into the debate over the silver line in loudoun county. a new study says the metro line a bedroom community part of the to a corporate hot spot, if phase two was to be approved. now, the, that study goes further, though, it says the metro line, if the phase two was not approved, that it didn't come out to this part of the county, that loudoun county could actually lose billions of dollars over the next 15 years. the progress on phase one is obvious, tracks and elevated overpasses are taking shape. but phase two, the extension to dulles airport and beyond, well, that's still being debated. it's a critical fork in the road, according to dr. steven fuller. without the silver line, he says loudoun county will lose more than $72 billion in the decade of 2020, to 2030. >> without metro, the county has an economy that's largely driven by the residents who live here and their spending. >> dr. fuller, the a faculty chair and professor with george mason university, unveiled the results of his study on the economic impact of the silver line in loudoun county this morning. with rail, he says the county will be able to attract large businesses with high-paying jobs. companies that want mass transit for their workers. >> those jobs are worth three to four times as much to the economy, their contribution, no the just their salaries. >> reporter: but the future of the silver line, who's going to pay for it and how is still be debated in loudoun county. it's unclear if the board of supervisors will approve funding for face two. >> i'm against it i'm against dulles rail in loudoun county. i support it going to the airport. >> reporter: to the airport, but no further. that's supervisor kenneth reed's position. he thinks the economic impact is being exaggerated and the cost is higher than the benefits. >> this is supposed to be a transportation project and it doesn't have any transportation benefits. there's no congestion relief. >> reporter: supervisor susan volpe is considered a swing vote on the board. before deciding, she wants more information about access to the silver line stations. >> why would my constituents get on a bus, to head west and south to get on a metro train to head east? >> reporter: there are a lot of moving parts in the debate. but supporters are hopeful that the funding will ultimately be approved. >> i can't speak for my colleagues and i can't even predict the vote right now. but what i will say is there are more supervisors leaning in favor than there are opposed right now. but the swing votes are what's key at this point in time. >> reporter: and some critics are questioning the findings of dr. fuller's study. they say it was pay for by developers and supporters of the project. dr. fuller says the check was written to george mason university, not to him and that nobody influenced his research on this. reporting live from dulles international airport, megan mcgrath, news4. pepco says it's made some major improvements as it continues to upgrade its systems and improve reliability. pepco says it will spend more than $910 million over five years, to keep the lights on for its customers. this morning, pepco's region president, thomas graham, stopped by to talk about some of those improvements, already in place. >> we've trimmed about 3700 miles of tree line. replaced over 400 miles of cable. we've hired more customer service representatives. we've gone from 40 to 80. we've added more phone lines, we've gone from 300 to about 644. we've added more tree trimmers. that's been our primary strategy, we've gone from about 150 to over 300 thus far. >> of course, pepco has been criticized for its long power outages during the blizzard of 2010 and the strong summer storms that year. thousands of customers were without power in maryland and in the district for several days. and right now, maryland governor martin o'malley and legislative leaders are talking about the upcoming special session. o'malley is calling state lawmakers back to hammer out a budget. the general assembly failed to pass a budget in regular session, triggering a doomsday budget, that includes $500 million in cuts. general assembly is expected to pass an income tax increase to prevent cuts. turning to the weather and some mild, mild temperatures out around there. but some cloudy skies around our area. tom kierein, what can we expect today? >> well, some more needed rain. likely moving back in later this afternoon. we had some of those overnight showers, only gave us about a quarter of an inch around the metro area. over the last 12 hours, we've had the rain moving east of us. a few breaks in the clouds, the dark areas just north of washington, a little bit of sunshine, but all across most of virginia, the clouds are closing back in another patch of green, the lower left of your screen, another area of rain advancing into southwestern virginia. out of the tennessee valley. another wave of low pressure, it's weak low pressure forming along a front draped over our region. as it moves through, we'll likely have our temperatures ahead of the front climb into the 70s. 72 at reagan national. and in the 60s in the green areas and we'll likery have the wave of low pressure coming in later this afternoon bringing more needed showers. maybe some thunder and lightning. but i don't think we're going to have any severe weather. temperatures into the 70s, winds shifting into the northwest by late afternoon. maybe more rain tonight. we'll look and that and big changes coming up for the weekend. >> and let's go out to the roads now, check on how things are moving with danella sealock. >> we still have some problems, starting with metro. scheduled track work slowing down on the red line. the orange line as well as the blue line. you can expect delays on all three lines in both directions. now over to the roadways. if you're traveling northwest, gresham place is shut down, between georgia avenue and sherman avenue due to water repair. that will last for a couple more hours. on the beltway, outer loop crossing the american legion bridge you're slow to the dulles toll road. passing the dulles toll road, the road opens up and looks a lot better for you. barbara, back over to you. >> thanks, danella. new developments today in the penn state child sex scandal. jerry sandusky's lawyer is asking a judge to delay his june 5th trial. the former assistant football coach faces 52 counts related to child sex abuse against ten boys. his lawyer says he needs more time to investigate the claims and prepare a defense. meanwhile, team assistant mike mcqueary filed paperwork to sue spen penn state. his attorney described the lawsuit as a whistle-blower case. mcqueary said he told long-time coach joe paterno that he say jerry sandusky in a locker room shower with a young boy. penn state put mcqueary on leave and fired paterno. a beating and stabbing along georgia avenue happened at an apartment, not a strip club. we reported that two people were beaten and stabbed inside the mccombo lounge is:00 a.m. but police say it's not the case. we now learned it stemmed from an domestic dispute inside an apartment on the 5300 block of georgia avenue. no word on the condition of the victims at this time. police in prince george's county are calling a 76-year-old man's death suspicious. benjamin brown was found dead inside his sea plesth home last friday. his car, a blue chevrolet caprice is missing. the home is secured with wind os, bars and an alarm system. >> he didn't ever bother anybody. that man sat on his porch, drink his coffee or water or whatever he had to do. he didn't ever bother anybody. >> police are still awaiting the results of brown's autopsy. well there's no end in sight to a debate over a proposed ambulance fee in montgomery county. several people turned out for a public hearing on the issue last night in rockville. county executive ike leggitt wants to require those to pay for services two years it was voted down in a referendum. accord together "washington post," volunteer firefighters promise to bring the current bill to public vote again if the county council approves it. nine minutes after 11:00 is our time. coming up in the next half hour, it's like a plot straight out of james bond. a double agent brought down the al qaeda terror plot, we'll tell you about that. plus, closing doors on the gay marriage issue. the latest state to vote against equal marriage rights. and selling more than just hotdogs? why a racy street vendor says she has no plans to change her [ female announcer ] with xfinity, you can always expect more. like more on demand shows and movies than ever. and more ways to discover them too. plus more speed from america's fastest internet provider. so you can run more devices at the same time. ♪ feel a firework [ female announcer ] and best of all, it keeps getting better. no wonder more people choose xfinity over any other provider. ♪ love can be so mystical ♪ information is just coming in to our news room on a missing airplane over indonesia. the russian plane was carrying 44 passengers in what is being called a demonstration flight for potential buyers and journalists. it happened south of jakarta, search and rescue teams are heading to that area south of the capital, but bad weather has forced two helicopters to turn back. the search is expected to continue through the night. but the terrain is rough and very difficult to navigate we understand. well we are learning that it was a double agent who helped stop a terrorist plan to blow up an american jetliner. the u.s. and it's allies managed to plant and informant into the inner circle of al qaeda's affiliate in yemen. nbc's pete williams has more on the plot uncovered. >> reporter: administration and intelligence officials say by the time this most recent plot was in its final planning stages, the u.s. and its allies were able to follow it in detail. what the terrorists in yemen did not know at the time, the officials say, is that the person they chose to be the suicide bomber was actually an informant. someone who had agreed to cooperate with an allied intelligence service. members of congress decline to be specific but praise the c.i.a. and its overseas counterparts. >> this was incredibly good intelligence work. this is intelligence at its best. >> reporter: after the al qaeda operatives turned over the finished bomb, the informant drove it safely out of yemen where it was turned over to the united states. >> i want to say that the device was always under control. and that no one in the united states was ever at risk because we did have control. >> reporter: those who have seen the bomb say it was remarkably similar do this, the one worn by the 2009 underwear bombers. while the ingredients were improved, they say, intended to be more reliable, the overall design was basically the same, with no metal, presenting more of a challenge to the screeners than the 2009 bomb. as a result, u.s. officials say, no change in airport security is planned. >> the fact that we have the device shows us what to look for and how to detect such devices, should they try to be used in the future. >> could it have gotten through screening? homeland officials say they cannot be certain. but just as with the 2009 underwear bomb, they're optimistic the answer is no, caught either by the full-body scanners and pat-downs or by a combination of screening, passenger information and other intelligence. >> in today's date, with all the various layers we have, and all likelihood, it would not have succeeded. >> that was pete williams reporting. the obama administration and members of congress say they are concerned that so much information went public. they say they'll investigate how word of the top-secret intelligence operation first started to leak. meanwhile, mitt romney about 100 delegates closer to becoming the republican presidential nominee. he won primaries in indiana, north carolina and west virginia. right now romney is 288 delegates shy of the 1,144 needed to clinch the nomination. and a shakeup on capitol hill after result of indiana's election day. long-time indiana dick luger lost the state's republican primary. tea party-backed candidate, richard murdoch portrayed luger as too moderate and defeated the veteran senator. the 80-year-old served six terms as a senator. in a statement, president obama thanked luger for his service and willingness to cross party lines to get things done. murdoch will face democratic congressman, joe donnelly, in november. well the votes are in. and it wasn't even close. conservative voters rallied in north carolina to pass an amendment to ban gay marriage. news4's melissa malay has more on how the issue is heating up again. >> reporter: the ban won 61-39%. but opponents of the referendum began their battle today, to overturn it same-sex couples would ask for marriage licenses in wilson and durham. it's part of a campaign called we do, protesting their inability to wed. the amendment will seal the door on same-sex marriages. it could also end potentially have other effects down the road. amendment one bans same-sex civil unions. and opponents warn that could disrupt protection orders for straight, unmarried couples. >> i think a lot of people voted that weren't truly informed about what would happen if this amendment passes. >> this amendment is not about hate, it's not about robbing women of their domestic protection rights. it's not about robbing children of benefits. it's just about protecting marriage. >> big-name democrats including former president bill clinton spoke out against the ban this week. but it did little to sway the vote. vice president joe biden said he's comfortable with gay marriage. and president obama has largely avoided making any specific comments on the issue. other of course than to say his opinion is evolving. six states and the district allow same-sex majors. maryland could be next but voters will likely make the final decision in a referendum in november. back to you. >> thanks, melissa. well storm center 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us with a look at the forecast. i guess it's clouded up out there again, huh? >> we had a little tease of some sun off and on, but it's now gone, clouds closing back in. it looks like more needed rain about to move back in as well. there's a live view from our city camera, the hd camera showing capitol hill under a cloudy sky. reagan national is now at 72, we've got a northwesterly breeze there now and winds will be out of the northwest as we get into the afternoon around the hometown weather network. these are the rainfall totals we've had since this began yesterday, only about a quarter-inch around the region. some locations farther west and north did get more than half an inch. what's been happening, we've had a few breaks in the cloud cover. the morning rain we've had is now over on the eastern shore, a few thin spots west and north. a little sunshine breaking out in chrls county. it's cloudy west and southwest of the region. temperatures under the clouds are mild, we're in the low 70s. much of virginia, into maryland. eastern side of the bay, into the 60s there. upper 60s, shenandoah valley and into the mountains, as well as western maryland. the next wave of rain is a weak area of low pressure along a front that's going to be getting closer to us as we get into the afternoon hours. right now, the nearest rain is across the bay on the eastern shore from cambridge over into delaware and southern maryland, around salisbury. we'll have rain here south and east on the eastern shore for another few hours. by later this afternoon, this is another zone of rain, coming into the area of green and yellow. it looks like there may be a little thunder and lightning with it. a small chance of that. but no severe severe weather, by midnight, much of the rain will be pulling east of the area. we'll clear out after that and clearer weather moves in by dawn. we'll be down to the low to mid 50s, it looks like chilly mornings on friday and saturday as we clear out. for the rest of the afternoon, have an umbrella handy if plan on heading out by mid to late afternoon is when we'll likely get the rain moving back into the metro area. temperatures may reach mid and upper 70s parts of virginia and around the metro area, it should be holding steady during the mid 70s much of the afternoon. a few showers overnight, flashes of lightning, temperatures will be dropping from near 70 around sunset, which is at 8:09. by midnight, down to mid 60s and by dawn tomorrow, near 50 in much of the region. mid 50s in the cities and afternoon highs near 70. lots of sun, a bit of a blustery wind, out of the north and west, around 15, 20, 25 miles per hour tomorrow. the chilly air moves in on thursday night into friday morning. the 40s and friday afternoon, sunny, highs reaching maybe low 70s. then into the 70s on saturday after another chilly morning and the 40s, in may, talking 40-degree temperatures, certainly going to be an unusual chill for a couple of days. then a bit milder on sunday morning. in the 50s. and partly cloudy sunday afternoon. mid 70s. starting next week, rain showers begin to move back in. monday and tuesday. ten days ago. i was the commencement speaker at the virginia international university. i was honored to do that. and all of the graduates there got up on stage and sent me this wonderful thank you photo. i want to thank the president of the university, dr. surrah for the invitation, along with emily crouse, director of student relations, it's graduation season. >> it is, all right, tom, thank you. all right. >> out to the roads again. here's danella sealock. anything we should know about if we're heading out? >> not traveling on route 50. it looks better than it did earlier this morning. nice and clear, a live look at lotsford. no issues as you make your way into d.c. the beltway to 295, driving at 56 miles per hour. takes about six minutes to get to 295. over to i-270, it looks good at father hurley. actually you're clear as you make your way down to rockville. no issues on i-270 north or south. as we head over to fairfax county parkway on i-95. traveling north and southbound in virginia, you're clear. a live look at fairfax county parkway, your travel speed, 62 miles per hour, barbara, back to you. 11:21 the time. still ahead on new"news4 midda, getting ready to pass the torch. none preparations for the london olympics. girl athletes are winding up with a dangerous inj [ female announcer ] safeway presents real big deals of the week. or how to keep from driving all over for the best deals. you don't need to run around. safeway gives you real big club card deals each week. right now, a sweet price on honey nut cheerios, just $1.88. starbucks coffee is only $7.77. that's less than a quarter for a great cup of coffee. and fage greek yogurt is just a buck. real big deals this week and every week. only at safeway. ingredients for life. ♪ ♪ the final rehearsal for the lighting of the olympic flame went off in olympia, greece, they lit a torch under bright, sunny skies, the flame will serve as a back-up, in case the clouds block the sun tomorrow during the official lighting ceremony. well, a woman who has become daily fodder for new york newspapers says she's going to continue serving her hotdogs in those revealing clothing she wears. katherine scalia, was released from nassau county jail yesterday. police arrested her last week for prostitution. they say she agreed to performing a sexual act on an undercover officer for $50 after he purchased a hotdog. scalia pleaded guilty to the prostitution charge but says she's not selling sex. >> i gave my business cards to an undercover officer. he called me up. i said, i either come to your house or you come to mine. he came to mine, i started doing my strip. the next thing you know, the cuffs were on me, i was being charged with prostitution. >> scalia was ordered to undergo a skik at tripsychiatric evaluation. she's due in court on june 15th. a second male masseuse filed a sexual battery lawsuit against actor john travolta. a lawsuit claims travolta sexually assaulted the men in two separate incidents during private massages. the first victim says travolta harassed and assaulted him in an l.a. hotel last year. the second victim, who just filed suit makes a similar claim, but said the abuse happened in atlanta. each is suing for $2 million. travolta's lawyer is dismissing those allegations. it is now 11:26. coming up in the next half hour. want to get away? the news forecast that may have you filling up the tank for a road trip. plus a new tactic to fight obesity. why doctors say trimming america's waistline is going to take more than just a good diet. and more clouds and more rain. tom is back with how long the wet weather is going to stick around. stay with us. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. act now and we'll add a special bonus: $250 back. but hurry, this offer ends june 2nd. unlike cable, fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet plus the best tv picture quality. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement -- plus your special bonus: $250 back. save $600 in your first two years. but hurry. this incredible offer ends june 2nd. call 1.877.707.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.707.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. or visit us online to save even more. fios. a network ahead. right now on "news4 midday," a new economic study argues in favor of an extension of the silver line into loudoun county. and beyond. a george mason university researchers said county can attract $72 billion in business by the year 20030, if it approves the dulles rail project. some loudoun county leaders believe the study is exaggerate and the cost of the rail line is more than the benefits. north carolina has closed the door on gay marriage. 61% of voters supported a ban on all same-sex unions, despite appeals from big-name democrats like bill clinton and joe biden. it makes north carolina the 30th state to institute such a ban. well, if you filled up your gas tank the past few days, you'll probably noticed the prices have gone down. aaa reports the average for regular in a district is 395. in maryland, 3.72. in west virginia, about 3.81 an average. the national average is 3.75. the prices are expected to remain low during the summer, news4's tracee wilkins reports. >> reporter: finally good news at the pump. you may remember that in late winter, early spring, analysts were predicting that we'd be paying well over $4 a gallon for gas by now. but, it looks like they were wrong. just as we were preparing for one of the most expensive summers at the pump. in history, now it seems, like it won't be so bad. >> it works for me. >> the energy department is reporting that a drop in the price of oil is quickly translating into lower prices at the pump. >> just this week it was 3.80 and now it's 2.77 or 3.77. >> last month it was predicted that gas would average about 4.01 a gallon. in may. but oil prices have dropped about $7 since april. >> that's great. any money we can save will help out anyone. >> in the long-term, it will help. i hope it stays. i hope it keeps coming database. >> and there's more good news. the national average for gas has already declined 17 cents, since early april. it's now $3.76. and analysts are predicting that on average we can expect it pay just a few cents more this summer than last summer. but folks aren't breaking out the end zone dance just yet. >> memorial day is not here yet. once that gets here it might go up again. so -- we'll see. >> reporter: the energy department is predicting we could be looking at 3.79 from now until september. in capital heights, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. a surprising announcement this morning from the postal service. the agency struggling with serious budget problems, said it will keep hundreds of rural post offices open after all. previously, up to 3700 low-revenue post offices were slated for closure. now the postal service says they will remain open, just with shorter hours. the new plan will save the mail agency half a billion dollars each year. police say a child was inside a car involved in a deadly case of road rage in fairfax county. gloria mcmillan is accused of hitting and killing 21-year-old shalinda arrington last night in the harper valley area. the child was in the back seat of mcmillan's car. the child was not hurt. mcmillan is charged with felony hit-and-run, records show she also was cited for reckless driving, speeding and driving on a suspended and revoked license in the past. a former montgomery county teacher is facing more than a dozen child sex abuse charges. now police are searching for more victims. aaron lamare is accused of inappropriate contact with a the least three students. he recently resigned from his job at media services tech at northwood high school in silver spring. police say they found child pornography on the computer he used while working at school. they say the pornography did not include images of norwood students. well, take a look at this sketch. police need your help identifying this man who pretended to be one of them. cops say this guy is in his late 20s with tattoos on both arms. a woman says the phony officer pulled her over last week in silver spring. the impersonating asked for her driver's license and ordered her out of the car. he took her purse and her cell phone. montgomery county police officers in unmarked cars do not do traffic stops. if you have any information, call montgomery county police. and we're going to check in again on our forecast. see when we might see the sun. tom, any predictions? >> probably not until tomorrow morning, a lot of clouds are moving back in. and we have been getting viewer photos in. here's a lush spring back yard. this was sent in by jennifer adams in woodbridge, virginia, we've had enough rain to keep everything green and the flowers are looking beautiful, too. this is another photo sent in by the willows, the willow family in falls church, virginia, a beautiful yard with gorgeous flowers there. if you have an interesting photo or nature photo, send it in and we'll share it right now we're around 70 degrees under cloud cover. a little sun drying to break out here and there. mostly here and or there and not here. a lot of clouds, all of that moving color, that's rain, you can see more advancing towards us from the south and west. the nearest rain approaching metro from that direction is in the shenandoah valley. one sprinkle popping up near fredericksburg. much of it not arriving until later this afternoon. small chance of a little thunder and lightning with it drying out late tonight. sun back tomorrow, near 70 with a blustery wind and cool mornings, mild afternoons each day. maybe more rain first part of next week. barbara? >> i think it's worth waiting for. thank you, tom. we're going to check on the midday traffic again. danella, ha do you say to that? >> definitely worth waiting for on the weekend. now over to the roadways right now. looks so much better on the american legion bridge. a lot of volume we had earlier on the outer look into virginia, heading into the dulles toll road, but that's not clear. good sign. now heading over to i-66 yesterday, as you make your way eastbound towards the bestway, road work taking away the left lane, but now gone. 56 miles per hour, 11 minutes from fairfax county parkway to the beltway. keep in mind the rail delays on the red line, the orange line and the blue line, right now, in both directions. barbara, back over to you. well, on average, kids spent eight hours a day on some form of technology. the author of the book "talking back to facebook." says kids are using social media very differently from adults. >> well first and foremost, i think they do it in ways that can affect their social and emotional development. when you and i do it it's to keep track of people we went to high school with, but kids today instead of having a face-to-face conversation, they text you, even if they're sitting in the same room or they'll facebook you. and girls for example will put innumerable pictures of themselves on facebook and change them all the time. >> he suggests parents set clear limits, for teenagers, he suggests between one and two hours a day and says you should never allow your child to take a cell phone or a laptop to bed with them. first it can disrupt sleep and secondly they may be more vulnerable at that time of day. well, the nationals face the pirates again tonight after losing a game that came down to the last out. the pirates were up 3-2, in the ninth when ryan zimmerman just back from a disabled list hit a nice shot to left field. the next batter, adam laroche, who also just returned from an injury, hit a two-run homer that gave the nationals a 4-3 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. but the team just one out away from the win -- rod varahos hid a walkoff home giving the pirates the win. just up 95, an impressive feat, something only 15 other players in baseball history have been able to do -- rangers outfielder, josh hamilton, hit four home runs in a single game. the epic performance came against the baltimore orioles at camden yards, hamilton, who has had a very public battle with drug and alcohol addiction says it will take some time for the significance to sink in. hamilton also had eight rbis in the rangers' 10-3 win. in news for your health, there's an alarming rise of girls suffering from concussions while playing sports. for one group of girls, what happened on the field changed their lives. nbc's kate snow reports. >> we found a team in chester springs, pennsylvania, with a remarkable story to tell. >> show of hands, how many of you have had a concussion? how many of you have had more than one concussion? how many of you have played through a concussion, you had a concussion and you just kept going? one group of friends, more than a dozen concussions. dr. bob kantu says girls are reporting twice as many concussions as boys in the sports they both play. >> girls as a group have far weaker necks. the same force delivered to a girl's head spins the head much more because of the weak neck, than it does to the guys. >> reporter: while most kids fully recover from concussions, some don't. three of the girls here, kimmy, jenna and allison have had such bad brain injuries, they were forced to give up the sport they love. >> i lost my identity. i lost my love for a game. i lost my social life. i don't think i'll ever get that back. >> allison's room is lit with blue light to reduce her nearly constant headaches. >> it's like a break, it's visible. but it's almost like i need a sign on my back saying -- my head is broken. >> despite all they've been through, they're not telling their friends to quit soccer. casey biddle. who has had two concussions, was cleared to play again this season. >> i'm like, why am i still playing? i'm like, i just love it, so there's no point in stopping. >> reporter: where is the line when you cross over and say it's not worth it any more. it's just a game. >> i think our family is standing on that line right now and it's very scary. >> that was kate snow reporting. you can watch her full report tonight on "rock center" with brian williams beginning at 9:00 this evening. it's a must-win tonight for the capitals, but the rangers may be adding extra fuel to the fire. new york is already trying to get a jump on ticket sales for the next round. they sent out this ad to rangers fans on monday, before game five, trying to sell tickets for the eastern conference finals. the caps have to recover quickly from the heartbreaking game which they lost in overtime. you can catch game six tonight on the nbc sports network. the puck drops at 7:30. it's 11:41 now. still ahead on "news4 midday," among the best in the nation, which local high school was right up at the top? plus -- listen to that. p[ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement. act now and we'll add a special bonus: $250 back. but hurry, this offer ends june 2nd. unlike cable, fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet plus the best tv picture quality. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years with a two-year agreement -- plus your special bonus: $250 back. save $600 in your first two years. but hurry. this incredible offer ends june 2nd. call 1.877.707.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.877.707.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. or visit us online to save even more. fios. a network ahead. the clock at georgetown's healey tower is working again this morning. the university put in a new pair of hands on the clock, someone swiped the old clock hands on april 29th. the alleged thieves sent an email to the campus community. claiming they sent the clock hands to the vatican. school officials don't like the prank. say it's dangerous and costly. a student who admitted to taking the hands in 2005 told the hoya newspaper, the university should embrace the tradition. well the federal government is spending millions to hook up food stamp recipients with local farmers and their goods. $4 million is being sent to set up farmers markets across the country. the money is being used to equip the locations with wireless point of sale internet connection. some big losses again today in early traying, we're going to check in right now with cnbc's saema muti. good morning. >> good morning, barb raxt for a third straight day, uncertainty about europe's political future is dominating financial markets. they are continued concerns regarding europe, specifically the inability of greece to form a coalition government and the prospects of greece not pulling together. continue their institute austerity measures. that continues to be the market-mover in today's trading session. in other news back home, macy's reported earnings this morning. the retailer reported a 38% jump in first-quarter earnings. but the company did not raise its full-year profit forecast. that's disappointing the street, and that's the reason we're seeing shares of macy's trade lower. lastly, mcdonald's is in focus today, in an effort to be more healthy. the fast food chain is serving up a new fizzy drink that is targeting children. so what's the catch? the drink offers one of the five daily portions of fruit and vegetables and is expected to be an alternative to soft drinks like coke and fanta. the drink blends 60% fruit juice from grapes, apples and r raspberries with natural sparkling water. it contains no other sugar other than natural sugar from fruit. we'll see if it can be a success for mcdonald's. a d.c. high school senior is celebrating a full college scholarship this morning. briona alexander attends the academies at anacostia high school. she ranks second in her class, despite having a learning disability. she won the bill and melinda gates scholarship. he she tells news4 she wants to study biology and become a veterinarian. she'll attend george mason university. it doesn't just cover her undergraduate studies, it also pays for any future education she wants to pursue. congratulations to her. the list is out at a northern virginia high school came in second on the best high schools in the u.s. list. "u.s. news and world report" compiled a list of the top 100, filled with local schools, langley high school in mclean, virginia, squeaked in at 98, thomas s. wooten high school came in 93rd. 88s james w. robinson junior high school in braddock. and mclean's high school is number 85. but, winston churchill high school in potomac took the 57th spot, george c. marshall high school in falls church came in 55. another falls church high school, george mason came in 19 and the second best school in the entire country, thomas jefferson high school for science and technology in alexandria. d.c. schools did not rank in the top 100. well with soaring statistics of poor health among americans, there's a push to implement combatting obesity. chief science correspondent robert bazell has more. >> reporter: this doctor is on the front lines of the obesity epidemic and sees the consequences every day. >> our pediatricians are seeing obese 2-year-olds and 4-year-olds. we have 5-year-olds with impaired glucose tolerance. we have 8-year-olds with type ii diabetes. this is a catastrophe. >> most of you are familiar with the shocking statistics. >> reporter: today's recommendations from the prestigious institute of medicine, signal a sea change in how we perceive obesity. no longer a question of individual responsibility. but a need to change what's called an obesity-promoting environment. calling on corporations, government and individuals to act. among the panel's recommendations, requiring at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity in schools. public and workplace policies that encourage people of all ages to exercise more. industry-wide guidelines and marketing food to children. including healthier choices for kids in restaurants. and having healthy food available, at all public events. with the cost of treating obesity-related illnesses, approaching $200 billion a year. many on the panel say the nation is ready to act. >> it takes a lot of leadership. woo need our mayors to step up to the plate. we need our school superintendents to step up to the plate. >> reporter: with two-thirds of americans overweight and one-third obese, the problem has become so critical. it's affecting almost every aspect of our daily lives. there are even worries that airplane seat belts can't protect the many heavy passengers. >> we skip meals, we eat too quickly. we eat foods that are high in sugars and carbohydrates. and fats. and we eat more of them. >> bad habits, the panel says. in an environment that encourages them. robert bazell, nbc news, new york. and the time now is 11:50. there's a new "the voice." we get to meet the champion of nbc's hit show coming up. and tom kierein will be back with a nshs nbc's "the voice" has a new champion. >> the winner of season two of "the voice" is -- jermaine paul. >> after years of being a back-up singer for stars like alicia keyes and mary j. blige, jermaine paul will have his shot at becoming the next big star. paul won a recording contract with universal republic, after the show, he told reporters that he thought he was going to lose. >> i couldn't believe that they actually voted for me. it was -- it's a dream come true and honestly, i didn't see it coming. 26-year-old rocker juliette simms was the runner-up, only four percentage points behind jermaine. then tony luka and then classical singer, chris mann. well, some people like waking up to the crow of roosters in the morning, but some roosters are crowing at all hours of the day, disturbing a quiet montgomery county community. news4's shamari stone reports. >> reporter: what would you do if you heard more than birds chirping in your neighborhood? the sounds of roosters crowing. some residents told me the male chickens have disturbed the peace and quiet of takoma park. >> very loud early in the morning. >> reporter: emily says she's heard crowing in the daytime. >> i think the roosters are too noisy. i think they're inconsistent. they're bothersome. >> reporter: a friend gave dominique the rooster as a pet. she sleeps in the house at night and in the back yard chicken coop in the day. >> there could be a little bit of tolerance during the day. >> reporter: this is not the only rooster in the neighborhood crowing controversy. let's take a look down the block. >> i really love him. >> reporter: ari has a pet rooster. he says it protect the hens from hawks, allowing the hens to lay eggs in peace. he said it crows ten times a day for a total of five minutes. >> there's other noises that are way louder. >> reporter: some people like the roosters. >> reporter: zbl i'd like the neighborhood to kind of come to a consensus about it first without being some rules or some outside place coming in to force a change. >> reporter: in takoma park, news4. maybe in the morning. let's take a look now at some stories we're going to be following on news4 this afternoon. pat lawson-muse joins us with a preview of things to come. >> butt those chickens to bed. and the roosters. coming up this afternoon on news4, at 4:00, as we get ready for mother's day, dr. jackie will be here to break down some common health problems suffered by pregnant women. we'll tell you about that. then tonight at 5:00, it's called the bikini body workout. how a local gym is helping people slim down for summer for free. and stick around for news4 at 6:00, if the weather holds up we'll have a live aerial dance tightrope walk in downtown d.c., that should be interesting. all the day's latest news coming up on news4 starting at 4:00, barba barbara? >> time for a final check on the forecast, here's tom. >> probably rain in the metro area by then. as we look at the radar, leading edge of the rain, the next wave coming in from the south and west, down southwest of charlottesville. it looks like it will close to the metro area in another three hours. by late afternoon, some of the rain moving in. maybe some thunder and lightning this evening. then tomorrow, sun back. thursday, friday, and saturday. nice weather moving in just in time for the weekend, too, on sunday, highs 70s, but chilly in the morning in the 40s. >> have a great day. there was some unusual beachgoers trying to get a tan this weekend. a group of manatees swam up to a ft. lauderdale beach on sunday to give visitors a real show in the group was a mother manatee and her five little pups who stayed in the area for about half an hour. people were really, really curious about them. they say that this is of course beach cow, they say the cows of the sea. they were confused by some, with as being sea weed and people were walking up to them. but they were so nice and so gentle, that folks just hung around and enjoyed them. they must have been enjoying themselves, too, because they stayed a while. that's "news4 midday," thanks for joining us, be sure to tune in for news at 4:00, 6:00, 5:00 and 11:00 and we'll be back at 4:28 a.m. [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? 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