thousands of students in montgomery county. what parents and kids need to know as the new year gets under way. >> back to business. president obama returns to washington after his vacation on the vineyard. the hot button issues he's expect to tackle on the political agenda. >> clear and present danger. out of control flames out west and two firefighters are dead. this morning the race against time to keep the blaze from destroying nearby homes. >>> good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it is monday, august 31st, 2009. last day of this month. for some, the last day of summer. i don't know if tom agrees with that. let's take a look outside. beautiful morning out there. 65 eedeons.gr wow. really feels like fall. >> yeah, it certainly does. in fact, it's feeling kind of like winter out in thede mo s, down into the 40s in ysleutldard anwe some of the in west now. elkins only 52, hagerstown down to 59. in washington, 56. ereaorn st te shheinpper u0ea s a e'e oittbifs. there's quite a

it is back to school for montgomery county. summer is over. let's get started with your traffic and weather together every 10 minutes. >> let's start with brian van de graaff. did is refreshing this morning. >> temperatures onoo t cheler side. -- it is a refreshing morning. 66 downtown. 61 in culpeper. some showers down in the northern neck of virginia. low humidity and cool. low to mid 70's and downright comfortable. >> downright quiet. there was some overnight work on the beltway at river road. everything is gone. nothing out of the norm on 270. this is springfield. headlights north on 95. everything good on 66. no complications in and out of baltimore. newschopper 7 in just a little while. >> thank you. >>> this is the first back-to- school for students in montgomery county. >> more than 100,000 students are due in class. what should your students be -- which of your children be expecting? courtney robinson has more. >> a big day for thousands of students in montgomery county. mccormick county is expected to add several thousand to their ro

montgomery county students -- in montgomery county schools will be open today. than 11,000 teachers will have to operate under a much tighter budget. and look for a night time delays on 95 south of the beltway in virginia. the dot is adding a fourth plane. this is in prince william county. cotruction is expected to be finished in 2011. fears of wildfires in california -- in california has turned deadly. two firefighters died. the fire has scorched 66 square miles and destroyed 16 homes near los angeles. >>> 6:15. three texas men are back on solid ground after spending more than a week stranded at sea. >> they were reported missing after failing to return from a fishing trip. on saturday, a car dealer found them sitting on top of their boat. he rolled his video camera. they dined on steaks after existing on nothing more than crackers. >> they were hungry. they had to drink water. they work rationing of the water. >> t grduaoa d guard had stopped searching. they're all said to be doing fine. >> unbelievable. they had lots of sunburn. they saw sharks. >> hallucinat

the buses lined up, ready to roll in montgomery count written this is the bus lot in montgomery county ready to pull out. >>> making headlines, it appears that libyan leader moammar ghadafi will not stay at a mansion in new jersey next mont sidents were furious. the protest intensified when scottish authorities released the ban am lockerbie bomber from prison and returned him for a hero's welcome home in libya. third-eight local families that that area lost loved ones in that tragedy. >>> the crew of the space shuttle tallahassee is -- the crew of the space shuttle will perform three walks. >>> it could be weeks before we find out what claimed the life of dj am, the celebrity dj who has been candid about his past addicts to illegal drugs. toxicology tests have been ordered after a first autopsy was inconclusive. a law enforcement source told the associated press that i crack pipe and prescription drugs were found in the apartment. >>> it is now 13 minutes after 6:00. >>> we like to confident on tony and tucker for the forecast. >> but years and year before the most dynamic weather owe

talking about how montgomery county public schools will handle the swine flu this year. here's what he had to say. >> we will treat it as the regular flu and encouraging everyone to get the regular flu shots because that's what we have been doing. we have been communicating with our parents. >> of course one of the other things many of the public schools including montgomery county public school system is asking all parents to do is if your child shows symptoms of the flu keep them at home. for other strategies as to how montgomery county public schools will be combating the swine flu this year, we will be speaking to the superintendent at 6:30. for now back to you. >> thank you, kristin. >>> students in prince georges county started classes a week ago today but as of friday afternoon, more than 1,000 students there didn't have class schedules. at first 8,000 students didn't have schedules. school officials are blaming glitches with the $4.1 million scheduling system called school max. >>> students at catholic schools in the district and maryland suburbs returned to clas

it is time for back to school for montgomery county schools. here's a live look at the buses getting ready to rev up their engines. be careful and expect a little more volume in maryland today and remember, we're taking your back to school pictures. we will have more on that coming up. >>> there's no problem without a solution. this morning best-selling author and motivational speaker willie jolly explains why the choice is up to you. >> hi. this is willie jolly. in today's live better step for success is how to get through the tough times of life and how to keep going in in spite of the problem. i recently mentioned that a few years ago i lost my mother, brother and father in law within 30 days. it was difficult and challenging but i learned that life is not always fair and life can be difficult, yet i also learned that life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful. i have that statement above my desk and refer to it often when i am feeling distressed i remind myself you don't have a problem to deal with but also a choice. are you going to

. >>> well, it is back to school for students in howard and montgomery counties today. kristin fisher reports there was a pep rally atmosphere in one montgomery county high school. >> reporter: it is the first day of school for 1800 students here at quince orchard high school in gaithersburg. 400 of those students are starting their senior year, and this morning the class of 2010 made a loud and very spirited entrance in to the school. the quince orchard high school drum team rolled up to the school this monday morning. >> i'm excited to see everybody. not excited to work but other than that it will be fun. >> i'm a little scared and nervous but got to go through it. >> reporter: most seniors say their big worry is where to go to college, but for many parents and teachers their top concern is the h1n1 flu virus. still the superintendent of montgomery county public schools says the district is well prepared. >> we know how to cleanup. we know how to work together. we know how to communicate with all of our parents. >> reporter: another challenge facing montgomery county

in montgomery county that is. in total, 200 schools in the montgomery county school systems opened their doors to students this morning. >>> in the meantime, more than 400 prince george's county students still experiencing scheduling problems at the start of the school this morning. and that is down from the 8,000 high schoolers who either had no class schedules or partial schedules last monday. the problems are now limitedded to these areas. officials say glitches in the new computer system are to blame. >> the washington examiner estimates the number of area kids are skipping schools in the thousands. and they are taking steps to stop it. in the county, school officials have a new policy where they notified the parents by phone and e-mail about each skipped class. and prince george's county officials are asking any of them to show that child to report it to police. montgomery county, they are using a computer warning list allowing schools to target at-risk kids before they reach human status. rew, do you ev rtre

if you know anything about it, then they want you to give them a call here on montgomery county. a little irony to destroy that as well. the street and no sidewalks are difficult for the pedestrians there. there were signs up that said that the county planned to improve the pedestrian walkways there. reporting live from the mount tkpwopl recounty -- montgomery county police quarters. >>> all right, thank you for that. >>> the family of the man killed by a falling tree limb, whole riding his motorbike in the county is suing. a huge tree limb, they struck the 48-year-old jones, as he road along west old baltimore road. and he died in the hospital two days later. the family's lawyer, they say that many of the trees along the stretch were dead. and neighbors, they had complained about them coming down. they are suing montgomery county for $6 million, saying that the county, they were negligent. >> and the family, they are quite upset about that because it is clear that the county, they should have known and that we believe they did know that these trees, they were dead and that we're

. >>> a dinner wrong leads to a protest in montgomery county. at a lesbian couple was asked to leave and how the restaurant is responding. a disturbing death. tonight, the heart. for loved ones as investigators hit the streets. and falling support for the president and it is more than just health care. the other key issue at the center of concern. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >>> we begin tonight with heartbreak and anchor for theri. erwn w ohoas w fouerndwn o who d ouidofe wn his restaurant in northeast. jennifer donelan has more on what the detectives have learned. >> he was a father, husband, and well-known local business owner. tonight, so many are heartbroken and shocked that is life and did so violently. -- and ended so violently. >> to go thousands of miles and start a new life in a new country is terrible. >> family and friends of rally around the neighbors in morning after the man's body was found tuesday began stabbed to death inside of the pizza mart that he owned in northeast. the motive appears t

. >> it is a big day, the first day of school in montgomery county, where a smaller budget faces maryland's largest school district. good afternoon. i'm alison starling. the budget is shrinking but enrollment is rising. courtney robinson tells us what that will mean for the more than 141,000 students back in class today. >> for the class of 2010, it is a celebration. a new year, at the school, back to the books, back to where things left off with budget cuts. >> we will have a good year no matter what. >> as montgomery county's 200 schools will come students, they are in the midst of a spending freeze. any open positions will stay vacant except for principals and teachers whose pay is supplemented by federal dollars. this after the system was able to shore up a deficit in the spring, shedding 2 to the jobs and doing away with the cost of living -- shedding 250 jobs and doing away with cost-of-living raises. >> we may have a few more issues to deal with as the year unfolds, depending on how revenues come in. we staffed and we planned. >> the projected budget gap looms. montgomery county is h

if you have any information, call the montgomery county arson hot line. for now, montgomery county police and firefighters will be beefing up to patrols in this area. going through the neighborhood, looking for clues. in damascus, pamela brown, abc 7 news. >>> investigators are also taking a close look at this apartment fire in gaithersburg. the blaze stted on the third floor last night. they want to know if someone set the fire or if it sparked.ally cideally. the complex was scheduled for demolition. >>> we are just learning of some breaking news coming into our newsroom. cnn is confirming robert novak has died of cancer. the columnist and conservative political commentator was diagnosed with a brain tumor in august of last year. we will have much more on bob novak's life and legacy coming up at 5:00 on abc 7 news. >>> a construction worker suffered serious injuries after falling 20 feet down a shaft in northeast. he fell from the eighth floor of a buildi under construction on k street. d.c. fire department crews perform a high-angle rescue he was stabil

montgomery case say the men responded to ads posted on craigslist. darcy spencer joins us live from police headquarters. hey, darcy. >> montgomery county police are saying they were not surprised they were able to make so many arrests. a major problem with online prostitution. some are saying police tactics amount to enap and these nd a te li een ruined.ggna s iedesnen m sn inet s sexnginti run by montgomery countyha c mhergedi tasoci olionti a mfinor for sex. ey're accused ofse e sfr oomne the x from some one theyug ththo a 16-year-old. she turned out to be a county cop. >> the men that were involved in this came from all walks of life. age from 20 to age 56. and some were students. some had professional degrees as well. >> police set up an ad on craigslist directing those interested in sex to a myspace page. they made it clear in communication s girl was only 1. but instead of meeting her, they were arrested. >> undercover office in texting and other communications with the defendant stated, you know i am 16. you are okay with that. >> many of thos

right now montgomery county is the only county that has speed cameras but that is about to change. a statewide law goes in to affect. >>> cash for clunkers program just got a much-needed jump start. president obama signed a $2 billion extension in to law this morning. after the senate voted to extend the popular program until labor day. car owners can get up to $4,500 to trade in their old gas guzzlers for newer, more fuel efficient vehicles. >>> shoppers and retailers are having a party in virginia on the state's dime. virginia is holding the fourth sales tax holiday for school supplies now through sunday. if you buy anything related to school like supplies or clothes you don't have to pay the state's 5% sales tax. it will cost the state $4 million but that is $4 million that shoppers can save. >> i came to go school shopping from my son. save with the tax free. >> i will save with the sale going on and probably about $20. >> that's not bad. dc and maryland got rid of their sales tax holiday because of their crippled budget. virginia lawmakers decided to keep it as a way to help t

b convictar convicted of killi montgomery a a life fe prison.e hlie robbed the homes of at least five elderly women killing one of them. 62-year-old mary fncis havenstein of bethesda. >> it is 5:47 on this thursday morning. let's get to your traffic and weather every 10 minutes. >> this morning's really a lot like yesterday morning even with the cloud deck that is overhead. the one difference is the clouds are a little thinner to start our day today. i'm anticipating a little more sunshine. that filtered sunshine in the morning and then clearing by the midday and afternoon. we got swers and thunderstorms yesterday. very slow movers. rainfall totals. some locat onsver half an inch. bowie,.81. ar mtinsrg atirg at buwi wif ananma. ry's today will be similar in terms of the showers and thunderstorms. an isolated pop-up random style of thunderstorm. very slow moving. they will rain themselves out probably within an hour to a half-hour or so. otherwise partly cloudy. high temperatures in the mid to upper 80's. close to 85 to 87 degrees. similar to yes

>>> the buses are rolling in montgomery county as the children head back to school thank you for watching. >> montgomery county was already expecting an increase in attendance and something else is on the radar, a possible out break of h1n1 or -- swine flu. >> montgomery county schools kicked off the year with 142,000 students. how do they deal with the out break of h1n1 virus. >> reporter: the first day of school here was a little difficult for some students. >> i'm tired. >> it's hard getting up at 6:00 again. >> reporter: the first day back reminds the montgomery county school officials of the challenges that lie ahead. they expect to have 2500 more students than last year, partly because some families pulled their children out of private schools and enrolled them in the public schools. there the revenue from the taxes, locally, and state and national are all down, that's the bad news. it's trying to balance that out. keep the quality up and give every child all they need and have a high expectation and do it with the budget you've been given. >> reporter: officials are aware of the an

local jurisdictions report numerous accidents, especially in montgomery county. this was more rain than we've seen in this area for some time. now, about 6:00 tonight, the skies opened. the rain swept from frederick county into northern montgomery county, soaking demass cuss, lleytonsville, german town, even into the rockville and wheaton areas. people got soaked. now, earlier in the evening, rain storms sent creeks up over their banks in the anondale area. a man had to be rescued from a flooded culvert. a number people transported to hospitals. we understand their injuries are not life threatening. we're told right now petco has about 2500 customers in montgomery county without power because of the storm. back to you, pat. >> all right, jackie bensen, thanks, jackie. >>> there was a crackdown under way tonight in a part of the city well known for pros that stoougs. the area between i and l streets and fourth and fifth northwest has been declares a prostitution free zone. there are some who say this crackdown won't change anything. craig melton is has more. >> re

there is an open rebellion at montgomery college. the faculty is asking the college president be fired. we'll have that story coming up. >>> and tonight's redskins game, ready to kick off. dave feldman is live at fed ex field. >>> it's windy and stopped raining for now. the question is how will jason campbell plain play? of course, he's come under major jute scrutiny. going to play the first half. an on his on his scenario next. c >> in the news edge in maryland. the president of montgomery college is coming underfire. faculty members casting an official vote of no confidence in their boss. john henrehan has more on why they want him to step down. >> reporter: newly registering students at mont groomery college are largely unaware a war has broken out between the faculty and the president. >> that day, the day that we didn't want to have to happen. it came to this. >> reporter: they voted for a resolution expressing no confidence in the college president. >> he faild to attend meetings is that are necessary for the college and meetin

tonight a montgomery county cop indicted, accused of telling a fib while under oath. mystery illness. was it the heat or perhaps something else that made a dozen high school kids sick during summer football practice. >>> and ready for school? your children might be but some dc parents say their school is far from ready for the start of class and it happens on monday. >> i'm kristin fisher at john boroughs elementary school where the first day of school is less than 72 hours away. but if you look at this construction you can see a summer-long renovation project is still not complete. parents, including the president of the pta say there are holes in the ceiling inside with wires coming down. the floors are not finished and there's a lot of boxes in the hallways and classrooms. and a lot of dust. that dust, in particular, is why parents say they are so concerned about their children's safety. a group of these concerned parents held a press conference outside of the school on friday afternoon. they say they just don't see any way this school will be ready by monday. now,

montgomery county will take a portion of that obviously. you have to keep in mind in montgomery county we reduced short falls thus far of $1.2 billion over the last three budget cycles. to have an additional am on top of what we already anticipated which is $370 million will be very, very difficult. >> reporter: you said to 9 news last week that one thing you will promise residents you will not raise taxes to balance in the budget. in light of the bad news and what the ruling could mean to the county can you afford to keep that promise? >> i will. we will not raise taxes. i made that commitment last year and we will continue it next year. it means of course we will have to make reductions in programs and services but i think that is better than to raise taxes at this point in time. there are other suggestions i have talked about in past so you can look at those options to help but taxes will not be part of the budget that i will make. >> do you think the council will be more receptive in light of what is happening. >> we have always said th

, id-60s montgomery faxrfai, fai prince george's,rlgtinon counties. highs today only in the 70s. details on the forecast in just a couple of minutes. st tuned. >> heading back to school. barbara harrison back to work. >> good to be back. >> nice to have you with us. >> thanks a lot. >> let's go to jerry edwards. he's looking at the roadways. >> barbara, joe, tom, good morning. barbara, good to see you. good to have you back with us. now we feel normal around here. >> great. >> let's see how we're doing. back to school. watch out for the youngsters. american legion bridge traffic finishing up the overnight road work, should find the lanes open. uneven pavement both ways. elsewhere out at the wilson bridge, no concerns. northeast looking good. back to you. >> glad you're feeling normal. >> i'm trying. >> why be normal? >> here's a look at some of the top stories happening today. >>> it's the end of summer in montgomery county because kids are waking u now bright and early for the first day of school. we'll have a live report in just minutes. >> a massiv

she entered her plea in montgomery county circuit court. she was initially charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and drug possession. >>> after attending a career fair and tyson goes a corner, the three our event took place at the plaza this afternoon. dozens of employers were there and plan to hire employees on the spot. >>> time to check in with the traffic situation. >> a lot of friday get away volume. here's a look at 270. this is the first stretch at montgomery village avenue delayed. sluggish year at father hurley boulevard. the pace is still slow heading up for the drop over 121 nothing reported in the way. outer loop traffic coming toward it, delays in bethesda go off and on. it is improving a bit. it no longer bumper-to-bumper. at 395 now, no late incidents either way. -- lane incidents. it as been slowly improving for the last hour, but still a bit sluggish. not bad. often on, down the fredericksburg's some delays there. -- off and on, down to fredericksburg, some delays there. that is aook at traffic, back to you. >>> com

heavy smoke from a strong fire fills the early morning air and rural montgomery county. the fire was one in a series of bizarre overnight fours prompted srs aroon oftr saw sgeersck on fire in four different latio ns damascus. those locations weren't the only targets. julie carey has the latest the investigation from damascus. julie? >> reporter: i'm standing in damascus regional park and kings vaey road behind me, it has been closed to traffic most of the day because of the thick smoke still pouring from that smouldering haystack across the road. late this afternoon fire investigators added two more cases to their string of arson and they had been talking about seven overnight a sons and now say there were nine. discovered there were two trash cans also set on fire overnight. they continue to investigate. meantime, residents worry about what tonight might bring. seven different fires set in just three hours. four were started in straw baels stack lingd side rural roads and three were set on subdivision mailboxes. all the locations within a couple of miles of one another.

the sun broke out across northern montgomery county and 15 miles west of washington. the sun broke out and temperatures are in the upper 60s. under the clouds, still in the mid-60s. 66 in washington now, and eastern shore in the upper 60s. they had a few passing showers there. it has been a cool morning out of the mountains. it was down in the 40s in many locations. and over the last six hours, we have seen the showers moving southeast and northwest. and we have a chance of a few showers south and east of washington for the afternoon. temperatures will be cooler there. where the sun breaks out, it should make it in the mid-70s by mid-afternoon. a peek at the weekend will be coming up in a few minutes. something else is brewing in the tropics. we'll talk about that too. barbara and joe? >> thank you, tom. >>> now to a developing story out of northern california. firefighters are dealing with tragedy this morning all while trying to hold back a massive fire. two firefighters were killed in fighting the blaze. thousands much structures are in danger. >> reporter: i shoul

las clases tambien se iniciaran en el distrito de columbia y mas tarde en montgomery y la mayoria deia... en fairfax, las escuelas publicas estan eliminando los castigos a los estudiantes que faltan sin justificacion mas de tres veces a clases. por años, quienes perdian mas de tres sesiones en un recibian la calificacion de aplazados automaticamente esto sera eliminado, motiva a los estudiantes continuar en la clase y muchos simplemente abandonan el decidiran el castigo a los faltones, mientras los que se puntos extra.... el sistema de transporte metro involucrado en problemas lefúfúfús a ragúgúgúdel aparatoso accidente hace pocas semanas, anuncio hoy el bufete de abogados que lo representara... la oficina de wilson elser mos-kowitz edelman and dicker les proveera abogados adicionales a los que metro tiene para enfrentar al menos siete demandas entabladas a raiz del accidente que le quito la vida a nueve personas y lesiono a docenas mas. xpppxpqqúúppaúúaúúúúa@@@@@@@@@@@ppppppp ..las onvirtieron en el p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@p@que residentes boliviano

montgomery county police say car break ins are on the rise. digital correspondent, armando trull is live in silver spring with an initiative to help you out. good morning. >> good morning, andrea. in 30 minutes, montgomery county police will be handing out flyers in parking lots in silver spring like this one. it is part of a don't forget initiative. it is a crime busting move that is supposed to remind folks not to leave valuables visible in cars because this could attract thieves an thieves have been busy as of late. last month there were 20 thefts from vehicles parked in public garages in silver spring. bethesda -- thefts took place both during the day and night. the crimes have occurred in nine public garages, most near the downtown area of silver spring. police say the most popular stolen items are gps units. mp-player and laptops are also high on the thieves shopping list. however, police say even a little change maybe enough to tempt thieves to break in to your car. police are going as far as recommending if you have a gps unit and you

they say the montgomery county firefighter responded to one of those ads.say the ads clearly advertise prostitution and that mothershead knew he was meeting who he believed to be a 16-year- old girl. however, his attorney maintains that mothershead is a good standing member of this community. >> he has an excellent reputation in the community, absolutely no complaints about him internally, never been in any trouble ever. >> reporter: now, he is a 22- year member of the montgomery county fire and rescue service. he is scheduled to appear here in court later today on charges of sexual solicitation of a minor. i'm stacy cohan. back to you. >> thank you. >>> we will learn more today about whether or not water pressure was ingood a problem in fighting last week's mansion fire in northwest d.c. home was on chain bridge road, owned by peggy cooper cafritz. at 9:00 this morning, mayor fenty and wasa chairman and others will hold a news conference to release their findings. we'll have complete coverage on- line and on our midday news. >>> the other involves the econ

for nearly a year he broke in to homes in montgomery county. he hog tied his victims, and then the robbed them. a judge also sentenced pelera to four life sentences on the burglary charges. >>> a charles county judge reportedly admits to letting the air out of a car tire. the car was parked in a restricted zone. the "washington post" reports that circuit court judge said that he did not think it was a big deal. he reportedly left several notes on the car informing the driver of the no parking rule. well, that did not work. so the judge let the air out of one of the tires. the car belongs to jean washington and she works at the courthouse and the thought the sign was for visitors only. now he would like to get some answers from the judge. >> usually when someone has disrupted someone else's property they are usually given a fine. i'd like to know what is going to happen in this case. >> reporter: the la plata police chief is investigating and he is not sure if there will be any charges. >>> montgomery county says that its retention center has tu

i'm pat collins, news4, montgomery county. >> all of the nunesian blinds have been removed from that foster house in montgomery county. >>> coming up, we'll tell you about several construction projects that are slowing down traffic for commuters in virginia. >>> more on the debate on whether to release a man convicted in the lockerby bombing. >>> two planes collide while preparing for an air show over the weekend, sending wreckage tumbling down to the homes below. >>> we'll have an update on that massive wildfire burning in california. >>> a redskins receiver turns a mistake into one of the biggest redskins highlights of thursday's game. and the nationals try to cut a deal with their number one draft pick. >>> in florida, a delta 2 rocket made its final launch this morning. it carried a global positioning system satellite into orbit. after 20 years of service, the air force will switch to different rockets that will carry bigger satellites. gps technology is essential to the military and in recent years, it's been awfully useful to civilians as well. this was the 49th and final missi

no montgomery crews on the scene of a serious car accident. that's a live picture from sky fox over the intersection of ridge road and morning star drive. montgomery county police say fox 5, a young person is trapped inside one of those vehicles. we don't know the age. it's not clear the extent of the injuries but you can see the car, it can't be good. ridge road is closed between bring and sky lark. >>> now to a metro train that hit and killed a man standing on the tracks at the west fall church station today. metro police say the man exit committed suicide. the plane was headed just after 11. orange line trains had to share a single trackt. created delays of half an hour through midafternoon. >> investigators need help identitying a biker hit by a van. it happened last night at college parkway in arnold. the victim is in critical condition. she is an african american, 18 to 25, a tattoo of a pit bull on her chest, the name bishop written below the tattoo. it's believed the driver of the van may have been drinking but they are investigating.

montgomery county police have charged 20-year-old johnathon bradley in the district of shoplifting a $2,400 chanel dress, removing a security device with his bare hands and assaulting a guard on the way out the door. this is the way he looked as he wandered the aisles at sax on july 30th. they used a sophisticated suanrvllysei scetem to s kea better look. outlet tips started to come in. inwith a few days police wihad arrest for bradley. that is him dressed like a woman two year ago in montgomery county. >> this man was dressing up to conceal his identity and then, in this case, he specifically sisted with force using a chemical mace, weapon, to defeat the security guard who was trying to apprehend him at the time. we're glad to have him in custody dollar it is unclear if he was using his appearance as a disguise or if that's the way he dresses every day. when he was arrested in the district last thursday, during a traffic stop, police say he was dressed as a woman. bradley has a record in montgomery county for trespassing on private property. >> paul wagner, live in the newsroom. >>>

still montgomery county school continue to gather accolades. documents the system's successful efforts tolose the achievement gaps among all students. >> it's a pretty accurate reflection of what our employees are able to do if you have high expectations you actually lead for equity. you don't let race or socio-economics become an excuse but you really start aiming at the right north star. getting kids college-ready. >> reporter: college-ready with great expectations being set for the youngest of students early and often. jane watrel, "news4." >> montgomery county expects to have more than 140,000 students enrolled this year. >>> everything is back on track at prince george's county. all of their students now have full-time schedules. when the school year began last week more than 8,000 students were without one. administrators blame the computer glitch but the school system's new superintendent says there's no excuse for the problems. we'll have more on this story tomorrow morning at "news4 today." prince george's county's superintendent will

the montgomery county fair starts at 3:00 and goes in to next week.now the 4-h kids will be bringing animals in and it will be interesting to see. shouldn't have too much rain today. a partly sunny forecast and temperatures rebounding up to the middle 80s. if you are heading out on the chesapeake today, mostly sunny skies, northeast wind five to ten knots and the water levels are running one foot above normal this friday afternoon. as we head to the weekend, we will take you to the middle and eventually upper 80s. saturday has a flight chance of a thunderstorm. sunday is looking good w-9 0 and partly cloudy skies. here's our weather. not too much happening. down across southeastern virginia, where they had flooding the other day, they are in the risk to get more rain today and watching a batch of rain off the coast and soaking northern florida. if you are catching a flight the numbers show summertime heat from new orleans in the 90s up to minneapolis. chicago 87. as for us. we are working on middle 80s. tomorrow taking a step near 90. latter half of t

low and mid 80s in montgomery and fairfax counties. farther west, not quite as hot. not quite as humid, as well. 30 miles west of north of washington. lower humidity in place. it is steamy from washington down through southern maryland, northern neck, around the bay and on the eastern shore. we have the thick humidity in place. dew point in washington is at 72. whenever it is over 70, that is humid. to our west though in martinsburg and shenandoah valley, dew points are in the mid 60s. it's moderate humidity there. it's high humidity in southern maryland and dew point at pax river 76. great falls, dew point 70 there with hardly any wind. temperatures on the eastern shore mid 70s. great day at the beaches. out in the mountains, low humidity there. in the last six hours, watching high clouds coming in from the west from a cluster of thunder showers drifting down to the south. that's moving into kentucky. you can see how it developed this morning. really developed into quite a cluster of thunderstorms. now this is heading to the south. these thunderstorms stretch all th

la policia del condado de montgomery esta pidiendo la cooperaci0n de la comunidad para dar con el paraderoescente que necesita urgentemente sus medicinas... roberto mccarty, nos trae la informacion.. ... cualquier informacion deber ser comunicada de inmediato al telefono numero 240-773-5400.. janette frecuenta el restaurante macdonald's localizado entre la colesville road y la university boulevard.. en fairfax, la autoridades estan buscando a un latino en conexion con el ataque sexual a una joven de 19- anos en la zona de linconia...ataque tuvo lugar el viernes 31- de julio en las inmediaciones de la braddock road y la little river turnpike... el sospechoso llevo a la mujer a las inmediaciones de la escuela intermedia holmes, localizada en la el 6525 de la montrose road, donde despues de manosearla la asalto sexualmente...el sospechosos se alejo del lugar a pie y la victima pidio ayuda en esa area ... el sospechoso vestia una polera con fotos en el pecho... cualquier informacion debe ser comunicada al telefono numero 703-691-2131.. frente a la aguda crisis financiera que enfrenta el servic

pretty slow to this threat john montgomery village avenue. -- through this stretch of montgomery village avenue. delays stretched up through frederick county. and frederick, now entering -- nothing in the way. still some slow traffic, eastbound 50 and interstate 97. eastbound traffic still heading toward the bridge. we are nowack to the normal planes for friday afternoon. it should improve as you head into the bay bridge and onto the eastern shore. 395, a minor accident quickly moved out of the roadway. the pace has still been slow there. an accident moving away from us moving in the springfield. that is a look at traffic. it back to you. >>> awarding for drivers, to popular makes of cars can stop the traffic without warning. they have been recalled. >> and how simple text messame >>> steering teenagers in the right direction is sometimes a challenge. >> a new program in alexandria is making a big difference for 15 local kids. it is all done through text messages. a year ago, the only focus on basketball. but when ronald mitchell began sending him encouraging text message is, something c

in montgomery county.oday, victims and survivors asked them to lock up the man and k ju e , di judge did. they gave jose garcia life behind bars. the the beating death of the girl in her home >>> they are closing their private rescue. they plan tohu t dothdoe facilities on south stone street, but they are not the end of the re pgr. here's lindsay with this story. >> the three chihuahuas, they come from a puppy mill. >> they have a bit just out there. >> they need a permanent home especially because -f ot private rescue plans to close. >> this is what we're needing to do given our current economy. >> they are waving the adoption fees and lowering the price to help get these animals a home. >> and with the montgomery county humane society, they say that they are hoping to find the foster families with the rescue without the walls program. and mr. and they are giving us a home like environment for these animals as they are waiting for them. >> an alternative to the private rescue shelter which costs $4 hurbs

dodge they planned a fun night at the montgomery county fair. they got more freight than fun when they learned about tornado warnings. >> l.a. was helping me stay calm. -- and the lady was helping me stay calm. >> even those who had not heard about the tornado warning thought they might be up for the same kind of storms that have ravaged the midwest this summer. >> it was like a funnel was coming in. >> the folks who got soaked were relieved. we got off with just a heavy downpour instead of something more damaging. >> it was like a big and bold in the sky. a huge storm cloud. >> there were some damage to branches and trees. >> the meteorologist has the latest on what we can expect for the rest of the night. >> the good news on the way r the overnight hours. we havebeen traing dopplerra da the storm is finally beginningto move out of the area. we have one line thatt sretches s all the way from montgomery county. these storms a movggheo t . t once through, things will settlero f thnie overght hours. impressive r , allsketata ok a tolo , ketalsta a

. >> montgomery county police department is hoping that anyone with information about this hit and run will give them a call at 301-279-8000. 301-279-8000. they say all callers will be kept anonymous. that's latest from the police headquarters in rockville, back to you in the studio. >> such a tragic story there. thank you >>> the wildfires that are raging out west tonight are getting worse. more than 80,000 acres have now scorched in southern california alone. crews continue fighting eight large fires in that state. tonight the one burning in angeles forest. winds are in the forecast and they could continue fueling these flames. yesterday two firefighters were killed after their vehicle tumbled down a mountainside. governor arnold schwarzenegger who declared a state of emergency in four counties today saying to all of the fire crews for their hard work. >> every californian is grateful for their bravery and their great service and of course they're my heres. >> some firefighter from our area have been helping the fires out west. darcy spencer spoke with one of the rangers and she join

that is being considered in one montgomery county community. the rockville park and recreational advisory board wants to place a smoking ban on playgrounds in city parks. ma parents like the idea. the rock bill mayor supports the ban. >> there is no downside to keeping smoking away from children on the playground. i do not see how this will not go forward. >> i don't think these kids should breathe secondhand smoke. it is not healthy for them. >> it is not necessarily an open air space. >> rockville wants to get input from residents. >> the metro general manager is pleading for more dedicated funding from congress. without the money, john catoe said that safety will decline. metro says it needs more than $7 billion over the next 10 years in order to keep things going. the house has approved it and the senate is considering $1.5 billion over 10 years. that money would be matched by d.c., maryland, and virginia. this could be the last year seven fairfax county elementary schools could go year round. the county school board had to trimts budget th

. >>> it was a tough day for firefighters in montgomery county. they have been battling four fires set by an arsonist. at the largest fire in damascus, maryland, highway bails in -- hay bales in a field were burning. >>> tonight a 14-year-old girl is injured. the two were at home early this morning. you can see the holes in the walls where several bullets came through. she had just taken a shower when she realized something was wrong. >> she had her towel on, sitting on the bed playing the game. she came running in the room saying they are back was burning. when i turned her over, she had two puncture bullet holes. >> her mom says she is afraid in her own home. polie are trying to find a suspect and are stepping up patrols in the neighborhood. >>> the cross dresser accused of a high end theft is behind bars. ed stnahaad ley brreared thursday during a traffic stop. montgomery county poli sayed eh is dressed as a woman from hthi video in sack's fifth -- sak's fifth avenue. >>> we are keeping an eye on developing storms in our area. take a look. max

after what happened in montgomery county here today. tracee wilkins, live in montgomery county. craig, back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >>> two groups of children were stung by wasps at the rock creek nature center in northwest d.c. today. firefighters say 16 students were stung in craft noon. all of them plus two adults taken to a hospital as a precaution. earlier eight girls from a virginia private school were stung by yellow jackets. two of those girls were stung multiple times and taken to the hospital. none of the injuries are serious. no one suffered any allergic reaction. >>> a day after the federal reserve suggested the nation may be edging out of the recession alw statistics showwit e i b roy it will be a p,mpy road tojobless numbers aru oscl areesupur rere ufo , osclan aesiluptare, an retail sales are down. ds uo t a omone. bottom line. brian mooar has that report tonight. >> reporter: the labor department says first-time jobless claims jumped t 558,000 last week. as more americans lose their jobs, they are losing their homes, too. foreclosures jumped aecord 32

the montgomery county fair. >> it's been a fantastic weekends. what about the workweek forecast? meteorologist chuck bell standing by with >>> a teenager has a unique summer vacation experience to tell his friends about. david ashby wanted to draw attention to the nation's 1.5 million homeless children. so the 14-year-old decided to walk from orlando to the district the middle schooler's 1,100 mile journey came to an end today right in front of the white house. he says he hopes new programs will help keep people from becoming homeless. >> i have people, you know, i think of prevention and classes at teaching how to manage money and stuff would really help. so if it's like a requirement in school, that would be great. >> david says he hopes to meet with president obama, but there has been no word just yet from the white house on that meeting. >>> if you're pinches your pennies because of the recession and can't afford a real vacation, why not try a faircation. business is booming at the montgomery county agriculture fair where there's plenty of things for the whole family that won

includes parts of northern montgomery county and frederick counsel tip. the warning that will be continuing for another half hour or so. we will keep an eye on this line. once again, this is a line of severe thunderstorms and you can see an awful lot of lightning and has had a history of producing some damaging winds. you folks in frederick county, maryland, and northern parts of montgomery county, germantown area, and purcellville where it is now. best advice is to stay put. there could be damage as this line comes through. keep you posted. >> thanks, bob. >>> coming up in our broadcast tonight, we will tell you what doctors are say being the first ever face transplant to include a tongue and a jaw. >> there is new information about why passengers were forced to spend the night on a plane that was stuck on thetarmac. >> health officials say they are expecting an flu cases this fall. of swin flu cases this fall. >>> can you believe it? summer is over for some local students and they are heading back to school. mond monday, liz crenshaw shows you where to

period of time, which is locally in montgomery county, -- locally in montgomery county, there was a reduction. >> there'll be 30 days of mourning before you actually get a ticket. of course, this is already quite to be decided tomorrow at the county council meeting -- there'll be 30 days of mourning -- warning. >> this past week, we learn that the nation's economic output or gdp is improving. they say it is an early sign of recovery, and they are looking for a turnaround by the end of the year. on 11 news brian mooar has this story. >> hundreds of job applicants or waited for hours in the heat -- our 11 news reporter brian mooar has this story. there and sourcing their manufacturing in the states, and that is exactly the kind of headline washington wants to see, evidence the economic slowdown is slowing down. >> we are probably looking at a turnaround in gdp by the end of the year, so we would expect jobs to normally start growing after that. >> still, the white house is treading a fine line between optimism and something else. >> the rate at which we are losing jobs is declining, b

in the upper 60s in prince george's, montgomery county, in the mid-60s. around the bay, weather watchers reporting temperatures there in the upper 60s, low 70s. the big headline, hurricane bill, the first of the atlantic season. what's left of tropical depression ana will become a remnant low and track to the north and west. tropical storm claudette came ashore overnight. bill has sustained winds of 75, gusts to 92. it's still over 2,500 miles northeast of ocean city. may become a moderat hurricane in the next couple of days. looks like it's going to miss the islands here, though, and head up toward bermuda which is right here. it could be anywhere in this yellow zone. if it's on the southern side of this track unfortunately it may be threatening our atlantic seaboard here perhaps by the end of this coming weekend. sunny and hot today and tomorrow. highs mid-90s. not too humid. sweltering humidity, though, for wednesday and thursday. could get some showers and thundershowers with highs near 90. maybe some more rain off and on friday into saturday. highs i

. >>> a montgomery county firefighter on paid leave an in trouble with the law. police say 44-year-old wayne mothershead used hid county-run edmonton mail to solicit sex from who he thought was a 16- year-old. he was arrested at the holbrook shopping center in gaithersburg where he allegedly planned to meet the teen and pay for sex. >> it was an exchange of e- mails, of fotopoulos numbers. there is a confirming a that he understood that she was 16 ard,s olye that he understood that he would be required to s pay for any sexual services rendered. he agreed to all of that. >> montgomery county detectives had made a string of arrests as part of a larger sting to catch a predator. mothershead will face a judge next friday. >>> a break in a murder case in charles county. one of the suspects only 14 years old. police say the teenagers ambushed jeremiah gutierrez and his brother last tuesday noor that you are home. 18-year-old benjamin thomas and 14-year-old trayzon harry are charged with those killings. police say they staked out the brothers for weeks and targeted them

tgcoon >> montgomery county police are investigating. they say this appears to be a tragic accident. the consumer products safety commission is also investigating. they tell parents who have venetian blinds, make sure the cord is not looped at the end. if it is, cut it and tie the ends off. >> well, some troubling news this morning about the swine flu vaccine. the government now says there will not be nearly enough to go around by mid-october. a spokesman for the department of health and human services says there should be about 45 million doses at that time. however, after that, they do expect about 20 million more doses will be ready every week. this delay is being blamed on manufacturing issues. >> we've got a nice start to this day out there. temperature right now 75 about, right? >> yeah, but rather humid. sun's coming up later and later. sunrise is still about 35 minutes away. we're starting off with a beautiful view of the eastern sky. we can see the crescent moon. above that is venus. out in the western sky is jupiter, gleaming b

a montgomery county is facing iernetgh s.e.ing.ce li ermoth dsh mothershead answered a craigsea astlid pla craigslist ad placed by a person he believed was a 16-year-old girl. it was actually an undercover cop. >>> last night after confirming supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor the senate passed a $2 billion extension of the cash for clunkers program. without the extension, that program could have ended today. president obama says he will sign the bill soon. >>> and intelligence officials in pakistan are confirming that taliban chief baitullah mehsud was killed by a u.s. air strike on wednesday. many considered mehsud the top internal threat in pakistan. he is believed to have been behind the assassination of former prime minister benazir bhutto. >> new details in that deadly shooting rampage inside a health club near pittsburgh. this morning, we're learning more about the gunman and his strange life after some videos were found posted on the internet. meanwhile, last night people gathered to remember the three women who were sho

. >> it is the first day for students in montgomery and howard county. >> of course kim martucci is joining us and has a look at the forecast. >> we have a dividing line. we are dry and south and east of us a u yoeat e avu yoyowith h we wilarstt withdoppler 9000 and do a litt. ur wnngdo ha cto tour. taking us down to chaprince inprce georges county this morning where i have been ngkitrlight rains opdrs falling from shady y side an deale points south and west. past waldorf to g ob wye river side and 301. it is all light and unless you are in this part of the viewing area your conditions are dry. little front south and east of us. low pressure is kicking off showers and storms and stays across the southern suburbs today. the rest of us will take a trip to the 70s today. partly cloudy skies over dc. 70 degrees, not much warmer than 73. cloudy skies right now 64. air quality is good. >>> find out how the traffic is shaping up. >> we have been tracking the roads all morning and with we will kick things off at the beltway. an accident at your. drivers are delayed on the outer loop north of the di