dead. >> when i got downstairs grandpa was sitting down leaning against the television stand with his hand out. grandpa, grandpa. i said grandpa. i couldn't believe what i was seeing. >> now police say zinneh was very combative when they arrived. in fact, you can see one of two broken windows in this house that they say he punched out. even more troubling, the 38-year-old reportedly kept shouting "demons! i kill demons!" you might recall there was another horrific case that involved demons in germantown last year. residents here startled that it possibly happened all over again. i'm kevin lewis, abc 7 news. >> an american who recently tested positive for ebola is now at the national institutes of health in bethesda. officials say the health care

worker who is not being identified right now contracted ebola while volunteering in sierra leone in a treatment unit there. after an examination, n.i.h. doctors say the patient is in serious condition. the patient was transported to the u.s. in isolation on a chartered plane overnight. this just in from prince george's county now. home owners could soon see an increase in property taxes. the proposal to hike taxes was just announced at a budget meeting and tom roussey is live in upper marlboro with how much more people could be paying and where this money is going to go. tom? >> yeah we just attended a long press conference for the county executive here in the county building. a lot of documents they handed out, too, that we're still going through right here. bottom line is he's calling for the first time in 35 years for prince george's county to raise the property tax rate. this is video from the press conference that wrapped up about a half-hour or so ago. bottom line is if you own a

$200,000 home you would see an increase of about $300. if you owned a $500,000 home you'd see an increase of about $750. so we are talking a significant property tax increase. you may be wondering why? he says they've made a lot of cuts in recent years and there's really not much left at all to cut and for that reason, he said to help the school system mostly. that's why they need to do this increase. they're tired of hearing from folks who moved to prince george's county but scared to put their children into the local schools and he also hears from a lot of folks who live here who want to put their kids in private school or some sort of program and he says all the schools should be high quality. he wants to increase school spending in order to make them that way. he also mentioned that he wants to maintain what public safety has done. but again, the main reason is schools. here's what he said about that. >> no longer should parents be forced to move for better schools. no longer should parents have to choose to send their children to private school.

that cycle must stop. and that cycle will stop now. >> and baker is also proposing that jobs be cut of folks who work for the county. five day furloughs for county employees and he wanted to furlough himself. looking into the possible legality of that. we'll try to get more answers on that one for you. although he's proposing some cuts, he wants that significant property tax increase for a number of reasons but one of the big ones being schools, he says. he doesn't have the final say, however. prince george's county council will ultimately have to vote on this within the next few months. reporting live in upper marlboro, i'm tom roussey, abc 7 news. >> we're learning new information tonight about what happened when a metro transit police officer shot and killed a man inside a metro tunnel. this happened last night near the potomac avenue metro stop after a man was reportedly on the tracks. brianne carter live in southeast washington with new details tonight on what the man may have

been carrying. brianne? >> well at this hour sources are telling abc 7 news that man whose identity has not been released was carrying at least one stick while walking there on the tracks 400 feet into a tunnel away from this. the potomac avenue metro station here. as you can see, very busy at this hour. now, metro

this isn't the first time they've heard of people being on the tracks near this station. >> sometimes they open up people are already in the system. it's a bad scene in a number of ways. it's unfortunate for the workers who, you know come in sometimes and their safety is compromised based on the fact that they don't know who this people are and what they're really there for and, you know they're afraid. >> now, metro officials tonight are telling us that that officer who has not been identified is a female. they say she has been with the department for 10 plus years and is part of a routine process when something like this happens is on administrative leave. reporting live, brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> and in a separate incident metro transit police officer is recovering from a head-on crash

in southeast washington. it happened late last night at the intersection of pennsylvania avenue and branch avenue. the officer was taken to the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries. his car hit and damaged a utility pole in the crash. and then while pepco was working to repair it this morning, crews hit a water main. d.c. water is working to fix that. they hope to have the road opened back up any minute now. >> wow. let's turn to the weather now. and it will be a soggy night all around the metro area. >> chief meteorologist doug hill is tracking when the rain will move in. he's in the abc 7 storm watch weather center with the first check of the forecast. doug? >> hey there, kimberly and alison and the rain is definitely on the way. it's a question of when and i think the steadiest and heaviest rain will hold off until after the rush hour and after sunset, it will be later tonight. let's get started with a live look at the rooftop camera high above the belfort furniture weather center. cloudy skies, will lower and thicken as the storm center approaches. look at all that rain it's all headed this way.

darker the green the heavier the rain. we'll deal with those late tonight, overnight and tomorrow morning as well. temperatures comfortable enough upper 40's to mid 50's. but warmer air will move in with some of the heavier rain tomorrow. we'll drop to 44 tonight with the rain likely heavy at times. temperatures may rise a few degrees overnight and plenty of heavy rain in the morning. it will taper off later in the day. more on the timing and the impact of the rain coming this way. share that with you coming up in a couple of minutes. kimberly? >> thank you doug. more rain in southern west virginia has people concerned after a landslide forced dozens of residents out of their homes. the landslide started near yeager airport in charleston taking down an unoccupied home church, trees and power lines. the road has been shut down and nearby neighborhood evacuated. the airport is still operating normally. a virginia company says it will continue selling laminate flooring from china after a scathing report on "60 minutes" raised questions about its safety. lumber liquidators say its

products comply with all regulations, but customers are expressing health concerns. "7 on your side" i-team investigator joce sterman explains why. >> customers like eve murphy buy laminate flooring because they love the way it looks. many are wondering if something inside this floor is making them sick. murphy is among the abc 7 viewers we've heard from who say they bought laminate flooring from lumber liquidators and then experienced health problems. in the weeks after she moved into her home which has laminate from wall to wall she dealt with breathing problems and chest pains. she wants to know whether the flooring she paid thousands for could be the cause. and she's not alone. three class action lawsuits have been filed against lumber liquid liquidators claiming the company sold laminate from china that is tainted with hazardous levels of formaldehyde. >> my first thought is i want to know what's added here but i will do what i need to first

find out if this product is causing my problems. >> coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00, we'll tell you what lumber liquidators is offering customers with this kind of flooring and why some say it's not enough. in germantown joce sterman, abc 7 news. >> and joce we'll be back at 5:00 with more details on this developing story and if you have something for our i-team to investigate, just call the "7 on your side" tip line. there's the number right there. >> the veteran who jumped the white house fence and made it to the president's house has pleaded guilty. rebecca cooper is at the live desk with the very latest on omar gonzalez's case. rebecca? >> kimberly today, omar gonzalez admitted in court he illegally entered the white house carrying a deadly weapon. today's hearing was the first phase in the case and we still don't know his intent. when he was taken down inside the white house he was carrying a knife with a 3 1/2 inch blade. and after his arrest investigators searched his car and found hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a machete and two

hatchets. now, the first family had just departed the white house when gonzalez managed to make it all the way inside the residence. it was that incident kimberly and alison as you recall in september that first prompted calls for a major overhaul at the secret service. those calls have been renewed again this week after it was revealed that two secret service agents crashed into the white house wall while driving an agency vehicle after they had been out drinking with other secret service officers. we will continue to follow the omar gonzalez case and keep you updated as we learn more about this case and of course continue to follow the latest on calls for yet another shakeup at the secret service. from the live desk rebecca cooper, abc 7 news. >> still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, caught on camera. a car slams into a pizza parlor with a woman on the hood. see what happens after the crash. >> only on 7, series of thefts at popular bars. what the thieves are getting from the customers.

>> but first outrage on a local campus after a controversial e-mail goes public. we'll tell you what it said coming up next.

>> turning now to some

developing news from oklahoma the fraternity kicked out of the university of oklahoma is now planning legal action against the university and possibly o.u. president david boran. it comes after that video surfaced last weekend showing a racist chant by sigma alpha epsilon members. the frat hired high profile attorney steven jones. >> working together in a positive manner we can find a solution that is acceptable to everyone to make this a teachable moment and an educational moment for what is seriously a flawed incident. >> but jones says the group is outraged over boran shutting down that fraternity house, expelling two student members and branding all s.a.e. members there as racist and bigots. >> and yet another fraternity scandal. this time much closer to home. the kappa sigma chapter at the university of maryland is under fire after a demeaning and racist e-mail went public. john gonzalez has more on how

the school is responding. >> less than a week after the incident with an oklahoma university fraternity singing a racist chant a racist sexist e-mail from a member of a university of maryland fraternity has now surfaced. >> shouldn't be happening at a big university like this. and the way that it was handled, i think, was definitely inappropriate. >> in the e-mail sent 14 months ago, an undergraduate member of the fraternity uses racial slurs to refer to black, indian and asian women and alludes to raping women during rush week. >> terrible. to be honest i can't stand that we have greek life. >> in a statement, the university president wallace loh said the university became aware of the e-mail on tuesday and calls it vulgar and says it expresses views that are reprehensible to the campus community. >> after even like the u.v.a. thing, i think it's tragic that it's all going on. >> loh added that an investigation led by the university's office of civil rights and sexual misconduct is

currently under way and part of the probe will include trying to see if that e-mail was written and sent from inside the frat house today. people inside preferred not to comment. the fraternity's national chapter took quick action sending us a statement saying "upon learning of the e-mail the student was immediately suspended pending investigation and subsequently september a letter of resignation from sigma kappa. >> a car slams into a colorado pizza parlor and a person walking walking outside ends up on the hood of the car. the young woman is dazed for a few seconds but gets up and runs out of the restaurant. police say the driver accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake and was ticketed for the accident. >> unbelievable. time for a check on the traffic situation. bob emler is in the wtop traffic

center with those details. >> hi kimberly. not so much drama on the roads today. very slow road on inner loop to head up to 270. now, we had quite a delay on the outer loop trying to get around from i-95 and south on 95 to the outer loop because of a broken down car carrier and that's been moved out of the roadway we understand and 95 virginia is going to slow down quite a bit as well and southbound over the occoquan and just south of stafford, express lanes are worse once you get south of dumfries. best to get out of those. otherwise, you'll be sitting there for a while. look at some cameras and get an idea of what it looks like on 66 on nutley street. no incidents along the way though and headed west on the beltway from new hampshire avenue, still some delays heading into silver spring from the truck now on the shoulder. i'm bob emler with 103.5 wtop radio. >> all right. time to talk about the weather, almost a weekend.

we got the rain headed our way. >> we've been telling you all week it's coming and it looks like it's pretty much on target later tonight. good news is i think the rush hour will not be affected by the rain. if you have outdoor plans tomorrow, most certainly will be. let's jump into it and give you a look at conditions around the area right now. this is the sky as it appears looking northward from bell haven country club in alexandria. temperature, 52 degrees. couple of degrees below average. wind not much of a factor nor shall they be over the next couple of days or so. this system coming in from the west will bring a lot of rain but not a lot of wind and the winds that we do have are coming out of the south. we warm tunit up. and late tonight and overnight, may see temperatures rise a couple of degrees cuz in this big wrapup of the storm system surface winds have a sotherly component so we'll warm up in the upper sikt tomorrow and we'll get rain. a lot of rain as we get to the late night, overnight and through midday tomorrow after a cold front comes through, it should taper off tomorrow afternoon and evening. now, as far as the timing

details, we can rely on our futurecast to give you an idea. this is at 6:00 tonight with the main area of rain still west of the metro area by a long shot. it quickly advances eastward. about 9:00, area of steady rain moving in parts of the area and overnight, the rain. heavy downpours within and some heavy downpours tomorrow morning with the rain. as we get to the afternoon, fortunes improve a bit because the rain breaks up. main body of rain moves off shore and there you see this represents the cold front moving through so by probably before sunset tomorrow, the rain will be over. and then skies will very quickly start to clear in the metro area. and that will set the stage for a much improved weather forecast for the day on sunday. as far as the rainfall in our area, we expect up to an inch and a half. 1.6 on this computer prediction for washington. 1.1 inches in frederick. 1.3 and i think that's about right. lots of rain moving forward. let's check out the next seven days after we get through the rainy saturday. sunshine breezy weather on sunday. monday delightful near 60. st. patrick's day, same story.

bit cooler wednesday and next chance of rain doesn't come our way until thursday but in truth, next chance of rain comes tonight and tomorrow. that will affect a lot of people. i know because steve rudin is at the finish line of the rock 'n' roll marathon at r.f.k. stadium. steve, runners have to know what's coming. >> absolutely. you know, 15 hours from now, it's going to look totally different around here. we'll have wet pavement, a lot of rain around the area. here we are at the finish line. we actually have three races tomorrow. we have the marathon the half marathon and the 5k all starts at 7:30. and runners are going to be in store for well not such desirable weather. here's a look at our runners forecast if you have to run in this, you'll have fun in the rain. i hope! temperatures race time around 7 7:30 around 44 degrees as we move through the 10:00 hour temperatures will slowly rebound to around 50. by 1:00 in the afternoon, most people will be done at that point. rain should start to let up.

as doug mentioned, we're looking anywhere between one inch and 1 1/2 inches of rain with the heaviest rain coming on later on tonight. as we move into the early morning hours, if you are a runner, you're definitely going to want to wear the rain gear. if you are going to cheer on some runners, definitely want to bring an umbrella and bundle up. it's going to be damp and wet here in washington come tomorrow morning. at least sunday looks a whole lot better. reporting live from outside of r.f.k. stadium, i'm steve rudin. back to the newsdesk with alison and kimberly. >> think about how many different songs have rain in them. bands could be kept busy all morning. >> that's right. we want to remind you a few things about this. metro will be opening tomorrow for the marathon and there also is a list of road closures that you need to know about. so go to our website at wjla.com. we have that list right there. and for more details about tomorrow's rock 'n' roll marathon, just check us out on the web. >> and the rock 'n' roll hall of fame in cleveland is celebrating a marathon of visitors since its

opening 20 years ago. in fact, the museum welcomed its 10 millionth visitor yesterday. the special guest 27-year-old grad student from new york. he was greeted with balloons cake and a prize package worth $4,000. >> first and foremost, we had to do something tied into the 2015 induction. it sold out so we're giving them tickets to that. the guitar is something that's emblematic of rock 'n' roll. we had to give him a great guitar. >> walker got headphones sirius radio and a membership to the museum as well as a tour of the private rock 'n' roll vault featuring his favorite artist jimi hendrix. >> lucky guy. >> he should play the lottery. coming up on at 4:00 we'll tell you about a new distinction for millennials they may not like very much and how technology is playing a role. >> it appears we have a new

crime trend targeting women and their phones at d.c. bars. i'm jennifer

>> only on 7 tonight, a series of thefts at popular bars has women on alert. >> fighting back crime reporter

jennifer donelan is live from dupont circle with what's being stolen here. jen? auto >> well, alison and kimberly, we're talking about cell phones. this is a new trend that's happening in the last month. we know it's happening at least two bars here at dupont circle. let's give you this video. we met kara peters earlier today a few hours ago, she's one of the victims. she goes to the griffin lounge here on connecticut avenue. she's at the bar ordering her first drink of the night. a guy approaches her. talks to her. says he wants to show her a magic trick with the napkin. she has her purse on her shoulder the entire time. 15 minutes later, she checks for her phone and it is gone without a trace. well she was shocked to learn that she says at least eight other women were targeted at that same bar that same evening. and then two weeks later, another dozen women, she says were also targeted. here's her story. >> it's nice to kind of commiserate with some people that this has happened to as well. it also is alarming that something like this can happen

for a month now. >> now we spoke with management here at the griffin and let me assure you they are just as upset as the victims are. they said the minute they started hearing from woman after woman that their phones were mysteriously gone, they said that they notified police and they've spoken with police on at least three different occasions and they're posting these notices throughout the bars. we have spoken with police. and they tell us they've got reports and pickpocket reports but they need these women to come forward so they can keep it together and figure out who is doing this and how they're pulling this off. reporting live from northwest, i'm jennifer donelan. more on this coming up at 5:00. >> see you then, jen. thank you. well "scandal" star kerry washington has been tapped to pay anita hill in a new hbo movie about the clarence thomas supreme court confirmation hearings. we don't know yet who will be playing thomas but this is our question of the day. who do you think should play clarence thomas? go to the abc 7 facebook page,

weigh in and we'll get some of the best answers coming up. who knows? maybe one watching. >> danny glover? >> don't you think? that's my vote. >> still ahead at 4:00 the tale of dara of missing dog is heating up. why there's a custody battle over the veteran dog he thought was missing. >> and "7 on your side" with why insurance rates are going up.

>> at this hour, rain is moving closer to the area this evening. >> our chief meteorologist doug hill is on storm watch for us tonight with the very latest as we head into the weekend doug. >> hey, alison and kimberly, it's just a matter of time. rain is large, huge area of rain to the west and it's moving in. let's get started. first off, temperatures not too out there. low to mid 50's metro area cloudy skies a little cooler towards gaithersburg and baltimore. annapolis getting a breeze across the river, only 42 at the naval academy. as the evening wears on the clouds will get thicker and the rain will arrive probably after 8:00, 9:00 time frame. heavy at times overnight with temperatures in the 40's and then temperatures warm nicely with sotherly winds tomorrow into the low 60's. we'll have to deal with all that. a lot of rain moving in. could in fact be heavy at times through the overnight and morning. will taper off and end late tomorrow afternoon. futurecast gives us a quick glimpse of the steady rain projected to move through during the nighttime hours. steady stream of moisture from the west and from the south.

by 9:00 in the morning steady rain across much of the area. you notice it things out and moves off shore later in the afternoon clearing out by tomorrow night. sunday looks much, much better. more details on the weekend and the next seven days part of the forecast in a few minutes, alison? >> see you then. thank you. a silver spring guitar teacher is behind bars this afternoon for sex abuse of a minor. 52-year-old jeffrey o'connor is charged with four counts of sexual abuse of a minor and third degree sex offense. the incidents reportedly happened between 2008 and 2011. investigators say o'connor engaged in inappropriate contact with a 12-year-old boy. o'connor was a private retired guitar teacher. >> a missing elderly woman in the district has been found safe. d.c. police issued a silver alert for patricia o'brien roach this morning. she was last season thursday night on oregon avenue northwest and authorities were worried about her well being.

police sent out an update a half-hour ago saying she's been located and the alert has been canceled. >> maryland lawmakers are changing governor larry hogan's budget to make room for more education spending. officials say the house appropriations committee made several hundred million dollars in added cuts. the money will then be used to beef up spending on schools and state's employee pay. >> custody dispute is heating up over a veteran's dog he thought was missing. >> we introduced you to dara a few months ago. rebecca cooper is in our newsroom with an update on dara who has been found, right? >> right, alison. good news bad news. this is a story that we brought you on abc 7 news already and now it's taken a twist that's going to tug at the heart of any dog owner. national guardsman john walker lives in kent island was deployed to kuwait in 2013. so he left his dog with a friend. when he came back zara was gone. after social media campaign went viral and raised more than

$1,000 a day to help find zara, the beloved pet was found traced to a new owner in south carolina. here's the latest hitch. the new owner is refusing to give zara back. walker has launched a new go fund me campaign on line for legal fees to fight for the custody of his dog. but last night -- by last night the site had raised more than $5,000. but here it is. it's like any social media likes to say. it's complicated. according to annapolis capital gazette news the new owner says she was told by zara that zara was treated badly by walker and that she says walker e-mailed her during deployment saying the dog was better off with her. walker insists the new owner is dishonest and lied to him about zara's whereabouts. as we said, it is complicated and appears to be headed to court so we will keep you posted on what happens to zara. reporting live in the newsroom rebecca cooper, abc 7 news. >> ok rebecca, let us know. coming up at 4:00 today, allegations of abuse towards a

very famous author. >> plus the latest from ferguson as the search heats up for the person who shot two police officers. >> he worked here for a year, applied for numerous promotions and ultimately ended up resigning because of what he calls a hostile work environment. i'm suzanne kennedy. what happened at the willard intercontinental hotel that has one man taking legal action? i'll have that story coming up at 5:00.

>> we've learned one of the marines killed in that helicopter crash was from williamsburg, virginia. three marines were from new jersey new york and wisconsin. the other three were from michigan. all seven men are part of the marine corps special forces stationed in camp lejeune, north carolina. their blackhawk crashed during a training exercise in dense fog on tuesday night. four louisiana national guard soldiers were also killed. >> there are new developments out of ferguson missouri today where the man hunt is escalating for the gunman who shot two police officers. >> as the injured officers were out of the hospital but continued to recover, the

community feels the strain of month after month of conflict there. marcy gonzalez reports now from ferguson. >> no visible signs of the search on this rainy friday in ferguson but police insist they are still out intently working to track down the gunman they say ambushed and shot two officers on wednesday night. the injured officers were home recovering by the time last night's much calmer protest began. >> we want it now! >> demonstrators again calling for more resignations after a federal investigation found widespread racism within the ferguson police department and city governments. in this community still healing after months of conflict and tension -- >> we must pull together. we must heal together. >> yes. >> prayers for peace. >> lord, hear our cry. >> and for justice.

calls echoed last night on abc's jimmy kimmel live. >> whoever fired those shots, shouldn't detract from the issue, they're criminals and they need to be arrested. >> but for now police tell us they are not close to making an arrest. there is still that $13,000 reward for information leading to the gunman. in ferguson missouri marcy gonzalez, abc 7 news. >> the author of the iconic book "to kill a mockingbird" it at the center of an elderly abuse investigation. some people in the alabama hometown had questioned whether the 88-year-old woman was capable of consenting to the publication of her second novel which is called "go set a watchman." a long time friend says lee is mostly deaf blind and in poor health. but a state official says lee was able to answer questions to the satisfaction of an investigator. >> a williams student died tragically this week after

falling off a building. jeff goldberg is in alexandria with what happened. jeff? >> really sad time here at t.c. williams high school as students and staff are mourning the loss of the 17-year-old student. alexandria police say a lot of rumors are flying around the school and they are saying this is the result of a crime or something suspicious, that's simply not true. now, according to alexandria police yesterday morning at 7:45 they're saying that this taking place excuse me on park center drive in alexandria, the 17-year-old was found dead. the teen did not live in the building but police say he had a friend that used to live there and that he was familiar with the complex. authorities are characterizing the death as consistent with a descent from a building that happened from the rooftops. grief counselors and psychologists are on hand with everybody that's in pain.

>> certainly police say they have a good understanding of the timetable and the whereabouts of this young man leading up to his death but they are asking for the members of the public or any students to come forward with any additional information and an autopsy was performed this morning and the results are still pending. we'll let you know what the school had to say to parents and live in alexandria jeff goldberg, abc 7 news. >> a lot of broken hearts. no doubt. up next on abc 7 news at 4:00 -- >> "7 on your side" with what could be increasing your insurance claims. >> whenever i don't understand something, i quickly grab my phone. >> new title being given to millennials thanks to technology. >> and don't forget our question of the day. who do you think should play

clarence thomas in that hbo movie that's in the works. some of your answers are coming up next.

>> a new study finds millennials are the most educated but least skilled generation. researchers at the princeton based educational testing services found millennials are some of the world's least skilled people mainly because they rely on the internet instead of problem solving skills. >> i think the overall generation is a lot like that. i think a lot of people rely on their phones and i think it's kind of scary because like what if you don't have your phone? >> millennials are anyone born between the year 1980 and 2000. researchers say the generation consistently scores below their international peers when it comes to following instructions basic math questions and problem solving. >> they're super resourceful so maybe they weren't able to measure that. >> yeah. >> home owners' insurance rates have been rising sharply in recent years because of natural disasters all across the country. >> but you may not know that there's another reason your rates are rising and it has nothing to do with claims.

john matterise explains so you don't waste your money. >> if you're filing an insurance claims such for fire accident you expect insurance rates to go up. more and more people across the area who have never filed a claim are being hit with rate hikes. they're wondering why. she didn't have a fire or flood not even a fender bender but tammy clark's home owner's insurance has jumped $80 a year. >> has to do with my driving record, has nothing to do. i've never filed a claim. >> this letter from state farm explains that her rates are up due to all the credit card inquiries she made during the past 24 months. tammy says she's being penalized for taking out some loans for home improvement. >> i had to get credit checks for lowes and buy my truck, credit card. i pay my bills on time. i have a good credit rating. >> many insurance companies now factor in your credit score. state farm explains on its website that the f.t.c. conducted a study that shows a

strong correlation between credit history and the likelihood of future loss. in other words, people with lower scores have more claims. >> that's not right. >> many consumer groups oppose this policy in california maryland massachusetts and hawaii have baned it in most cases. a state farm spokeswoman tells us they will re-examine tammy's case. what she got sick? would her rates go up due to hospital bills? >> they shouldn't be looking at your credit at all. it's nobody's business. >> if you think your rates have gone up because your credit contact your agent and insurance company. explain the mitigating factors. you may be able to negotiate a better rate. that way you don't waste your money. >> well there has been another shakeup for e's fashion police show. comedienne kathy griffin is leaving the show after seven episodes. in a statement, she said her style didn't fit with the sometimes critical nature of the show? griffin was tapped to replace the late joan rivers. her departure comes after kelly osborne left the show following

a joke by the co-host about actress zendaya coleman's dreadlocks last month. >> are you sure that's not a soap opera? >> sounds like it. who should play clarence thomas in a new hbo movie in the works. >> steven medlock wrote don chedl. another writes a movie? move on people. >> other suggestions on the abc 7 facebook change samuel l. jackson, tyler perry and wesley snipes. >> lot of good ideas there. >> thanks for joining in, everybody. >> all right ahead on abc 7 news, coming up. >> we hear from firefighters who rushed into a burning house in a desperate attempt to save a mother and her three children after a jet crashed into their home in gaithersburg. >> plus, alison will introduce us to a special working woman combining the need to get easy food on the go while keeping it healthy.

that's in a few minutes on abc 7 news at 5:00. >> all right. first, let's get another check of the weather. we had a really nice day today but i know things are about to change. >> yes. >> are you ok? >> you want some water? every now and then it happens. i can't explain, every now and then what we say is going to happen actually happens. craziest thing on earth. clouds have moved in all day. rain is on the doorstep. let's tell you what we expect. this is the view from the weather view camera in fairfax, virginia. overcast, as you can see temperature is 51 degrees. winds out of east-southeast at five miles per hour. 5 52 in frederick at this hour. 51 degrees at andrews air force base and 54 at reagan national airport. temperatures aren't bad. 50's and 60's. think a week ago today, everybody was still shovelling the thursday snow. now it's all melting away. and warmer temperatures are the way. in fact, even though we have a rainy forecast for late tonight into tomorrow the temperatures are going to warm up to near 60 to 63 degrees so there's a mild

air coming. it will be pushing up from the south as the storm system develops throughout the night and day tomorrow. as far as the satellite and radar right now, get a good representation of the heavier cloud cover moving in from the west and the rain is not far behind and this system has the potential to produce a significant amount of rain. this is the kind of thing that causes flash flooding. not that kind of pattern. but with the wet ground the snow melt. the rain from monday and the amount of rain we're forecasting here, it is certainly possible there could be standing water issue, drainage issue, ponds, streams, creeks, those issues getting filled with water because of the rate with what it will fall. rain will be heavy at times. futurecast says steady rain moving in probably between 9:00 and 10:00. heavy at times overnight. steady to moderate rain and as we get through the afternoon, it moves out. by 6:00 the rain should be finished. wait for the cold front to move through at night and the cold front will clear the skies and set the stage to kind of redeem half the weekend with sunshine returning in our sunday forecast.

monday, we'll do a bit better. near 60 degrees with sunny skies. looking ahead to st. patrick's day, 58 degrees partly cloudy skies and beyond that for wednesday, more sunshine. next chance of rain is thursday. that gives us sunday, monday tuesday, wednesday. let me count them up. that's four days to dry things out a little bit before the next batch of rain. so muddy and sloppy out there this rain will make it a lot worse. >> monday looks good though. we'll hold on to that. >> i'm waiting for that one. >> thank you. >> all right, let's see how things look on the roadways. maybe they look good too. bob, what's the latest? >> certainly could be better on 95 in virginia. very slow headed southbound the entire trip from about triangle all the way down towards garrisonville and even worse in the express lanes. in the main lanes thaurz -- there's a crash and that's making it worse there too. still better off than sitting in those express lanes anywhere south of dumfries today and 270 northbound quite slow most of the way out through montgomery village and up to clarksburg and

beyond beyond. had a minor crash before clarksburg. out of the road now but certainly a slow ride. let's look at the cameras and see what things look like on 270 at klopper road that's the same pace heading up to frederick county. no incidents in the roadway now and 66 and 395 headed southbound, no incidents along the way. 66 is quite slow to centreville. no accidents, though i'm bob emler with 103.5 wtop radio. >> thank you. see you soon. breaking news the two wisconsin girls accused in that so-called slender man's stabbing will be tried as adults. both girls face a count of attempted first degree homicide. prosecutors say the girls lured their friend into the woods, stabbed her and then fled. the defense says they believed they had to kill her friend -- their friend to protect their families from this fantasy horror character. all three girls were 12 years old. when the incident happened. we'll be back after this.

>> and a live look this afternoon at the white house as that fallout continues from the latest secret service scandal. >> susan solney has the latest as larger questions are now being raised. >> the latest misstep that the secret service, allegations that two agents were driving drunk around the white house and that the agency's director wasn't informed for days are raising fresh questions about the secret service's fitness for its primary role for protecting the president. >> this organization has to be the very very best in the world. we are protecting the most powerful person in the world. >> abc news has learned that two agents were headed back to the white house march 4th after reportedly drinking at a retirement party for a colleague. around 11:30 p.m. they slowly drove their unmarked car through crime scene tape surrounding a suspicious package that was being investigated. their car then bumping a barrier

near the southeast entrance. uniformed officers at the white house reportedly wanted to give a sobriety test to the agents involved, one a senior supervisor and the other mark conley, the second ranking agent on the president's detail. but there was no test or arrest. a supervisorsor reportedly told the uniformed officers to let the agents go. >> it's the culture of covering up of lacksness, of corner cutting and it's led to one scandal really after another. >> this incident follows a series of failures including the time last fall when a man with a knife jumped the fence and made it deep into the white house before being apprehended. >> that fence jumper pleaded guilty today in court, his arrest led to resignation of the previous secret service director. susan solney abc news, washington. >> new details emerge about the death of a man inside a metro tunnel. >> somebody had to die. >> did a transit officer have no

other choice but to open fire? a strange claim from a man accused of killing a local church pastor. what the suspect was heard shouting when police arrived on the scene. >> my first thought is i want -- >> and home owners all with two things in common. concerns about their health. and flooring from the same company. >> and first at 5:00 on this friday a warning for those planning to go out over the weekend. people are after your cell phones. abc 7 has uncovered a growing trend of cell phone thefts targeting people in d.c. bars. "7 on your side" fighting back and jennifer donelan is live with how alert women uncovered this trend. it's a story you'll see only on 7. jennifer? >> alison so far the women are all victims. the women put their phones in their purse. they had their purse on them. the bar is now warning all women if you're jostled and someone tries to be playful with you or

drops something in front of you check and make sure you still have your phone. >> i feel awful that somebody had -- a stranger had put his hand into my personal property. >> a stranger managed to pick her brand new iphone 6 out of her purse while she was at the lounge in dupont circle on valentine's day. >> at that time it was on my shoulder like this. >> she had just ordered her first drink. a man stopped to talk to her at the bar, showed her a magic trick with a napkin. she was only in the bar for 15 minutes when she checked for her phone and it was gone. >> i was really angry. >> she couldn't believe what she later found out. >> same evening that it happened to me it had happened to several other women as well. >> then a high school friend with her cell phone it went m.i.a. at the same bar. >> it happened to eight other women two weeks later after it happened to me. >> we spoke to griffin management and they said they're just as upset as the victims. the bar immediately called police after woman after woman reported their phones w