this fire is under control. it didn't take long for firefighters to gett under control. it didn't take long for occupants of an adjacent apartment to take matters into their own hands. this fire started about 3:15, possibly behind a refrigerator or some other appliance. very smoky blaze, hot blaze. it put occupants at an adjacent apartment at peril. they didn't think they could wait for rescuers to come. >> my house right around the corner. they were on the scene in moments. when they arrived, they had a heavy fire, a three-story brick apartment building. in the short time it took us to get here two teenage boys across the hall from the apartment on fire decided it was too much for them and they decided to jump out the window. >> reporter: it is a decent drop here, but we understand the two teens aged 13 and 16 have been taken to the hospital to be checked out. the cause of thi fire remains under investigation. we understand there is significant water damage to one apartment and fire damage to the other. at least two families may be displaced by this. this apartment is run by the d.c. housing authity. officials with that agency as well as the red cross will be on scene to try to aid those who are displaced. we are live in southwest, back to you in the studio. >> derrick ward, thank you. to the swine flu. startling statistics out today from the cdc about how much of a threat the disease really is. and the deadly impact it's having on the nation. officials with the centers for disease control say swine flu is to blame for at least 95 children's deaths since april. they say 46 states including maryland and virginia have reported widespread flu activity. health officials say there are at least two types of flu-causing illnesses. testing from about 5,000 patients suggest nearly all the cases are indeed swine flu. more than 1,000 americans have now died from the h1n1 strain. 90 of those just in the last weekalone. a big concern for legal officials now is getting vaccines out to all those most at risk. ja julie carey joins us live from fairfax county's first mass ininoculation center. >> reporter: they are offering their first clinic in the government center. the shortage of supplies made planning a constant daily challenge. even so one northern virginia school district was able to forge ahead with its plans to start giving kids shots. it's one of the rare times a child's cry is a welcome sound. at polke elementary and two other area schools today, the yelps meant kids were getting shots to protect them from h1n1. because the shipment was late to arrive, the school district had to cancel vaccinations scheduled for yesterday. plans changed again when a delivery showed up. >> i think the vaccine arrived at a much slower pace than originally planned. weep had to change your plans to try to immunize the most at-risk kids first. we believe there will be enough for everybody eventually. >> reporter: because the doses are limited, alexandria's prekindergarteners, kindergarteners and first graders will get the shot first. >> hearing how widespread it is and how quickly it can spread, i feel like, okay, i've done my job as a parent. i can make sure my kids are protected. there are a lot of kids getting shot today. a lot of parents felt the same way. >> reporter: at the health department they are working with whatever vaccine they have on hand. today it was 300 doses of flu mist. >> we were all anticipating getting more vaccine by this point in time. we had made plans around masculinics, school-based clinics. we had to change that on a daily basis. alexandria doesn't know exactly when its next vaccine shipment will arrive. in fairfax county, they know for now they have enough for 12,000 people. tomorrow the government center will be transformed into a mass vaccination clinic for pregnant women and children ages 6 months to 36 months. shots will be begin inside the conference center at the rate of 1,500 an hour. >> we would love nothing more than run out of the 12,000 doses we have for tomorrow. that mean that's 12,000 more people in our community who are protected. >> reporter: coming up at news4 at 6:00, more on the logistics out here tomorrow with all the little ones to come in. they are planning for a stroller parking lot. >> julie, thank you. people in alexandria lined up to get the swine flu vaccine this morning. the alexandria health department had a limiteded number of nasal vaccine doses it handed out 8:30 this morning. only those holding a number were able to get vaccinated. students in alexandria city public schools and maybe private schools in the area will be able to get the vaccine over the next two to four weeks. folks in stafford county got a chance to get a flu shot today without getting out of their cars. virginia healthuthorities gave out about 3,000 seasonal vaccines at a drive-through clinic at the stafford regional airport. the vaccines were first come-first serve for people 18 and older. a reminder to stay with news4 for continuing coverage of the swine flu. any time of day you can go to nbcwashington.com. we have a posted list of flu clinics near you. it's been overcast today and dry today. now we are going to see showers developing across the area. here is a look outside. overcast skies. there is the monument. our temperatures around 66 degrees. 67 in springfield and quantico. 67 off to the west in dulles from prince william and down south to stafford county. look at the radar. it is dry for the most part. saw a few showers up across frederick county and carroll county not too long ago. those moved east and north. this is what's waiting. right now along and west i-81, we have showers. more widespread showers coming our way after about 8:00 or 9:00. again, pretty wet weather to move in. the bulk of th rain will be tomorrow out ahead of the cold front. our temperatures will be dropping off through the 60s. again, we go from wet to even wetter conditions coming our way tomorrow. i'll tell you about the wind and how much rain you can expect from just a few. all right. the big story fans of the burgundy and gold are talking about today is jim zorn. he will remain head coach through this season. dan hellie is live in the studio with more on this development. >> one of the biggest questions surrounding the redskins lately was about jim zorn and when, not if, he would be fired. today team executive vice president vinny cerrato announced zorn's job was safe until the end of the season. >> let me start making a few things perfectly clear, okay? jim zorn is the head coach of the washington redskins and will be for the rest of this season and hopefully into the future. >> i don't want to address that question from vinny's standpoint. my deal is, i'm the head football coach. i want to be here for the next ten years. that's my story. i have a contract and, you know, it says what it says, but i'm committed to these guys. >> he also took shots at the media and hall of fame receiver steve largent during his radio show. we'll have more on that coming up at 6:00. >> wow. that is an interesting development here. >> it took a while. players have been clamoring for this for over a week now. to make that announcement today, a little bit peculiar, but maybe something jim zorn is glad to hear at this point. >> let's hope so. thank you, dan. could it be easier for drunk drivers to get away in virginia? some say a supreme court ruling earliethis week might make it easier. the court refused to review a case stemming from a call to pound 77. some safety groups have a message for the public that they can do their part. >> the roads are dangerous enough without people driving that either are impaired or erratic for some reason. it could be car trouble or any kind of reason. >> reporter: when it comes to road safety, these virginians don't mind picking up cell phones to report erratic driving when they see it. >> given the nature of traffic on the roads today, it's important we have that option. >> reporter: safety advocates fear a recent supreme court decision could discourage anonymous cell phone tips for pound 77, the state police equivalent of 911. >> i don't want to have anyone dissuaded using this tum. >> reporter: the decision stems from a virginia supreme court ruling that overturned a drunk driving conviction. in that case, a richmond police officer stopped a man based, not on his driving, but on a tip. he was later convicted of drunk driving, but the virginia court overturned his conviction because the police officer didn't verify independently that the man was driving dangerously before stopping him. the washington regional alcohol program is concerned the case could discourage motorists from calling in tips. >> we ar trying to make sure the public engagement hasn't changed. we are concerned it would be lessened because for some reason they are believing that their calls aren't going to make a difference. >> reporter: in breaking with his colleagues, chief justice john roberts said the lower court's decision could give drunk drivers in virginia, quote, one free swerve before being pulled over. >> the sad reality is there are more drunk drivers in the commonwealth of virginia than men and women in the uniform patrolling the area roadways. >> reporter: 43% of fatalities on virginia's roadways are caused by drunk drivers. both r.a.p. and aaa say they need all the eyes on the road they can get. drivers agree. >> i don't want to get hit by somebody. i don't want somebody else to get hit by somebody. >> reporter: virginia's state police say their troopers are trained to have reasonable suspicion in order to initiate a traffic stop. if police get a tip, their policy is and has been that the trooper is to observe the vehicle in violation of the law before making the traffic stop. today metro is giving its passengers more assurance than safety as a first priority. starting next week metro will begin testing a new prototype software that will enable them to monitor traffic movement in realtime. it allow metro to report problems immediately. since the deadly crash in june, metro has been using a collision avoidance system which they check twice daily. the data collected had to be first reviewed in order to identify problems officials now say with the new software the rail system will be monitor continuously and alerts will sound when mal functions occur. the cockpit voice recorder from a northwest airlines flight that veered 150 miles past its destination has been sent to washington for analysis. on wednesday the flight carrying 144 passengers lost communication with air traffic controllers for more than an hour. the flight was in route from san diego and had flown past minneapolis before the crew realized it. investigators are hoping the flight voice recorder will hold the answer as to why the plane went offcourse. fatigue and cockpit distractions are being looked at as possible reasons. the pilots have been suspended from active flight pending the outcome of the investigation. the florida girl who disappeared while walking home from school this week lives near more than 160 registered sex offenders, but for now, none of them isonsidered a suspect. today investigators said they have finished interviewing all of the registered offenders who live whifb five miles of the girl's home. nothing ties any of them to the girl's case. 7-year-old somer thompson vanished monday. her body turned up two days later in a georgia landfill 50 miles away. an autopsy has been completed, but authorities have not released the findings. we are just getting started here. they know how to take a picture. the official first family photo has been released. also annual marathon that is expected to bring thousands to the washington region this weekend. and the traffic impact is going to be big downtown in washington. >> and the emotional story of a local college student and how he became a victim and lost his best friend. >> and some helpful tip on how to make sure your green thumb doesn't go to waste. here it is. today the white house released the first official photo of the first family. it's the work of legendary photographer annie leibowitz who has taken a number of obama family portraits in the past. this was taken last month. the family is posed casually in the greenroom of the white house. the 34th annual marine corps marathon takes place this weekend. it attracts 30,000 runners as well as thousands of support staff and spectators. tom sherwood is here with the story. >> reporter: the weather looks good, the course is set and runners are ready. the marine corps marathon is one of the biggest and best-known marathons in the nation and internationally. it doesn't have all the expensive prizes and other awards like other events. the award is more personal. >> you will not see the american marathon record broken. you aren't going to see elite runners. there won't be any cash, cars or awards of the winners weight in wine. to swoert a cause, remember a loved one, push for a personal record or beat a distance they once thought uncorningerable. >> reporter: it highlights the marine corps, its military and community service. this year there is an online map of the 26.2 mile course that you can view in advance of sunday morning's start. >> very realistic three-dimensional virtual tour of the rate seeing water points to aid stations and buildings and trees. >> reporter: runners will be offered tracking devices so race officials and friends can keep track of that i progress. it is expected to disrupt traffic in washington and virginia several hours. nonprofit marathon hopes onto crease recycling efforts. last year recycled two tons of boxes and bottled and 68 pounds of clothing. it ends at the marine corps memorial overlooking downtown d.c. many roads involved with the marathon will be closed. some will reopen at soon as it is safe for the the participants. back to you. >> thank you, tom. here is a look at the marathon route. the race begins in arlington near the pentagon. runners will cross the key bridge and head into the district. they will travel along the water front and national mall before heading back to virginia. the race ends at the iwo jima memorial. there will be a lot of road closures a long the way starting at 4:00 in the morning. drivers may want to find other ways to get around that part of town on race day. will the roads be wet? that's the question for meteorologist veronica johnson. >> the roads will be wet, but the rain will are over. >> that's good. >> maybe a couple of puddles they'll be slapping into. they'll have those nice dirty sneakers by the end. i don't think they might so much. >> not when you're done with that. >> let's talk about today. it's been dry. it hasn't been cool out there either. temperatures in the mid 60s. there is a bit of a breeze that comes along. going to tell you that the next weather system draws closer us to, the winds will be picking up a bit more. i'm calling tomorrow breezy where we could see winds up to 20 miles per hour. 66 is the temperature now. dew point at 55 degrees. our wind is out of the east at 15. for the the most part this evening and through tomorrow while have a east and southeasterly wind. let's talk temperatures elsewhere. northeast corner in the country, 52 in new york. 78 in wilmington, north carolina. nice, warm air down to the south. even low and mid 80s through the sunshine state of florida. 54 in chicago. 50 in st. louis. already down into the 40s and 30s for areas of the northern plains. cooling down behind this weather system. the temperature drops to 10o 20 plus degrees right behind it. memphis to new york. folks, we are going to be cooling down, too, but not until sunday. low 60s for highs on sunday most locations. the same weather system that brought the two and three-inch rains down to the deep south. most of the energy with the storm system now up around that low pressure center. you can see some of the, at least some moderate rains up into nnsylvania. earlier today in ohio. even northern west virginia. there won't be a whole lot going on tonight. most of our action, most of our rainfall will come tomorrow and right before the front moves through. here is how it's looking right now. we had showers earlier north. next shower about 7:00 now. earlier we'll see that batch of rain moving in. it's winchester and front royal now. that means more widespread rain than after 7:00 and 8:00. filling in. alexandria, you're at 68 degrees. there is your wind out of the east, light at 8 miles per hour. southeast, this is west virginia. that rainfall today, just over 1/2 inch. there will be some spots to pick up a little bit more than 3/4 of an inch. probable write not many. here is the futurecast, the next 48 hours. we are wet in the beginning of the day. tomorrow your saturday and wet at the end, 8:00. it's not until i think between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. that we'll start to see the rain end and high pressure move in. with any thunder showers that do occur, we'll get brief heavy rain. 3/4 inch out of this system. quick look at your morning, more cloud cover. more shower highs tomorrow about 66 to 70. we are breezy, could even have thunder. one look at your four-day forecast here. mid 60s for sunday, what looks like a quiet week for the most part. no big storm systems and no big cooldowns is what we had last weekend. >> thanks, veronica. ahead on news4 at 5:00, why the fda is suddenly pulling the plug on a popular food label. >> also a group of local police officers race into action. what they are doing isn't what it seems. >> plus new stats of home sales are out. >> remembering the life of a man known for slapstick comedy. some good news in the housing market today. the national association of realtors said home sales were up 9.4% in september. that brings the seasonably-adjusted rate to more than 5.5 million. median sale prices were about $175,000. that's down 8.5% from this time last year. it is also the smallest annual drop in 13 months. experts say new homeowners have been scrambling to take advantage of first-time buyer tax credit before it expires. the so-called public option has returned to the health care reform debate. under the provision, government health insurance wouldompe with private plans. weeks ago the public option appeared to have died, at least in the senate where several democrats posted. president obama favors it and liberal activists pushed hard with protests a tv spots. today senate majority leader harry reid began testing support for different versions of a public option. house leader nancy pelosi says it will be part of her chambers' version of the bill. that does not end the controversy. >> the public has rejected the notion of a public option replacing their health care. >> polling data indicates there is support for the public option. >> we believe real competition comes from the ability for an individual to choose from 1,000 different insurance plans. >> you are not for public option. i haven't talked to anybody on your side that's for public option. we disagree. >> republicans and some of the more conservative democrats say they worryovernment insurance would drive private plans out of business and lower the quality of care. a sad ritual played out on capitol hill today. the office of late senator ted kennedy was packed up. there is a lot to pack. massachusettsoters sent him to the senate nine times. senator kennedy died of brain cancer back in august. a special election for the senate seat will be held this january. an interim replacement was sworn in last month. he triggered laughs in children and adults for nearly 50 years. today comedian soupy sales has died. at the height of his career in the 1950s and 1960s, sales was one of the most famous celebrities in the nation. his pie in the face routine became his trademark. sales was born milton stuckman in north carolina. he died last night at a hospice in new york. he was married and had two sons. soupy sales was 86 years old. >> we grew up watching him and laughing on tv with him. milton, never knew that. new at 5:30 tonight, gas prices once again on the rise. how much you can expect to pay this holiday travel season. plus, a local man's emotional plea for the safe return of his dog after his dog was snatched from a local gas station. >> then an age-old tradition has a local university all abuzz. welcome back, everybody. at 5:30, i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. wenties off this evening. howard university homecoming. a special guest made an appearance this year. gas prices are going back up. what you can expect to pay during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year. some of us spent a lot of time over the summer trying to keep our yards up to par. some helpful trips ensure your green thumb doesn't go to waste this winter. we'll share them with you. >> first at 5:30 tonight, the puppy thief. a local college student falls victim and loses his best friend. call it a stroke of bad luck. the university of maryland student was in annapolis wednesday, filled up his suv with gas at a station in the 1000 block of forest drive when he left his keys and 8-month-old puppy inside the vehicle. that's when a stranger jumped in and took off. pat collins joins us live now with more on this disheartening story. pat? >> reporter: this is a story about a man named ben, a dog named ellie and a bad man who did a very bad thing to both of them. ben is 22 years old. he's a criminal justice major at the university of maryland. he's in the army reserves and set to serve in iraq next spring. three months ago ben and his fiance broke up leaving ben alone with ellie, an 8-month-old german short-haired pointer. >> all i had left was ellie. i love ellie with all my heart. >> reporter: to be without ellie? >> i think i could live with it and move on because i know god has a plan, but it's tough when you leave for deployment soon. you want to have something to come home to. >> reporter: wednesday ben took ellie to a popular dog part in annapolis. after that he stopped off at this exxon station and then trouble. triple trouble. ben stopped at the exxon on forest drive to get some gas. pump number 9. he's thirsty so he goes inside to get a beverage. in that short period of time, in that brief little moment, that's when it happens a triple-play theft. ben comes out, no car. no dog. no cell phone. >> i don't care whoou are. i don't care what you are trying to do with the car or all my possessions that are in the car. i just want the dog back. i don't know if you still have her or you already released her, but give her to a shelter. give her to the annapolis police department or anne arundel police department and hopefully she can find a way back to me. >> reporter: what kind of guy would take a man's dog like this? >> don't have no respect for nobody. >> pretty deranged person. >> how low do you have to be to steal a guy's dog? >> pretty desperate. >> may he'll get him back. maybe the dog will find his way home. >> reporter: a tough lesson in street crime for criminal justice major ben. when you stop to get gas, lock your car and take your keys with you. jim, back to you. >> what a hard way to learn that lesson. ellie is a beautiful dog, pat. thanks a lot. police in prince george's county are still investigating a stabbing at a barber shop. it happened last night in a busy shopping center in hyattville. customers inside the cutting edge barber shop witnessed a man get stabbed and another person get beaten. both victims were taken to the hospital. d.c. police are trying to figure out who stole a minivan and crashed it into a house. a home owner was upstairs getting ready for bed around 10:00 last night when the van went into the home on mlk avenue. the driver ran away. police say the van was one of several stolen in prince william county. the van may have been involved in a recent drive-by shooting. police found a gun inside the vehicle. >> officers from across the washington region got to sharpen and show off their skills today. the third annual regional s.w.a.t. team competition was held today at the fairfax county firearms range here in chantilly. they ran through a series of competitions and exercises designed to challenge their preparedness and response capabilities. >> demonstrate the skill as a team, the team work and effort and training that goes in. barricades, an opportunity to train and be proficient in their skills. >> about a dozen teams took part this year. thousands of howard university alumni are returning to the school for homecoming this weekend. the campus was buzzing this morning when one of the most famous alums offered words of wisdom to students on "the steve harvey morning show." tracee wilkins has our story. >> reporter: jokes, and plenty of fun and "the steve hary morning show" was live from cranston. >> i'm humbled by the reception i get in washington, d.c. all the time. from my stand-up career before "the kings." i've got nothing but love for d.c. >> reporter: oscar-nominated co-star joined the show. this homecoming is two-fold for henson who is a native washingtonian and a howard university alum who once performed on this very stage as an acting major. >> howard absolutely developed tough skin to prepare me for hollywood. you have to be good to get up on the stage. you really have to be good. >> reporter: henson will be the homecoming ambassador and grand marshal. >> sometimes we make life harr than what it has to be. literally what steve was saying earlier, what you put out to the universe is what you will get back. you have to start ordering up what you want in your life. it's that simple. >> reporter: howard's homecoming parade kicks off tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. it happened in northwest. tracee wilkins, news4. the homecoming football game starts at 1:00 at green stadium. members of the d.c. city council are questioning the mayor's decision to bypass the council when handing out park contracts. it's law that the council has to approve contracts worth more than $1 million. last month the mayor's office dished out contracts worth $16 million to improve the city's park system. the construction manager on the projects is a fraternity brother of the mayor. the council wants the administration to attend a round table meeting next friday. there is much more ahead here on the 5:00. pain at the pump. what we are now learning about the price of gas during the busy holiday travel season. >> helpful hints every parent needs to know before they pack their kids' next school lunch. >> why you'll soon have to pay to use a popular website. >> holiday shopping getting a bit easier for parents in virginia. the first lady will be a guest on "the jay leno show" tonight. she won't have to leave the white house to do it. michelle obama will appear by satellite for a segment called "ten at ten." don't miss the first lady get grilleded by jay tonight at 10:00 right here on nbc 4. we know he's going to grill her. >> something tells me she can handle it, like that hula hoop. let's get the word on the weather. you've got a big walk tomorrow morning, you might want to bring the umbrella. >> an umbrella, probably a rain jacket with a rai hood would work best. when you get into those walks, if everybody has an umbrella, you're poking each other in the eye or back. go with the rain jacket. we are talking about more rain that will be moving through. moderate and heavy rain throughout the day tomorrow. you can see the leading edge of showers now on the east side of i-81. hagerstown, winchester and down to front royal. i think for the evening hours, scattered and mostly light showers. then the rain will start to pick up in intensity and get heavier tomorrow. temperatures will be easing down to the 60s, mid 60s, low 60s by tomorrow morning. we should hit a high of 70. wouldn't be surprised at all if we had a thunder shower tomorrow in the area. here is your timeline. some showers in by about 7:00 or 8:00. breezy and warm tomorrow with some thunder showers, probably ending saturday night between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m. we could easily get 1/2 to an inch of rain out of there. thud be okay, sunday morning drying out. filling up at the pump is getting more expensive. the national average price for regular unleaded gas rose 8 cents over the last week to $2.57 a gallon. rising crude oil costs are to blame for the increase. gas prices are still down 34 cents from a year ago. alysts say gas prices may rise 15 cents a gallon by thanksgiving, just in time for the holiday driving season. we should say your walk is tomorrow down at the nats stadium. >> american diabetes association. 9:30 at nats stadium and prince william county, rain or shine. >> be there. coming up at 5:00, why the fda is suddenly pulling the plug on a popular food label. and i'm hakem dermish. we'll introduce you to woodson star quarterback. >> and helpful tips to make sure your grass stays green this winter. >> do cosmetics have a shelf life? that's the question. it's friday, folks. should parents put ice packs in their kids' lunches? why do banks place holds on checks? do cosmetics have a shelf life? liz crenshaw is here to answer the questions for us. our first one is about school lunches. do parents need to put ice packs in their child lunch? >> if you are packing something perishable like meat or dairy, yes, do you need an eye pack to keep it hold. they remain safe at room temperature only two hours, but they start as soon as you take food out of your fridge. that means your child's lunch may not be safe by lunchtime. you can think about freezing one ofhose juice boxes which will thaw by lunchtime. this rule applies to cut up fruits and vegetables. >> if you are like me, i eat my lunch at 11:00, i'm so hungy at time. >> this is not about you. this is about children going to grade school. >> and my "bonanza" lunch box. when depositing a check, why does a bank place a hold on that money? and why do hold times vary? >> the aba says banks place holds on checks to give them time to clear and avoid losses. the expedited funds availability act limits holds banks can place before making the funds available to the depositive for. under the federal reserve board regulation cc, a bank must post its policies on holds in the lobby. generally local checks must be available in two business days, nonlocal five business days. aba says several circumstances permit longer holds like if the deposive for has been repeatedly overdrawn or returned unpaid or if the deposit is more than $5,000. sometimes that hold may be longer. it is supposed to be posted in the lobby. if not, ask for it. >> good to know. our last question comes from karen. do cosmetics have a shelf life? >> the typical life span of perfume is about a year. mascara is only about three months. foundations, three to six months. powders, lip gloss, eye pencils last about a whole year. moisturizer good about six months. cosmetic products not properly stored may expire longer than that date. give them a sniff and throw away if you are unsure. if you have a question, send it to liz at nbcwashington.com. use this e-mail address to contact us about any story idea you have. >> all right. give them a good sniff. i like that. thank you, liz. have a good weekend. i'll try that. the smart choices label on some of your favorite foods may be going away soon. some companies are pulling the plug on the food labeling program after the fda said the labels could be misleading. kraft and kellogg put the program together to show their food met certain nutritional standards. it came under criticism because its guidelines allow high sugar cereal to bear the label. it's a voluntary stoppage. some companies that want to keep the label are free to do that. you may have to start paying to browse the web hulo. right now it's free. no decision has been made just yet. it is a joint venture of nbc, walt disney, providence equity partners and news corps. news corps owns the "wall street journal" and is starting to charge for its online access. we want to move to sports now. dan hellie is downing us. we have friday night football we are talking about? >> friday night football. our game of the week tonight it going to be in virginia. it's west springfieldnd w.t. woodson. these are high-scoring power houses. scoreboard operator on high alert. last year the two teams combined for the eighth highest scoring game in state history. west springfield routed woodson 72-47. tonight they meet with identical 3-1 records and woodson looking for revenge. hakem dermish joins us live from fairfax. what's going on? >> reporter: woodson actually practiced the week with that 72-47 score on the scoreboard to serve as a reminder. to one wants to beat west springfield more than connor reilly. he plays the game of football like a chess match, always thinking about his next move and moving has been a part of his life. he transferred here from a school in tennessee. in all, he's lived in ten different places including washington state, hawaii and germany. here at woodson, he's fitting in perfectly. adapting to change is a prerequisite for a quarterback. connor reilly executes that skill with ease both on and off the football field. every two years connor and his family pick up and move becaus his father neil works for the military as a political advisor. adapting to change is order in the household. >> the life of the military brat hasn't been hard at all. my little sister takes it harder than i do. i like moving. the change of scenery, change of lifestyle. >> connor's ability to maintain the same type of personality. he doesn't get really excited. he's even keeled and he is a good kid. makes good decisions. i appreciate his ability to show up in a new environment. he doesn't struggle for long. >> reporter: arriving at woodson last year as a junior, connor broke out big time, throwing for more than 1,900 yards while scoring 30 touchdowns. the attention started rolling in from schools like maryland, virginia and virginia tech. instead, connor committed to temple where he plans to playing both football and baseball. he grew up idolizing his father who played minor league ball for the texas rangers. thpassion to compete is a family trait. >> competition comes from my parents. both were high school and college athletes. they've always driven me to play hardwin. it's okay to lose, but you never like the fact of losing. it hurts. my drive comes from both of them. >> reporter: in his final season as a cavalier, connor is leading the way. in week two he threw for 499 yards. the fifth most passing yards in the game's state history. the praise from coaches and teammates is encouraging. the appreciation from his dad means the most. >> i look at him for a nod of approval, a thumb's up. i smile to myself because it helps me know i'm doing well. at night he'll ask, what wer you thinking here and there? he'll bounce questions off me, i'll give him answers, good job, praise and approval is nice coming from him. >> i watch my son and i'm deeply affected by the manner to which he conducts himself. he's not a rah-rah cheerleader. he wants the best for everybody. he understands in order for the team to do well, you can't depend on one guy. >> connor reilly lived all over, adapting to change is helping him earn success, yet he remains humble, a value he learned right at home. you heard connor mention his mom and his sister. his mother played college softball and his sister is a cheeeader here at woodson high school. friday nights they are all one place together. coming up at 11:00, we'll have highlights from the game of the week, west springfield taking on woodson. >> what a gene pool there, mom and dad? >> athletes, all in the family. ahead at 5:00, the new stores popping up across virginia to help parents with their holiday shopping. >> after months getting your grass just right, winter is just around the corner. helpful tips on what you can do to help your healthy lawn it just got more convenient to shop for those holiday toys in virginia. toys "r" us have three new pop-up stores in springfield, manassas mall and fair oaks mall in virginia. for most of us, lawn care means raking a few leaves. what do you to your lawn in fall pays off come spring and summer. nbc now has this special rrt with tips to ensure you get that luscious lawn this summer. you are looking at the lawn, right? this is something we think about spring and summer because we are out barbecuing, having a great time. did you know the best time to take care of your lawn is during the fall months? what do you now will directly affect how your lawn looks next spring and next summer. if you are going to be raking, the leaves are going to be falling. get all of that up, as much as you can. you'll do a little bit of mowing, but not a lot. the next step is core aeroation. if you have a large lawn, you can rent a machine. if you live in a smaller area like this one here, this is a hand core airator. take it in the grass, put it in there and push with your foot. the dirt plugs just come out. look at that on the top. you keep pushing. what you are doing is exposing those roots in the soil down low. look at that. see that? looks like a goose convention, right? it's just dirt. this will work itself into the soil. once you do that, it's time to apply a winterizing fertilizer. this is key. what's going to happen is, a winterizing fertilizer will get down inside those holes and help feed the roots of the grass. this is a small spreader. take that, move it around to work itself in. while it goes down during the winter months when this grass goes dormant is going to be feeding those roots. this grass is going to come back thicker and greener next spring because of what you did today. you still might end up with brown spots that you need to attend to. you are going to scratch the surface a little bit, put seed and pete moss and fertilizer on top of that, but by