lunchtime it's still dry in the metro area. by 3:00 now we have rain into culpeper and fredericksburg, still dry in d.c. and gaithersburg and frederick moving southwest to northeast. by 6:00 raining inside the beltway from leesburg and rockville south. it's shade of green, not crazy heavy but cold rain for april. bi' nightfall temperatures in the 40s with -- by nightfall temperatures in the 40s with rain across the entire metro area. we'll come back and take you through sunday and see if we can salvage part of the last half of sunday and have your 3- degree guarantee. >>> a ride on the metro turns violent and the worst of it was caught on camera. the man you're about to see knocked out another at the top of a metro escalator is still on the run tonight. mola lenghi is at the eastern market station where the attack happened. >> reporter: it started as an argument here in this metro tunnel and quickly escalated leaving a 69-year-old man knocked out right here and a much younger man on the run. >> are you kidding me? >> reporter:

we spoke with a folks person from metro transit -- spokesperson from metro transit and they want everyone to look closely because the suspect is wearing distinct clothing, a black hooded sweatshirt with big lettering on one arm and black shoes with a bright stripe. police say the brutality on that video is what they want people to pay attention to because they think someone will recognized this guy based on the clothing. if you recognize him, please contact metro transit police. >> that was quite a scene there. thank you. >>> montgomery county public schools hit again tonight with it an allegation that an educator -- with an allegation that an educator has sexually abused a student. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan in silver spring. this time it is a former teaching assistant or paraeducator who is accused of kissing and fondling a 14-year- old at her apartment complex and here inside the school. hey, hey, don't touch that. that's assault. >> get that out of my face. >> reporter: you cannot touch her. one of wilson's furious relatives grabbed our camera after a bail review hearing in rockvil

metro stations. in leesburg the deputy fire chief has seen them too, and knows his force will soon be doing the same. it's becoming clear to more people it's a near certainty you'll have to eventually respond to the tracks. >> absolutely. not only, that but we also provide mutual aid into dulles airport, which is where the train goes right now so, no doubt if there is an emergency there they'll probably be calling on us also for assistance. >> reporter: metro's silver line won't extend through loudoun for years so it caught our attention when news4 learned the county is already building this tiny model silver line track near its fire department headquarters. this summer they'll add a pair of older mothballed metro cars to determine how firefighters safely and effectively handle a fire or emergency inside. one of the key parts of the setup is the third rail simulator. if a firefighter gets too close to or touches the third rail you hear the alarm. they'll bring 1,400 people in here to train, 600 caree

metro bought 528 cars in the first batch. second replaced all the 1,000 series cars and kawasaki said to metro if it wants to buy 220 more, it can get it at a good price. reporting live from national airport, sam ford, abc 7 news. alison: by the way, today metro started running trains in automatic mode for the first time in six years. officers have been running those trains manually since the deadly crash on the red line near the potomac car station. nine people were killed, you'll remember, and in the wake of that accident the national transportation safety board issued a series of recommendations to make the entire metro system safer. >> this is the culmination of really years of hard work in terms of getting the signal system upgraded to meet ntsb requirements and also years of testing to ensure this system is reliable. alison: in automatic mode trains accelerate decelerate under computer control. that generally means a smoother ride for the passengers on board. and now checking our other top stories of the day, roads have

metro's full board must approve the names. metro hopes to have phase two open sometime in 2018. one of the district's main tourist attractions is close to being in full bloom. the national parks service says the cherry blossoms are officially in the puffy white stage. peak bloom will take place in four to six days. this is a live look of the cherry blossoms with the earth cam. and a little gray out there. but we understand the weekend is going to bring us some clearer, warmer weather for cherry blossom viewing. is that true? doug: imagine clear blue skies. it will be postcard weather. today, not so much. lots of stuff to talk about. let's get busy and first talk about what's happening now. we see the live camera shots. kind of a gray day, too. no rain in the area it's damp and cooley and chilly. doesn't feel like the middle of april here and things are going to change. they're going to change dramatically tomorrow. wait until you see the numbers. 49 right now at reagan national. that's it. average high is in the middle 60's in most areas. best we could do today with the heavy cl

metro is switching back to automatic train operation this morning. nearly six years after that deadly crash near the fort totten station. megan mcgrath has a look at what the passengers can expect this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning. it was back in 2009 that that deadly accident occurred metro train slammed into another train that was stopped near the fort totten station. nine people were killed. many more were injured and following that accident metro stopped using their automated computer system. they went over to manual controls. well, since that accident metro has been making lots of safety improvements and they're at the point that they can return to the automated system and that's happening on the red line beginning this morning. at in fact it's already begun with the longer trains along the red line. so there will still be a person inside the cab to open and close the door and make announcements, but everything else is being done by a compute system. going to the automated system going back to it will make for fa

metro says yes, they are watching you. reporting live at gallery place, adam tuss, news 4. >>> we're keeping a close watch on the situation in baltimore. this is a live picture. we are watching for any demonstrations throughout the evening, including one in our area that's set to begin within the hour. >>> first responders at this fatal crash that happened last night are taking the loss personally. this is chris gordon in charles county. we'll hear from some of them ahead. >>> sunshine today but i'm tracking two separate storms that will come together to give us a good chance for rain. i'll show you wh (music) hey! let me help with that. oh, thank you! (music) introducing the one-and-only volkswagen golf sportwagen. the sportier utility vehicle. >>> this is a live picture from the helicopter over downtown baltimore. hundreds of demonstrators have just arrived at city hall. they marched there from penn station. as of now this demonstration appears to be quite peaceful. we'll keep you updated here on news 4. ♪ >>> music in a

coming right through the metro area.tgomery county fairfax county, this line of showers and thunderstorms, it advances east and tends to break down a bit away it gets around the bay because of the cold waters, but it may fire up again after 6:00 p.m. just east of us prince george's county anne arundel, calvert, st. mary's charles. and crossing the bay, it may intensify again and then quickly gone by 8:00 p.m.. so the zones likely to get the heaviest storms may be just south of the metro area. that's where we could get some of the strongest winds. as well as perhaps some hail only a slight risk of a tornado. could get heavy rain enough to cause ponding of water. and so hour by hour rapid warming today. 60s by noontime. then into the 70s during the afternoon as the storms roll on through. then sun back tomorrow, beautiful weekend coming up. highs upper 60s on saturday. sunday up around 70 degrees. great weather for enjoying the chaer chair cherry blossoms. might get rain on tuesday. how is the commute? >>> usual slowing on

leon: a man spit on and punched on a metro elevator. plus, baltimore readies for massive protest tomorrow. a former school worker faces our camera on a sex assault charge. richard: why did you do this sir? leon: and bruce jenner speaks. >> i feel like i'm going to be ok. leon: as we follow a transgendered woman's journey here in northern virginia, next. >> now abc 7 news at 11:00 am on your side. leon: disturbing footage of a violent assault in a metro station, the victim a 69-year-old man punched in the face in front of a group of commuters. alison: the police are searching for the suspect and they are hoping the surveillance footage will bring close. leon: roz plater has the top story. roz: surveillance cameras show the suspect getting off metro about here, taking a left turn towards pennsylvania avenue and 7th street. the markings on his clothing was so unusual, they are hoping 70 spotted him. the trouble started at about 1:00 in the afternoon. the 69-year-old man told the police that the younger man shoved him when they got off the

metro did provide shuttle buses, several other metro stations were affected but everything is up an running this morning. >>> today transportation leaders from around the region will meet to set up a commission to oversee metro safety. this follows the underground emergency that killed one woman at l'enfant plaza. molette green is there with more. >> reporter: metro just opened to passengers who desperately depend on it and want to fully put their trust back in the system again. creating this i said safety commission with real teeth power to oversee all of metrorail operations is a big step in that direction. safety and staying on top of improvements became a big topic of discussion of a sister last january's deadly smoke incident near l'enfant plaza. a woman from alexandrialess her life in that case. critics for years have called for this kind of safety commission even dating back to another deadly incident in which nine people lost their lives. back then metro managers in this tri-state oversight commission which has been in place were accused of being too slow to act on safety improvemen

metro trains now coming through. marc camden line service was halted just before the rush hour and restored two hours later. a section of the concrete bridge fell on to the tracks after it was struck by the boon of the crane. >> i use this bridge every day. it's a great walking or running path. now i'll have to take the long way. >> reporter: so good news for commuters, metro riders but bad news still for pedestrians. you can still see that section is nonexist enlt. who knows -- nonexistent. who knows when they'll be able to repair that. i'm sorry? as far as we know, pedestrians will have to take the long route around and so we don't know when that might be fixed or repaired. metro is still trying to figure out exactly what happened. we do know the metro contract operator of that crane had 30 years of experience. we'll fipg out exact thely what happened at -- figure out exactly what happened at a later time. back to you. >> thank you, surae chinn live in berwin heights this morning figuring out what happened there. p

most it was is south of the metro area now. very heavy downpours mount vernon stafford through charles county dale city and every now and then couple of hailstones come out of these systems. watch them tonight. generally later tonight the intensity will diminish and through the day tomorrow that intensity will diminish even further and eventually may come to an end. you may notice this is spinning counter clockwise due to the fact that all this is being generated by a pretty big low pressure center and has counter clockwise circulation. it's moving in to the west and coming back to the southeast. it will change tomorrow as it diminishes, goes away and opens the door for a pretty good looking weekend around here. 74 and 56 the high and low today. 71, and 52 are the averages in washington. we have 70 degree readings like at reagan national airport. other areas we have the 60's. now, tonight, we'll have scattered showers and they will diminish and over night, we'll remain rather cloudy. a cooler area of temperatures across the mid

metro says that going back to the automated system will be more efficient. will make for faster rides. the trains will be more consistently spaced out. things are starting to pick up here at the station this morning. we'll talk to riders and see with what they think about the return to the automated system. back to you guys. >> megan mcgrath, thank you. >>> well, tomorrow is going to be another big day for metro as well. the first 7,000 series trains will go into service on the blue line tomorrow morning. we'll get a preview ride today. news4's adam tuss will be on board and he'd tweet out everything you need to know about the new cars. you can watch his full reports starting on news4 at 5:00 p.m. >>> new developments on a maryland couple with a controversial parenting style. montgomery county police brought that child's children to child protective services yesterday. they picked them up after a concerned citizen told the officers they were left unattended. we're still waiting to hear from the the meitiv family. cps began to investigate back in december aft

. >>> plus metro station closed. the bridge collapse that could cause a lot of headaches on your way to work in the morning. >>> and the search for possible victims after a local police officer is accused of having child pornography. >> "news4 at 11" starts now. >> first at 11:00, a security scare at the center of washington, d.c. a gyrocopter flew into highly restricted airspace and landed right outside the u.s. capitol. >> tonight we're learning more about that pilot. why his landing wasn't exactly a surprise and new details now about his 100-mile journey from gettysburg pennsylvania to the nation's capitol. >> the pilot is a florida mail carrier. he flew here to deliver a message about campaign finance reform. >> news4'she capitol with more on this frightening day. chris? >> reporter: jim, doreen we learned that doug hughes was so passionate about this issue and so public about this plan that he had, secret service agents came to his house in florida and interviewed him extensively a year and a half ago. it's stil

heights, silver spring and claredon metro stations. the first batch of 7,000 series metro cars made their debut on the blue line this morning. new cars have wider aisles, no slip flooring and digital signboards. the old 1,000 series cars are the first to be replaced by the new cars. that series dates back to the 1970s and was involved in the deadly red line crash in 2009. coming up at 6:00 accelerating plans for ride sharing in maryland. details on a bill approved by lawmakers this week. and you needed an umbrella walking around town today. doug will let us if the rain will hang around tomorrow. tim: the wizards game with the pacers has playoff implications and the nats have started their game with the red sox in boston and barry put his game plan in for the islanders. post season is about to begin in hockey as abc 7 news at 6:00 continues. maureen: the washington redskins lease at fed ex field isn't up for another 12 years. but virginia governor terry mcauliffe wants the team's next stadium to be in loudoun county. virginia officials

new metro rail car. old metro rail car. new metro rail car.here we are taking a test ride on the brand new 7,000 series rail car. first thing you notice it's open. it feels bright. take a look at the new technology that's on board this train. flat screen monitors telling you where you're going, what stop you're at the transfer information and parking and all that kind of stuff. the chairs the seats they're blue. that brown color scheme is gone and then hey, take a look at the floor. no carpet. this is the first time since 2006 that new rail cars have rolled on metro tracks. >> finding cars unlike anything else they have seen on the system before. >> reporter: these cars replace the oldest cars in the fleet now nearly 40 years old. >> we are making a great leap forward in terms of safety and comfort for our riders. >> reporter: a huge crowd of local and international media packed the platform at the reagan national stop for a look. remember they're made by ka with a with a psaki. tomorrow it travels through d.c. and then ends in maryland and th

metro. just down to the south, moderate rain and rain out here across northern ports of loudon county and moderate rain showers. southbound along 301. hourly temperatures here they keep going down down down. back down into the 50s by 5:00 6:00 haven't gone outside yet, have a warm layer on top of your rain jacket. >> all right, chuck. >>> right now, for the first time the new iraqi prime minister at the white house. he and the president are discussing the battle of isis. the pentagon says isis has been driven off 25% of the land they held at the height of their advance. the u.s. wants a much smaller role for militias in that fight. >> so we hope congress will listen carefully and ask the questions that it wants but also give us the space and the time to be able to complete a very difficult task which has high stakes for our country. >> right now, secretary of state john kerry briefing senators on the negotiations with iran. he had repeatedly asked for more time and may not get it. in just th

there's also metro access which helps people with physical disabilities who can't use the regular metro system to get to certain areas. but they do this -- people with physical disabilities have extra challenges particularly when the elevators are broken in the metro system. we all experience that frustration. imagine you're a person using a wheelchair that you can't go down the escalator, can't go down the stairs. likewise metro access has been known to have some of their challenges sometimes with timing. but they have been very responsive to us. people with disabilities are on their advisory board. it's just recognizing there's additional challenges sometimes for people that we need to be mindful of. >> we'll take a break and continue our discussion about dds right after this break. the answer to treating your dog's fleas and ticks is staring you right in the face. nexgard, from the makers of frontline® plus. it's the only soft beef-flavored chew that kills both fleas and ticks. vets recommend it. and dogs, well they're begging for it. nexgard is for dogs only. and hasn't been evaluat

and that's when the woman riding on metro died.more than 80 other passengers were taken to hospitals after the train abruptly stopped. green belt station with more on this important training. >> good morning. >> good morning. this important training is going to get under way in a matter of minutes and nothing is more important than testing the communication between various agencies. in particular, fire and metro. we have prince george's county fire chief mark bayshore police. you have been working together every week. how important is it to communicate with each other. >> it's critical. it's one of the things that we need to work on every day to make sure that both fire police and the -- are all able to communicate together. >> especially with that scenario scenario. radios weren't working down there. talk about how you can get through that. >> well, today is about unified command. metro transit police, they really worked together in a unified command situation. >> can you set the scene for us. >> it shows basically we have a train

off to a dry start in and around the metro area. temperatures are chilly. 43 in manassas. 45 gaithersburg. 48 in annapolis. bus stop weather off to a chilly and try start. temperatures 40s to near 50 for this afternoon. 66 in gaithersburg. about 70 in camp springs. 69 in old time alexandria. if you're planning on going out to the baseball game the showers should be out of here early this evening. should get the game in, but it will be chilly. let's hope the morning commute is an easy one in. that will keep everyone brighter. >> that will help. taking a look right now as you drive live on 66 this is westbound, eastbound, more volume. but no major problems on 66. beltway at colesville road everything looking good here. 70 eastbound at 27, still have the two right lanes blocked from earlier car fire that happened an hour ago. overall, no problems there in prince george's county. same thing when you look to the north. 95 and b.w. parkway in to and out of town. >> see you in a little bit. >>> he's charged with the death of an unarmed man

the greenbelt metro station is still closed after that crane accident. >> a metro crane operator destroyed the bridge and damaged the tracks below. mola lenghi is live at the scene. >> reporter: you can see crews here fixing these tracks and cleaning up the debris on those tracks that have crane operator with 30 years of experience hit the pedestrian bridge above sending concrete down about three stories to the tracks below. >> it's kind of like a big loud noise. >> that boom was a crane boom hitting and destroying part of a bridge that passes over metro and marc train tracks. >> i have never seen this before but we're still trying to figure out exactly what happened. >> metro contractor was constructing a test track between the college park and greenbelt stations when a crane operator scooping and dropping crushed rocks hit the bridge making it rain crumbled concrete. >> the good thing is no one was hurt. >> reporter: well, besides the tracks. >> it's not in significant. we have to replace sections of third rail where the concrete came down on the tracks. >> reporter: that concrete has to