tim barber, abc 7 news. >> how can you be possessed with so much hate? alison: a planned vigil tonight in hopes of finding wallen became a gathering in her memory. jonathan: family and friends shocked tonight as they found out the tragic news. tom roussey is live in columbia. cannot imagine what they are going through tonight. terrible bitech a for the folks here at the wild like high school community. along was together in this parking lot across the street. originally this was a gathering of hope. just an hour long, or so before it started, they got the awful news. >> she encouraged us to be better in life, not just school. tom: three students say that laura wallen literally turned their lives around. she is why they graduated. >> she was interested in you as a student and as a person and as a man. tom: tonight they were gathering to pray for her safe return, but the terrible news started about an hour before the vigil was to start. so they mourned. eventually they learned the news that her boyfriend had b

tim barber, abc 7 news. alison: meanwhile, we continue to track the devastation after this week's earthquake in mexico. the death toll continuing to grow, now 273. search and rescue efforts are still happening as mexico's president says people can still be trapped in as many as 10 buildings. >> my brother is alive, but the complicated thing is reaching him where he is. we cannot just reach in and take him out. there are three consecutive earthquakes in only 12 days, impacting infrastructure and readiness and humanity. alison: countless families just hoping for rescue instead of a recovery. an unknown living in shelters with no idea how long they will be there. we are tracking rescue efforts around the clock. stay with abc 7 for continuing coverage from x ago. nancy: turning to the devastation from hurricane maria, new images coming into the newsroom. some communities are completely cut off, trees toppled, wires down, debris everywhere. at least 15 people are dead on the island of domica, but that number may

tim barber, abc 7 news. jonathan: hundreds of protesters arriving at the martin luther king jr. memorial this afternoon, the culmination of a ten-day march from charlottesville. participants are angry over president trump's response to last month's violence at a white nationalist rally that left one person dead. >> our neighbors and fellow americans are being attacked by our government. there is no difference between them and us. there should not be. nancy: later this month charlottesville will post a day of healing, a concert performed on september 24. people to charities. the concert is free. jonathan: closer to home, removing more confederate symbols. if you have been to the national cathedral, you may have seen the stained glass with the confederate flags. church leaders say the debate on what to do with the window centered on whether they had a place in the nation's spiritual home. the removal will take a few days and has already begun. nancy: insane clown posse ready to to send on d.c., but they are no

tim barber with her heartbreaking plea for help. m: shaler taylor wants to find the person who killed her husband. >> i pray for that , and i pray that they will have the strength to come forward. tim: the hit and run crash on i- 95 happened in dumfries on august 28. >> thinking somebody just left him there like that tears me up at night. tim: they met during her junior year in high school. >> he had a good heart. tim: and she instilled those values and their boys. >> he always told the boys that and we haveprincess to protect her and love her, so if i'm not here, boys, you are in charge. >> he tried to do the best for everybody. tim: the 47-year-old was also taking care of cheryl, who has cancer. >> even when i lost him i hear and i was sick, he would always kiss me on my four head and say to me, i love you and you are beautiful. tim: cheryl wants the driver to know how important jimmy is an come forward. >> i can only imagine that it is eating them up. tim: tim barber, abc 7 news. alison: the virginia state police believe the hit-a

tim barber, abc 7 news. nancy: to read more about the schedule of weekend events and the traffic alerts, go to wjla.com. schools in stafford county have elevated levels of lead in their drinking water according to new test results. the school district says it is taking action to correct this. q mccray with what parents should know. q: is the hot subject at stafford county public schools, specifically what is in it -- lead. this is one of six schools with contamination. we show to parents the district's newly released findings. six schools with unsafe levels of lead on campus. >> definitely concerning. we got any mail. >> i told my daughters don't drink at school. they are the same six schools that we told you about in august when lead was discovered during the first round of testing before school started. they are north stafford high, a.g. wrigh middle, there is, heartwood elementary. spots are bathroom and classroom sinks and hallway fountains. they all continue to be off limits to students until further no

tim barber is live in northwest washington with the latest on this. tim?im: the posters are the left come on my right. this is one of the more controversials ones that shows the president's underpants covered in swastikas. driving around washington, it does not take long to spot new anti-trump posters. there are thousands. this one under the shadow of the trump hotel blast the president for his tweets. "no room for racists." >> i think it is wonderful everyone is expressing ways of resistance. officials with public works said they have no record of a group getting a proper permit for the posters, so each one will be torn down. nearly 4000 posters, that could take district officials a long time. >> you see it on trucks come everywhere come in alleys especially. tim: tonight there is no word on how much time or taxpayer money it will take to take these down. we reached out to the folks behind the posters to get their side of the story, but so far they have not responded. live in northwest washington, tim barber, abc 7 news. jonathan: something tells me they

tim barber live at the rescue headquarters in chantilly. you spent a lot of time with the folks. they do amazing work. tim: they live for search and rescue. but they are not going to show up until 9:00 tonight. some of the folks told us in the last hour or so it's been a busy month for the task force. some were sent to houston for hurricane harvey, then florida for irma and then puerto rico for hurricane maria. they help with the storm prep and search and rescue afterwards. the first responder haves been away from the families for three weeks so this reunion is expected to be emotional. they are expected to land and hit the tarmac at 8:30 tonight at dulles. they will take buses and the equipment here to unload. we talk to them and the families. we will have the stories of the missions they had over there in puerto rico tonight reporting live in fairfax county. tim barber, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. as a rescue group returns home another is on the way. maryland task force one arrived in puerto rico today. that group includes doctors in addition to the first responders and the res

re tim barber, abc 7 news.onathan: president trump to mark the anniversary, his first in office, with a moment of silence at the white house with the first lady. pay their respect at the pentagon. the president spoke to a crowd that included families of those killed on flight 77 when it hit the building. we honor them,m, and we alleged to never, ever forget them. jonathan: at the flight 93 memorial in pennsylvania, vice president pence said as a member of congress in september, he is alive because passenger stop the terrorists before the plane could reach watching him. [bell tolls] has been and as it every year for the past 16 years, at the site of the world trade center, a moment of silence and bills tolled. survivors, and first responders to gather to hear the name of each and every victim read aloud. alison: when you're a go to the day that terron sterling was shot and killed by the police, protesters gathered to make sure that he is not forgotten. last month we learned charges would not be filed against the

tim barber is there with the damage and an arrest and this guy has inte say after he was arrested, tim. tim: park police officers say they spotted him here against a pillar looking up like this. so she hopped on the lower level and walked over. got up behind him. and she caught him in the act with the penny. >> this man is accused of using a penny with lincoln's face to deface lincoln's memorial. >> to think someone would disrespect something that has been here for so long is blind blowing. >> the suspect nurtilek bakirov from the kyrgyz republic a small country west of china. they spotted him carving letters in pillars on the north side of the monument monday afternoon. not sure what the message is, if it's fixable or how a fix will cost. >> people do things and they don't think about the consequences. >> court records show the 30-year-old suspect told the officers "sorry, didn't know you could do that" and "am i in trouble for this?" >> how do you not pretty stupid. >> the suspect next court appearance is in november. he is ordered to stay away from the lincoln memorial. reporting li

tim barber is live in montgomery county, where the school district is giving guidance for high school football games. tim? tim: there were more than a dozen foot all games across the country -- the county to make including at walter johnson high school. tonight all school principals and athletic directors got a reminder about the school district's policy. students are allowed to opt out of peach erratic -- patriotic ex anthem and not be punished. veteran, so i have mixed emotions about it. however, i understand the cause of the kneeling. it started with the nfl players. tim: we have a lot more information about the nfl protests on wjla.com. reporting live in montgomery county, tim barber, abc 7 news. nancy: still ahead, this may be a major health breakthrough. alison: a breast cancer pill just approved by the fda. and another rockslide at yosemite national park, the second in just two days, happening at the height of climbing season. nancy: and get ready to vote in our insta poll. a debate in virginia over whether health care workers should be required to speak english. and -- alison:

tim barber live in northwest washington with a push to allow your pup out on d.c.patios. >> we talked to a lot of people were pooches who wanted to take their dogs to patios, and of them had no idea about these rules. so we asked officials why all of a sudden they are cracking down. journey williams picks restaurants that include his poodle. >> we have been coming here since they opened, specifically because they allow the dogs. >> but this week district health officials are cracking down on bars and restaurants that allow dogs on their patios. such as the midland's beer garden. >> it's running way for dogs than way against this change of policy. >> the business even jokingly put this closed sign on their dog house. >> i would hope there would be opportunities for at least some part of the restaurant to bring your dog because it is so nice. but i could also see it on both sides. >> some people do believe it's a health and safety issue, but pro pup people believe it should be up to the businesses. i don't see it as a problem. >> it should be depending on how they fe

tim barber was there, as clinton continued her book tour. "she is a woman. she ran for president. she lost and she is taking it like a champ." "i think there is hope for our country, which is something having." still ahead-- more about the suspects arrested after a failed terror attack in london. the connection police uncovered coming up. - j and i sponsored is ad. they're studying for 21st century jobs. but ed gillespie supports donald trump's plan to take money out of virginia public schools and give it to private schools. as a washington dc lobbyist, ed gillespie worked for lenders trying to keep student loan rates high. and ed gillespie's plan to cut taxes for the wealthy could cut virginia school funding, too. ed doesn't stand for education. start the interview with a firm handshake. ay,no! don't do that! try head & shoulders instant relief. it cools on contact, and also keeps you 100% flake free. try head & shoulders instant relief. for cooling relief in a snap. east - dry & unseasonably warm through this weekend - fall arrives friday (4:02pm) - maria remains a major categor

tim barber live at the scene with the latest. tim? tim: the shooting happened right here in the 6000 block of port tobacc here. they have a house blacked off on the left which neighbors tell me they believe is a rental house. i want to show you a picture of the suspect which investigators are looking for now. brian pierce. we are told he is 35 years old. his car was found at the end of friendship landing road this afternoon. he is about six foot tall, 200 pounds, balding. here is the important part. we are told he is armed with a gun. we are told he shot two people this afternoon. killing one of them. the other one rushed to the hospital. we don't have any information about the victims. but we are working to talk with the public information officer to get more information about the case right now. but they are looking for brian. he is 35 years old. poneably armed. as soon as we get new details we will bring them to you right here and online and social media. reporting live in charles county, tim barber, abc7 news. larry: thank you for

tim barber has the latest. what do we tim: this is been a gutwrenching night for ashanti billie's family. they want to north carolina to see if the body belongs to their daughter. all we know is that a body was found outside of a charlotte church. the fbi has a confirmed if this is ms. billie. the teen disappeared september 18. investigators believe that billie was last seen leaving a navy base where she worked at a blimpy store. we'll bring you new information as soon as we get it. nancy: more breaking news -- a grand jury has indicted one of the men charged with raping a high school classmate in frederick. he was indicted on charges of kidnapping and rape. the police say he and another teenager held their classmate third person filmed the attack. the police are still searching for the third suspect. michelle: an arrest in a sexual assault last night. the police say that jeremiah tolly may be tied to other cases. right now he is accused of grabbing a woman from behind and groping her in fairfax. the woman was n

tim barber along the national mall with the story. tim? tim: well, investigators say he used that penny to carve into one of the pillars here. so he used lincoln's face to deface lincoln's memorial. >> this vandalism is hard to see and difficult to remove. >> i mean why do you destroy something so beautiful. >> the park police responded to tourists carving letters in the pillar monday afternoon. it's not clear what the message is. >> anything at all? >> no. tim: the suspect nurtilek bakirov is from the kyrgyz, small country west of ki china. the 30-year-old said, "am i in trouble for doing this?" >> i think he should be prosecuted for one thing and i think any defacing of government property is wrong. tim: bakirov is facing charges for defacing public property and destruction of property and the damage is expected to be $1,000. >> somewhat is the point in that -- what is the point in that? tom: the national park service working to find out if they can remove the scratches or not. we will keep you posted. reporting live in northwest washing

tim barber with the investigation happening right now. this woman was sexually assaulted by the employee at the nursing home. >> she is very distraught about the incident. >> the woman's nephews asked us not to show their faces. he says this happened in the nursing home early monday morning. he did not find out until thursday. >> another allegation that did not rise to anything criminal. sexualions of misconduct. i spoke with the company representative over the phone tonight and he told me they are taking these allegations seriously. alerted local and state authorities. telling family members say not only want the worker arrested and fired, they won his supervisors fired. >> i'm shocked because i did not receive a call. >> reporting in prince george's , abc 7 news. >> president trump calling out senator john mccain tonight because today, senator mccain refused to support the new effort to repeal obamacare. theident trump says that horrible for the party. the president says it will get done down the line. the dangerous war of words escalat

tim barber has the investigation going on right now. tim: investigators say this is where the murder happened. right now the suspect is on the run. investigators say he is armed. while investigators bagged evidence at the murder scene, four miles away deputies searched for the accused killer, 35-year-old brian pierce, whose car was found on friendship landing roadwh this boater was about to get off the water when deputies stopped him. >> they said you have to go back because somebody got shot and is running around with a shotgun. so we just sat out on the water and fished a little longer. until they told us to come in. jonathan: charles county deputy say that pierce knew the victims who came over to his house on port tobacco road. investigators say that an argument broke out before pierce opened fire. >> is very scary. tim: both men ran for their lives, but one died and the other is in serious condition. tonight, deputies are warning the public. >> keep an eye out for this individual. if they see him, call 911 right away. tim: if investi

tim barber is live outside the d.c. police headquarters to explain why. tim? tim: larry, they are trading in the squad cars for a military aircraft tomorrow morning. they are flying down first thing in the morning to puerto rico. for many officers this trip is personnel. they have family down there. the paid administrative leave days for the mission. after that the men and the women will take personal days. they will be helping the state police with anything needed. the chief says he could not be more proud of the officers who asked him and the union to go down there and help. >> as you know the motto on the metropolitan police department we are here to help. this illustrates it better than ever. tim: one of the officers teared up when he told me what the trip meant to him. his sister is down there now and he still has not had contact with her. i'm going through the interview now and i vel the latest coming up. that is latest from headquarters, i tim barber, abc7 news. alison: after a nasty five hours on the baltimore parkway this morning between 2:00 a.m. and

jonathan: you wil on the situation in florida, tim barber continuing our team coverage. tim: we just got all that information, but this fact has not changed about the storm -- this is a dangerous storm headed for florida. is a category five, meaning wind up to 185 miles per hour. florida gov. rick scott is declaring a state of the sea. in the florida keys, mandatory evacuations. there are long lines at gas stations and people packing up whatever supplies they can get their hands on. >> you have to be prepared as much as possible. very important that everyone in our state is prepared. tim: this is the strongest storm in the atlantic. nancy: we will track irma around-the-clock and at wjla.com . sign up for breaking news alerts on your phone. to do that, go to wjla.com/text. jonathan: we're watching the path of recovery after hurricane harvey, hundreds of thousands of cars lost in the flooding. we are finding out more than 20% of car owners with insurance may not be covered for this. the auto industry estimates a $2 billion loss. nancy: harvey's devastation still fresh in th

tim barber just spoke with the woman's father. distress. n tim: she saw a pregnant woman identified by her family as andrea grinage with burns covering her body. >> never seen anything like it in my life. tim: investigators say that andrea grinage's boyfriend set her on fire in their capitol heights apartment. her father told me over facetime from the hospital her boyfriend is violent. >> to take responsibility of being a newborn dad. he did not want that. and once a baby is conceived, it's too late for all that. you either step up and be a dad or walk away. tim: according to investigators, grinage told neighbors her boyfriend attacked her and was going to d.c. to kill one of her family members. the police got the suspect on the phone and talked him into turning himself in. the baby was not due today, so doctors delivered the baby seven months early. >> she is doing well. is still innage critical condition while the man accused of putting her there is behind bars. jonathan: things keep changing with the hurricane. we know that hurricane irma

tim barber is live in northwest with more. tim? tim: clinton spoke at the warner theatre, up the street. we cannot help but notice it is next to the trump hotel and in the other direction the white house. tonight's line went out the door and around the block. security screened people going inside and watch the protesters outside. [shouting] tom: after a minute's standing ovation, she talked about what she did right and wrong during the election and the outside forces she blames, from media misogyny to russia. >> putin or trump? iran against both of them -- i ran against both of them. signing at aa book store down the street from c omet pizza. >> a terrible example of what can be done by people who are malicious, unacquainted with the truth. tim: she won nearly 90% of district voters last fall, and tonight's crowd was friendly and they all got a copy of her book, "what happened." >> she is taking it like a champ. a i think there is hope for country, which is not something i necessarily thought we had coming in. tim: the stop tonight

reporting live, tim barber, abc 7 news.lison: meanwhil update nica,e island of domi where hundreds of american medical students are making their way home after being stranded in maria's aftermath. up andentire house went she was just holding onto the floor boards for the entire storm. from the wind. her face was red. alison: although students are now on their way home. jonathan: and this is good news -- maria has been downgraded to a tropical storm as a continues its trek north. thereparation, some of evacuated areas near the outer banks of north carolina, maria is not expected to make landfall but is expected to cause a strong storm surge in the coming hours. we will have a live report from north carolina at 11:15. now this storm, a tropical storm named maria winds still at 70 miles per hour, gusts to 85. the forecast tomorrow, highs in the middle to upper 80's, heat index values of the lower 90's. we are watching a cold front that will bring us relief from the heat and help push maria further out to sea. big changes are o

earlier this year abc7's tim barber got exclusive access to virginia task force one as the members train by crawling through shattered concrete and crushed buildings. you can watch that story now at wjla.com. michelle: the other natural disaster we are keeping an eye on. still a major hurricane. maria. storm. churning in the caribbean. warnings posted from the dominican public through the turks and caicos island. 19 are confirmed dead. joe torres from wabc shows us what it's like. >> this used to be somebody's bedroom. michelle: just in, a gas can knocked over and roofs ripped from the homes and the downed power lines. the effect of the storm is far from over. puerto rico and much of the caribbean pick up after irma, the big question is where w maria. first it was irma and now it's maria. josh knight tracking the tropics. a lot to keep track of here. josh: it's been so busy. it continues. there is a well-established eye with maria. category three storms. winds are around 120 miles per hour gusting up to 150. this is the turks and caicos. that is the next land it will get the closest to.

tim: tim barber, abc 7 news. jonathan: the mayor of a major u.s. city is stepping down tonight. alison: new details and a sex scandal that led to his resignation. and a terrifying scene in utah. an airplane crashes in the middle of the street. jonathan: and confiscating cash. controversy after an officer was caught on tape grabbing money from a hot dog vendor's wallet. ralpand i sponsoredralph northam, canthis adfor governor narrator: ed gillespie says dr. ralph northam doesn't show up? dr. ralph northam was an army doctor and a volunteer medical director at a children's hospice. he passed the virginia law requiring concussion standards for school sports. and dr. northam is working to connect veterans to good paying jobs in virginia. ed gillespie is a washington dc corporate lobbyist. he shows up for whoever pays him. jonathan: this was a terrifying sight in salt lake city. inner plane dipped below way building, seconds later bursting into flames, clipping a car in the middle of the street. miraculously the pilot and the driver of the car are both ok. the crash is the second inv

tim barber, abc 7 news. alert inw a crime prince george's county -- the police trying to catch a robber with a gun targeting cell phone users. >> a life-and-death situation. you can do the wrong thing and a trigger could be pulled. nancy: the police say that this stores this month alone. take a look at this surveillance. if you think you know him or have information, give the police a call. steve: 14 days in a row of above average temperatures around the dmv, and tomorrow will be a little below average. 91 degrees earlier this afternoon at reagan national airport. tomorrow's highs only around 78. a cold front set to move across will not only dropped temperatures but also the humidity levels. more on that and the upcoming weekend, and another cold front that will further coolest down. alison: steve, thank you. we are still tracking the aftermath of hurricane maria in puerto rico. the situation is getting worse as crowds are trying to get off the island. nancy: million still without power, and now word there i

alison: tim barber was at the homecoming. rginia rock stars, ta puerto rico to their biggest fans. their families. >> my one daughter who is 4 burst into tears and just wanted daddy home. tim: her husband was in puerto rico and houston. >> the wind was really the killer on this one. tim: hurricane maria is the most powerful storm to hit puerto rico in nearly a decade and families are still without power as a dam is on the brink of collapsing. >> who were able to find and evacuate people. tim: they help shore up the dams and board up homes, then look for signs of life in the rubble. >> they are making a real difference. is doingke my husband this stuff and it's easier to let him go. >> i'm extremely proud of him and the entire team, and i'm proud they were able to do this. tim: the family'ies are proud of their heroes. the admiration goes both ways. >> my wife is fantastic. i cannot do it without her. jonathan: members of maryland task force one arrived in puerto rico this afternoon and are performing searches and surveying dam

last night, abc7's tim barber spoke to his brother through his apartment door. the accuser's lawyer says massage envy employees knew the suspect had already been accused of sexually assaulting two other women. the lawsuit accuses incidents. a former prince george's county school aide charged with child sex abuse is expected in court today for a motions hearing. deonte carraway worked at judge sylvania woods elementary school. he was sentenced in august to 75 years in prison. police say he engaged in sexual activity with children, and had them appear in child porn, which he produced. also happening today - metro riders demanding change. this morning the "save our system" coalition will deliver 11-thousand petitions signed by riders to the wmata board. the petitions are asking for a flat fare... free transfers and expanded service. a rally is also scheduled for nine a-m this moring at wmata headquarters. this morning - the montgoemry county council is getting an update on the purple line. they'll hear from the private-public team behind the project, as well as the

last night, tim barber spoke with that therapist's brother through his apartment door. >> i know everybody thinks, people only what money. >> she is hurt. she is in fear of what she may have contracted. autria: the accuser's lawyer says massage envy employees knew the suspect had already been accused of sexually assaulting two other women in the lawsuit accuses massage envy of covering up the incident. larry: a former school aid charged with sex abuse has a motion hearing today. in august, federal judge sentenced him to 75 years in prison. police say he engaged in sexual activity with children and have them appear in child on, which he produced. he also faces local charges in prince george's county. of read video today out of ui airport, a woman dragged kicking and screaming off of a southwest airlines plane. >> i will walk off. don't touch me. don't touch me! all happen on tuesday. southwest airlines has the woman claimed to have a life-threatening pet allergy and wanted to dogs removed. she did not have a doctors note, so the crew said she is the one who had to go. gotrefused of police i

. >> we take you inside the fema center as they are gett >> tim barber is out on breaking news for us. we'll get back to him. michelle: move to a "7 on your side" consumer alert. more than one out of three americans got the information hacked. jonathan: this is incredible. credit monitor company eq and driver's license numbers in the hands of hackers. "7 on your side" nathan baca showing us how to protect ourself. we have had a couple of major hacks in last couple of years from the companies that you expect to protect us. >> that is right. once again millions of americans might need to sign up for credit monitoring. the first step for help going online to equifax security. people can find out if the information was likely hack and sign up for free credit monitoring service. >> they had a hard time getting through to the hot line. we are putting it to the test. the first two times busy signal. then they said the phone system was down but is now up and running. every time, you will get a text right to your phone with a code that only you have. that is the one thing they haven't gotten a

tim barber has the latest. what do we