as mike carter-conneen reports the demonstration outside the court today was met with a counter-protest[chanting] mike: for the fourth time in five years, the is again scrutinizing the affordable care act. at issue now, an obama administration accommodation to allow affiliated group not paying for contraceptive but still allows health plan to give birth control. >> that is giving consent. that is not who we are or what our faith tells us. >> thousands gathered outside the high court. christian, catholic colleges, catholic charities and advocacy groups. there are counterprotesters representing abortion and women right groups. >> vast majority of catholics believe religious liberty is something we should decide for ourselves. mike: in oral arguments the liberal justices seem likely to favor the obama administration. chief justice john roberts accused the government of halftiming the health plans of nuns. >> this is about religious freedom. mike: with the recent death of conservative justice antonin acknowledge it will be difficult to attract five votes needed. >> we are praying for a mira

mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. alison: drivers on florida turnpike got an unexpected surprise this morning. you know what they saw? miniature horses. roaming free along the turnpike. it's in florida. leon: yes, it's in florida. alison: every interesting story comes from there. trooper stood nearby to try to keep them roaming on the highway. the slipped free through a gap in the fence. the forces did make their way home. leon: the stories always start out with a man in florida. they were probably heading to miami for the debate. call scott thuman to tell him to keep an eye out. check on our roads here with jamie sullivan. jamie: no horses. no miniature horses and nothing like that to worry about. it's just cars moving slowly. if job are hadding out, you loosen up on 50 or the baltimore washington parkway. heading to the national harbor. you can see a solid line on 295. 395 leaving the city. averaging 17 miles per hour. getting from 66 to the american legion bridge will take you under 20 minutes. wrapping through the

i'm mike carter-conneen.oming up, details on the legislation and why opponents it's about taking a stand. they crashed our economy. but democrat donna edwards won't take their money because she stands up for us. as a single mom, she knows the challenges our families face. she'll be our voice. tightening regulations on the big banks and fighting to keep dark money out of politics. democrat donna edwards, maryland's next senator. alison: in richmond today the house passed a vote to notify parents if the children are assigned books with sexually explicit content. the bill passed the senate this week. now as mike carter-conneen reports all eyes are on governor terry mcauliffe. mike: said to be the first of its kind in the country, a new virginia bill would force schools to report parents about sexually explicit books. this began a few years ago when a fairfax county mom raised questions about the book "beloved" that had scenes of rape and bestiality. some people say this is unnecessary. >> if there is objectionab

mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. leon: thank you, the wardrobe here. alison: they bring it out once a year. leon: just for this. speaking of that image we have asked and you delivered. thank you. we are getting hundreds of fantastic photos from the viewers now. check this out. taken after sunrise this morning along the tidal basin. thanks to debra for this one. alison: iconic scene there. we got the beautiful pictures from lisa showing her daughter spending the day amongst the blossoms. but in addition to that, you know what she got? a special moment last night at dinner when she was seated next to a huge celebrity. leon: yeah. alison: his name is leon harris. he is a big deal. leon: donnie simpson. that is who that is. alison: she wrote this. they sent this specifically to say thank you to you because they said you are a consummate professional. leon: i chewed with my mouth closed. alison: you don't do it here. [laughter] everybody is out and about enjoying it. i hope the weather cooperate. doug: i had a pink shirt yesterday. a little cooler for the w

in the newsroom, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. alison: mike, thank you.a quarterback known for a hail mary and a drop-kick is about to put his footwork to the test. >> this man already has a heisman trophy under his belt. can he take home the trophy? >> come on out, doug flutie and his partner. >> doug flutie joined by celebrities. kim fields if "facts of life." it was for season 22 of the "dancing with the stars." season premier is march 21 right here on abc7. leon: before we get to that. how about this? coming up tonight at 6:00 -- a dangerous trend that is a new study out that shows why you should pay more attention walking the city streets. we take a look at that. plus the president wants billions to fight zika virus. but congress saying not so fast. the holdup on the capitol hill coming up tonight on "abc7 news at 6:00". in the meantime check on the roads. jamie sullivan standing by on traffic watch. jamie: a rough afternoon. it continues. you can see a few emergency crews on scene with an accident. in is eastbound. let's move to the map. you are in

mike: i'm mike carter-conneen in old town alexandria. several artists are fighting the management structure yvette: i was running for my life. he was flicking matches on me... my ex-husband's intentions were to murder me. glenn: i made sure yvette's abuser went away for good, and put in place tougher sentences, compassion. i felt like i could trust him. narrator: glenn ivey. as state's attorney, a proven leader. in congress, he'll combat domestic violence, and protect president obama's legacy. glenn: i'm glenn ivey and i approve this message, because i'm on your side. alison: there is proposed changes to the management structure. the changes were recommended in a controversial report by the outside a handful of artists have been here from the beginning. 42 years. >> a wonderful community. >> there are concerns after cultural planning group called for self-appointing board of directors. the current board is made of 15 members, artist and some nonartists some appointed by the city council. >> it wouldn't a ral cad change. >> i haven't seen

mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: that is all for us at 5:00. more on the new information released about the prince george's county officer killed in an ambush over the weekend. "abc7 news at 6:00" starts now. announcer: from abc7, this is a breaking news alert. leon: we have breaking developments this hour. surrounding the shooting death of prince george's county officer jacai colson. just in the last hour police released new information about the suspects and what happened yesterday. nearly 24 hours ago, when the maryland bureau chief brad bell was first to report many of the details and is now live from police headquarters with the latest. brad? brad: the police concluded a gut-wrenching press conference. the police chief himself choked up about what happened here. this car says it all. this is a police agency in mourning for the loss of this young officer as we have told you his name. jacai colson. we can show you his picture. in his uniform. he was working as a narcotics officer and he was killed in the shoot out. what the police revealed t

. >> i'm mike carter-conneen. live in arlington. how locals celebrate this st. patrick's day holiday. live look at that coming up. we need women in congress. if we want to be heard, it was the women who forced republicans to include women's health and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act. in congress, i'll fight for pay equity, family leave and tougher gun safety laws. and, as an environmentalist, i'll work combat climate change. i know as a journalist and as a senior executive in business that when women are at the table, we get things done. i'm kathleen mathews sage. to old town, alexandria to ask folks some questions about the area. let's go. what common snack was first grown right here in virginia? grapes? peanuts! peanuts! fresh roasted peanuts! (man laughs) peanuts! did that surprise you? that was very surprising! you know what else might surprise you? geico is the number one auto insurer in the d.c. metropolitan area. call or click today ve with geico. leon: people all around the world are celebrating st. patrick's day whether or not they're

our mike carter-conneen was there as this room erupted with emotion. >> in a moment we're going to givehe letter. mike: like new year's eve, g.w. med student celebrated match day with several glasses of champagne. >> there is a lot of nervous energy. >> after agonizing final few minutes the clock struck noon. >> tremendous emotions every which way. >> immediately, there were hugs and tears. shouts and shock. >> i think i was holding it all in and it just came out. mike: omar c when he stayed near his family in washington where the residency at the children's national. >> i know i will get great training. i'm happy about that. >> with the residency at washington university at st. louis, this family can move back to his hometown, finishing med school a father of three. >> 4-year-old, 2-year-old, 2 -month-old. >> how did you do that? >> my wife is awesome. >> this is the day we work for. >> elizabeth matched with her top pick, westchester medical center in new york. not far from family. >> i really wasn't thinking i'd get the match. i thought the interview went poorly. i guess not. i guess

mike carter-conneen joining us live in the newsroom to explain how this might work. mike: vdot provided an overview to the lawmakers, stakeholders and the reporters like myself on this plan for 84-mile network of express lanes across northern virginia by the year 2021. of course, there are already the high occupancy toll lanes on 495 many drivers are familiar with. using already 66 outside the beltway and inside the beltway. more toll lanes flagged. also you will see vdot crews doing environmental assess thomas put in more on this area and south end of the 95 corridor. in stafford county two-mile extension past garrisonville. ending the southern terminus in that part of the county. frankly, many drivers are critical of the express lanes wealthy who afford to use them and call them a trickle down solution to road congestion. some are skeptical they solve problems. the virginia secretary of transportation say the hot lanes are helping and even in the regular lanes he says the travel times have improved. >> we have seen on 79 it 5. a 20% -- on 95% a 20% improvement by pe

reporting live inside the museum, mike carter-conneen. abc7 news. leon: just to remind you that simpson is serving a 33-year rob -- sentence for the las vegas robbery. this is far from the first knife to surface. investigators were focusing on a 15-inch knife that simpson bought prior to murders. the defense produced what was a knife at a hearing but it was in pristine condition and never mentioned at trial. a red stained kitchen knife found not far from the scene of the murders but it never made it to trial. one member of the original dream team cold the "l.a. times" the new discovery isry did -- ridiculous. we have more details on the history on wjla.com. alison: another famous murder case headed to trial this fall. judge set october 11 start date for retrial of ingmar gaundique who was convicted in the 2001 disappearance and murder of the congressional internal chandra levy. retrial was ordered after key witness in that case was called new tonight donald trump dropped out of a speech at cpac. this is hours after the debate that saw a three-way fi

live in newsroom, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news.when we come back we'll get another update on the breaking news from capitol hill today. a shooter at the u.s. capitol visitor center. we'll be right back. it's about taking a stand. for too long, wall street banks had their way. they crashed our economy. but democrat donna edwards won't take their money because she stands up for us. as a single mom, she knows the challenges our families face. she'll be our voice. tightening regulations on the big banks and fighting to keep dark money out of politics. democrat donna edwards, maryland's next senator. leon: back now with an update on the breaking news of center.visitor alison: we told you earlier that the police are neartigating a vehicle the u.s. botanic center on the maryland avenue southwest. our diane cho is there right update for us. diane? diane: well, you can see that the u.s. capitol police are surrounding this silver dodge truck. u.s. botaniche garden. we got here were already here be time we arrived. theyrities confirmed vehicl

we want to go to mike carter-conneen at the rosslyn metro station with the passenger reaction. know a lot of the passengers hearing this news for the first time from you, mike. mike: in fact, some of them not believing what i'm telling them. they think i'm joking. it takes a few minutes for the news to absorb. they are shocked that the metro system will shut down for 24 hours starting at midnight. look behind me. on the messaging board there is a wa folks. i just switched to alternative message. every fourth message on the arlington county electronic signage is warning metro riders about this system shut down tomorrow. it will get to in a few more seconds. that is the only way that folks arriving to the metro rail would know about this unless they are checking for alerts on the smart phone or following twitter or hearing about this from the friends and family watching our coverage. so far as i said many people are shocked by this. unprecedented. to have this happen. now we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people who have to find an alternate way to get to work or scho

mike carter-conneen is in mobiletrak7 for us gauging the impact on traffic. what are you seeing, mike? mike: we are on n street northwest. i will give you a view from side of mobiletrak7. the giant, the ten or the 12-feet tall barriers lining all of the residential streets. all around the convention center. the 2016 nuclear security system two-day affair tomorrow to friday. there will be major disruption to side street around the convention center. o.p.m. is considering federal workers to consider teleworkers and encourage managers scheduling for a two-day summit to discuss ways to secure nuclear material. the road closures start at 7:00 p.m. this is new york avenue, mass avenue, k, l, 7th and 10th. more closure around the white house and the state department no metro rail at yellow and the green line. the metro bus service is going to be diverted around the area. block after block after the streets around the neighborhoods. there are mixed feelings around those in center. it's crazy. >> i understand the need but it freaks everybody out. you don't know what t

mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: thank you. gas prices on the rise around the region. according to the a.a.a. mid-atlantic drivers are paying six cents more than a week ago. the national price for gallon of regular is $1.81. higher in the district at $1.90. gas prices are still 64 cents lower than this time last year. jonathan: republican congressman and the marine veteran says the navy seals don't have enough combat rifles of all things. duncan hunter says the seals returning from the deployment hand over their weapon to the units that are shipping out. trading the guns. the issue is not funding but too much bureaucracy involved. michelle: around the nation, jury deliberations underway in a lawsuit filed by sportscaster erin andrews. she is suing an operator of a marriott for $75 million. she says they bear responsible for allowing her stalker to rent the hotel room next to her. barrett was convicted of taking nude video of andrews and posting them online. he received a two and a half year prison sentence. former pro wrestler hulk hogan took the stand in his $100 mill

mike: in northwest, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. leon: still ahead on "abc7 news at 6:00" -- a new tool in the fight against a deadly disease. >> we can harness this moment and make leaps to end cancer as we know it. maureen: the new cancer fighting effort launched today and the local university that will play a key role. leon: plus the coat may play a key role. keep it handy tonight. doug is back when a warmup will arrive and the next chance for storms. erin: i'm erin hawksworth. coming up in sports, g.w. is in the n.i.t. final four tonight and the wizards have a tough test tonight against the warriors. that is ahead in sports. stronger is blasting without risking her bones. it's training her good cells... to fight the bad guys. stronger is less pain... new hope... more fight. it's doing everything in your power... and everything in ours. stronger, is changing even faster than they do. because we don't just want your kids to grow up