we begin with wendy rieger. wendy, you've seen a lot of company so far? >> reporter: oh, gosh, this is the happiest place in the world to be. i'm so happy i'm here and look at where i am. look how close we are to the stage. all afternoon, we've been having dress rehearsals. jamie foxx, jack black, john oliver coming out and bruce springsteen came out and played a song. it's wonderful. look at the people. the park service has permits for 800,000 people. i don't know, we don't have a crowd estimate just now, but at the same time, all these people here, and it still feels like kind of an oasis of calm. everything appears to have gone, you know, like clockwork. there were -- you don't hear of any disturbances. everybody seems to be happy in the middle of a big picnic today. it is clear that everyone is so glad to be here. >> i'm from new jersey originally. so bruce springsteen. zac brown band. we've got some snacks, some games and i think it's going to get rocking and rolling later. >> reporter: oh, it is going to get rocking and rolling later. now, we've got

wendy rieger in the midst of it all. wendy?er: it's like let's get this show on the road, people! you know, people have been out here for hours and hours, so we have a few more minutes to wait. and they have not released the order of appearances. they will be releasing that in the next few minutes. but it doesn't matter. they've got a great lineup. bruce springsteen, black keys, carrie underwood, metallica. jennifer hudson, rihanna, to name a few. it's going to be a big, big night. last night was kind of a big night, because a lot of them were rehearsing. they have been doing sound checks, because you can imagine, this is a massive production with a lot of different sounds. carrie underwood. black keys. bruce springsteen performed one full song earlier this afternoon. so it's been a wonderful time to wait for this thing to unfold. but the waiting will be ending in the next 15 minutes as the concert for valor gets under way on the mall. eryone is in place, and it looks like we're just waiting for the lights to come up and occ cu

. >> news4's wendy rieger starts us off at the live desk with more. >> this fire claimed half of a family of four, killing a mother and her youngest daughter. family members identified the victims as mary barkes and her 7-year-old daughter, emily. they say the pair got stuck inside after two other family members did manage to get out. that fire broke out early this morning at the home that's along south emerson street in arlington. and we're told there were no working smoke detectors inside. the victim's father told pat collins this is a devastating time for this family. >> i just loved my wife six months ago. and we took care of her for six years at home. i'm having a hard time getting through this. why does this have to happen? >> at this point, no word on what may have sparked that fire. p pat collins will have more on the victims and investigation in our next hour. back to you. >> weapon de, thank you. >>> first at 4:00, the video that has everybody talking. we just learned a close connection to our area a day after this video of a scary abduction went public. coming up in about 15 mi

. >>> we want to go to wendy rieger at the desk. an update from western new york now buried in snow. >> 5 feet of snow in western new york. more may be on the way. imagine what it's like driving out there. the go just addressed that on their efforts to rescue people stuck on the roads in buffalo. so far they've gotten occupants ot of passenger vehicles but 98 vehicles need rescuing. they're telling people, if you can, to stay off the roads, as they always do. they are trucks moving state to state who don't have the luxury of avoiding that part of new york. s it's working around the clock to get these motorists stuck on the roads off those roads. about 140 miles of that throughway has been closed this blizzard. back to you. >> she says she was forced off the job because she was pregnant. ho one mom managed to shake up a nationwide chain. could this be the future of pag at the airport? why a new program at one local airport is raising a lot of eyebrows despite the opportunity fo free parking. storm team 4, keeping track of all this bi

live desk, i'm wendy rieger. in a few minutes. >>> first at 4:00, an overwhelming react to a high school beating caught on camera. it happened at suitland high school and now parents are asking where was security. here's a preview of what we're working on for news4 at 5:00. >> reporter: i'm dollars see spencer in prince george's county. there two students who were attacked in the hallways of suitland high school on friday morning. one 11th grade student was celebrating her 16th birthday when she was assaulted right here in the hallway. her boyfriend came to her defense, jumped in to try to break up that fight. he was seriously hurt. he is still in the hospital with a broken jaw. tonight, the ptsa is going to meet her at the school and we are expecting to hear from the principal of the school for the first time to talk about the attacks here at suitland high school. i spoke to the mother of the young lady who was attacked here. she tells me she did everything she could as a parent to try to prevent this from happe

in our series "changing minds," wendy rieger looks at how pills can consume a life. >> i got a knockdoor from police at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. and it's a knock you don't want to get. >> reporter: trish's son charlie was 21 years old when he overdosed on oxycontin and never woke up. he had first tried this drug when he was 18 and it got to him. addiction cane quick. his life unraveled. >> if your child has an addictive tendency and starts abusing drugs or alcohol, it's a very, very long road back. >> grief can be an endless road as well. she took her first sad steps at her computer. she wrote a movie about young people and the pressure that can lead to drugs. >> kids are just -- they're wound so tightly. and, you know, you push the wrong button and they're going to snap. >> reporter: the movie was shot loc lolley with local actors. it's not long, by design. >> we're catering to today's teenage brain, which goes a mile a minute. >> reporter: it's a musical. along the lines of the tv show "glee" but it's set in a high school. the film follows three friends and an event that sends one

wendy rieger at our live desk. >> reporter: "the washington " is reporting that mayor gray was offered a plea deal and he rejected it, which means he could be headed . that plea deal was reportedly offered in mid sept it would have required gray to complete guilty to a single felony cou. six people have pl and among the claims, a conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and knowledge of a $600,000 shadow ca news 4 has learned that prosecutors have been reinterviewing key witnesses in this investigation, further indication that authorities may be moving towa. gray's attorney, bob bennett, has said if it comes to that, his client will fight these charges and he will seek a spee. >>> new tonight, a teenager hurt in a high school brawl says she warned administrators before the fight that a classmate was thre now a 16-year-old who came to her defense at suitland high school on fr. he had to have surgery o news 4's jackie bensen is at the hospital with the latest on this. >> rep the video i note the pink balloons in the le. friday was the 5'0"90-pound b the girl with the pink purse is th

>> and i'm wendy rieger in for pat lawson muse. this is the story that the world has been waiting for. and we are following every development. >> we want to get straight to news4's aaron gilchrist, on the live desk with these late-breaking details today. aaron? >> reporter: information coming in fast and furious, you're right, guys. we do know at this point that the grand jury in st. louis county, missouri, has reached a decision on whether to indict officer darren wilson for the shooting death of 18-year-old michael brown, exactly when that decision will be made public we don't know yet. reports coming out of ferguson, the announcement could be made public somewhere in the 6:00 hour our time. possibly as late as 9:00 our time. so we know that the st. louis county prosecutor will come forward and talk about that. the attorney for michael brown's family has confirmed that the family has been notified that a decision has been made, not that they have been told what that decision is at this point. and we also know that grand jury had

we have a team of reporters and wendy rieger throughout this evening. t's gotten dark down there. >> reporter: oh, yes. night has fallen upon us and the crowd is still well-behaved. it's been a lovely afternoon here. we have been listening to these wonderful sound checks, a mini conve concert before 7:00. we have had a little trouble, because it started getting dark and we had a gate-crasher. and security is tight. and you're not supposed to go rogue down here. mark segraves has been covering security, and this happened not far from where he was standing and he got it all. so let's get the latest from him. mark? >> reporter: that's right, wendy. our photographer, joe, shot this exclusive video. you can see these three metal barriers separating the general admission people where thousands and thousands of fans are held away from the vip section, which is barely empty. three men jumped that metal barrier and were quickly swooped down on by secret service agents who used mace and handcuffs. those three men taken into custody and away from this location. we'

we have a bunch of crews working on the story, and wendy rieger at the live desk with a preview. hi, a big day. one of the biggest in terms of crowds that this national mall has seen in years. there is a lot of action there tonight. the sound crews making sound checks, putting up the security fences because they've got a lot of crowd to control. they're expecting about 800,000 people. metro will be suspending the blue line service, and there will be road closures in that area. so beware, and plan on staying away. keep your cars out of that area. we have live team coverage of this big event, including what to expect. that is copying coming up at the top of the hour. back to you. >>> first at 4:00 right now, an incredible mess for more than a dozen homes in alexandria. a water main break led to a sewage backup. northern virginia bureau chief jaully carry has a preview now. >> reporter: the 100 block of south georgia street looks like a disaster zone. day four of cleanup here. inside this dumpster, all of the couches and chairs that used to be in the residents' basements here. last

let's get right to wendy rieger at the live desk. >> pat and jim, let's be clear. this incident happened on the white oak campus of the fda and there was acty no violence. but it was the fear of violence that drove the federal protecti servi to put the campus on lockdown after someone discovered an unauthorized we in a locked vehicle, right about noon today. rumors started flying, and people began calling montgomery police saying they thought they had -- there had a shooting on that fda proper. employees barricaded their doors, closed their blinds. but after police responded, checked the building, an all-clear was given. federal officers are still looking into that unauthorized weap on the silver spring campus. >>> there has been a shooting in the stay where you are. we'll be coming to you. >> take a good look at this cell phone video just released from inside the florida state universi library, near where a gunman opened fire in the early morning police warning students, there's been a shooting inside the building. u can hear the alarm going off in the background.

at the live desk i'm wendy rieger. >>> tough questions expected for the director of the secret serviceorrow. joseph clancy will testify before the house judiciary committee. las are expected to focus on the september breach of the white house by fence-jumper omar gonzalez. a homeland security report released last week revealed that one agent was in a van talking on a cell phone when it happened. clancy called the breach inexcusable, and already admitted that the secret service has fallen short. >>> new details tonight about a deadly plane crash near midway airport in. tonight, our station there has learned that the company involved has had nearly a dozen incidents, including one deadly crash before today. the plane crashed into a house last night shortly after the pilot radioed about engine trouble. the pilot was killed. a couple inside the house was sleeping just inches away from the crash and managed to walk away unharmed. the national transportation safety board has removed the plane from the house. it's now trying to figure out just what caused that crash. >>> next, a father opens

. >>> i'm wendy rieger at the live desk. now we're working on some new details about that attempted attack near the university of maryland campus that happened yesterday morning. a female student says she was walking to her car on hartwick road when a man with a knife walked up behind her and tried to drag her away. she managed to escape. coming up in a few minutes on news4 at 5:00, what the university is telling students to do to keep themselves safe. back to you. >> it's happened again and a lot of folks are not happy about it. how did someone manage to sneak past security and climb to the top of one of the most guarded places in the countr >>> i'm julie carey in woodbridge, virginia, where two teens are shot as they stand at the front door. now one is dead. coming up, the neighborhood coming up, thow can i avoid maintenance fees? why would you want to avoid them? because i don't want to... you know what? i'm gonna bring my maintenance guy in here to tell you all about it. roddy! so, uh, without your fee, your checking cha

. >>> and i'm wendy rieger at the live desk. working on new details about that man accused of kidnapping a montgomery county judge in may. we have just learned that he was found competent to stand trial. he's charged with kidnapping and assaulted judge audrey crayton who investigators say the two were living together. despite today's ruling, there is still a delay in this trial. we'll explain why, coming up on news4 at 5:00. i'll see you then. >>> now to northern virginia where some parents are calling one proposal a terrible idea. we're tracking the latest in a -- an a measure to start charging loudoun county students to ride the school bus. >> reporter: i'm jackie bensen in leesburg. imagine your child needing to use one of these, a fare card, to get on the school bus. that could happen in loudoun county, virginia, thanks to a proposal by the county school board, they say. they need permission from the state to be able to do this in order to make up for shortfalls in years when budgets are very tight. now, coming up at 5:30, w

wendy rieger is at our live desk with details. >> this is a united airlines flight that took from dulles, and the pilot realized he had a problem with some of the landing gear, especially the wheel under the nose of the plane. they didn't get far. they took off from dulles. these are live pictures on the ground at dulles. they took off six miles out, turned around and came back. did a beautiful landing. now we're understanding the plane may have some -- leaked some hydraulics on to the runway. they'll tow it back to the terminal and get these people on their way, probably on another plane. so far, nothing -- no engineers. all is well. back on the ground. back to you. counties thanks, wendy. >>> another alleged victim is telling her story about -- or what she says of sexual abuse by bill cosby. but cosby refuses to comment about that or any other of the assault allegations surrounding him. several women have accused cosby of raping them. he was asked about those stories during an appearance on national public radio over the weekend. >> there have been serious allegations raised about you

wendy rieger has more on the battle for congress. >> reporter: there are 36 seats in 33 states up for grabs right now. and here's,000 how things could shake out. in order for the democrats to colorado the senate, they need to hold off republicans in ten battle ground states you see here in purple. if it's close, the democrats have a built-in advantage. the two independents in congress currently caucus with them, and that could tip the balance. and if republicans gain just five seats, the senate is tied with vice president joe biden providing the tie-breaker. now, there are two states that could give an early indication of how the midterms might break. new hampshire and north carolina. every scenario of democrats holding on to the senate assumes they win both new hampshire and north carolina. if republicans win one or both, they could get the advantage. there's another caveat here. regardless of what happens tonight, it could be months before we hear from some states. if no candidate wins 50% of the vote in louisiana and georgia, those states could go for runoff elections. louisiana's

. >>> i'm wendy rieger in the news room.ing on top of this crash into a store in montgomery county. we have been on the scene all afternoon gathering details. the car went into the store, into the building, knocking over shelves, sending shoppers scrambling. and in a couple minutes, we'll take you there and show you just how close this came to being a disaster. jim and pat, back to you. >> thanks. >>> it's a community event that got out of control, fast. why this event focused on an historic move went downhill. ♪ my baby drove up in a brand new cadillac. ♪ ♪ look here, daddy, i'm never coming back.... ♪ discover the new spirit of cadillac and the best offers of the season. lease this 2014 standard collection ats for around $299 a month. i bet you didn't see this one coming. up your game with a new fritos chili pizza. a large for $12 dollars. add a mega chocolate chip cookie for just $5 dollars more. better ingredients. better pizza. better football. papa john's. >>> it's a move that could make history in our country. a town

. >> wendy rieger, "news 4 today." >>> "warning, take only as directed" comes with a teaching guide ande shown in school. you can learn more on nbcwashington.com. just search "changing minds". >>> coming up, how much are you willing to pay to get around rush hour traffic. a new road can help you get through tomorrow's commute with ease. it comes with a new toll. >>> kaci hickox made headlines when she fought against a mandatory ebola quarantine in maine. what her plans after after she's officially cleared. >>> we'll have your full forecast coming up with chuck, too. stay with us. trading-in or selling your car, truck or suv? webuyanycar.com takes the hassle out of selling in just 3 easy steps. one, get your free online valuation. two, book an appointment. and three, pick up a check at your nearest buying center. ♪ find out how much your car is worth ♪ ♪ at webuyanycar.com ♪ yet, there they sit on thest hasides of our heads.s. for the world to see. but what happens when they stop hearing? should we stop doing? should we stop living? not today. esteem. the hearing implant. ♪ a broader mix