right now, though, off to a smooth ride on this thursday morning. we've got a clear sky, for the most part, beautiful half moon in the southeastern sky, southwestern sky, i should say, and in the eastern sky, we've got jupiter and venus this morning! and temperatures are down into the 60s once again. out of the mountains, all the areas in green, parts of the piedmont, shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia in the low to mid-60s. beautiful start there, but closer to washington, we're in the low to mid-70s in montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties, the district, much of southern maryland right around 70, eastern shore in the low to mid-70s. "day planner" for this thursday. by 5:00 a.m., we'll be in the still low 70s and a mostly clear sky. then by noontime, we'll be into the upper 80s, near 90, and it will hover in the low to mid-90s by mid-afternoon. heat and humidity. and then late afternoon is when we've got a chance of an isolated storm. a look at your "evening planner" in ten minutes. danella has a look at traffic now. good morning. good morning. tom, the "first 4 traffic" report looks good. relatively quiet in our area, not terrible, not bad at all. looks really good! here's 295 and i-99 in maryland between the baltimore beltway and the capital beltway. no issues to discuss. let's head over to i-270 right now and take a look, really if you're traveling along shady grove northbound. you're going to have construction just in the left shoulder lane. southbound looks nice and clear. in fact, very light volume as you make your way to the beltway. checking inner loop speeds, not bad. here's the beltway now, inner loop from i-270 heading to i-95, that's only taking ten minutes right now. in fact, i'm back in ten minutes with another look at your traffic. aaron and eun, over to you. >> danella, thank you. today, lawmakers in maryland return to annapolis to discuss whether to expand gambling. governor martin o'malley called a special session to take up gambling legislation. the bill would also allow for a casino to be built in prince george's county and would legalize table games at all maryland casinos. maryland voters would have to approve any gambling expansion this november. maryland lawmakers will also consider a bill to make all dog owners liable if their animals bite anyone. that legislation comes in response to a ruling by the state's highest court that said pit bulls are inherently dangerous. the bill's opponents want to protect landlords and other third parties to being responsible for dog bites. supporters plan to rally in annapolis today. 4:33. right now firefighters are trying to figure out what sparked a fast-moving fire that killed a 5-year-old girl in capitol heights. this morning, her father and uncle are in critical condition. melissa mollet is live outside of the house along carrington court with the overnight developments. melissa, good morning to you. just an awful story. >> reporter: just a terrible story in capitol heights. good morning to you as well. at this point, as you mentioned, firefighters still trying to determine what caused this deadly blaze that happened around 5:00 last night. now, we know they will be back out here canvassing the neighborhood and checking and handing out smoke detectors to anybody who might need one here between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning. take a look at this damage here at the home behind me. the windows are gone, the front porch charred, and the metal here melted. now, a neighbor here spotted the flames around 4:30 yesterday and called 911. when firefighters arrived, a 24-year-old man was in the front yard suffering from burns. his 15-year-old brother and 5-year-old daughter both had to be pulled from the second floor of the house. the little girl did not make it. both men were taken to the hospital with severe burns as well as smoke inhalation. >> fire was coming from the side of the house. so, i started screaming, "help!" >> my neighbors are wonderful people, workinclass tizens. >> a family. >> and good people. >> reporter: no word yet on whether this particular home did have smoke detectors or what may have happened yesterday. again, firefighters will be out here canvassing this neighborhood around 9:00 this morning. live in capitol heights, melissa mollet, news4. back to you. >> melissa, thank you. also in prince george's county, police are trying to figure out a murder mystery. a man shot and killed inside his own home. the 40-year-old victim was found inside that house on kenilworth avenue in riverdale yesterday afternoon. investigators were called to the home for a welfare check. this morning, police are still trying to figure out when that man was killed. a major shake-up at the nation's largest breast cancer foundation. susan g. komen for the cure president liz thompson announced she's resigning next month. the founder, nancy brinker, will shift to a new management role, and two board members are also resigning. the shake-up comes after komen's controversial decision earlier this year to cut breast cancer screening grants to planned parenthood. komen blamed a congressional investigation for the reason. after days of public backlash, the organization reversed its decision. there could be redemption at the olympics today for the u.s. women's soccer team after a stunning extra time win over canada. team usa faces japan today in the gold medal match. this is a rematch of last year's world cup final, which japan won in a penalty kick shoot-out. it was a heartbreaking defeat for the u.s. that was also a motivating one. if the u.s. wins, it will be their third straight olympic gold medal. it's a three-peat for the world's best beach volleyball duo, misty may-treanor and kerri walsh jennings took home the third consecutive gold medal. the pair won every match in olympi play and only dropped one set. despite the near flawless record, they say they were a bit unsure if they could win their third gold. >> we had our doubts, there was anxiety, there were fears, but you know, we stuck together and we do what we do best, which is play as a unit. and if we're fearful, we talked about it. if we had doubts, we talked about it, we expelled it and kept the positive coming in and we did it. >> may-treanor and walsh jennings say the gold medal match is their last match together. amazing. get ready, football is back! the burgundy and gold play their first preseason game tonight. they're playing the buffalo bills in buffalo and it is our first chance to see rookie quarterback robert griffin iii in action. it's unknown how much you'll see of the field. kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 tonight because of our olympics coverage. tonight's game will be broadcast on nbc washington nonstop. and here's a list of the various channels, depending on what cable provider you have. we'll have complete highlights of the redskins tonight after our olympic coverage. 4:37 is our time. ahead on "news4 today," why the pitching performance by the nationals' gonzalez wasn't the most exciting part of his game. and a mailing mishap when a man is delivered an assault rifle. and weather and traffic on the 1s. well hit. geo, see you later! >> he can do more than just pitch, my friends. nationals pitcher gio gonzalez hit his first career home run and threw a complete game to lead the nats to another win. they beat the astros 4-3, the nationals' fifth straight win. they remain four games ahead of the braves for first place. the nationals go for a sweep of the astros tonight. >> that's why we're winning, we have these well-rounded players! >> they can do it all. >> that's right. >> that's how you stay in the game. >> 4:41, time for weather and traffic on the 1s. meteorologist tom kierein telling us about a hot, sticky day. more of the same, tom? >> yeah, right now, though, it's pleasant. and there is the live view there we just saw from our hd city camera. weather and traffic on the 1s now at 4:41. temperatures in the low to mid-70s, and it is humid. by 5:00, still low to mid-70s. and then by noontime into the upper 80s, reaching the low to mid-90s by mid-afternoon and partly cloudy, hot and humid. then late afternoon and into the evening, some scattered storms. here's your "evening planner," sun sets at 8:10. about a 30% chance of late afternoon, early evening thunderstorms and a greater chance after that, 9:00 until about midnight, about a 40% chance of isolated thunderstorms rolling through with some brief downpours and thunder and lightning. back down to around 80 degrees by midnight. looking like a stormy friday. could get severe weather tomorrow. details on that and a look at the weekend and into next week. the seven-day outlook, that's coming up in ten minutes at 4:51. traffic now with danella. good morning. good morning, tom. if you're crossing over the wilson bridge on the inner loop from maryland in the local lanes, if you're traveling there, the right lane as well as right shoulder lane seeing construction there, and it's blocked for you, but volume's light as you cross over the wilson bridge, so it's not bad. just use caution. let's head down i-95. things look really good up through quantico, really in both directions, no issues to report. here's a live look at the occoquan. you can see travel lanes are nice and open northbound, southbound as well. continuing northbound at backlick, here's a live look. again, light volume, no road work, nothing slowing you down. let's check travel speeds from the occoquan to the beltway. you're at about 65 miles per hour, not bad, just an 11-minute drive. aaron and eun? >> thank you, danella. 4:42, 75 degrees out there. still to come, a warning from health officials in the district that could have you headed to the store for some insect repellent. plus, when and who? mitt romney expected to announce his choice for vice president soon. what we know right now about that announcement. we'll run down some of the must-see events in london today, some of the records expected to fall, plus the busy [ crows cawing ] [ male announcer ] strange things happen in the black forest. [ metallic bell toll ] [ car speeding down the road, lightning strikes ] where things aren't always what they seem. [ wolves howling ] because thrills hide in the shadows just waiting at every turn. [ coaster whoosh ] brave the black forest on verbolten. the all-new multi-launch coaster. only at busch gardens. welcome back at 4:45. president obama will spend the day in colorado, trying to appeal to women voters. women, especially single women, supported the president overwhelmingly in 2008. in the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, they favored him by 25 points, nearly three times the advantage he has with married women. >> they want to take us back to the policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century. >> mitt romney is also focusing on getting the attention of women while campaigning in iowa yesterday. he announced the women for mitt romney coalition led by his wife, ann. this morning, speculation is swirling about when romney will announce his running mate. sources say it's down to four men. on the short list, u.s. senator rob portman, former minnesota governor tim pawlenty, house budget committee chairman paul ryan and new jersey governor chris christie. romney is expected to make an official announcement this week. now to a "news4 exclusive," a man who says police hit him while in handcuffs is speaking out. d'ante williams, seen in this cell phone video, is suing the city of laurel for $3 million. early sunday morning, williams was involved in a fight inside the laurel bar and grill. while handcuffed, the officer hit williams three times. >> he put the handcuffs on me and everything, and as we're walking towards the car, i don't know exactly what was said, you know, to the officer, what he said to me, anything. all i know is that i was just being hit, you know, and it was just excruciating pain going through my head. >> williams sued the city, claiming assault, battery and civil rights violations. that suit identifies the officer as j. diaz chavarria. laurel's police department says there is an ongoing internal investigation. williams is still facing charges of refusing to obey a police officer. a dramatic chase on the national mall after suspects tried to pull a fast one on tourists. police say an adult and two teens tried to distract the group while another made off with their ipad. the suspects took off running, but officers caught up with them at pennsylvania and 7th. investigators found the ipad ditched in the bushes. police say there's been a rise in ipad and iphone thefts in d.c. d.c.'s inspector general is confirming a cheating scandal at noyes elementary school. a report says teachers gave students answers on standardized tests. the chancellor kaya henderson calls it disappointing and says the staff implicated do not represent what the school system stands for. the principal at noyes when the questionable testing occurred has resigned. henderson also noted that the report showed no evidence of widespread cheating at d.c. schools. today penn state football players will face the media for the first time since the ncaa handed out punishments. they are holding media day and will announce changes to their iconic white and blue jerseys, now having names on the back of their jersey. some school officials say it's to recognize the resolve and dedication of the players who will suffer the consequences of jerry sandusky's actions. the uniforms will also feature a blue ribbon to help bring awareness to victims of child abuse. >> relax, baby! easy, easy, easy with it! >> deion sanders going back to school. the hall of fame quarterback and former redskin is the new head coach at prime prep academy. that's sanders' new charter school in the dallas area. the name is an obvious nod to his nickname, prime time. sanders says winning is important but not as important as educating young people. team usa has more chances to rack up medals today, not just on the soccer field, but on the track as well. local athletes begin their journeys for an olympic medal. danella sealock has a look at today's events. >> he's already the world's fastest man. today he could do something that's never been seen in olympic history. usain bolt will run in the final of the 200-meter dash this morning. and if he wins, he would become the first man ever to win back-to-back gold in the event. he'll face stiff competition, however in fellow countryman yohan blake, who beat bolt at the jamaican trials. there could be history on the track for team usa as well. 24-year-old decathlete ashton eaton will look to claim his first gold medal and break an olympic record at the same time. he set the new world record for decathlon points at the u.s. trials and is on track to come close to that mark. two locals are also looking for a podium spot today. julie zetlin of bethesda is looking to break a european strongle hold on the sport. she is the 2010 u.s. champ and 2010 pan am champ. she is also the first american to make the olympic sport since 2004. and finally, it will be a marathon day for tae kwon do athlete terrence jennings. the alexandria native is the u.s. tae kwon do athlete of the year, and he won the bronze at the pan am games. he will try to work his way through a 16-man bracket today and all the way to the gold medal match later tonight. >> and team usa is once again in the lead with the medal count with 81. 34 of those are gold. china now trails by four with 77 but still holds the lead in gold medals. russia moved ahead of great britain into the third spot with 52 medals. another incredible day in track and field. allyson felix winning her gold after two disappointing olympics. very exciting. it brings tears to my eyes still when i hear the national anthem. >> and danella mentioned julie zetlin, who is going to be competing in rhythmic gymnastics. she tweeted just hours ago, "tomorrow is one of the two days that i will remember for the rest of my life." so, going to be a big deal. >> that's right. she said she was just happy to be there, soaking up the spirit. 4:51, time for weather and traffic on the 1s, tom. how hot is it going to get today? >> here we go again, heat and humidity, and it's not too bad now, though. it's fairly pleasant this morning. we've got a mostly clear sky over the monument. that's a live view of the washington monument, jefferson memorial from our nbc 4 hd city camera early on this thursday morning. yeah, we've got some steam heat. 77 now at reagan national. the dew point, well, that's a steamy 72. that gets our humidity up to 84% starting off this morning. we've got a light southerly breeze to blame for this humidity. it's going to be persistently out of the south here throughout the day. temperatures right now are more pleasant in the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia, into much of western maryland and west virginia. it's in the mid-60s most locations, but closer to washington, montgomery county, arlington, fairfax, prince george's, right around 70. much of southern maryland, eastern shore, too, right around 70. on the bay waters, mid-to-upper 70s. here's the view from space. we've got venus and jupiter brilliant in the eastern sky right now and that half moon in the southern sky. we've got a mostly clear start to the day. by 5:00 a.m., we'll still be in the low to mid-70s and it will be a mild morning. but then by noontime, we'll be into the 80s, upper 80s by noontime, hot and humid. and a hot and humid afternoon. in fact, we'll be peaking perhaps in the mid-90s mid-afternoon. then late afternoon, a chance of an isolated thunderstorm and back around 90. then this evening, could get more storms, a greater chance tonight of some passing thunderstorms and down near 80 by midnight. and by dawn friday, some showers and thunder showers around, in the 70s. near 90 tomorrow afternoon. tomorrow afternoon, some of the storms may come through and could be severe tomorrow afternoon and early evening with damaging winds, and some lingering showers saturday morning. otherwise, weekend looking better, lower humidity and cooler with highs in the 80s and still not too bad on monday, but maybe some storms around tuesday next week, highs near 90 monday, tuesday, wednesday. danella, good morning. how's traffic? good morning, tom. it's looking pretty good in our area. your "first 4 traffic" report not bad. let's look at 295 in d.c. no issues between 50 and the beltway. and then heading over to 395, nice and clear as well. you know, i'll give you a live look as you make your way past duke street. traveling northbound and southbound, no issues. in fact, nice and clear between the beltway and the 14th street bridge. here's the look as you make your way into the city. no issues for you, no delays, no construction. and let's talk travel speeds. from the beltway to the 14th street bridge, right now you're driving at about 60 miles per hour. that drive only taking you 12 minutes. i'm back in ten with a look at your rails. aaron and eun, over to you. >> danella, thank you. a warning now for people who live in the district. the d.c. department of health confirmed the west nile virus in mosquito samples around the area. health officials are telling people to get rid of any standing water around your home, which attracts mosquitos. they also suggest using insect repellent and to wear long sleeves or pants if you plan on spending a long time outside. senior citizens and those with weaker immune systems are most at risk to contract the virus. a new study shows blue-collar workers are less healthy than other workers. those in jobs like manufacturing and construction apparently have higher rates of obesity, smoking and high blood pressure. gallop, along with the wellness company health ways, gathered information about employees' health. that study published in "usa today" also says many blue-collar workers hadn't seen a dentist in the last year. those who worked clerical jobs reported better health conditions. a d.c. man received the surprise of his life. he ordered a flat-screen tv online, but instead, an assault rifle arrived on his doorstep. seth horvitz ordered the television thrgh an amazon.com third-party seller who shipped by u.p.s. apparently, the address label for his tv was put on the gun accidentally. the rifle was supposed to go to a gun store in pennsylvania. horvitz and his wife were hosting a dinner party that night. the meal had to wait as they looked through the box, found the manual and started researching information about the rifle. >> it was only about 10 or 15 minutes where i was alone with the thing, and then they came in and saw it, and we were all talking about what to do. you know, once we found some information that led us to believe it was actually an illegal weapon in the district, we called the police. >> police confirmed the gun is illegal in the district and seized it. horvitz called amazon. the representative and her supervisor were surprised and submitted a claim for him. the seller refunded his money. is that all they're going to do? he's going to get some sort of gift card or apology letter? >> and the tv that he ordered. >> exactly! >> so, someone asked if the gun shop got the tv, since they didn't get the gun initially, and they said no, didn't get the tv. so, it's out there somewhere. >> tv's out there, all right. >> 4:55 is our time right now. coming up, a local school is now promise iing made-from-scra meals, apparently. and in the next half hour, why now might be a good time to buy a powerball ticket. plus, coming up next in the next hour of "news4 today," we'll have m welcome back. usually, the only way you can get a homemade lunch at school is to bring something from home. >> but some fairfax county students will soon be able to buy made-from-scratch food from the cafeteria. next june, george c. marshall high school's kitchen is going to get a $100,000 renovation so it can make fresh food. most schools are only able to reheat premade meals. this is part of a broader effort by the county to revamp its school breakfast and lunch offerings. school officials hope that marshall's pilot will spawn similar renovations in other schools. time to rack up on the lottery tickets. saturday's powerball jackpot is now worth $253 million. the estimated payout, $170 million. powerball's last winner was june 23rd. powerball is played in 40 states, including maryland, virginia, west virginia as well as d.c. >> not a regular lottery ticket buyer, but i count on our producers to put these stories in so i know when it's time to buy a lottery ticket. >> that's right, we're buying tickets, maybe as a pool. >> stay with us, "news4 today" continues now at 5:00 a.m.