and also high winds sent a tree down in laurel, maryland. and another one fell across the northbound lanes of connecticut avenue near dupont circle, hitting two cars. one may be salvageable but the other one a total loss. nobody was inside the vehicles at the time. >> thank goodness for that. and let's turn our attention to tucker -- i'm sorry, this is tony perkins. >> at least you didn't call me kennedy the weather dog. as far as storms today, i don't think we'll see the activity that we saw yesterday afternoon and last night. and i believe that what we will see will be out to the west. so it will be a nk they'll be a numerous and farther out to the west. let's look at current conditions across the region. reagan national airport right now 74 degrees. 72 down in fredericksberg. 69 in ocean city. baltimore at 73. dulles airport is at 68 and it's rather humid outside as you can imagine. there are the storms that came through. put it in motion again. big storms and strong gusty winds that came through last night. this morning we are left with fairly clear skies. it's hazy outside but mostly clear skies. we'll see a lot of sunshine today. here is your forecast: mostly sunny, isolated thunderstorms to the west, high again today 96 degrees. that's a look at the weather. now let's get more on our traffic situation from steve and allison. let's keep an eye on the traffic we've been following since we first went on the air at -- at 4:25 this morning. i-270 has closed this morning. >> it was closed after a water main break led to power lines being down. and good news now is that traffic is moving once again in one direction. stacy cohan has the top story live from gaithersburg. how does it look? >> reporter: that depends on your definition of moving. cars are no longer standing still but that is a slow -- a slow crawl and they reopened this in the last half an hour as the power lines that were blocking the roadway have been raised. you may be able to see from our camera position that the power lines have also been lifted. i'm told by state highway that northbound side will be open within the next 30 minutes. this did start when a water main was broken, a contractor was drilling and hit a 20-inch main. it ruptured, soaked the ground which caused a power line to sink and lean. that dropped the lines over the highway and a tractor-trailer clipped those power lines this morning around 3:00 a.m. situation has been tricky ever since. folks traveling through this area, i see the lanes are reopened southbound but you still cannot enter northbound 270. they will divert you around shady grove road. the side roads are jamming up. we are on muddy branch road overpass and i can tell you they have shut down one lane because the comcast crews are out here. this took out cable and internet to many residents. things are improving but slowly so i would avoid the area if you can. if you are forced to, then pack patience because it will take a while to get through. you can see the police. look on the northbound side of the roadway, i see the police heading down. that is a good sign saying that they are preparing to reopen the road. the tractor-trailers have been off loaded and it looks like they are looking to reopen the lanes. so good news from here. and we'll have julie wright explain the rest of the traffic mess to you. that's it from gaithersburg. back to you. and let's do that now. julie wright has a look at your on-time traffic. >> i like that you can clearly see that we do have traffic moving. the three center lanes getting you through. big delays at germantown south on 118. the crew in sky fox with us as well and this morning it is the center of the roadway. i have three lanes getting by south of muddy branch and this is the area to put it in perspective. so we do have a portion of the left and far right closed off but as stacy mentioned and we can't emphasize enough, we do have traffic moving on the southbound side. very slowly but it is moving leaving germantown. as stacy mentioned, they are in the process of trying to reopen the other side of the roadway. and we got the road out early enough for alternate routes. 355 is is jammed up from middle brook all the way down to shady grove. that is bumper-to-bumper traffic on 355. and bailout traffic along great seneca highway southbound out of gaithersburg toward 370. so a lot of bailout traffic on alternate routes but we're focused on the main line of 270 jammed up towards mva and 370 with three lanes open on the southbound side. and elsewhere we also have slow traffic for those continuing along 270 approaching route 80 where we have a car fire with one lane blocked, backing up traffic out of frederick. we do have a portion there that is tied up, the portion of 109 as well as you try to exit off of 109 on to 270. meanwhile if you are traveling eastbound 66, heavy volume out of manassas, traffic slows again 7100 toward the beltway, the inner loop spotty toward 66. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. general stanley mcchrystal spent last night on a flight back to the united states. the top commander in afghanistan has been called to the white house after he and his staff made scathing remarks about the obama administration in a rolling stone magazine interview. they are remarks that could cost him his job but that's a decision the president said could only come after he speaks to him this morning. >> reporter: the general is coming here to talk about what is happening in afghanistan but the big question is will the president fire him? there are reports this morning that general stanley mcchrystal has either already submitted his resignation or is prepared to do so. but it may not be that easy. as he once again comes face-to- face with his commander-in- chief. >> i think it's clear that the article in which he and his team appeared showed a poor -- showed poor judgment and i also want to make sure that i talk to him directly before i make any final decisions. >> reporter: that article published by rolling stone was a warts and all look at mcchrystal and his team in afghanistan. together they were unsparing in the obama administration almost across the board saying mcchrystal found the president unprepared during their first meeting which was little more than a photo op and he seemed intimidated meeting with top officials. >> there is a war over the war. there has been from the get-go and with the comments underscored the diplomatic and military sides aren't acting in concert. >> reporter: it's possible that the president will fire mcchrystal today. but that would be tricky. it would come as the president is trying to enter a game in afghanistan. but keeping him around could question his leadership. >> is mcchrystal's job safe? >> we'll have more to say after the meeting. >> reporter: this has become a big distraction. the war in afghanistan was a back-burner issue in favor of things like energy legislation and the gulf oil spill. now the white house is having to regroup. in washington, doug luzader, fox news. >> the president has said he wants everybody to keep focused on winning the war in afghanistan. another battle has only just begun. a federal judge in new orleans blocked president barack obama's 6 month moretory um on deepwater drilling. ken salazar said he will issue a new order in the coming day that eliminates any doubt that a more atory um is needed but some worry that any work stoppage could put people on the unemployment line. >> listen to the judge and listen to the scientistic experts and let's do drilling safety. >> the moratorium will have a greater economic impact, not just on the fishing industry people that work part-time in the oil industry but in every aspect of our economy here in lousiana. >> take a time out and pause and ensure that they are safe. it's only 33 rigs out of a thousand platforms out in the gulf of mexico. >> the president called for a six-month deepwater drilling stoppage in the wake of the gulf disaster. steve. south carolina could soon have its first female governor. nicki haley won the state goal primary. she was thrust into the spotlight from sarah palin. her victory comes despite allegations of merrittal infidelity and questions about her religious and ethic background. this is a big deal in the books for the runoff. tim scott defeated thurmon. this is the first african- american republican and the first to represent south carolina in either the house or senate since the 1800s. a local firefighter admits to setting a building on fire. details of that story coming up next. and then they moved into their home on sunday, two days later was destroyed by fire. find out what happened here. and we're going to go back out to dupont circle to check in with tucker and kennedy the weather dog. they are helping you beat the heat by helping out free rita's water ice. stay with us. fox 5 morning news will be right back. he was supposed to be putting out fires but instead a volunteer firefighter started one. jerome engle pled guilty to committing arson. he admitted he set fire to a building in riverdale maryland that caused $200,000 in damage. he will be sentenced next week. he will face 10 years in prison but will likely get a lighter punishment. this is home video of a fire where flames broke out on newton street northeast. the new homeowners got out safely but the house is a loss. it might have been sparked by a cable installer. >> he drilled through a wall and hit a electrical outlet and it caused a lot of sparks. we just moved here on sunday with the u haul truck and now it's tuesday and this is a complete surprise. >> fire officials put the damage at about $350,000. >> what a heartbreaker for sure. >> it sure is. we've had major trouble on the roads today. and we've been doing reports from i-270 where the hot spots are. a major hot spot. julie wright joins us with a look at that and what else is going on on the roads. >> it's been a mess all morning. we're going to start off with 270 where we have three lanes available southbound leaving montgomery village toward 370. stacy cohan has been reporting live about the wires down across the highway and that blocked a portion of the interstate for four hours this morning. so we do have activity on the left and right side of the roads. southbound 270. this is the camera shot at the muddy road overpass and that's what we're looking at. some traffic is moving southbound with big delays out of germantown. now on the northbound side of the highway. back inside for that. northbound they are trying to reopen the lanes. the main line is still open but the local lanes have been reopened. so northbound out of rockville, this is a change, the northbound lanes are open. no longer diverted on to 355. a lot of folks using this as a alternate. and leaving germantown from 118 toward 28 in rockville, you'll find bail out traffic along great seneca highway. but traffic moving and limited lanes on north and southbound 270 traveling between exit 8 and exit 11 at montgomery village avenue. into virginia, 395, heavy slow and steady and beginning in lorton, past duke street and across the inbound 14th street bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. and we have trying to help you guys batting-- beating the heat. we'll find out what tucker is up to. but first we'll talk to tony. >> and our temperatures are going up as we speak. so it's getting warmer. and the main thing to know is our dew point -- if our dew point is in the mid to upper 60s it's uncomfortable. and dew point is 49 right now so it's not pleasant at all. let's look at the temperatures at reagan national. where our temperatures have gone up to 77 degrees. relative humidity at 76% and your dew point is at 69 degrees. that's the temperature at which the air would be completely saturated with moisture. and we're close to that. three quarters of the way there. winds out of the southwest at 3 miles per hour. barometric pressure is on the rise. temperatures around the country, there you go. it's warm in much of the eastern united states. 77 here. 75 in cincinnati. 79 in little rock. 80 in dallas. 82 in miami, st. louis 81 degrees. denver at a cool 48. temperatures in the 50s and 60s in the west except for the desert where right now your temperatures are in the 70s. here is a look at the national sat-rad. again, eastern u.s. pretty quiet except for the upper midwest where we are seeing stormy conditions yet again and then the cloud cover extends down south across kansas, oklahoma, the pan handle of texas and rain showers along that way. forecast for today, about 96 degrees, a few thunderstorms will pop up to the west later on this afternoon and tonight. then tomorrow more widely scattered showers and thunderstorms. high about 97 degrees. temperatures drop for friday, saturday and sunday. highs around 90. but still that trend of temperatures in the 90s does continue. >> want to beat the heat. >> sure. >> let's do that. we're trying to help you out down in dupont circle. >> tucker and kennedy the weather dog are in dupont circle handing out free rita's ice. >> reporter: we've been giving it away since 7:00 a.m. and we've had a long line of people. joined by my good friends, i've got all kinds of people down here. this is angela and this is char neata. and you have a place around the corner. >> yes. right in adams morgan. >> reporter: and are we keeping cool. >> yes. we have wonderful treats. >> reporter: tell us what you are handing out. >> mango ice, fourth of gelato, holly berries and fox 5 explosions. >> reporter: and i hear bone tony and tone -- i hear tony and holly have a drink named after them. >> yes. >> reporter: and this is will passing through town and has his coat and tie with him, but doesn't have it on yet and enjoying a cool drink. will? >> the d.c. heat is getting to me. it's a sweaty heat but it's a productive sweat but there's no way to cool off than rita's ice. i enjoy it very much. >> reporter: you're going to be a great pitch man. where are you headed? >> i'm going to work. i'm the stylish one in the office. i carry a few ties. you never know what tie is most appropriate for the office until you get there. >> reporter: and how are you keeping cool? >> with rita's delicious ice. it's a cool way to beat the heat. >> reporter: i got it. all right, guys. come back in a couple of minutes. we're giving away more ice and we have more stories for you. we have kennedy and wait until you see what he's got to wear later. >> i wish the guy would let us know how he's cooling down. i think we're getting the idea. 7:21 on this wednesday morning. happy meals could be a thing of the past. >> kids will rebel against that. we'll look at a major lawsuit going after mcdonald's and the kids meal. and then holly is checking out the sights and sounds of the caribbean without leaving d.c. we're live with the caribbean carnival coming up. stay with us. 7:21 right now. $@ b welcome back. it's 7:24 now. according to allison, you take the kids for fast food and they just want toys. >> for us any way. and now one consumer group is crying foul and asking mcdonalds and others to stop. fox 5's melanie alnwick has more on the fast food showdown. >> reporter: pass by my mcdonald's with kids in the car and this is what you'll hear. >> can we have a happy meal? >> reporter: it's not burgers and fries they are clamoring for, but it's the toy. >> dangling a toy in front of a child is an unfair and deceptive marketing practice. a 5-year-old kid has no concept of advertising. >> reporter: so center for science and the public interest is asking mcdonald's to stop using toys to sell happy meals. >> we think it shouldn't be used to market unhealthy meals or the healthier meals. it's just an inappropriate marketing technique. >> reporter: why mcdonald's? it's said that the golden arches is the biggest seller of toys with food. >> burger king is one-third the size of mcdonald's and then so first mcdonald's and then others. >> it advertised apples and milk with the meal. and it is said kids make unhealthy choices once they are in the door. >> it all depends on the parents or the individual. >> reporter: and parents like the freebies. >> i think they are a good idea. when we have double toys we donate them to the school. >> reporter: and there is little chance mcdonald's will make kids go cold turkey. >> i think the toy has a great benefit. it should stay. toys stay? >> yes. and the battle over mcdonald's play thing will probably end up in court. >> mcdonald's will decide in the next month if it will settle or go to court. it's 7:27 on this wednesday morning. coming up we'll get an update on the major traffic incident on 270 in gaithersburg. and another story we're following, president obama meeting with the top war commander after stanley mcchrystal criticized the president and his aids in a rolling stone magazine. 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(lab girl) trust resolve. forget stains. 7:30 right now on this wednesday morning and we are smack into the middle of the week and things haven't changed that much outside. we had the thunderstorms move through but it didn't cool things down. >> and they won't. someone asked me that yesterday. and the thunderstorms come through and they are so widely spread there is not tivity. >> i don't think i got any. >> and many of us did not. it was scattered. most of it was east of 95. i got nothing. i was to the west of 95. if we see any activity today it will be well out to the west. so there you go. let's start with temperatures yesterday across the region. our high temperatures yesterday. now reagan national got up to 96 degrees. we think we will do that again today. dulles made it up to 93. and our temperatures will be similar today across the region. another very hot one. our current temperatures vary. 73 right now. now here is what is interesting. many of the places where we were seeing temperatures in the 60s an hour ago, they've all come up into the 70s now. culpeper is at 68. but it's 77 here. 75 in baltimore. gaithersburg is 73. frederick, 79. leonardtown is at 72 degrees. so that warm-up is now beginning in earnest across the region. satellite, not a lot to show you here. there is your storm from yesterday and we had strong gusty winds that knocked down power lines and did damage here and there with the storm that's came through to the east. today the set up is for areas to the west to maybe show thunderstorms but i don't think we'll see as many as yesterday and some saw no activity during the afternoon or evening yesterday. there is another big storm system moving across the upper midwest including thunderstorms with lightning. forecast for us for today, code orange air quality. limit your time outside particularly if you are very young, elderly or if you have any respiratory ailments. limit your time outside. we'll see mostly sunny skies, an isolated thunderstorm or two to the west. heat index near 100 degrees and again our high today about 96 degrees in town. for tonight, early thunderstorms to the west. warm and humid overnight. once again your low in town in the 70s. 76 degrees. five-day forecast, tomorrow more of the same. i think the difference tomorrow will be we will see more thunderstorm activity in the afternoon and during the evening as a cold front begins to make its way through and then we feel the effects of that cold front, drier air and quote, unquote, cooler temperatures with a high on friday of only 90 degrees. what a break that will be. that's a look at what is happening with the weather. now let's get an update on traffic with julie wright. we can use a break on the roads this morning. it has been a major tie-up along 270. going live. stacy cohan has been reporting live from the muddy branch overpass as you look at 270. so southbound we do have some lanes available. southbound 270 south of mva, headed toward 370 and i'm happy to say on the northbound side, traffic coming toward you, traffic has been released there and in the local lanes and the main lines. so better news for those traveling on 270. and delays not bad on the southbound side of 270 but a doozie on 118 out of germantown down to shady grove. great seneca a better alternate traveling from the north to the south. no problems to report along that stretch but traffic slowing in each direction, northbound 270 north of shady grove and south of montgomery village. and elsewhere around town, problem here along 390 as you commit to the 14th street bridge. disabled vehicle. v-dot is on the scene. this far left lane, right at the exit to go on to the gw parkway north bound back up toward arlington so that gives you an idea. big delays out of virginia leaving 95 from lorton to the inbound 14th street bridge. traveling downtown, lanes are open across the anacostia and slow at the third street tunnel. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. it's -- it's a big day for stanley mcchrystal. he will talk about how the mideast war is being conducted. joining us this morning peter fenn, and republican political strategist jim innocenzi. >> good morning. >> let me start off with general mcchrystal and i'll start with you, peter. does president obama have to fire the general? >> i don't think so. i don't think that's clear yet. i'll tell you, i think there are a couple of things. first of all i would rely very heavily on what i hear from secretary gates about this and secretary clinton. i think that's really important to get a real sense of what their views are. second point, the major point, is, look, how is he doing running the war? most of the comments came from aids. they should be gone. and a lot of them already are. mcchrystal is on the hot seat. if he has lost the confidence in the president, if he's lost the confidence to run the war, then that's very serious and that's a general macarthur thing. that was a policy thing. this was sniping and locker room talk stuff. it's stupid and it's obnoxious, it's unprofessional, but there are larger issues here and i think this president will not act out of anger but will act out of serious policy concerns. >> jim, what do you think? >> peter, i agree with you. >> oh, my god. where you have been? >> you know, the president is in a jam because this is the architect of his policies in afghanistan. and this was a guy that went in and begged for 40,000 troops and he got 30,000. this is a guy with a counter insurgent strategy in trying to win the war in afghanistan. i think the president is in a jam. certainly this justifies being fired because of the way he handled himself. but let's take the policy. let's talk about the politics of this. if this was george w. bush's guy he would be hailed as a frank, refreshing hero. and there might be -- maybe he wants out. maybe mcchrystal is there on the ground and sees this and said i'll be frank. i'll tell everybody what this is, i'll go back and say, mr. president, i don't think it's winnable, i'm out of here. that might be what is going on here. you don't know. and it would be nice to be a fly on the wall in this whole situation. we won't be there for this meeting. but we'll find out soon enough. >> and if there are fundamental disagreements that you have as a general with your commander- in-chief with the secretary of defense and the secretary of state, then you sayo can i. but this is a strange way to make that known. >> from just a p.r. standpoint, rolling stone magazine? >> of all places. >> you have to be a moron to do that. and if you read the whole article, which i did at 2:00 in the morning for the show. and you read this and see this isn't a big deal. you see some things he shouldn't have said but at the end of the article, at the end of the day, it's kind of stupid. >> and times magazine had a big profile on mcchrystal and it shows him a tightly-wound guy. but this is rolling stone. >> what about public opinion? we all see the signs that housing is saying no war, and then the next house said war. and what message does that sound? >> i think you're right, what you are seeing right now is the president set up this arbitrary deadline and if you read the article mcchrystal said there is no way we can get anywhere any time soon by next july or august. i think that's the problem, is the way the article is portrayed. this is going to be a 2 or 5 or 6 year war to do what they have to do. and that's what the public is thinking. >> and i think that's a critical issue. is the support on the ground? is it moving to a war that is run by them, not by us? do we have to buy these folks so our conveys get through? apparently. that was the big story yesterday. this is scary to folks. they are saying we are involved in another situation where we are losing lives, losing treasure when we can't when our deficits are skyrocketing. there is a point where you say, this ain't working. that's the question. >> and what you're hearing on the ground and what you are reading in the anecdotal stories, this is like vietnam. this isn't like iraq where you had somewhat of a government that welcomed us there. we're propping up a government that wasn't there. and this is more and more like vietnam and i don't think the american public has a stomach for this. >> and we have to end it there. do we see the departures in the obama administration? >> i don't think so. i think they'll stay. >> thank you so much. and team usa hits the field in less than two hours. they are in control of their own destiny this morning. we'll hear from the soccer coach and team captain when we come back. and if you have time this morning, swing by dupont circle. you can meet tucker barnes and kennedy the weather dog and they are hands out free rita's ice. stay tuned. where is it written that the old way is the right way? where is it written that a traditional education is the only way to get an education? where is it written that classes only take place in a classroom? what if you could get your degree, to develop your talent, no matter who you are, or where you are? what if there was a different kind of university? one that's changing the rules... that comes to you, that fits in your life... even adapts to how you learn. where is it written that you can't change your life? that's just the thing. it isn't written anywhere. it is as simple and win and you're in for the americans at the world cup. team usa plays the final group round this morning against algeria. a win and the usa moves on to the next round. they could advice with a tie and loss by england. they are opening that the exit in the 2006 games which came earlier than expected will be motivation to get off a quick start. >> we would like to have a early start and get the first goal and we balance that with the understanding of playing from start to finish. >> it's important for us because we had that disappointment in '06. it's not really extra motivation but it's just in the back of our minds. >> if both team usa and england happen to tie, the team with the most total goals advances. england plays today and face off against slovenia. both of those matches start at 9:30. >> go usa. >> we'll know by noon. tony joins us now and it's hot and hot and more hot. >> i could prerecord the weather forecast and take the rest of the week off. expect more today. let's look at the current temperatures around the region, where we are at 77 degrees. most of the area has come up into the 70s. and across the eastern u.s., the story is the same. new york city 78 degrees. 79 in norfolk. 78 in cape hatteras. back to the west, pittsburgh is at 71 degrees. here is your surface map for today. high pressure to the east. i think it's going to prevent the development of thunderstorm activity. at least not much in the way of thunderstorm activity from washington to points east. that's what we believe for today. there is still the possibility of thunderstorms off to the west. the other thing that we will see is the gradual entrance of a cold front. that will be tomorrow. that's the blue line that you see there. once that comes through, it will trigger showers and thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. and then we get some sweet relief on friday when our high is only about 90 degrees. yes, that's relief. here is your forecast for the next five days. high today about 10 degrees above normal. 96 degrees, isolated thunderstorms to the west. scattered thunderstorms across the region. tomorrow 97 and then friday, saturday and sunday look to be dry. high about 90 degrees. so it will feel better on friday and saturday and then everything goes back up on sunday. tucker may have some sweeter relief for us. >> tucker and kennedy the weather dog are in dupont circle and you can meet them and they're handing out free rita's water ice. as if the personality isn't enough. >> reporter: we're giving it away. and a very popular item. i have naomi and angel and we've been giving it away. >> we're giving away cherry and mango ice and free coupons. >> reporter: it's very popular. >> yes. it's very hot out here. come and get your ice. >> reporter: and i can report that it is hot and humid. i'm going to show you my back in a few minutes. but i have a couple of people, students at georgetown and not only are they enjoying its ice, but they are enjoying the heat. what do you think? >> today isn't bad. and we're from the south so that it isn't bad. >> and you reported? >> that it is hot and humid and i like it. >> reporter: and are you keeping cool? >> we're going to an airconditioned place. >> air-conditioning and ice, what more could you want? >> reporter: before we go, i know i'm not the reason out here today. i've been hearing about it from the studio. and let me reintroduce my buddy here kennedy the weather dog. and he's already sporting the look, as you can see. he has the shades on, got the hat on, protecting himself from any possible sun damage that might occur during the course of the afternoon. so we'll be out here until 10:00 this morning, guys. please come down and join us. that includes you, tony. we have a flavored drink named after you. >> thanks, tuck. >> we'll see them later on. it's right now 7:48 on this wednesday morning. bad traffic this morning. that has you stressed out maybe, the hot weather stresses you out as well. either way you are in luck. >> this weekend you can get a taste of the caribbean without even leaving washington. are we going to holly or julie? julie wright, let's check in with you. we'll check in with holly after that. >> i like the idea of going to the caribbean with holly. if i had the choice with caribbean with holly or to the dogs with tucker, i'm going with holly. but yes, 270 has been a bear all morning log. we've been dealing with the closure points between montgomery village and 270 where wires came down this morning. pepco is still on the scene. they said after the morning commute they'll going to have to shut down the interstate to clear the wires. we have three right lanes open. south of mva toward 370, delays beginning back at 118. if you are traveling northbound in the main line, your lanes are open. that is the change. northbound is reopened in the main line and delays beginning before shady grove northbound and then the pace improves. bailout traffic on 355, now jfrom 115 to shady grove. and delays on great seneca. another water main break leaving georgetown and this is westbound m. street before the key bridge. stay to the left to get by. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. now let's heat things up because holly is feeling the heat of the caribbean this morning. >> let's check in with her now. holly, what is up, mon? >> reporter: you tell julie wright i booked her and i an ocean front room. well it's actually a georgia avenue front room because this weekend it's the d.c. carnival. we'll show you how you can come join us next. okay, julie. you can wear one of those outfits. i'm not doing it. kidscampg's a. you wanna learn? stick with your ol' man here. tent's up, fire's going, who's hungry? or your mom. wow! 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[ where d.c. goes to get away.o busch gardens williamsburg, maybe it's because washington d.c. loves the legendary coasters. or that your entire family will have fun, even the little ones. it could be that water country usa has more of the waves, slides and rides everyone wants. so plan your getaway and come play. you never know who you'll run into. get started at buschgardens.com/dc. hey, volley for serve. friendly competition runs on dunkin' with our refreshing coolatta flavors. enjoy an icy boost today. america runs on dunkin'. holly will get to experience the caribbean this morning without leaving the d.c. area. >> she's at the trinidad and tobago association of washington, d.c. with participants in this year's d.c. carnival going on this weekend. it is going to be a good time and you're giving us a preview. >> reporter: it is going to be a good time. and how many times do i have to say this when i do a re moat like -- a remote like this? where are the little drinks with the umbrella in them? this is the d.c. carnival. a half a million come out for this. and it lasts on saturday and sunday. and one of the big draws is the pittsburgh aid on saturday. and jeff smith is the parade coordinator. i feel like i'm on the islands already. >> you really are. with this great mass and music, which is what we do on this day, our 18th anniversary of successful carnival. >> reporter: tell me about the parade this year because it is on saturday? >> it starts on saturday. it starts at 11:00 and runs through 5:00. we start at georgia and missouri and then we proceed down georgia avenue. we're going to have about 29 three-band troops which carries people. and people in the uniforms and costumes that you are seeing and also the type of music in the background. and also music with our favorite calypsos and stuff like that. >> reporter: who needs to go to carnival. >> it's so. if you're not here then you're somewhere else and you're lost. this is where you need to be. >> reporter: come to georgia avenue and you will be found on saturday. you won't be lost any more. i do want to ask you, what is the best tip for people? should they come out early to get their spot? >> yes. come out early and get parking around the outskirts of georgia avenue and then get on to georgia by walking a few blocks only. we start at 11:00 but our participants actually start getting out here from like 7:00 in the morning. >> reporter: i think they are starting now. >> without a doubt. >> reporter: and they'll go from now through the weekend. i want to bring in the executive director of this whole thing. how did this all get started in. >> well it's part of a group of the caribbean leaders in the washington area said it was about time to have our own production rather than travel across the u.s. and enjoying the carnivals. and we realize that d.c. needed that and so in 1993 we got together and we are now the greatest show on earth in washington, d.c. >> reporter: and people may not realize that there is such a strong caribbean community here? >> absolutely. we have people from caribbean and jamaica to guyana. and this is truly the caribbean. we have haiti, jam acheo, trinidad and tobago, the u.s. virgin islands, antigua and on and on. and everyone is involved. >> reporter: and everyone who lives here from those islands and those that aren't from the islands look forward to the event. why do you think it's important to have this? what does it mean to the community here? >> it means a lot. because it's a time to bring the community together. this is a marti gras type festival. you meet friends and make friends. it's a bode for the attitude of the community to just bring joy and happiness and togetherness. >> reporter: it's the essence of fellowship going on all weekend long. ander missing it if you don't come out and be part of the fun. it's june 26th and june 27th on saturday. our festivities have only begun. coming up we'll talk more about the food and the vendors and i think not only did i want a drink with an umbrella, but i think i want a beach chair as well. that would add to it. back to you guys. >> i think it's only fair. a -- i agree. and coming up, i-270 completely shut down this morning but we'll find out if it's still backed up. we have team coverage continuing next hour. and then the mayor of ocean city, maryland will join us to look at the fun things to do at the beach this summer. as if he needs to give us any more prompting, right? stay with us. fox 5 morning news will be right back. ahead at 8:00 this morning, we continue to stay on top of the big story on the roads this morning. a water maybe break that led to the shut down of all lines of i- 270 this morning. traffic moving but things are still messy out there. and then general stanley mcchrystal goes from a war zone to a battle on the war front. he's called to the white house today. will he lose his job after criticizing the obama administration. and metro getting ready to raise your rates and some question whether they will be ready for the changeover. could that impact your commute next week. we'll talk about the person in charge. good morning i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. this morning we're helping keep you and your four-legged friends cool. tucker and kennedy the weather dog are handing out free rita's water ice. there are several flavors for humans and treats for dogs too. they'll be out there until 10:00 this morning so go meet up with them at the intersection of 20th and q. streets northwest. >> get out there and cool off. you might need it because it will be another hot one, tony perkins. we'll see our highs again today in the 90s. i'm lost -- i've lost track of how many days in a row that is. but let's look at temperatures around the region. right now we are 77 in the nation's capital. 75 in baltimore and 75 at dulles airport. and ocean city is 75 degrees. winchester is up to 80 degrees at this hour. satellite radar composite, we have mostly sunny skies. we have had some haze during the early morning hours yet the storms come through yesterday. we see more storminess moving across lake michigan and into michigan and across portions of the upper midwest. most of that activity should remain to the norm but some of our viewers out to the west could see thunderstorm activity later on today. your forecast, mostly sunny and isolated thunderstorms to the to west. i don't think they'll be as bad as the ones to the east last night. high of 96 degrees. we'll have more on the forecast at the five-day. if you got up on time, you're lukey because your alarm for many neighbors didn't go off. many washingtonians may have over slept after storms knocked out power last night. and a lightning bolt struck a house in gaithersburg, maryland. part of the house caught fire. you can see it there. firefighters had a tough time putting out the flames because the building is so tall. no injuries were reported. high winds also sent a couple of big trees crashing down. one on the bw parkway that stopped traffic at 198 in laurel. it took firefighters a while to cut up the tree but it's down this morning. and then another tree fallen on dupont circle and fell on two cars. one vehicle may be salvageable but the other one not so much. nobody was hurt. and power lines downed shut down traffic. >> it's still a traffic nightmare for commuters. the highway was closed between exits 9 and 11 and now crews are letting southbound and northbound traffic move a little bit. stacy cohan is live from gaithersburg. it's slow-going, it looks like. >> reporter: it is, but i'm having a harder time hearing you all, which means there is traffic behind me. and if there is traffic that means people in a long delay are finally getting to where they needed to go this morning. they have reopened both sides of 270 southbound and northbound in the wake of that water main break early this morning. now i do have some new pictures for you. take a look at this. this is the water gushing out from the water main break. that happened at around 2:00 this morning. an independent contractor was doing some drilling and ruptured a 20-inch main. the water continues to flow although i'm told they're in the process of getting that shut down. what that did is soaked the ground causing a utility pole to lean and then wires got into the roadway and a tractor- trailer collided with the wires and there you go. the roadway was shut down from 3:00 a.m. on ward for several hours. just reopening in the last hour or so. i did speak to pepco also and the pepco spokesperson wanted to make it clear that only one of the many wires you see hanging over the roadway were actually there. the other wires belong to comcast and verizon but pepco said they managed to get their live wire shut down and out of the roadway. but there are other crews that need to coordinate to make this effort complete. all of that said, the roadway which you care about is reopened and you know how it goes around here, once a delay, always a delay. it's going to have a trickle down effect. the good news is they're wrapping this up and will come back later and do the last- minute tuning they need to do to the wires to make sure the situation is completely obliterated. so sorry if you had a rough morning but it's getting better. >> thank you, stacy. and let's check in with julie wright and see if things are getting better as far as the traffic. >> stacy is right. we do have traffic moving and this could have been ten times worse than what it was. i'm glad we were able to get the word out early. and these are alternate routes for a reason. they can't handle the traffic that we send over this to them but for the most part this morning it's pretty good. great seneca highway looks wide open south toward 28 and rockville. you'll find 355, the slowest, still slow between 11 and shady grove road. but again traffic is moving below speed, south of 118, towards mva. but that's it. no worse on 118 and then again at the lane divide. so we do have some disruption to the traffic in the main line of 270 but not as bad as what it could have been. so good work for you. but again, between the two alternates great 55 and great seneca highway, i would stick with great seneca this morning. and meanwhile top stretch of the beltway below speed 95 to georgia. water main break out of georgetown. stay to the left to get by to head into virginia. stay to the right to continue toward canal road. traveling new hampshire avenue inbound this morning, we find accident activity moving into northeast washington. and we have a portion of route 4 blocked off. i should say ritchie marlboro road and that's due to an accident due to a head-on collision. general stanley mcchrystal has been called to meet with the president today. the top u.s. commander was summoned to the white house to face the president his comments he made to rolling stone magazine. ainsley earhart has more on the story. >> reporter: general stanley mcchrystal is in a bat toll keep his job. he's in hot water oar an interview he granted to rolling stone magazine. he's expected to meet with president obama today at the white house. and now capitol hill is sounding off. >> i'm sorry that he finds himself in this situation, but obviously those words were not only unfortunate, but inappropriate. >> reporter: this house democrat over seaing war funding is in sensed by mcchrystal's commenty. >> i think the article indicates he is contemptuous of all of the officials in the administration who are theoretically civilian superiors and that's a dangerous situation in time a military man has that kind of mintset. >> reporter: mcchrystal issued an apology and called it a mistake saying it never should have happened. >> it's clearly bad judgment but the rest is between the president and -- between he and the commander-in-chief. >> i hope this gets solved quickly and we'll get back to the business of winning the car. >> reporter: he called the comments poor judgment. >> i want to talk to him first. >> reporter: and he also took jabs at other cabinet officials, there has been a war from the get-go and this shows that the diplomatic and military sides aren't acting in concert. >> reporter: the article comes out on friday. ainsley earhart, fox news. >> the president said he wants everybody focused on the troop success in the war in afghanistan. the president will meet with general mcchrystal at 11:35 this morning. bp has a new point man in charge of oil spill named bob dudley. he is the managing director of bp. he is in charge of the disaster response and clean-up. he takes over from bp ceo -- the former ceo as the company's public face in the disaster. dudley said the company has not made a decision on whether to resume drilling now that the president's moratorium has been lifted by a federal judge in new orleans. new this morning, a close call for a large family in the district who escaped a house fire. the blaze broke out around 4:30 in the 3800 of knight street southeast. the family of 10 were inside sleeping when a smoke alarm went off. it turns out it was a electrical fire in the children and -- and the children got out safely. and they moved into their home on sunday. >> and two days later it was destroyed by fire. find out what happened when we check out other stories making headlines this morning. and metro getting ready to raise rates but some question whether the transit agency will be ready. we're going to talk with the woman in charge coming up. and then this morning tucker and kennedy the weather dog are handing out free rita's water ice. stop by and say hi to them at the intersection of 20th and q. streets northwest. they're out there until 10:00 this morning. - ( music playing ) - now's the time to invest. in lumber. in rubber. in bellies. and precious metals. it's time to put everything you have into your 10k. your 5k. and even your 1k. and, of course, you can never go wrong with futures. kaiser permanente. thrive. 8:13 now on this wednesday morning. time for a look at headlines. the so-called schultz fire has now burned more than 14,000- acres in flagstaff, arizona. it's about 20% contained. calmer winds may allow some of the people who have been evacuated to go back to their homes today. investigators think it will be another two weeks before it's fully contained. volunteer firefighter jerome engle has entered a guilty plea to committing arson. he admits that he set fire to a building in riverdale, maryland, that caused $200,000 in damage. he'll be sentenced next week and he faced up to ten years in prison. a house in northeast d.c. is likely a total loss. the home on newton street caught fire yesterday, just two days after the new owners moved in. they got out safely. investigators say the fire may have been sparked by a cable installer. it's 8:14 now as we turn to tony perkins for a look at the forecast. i think we're going to rename it the cool factor for the next few weeks. >> and also known as the my first 5 photo of the day. let us take a look. speaking of chilling out, this is jonathan. >> what a sweet baby. >> very sweet face. and very expressive too. and if you look closely behind him, you can tell this is his first visit to the beach. isn't that great when you first take your baby out to the beach and they experience the sand. >> and the water rolls up, their little toes get wet. >> and sometimes they are afraid of it and they like it. >> he's adorable. >> thank you for sending that in. to send us your child's picture go to myfoxdc.com and click on mornings. from the cool factor to the hot factor. take a look. our current temperature 82 degrees. we've jumped up to 82 degrees here in washington. 72 in boston. 79 down in rally, north carolina. 76 in cincinnati. 83 at st. louis. and across the country, you'll find most of the eastern u.s. is warming up quite nicely this morning. out to the west, still cool. 50-degrees in denver, 57 in salt lake city. here is the national satellite radar composite. we have a couple of clouds. we did have a couple of clouds streaming through. it looks clear here. but there in the nation's mid section a good line of rain showers, a cold front and storminess in the upper midwest is what we're looking at there. and so there is a lot going on in the nation's mid section. eventually that front pushes in here and could trigger showers and thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow night. five-day forecast, high today about 96 degrees. pain a couple of isolated thunderstorms to the west. tomorrow 97, hot and humid. more widely scattered showers and thunderstorms. and then a cold front comes through and we'll see our h on saturday. sunday things begin to warm up yet again. and now let's go to julie wright for an update on what has been a busy rush hour. >> it starts off that way on 270 and for the midday folks it's going to tie up your commute because they're coming back to restring the wires. stacy cohan has been reported live from the scene and we had wires across the interstate and had the road shut down for several hours and now you'll find traffic is slowing north and southbound. you can still see the cones are out there blocking the right side of the road. again after 9:00 is when crews will cox back and -- will come back and restring the wires. they were on the ground and that's why the interstate was closed. they have since put in a heavy dudey truck to lift the wires. and after 9:00 that situation will change along 270. bail out traffic on 3 60 slow down to shady grove. great seneca a great alternate. in maryland route 4 is tied up between ritchie marlboro and brook lane. that's shut down with a head-on collision. and delays leaving the 14th street bridge. early morning incident here has cleared. inbound new hampshire avenue north capitol street, accident so please follow police direction to get by. that is a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. starting on sunday metro ridders will have to pay more. the fares will increase by 18% with the new base fare at $1.95. bus fair goes up to $1.50 for smart trip users and $1.70 for customers with cash. joining us on the phone to talk about the hike and whether metro is ready to implement it is carol kisser who is the chief financial officer with metro. good morning. >> good morning, steve, how are you? >> very well. how is metro doing to get these changes out and rolling on sunday. >> we are ready. we have been preparing for this over the last several weeks. we have signage in our stations, probably over 700 signs on our buses and flat forms. we have brochures that we've passed out to hetels and businesses around the region and adds in local and regional newspapers and our station managers are ready to assist passengers in the morning. >> and riders might think different having to pay more. what is the metro's financial situation right now? better or worse than we were right now this time last year? >> well with the economy we are all struggling and local and businesses are struggling with finances. and right now we're going to have a balanced budget to start our fiscal year on july 1. our jurisdictional partners are working with that and providing more funding. and for metro we have actually laid off staff in order to close our budget gap. so everyone is participating in this. >> and to be fair to the riders, when you took it to the riders, the riders said they would prefer to pay more rather than service cuts. do you think this is enough of an increase so we can avoid increase cuts -- increases in the next year. >> our public said no, don't cut service and we would rather pay more and that's what we're doing. so this year we have an opportunity to try to look at more efficiencies that we can get put in place and hopefully for the next fiscal year we'll be able to contain the increases and not have another one next year. >> this is stuff to help the bottom line for the fair increases we'll see on sunday. >> this will be enough for this year to meet a balanced budget, that's correct. >> do you think it was the right amount or do you think we should increase it more. i know you hate going back to the people and questioning resources. >> and if you look at the bus fares, they are slightly lower than some of the major metropolitan areas, new york, chicago and san francisco. they are charging $2 and our bus fares are $1.50 and if you pay cash at $1.70. so there is room to move but we feel like we are competitive with other jurisdictions. >> and i know there are a lot of changes across the board, is there a way for folks to head up before sunday. >> they can get on our website and look at our trip planner. we have all of the new fares in there so everyone can put what they want to go. they are starting to put those up on friday evening. so customers will be well informed. there are p.a. systems if they travel, we are communicating on our p.a. system what the rate increase will be. but the website is a good way to see what is happening and i urge people to look at the website. >> we'll put a link to that on myfoxdc.com. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you, steve. >> the ceo for the metropolitan transit authority. 8:21 as we continue now. there is certainly a star- studded lineup for a capital force this year. and we'll tell you who will be here this year when we come back. and then holly is checking out the sights and the signs without ever leaving washington. we're live with a preview of the caribbean carnival and we'll join holly later. it's 8:22 right now. american airlines has ordered a section of all of its 767 aircraft after cracks were found on two planes. maintenance crews found a crack on part of the plane that attaches the engine to the wings. both planes have been repaired and are back in service. southwest is celebrating the 39th birthday and in honor of the occasion, the airline is offering great deals. fly up to 450 miles and a one- way ticket will cost you $39. steve is online right now. fly up to 1,000 miles and you pay $79. it's annual pay of $119 if you fly more than 1,000 miles. steve, you are on it. he's a traveler. the sale ends at midnight. they are only good november 8th through december 7th. >> i have nowhere to go. i just wanted to see. and you would go with me. and stay here on 4th of july, there is a great show going on at the capitol 4th. this year it will feature david archuleta singing the national anthem. and now how about gladys knight performing and reba macin dire, and darious rucker, famous for hootie and the blowfish and the national symphony orchestra. and the show starts at 8:00 p.m. but get there early because several hundred thousand people are set to be on the mall. and we give the tip to go the night before to see the dress rehearsal. >> and i think july 4th is on a weekend and i could hang more this time. and we'll get an update on the top stories. >> and that includes a major accident along i-270. and we'll check in with tucker and kennedy and this crew is popular. they are handing out free rita's water ice. stay with us. we'll be right back. ungh! aah! hey! volley for serve! friendly competition runs on dunkin'. america runs on dunkin', with our refreshing coolatta flavors. enjoy an icy boost with our new blue raspberry flavor today. america runs on dunkin'. try a refreshing watermelon or new blue raspberry coolatta today. guys remember, we're a solar system. mars is down...and... um, it's only 10am. who hasn't had their jimmy dean breakfast this morning? mmmm! now lets orbit i feel awesome. you're all awesome. jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches, fight the morning fade. following breaking news out of montgomery county. reports of two horses trapped after a barn collapsed this morning. this happened near the intersection of norback and layhill road in the sandy spring area. montgomery county fire officials say this is an older barn but still no word on exactly what caused it to fall. but again, they say two horses are trapped in this collapsed barn. and we're going to stay on top of the story and bring you the updates as we get them. and we're trying to help you beat the heat today as we're back in the 90s later today once again. >> tucker and kennedy the weather dog are in dupont circle handing out free rita's water ice. hi, guys. >> reporter: getting hot and humid out here and the sun is getting high in the sky and it's getting hotter. we've been giving away since 7:00 this morning free rita's ice. and it's popular. >> a lot of mango and cherry. >> reporter: are we going to run out? >> never. >> reporter: no. so before we go on, i know we're getting a request for kennedy. kennedy too is keeping cool. he has his dog bones out there and he's been working on the -- what florida is that? >> cherry. >> reporter: that's one of the most popular flavors. so you can see he's keeping himself cool with temperatures now running into the 80s and low 90s. kennedy, back to you in a moment. we have drinks famed after famous fox 5 personalities. what do we have here? >> we have the holly berry and this is named after holly. >> reporter: tell me about it. >> this has wild black cherry and then it's also mixed with meana coladda -- meana coladda. >> >> reporter: and what is this? >> this is mango and passion fruit and this is named after tony perkins. >> this is named after tony. are you going to name one after me. >> yes we are. >> reporter: and these are sisters running a great operation and i have the name of the next drink, double trouble. so we'll continue to give it away here at q. and 20th street until 10:00 this morning. we want to look at the weather forecast. we're talking about extreme heat around here the next couple of days and we have temperatures in the 80s. 82 at reagan national. 82 in baltimore. and you can see temperatures across the area are already pressing the mid-80s. our highs later today will be back into the mid to upper 90s. a lot of hume around so the heat index will hit 100. and across the region, clear skies and high pressure will build in. we should have a bright, sunny day. just an isolated thunderstorm to the we have. but other than that, a lot of heat and humidity before a cooldown on friday. quick look at the five-day forecast. high this afternoon, how about 96. a few of us will be near 98, 99 degrees. keep cool out there. we're working with kennedy to stay cool and we'll have more from out here at q. and 20th street, dupont circle. this is proven to be a huge success. coming back up in a couple of minutes. thank you, lazies. >> thank you. >> allison said your drink should be called snowflake. >> reporter: they have one named after me. wait until 9:30. >> oh, okay. a busy day out on the roads. started out on a bad note early this morning. >> let's look at our on-time traffic with julie wright. >> we're talking middle of the night for some of us. >> yeah, for us. traffic moving north and southbound between montgomery village and 370. albeit very slowly along 270, delays from 118 south of mva. then the pacive proves approaching 370 and then slow again south of falls toward the split. the workaround, 355 jammed up around 118 toward shady grove. and you'll find delays traveling along great seneca pushing toward 28 as an alternate route. but traffic is moving north and southbound along 270 this morning. meanwhile coming across the 14th street bridge. heavy volume delays leaving dale city toward lorton and before newington across the potomac. that's where we have problems traveling in prince george's county, ritchie marlboro shut down between route 4 and that's due to a accident with helicopter at the scene. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. it's coming up on 8:35 right now. a big bird on the loose in virginia and we'll show you the video of said bird coming up next. and then after 9:00 we'll check out some of the summer's hottest toys. stay with us. fox 5 news will be right back. ♪ home is where i want to be. ♪ the only place that feels like me. ♪ ♪ the world outside just melts away ♪ ♪ relax, unwind, wrap up the day. ♪ ♪ where i spend the night and start the day. ♪ olympic premium paint, environmentally preferred. zero vocs. all this at a great price, starting at $17 per gallon. home begins with an olympic finish. charges have been dropped against the colorado man who went to pakistan to hunt down osama bin laden. gary faulkner is being released without charges. he was found last week with weapons and night vision goggles. the unemployed construction worker had made several trips trying to find osama bin laden. a group of 30 vets recovering from injuries sustained in iraq or afghanistan hit the beach for surf camp. organizers say it's a nice way to give back to the servicemen and women who sacrifice so much. this is not the only opportunity the nation's heroes can enjoy the events. there are surf camps being set up around the country this summer. we talked about the big bird on the loose. this is happening in virginia. some people have reported seeing an emu running through the breach. he's been running free for a week and he's not your average bird as in addition to the size it's quick. they can run up to 30 miles per hour and that makes it challenging for animal control officers that try to chase it down. >> it looks like an ostrich with a brown head and brown feathers. he just comes up and if you don't mess with it, he'll be fine with you. >> i don't want to mess with it. they are pretty big birds. they are native to australia and no word on how this one got on the loose down in southern virginia. >> is that what they do? they kick? or try to get you with the beek. >> either option. coming up, the mayor of ocean city, maryland, is here live in the studio with a look at all of the fun things you can do at the beach this summer. >> and he's here with you. and we appreciate that. and then holly is live in the caribbean this morning. >> reporter: i didn't find my drink with the little umbrella but i found one with a pineapple. cap ip sew punch and this weekend's d.c. caribbean carnival. we're giving you a live look next. stay with us. ' welcome back to fox 5 morning news, everybody. that's a live look there at ocean city, maryland. and i am sitting here with the mayor of ocean city, mayor rick meehan and we'll talk about the fun things happening and why you should jump in your car, pack your kids in the back or your husband or your wife or girlfriend or boyfriend and head on down to the shore. good morning. nice to see you again. >> nice to see you again. >> and this is the boardwalk. >> the boardwalk overlooking the beach. it looks great. we're in the wrong place right now. >> i think so too. and the temperature is great there. it's been hot here. how is it there? >> i think we're in the 80s and it's going to get up close to the 90s but we have the ocean breeze so it feels cooler on the beach in ocean city. >> and is there a secret to getting across the bay bridge before we start talking. >> travel early and leave later. >> plus you know you're going to a good place so it's okay. so we'll talk about the great stuff happening this year. any big highlights? >> we have a lot of things going on. we found that we offer a lot of free activities during the summer on the beach for everybody to enjoy. and we're going to continue that and expand on those this year. we have free movies on the beach. we have bonfires on the beach. we have family olympics on the beach. we have concerts on the beach. this year we have disney radio coming to town on sunday during the summer. they will be performing on the beach with some of the disney stars. so those are the type of activities that add value to the vacation experience and i think everybody appreciates the opportunity to enjoy them. >> it's always cool when you are there and looking at the calendar, what am i going to get into. so i have to give you kudos for that. you are always looking to promote the family-friendly events. and then the 4th of july celebration. >> and we split our 4th of july celebration. we are our fireworks -- we have our fireworks and then again up at north side, 9:30, fabulous fireworks so we have one at each end of town so we split the town so it's easier for everybody. >> it's almost lyko ab city is a -- almost like ocean city is a great way to get out and get on the beach but not travel to north carolina or even virginia or south carolina. it's a great location. >> we're close to home. and we have a great tradition in ocean city. we have a great base in the mid- atlantic area that come to see us and business is good in ocean city. we were talking, last year we did better than the year before. one of the few vacation destinations that can claim that and it's just continued to build and we're having a great year this year. >> and we've seen the devastation in the gulf of mexico and the states down there on the beaches, how are we looking for the summer if there is any fear that we might run into some problems that are oil-related. >> i don't think we'll have that type of thing happen. the predictions are there is less than 1% of a chance of us being effected by that. it's a horrific event down in the gulf and we hate to see that anywhere, because they're beaches are beautiful and pristine just as we are in ocean city. >> and if i go to a hotel, can i drop your name. >> you can see what it does for you, but certainly. >> and i know you have problems just like any other city, but what has the experience been like? because we look at you and say what a nice job to be the mayor of ocean city. >> thank you. >> it is kind of fun? >> it is a great job. i wouldn't trade this for any in the world. we face our challenges but we have a great year round community and everybody loves ocean city and that's what makes it so great not just to be the mayor but to visit. >> and remember, the mayor came all the way over here to join us. >> and we want to thank loyal visitors to ocean city. >> mayor rick meehan, thank you so much. and from the beaches of the eastern shore to the islands, you can experience the food and entertainment in our area this weekend. holly is finding out the details of the caribbean carnival. holly? >> reporter: this is the 18th year they've had this and it never disappointed. and one thing about traveling is to get to experience the nave's foods and -- the navetive foods. and we'll start with the true taste of the caribbean island. and julia has one of the best looking breakfasts i've seen in a long time. >> and we're coming on saturday and sunday. >> reporter: so there will be a lot of food vendors and let's talk about what is ouron menu. >> today we have some chicken. you can have a drink of calypso punch. >> reporter: i'm going to try that. i had my eight cups of toffee so this is good now. so when we talk about the traditional dish, it's all in the seasoning? >> it's in the betters particularly. now if you don't like spicy things, would you like that? >> yes. but there are other things to have as well. >> reporter: and i ask that because i notice on your napkins it says we are everyone's favorite. >> it's not only spicy food. >> reporter: and what is this over here? >> this is macaroni pie. and people told me that's not a good description so you're going to have to try this as well. >> reporter: and last but not least. >> this is pigeon peas and rice. >> reporter: and what is different from other rice and beans? >> the coconut milk. >> reporter: oh, goodness. of course. >> and we also have more red peppered butter. >> reporter: you work on that and aim going to hop over and see what other vendors are here. and i'm going to come over to donna joyce because she's with design joyce and they are going to have orange vendors like stuff you are selling. so what are you doing? >> well i'm a jewelry and clothing designer but this weekend we'll just be doing jewelry. >> reporter: did you make all of this? >> yes. >> reporter: i have a few pieces from other designers that i like. >> all of it is done by hand and none of it is mass produced and designed and made by me. >> reporter: and where do you get your material? >> at beach shores in my travel, and where ever i go i redo a lot of vintage pieces and save some of the choice materials that i wanted to incorporate in my new design. >> reporter: and people like the big georgetown -- jewelry. >> i'm a bit chunky and i like the big jewelry and a lot of women like to make bold statements in jewelry. >> reporter: you're a girl after my own heart. and we have one more vendor to get to. this is ingrid since. and spell me about your jewelry. >> this is ellen lynn jewelry and i've been a consultant for a year and a half now. >> reporter: and are you part of the carnival before. >> yes. >> reporter: and what do you like about this festival in particular? >> well its freedom. you can design your own stuff, you can come out 57bd and -- and enjoy people. >> reporter: and do you meet people from all over? >> yes. people come from canada, miami, new york, all over, just to have a good time. >> reporter: and are there vendors there to sell bags? >> yes. >> reporter: because i need to stop there first and buy a bag and then put all of my stud in it. and then take a break from my shopping and have my food. right on command. i love the trinidad tobago association and they catered to me and they will cater to you if you come out to the caribbean carnival here in d.c. and julie said the next festival that is close to this is toronto. take advantage, it's in our own backyard. we'll talk about the wonderful costumes you'll see on saturday. >> thank you very much, holly. and she has her fruit drinks. and thanks to the mayor we have our popcorn. thank you. and we'll share. tucker has his own sugar rush going on down at dupont circle. >> how is it going? you're a busy guy. >> reporter: we're giving away the free rita's water ice. and it's hot and humid out here and i have kennedy anxious to meet friends. it's not just people coming down for the water ice, it's some friends also. and his friend taking off afterward, but i have chris here. where are you from? >> i'm from washington, d.c. >> reporter: and tell me what you think from the heat and humidity? >> i love it. >> reporter: tell everybody at home, do you have any tips to stay cool? >> stay inside and drink plenty of liquids. >> reporter: where are you headed today? >> i'm going to new york city with my daughter. >> reporter: and he said keep hydrated. kennedy and i will give out ices. and apparently they've named a drink after that and we'll introduce that at 9:30. back to you. thanks, chris. >> thank you, tucker. 8:53 on this wednesday morning. we've been following breaking news all morning long from i- 270. all lanes have been opening after the early morning mess but they have to close at some point to finish the repairs. we'll let you know when that might happen coming up at 9:00. and horses trapped in a collapsed barn in montgomery county. the latest on that also at the top of the hour. 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