stevens addresses his letter to the president with his formal notification beginning the letter my dear mr. president telling him he intends to leave the court when his regular term ends in late june. about the only thing surprising about this announcement is the timing coming out today. it was widely expected he would announce his decision this month because he turns 90 on april 20th and he has strongly signaled in recent weeks that he would be stepping down after more than 34 years of service. though he was put on the court by president gerald ford, he has been solidly in the court's liberal wing in recent years so the appointment of his successor by a democratic president won't change the court's ideological makeup. among possible nominees are elena kagan and diana wood of kake and mayor rick garland from here in washington. the white house already has a list of possible nominees for the president to consider because they went through this last year with sonia sotomayor. >> interestingly, the last military veteran on the court, the last protestant on the court. for the politics of this, over to savannah guthrie. this won't be a net pickup for the president. this is a kind of going to stay in the same category. the white house has had ample time to prepare for this but now they must consider the atmosphere in the u.s. senate. >> no question about it. supreme court nominees at least in this modern era, these nomination processes are always an ideological war. as pete mentioned, the white house was certainly ready for it, received the han written letter from justice stevens at 10:30 this morning. the president is flying back from prague right now. osis informed by his white house counsel expected to make comments on it this afternoon. >> interestingly, john paul stevens, the squlouts survives the president who put him on the court, the first and only choice of president gerald ford during his previous presidency, will be leaving the court. further coverage all day on msnbc and nightly news. i'm brian williams in new york. more tonight on "nbc nightly news." i'm brian williams in new yo >> good morning, everyone. welcome to news4 midday. you've been watching an nbc special report on the retirement of justice john paul stevens from the supreme court. i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today is, friday april 9th, 2010. major setback in the effort to rescue four trapped miners in west virginia. rescuers have been pulled from the mine for a third time this morning. jay gray has the latest from raleigh county, west virginia. >> overnight another major setbackback for rescue teams in the mountains of west virginia. >> had a long night, we had a difficult night. we ran into some problems. >> earlier as crews searched for survivors, they instead found something no one expected. >> what we didn't expect is for there to be smoke from a fire. and that changed what we had to do. >> before they were pushed out of the mine, the rescue teams did inspect one of two safety chambers. >> it was not deployed. it was intact and not deployed. so we know that there was nobody in that chamber. so we had that one more chamber left to check. >> reporter: as they worked to extinguish the flames from the outside, crews also plan to drill three more bore hole into the mine, one near the unchecked safety chamber to try and get a clear picture of whether anyone is inside. >> we're still hoping, we still hold out that's been deployed and that thing instability and we can -- have a miracle on our hands here. >> it's a faith and hope that's again being challenged by the dangerous conditions inside the upper big branch mine. >> that was jay bray reporting from raleigh county, west virginia. >> he was a husband and a father, a mentor and a friend. this morning a montgomery county police officer will be laid to rest after dying in the line of duty. hector ayala was killed on sunday when his cruiser crashed in wheaton. tray ewilkins joins with us more how he is being remembered today. >> good morning eun. i can't begin to tell you the numbers of law enforcement out here this morning to pay tribute to this fallen officer. the parking lot here at church packed with folks from everywhere, all in our region and beyond. i was told there were officers from as far as away as canada and some as nearby as add run del. of course, the metropolitan police department, also prince george's county police department, all of the police department here at the church. 31-year-old montgomery county police officer sergeant hector ayala lass was brought in just a little while ago. he died in the line of duty on sunday after his cruiser left the roadway striking a tree. he was on his way to assist another officer. he served with the montgomery department since 2003. fluent in spanish, he was considered a major part of the montgomery county police department, working the midnight shift, often serving as an interpreter and decorated for the work he's done here on the job. he leaves behind his wife, who was pregnant with triplets and also their young son. is he spoke with colleagues here today who say that they are here with heavy heart. >> it's a sad day for all of us here at the department. to lose an officer, such a tragic event is very sad for us all. you can see support this brings, it gets you in the heart. very heartfelt. very warming to see the response we get. >> that response is absolutely breathtaking. anytime we will attend these funeral for officers killed in the line of duty, officer who have been lost, it's always amazing to see just how many other police officers will come out to support that officer and that officer's family. i spoke with one police officer from prince george's county, and i asked him, why come to this funeral of an officer who you've never met before and be here with so many of your colleagues. and he said this is what we do. we show our support to one another whenever one of our own is lost. and that's the feeling here is the brotherhood. it doesn't matter the department, the state or city. it is a brotherhood and when one is killed in the line of duty or dies in the line of duty, that's something felt by everyone. i'm trace key wilkins live from montgomery county. >> thank you. >> president obama is weighing in on virginia's confederate history month and says governor bob mcdonnell made an unacceptable omission when he made the proclamation without mentioning slavery. mcdonnell added a paragraph condemning slavery. the president says americans cannot understand the civil war without understanding slavery and says the controversy is a remind tosh thoughtful when speaking about painful issues. >> it's 55 degrees. much cooler this morning. the sun is back after a rainy night. the first forecast now the from chuck bell who's in for tom kierein this morning. what a change. >> big change, eun. summer is out the door and a little taste of springtime weather has finally come back into the washington region and man, oh, man, is the wind howling out there this late morning. temperatures have recovered a little bit from our morning lows now. we're up to 55 degrees in downtown d.c. 55 in vienna and fairfax, 57 in cull pep they are morning, winchester and front royal, tom's brook all in the low 50s. martinsburg holding back at 47 degrees. broader view shows look at the cool air to our north and west riding our way on a northwest wind. so it's going to be a blustery and cool afternoon today. if you look at the satellite radar loop, a lot of clear skies now across much of the virginia piedmont from the blue ridge eastbound to i-95. still one or two lonely sprinkles cannot be ruled out especially extreme southern maryland. by and large rain chances around town today are next to nothing. it's going to be a very pleasant afternoon as long as you like a good kite flying weather. plenty of sunshine. blustery but cooler and that yesterday. today we will be lucky if we get up to 60 degrees. our first below average day in this fine month of april. complete check of the seven-day coming up. >> we'll see you then. thank you. >> jerry edwards has an update on the midday traffic. how are the roads look sfg. >> spots doing pretty well. others not so much. right here at 395 northbound at the 14th street bridge, construction project taking away the right lane about mid span on the 14th street bridge and traffic very slow. if you look carefully, you can see traffic moving slowly on the gw parkway, a construction project there just north of 395. over to maryland. the approach to the wilson bridge. maryland and virginia i should say. from the maryland perspective, traffic moving along nicely. no hang ups across the bridge span. because of a reported fire over at metro center, right now red line trains are still single tracking between gallery place and fair gut north. anticipate midday delays if you take the red line. we'll keep you updated. >> president obama will be hosting world leaders at a nuclear summit in d.c. next week and that's going to cause some major parking and traffic problems for people who live and work in that area. some of those restrictions will start as early as tonight. news4's megan manage grakt grath joins with us details. >> good morning. >> good morning. this summit coincides with the start of the workweek. with all these road closures and the like, it's going to be touch for a lot of folks to get to offices on monday and tuesday. we're on l street. you can see the emergency no parking signs. the restrictions on this street begin at 7:00 tonight and they last through noon on wednesday. so it's going to be a good hunk of time, a lot of people have to make alternative plans in terms of where they're going and where they're going to park their cars. with so many world leaders in one place at one time, police aren't taking any chances. >> motorcades are a common sight in the nation's capital. but come monday, they'll be all over the place. as dignitaries make their way to the convention center. with those motorcades will come rolling road closures. the area around the convention center will also become a security zone. streets will be blocked and parking prohibited. the mt. vernon square metro station will be closed. right now trying to figure out what i'm going to do. i think i'm going to walk to the gallery and chinatown and catch the subway from there. i've got a meeting tuesday morning and i know i'm not going to be able to catch the train. >> with more than 40 heads of state coming to the summit, police are on high alert. metal fence sections sit in piles being joined together to create a continuous wall around the convention center. >> it looks like we're living in a police state or something. it's kind of scary almost. >> it's going to be annoying because i walk to work through the convention center every day and just to have walk through chinatown or not be able to take the metro is going to be a huge inreasons for me. >> reporter: the security zone will be off-limits to regular traffic. the only people allowed in will be residents who can prove they live within the perimeter, and people who work in the area. ed roach works at the convention center and will have to pass through the security checkpoint. >> got to get up a little early and make sure you get in a little early. inconvenience but it's a job. >> and you can see the piles here. these are the segments of the fencing that's going to be put up. so a lot of work is going to happen over the next coup of days to get ready for the summit. the summit, of course is, monday and tuesday and the timing of it is right at the start of the workweek. a lot of people are going to be impacted by the closure of the roads. we're talking about major roads in the area of the convention center, new york avenue, massachusetts avenue. they are going to be shut down. with those rolling closures too because of all of the motorcades, we're going to start to see unexpected and sudden road closures elsewhere around the city, as well. folks are just going to have to be patient and bear in mind they might have to build in some time into their commute. >> if you can, just steer clear all together. megan manage grarkts thank you. metro riders will be affected. the metro station will close at 9:00 p.m. on sunday and remain closes until 5:00 a.m. on wednesday. trains will be passing through the station during that time, but riders will not be allowed to get off. 13 metrobus routes will be ached by closures in that area. 11:14 is your time now. more information now on a diplomat accused of causing a security scare in the sky. coming up what,al happen to the man suspected of smoking inside a plane bathroom. plus a tv producer is in pligs custody in mexico. police are trying to figure out if he had anything to do with the murder of his wife. >> it is the final weekend of the cherry blossom festival. big events are still on the schedule. >> new today, the taliban is claiming responsibility for an american aircraft that went down in afghanistan, killing four people. several other people were hurt when the tilt rotor craft crashed in the southeastern province of zabul. it's not clear whether any victims were americans. we're learning more about a d.c. based diplomat who caused an emergency in the sky after lighting a smoke on an airplane. he was on his way to visit a convicted al qaeda operative in a denver prison. he is being forced out of the country. elaine reyes joins us with the latest. good morning. >> as a diplomat, he has immunity in the united states. officials plan to send mohammed al madadi home to qatar and he has to be gone today. we've learns more about his trip to col. he was flying to denver to meet with a man convicted of conspireing to support terrorism after the 9/11 attacks. it is common for diplomats to visit imprisoned countrymen to be ensure they're receiving fair treatment. his plane got a fighter jet escort after he smoked in a bathroom, then joked about lighting his shoe on fire. welsh the "new york daily news" reports this morning that the incident cost more than $50,000 of to taxpayers and several thousand to put the fighter jets in the sky. then united airlines gave the other passengers on that flight vouchers and paid for hotels and taxis for the inconvenience. they were all delayed about five hours. >> they did a really thorough interview of every single person on the plane whether they saw something or not. >> this is a very serious issue. any of house travel on airlines were reminded of that every time we take off. >> now the state department is not seeking compensation for qatar for the cost of this scare. there are reports al madadi is being reassigned in his job. >> elaine, thank you. >> what if your boss said you could drink plenty of beer at lunch? pretty cool, right? try telling that to beer p employees in denmark. they're angry the company will only let them drink during lunch. until now they could drink all day long and couldn't get drunk at work. some walked off the job in protest and joined by karlsburg truck drivers. they're allowed to bring three busier with them when they head out. alcohol ignition locks on the truck prevent them from driving drunk. could you imagine working here if we were allowed to drink beer all day long and they're mad they could only drink at lunch? >> is it talking out of school if i said i couldn't imagine not drinking at work all day? >> no. >> it would certainly change the mood of the newsroom. >> i'd say. >> i won't say for the better or worse because some people are better off not drink stoog. >> this is true. try to put on a live newscast after three beers, yeah. >> never forecast drunk. that's the first rule. you're bound to mess up the weekend forecast and you're going to pay for that. outside on a beautiful day today. temperatures are climbing quickly. our city camera view shows plenty of sunshine over washington. our current temperature, 55 degrees. a gusty northwestly wind. temperatures have been climbing steadily. look at that northwest wind, 29 miles an hour now. the rainfall added up to just under.75 inch. yesterday's high, 83. yesterday's pollen count 3300 and then some. thankfully, the rain has taken most of the pollen away. 55 now in town. 54 in frederick, maryland. there are a little cloud covers down to our south and east. >> rainfall totals .75 inch in southern maryland. a little over that in culpeper county, virginia. a lot less rain out towards win when is ter and the blue ridge. frederick, maryland, barely .2 inch there. here's a check of live doppler. one or two loan little sprinkles in far southern st. mary's county. that is just about most of us going to be high and dry for the rest of your friday and in fact, for all of your upcoming weekend. look at the hilly air now. up to our north and west, temperatures only in the 30s now. with a northwest wind blowing into washington, that's the air mass that's going to be here. the dry air is going to be moving in during the course of the day today. look at clouds being scours out din wind of the mountains there. cool and breezy afternoon. high pressure moving in. light winds tonight. mostly clear sky and very dry air makes for a very, very chilly start tomorrow morning. could even see scattered frost in the shenton doeia valley. there's even a freeze warning cruise the new river valley in virginia and the greenbriar valley in southeastern west virginia. a beautiful weekend. a nice recovery in temperatures for tomorrow. today we're only get to get to the upper 50s. tomorrow into the mid 60s. and by sunday back into the mid-70s. so your friday forecast, sunshine, blustery, cooler. highs today 55 to 60. a northwest wind at 15 to 25 miles per hour. there's the weekend, eun. 65 with a little bit of a breeze around tomorrow. sunday, a-ok indeed. clouds come back on monday with highs near 70. above average temperatures into the middle of next week and no more rain in the forecast. eventually that pollen count is going to get severely you high by early next week. >> a little bit of a break. weekend looks great. are you thirsty all of a sudden? >> yes. >> thanks, check. >> to more midday traffic. jerry, not for long before you can have a beer. >> maybe, hopefully. keep my fingers crossed. let's see how we're doing. a lot of folks out and about. doing relatively well despite the roadwork on 270. you can see the construction cones blocking the left lane northbound and southbound between gaithersburg and montgomery village. right now, not too bad. west on 66, look out. tough going, pretty much from the beltway to fair oaks at this hour. crews out patching those potholes and as a result, with two out of three lanes closed, traffic backed up quickly so they continued to move west headed out toward fair oaks and centreville. look for delays till they're completely gone and call it a day. then the rush hour begins. ain't it grand? eun. >> thank you, jerry. 11:23 is your time now. still ahead, tina fey is everywhere this weekend on the big screen in a new movie and back on the snl stage. a preview of both. plus, phone home while you can. a cell phone ban is up for a vote in maryland today. and what twoods tiger woods hors d'oeuvres to say about his return to golf. first, here's a l are you making it easier for bacteria to grow on your dentures? you are if you use toothpaste instead of soaking them in polident toothpaste is abrasive on dentures look, scratches where bacteria can collect and grow and bacteria can cause bad breath that's why i recommend replacing toothpaste with polident only polident is proven to clean without scratching and kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria don't scratch your dentures clean use polident every day >> we are the tripplehorns. >> great. two of nbc's biggest stars and bunnest stars come together this weekend in the new comedy "date night." steve carell and tina fey play a happy but bored married couple. that allchings when they leave their kids with a baby-sitter and head out for a romantic date. it is rated pg-13. tomorrow night the comedienne hosted night live". she hinted that a reprice of sarah palin is possible. if that want weren't enough to draw you to the show, there's justin bieber will be the musical guest tomorrow night. it the cherry blos somz have left us but the festival still under way. tomorrow the festivities continue with the annual parade that kicks off at 10:00 tomorrow morning. there's also a japanese street festival that runs most of the day. the entire festival wraps up on sunday. 11:27 is your time now. coming up in the next half hour on news4 midday, a tv producer caught up in a murder drama. plus, a pair of space walking astronauts maneuver a 1700-pound tank. we'll have details. >> and bigger military bases are doing away with fast food. we'll tell you why. chuck bell is also back with a look at the weekend forecast. you're going to like what >> breaking news from the supreme court. we've just learn that had justice john paul stevens is retiring. stevens says he will step down when the high court finishes its work for the summer, probably late in june or early july. stevens is the oldest justice on the supreme court. today's announcement comes 11 days before his 90th birthday. he is a liberal leaning justice. so his retirement is unlikely to change the makeup of the court. right now, hope is fading that four trapped miners in west virginia will be found alive. rescuers were pulled from the mine again this morning after they came across smoke. this was the third time since monday's explosion that rescuers have had to retreat. 25 died in that initial blast. >> an officer will be laid to rest today. hector ayala died on sunday when his cruiser crashed in wheaton and leaves behind a 14-month-old son and a wife expecting triplets in june. watch out for no porking signs in d.c. this weekend. president obama's nuclear summit is coming to the washington convention center on monday and parking restrictions will start to take effect at 10:00 tonight. widespread road closures will also begin on sunday evening. >> new at midday, the vatican says pope deny bikt the 16th is willing to meet are more victims of sex abuse at hands of priests. a smokes mans says the church needs more transparent sit to prove it's being run widely and justly. he met with victims during trips to the u.s. and as you traia. the vatican denies they took part of in a cover-up and blames the media for what it calls a smear complain against benedict. a reality show producer is caught up in a murder investigation. mexican police detained "pimp my ride" and former "survivor" producer bruce beresford-redman, a suspect in his wife's death. the 38-year-old was on vegas in cancun when she disappeared. her body was found in a is her at the moon palace resort where they were staying. a security guard saw them arguing on monday night. they say he tried to hit her. an autopsy is under way to determine the cause of death. >> tiger woods is back. right now, round two of the masters is under way for the world's top golfer. if you thought he might be unprepared, think again. is he just two shots off lead after shooting a 38 yesterday. but as kristin dahlgren reports, it's clear things are quite different for tyingn ntyingner >> tiger woods sinking it, smiling, celebrating an amazing shot. >> got to tell you one of the best moments i saw is when he was on 9 and hit it out of the woods. we were on the green. we didn't know where he was. the next thing you know it's about ten feet away from the cup. >> for the most part i think i hit the ball well all day. >> in his first day back in competition in more than five months, there were also reminders of just how much things have changed. the scandal looming large over woods' return to the game. >> were you aware of the airplane that was flying overhead on a couple of occasions and how do you feel about someone who would go to such extreme lengths to poke fun? >> i didn't see it. >> on the pristine grounds of augusta national, woods receive aid warm welcome back. thousands followed the superstar. >> the reception was incredible all day. >> thought he was playing well. i got to see him a couple times and i thought he was playing great. >> clearly pleased to see his golf game col still leave him within two shots of the leader. >> throughout the personal life, let's play some golf this week. >> many fans eager to return their focus to the game. >> what does the game mean? what did it mean to you? >> it meant i'm two shots off the lead. that's what it means i'm here to play a golf tournament. >> even if for some the scandal is still hard to ignore. kristin dahlgren, nbc news. >> tiger shot a 68 yesterday, a 68, and that was the best first round score tiger's ever had at the masters. two astronauts spent the morning space walking. the duo began a three-step process of swapping out an moneyia tank. the astronauts used a pry bar to get the new tank out of discovery's" payload bay. the thanks are in a temporary position till sunday. the team also collected a science experiment from the space station to the japanese labs. a spring storm put on a lightning show in the district. how winds brought down trees and power lines last night the big northwest in 8th street. some of the branch landed on cars. no one was hurt. we're grateful for the rain. all the pollen was finally washed away. looks like it's going to return sooner and that we think. >> you can only wash it away for so long. eventually it is a flowering and pollinating season for all the trees. as a result, you've got to take pollen breaks when you can get them. a lot of sunshine breaking through in most of the neighborhoods especially to the east of the blue ridge. stafford, virginia, 56 degrees for a current temperature after almost.75 inch rain there. arlington .7 inch of rain. maryland, 53 degrees. washington, d.c. 55. annapolis, maryland, 52 with a wind at 16 miles per hour. satellite review shows the includes being skourd away because of that nice northwest wind blowing in. still one or two lonely sprinkles crossing overrule southern maryland over the next couple hours. you folks in st. mary's county may get a sprinkle or two. no more rain here in the washington area or points north and west. sunshine and blustery today. but much, much cooler. 25 degrees cooler and that yesterday afternoon. the rest of the day is going to be a nice one. no doubt about it. the weekend looking good, too. anything you want to do otherwise, good kite flying weather this weekend. >> thanks very much, chuck. a final check of your midday traffic now. jerry edwards has the latest. >> a, eun. a lot of folks stuck in very slow traffic, not even rush hour and it is jammed on interstate 66 leaving the beltway headed to vien vienna. crews are out patching pot hoes. two out of the three lanes are closed. as a result, traffic actually leaving the beltway past 123 west way out to fair oaks moving at a snail's pace indeed. if you're headed to the eastern shore, toll booths open for business. two lanes eastbound. three lanes westbound. the volume can handle the eastbound fellow very easily. one more reminder at this hour, red line still single tracking between gallery place and fair gut north because of the earlier incident at metro center. expect a little bit of delay for the next couple of hours. >> have a great weekend, jerry. >> today, maryland could be closer to banning handheld cell phones while driving. the house of delegates plans to vote on a bill that would require drivers to use hands free devices. those caught using a regular cell phone would face a $40 fine. the state senate narrowly passed a similar measure last month. six states already ban handheld phones behind the wheel. police in arlington says overall crime fell 3.7% in 2009 compared to 2008. violent crime was down even more, 8.3%. the number of crimes per 100,000 people was also down by nearly 100 in 2009. pennsylvania's gettysburg battlefield is getting a historic makeover. the park service is trying to restore the field to the way it looked during the civil war. yesterday a backhoe ripped the roof off this building ta housed rest rooms. power lines will also be taken down. many describe the battle as the war's turning point. union troops turned back general robert e. lee's army in july of 1863. 11:38 is your time now. still ahead on "news4midday," we'll have the latest stock numbers and the smithsonian institution is teaming up with a tv shopping network qvc. stay with us. i'm an adult with adhd. i'm getting treatment but sometimes i still have a hard time focusing and paying attention. distractions can make my day even more challenging, especially the mornings when i really need to be organized. now there's an action guide just for adults with adhd that may help. call the number on your screen or visit the website for your free copy. the guide has tips that may help reduce distractions so i can focus. with adhd i sometimes have trouble meeting deadlines. the guide showed me how to be better organized which may help me finish projects on time. having adhd, i often spend a lot of time looking for things. the guide offered me tips on reducing clutter which helps me find important items. adhd affects each of us differently. this guide has tips and tools that you can personalize to fit your needs which may help you organize so you can focus on what's important throughout the day. for a free copy, call the number on your screen or visit adhdactionguide.com. >> a little bit of home on board u.s. military bases is about to go away. most folks on u.s. military bases eat at the dining facility. a fast food option at big bays will soon stop by military orders. nbc's john yang measures reaction. >> at bagram airfield they're lining up for one last fast food fix. burger king, popeyes and pis za hut are getting darche papers when a fast fooded ban takes effect. some were sorry to see them go. >> it's a nice break. i mean, this is my first time coming over here. i decided to kind of give hisself a reward. >> reminds you of home. kind of makes it more of a homey place. >> one says he was happy to see temptation removed. >> it's going to help me with my diet. >> when we blogged about it, there was an unusually high volume of responses. one said it was absurd to have fast food in a war zone in the first place. another wrote it was the taste of home that kept me going. one wrote the order reflects the spartan style of commander stanley mcchrystal, one meal a day and a ban on alcohol at the coalition headquarters in kabul. they will say it's about keeping military priorities straight as this is war enters what could be a crucial phase. in his blog, command sergeant major michael hall, a top mcchrystal adviser wrote, this is a war zone, not an musement park. he says supplying fast food outlets with things like french fries distracts from supplies the front lines with ammunition. >> we can only do things so fast because we have so much capacity to bring things in. >> instead the emphasis will be on things that make a bigger difference to troop morale, expanding internet and phone access and building gyms. >> we lost focus of why we're here and if we didn't have burger king, would the war be over? of course, not. but you know, perhaps we'd be a little bit further along. >> the age a old choice between guns and burgers. john yang, nbc news, bagram airfield, afghanistan. >> first lady michelle obama is focusing on battling the bulge with kids today at the white house. she will hold a childhood obesity forum from 1:30ing to 5:00. she has said the epidemic threatens an entire generation of young people. she sad down with jim vance and talked about why it's so important to bring kids foot white house. >> it's really critical for me for kids of all races and ages to really feel liking this white house is is theirs and that they're going to come in here and they're going to hear music and go to the easter egg roll and they're going to sit in the state dining room and feel what it's like to be a part of a state dinner because i think it can change the way kids see themselves. you know? if you see it, you can believe it. and i want them to see themselves here. >> suc find much more of jim vance's interview with the first lady online. head to nbcwashington.com. the story is on our homepage. >> well, if you're looking for work, ups want you to know it's hiring. the package delivery company is planning to hire about 25,000 drivers over the next five years. that's to replace baby boomers slated to retire. drivers for ups make an average of $74,000 a year. good living. it's a change ta could mean fewer new hot spots around 14th and u. business owners are upset about a zoning decision. bar appearance restaurants are only supposed to take up 25% of the area under current zoning rules. officials have decided against granting more building permits for those types of businesses. critics say the decision will jeopardize future projects and make d.c. seem hostile to new businesses. buy some bling while learning something? that's what the smithsonian is hoping to do through its new partnership with qvc. the smithsonian is teaming up with the home shopping network to create a line of jewelry. it will be inspired by the gem and mineral collection at the museum of natural history. it hopes the line will educate the public about the smithsonian and its gems. you'll be able to buy the collection this fall. it will be cheaper than the real thing. >> let's go now to you scott cohn with updates on the business headlines. >> but first we'll take a break. coming up, the government is raising concerns about a possible risk posed by antibiotical soap and chuck bell has your statute. markets snapped a two-day losing streak yesterday. laek let's check with scott cohn with more on that and the rest of the business headlines. >> morning, eun. maybe if we stay this way, we'll have a two-day winning streak in the markets. the focus right now is on greece. you know about the debt problems there. greek government had its debt downgraded by a key ratings agency today, not good for financial confidence but at the same time, there is talk they may now be closer to a deal, a rescue from the european union and the international monetary fund and that has been soothing the markets so the dow jones industrials up more than 50 points, the nasdaq up, as well. one of the things that is a result of that is that the u.s. dollar is weaker. people feel a little more willing to spread their money out there. so that increases the price of oil. as a result, exxonmobil leading the market higher. also higher today, retail stocks after yesterday's big sales reports, j.p. penny in particular getting a buy recommendation today. it is up. next week, earnings season kicks off. it will be all-important as we continue to gauge how the economy is recovering and particularly how corporate america is recovering. >> scott cohn, thanks very much. have a great weekend. >> you too. >> an anti-bacterial soap ingredient may pose a risk. the food and drug administration will review the chemical used to reduce and prevent bacterial contamination in many soaps, furniture and toys. the review comes after animal studies the chemical may make bacteria resistant to antibiotics. officials say you can use regular soap and water to wash up effectively. we have a warning this morning for pet owner who's treat their dogs and katsd cats for fleas antics. the environmental protection agency is cracking down on the companies that make those treatments. news4's liz crenshaw as details. >> outdoor time for dogs and their owners. a welcome sight after a long winter. but it's a field day for tickets and fleas as well who want to make a home on your pet. that's why many pet owners have turned to these. spot on treatments that applied once a month keep fleas antics away. >> i've used them for the past, i'd say almost seven years. >> vetnairians have been prescribing them for years because they're so good at keeping fleas antics from feeding on your pets, not to mention easy to use. >> want to part the hair. and just put it right on the skin. >> and that little bit in that little spot is going to protect her for a whole month? >> a whole month. >> but this little bit of product can turn to poison. the paep reports 44,000 sick pets in 2008 because of these spot-on products. that's about 50% more than the year before. 600 of those animals died. the epa says in addition, adverse reactions include vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, depression and seizures. >> we don't believe it was a bad batch. we do believe it was misuse because labels weren't clear. >> for example, using a dog product on a cat or using a product for a large dog on a small dog. epa says to increase the safety of these products, it will begin reviewing labels to determine which ones need stronger and clearer labeling statements. some pet owners have worries. >> do you use any products to help prevent? >> i used to and don't anymore having read too much about the dil tierious effects. >> you're a little concerned about these products. >> definitely. >> i worry about overdosing i guess. that would be my biggest concern. >> another concern, flea and tick products made for dogs contain a pesticide call eed promethru. ful owners are careful, the benefits are immense. >> they help prevent lyme disease and rocky mountain spotted fever. >> when in doubt, consult with your veterinarian especially if you've got an older dog, pregnant or nursing dog or cat. it's a poison and you want to treat it with utmost care. >> liz chen shaw, news4. >> if you have dogs and cats at home, dr. hughes also says be careful which product you use. what you put on your dog can make your cat sick. so you should talk to your vet about it. >> we're working on several new stories this afternoon on news4". first at 4:00 p.m., the apple ipad is proving to be extremely popular with sales in the millions. but while it seems to be a favorite tech heads, how much use is it in the real world. tonight at 5:00 p.m., a search for answers after a little boy adopted from russia is apparently sent back by a mother who couldn't care for him. all those stories and all the day's news coming up starting at news4 at 4:00 p.m. >> the state of maryland is waging war on a deadly beetle attacking ash trees across the state. the department of agriculture has been fighting the emerald arborer for years. this year though, the agency is changing tactics. joe crist has more on the beetle attack that's hit prince george's county. >> the department of agriculture has moved away interest trying to get rid of the arborer. instead, now they're trying to control it. that means if you look up, you're going to start to see traps like these all over the state. there are tens of millions of ash trees all over maryland. they protect ecosystems and beautify urban areas. since 2003, this exotic asian beetle has been on the attack. >> this beetle has the capabilities of wiping out an entire jean news. >> entomologist dick bean is the state's expert on combating the emerald arborer that invests prince george's and charles counties over seven years and destroyed some 47,000 ash trees. >> you look at it, it doesn't look that bad. >> looks like a normal bark, tree trunk, right. >> this is what will happen after a couple years. >> the beetles lay eggs. the parasites bore down and create tunnels, draining nutrients from the trees. >> the tree starves and dies. >> exactly. that's exactly what's happening. it's starving to death and it starts from the canopymy, the top of the tree down. >> this month his team will hang up to 4,000 of these purple trap, mostly in prince george's and charles. inside a chemical packet to attract the beetles. outside a sticky film 0 trap them. >> if we find a beetle in the trap, we're going to be going out in that trap and looking for the infestation. >> maryland has spent more than 8 million dollars on the problem. this year the state will try again to contain the bug using chinese wasps that feed on the beetle and special insecticides. traps will be the most obvious weapons along roads, in the woods and on private property. the trapping and monitoring effort will begin in ernest toward the end of april and every two weeks through the summer, crews will be back out to check the traps to see if they've got any emerald arborer. >> aaron gilchrist, news4. >> final check of today's forecast. does the weather affect the emerald arborers. >> do you know anything about these. >> strangely no. my entomology skills are oddly lacking. >> i'm disappointed. you usually know something about everything. >> i know everything about something. we have a lot of the sunshine out there today. my ology special is meetology. i can tell you right now based on this picture that our sky is getting bluer all the time. it's a beautiful day. the national cathedral just off to the left of us there. that's the friendly peacock's tower. that's our broadcast tower. we love seeing that it is still standing. mostly sunny. blustery. noticeably cooler and that yed. a 25 degree drop from yesterday's high temperatures. average high this time of year is 65. today we're only going to make 60. tomorrow, 65 with plenty of sunshine after a very chilly start tomorrow morning. 40 degrees tomorrow morning is going to feel a lot colder after a couple of 90 degree days this week. it's going to be a beautiful weekend. >> thanks so much, chuck. if you own a dog, you know just how expensive it can be to take care of your furry friend. take a look at george and be happy he's not your dog. set world's tallest dog, according to good folks at the guinness book of world records. he it's 110 pounds of food every month and feeds to east that much to maintain his weight of 245 pounds. he will has also has his own queen size bed. he's 43 inches tall. my goodness. george also drinks out of a kitchen sink and sits on a chair like a human. imagine he has to. all right. he's very cute, that george. that's "news4midday" for today. thanks for joining us. tune in to the daily connection at 2:00 and news 4 at 4:00, 5:00, and 6:00. i'll be back monday morning at 4:30. until have a great day and a great weekend. we'll see you monday. allergies? chlor-trimeton. hey, one dose of this, six hour relief. chlor-trimeton relieves itchy, watery eyes and sneezing for 12 full hours with less drowsiness than benadryl. it does all that? chlor-trimeton. less drowsy relief that lasts 12 hours. laxatives? i've tried all these. this one's gritty. this one can make you bloated. clearly, miralax is the one for me. it relieves my constipation with no harsh 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