peggy fox with more from today's ceremony. >> see if we can't buy the world another day. >> i'm peggy fox where a star in the movie, battleship, is a star here at home. the new commander at fort belvoir. he's the first double amputee to command an army post. >> our nation and our army are pleased that we are not defined by what we don't have, but defined by what we do have. >> the colonel is leading as director of the wounded warrior program. he handed over that to colonel tim, who is also a double amputee. >> the vehicle was struck by an armor penetrating explosive device that destroyed my legs. >> while the front story is in the change in command, the back story is army medicine and the fact both of these gentleman are still here today and still leading. >> if it helps you empathize with folks. you and your family have been down that road and to be able to walk into another soldier's hospital room and say, this is all going to buff out. you're going to be fine. and we're going to be with you. >> peggy fox, 9news now. >> that wounded warrior program managing 200 advocates for the mos

peggy fox has more from charlottesville. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox in charlottesville where the board of visitors take a unanimous vote reinstating president teresa sullivan. >> i am not good enough or wise enough or strong enough to do everything that needs doing at uva on my own. but you have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that i am not alone. >> reporter: after two weeks of turmoil, there's resee the controversy -- relief the controversy is over. >> it was fast and it us with just great. >> i'm glad i can start worrying about what matters which is going to school. >> reporter: the executive council of uva's faculty senate stood for 16 minutes, a minute for each day since sullivan was ousted. >> we see no sudden change in circumstances since the hiring of president sullivan that justified such an unexpected and rs duptive removal of -- disruptive removal of a popular and effective president after such a short time. >> reporter: minutes before the unanimous vote of 15 board members channel 9 shot this exclusive video of teresa sullivan and helen dragas walking into the rotunda toge

i'm peggy fox in northeast. coming up what it looks like in case you have seen it. >>> the effect that it will have as to where it is in our economy at this point and where we're going to two from here, this is very -- go from here, this is very troubling. >> it dropped more than 270 points, enough to push it into negative territory for the entire year so far. >>> prosecutors are deciding whether or not to file charges against a woman who backed up and hit five children. killing her daughter and injuring her son and three other kids. it happened last night in maryland in the driveway of the home where the family lived. the children were playing in the driveway. police say that the mother apparently stepped on the gas and instead of the brakes by mistake. >>> a judge today, they revoked the bond of the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with with killing the 17-year-old trayvon martin. the judge ordered george zimmerman to go back to jail within 48 hours. the judge said that he mislead the court about how much

i'm peggy fox, in falls church. i'll have the story coming up. >>> viewer susan soaper wright took this picture of an ominous sky in virginia. seems to foreshadow was in store for our area. and no getting around this tree if you are in bethesda. viewer donna trapatrick sent it to us. you can see more on our slide show. you can also send us photos on on twitter by mentioning us@wusa 9. >>> dozens of homes still without power. we are live in aspen hill with more. >> reporter: yeah, bruce. you know, earlier today, we were showing you all the tree damage along connecticut avenue. all the way, leaving d.c., all the way up to montgomery county. i want to show you more. we came across more. take a look at this tree here. to give you an idea. when you hear pepco talk about the damages they've had with power lines and the massive trees that have been coming down. you get a better idea of exactly what it is you're dealing with. if you can just appreciate the large size of this tree. you can imagine just how much weight this h

>> reporter: peggy fox, 9news now. >> my goodness.issa and their husband care more about getting the chair back. it's made by a company called mobility solutions in silver springs. it's got white and black service stickers from that company on it. perhaps if you have seen it or perhaps see someone trying to sell it on the web, please call the metropolitan police. >>> the owner of maryland's biggest casino, which opens up next week is now asking state lawmakers to hold off on adding new gambling venues. maryland's owner was speaking to the special gambling work group. he said that building the six casino at national harbor would take away 40% of maryland's lives revenue. the panel of lawmakers are considering proposals to expand gambling during a possible special session in july. >>> a prominent congressman is now joining president eisenhower's family, calling for a delay in the memorial to the 34th president. he sent a letter to the memorial commission about his concerns, saying more questions need to be answeredded about the design t

. >> i'm peggy fox. just four months before culpeper police officer, daniel harmon-wright shot and killed patricia cook, who was unarmed, the officer used excessive force on the wilson family. >> came out of my room and had his gun in my face. it was terrifying. >> harmon-wright was searching for patrick's younger brother. court documents say harmon- wright drew his gun and be demanded he be inside. the boy's mother was scared and said no. >> he had no right to be in there. >> a former police officer. officer harmon-wright's only punishment concerning the incident was this letter of reprimand. he would have had to receive additional training. >> i think they would have considered that a major violation. if nothing else from the point of liability for the police department. >> peggy fox, 9news now. >>> u.s. attorney general, eric holder, faced some angry questions ands for his resignation. today's hearing focused on top secret information leaked to the press and how the justice department is handling the

. >>> i'm peggy fox in richmond, where he was first to file the state health care law. and that it was very pleased. they said that was a penalty for them for not having coverage was really a tax. >> in the future, no congress, no senator, no president will be able to say that for any bill. that they will have the possibility of the act. >> reporter: they are not allowing the federal government, to expand for the coverage. two things happened. and that will be under the commerce clause. that has never happened since the new deem >> he is running for governor, telling us that they don't think that the affordable care act would happen. >> they have not seen it yet. they will decide the formula for how medical care is rationed. >> reporter: in richmond, peggy fox, 9news now. >> and where does the nation go from here? is the fight really over? i'm joined by kathleen stall, the deputy executive director for family u.s.a. and the national organization. dedicated to providing affordable health care. they both supported the law. and the vice president of legal affairs for the c

peggy fox explains from the home on hillwood avenue. >> here at the house, this are a few signs of the long police standoff. the barricades lying here on the grass and the contractors who are here replacing the shattered windows. police say the man who caused the 28 hour standoff is 57-year- old, james, to get him to surrender, police played recorded messages from his family members and launched pepper spray into the house. >> essentially, it was tased. he surrendered to the s.w.a.t. team. >> the standoff began monday afternoon with police barricading the busy hillwood avenue. traffic was a mess and residents couldn't get home. >> the response is overblown. especially from what i have seen from the fire units. full resources are definitely, they need support from the other counties. it's over blown for one guy. >> one guy can do a lot of damage. >> police say his sister told them her brother had doused himself with gasoline and was going to set himself and the house on fire. their 95-year-old father was still inside. two officers were able to rescue the father while another officer tal

i'm peggy fox reporting live at george mason. back to you, jc. >> thank you very much, peggy. >>> closing arguments are getting under way in the child sex abuse trial of former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky. manuel gallegus reports from bellefonte, pennsylvania, where the judge instructed the jury this morning. >> reporter: jerry sandusky declined to answer reporters' questions as he walked into court this morning with his wife. the jury could begin deliberating this afternoon after both sides present their closing arguments. jurors began their day listening to instructions from the judge about the meaning of reasonable doubt. the judge told them not to find sandusky guilty on mere suspicious or doubt, that -- suspicion or doubt, that they have to be absolutely sure. he also addressed the question of when conduct becomes criminal. it's not a criminal to take a shower with a boy, wash his hour or rub his back. you may think he exercised poor judgment but poor judgment is not criminality. the jury will make a decision wi

as peggy fox reports, it was a homicide investigation that police from virginia and maryland are hoping they can solve. >> she liked to dance and you know, sometimes she loved to poke fun at people. >> the family vividly remembers their youngest sibling and the details about the day she disappeared 32 years ago. >> it's extremely important that someone come forward and help solve the case. >> 18-year-old cindy had taken a ride on bus from her takoma park home for a job interview at a silver spring deli. the deli called later that night to tell her she got the job, but she never knew it. police now believe someone killed her. >> we are looking for the help of anybody who knew her. anybody that was acquainted with her. maybe know her where abouts or seen her at the time she was missing. >> in 1982, a hiker found her remains in virginia at the foot of bull run mountain. in 2001, dna evidence in the case was entered into the national data base. in 2011, dna from family members was collected in an unrelated case elsewhere and finally last month on may 10, a dna match was found and using adva

>> reporter: peggy fox, 9news now. >> hells sa and her husband care more about getting the chair back than catching the thief. the wheelchair has white and black stickers on it. if you have seen perhaps someone trying to sell it on the web, please call police. >> the lowest of the low. >> i agree is that coming up, there is a huge buzz on capitol hill and had time the politicians have nothing to do with it. >>> at 4:41, find out how a european beer company is adding a little bling to its beer. >> howard has your weather first right after the break. keep it here. >>> the showers from overnight have left the region so we are dry this morning. sunny skies, a breezy day. highs in the mid-70s with a chance for showers late in afternoon. i'll be back with the 7-day forecast and i'm already thinking about the upcoming weekend and the warmth headed our way. >>> northbound side of 35, here's what it looks like at duke street. no problems to the 14th street bridge as you can see. >>> it is time for the first your money segment of the morning. >> bruised, battered bleeding. >> how about brutal?

peggy fox has more on where the silver ends now. >> reporter: it's been a contentious issue for months, but this morning the metropolitan washington airport authority finally decided to remove the pla preference. that's the project labor agreement preference for phase two which would take the dulles rail line from willy avenue to dulles airport into loudoun county. when it was time for the vote, there was still strife. >> all in favor say aye. all opposed? snipe want to be recorded as no. i don't have any -- >> i want to be recorded as no. i don't have any which was in in structure. >> reporter: several others reluctantly votedy. one board member said virginia leaders were holding a gun to get rid of the group. it was even said the voluntary phase in phase one was a good thing. >> project labor agreement has played a significant role in keeping us on schedule in phase one and i think it's been instrumental in our stellar safety record. >> reporter: but virginia kept moving the bar. a new law made it illegal to use state money for labor union agreements and governor mcdonnell said virgi

peggy fox has some important details to keep you from being left at the platform. the orange line carries more passengers than any other metro railline. and because it will get so crowded during the rush hour where riders have dubbed it orange crush. >> sometimes you cannot get on it. >> reporter: and on monday, help will be on the way in the largest system change since they rolled their first trains out. but it might leave some passengers perplexed. >> have you heard anything about the rush plus? >> i have heard a little bit. but you know, i just saw the ads. that's about it. >> reporter: come monday, they give the orange line more trains during rush hour. >> it felt great. >> reporter: but it's not that great for all blue line riders. the blue line is losing the trains during rush hour, which means riders, they will need to wait up to 12 minutes for a train. but rush plus, they are bringing more options also. and at the end of the blue line here at springfield franconia, you will also be able to catch that yellow train. >> but it is not all bad for folks here in

. >> i'm peggy fox where the woman who owns this wheelchair has been searching for the right person to give it to. she found her on channel 9. >> who would steal a wheelchair? >> she couldn't believe someone would steal her expensive motorized wheelchair. >> it's more than the chair. why would someone steal a handicapped person? it doesn't make sense. >> summers had rheumatoid arthritis since she was a kid. she upgraded to this chair that gives her more lift. she tried to find somebody to give her old wheel their to, but couldn't, so she waited and looked for a sign. >> it will be all cleaned up and ready to go. >> i sent it on to the weiss's who are thrilled. >> it restores your faith in humanity. >> her new chair is like her stolen one, only better, because it has a seat lift. >> there's more than a million opportunities to do good, why not do it? >> peggy fox, 9news now. >> the attorney for george zimmerman is asking for a new bond hearing for his client. zimmerman is a neighborhood watch volunteer charged with second-degree murder in the death of trayvon martin. a judge revoked zim

peggy fox has the latest from richmond. >> a few hundred protesters shouted and stood still, expressing their opposition to new abortion clinic regulations expected to be approved by the virginia department of health today. >> they are unfairly targeting abortion providers. they are not choosing to apply these rules from outpatient clinic services that are more dangerous. >> dozens of people, including four doctors opposed to the recommendations told the board they are not medically necessary. >> it is appalling, in my opinion, that this administration has hijacked the work of the health professionals who protect the health and welfare of patients in the commonwealth. >> the measure requiring extensive and expensive structural changes, such as wider hallways and larger exam rooms. >> we have ophthalmologists, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons doing procedures in their office that are far, far more complicated. never been subjected to these targeted regulations. >> a few speakers had their say. >> abortion is not healthcare because it ends live rather than healing them. board members

in richmond, i'm peggy fox, 9news now. >> virginia has 22 abortion providers, 20 of them applied to be licensed under the new rules. many in the medical profession were concerned the regulations without that amendment would force most of them to close. anita. >>> two female lawmakers in michigan have been barred from speaking on the state house floor. that after their comments during debate to put new restrictions on abortion in that state. >> i have not asked you to adopt and adhere to my religious beliefs. why are you asking me to adopt yours? and finally mr. speaker, i'm flattered that you are all so interested in my vagina, but no means no. >> a spokesman for the republican speaker says he felt democrat's language was inappropriate. he also barred representative barb after she said the new abortion rules would be like putting reinstructions on vasectomies. >>> about 100 people gathered outside a deli today to remember its murdered owner. june lim was shot and killed inside a grace deli early yesterday morning. people came out to say good-bye to the 64-year-old with a vigil. it was

. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox in culpeper where new information came out today about that police officer charged with murder and about the shots he fired that killed patricia cook. murder suspect and former culpeper police officer daniel harmon-wright turned his face to avoid cameras as he left the culpeper county courthouse under heavy security. he's charged with murder in the death of patricia cook who was unarmed sitting in her jeep. >> seven shots fired, an initial two shots fired at the driver's door window, nonfatal wounds. the officer then advanced his position firing from back to front an additional five times. >> reporter: defense attorney daniel hahn says his client saw cook as a threat. >> evidence of such recklessness in driving down the street towards the place where there's the greatest concentration of pedestrians in culpeper. >> reporter: the judge granted harmon-wright bond which means he could be released as soon as his family raises enough money. in culpeper, peggy fox, 9 news now. >>> president obama says congress, hey, you can't use this election year as an excuse to

peggy fox, 9 news now. >> we'll be watching this. the loudoun county board has very little time to come up with a funding plan if that's what's needed for a yes vote on the silver line. the vote is set for july 3rd. >>> cones, signs, even a flagger not enough to protect three tree trimmers working in montgomery county today. they were hit by a truck at the intersection of new hampshire avenue and brighton dam road. >> reporter: i'm scott broom in montgomery county where a truck driver has been charged with negligent driving after he blew past a flagger and plowed into a tree trimming crew on the ground. sky 9 was over the scene at new hampshire avenue and brighton dam road this morning as the two tree trimmers struck by a truck were taken to ambulances. >> the driver was very apologetic to both of the individuals. >> reporter: what did he say? >> he said that he had saw the sign, but he said he didn't see the flag and it just came up on him. >> reporter: it's the latest example in a metro area plagued by worker deaths and injuries on

. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox from the campus of george mason university where 40 out of 80 campers here for a week long conference and were staying in that dorm became sick with the stomach flu. >> someone just fainted. it came on really quick from the people just started puking from there on. >> reporter: it was a miserable bus ride leaving nats park last night as several of the few dozen students on board began getting sick. the driver headed to george washington hospital where six students were admitted. >> her symptoms were nauseating and headache and stomach cramping. >> reporter: once back on campus more became sick overnight and this morning. fairfax emergency crews took 15 more students to the hospital. >> it was like a dehydration feel like you're kind of dizzy and like you have to run to the bathroom. >> reporter: the mystery was solved this afternoon. fairfax county epidemiologist peter troell said it wasn't food poisoning, but a gastrointestinal virus spread from person to person. >> this is a disease that is spread by what we call fecal oral transmission. >> reporter: in fa

peggy fox, 9 news now. >>> here in d.c. police are hoping you can find a convict who just walked way from a work crew this morning. conrad thames was serving 10 years for manslaughter and handgun violations. police say he was part of a crew working along route 197 in prince george's county. he was last seen wearing a fluorescent road crew cover with a white t-shirt and jeans. you see conrad, please call 911. >>> the man accused of ramming his suv covered in gasoline into a connecticut avenue office building made his first appearance in court today. >> reporter: i'm andrea mccarren at d.c. superior court where the man who plowed a jeep into a downtown office building has been charged with assault with the intent to kill while armed and arson. 32-year-old charles morrell ball told police his family was in danger and the frederick county authorities wouldn't do anything to help. after plowing through the glass of this office building at 1050 connecticut avenue northwest ball told the metropolitan police officers on the scene,

. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox in reston.he metropolitan washington airport authority finally removed the biggest stumbling block for building phase 2 of metrorail from reston into dulles and loudoun county. >> all in favor say aye. >> reporter: the board voted 11-1 to remove the project labor agreement preference from phase 2 of the dulles rail project. >> i will support this resolution because i want to move forward. i came on this board to do business for the airports, not politics. >> reporter: the virginia leaders apparently first supported the pla, opinions and laws changed leading the governor to withhold virginia's money until the pla was kaput. >> with the board's decision today we are comfortable that the commonwealth $150 million contribution is now locked in. >> reporter: the next hurdle is loudoun county. even with the vote today chair scott york is not confident he's got enough votes to bring rail into loudoun. peggy fox, 9 news now. >>> it's clear that president assad cannot and has failed to bring peace, stabi

and this commuter alert, peggy fox complains all -- explains all the changes that riders will see. >> reporter: the orange line carries more passengers than any other metro rail line. because it gets so crowded during rush hour, riders have dubbed it orange crush. >> as well as sometimes you can't get on. >> reporter: monday, help is on the way in the largest system change since metro rolled its first trains out. but it might leave some passengers perplexed. >> have you heard anything about rush plus? >> i've heard a little bit. but i -- just saw the ads. and that's about it. >> reporter: come monday, rush plus gives the orange line more trains during rush hour. >> that's great. >> reporter: but it's not that great for blue line riders. it is you losing trains -- losing trains during rush hour which means riders will have to wait up to 12 minutes for a train but they are bringing more options also in the end the blue line at springfield franconia you can also catch a rush plus yellow train. >> but it's not all bad for folks in springfield or alexandria. for example, if you pick up the

peggy fox, 9 news now. >> now loudoun residents could access the other stations in fairfax county, but it costs a lot to park there and would there be adequate space? nobody knows. the loudoun board is scheduled to vote july 3rd. >>> work on the silver line could cause traffic problems on the dulles connector road tonight. at 9:30 the eastbound lanes will be shut down between the beltway and exit 19, dolly madison boulevard. traffic on the connector road will detour to the outer loop and take exit 46b chain bridge road and all the lanes are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. >> our day surely started off nice, sun, warm temperatures, low humidity, but this afternoon there were some storms out there. that's why top issued that yellow alert. how's it look tonight? >> they're kind of few and far between, but the storms that developed are rather hefty, severe earlier, just heavy now. we'll lapse this live doppler. wee see a heavy storm pushing -- we see a heavy storm pushing into howard county and another between winchester and front royal and some storms south of warrenton in. those areas you'l

in charlottesville, peggy fox. >>> it is a city that has been overrun by violence.cago. 245 people have been killed in the windy city. it is hard for us to imagine what it's like to live on the street knowing that every day could be there last. but these two admitted gang members are like that every day. >> i'm a gang banger. i'm not going to lie. >> walking down the street, you never know. it could be your time to go. >> you always have to look behind. >> ain't nobody want to kill me and they end up killing you, you and not killing me. i've seen people get shot, killed, robbed, stabbed. i've done all of it. it's just crazy. >> well, the teenagers say there are no jobs and it's nearly impossible to survive. others say it's actually time for the national guard to step in. >>> maybe you've never heard of the monfurd marines, but they're proud. they're the first african-americans to serve in the u.s. marines and tomorrow they'll be awarded the top honors, the congressional gold medal. they went through basic training where they were segregated from whites. carroll brax

. >> but peggy fox tells us that's just half of the story. the colonel taking his place in another important role is also a double amputee. >> let's see if we can't buy the world another day. >> reporter: a roll in the action thriller "battleship" is just part of colonel greg gattson's new normal after a roadside bomb in iraq destroyed both legs in 2007. >> i can't believe it's me. >> reporter: he not only lives around here, he's becoming the new commander at fort belvoir. >> our nation and our army and our army's leadership sees we're not defined by what we don't have but defined by what we do have and what's in our hearts. >> reporter: he's a former west point football star and today received a legion of merit award for his work in the job he's leading, director of the army's wounded warrior program. it assigns personal advocates who help each wounded warrior get on with their lives. he handed over that directorship to colonel tim kartcher who is also a double amputee. >> my vehicle was struck by an explosive device take destroyed my legs.

i feel like you have to be paying a bit more attention than some people might. >> reporter: peggy fox, 9news now. >> the rush plus program spares riders on the red line as well as those who travel outside the normal rush windows. >>> at 4:35. a look at other stories making news now. lance armstrong is barred from competing in the ironman triathlon in france. the move comes after the seven time tour de france winner was accused of using performance- enhancing drugs. in addition to the violations, the u.s. antidoping agency says armstrong tried to cover-up the illegal drug use. the cyclist has repeatedly denied the doping allegations and says he has never failed a drug test and he's taken hundreds of them. armstrong has a week to respond to these charges. and an arbitrator could hear the case that fall. >>> authorities in colorado evacuated close to additional 100 homes overnight. the high park fire spread to more communities. some homeowners had only minutes to get out. so far it's burned more than 52,000 acres. firefighters have only contained about 20% of the fire. >>> he's untouchab

peggy fox, 9news now. >> she is expected to be seated at the board meeting on wednesday, but some board members say they would rather wait until the court decides on ma tier's lawsuit. connolly says the only other time a governor tried to remove a board member, the court refused. >>> mitt romney is on the fourth day of a six-state bus tour tonight. today's stops include wisconsin and iowa. the republican presidential candidate predicted he will win wisconsin come november. he is hoping to be carried by the way that kept governor scott walker in office after a recall election two weeks ago. >> i think president obama had just put this in his column. he assume from the very beginning, wisconsin was going to be his. but you know what? we're going to win wisconsin and we're going to get the white house. >> mr. obama did carry wisconsin by 14 points in the last election four years ago. >>> the president is in mexico this week for the g-20 summit and the prime topic is the uncertain state of the european economy. president obama and felipe have been down playing it. the bailout party won the

in falls church, peggy fox, 9 justice of the peace news now. >> it ended just before 9:00 p.m. last night after police used a taser on james and took him into custody. police departments from all the neighboring areas sent s.w.a.t. team officers to help. it's not clear how much that standoff will cost taxpayers. >>> at congressional country club in bethesda. the at&t national took place this morning on this historic golf course. >> and our anchor team of derek mcginty join us live from the viranda. their shirts and pants match. you guys look like you are animals out there. >> it's bad, because we never see each other at work. our hours are so different. i'm happy to trade in the shirt and tie for the cool wusa9 golf shirt here. i want top to know i'm grateful for one reasonable weather day to actually enjoy it. >> you have been giving me a hard time about the view. >> in the studio, we have monitors about the size of this and they are regular definition. this is a good excuse to buy yourself a high definition tv. this is one of the best views you'll have. we can see two holes,

i feel like you have to be paying a bit more attention than some people might. >> reporter: peggy fox, 9news now. >> okay confused yet? don't be. just go to wusa9.com. get a link to metro's website all about the rush plus. it will breakdown all the changes for you line by line and that story you can finds it on our front page. >>> the time right now is 6:38. howard says it's going to be a great start to the weekend weather-wise. sunny skies today. highs in the low 80s. ahead learn when we can get a heat wave. >> in nine minutes live to the daily grill in north washington. learn all about the great big brunch special for father's day on sunday. ooh doesn't that look good. >>> welcome back to 9news now. it's 6:43 and 64 degrees timesaver traffic and it's been a really tough one this morning. especially right now to the east side of town. good morning everybody. if you're planning to head northbound on the beltway. i'm going to step out and show you what it looks like live at the accident scene before route 50. this is the northbound side of 495. as you approach the accident, you can see

i'm peggy fox reporting live along the blue line. back to you. >> sounds like it could be a real time saver if you know what you're doing and where you're going. peggy, thank you. >>> that's right. today, they officially kicked off the facelift project along the corridor. and the ddot construction project will address the blocks from 9th to 14th street. roads will be repaired and repaved. sidewalks will be widened with the new landscaping put in place. it is scheduled to be completed by next spring. >>> a normal day across the d.c. area. will you be able to keep the air-conditioning off tonight? topper is on the terrace to tell us all about it. hey top. >> yes, you can. in fact, you might as well. we'll need them next week. it's thursday. so actually we'll start with the beach and poeting and it is pretty -- boating and it is pretty nice. we'll start with the boating forecast. a little cooler on the water. 75 to 80 on saturday, but winds are not an issue. easterly at 10. winds are only a foot. on sunday, about the same temperatures on

our peggy fox has been following this man's journey and she's here to tell us why he's doing this. >>the founder and ceo of milestone communications that builds those cell phone towers that look like light poles and trees. you'll see them around the area. well he is going to compete in this grueling bike race to raise money for a cause that is close to his heart. >> it's a carbon fiber bike. >> what len is about to do sounds completely insane. this 53-year-old father of two from vienna, virginia, plans to ride his bike 3,000 miles in ten days. getting only four hours of sleep a night. >> i'll be riding 20 hours a day. 250 to 300 miles each day for ten days. >> he is the only solo competitor from the d.c. region competing in race across america, also called the world's toughest bike race. he is doing it to raise money for his nonprofit organization called, hope cam. which helps kids like jessica. >> jessica, can you see the calendar? >> jessica was diagnosed with liver cancer last year and hasn't been able to go back to school. she's been through surgery and chemotherapy. >> it's not e

this is america. >> that was peggy fox reporting. now here's a little sugar comparison for you. a regular coke has 3.25 grams of sugar for each ounce. that's the same amount in red bull. tropicana's no pulp orange juice has 2.75 grams of sugar per ounce. mcdonald's sweet tea has -- that's before you even add in any sugar again they're not banning sodas. just the size that you can get at any one time. >> you can still get two. >> if that's what you want to do. do it. >>> 6:14. here's a check of the other stories this morning. good morning. john edwards says he did to plenty of awful things but nothing illegal. the jury in his fraud case acquitted him on one charge. and then the judge declared is mistrial on the others. edwards has been acowboysed of using campaign donor money to hide his pregnant mistress. >>> 26 bus operations are shut down deemed hazardous by the federal government. one of them is called new century. it has a location in chinatown. the government shutdown the operations to prevent deadly crashes. it is the biggest crackdown in d. o. t. history. >>> okay, airpla

peggy fox, 9news now. >> the costs and whether there would be adequate space hasn't been determined. the loudoun board vote is set for july 3. >>> howard bernstein is here. it's 62 degrees outside right now. don't let that fool people. it's going to get a lot hotter later today. >> we'll be in the 80s later today but the heat will build over the weekend. it's pleasant right now. even tomorrow morning looks pleasant. runners especially tomorrow morning, 7:00 a.m., washington harbor waterfront by georgetown. get out there and support them. the weather will be fine and it's buddy check 9 day as well. the forecast, it is gorgeous. temperatures in the 50s and 60s. it's 62 here. we have spots around 50 north and west. it's a little bit on the cool side but it's going to be a great day. this dry air is going to heat up nicely. we'll be near 70 by 9:00. by noon we'll be in the upper 70s to near 80. this afternoon with northwest wind 5s to 10, humid -- winds 5 to 10, humidity levels will still be low. an 80-degree reading at 8:00 p.m. we'll hit the high somewhere from 3:30 to 5:00 this aftern

reporting in charles county, peggy fox, 9news now. >> firefighters battled the heat and the flames when a house caught fire this morning near american university. the fire broke out just before dawn on glenbrook road in northwest. the smoke could be seen for miles away. no neighboring homes were damaged and nobody was hurt. the firefighters drank water and used wet towels to keep themselves cool. >> keeping cool anywhere is a challenge today. especially when you're on a wide open country club golf course with little shade and aside from the clubhouse, no air-conditioning. >> derek and mike join us from the veranda. i was taking a jog early this morning and there were fans pouring in early this morning. >> you took a jog? >> consider me impressed. no matter where you were, it was hot out today. if you were inside, you probably had air-conditioning. >> that is not the case for golf fans. they love the sport, so they are dealing with it today. they are doing whatever they can to keep cool. getting shade with your umbrella, wiping your face down. any kind of misting. any shade tree is a bon

i'm peggy fox. i'll have the latest coming up. >>> new information tonight on a story you saw first on 9 news now. the director of the popular reston zoo has been arrested and charged with animal cruelty and possession of a controlled substance. >> meghan mogensen is accused of improperly treating a sick wall la wallaby. how serious are these charges? >> reporter: these charges are certainly not as serious as felonies. they are misdemeanors and still very concerning. this is a private park, a family run business owned by the director's father and thousands of people visit here of year. here-- every year. it looked like business as usual at the popular reston zoo today with children and families getting up close to all kinds of animals that live there, but they didn't see a certain wallaby like this one who used to live there. the animal was sick and the zoo trentor apparently euthanized it by drowning. >> -- director apparently euthanized it by drowning. >> any illegal euthanasia is illegal. >> repo

our peggy fox is on campus with more on the outbreak. not the flu and not that kind of flu, peggy. >> reporter: yeah. well, lesli, they went to a nats game last night and came down with a home run seriously. 80 students from around the country came here for a week long conference. 40 of them got sick. at first it looked like food poisoning, but this afternoon the health department figured out that wasn't it. it was something else just as troublesome. >> when we were leaving, someone just fainted. it came on really quick. people just started puking from there on. >> reporter: it was a miserable bus ride leaving nats park last night as several of the few dozen students on board began getting sick. the driver headed to george washington hospital where six of the students admitted. >> her senses were nauseating and headache and stomach cramping. >> reporter: once back on campus more became sick overnight and this morning. fairfax emergency crews took 15 more students to the hospital. >> it was like a dehydration. so you're kind of dizzy and l

our peggy fox has an exclusive interview with the young man who says he was threatened at gunpoint in his home by officer harmon-wright. peggy was at the officer's arraignment and bond hearing today. >> his initial reaction was shock and horror. he was on the verge of nausea. >> reporter: dan hahns ex courted his client culpeper -- escorted his client culpeper police officer daniel harmon- wright to jail after a special grand jury indicted him for murder and three other related counts. the 32-year-old is charged in the shooting death of 54-year- old patricia cook who was sitting in her jeep gangly in a catholic -- wrangler in a catholic parking lot february 9th. >> she had been wandering around this religious school, refused to identify herself. >> reporter: harmon-wright and cook wound up in a confrontation. he told investigators she caught his arm in the window and was dragging him when he shot her six times. special prosecutor jim fisher said it didn't happen that way. >> that statement was partially accurate, but the terms trapped and dramaticked were used. these were not descript

as peggy fox reports, a breakdown in the system has put his life on hold and left him with mounting college debt. >> reporter: donald would rather be in college today than thinkerring with his jeep. but northern virginia community college won't readmit him or give him his transcripts until he pays a $2700 bill for the last semester. he enrolled under the gi bill and says he was told it was all covered. >> he said don't worry about that he circled it saying you're 100% covered. >> reporter: he dropped out of his first year of college after 9/11. he was 19 and determined to do his part. it's what his dad always told him. >> those who can have a moral obligation to help. >> reporter: he joined the marines and was in iraq in a matter of months. he still tries to block out the horrible things that happened. >> it's hard to think about because -- you just think about your friends. >> reporter: you lost friends? >> yes. >> reporter: he left the marines and joined the california highway patrol and last december moved to northern virginia where his wife had a job lined up. he decided to go to colleg

in culpeper, peggy fox, 9 news now. >> despite a recommendation that harmon-wright not even be hired because of extensive alcohol abuse, then police chief dan boring hired him anyway. back then harmon-wright's mom worked for boring. she's now been charged with forgery and lying trying to cover up for her son's record. boring is now a culpeper town council member. >>> another very warm but nice day across our area, but we've got some big changes at way for tomorrow. meteorologist an annyhong is in for topper. >> right now we have a couple pop-up showers and thunderstorms out to the west of us hire on doppler. in the beltway -- here on doppler in. the beltway we're just looking at cloudy conditions. some of the showers are isolated just around west of us north of heartwood and just south of winchester. now what we're looking at is temperatures in the 80s right now, 84 in gaithersburg, 81 manassas, 87 in downtown. to the west of us is a cold front. that's coming through. we can see some really heavy rain by tomorrow afternoon, really impacting tomorrow's commute. tonight, though, cloudy

. >> peggy fox, 9news now. >> what a haunting story. anyone with information about this case, please call crime solvers. >>> if you have seen the person in the sketch or have any information about this case or any others, please contact your local police or submit your information online. remember, any information no matter how small. >> and that's james. he is the lead singer of metalica. disappeared after one of the band concerts back in 2009. her body was found three months later. investigators say dna links her murder to a sexual assault in fairfax county, but they don't have much other information right now and they need more. >>> a teenage prank is reaching new heights in the maryland suburbs. two teens are facing felony charges for throwing what's called a bottle bomb at a six- year-old girl in pasadena. today, firefighters were called to yet another incident. this one in glenn bernie. >> ism scott broom in anne arundel county, where two teens are facing felony charges after throwing a so-called bottle bomb at a six-year-old girl

>> peggy fox, 9news now. >> now along that same note, one viewer has offered to transport that new wheelchair. melissa is still hoping whoever took her old chair will bring it back so she can pass it along. >>> would you be able to get out of a metro tunnel if there was an emergency? a new report out suggesting metro was ignoring complaints on blocked emergency exits. bruce leshan with reaction from the station. >> metro exits blocked and locked, screams the washington examiner. after looking back at thousands of inspection reports on metro's emergency exits. the problems could leave riders stuck underground in a crisis and the problems either took too long to fix or were never fixed at all. >> that concerns me. they allowed it to go as long as it's gone. >> inspectors found bushes, a hive of angry bees, and a locked emergency exit door at congress heights. they found an exit sign that would have pointed fleeing passengers in exactly the wrong direction at capital south. and at medical center, the ground around the commit is sinking. >> we are working to improve safety every day on this syste

peggy fox, 9news now. >> this could get messy. she is expected to be seated at the meeting this coming wednesday, but the board may not let her take a seat until the court decides on the lawsuit. >>> tree trimmings performed by metro. it's a sore subject with residents. county council resident plans to move ahead with a bill that gives property owners some say in the matter. but based on information from a county attorney, he plans to rework the bill so the new rules would apply to all companies, not just pepco. just the same, from an interview conducted today, it is clear pepc o is the chief mote ration for the measure. >> trees have become collateral damage in the fight for reliable electric service. having trees are somehow in conflict, no, they're not. >> some montgomery county residents accuse the utility of being too aggressive in trimming trees awe from power lines. >>> dodge some rain drops this morning, getting the dog out for a walk. >> again, only 69 at dulles, that's great. now it's going to warm up tomorrow and then h

peggy fox, 9news now. >> and she is expecting to be seated on the board wednesday, but the board may not let her take the seat until the court decides mateir's lawsuit. the only other time a governor tried to remove a member, the court said no. >> kind of gray outside for most of the day. starting off your workweek. topper shutt is out on the weather terrace with the word on the rain and the heat. top. >> the good news is, the clouds kept the temperatures down. it's been in the 60s and 70s. we have showers this morning. right now, we have clouds. in fact, look at live doppler 9,000. most of the storms just getting across i-81. nothing severe, but the heavy rains down toward front royal and new market. they'll stay well west of us. if you aren't home yet, you'll get home before the roads get wet. 70 in manassas, 66 in gaithersburg and 68 in leesburg and frederick. i mean, that is a great deal. for tonight, mostly cloudy, comfortable. a shower still possible. low temperatures in the 60s. we'll come back and talk about, well, we'll talk about the heat, when the heat is going to roll in

peggy fox, 9news now. >> merrick is expected to be seated at the board meeting on wednesday but some board members say they'd rather wait till the court decides on martire's lawsuit. the only other time a governor tried to remove a board member the courts refused. >>> president obama's top choice to be our new ambassador in iraq has removed himself from consideration. brett mcgruk is involved in a scandal. according to reports when the two were married to others, mcgurk had an affair with gina chong. they are now married. >>> word leaders in mexico appear to have a plan to help europe's economic problems from spreading to the rest of the world. >> susan mcginnis has more on that and growing tensions between the united states and russia about syria. >> reporter: fireworks lit up the skies in mexico where the g20 summit is being held. they were being set off as word spread that the group will announce today a plan to fight the economic crisis in europe. it calls for government spending to create jobs and growth, something president obama has been pushing for. >> so that the economy gro

. >> reporter: peggy fox, 9 news now. >>> caught on tape, prince george's county police asking for help to identify three suspects wanted in connection with a carjacking and two attempted carjackings in clinton, maryland. all three crimes were committed on or around june 3rd. anybody with information please call the prince george's county police. >>> we are following a developing story out of southern california where police say they are investigating a crash involving lindsay lohan. lohan's spokesman says the actress was briefly hospitalized after her porsche collided with an 18 wheeler on pacific coast highway in santa monica. her injuries are described as not serious. a photo posted by tmz.com shows lohan's car window shattered, the bumper smashed in and you can't see it closely, but the air bag is deployed inside. nobody else was injured. >>> a shot at horse racing history will apparently have to wait at least another year. i'll have another has withdrawn from tomorrow's belmont stakes. the horse will not race and ended a shot at the triple crown. the 3-year-old colt has a swollen t

officer daniel harmon wright is free on bond and peggy fox has been investigating this case from the start. she brings us the latest. >> just four months before culpeper police officer, daniel harmon-wright shot and killed patricia cook. the officer used excessive force on the wilson family. >> came out of my room. i had his gun in my face. it was scary. >> harmon wright was searching for his younger brother. court documents say harmon wright drew his gun and demanded he be allowed inside. he was scared and said no, but finally let him in. >> he had no right to be in there. he has no right or shouldn't be drawing his gun and pushing his way into the home. >> attorney ted is a former prosecutor and former fairfax county police officer. he says before police enter a home, they need either a warrant, consent, or an emergency situation. otherwise it's a violation of one's constitutional right. >> i can't see that there be any justification for him demanding entry into the house and searching that house. >> after reading through the court documents, he sees similarities. >> it's all a que

tonight we have good news and peggy fox can explain. >> who steals a wheelchair? what do you need it for? >> reporter: melissa who can barely walk couldn't believe someone would steal her expensive motorized wheelchair she kept outside her basement apartment. while the theft upset her, it made her husband furious. >> it's more than a chair. why would someone steal from a handicapped person. it doesn't make sense. there's no reason to do something like this. this is a real violent crime. >> he wrote to 9news now about it and we aired the story friday night. stephanie sum summers. she knew she could help. >> it was sitting, waiting for someone else. it was basically waiting for her. >> summers has had rheumatoid arthritis since she was a kid. she upgraded to this new chair. she tried to find someone to give her old chair to, but couldn't. so she kept it and waited for a sign. >> so i said okay, god, when you need somebody to give it, it's going to be sitting in the corner all cleaned up and ready to go. >> summer sent an e-mail to me and i sent it on to the weiss's.

i'm peggy fox. coming up i'll tell you what that is. >> this is the 60th anniversary of d day.ll visit with some vets who came to see the world war ii memorial in town, many of them for the very first time. >> plus we are counting down the days to the at&t national golf tournament at congressional country club. this event benefits wounded warriors. we're going to introduce you to a vet who is using the game to help bring his life back on track. >>> there are about three weeks to go until the start of the at&t national golf tournament at congressional country club. this event benefits wounded warriors. over the next few weeks you'll meet some of the men who use golf to help themselves and others to rehabilitate. tonight dave owens introduces us to sergeant dewitt osborne. >> we always talk about our friends that got killed or us getting severely wounded, but we never talk about the guy that we killed. >> reporter: few can man dewitt osborne's mental -- imagine dewitt osborne's mental anguish. >> it haunts me every day. >> reporter: couple that with the physical injuries sustaine

i'm peggy fox, i'll have the story coming up. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began. a little bird told me about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ >>> a change of command is underway at fort belvoir that is giving new meaning to the term, wounded warrior. it has nothing to do with retirement. a special story. >> absolutely. the incoming commander at fort belvoir is a double amputee and he is the first double amputee to take command at an army post. that's the story in itself, but there's more. the colonel taking his place in another important role is also a double amputee. >> let's see if we can't buy the world another day. >> a role in battleship is just part of colonel greg's new normal after a roadside bomb in iraq destroyed both legs in 2007. >> they can't believe it's me. they do these double takes. this guy wouldn't live around here. >> he not only lives around here, he's becoming the