little bit about what he said he heard from kwame brown, the night that former city council member, harry thomas, pled guilty. >> just a few months ago, the night that harry thomas pled guilty to enriching himself with money intended for children's programs, i watched in amazement as kwame brown sat on one of the tv stations and talked about corruption allegations that have been swirling in the district. he did so knowing fully that the sort of justice was dangling precariously over his own head. >> now that tv station was fox 5, kwame brown was invited on to the set that night to talk about harry thomas' guilty plea. and he talked on the set with our fox 5's bob barnard. this is what kwame brown had to say. >> this is stunning. it's stunning. this is a situation in which you clearly would not want to be in. this is a great city. his family had a legacy in ward 5 and i'm disappointed. >> that was january 5, 2012. ron said today that he was very disappointed that kwame brown traded away his principles for personal gain. brian, back to you. >> brown faces 0 to 6 months realistically on the federal

earlier in the project earlier in the year, harry thomas, jr. was -- earlier in the year, harry thomas, jr. was convicted for bustling. investigators released a new sketch this week that they hope will lead to the killer of a virginia tech student. it is similar to be sketched the fbi released in 2005 of a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in fairfax county. when has facial hair and the other is without. oregon harrington was last seen in october 2009 leaving a concert in charlottesville. her remains were found three months later. the battle lines and the showdown against same-sex marriage has intensified in maryland this week. a group has opened up to offices, one in baltimore and the other in silver springs. marathoners for marriage equality says they have hired about a dozen staffers -- maryland there's -- marylanders for marriage equality say they have hired about a dozen staffers. some students from frederick douglass high school in prince george's county noticed something odd on their diplomas. the word program was misspelled, leav

went for charlie this thomas harris director was inspired by his story and thinks he's found a solution to a problem the city has faced for years. >>> . some of the delegates as closely have to try some new things. the facts of the matter as it is illegal to stand on the street and ask for money. the city has been trying to curtail it for years but now there, the new program that promises to kill two birds of months down stop the city's panhandling and give the shelter poppies in home. >>> to the economic downturn we have seen a dramatic increase in the that the number of dogs coming in. starting august 1st the alaska panhandle is to put down their signs and pickups and foster public. the city provides the system and training and a check for $75 a week. >>> and will and will have a day) and there's a catch no more panhandling. the quake is not an idea that sounds like an intuitive mass to me. she says a shelter is no place for a new puppy she's concerned the puppies may get into the wrong hands. >>> my thoughts are who is 20 screens exactly? how often will they be checking on the animal

harry thomas was sentenced to nearly three years in prison. jack johnson and his wife received prison sentences after guilty to charges to a bribery and a scheme. also following a late development and a possible classifiedleak of the executive and branches of government. tonight, eric holder appointed d.c. and u.s. for maryland to lead separate fbi investigations. a new controversy tonight on the trail has the white house and the hot seat. president obama is working to remarks that the doing "justor is fine." is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine. that is the reason why i had a press conference. >> republicans jumped on the today.nt earlier quick to paint as out of touch. turn to another big story of the night. is the change in our way.er that is on the for the heat and humidity. like aoing to feel summer. here we are, heading into the middle of june. nothing showing up on doppler. a little bit cooler, you can that down around the bay. as they go through the weekend, noticing a bit of the humidity, especially by late on into m

harry thomas jr. was sentenced to prison and just after two former campaign staffers to the mayor pleaded -- >> we are the laughing stock of the country. >> it feels like you have no say is going on. >> there is no balance within the government. on have most of the people the city council who are one party. i want to reassure have a process in place. >> it is a very sad day comment for mr. brown. a sad day for the people in the district. people are saying just that tonight. as what comes next, she active share of the council. wednesday, she will call a to elect a different person. brown, he has a court date on friday. we are live tonight in northwest d.c. >> kwame browns resignation is a litany ofn the d.c. government. harry thomas jr. was sentenced forhree years in prison embezzling city funds intended for a soccer program. pleadedaign aides charges. >> we are following another breaking story tonight. is a of a much lighter in nature. this. look at we are live under -- over the arundel mall. hundreds

ward 5's harry thomas was the first in the city's history. he'll soon be starting his 38 month prison sentence after pleading guilty to stealing more than $300,000 in city funds. >> individuals do find themselves at times in these situations, but to say the whole government is corrupt would be a mistake. i think we have a lot of very hard working individuals both elected and in government jobs and we will survive and will move forward. this is not an excuse, but it's not unique to washington. >> d.c. mayor vincent gray tweeted his reaction to the kwame brown story saying that he's shocked, saddened and disappointed by today's news. may o gray says he would never have -- mayor gray says he would never have imagined something like this >> the new acting city council chair mary cheh joins us live in our studios. thank you for being here. we saw your initial reaction in bob's story. now that you've had a little time to digest everything, what's your reaction to all this tonight? >> well, the first thing i want to do us what said before. i want to

. >>> former dc councilman harry thomas jr. reports to federal prison wednesday. thomas was given a 38-month sentence for stealing $350,000 which should have gone to the city youth baseball programs last friday he told a packed michigan park christian church he has been humbled by the experience. news cameras were not allowed inside the church. at age 51, harry thomas will serve his time at a federal prison in montgomery, alabama. >>> a bailout party has won in greece. however the new democracy party has won the majority of seats and will likely be able to put together a bailout coalition. >>> well the presidential candidates are on the move today. mitt romney will visit two battleground states while the president is in mexico meeting with world leaders. >> both men are coming off weekends that highlighted sharp differences in their policies. susan mcginniss has the story. >> reporter: mitt romney's swing state bus tour rolls into wisconsin and iowa today. he spent father's day campaigning with his children and grandchildren. but it was children of imgrans that do

earlier this year former councilman harry thomas jr. was sentenced to prison prison for embezzling city funds intended for a youth soccer program. two campaign aides to d.c. mayor vincent gray pleaded guilty to charges tied to the 2010 mayoral campaign. >> despite the turmoil surrounding brown's resignation it will be business as usual today at the wilson building. the panel will look at what the d.c. fire and ems department is doing to reduce overtime cost. >> vote 2012, first lady michelle obama will campaign today in northern virginia. she will meet with obama campaign volunteers from the manassas area. she will be at vfw post 1503 and dale city at 2:45 today. need a ticket to get inside. president obama will campaign in los angeles and las vegas today. mitt romney says that if he is elected, he will place his fortune in a blind trust. he would not know where is money is invested and could not order a purchase or sale of certain holdings. this could insulate him politically from criticism about his wealth as well as possible ethics c

another councilman harry thomas, jr. is stented earlier this year for lining his pockets with government money meant for kids. the mayor remains under investigation. >> the mayor's issue continues and as i've said many times i hope the u.s. attorney can move quickly to resolve that as well. >> what is it with dc government and corruption? >> i'm not going to get into that kind of nonsense because the great overwhelming 99.9% of us who are serving in public office do it honourably. >> i think these are vestiges in the ... >> reporter: they point to a lack at dc outrage at misconduct. >> if you like at berry, there is quite a deep reservoir of allowance for misbehavior. i mean marion is the one who not only spent time in jail, but has not paid his taxes, gave some contracts to his girlfriend. he sets a very, very low bar. the fact that he keeps getting elected does send a certain sense and a certain message. >> are you blaming marion berry. >> i'm saying along berry to persist and not throw him out allows his culture and t

council men harry thomas jr. is expected to begin serving his prison sentence this week. thomas will report to a minimum security federal prison camp in alabama. he'll likely spend 2 1/2 years thereafter pleading guilty in january to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants that were supposed to go to youth programs. >>> all right. we're going to take another look at the forecast. we've been enjoying this gorgeous stretch of weather in june. we're getting a little spoiled. >> below average temperatures. can we keep it going? the man that can answer this question is meteorologist tom kierein. >> i hope to keep it going or ten minutes. >> i'm going go outside and i'll be right back. >> soak it all in. >> we're going to need an up well a, too, because we do have a few sprinkles. there's the cloudy sky over the washington mondument and the jefferson memorial. early on this monday morning. if you're up early, getting ready to step out the door, don't leave without the umbrella, yes, we have a few sprinkles falling there. 64 there. we've got a light southe

councilman, harry thomas, jr., reports to a federal prison in alabama on wednesday. last night, family, friends, and a few political figures packed the church in northeast washington to help send the one powerful ward 5 legislator off. thomas was given a 38 sentence for stealing $350,000 that should have gone to city youth baseball programs. he told a packed michigan park christian church that he has been humbled by the experience. as part of a plea agreement. council members, marion barry and alexander were there last night. at age 51, harry thomas, jr., will be serving his time in montgomery, alabama. >>> out west, a large wild fire in colorado has now scorched 85 square miles. additional crews arriving today. that means more than 1500 personnel now working on the fire just west of fort collins, which is home to colorado state university. the fire caused by lightning strike is 20% contained. >> fighting this fire is going to require us to be aggressive, persistent, and also patient. over 140,000 man hours have already been dedicated to this fire. and so it will be

. >>> still ahead, an inside look at harry thomas jr.'s last hours before going to prison. how he spent his last days as a free man and the one person he made sure to pay respects to. plus -- >> i gave my mom a hug. >> if you think six-year-olds can't make a difference, you haven't met the right one. how this one battled grownups and won. coming up. and later at 11:00, victims of a frightening home invasion come out on top. how they turn the tables on the armed criminals. that and more on the news edge at 11:00. the news edge at 10:00 continues in minutes.   we need to look for a new van. yeah. i just don't know where to start. glad you found us. start by test-driving nearly every make and model, all in one place. carmax. start here. >>> head's up if your commute takes you along 295. they are closed between howard road and pennsylvania avenue. crews are working on the 11th street bridge project. the lanes will remain closed. tomorrow night, the southbound lanes will be affected. >>> former councilman, harry thomas jr. won't see washington again for a lon

six months ago former councilman harry thomas, jr. admitted to stealing money. he reports to prison on june 20. 11:00 friday morning, u.s. district court, kwame brown goes before judge richard leon for arraignment. on wednesday the rest of the council meets to begin selecting his replacement. vincent orange and phil mendelson are the front runners. >> the brown plea is just the latest chapter in the long book of d.c. officials who have acted improperly. >> gary nurenberg has more on corruption within city government. >> reporter: another councilman harry thomas, jr. is sentenced earlier this year for lining his pockets with government money meant for kids. the mayor remains under investigation. >> the mayor's issue continues and as i've said many times, i hope the u.s. attorney can move quickly to resolve that as well. >> reporter: what is it with d.c. government and corruption? >> i'm not going to get into that kind of nonsense because the great -- over 99.9% of us who served in public office do it honorably. >> i think these are vestiges of the marian barry er

. >>> our top stories, in just a few hours, harry thomas, jr. will no longer be a free man. the former d.c. council member will start serving his 3-month prison term in alabama today. he left d.c. with his family yesterday. he was sentence to federal prison last month after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $350,000 in district funds. >>> controversy this morning for d.c. mayor convince the gray's nominee to head the department of housing and community development. michael kelly admitted he had and fair as w. a coworker as director of the housing authority in philadelphia but he denies reports that he helped get that employee large pay raises. mayor gray says he will continue to push through the nomination. >>> the cost of a cab ride in the district about is to go down just a bit. the $1 fuel surcharge is set to expire at midnight. the fee was imposed back in march of twoich and has been extended three times since then. the d.c. taxicab commission says gas prices have been falling and projections indicate a further shied is likely throughout the summer. >>> in egypt th

you know, there are some parallels when you consider harry thomas, jr. and kwame brown how this all went down. they denied the rumors circulating for several months, even years at this point. and then ultimately they admitted wrongdoing. so in this case kwame brown admit to bank fraud and he leaves the wilson building just like his colleague in shame. according to prosecutors brown lied about having a second job and extended tens of thousands of dollars to his income so he could get a home equity loan to buy a boat. we're told in exchange for his resignation, a misdemeanor charge stemming from his 2008 campaign will be thrown out. he stepped down officially from his position as chairman of the council in a closed door meeting with his colleagues yesterday. >> i convened the meeting. then we met in closed session and then kwame came in. he apologized to us because he has a deep institutional concern and personal connection to all of us. and then we talked among ourselves with him. all i can say this is extraordinarily emotional. i think i even had tears i

council member thomas harry junior will begin serving his prison sentence. he will report in alabama. he'll likely spend at least 2 1/2 years there. back in january, he pleaded guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants that were supposed to go to youth programs. >>> our time right now, nine minutes after 11:00. coming up, the last line of defense. the penn state sex abuse case is expected to wrap up today. will jerry sandusky take the stand? >>> plus, he's a successful rapper and tv star and now making his dir >>> new today three u.s. service members and afghan translator have been killed in eastern afghanistan. 17 afghans died in the blast. a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a military convoy. no one is claiming responsibility yet for this attack. >>> security officials in egypt say hosni mubarak is now off life support, but in a coma. overnight state media reported the 84-year-old suffered a stroke and needed a breathing tube when he was moved to a military facility. now security officials say his h

. >> still to come on "good morning washington," harry thomas reports to prison. learn what he said to a church congregation a few days ago. >> and president obama in mexico where he will gather with other leaders for the g-20 supplement we'll take a look at some of the big topics they are expected to discuss. >> and another check on traffic we gotta sell the car. where would we even start? get the car. hi howard. get in. hi, good to see you. start with an actual written offer when selling your car, no strings attached. carmax. start here. [ mom ] to me, chex is not just a little bowl of cereal it's kind of a big deal. to find nutritious end gluten-free cereals my whole family actually lov? well, the word "wow" comes to mind. and then a friend told me chex has five flavors that are gluten-free. even a cinnamon one the kids love. a nutritious cereal that makes everybody happy? like i said, wow. [ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. good and gluten free. >> hi, i'm here with my australian friends and we're going to stick around for more news. good morning, w

thomas was sentenced to just over three years in prison for stealing $350,000 that should have gone to city youth sports programs. harry thomas will serve his time at a federal prison cam nap montgomery, alabama. >>> today more trains on some of metro system's busiest trail lines. kristen has details. now she has moved on and is at archive station for more on how yellow and green line riders will be affected. good morning kristen, you are on the move today? >> reporter: yeah, blue line riders or rush not going to help you out too much. i want to talk a little bit about how you can see right now the metro navy archive station when rush police starts this morning, everything we are talking about, look up here, rush plus only applies monday-friday between 6:30 and 9:00 and 3:30 and 6:00 in the evening. we still have about an hour before rush plus takes effect. the change on the yellow line is the fact that essential le metro (audio difficulty) is going to be a new version of the yellow line between springfield and greenbelt. if you live in alexandria, columbia heights and work near mt. vernon square, this is great news fo

leader is named from the four at large members this comes on the heels of the resignatio hairy thomas junior -- harryhomas junior. >>> i am concerned about the future of this government and the changes we are facing are profound. >> while this is quite devastating on many levels, i want to as sure people that is correct the business of the council will go on, un-- the business of the council will go on uninterrupted. >>> harry thomas junior sentenced to 38 months in prison. tony. >>> wisconsin governor scott walker survived a recall election but can unions survive the body blow delivered by wisconsin's voters, organized labor may be more vulnerable now than since president regan fired thousands of air traffic controllers, in 1981. jeremy mayor, from george washington university. thanks for coming in. it is a face nateing topic to me and -- fascinating topic to me and many people. what is going on with unions and budgets around the country. are unions under attack right now? >> certainly they are. we are in an era where there isn't as much money in the kitty as there was just 5, 10 years ago and durin

earlier this year, harry thomas of ward 5 was sentenced to prison after embezzling public funds. today a new chapter. the city council will vote in the 10:00 legislative meeting hoping to turn the page. reporting live, john gonzalez, abc 7 news. >> thank you. could be more disturbing and graphic testimony today in the child sex abuse trial of former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky. one of his alleged victims testified yesterday about house and as he started abusing him when he was 11 years old. the former assistant coach mike mcqueary also testified about how he saw sandusky abused a young boy in the penn state locker room shower? in 2001. sandusky is accused of abusing 10 boys. he denies the charge. >> a jury will resume deliberations this afternoon in a perjury trial of roger clemens. they began deliberations today after a day of closing arguments in the ninth week of the trial. he is charged with lying to congress in 2008 when asked if he ever used steroids and human growth hormone. if jurors cannot reach a verdict today, they will take off until monday beca

earlier this year, former councilman harry thomas jr. was sentenced to three years in prison for embezzling city funds intended for a youth soccer program. two campaign aides to d.c. mayor vincent gray, thomas gore and howard brooks, pleaded guilty to charges tied to the 2010 mayoral campaign. >> turning to the afghanistan war, defense secretary leon panetta is in afghanistan in order to review the progress and to discuss plans for troops to drawdown. the arrived overnight, a day after three suicide attackers blew themselves up in the marketplace near kandahar. 22 people were killed and 50 others wounded. >> now to the latest in vote 2012. first lady michelle obama will campaign in northern virginia today, meeting with campaign volunteers from manassas. she will be at a vfw post in dale city at 2:45 today. tickets are required. the president pulls the west coast tour continues. he will be in nevada today talking about college affordability. >> he received a warm welcome during a fund-raiser in california last night. he received a standin

former councilman harry thomas jr. was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this year for embezzling city funds. two campaign aides to d.c. mayor vincent gray pleaded guilty to charges that tied them to the 2010 mayoral campaign. >> the fight over a proposed costco gas station in montgomery county may heat up again tonight. the planning board will discuss the issue this evening. supporters say stit would bring jobs and convenience. but some fear the gas station could contaminated ground water in nearby neighborhoods. >> it could be a boost for a planned to extend dulles rail. the airports authority has voted to reverse its policy. that will give preferential treatment to union contractors building the silver line. loudoun county supervisors now have less than a month to decide whether to go through with the project. >> you know not to go to west virginia or delaware any more. folks living in the washington area have a more convenient place to gamble legally. the maryland live! casino opens up at their arundel mil

thomas' friends, family and supporters. news cameras were not allowed inside the church. harry thomas will be serving his time at a federal prison camp in montgomery, alabama. >>> an adult male is being taken to the hospital in serious condition. police are looking for two women in connection with this attack. it happened along the 1400 block of good hope road. >>> the murder of a dc deli owner has many people in the community surrounding that store upset. no arrests to be made and neighbors who live on saturday street northeast are worried this may put a cloud over the area. ken has the reaction. >> reporter: people out here are having a tough time dealing with this and making sense of this all. you can see the vigil that still remains here for miss june limb, clearly shows she meant something to the people of eighth street. her murder comes at a time when a lot of work has gone into cleaning these streets up and the talk out here is this is going to setback all that work, because of this senseless murder. 64-year-old june limb was gunned down in front of this store thursday m

. >> weeks ago, mayor vincent gray's campaign aides thomas gore and howard brooks pleaded guilty to charges. six months ago former councilman harrymas kraft was sentenced to three years for embezzling city funds. people who live and work in the district believe things need to change. clerk unfortunately, the nation will look at the district and say that is to be expected. i just hope that as the new generations come along, a lot of those types of old spots will change. -- old thoughts. >> brown is expected to appear in court tomorrow on the bank fraud charge. reporting live, brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> we're getting new details about a horrific accidents in fairfax city. we have just learned a 5-year- old faith williams has died from injuries suffered in a car crash on tuesday night. witnesses say that ms. williams was traveling 100 miles an hour when her car crashed on the highway. williams and her 7-year-old daughter died after the crash. >> 3 workers cutting down trees for pepco were struck by a truck on rockville pike in brazil when the driver of the boxed up went past a man directing traffic. none of the workers has life-

council member harry thomas will report to a federal prison this week. he will be serving his 37-month sentence. he pleaded guilty to embezzling $350,000 in city funds. thomas told a church gathering in northeast washington that he has been humbled by his prosecution. he told his supporters not to worry about him. coming up, facebook settled a lawsuit for millions of dollars. its users will not see any of that money. ozzie osborn son is diagnosed with a serious medical condition weeks after becoming a father. >> we have this amazing connection to him. >> why this family is finally able to celebrate father's day more than 40 years after their dad was killed in vietnam. >> for a family visiting d.c., this was a very special father's day. they have not been able to celebrate their dad until now. they finally found peace at the vietnam memorial wall. >> we did not ask for a better spot thursday. >> for this family -- we didn't we couldn't -- we could not ask for a better fathers day. >> for this family, it was a very special visit. >> i can enjoy the moment.

harry thomas jr.entenced to three years in prison for stealing thousands of dollars in district money that was supposed to go to youth programs. those charges also kofts thomas his seat on the council. >>> today transportation secretary ray lahood will make a major announcement to end distracted driving. he'll talk about a new ichbishive. he's also expected to announce special projects to keep drivers focused on the road. every year 3,000 people nation wide tdie from distracted texting. >>> first lady michelle obama will speak. today's event at a vfw post in dale city is the first public campaign trip for mrs. obama without her husband, the president. she was with the president when he relaunched his campaign in richmond earlier this month. >>> within the last hour, the president's re-election campaign announced it raised $60 million in may. the president was raising more money last night during a gala for guy rights supporters in los angeles followed by a private dinner with several celebrities. duri

. >>> making headlines on this wednesday morning, in just a few hours, harry thomas, jr. will no longer be a free man at least not for a while. the former d.c. council member will start serving his 3-month prison term in alabama today. thomas left washington with his family yesterday. he was sentenced to a federal prison sentence last month after pling gety to embezzling more than $350,000 in d.c. funds. >> a potential problem for mayor gray's nomination to head the d.c. department of housing and community development. michael kelly here admitted he had an affair with a coworker at his job as director of the housing authority in philadelphia. but he denies that he helped get that employee large pay raises and that he has been cleared of any wrongdoing. mayor gray plans to stand by kelly's nomination. there still needs to be a public hearing and then a full vote by the city council. >>> the leadership saga at the university of virginia has led to another resignation. mark kington stepped down as vice rector of uva's board of visitors. the campus has been in turmoil since t

first, harry thomas resigned followed by kwame brown last week on bank fraud and campaign violation.ources say mendelsohn seems to have the votes to succeed brown because he would offer stability. brown pleaded guilty last week in federal court. the chair pro tem spot is expected to be taken by councilmember michael brown leaving out vincent orange who had hopes to get chairmanship. >> we tried to settle down and get back to the business for which citizens elected us. >> i'm an at-large member. i represent all d.c. residents. we have to figure out how to move on in a positive way. >> reporter: marion barry has been tweeting about the imbeening vote telling people let your council members hear your voice and do you know what they're planning to do? at this point, it appears based on sources that the votes are going to go to phil mendelsohn. it is scheduled to happen at 10:00 this morning. and whoever is chosen for fill the chairman's seat would still have to survive a special election in november if they wanted to take the seat permanently. back to you. >> thank you. >>> a solid win f

this comes as harry thomas is heading to prison for theft, two campaign aides admitted to felonies. >> [unintelligible] >> for residents it is all becoming too much. clacks i am kind of disappointed to hear it. again, you'd never know who is to. >> the more serious charge he faces is bank fraud. he inflated his salary to get a lot of the house. he got $50,000 to get a speed boat docked on the anacostia river. >> all of his staffers were let go when he left yesterday the chairman pro tem says she will hire them all back tomorrow there will be a special ones -- there will be a special session and he eventually an election that will be held around the time of the general election to pick a chairman. there will be a lot of politicking between now and next week. reporting live, sam ford. >> thank you a special election process gets under way. if the election is held on november 6, that is the day of the general election, it could save taxpayers close to $1 million. you can read more about the charges and what is next in the process on our web sites wjla.com. >> now we go to the race for th

kwame brown was the second to step down a year earlier it was harry thomas. november 6, d.c. residents will decide if mendelson stays as permanent chairman. reporting live, john gonzales abc 7 news. >> it has been more than 30 years but skeletal remains found on the mountain has been identified as cynthia gastelle. she would missing in 1980. investigators were able to identify her from dna evidence that was collected last year. police have not ruled her death a homicide. also, a fairfax county teacher faces 10 counts of possession of child pornography. detectives arrested robert fenn at poplar tree elementary school yesterday. this is after an investigation. >> jerry sandusky's trial entering its third day today with more testimony from the former assistant coach's accusers. one of the victims gave accounts before star witnesses took the stand. he heard "slapping noises agand saw sandusky behind a boy." testifying is torture. >> we saw the pain that a victim of sexual abuse undergoes. >> sandusky has denied allegations of abusing 10 boys over a 15-year. period. >> military le

. >> back at home, harry thomas is expected to head to federal prison this week. he will serve his 38 month sentence in montgomery alabama. he pled guilty to embezzling the the bonds. he held a gathering in northeast washington that he said he was a humbled by his prosecution. >> still to come, the metro big overhaul is officially under way. we look at how rushed + went on day one. a local parking lot under a crack down by police. >> this church has had to file for bankruptcy. the details next. >> i'm doug hill in the belfort to furniture weather center. three days from now, it could be 97 degrees at this hour in arlington. crazy weather ahead. >> a prince george's county churches fazing net financial fall. >> they have now alpert -- filed for bankruptcy. as mark segraves said this is not their first run in with a financial mess in this church. >> the state legislature represents part of prince george's county. we are here at the ark and he is a bishop. >> if there was nothing impossible for god -- >> last week, they filed for bankruptcy protection citing a $2 mil

first think harry thomas resigned, convicted on corruption charges in recent months. kwame brown stepped down and pleaded guilty to criminal charges next week. councilmember is expected to succeed brown as the interim chair. sources say he is seen as someone who won't shake things up. vincent orange is all vying to take the chair seat but appears to be a long shot. councilmember mary cheh explained on fox 5 news at 10:00 last night. >> he is obviously vying for the spot so he would take a position in opposition to what is being proposed. he will have to make plain what his argument is. i think choosing mr. mendelsohn now as chair is the right thing to do. >> nothing is fixed but i believe what will happen is that chair pro tem mary cheh will propose a resolution. there will be an opportunity for discussion. often time when there is a situation like this, the council does not get into discussion and then there will be a vote. >> reporter: it is unclear for mendelsohn has the support of councilmember marion barry who has tweeted in part, do you know what they are planni

his last few days of freedom, what harry thomas jr. is telling supporters about his upcoming prison sentence. >>> d.c. airports have not gotten away from your h our cloud is not soft and fluffy. our cloud is made of bedrock. concrete. and steel. our cloud is the smartest brains combating the latest security threats. it spans oceans, stretches continents. and is scalable as far as the mind can see. our cloud is the cloud other clouds look up to. welcome to the uppernet. >>> starting today, police in prince william county will be keeping a close eye on commuter parking lots. they're cracking down on violat violato violators. that's where news 4 megan mcgrath is live with more. good morning, megan. >> good morning, angie. there are about 2,000 spots here at the horn erode spots, legal spots. and as you can see behind me here, early in the morning there are still some left. as the days wear on, they fill up and they go quickly. that's when we see a problem. if you see that stripd area right there, chances are that later on this morning the

six months before that, ward 5 councilman, harry thomas, forced out of office for stealing more than $300,000 from youth baseball programs. >> madame chairman, there are 11 yes' and one no. >> as suspected, four-term councilman was voted the new chairman. >> what do you say to the residents of the city? >> it's going to take time and we're going to work ourselves and collectively to do what we can. >> very knowledgeable the issues. he has been supportive of our communities and i think he is the right person to hold this seat temporarily. >> i want to thank council member mendelson for his endorsement of me. >> not without debate. >> we are devastated. >> vincent orange, one of the second in command spots arguing that the council's ten democrats should not promote brown an independent. the controversies, over internet gambling, unpaid taxes, and federal campaign finance violations. >> there's a crisis of ethics in city council for elected leadership. >> it was the voters on all those particular issues that you just mentioned. i'm very proud of my legislative record. >> the chairman, m

. >>> for harry thomas jr. will begin serving his prison sentence. thomas will report to federal prison in alabama. he will likely spend 2 1/2 years there. back in january he pled guilty to spending heds of thousands of dollars in government grants that were supposed to go to youth programs. >>> the prince george's county councilwoman is due in court today. karen toles could be fined $500 and get six points on her license. she's already pleaded guilty to a lesser use unsafe lane change ticket from that february incident. some say that could mean she could try to fight the more serious charge by claiming she's being prosecuted twice for the same crime. >>> this morning we're trying to learn more about how a man wanted for murdering a woman in dewey beach died. 26-year-old kumar was suspected in stabbing danielle. maids at the atlantic ocean side motel found her body in a room monday morning. sources say she was staying in that room with kumar. police launched a manhunt and found kumar's body in a hotel in new jersey. this is the first murder in dewey

it was just last month when harry thomas, junior junior resigned his council seat. coming up, we'll tell you what mayor vincent gray who is still also under a cloud here, what he has to say about all of this. back to you. >> thank you. >>> look at. this this is the energy of vegas, the draw of a much shorter drive. huge crowds turned out last night for the grand opening of the new maryland live casino. the crowds were so big police had to turn people away. streets around the arepublican del mill mall were jammed with cars slowly streaming into the park lot. this is what it hooked like just one hour later. up sued the maryland live casino. the big draw was the las vegas- style gambling. also celebrity chef bobby flay has a restaurant that just opened there. we'll talk with him live in our 8:00 hour. >>> and in our other top stories, a breakthrough in the stalemate that threatened to kill metrorail to dulles. the agency that oversees the project agreed to remove preferences for union labor from its plans. virginia's governor and loudoun county supervisors that refused

. >> and you told me before you had a friendship with kwame brown and you know harry thomas jr. well and how well is this? >> and that is difficult. i think a whole, you know, a whole load of emotions was coming out personally and that is really hard when we're working hard for the city and for these things to happen and that we have to let the citizens know that we are still moving forward. i have to admit. >> and you talked about your worry about what is next. how you said one thing's for sure, you won't see yvette alexander in handcuffs and you worried about others and is your concern for the mayor as well? are you concerned about what is going on behind the scenes into the investigation into the campaign? >> i don't know anything for sure. we have to end the cloud in the scandal in the district and i have a positive outlook and we don't know what is going on top -- to happen. i was shocked at last two council members and i am going to keep positive. >> and has chairman mendelson the man to lead the couple in the right direction? >> i am confident with him. he's a fair thinke

councilman harry thomas jr.ison in alabama today where he will begin serving a sentence for stealing city funds. he was sentenced to 38 months in jail after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $350,000. he told the washington times that he spent his final days of freedom tending to his lawn, spending time with his children and visiting his father's grave. >> d.c. council will hold hearings today on a proposal to add new signs to the verizon center exterior. the complex could apply to add nine graphics to the flip side. the images could be digital and animated, but the legislation requires the not impaired drivers on nearby streets or adversely impact the character or integrity of the verizon center. >> the man suspected of killing a woman at a dewey beach motel has been found deead. pawan kumar's body was found at a hotel in northern new jersey. investigators believe that he stabbed a 26-year-old pennsylvania woman to death. it's not clear why she was murdered or how the suspect died. he was the first person

he became a council member because his predecessor, harry thomas jr. resigned before pleading guilty to two felonies. >> i was elected by residents of ward 5 with the mandate to restore integritiy to this society. since i have been sworn, i have been trying to do that. >> reporter: the big talk around the wilson building now, who will replace chairman brown until an election can be called. remember, mary chay is the acting chair until next wednesday and she will call for a full vote by the council before at-large council members will be considered. coming up at 6, we'll tell you about the politicking going on behind the scenes for that temporary chairman seat, laura. >> matt, curious, in the meantime, what has happened to kwame brown's staff? >> reporter: well, all of them were terminated when he gave his resignation, but it's likely that many will be hired back by the acting chair of the council, mary chay. the spokesperson told me that she was in the process of figuring things out, which employees will be rehired and which ones won't return, laura? >

council member harry thomas jr. will begin serving his prison sentence. he will report to a minimum security federal prison camp in alabama. he will likely send 2 1/2 years there. back in january he pled guilty to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants that was supposed to go to youth programs. >>> the prince george's councilwoman driving 100 miles per hour on the beltway could be close to losing her license. erin tole is going to court today. fine and six points on her license. she already had two points on her license. that means she could have eight points after this which will begin the process of having her license suspended. toles has apologized and said she was running late for an appointment. >>> in alexandria, a woman is due in court charged with deadly road rage attack. she ran over 21-year-old arrington after an argument on harrison in mt. vernon. she's charge with felony hit and run. arrington was on her way to the hospital to see her mother who is recovering from a stroke. >>> 5:04. breaking news. in iraq, a car bomb e

six months before that, ward 5 councilman, harry thomas, forced out of office for stealing more than $300,000 from youth baseball programs. four-term councilman was voted the new chairman. >> what do you say to the residents of the city? >> it's going to take time and we're going to work ourselves and collectively to do what we can to restore that trust. >> not without debate. vincent orange, one of the second in command spots arguing that the council's ten democrats should not promote brown an independent. others sited brown's past controversies. other internet gambling, unpaid taxes, and federal campaign finance violations. >> the voters on all those particular issues that you just mentioned. i'm very proud of my legislative record over the last three years. >> bruce johnson, 9news now. >> coming up at 7:00, the nation's largest colleges and universities look to ban smoking on all 64 of its campuses. the proposal drawing fire, we'll talk about why on 9news now at 7:00. >> still to come, fighting the fires. a look at what crews are up against in colorado. top. >> we had a very refre

council member harry thomas will report to a federal prison this week. if he will serve his 38-month sentence in montgomery, alabama. he pleaded guilty to embezzling $350,000 in city funds. the washington post reports thomas cole -- told a church gathering in northeast washington that he had been humbled by the prosecution. coming up, a meeting of the world's economic leaders in mexico. we will take you to the g-20 summit, where the talk today is all about agreed. >> and a big crackdown under way at a local parking lot. what police are handing out tickets. >> poor sportsmanship during a tennis match. see what happens when you kick the man. >> it ready to heat things up. when we will reach the 90's on the thermometer. it will not be clucks we're back with the latest effort to jump-start the world's economy. the g-20 summit is under way in mexico. >> of far it is focused on grea -- greece. karen travers has more. >> world leaders gathered in mexico are breathing a collective sigh of relief. over the weekend, greek voters narrowly elected a new government t

. >>> harry thomas jr. will begin serving his prison sentence today.ll report to a minimum security prison camp in alabama. he will likely send 2 1/2 years there. in january he pleaded gill toy to stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grants that was supposed to go to youth programs. >>> the prince george's county councilwoman ticketed for driving more than 100 miles per hour on the beltway is due in court today. she could be fined more than $500 and get six points on her loy sense. she's already pleaded guilty to another serious unsafe lane change incident from earlier in that incident. she may fight the more serious charge but she's been prosecuted twice for the same crime. >>> the d.c. region is under a height advisory. dangerous heat stretches from vermont to virginia

council member harry thomas, jr. checked into a federal prison camp today. he will begin serving a 38- month sentence for stealing $350,000 from city youth programs. thomas admitted to spending the money on luxury vehicles and lavish trips. he will serve his sentence in montgomery, alabama. he could be released as early as february 200015. >>> u.s. military investigators are suggesting that troops that burned qurans in afghanistan be punished. several of the muslim holy books were thrown into a garbage fire pit back in february. the punishments could range from a letter in their file to docking their pay. the recommendations are still under review by the pentagon. >>> former egyptian president hosni mubarak is off of life support. however, he's still -- he still remains in a coma. the egyptian state media reported earlier that the 84- year-old ousted leader suffered a stroke. he was last seen in public 17 days ago when he was sentenced to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of protesters during last year's arab spring demonstrations. >>> the defen

former council member harry thomas, jr. stepped down from office in january. and then he pleaded guilty to charges that he sold money -- he stole money from the city. earlier this month, 2010 campaign aides to mayor vincent gray pleaded guilty to corruption charges. howard brooks and thomas gore were both involved in giving money to former mayoral candidate sulaimon brown and both could spend some time in prison. >>> the kwame brown story has a lot of people talking. you can join in that conversation by going to our facebook timeline. that's at facebook.com/wusa9. >>> traffic along rockville pike has been reduced to a crawl after a pepco crew knocked out power in that area. a 9news now employee says that he witnessed crews apparently cut the wrong cable along rockville pike at cedar lane. bruce leshan has more information. >> reporter: this could not come at a worst time, right in the middle of morning rush hour. subcontractor for pepco, pike electric was working out here and apparently they were trying to remove some old lines that had been replaced. but the

. >>> he's been charged with stealing funds but harry thomas junior has to repay the city more than $350,000 the same time, though, that federal judge says thomas will not have to repay another 90,000 bucks diverted from a city drug program to pay for a 209 inaugural balance. >>> it could have been a series of odd moments turned into a good thing. laura bush and sdwrorj bush returned to their -- george bush returned to their old home for the unveiling of their portrait. it reminded them of the significance of these presidential pictures. >> when the british burned the white house in 1814, dolly madison famously saved this portrait of the first george w. [ laughing ] >> now, michelle, if anything happens . [ laughing ] >> there is your man. [ laughing ] >> good stuff. now, president obama has spent a better part of his presidency blaming mr. bush for leaving the country in an economic mess when he inherited it, but both sides set apart political differences today for today's portrait ceremony. ♪ music playing ♪ don't mean a thi >> the washington convention center rocking it today as family, f

council member harry thomas, jr. cooling his heels in the federal pen. he reported this morning to begin serving that 38 month sentence for stealing $350,000 from city youth programs. thomas admitted to spending the money on luxury cars and lavish trips. he's serving that sentence at a facility in montgomery, alabama. the 51-year-old could be released as early as february of 2015. >>> prince george's county councilwoman karen toles learned her fate today for speeding on the beltway. toles was found guilty of reckless driving february 22nd in prince george's county near branch avenue. the in-car camera clocked toles going 108 miles an hour on the beltway and then over 80 on branch avenue before they pulled her over, but the judge in the case today gave toles a fine and probation before judgment and that means no points on her license and she gets to keep driving. >>> another story making big news in d.c. is the showdown between the obama administration and the congress over the justice department's operation fast and furious investigation. the house overs

. >>> kwame brown and harry thomas, jr. have both resigned in disgrace if the city city council in the last six months. the entire council got a lecture yesterday from councilman marion barry. >> the majority in the community has lost confidence in this council, has lost trust in this council. we're at the bottom of the barrel in terms of credibility. we were 60. but we'd probably be 10. this is serious. this is no game. >> marion barry went on to say, quote, this is the greatest governmental crisis since home rule. i can't think of anything except 9/11 that's been more horrific. >>> well, d.c. mayor vincent gray officially kicked off the facelift project along u street northwest. the ddot construction project will address blocks from 9th street to 14th street. roads will be repaired and repaved. sidewalks will be widened, and new landscaping will be installed. the $5 million renovation project is scheduled to be completed by next spring. >>> still to come when 9news now continues, more details of what some thought was a uf