about 150 miles east-southeast of nassau. irene is a category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, and is expected to strengthen today. storm watches for the carolinas will likely be posted this morning. irene is moving north-northeast, heading up the atlantic coast. the storm could make landfall anywhere from north carolina to new england, but looks likely to affect much of the eastern seaboard. as irene heads north the navy has ordered ships at virginia's norfolk naval base to prepare to move. in north carolina the national guard is on standby and evacuations are under way along the outer banks. karen brown has more. >> reporter: north carolina residents are preparing for the first major hurricane along the east coast in years. >> irene could be north carolina's katrina. there is a bad feeling of that. >> reporter: irene's path is not certain but emergency officials are calling it an organized storm that could get stronger. >> the waters right now are around 87 degrees off of miami, that he's why the storm is exploding. >> reporter: evacuations have begun on a barrier island popular with tourists. some didn't even get their kayaks in the water. >> sad. i got down here monday, my family got down here saturday and here i am leaving on wednesday. >> reporter: and this minnesota family's vacation was cut short. >> well, we're having fun today so that's good. >> reporter: hurricane fran was the last category 3 storm to slam into north carolina back in 1996. it killed 14 people and caused more than $2 billion in damages. this time around, official its are leaving nothing to chance. >> we are preparing for the worst. get that plan together today. >> reporter: families along hatteras island either started packing up or planning their escape. >> we're still playing it by ear though to see what they say, what the track of the storm's going to be. >> i got new flashlights. >> reporter: jessica donhymer are stocking up. >> you into ed to be on guard and maybe a little extra to help the people around you. >> reporter: she's getting ready in case irene comes storming in. karen brown, cbs news, wrightsville beach, north carolina. this morning most of the storm models show irene skirting up the coast and impacting the northeast. irene is expected to come dangerously close to new york by sunday before moving toward new england. preparations are under way and officials warn this could be the biggest storm to hit the area in decades. hurricane force winds extend 70 miles from the storm center. >> even if we don't take a direct hit we are certainly going to get wave action, we may see some minor coastal flooding and depending on timing there's supposed to be a moon this weekend which is astronomical high tides always giving us minor flooding anyway it. >> there could be power outages as far north as maine. steve jobs, the visionary behind the ipad, iphone and other advances is stepping dprodown. terrell brown joins us with more. >> after his bombshell resignation, how does apple move forward without its founder leader and creative force? in a message he addressed to the apple communities jobs wrote "i have always said if there ever came a day when i could no longer meet my duties and expectations as apple's ceo, i would be the first to let you know. unfortunately that day has come." >> he must be extremely sick because this is what he loves. he is so passionately about apple. >> reporter: jobs has been on medical leave since january. he was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2009 and in 2009 had a liver transplant. after founding apple in his parents' garage and staying on through the '80s, jobs left the company and returned as ceo in 1997. he unveiled the ipod, iphone and ipad, creative and cool gadgets that pushed the tech envelope, generated massive projects. >> thank you very much. >> some people say steve was the marketing guy. it was deeper than that. he had a very profound aesthetic sense of what people want. >> reporter: the question now is how apple moves forward without its leader and creative force. >> you don't replace a steve jobs i don't believe. you don't find another one of him. that's like lightning in a bottle. you must bring together a team that can close that void. that's a tough one. that's a different game at that point. >> just to be clear, steve jobs is not quitting the company all together. he's asked to become chairman of the board. he's tapped long time right-hand man tim cook to take over as chief executive officer of the company. apple stock has lost a little over 5% since that news came to the company. >> people will be watching the stock today as well. terrell joining us live in new york. on the "cbs moneywatch," most asian marks saw gains today. tokyo's nikkei went up 2% while hong kong's hang seng jumped about 1.5%. on wall street wednesday a late session surge punched stocks higher, the dow added almost 144 points and nasdaq rose 22. an american businessman kidnapped in pakistan almost two weeks ago has been found alive. 70-year-old warren weinstein was abducted from his home in the city of lahore. police say he was found this morning when police obtained leads from arrested suspects by tracking mobile phone calls. weinstein works for a u.s.-based firm that designs pakistani businesses and the government. an american journalist held in libya for six months is free. matthew van dyke had no memory of his arrest and he had been held in two prisons in solitary confinement. he was not tortured or injured and remains at a secure location in libya. libyan rebels have offered a $2 million bounty for moammar gadhafi. rebel fighters continue to face pockets of resistance in tripoli from pro-gadhafi forces but its intelligence chief defected and rebel troops discovered a storage area for tanks north of the capital. fortunatelier vice president dick cheney says he advised president bush to bomb an area in syria in 2007. he says the president rejected his advice. regarding his health cheney told nbc news he kept a secret resignation letter signed and stored in a safe in case he became incapacitated. to the gop field for president now, where there is a new front-runner, a just released gallup poll of republicans and republican leaning independents shows texas governor rick perry leading the pack. mitt romney slips to second, ron paul and michele bachmann round out the top four. casey anthony is back in florida, she's begun serving a one-year probation for a check fraud case there. anthony has stayed out of sight since she was acquitted last month of killing her 4-year-old daughter, caylee. just ahead on the "morning news" aftershocks rattle the northeast. plus a look at the mlk memorial in new york. scott pelley has a preview of "cbs evening news." >> the potential of the value behind your home. who is behind it? the same people supposed to solve the housing crisis. that story tonight on the "cbs evening news." i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ female announcer ] we all want cleaner laundry. we all want a world with fewer chemicals. we all want the best of both worlds. introducing all free clear oxi-active. a powerful new detergent without dyes or perfumes that helps get out your toughest dirt and stains. its added natural cleaning boosters help get your whole family's wash incredibly clean. tough on stains. gentle on skin. new all free clear oxi-active. in california two people were injured when a jet way at los angeles international airport suddenly collapsed. they were getting off the plane and fell about ten feet to the tarmac. both are in fair condition. the plane was also damaged. in pennsylvania, four people were hurt after a car smashed into a taco bell in suburban philadelphia. police say the driver was backing out of a spot, hit another car and then slammed into the restaurant. one woman who was trapped under the vehicle was flown by helicopter to the hospital. thousands of residents in northern california still cannot go home because of a burning railroad tanker car. firefighters are letting the tanker bun itself out. they were worried about an explosion but determined the tanker did not contain that much propane. another aftershock this morning from tuesday's earthquake on the east coast. a 4.5 magnitude aftershock hit early this morning, and was felt in northern virginia. the epicenter was in mineral, virginia, the same place as the 5.8 quake tuesday afternoon. meanwhile, that quake did more damage than was first thought. danielle nottingham reports. >> reporter: stone masons in hard hats got a firsthand look at the damage tuesday's earthquake did to the washington national cathedral. >> that's the base. >> reporter: the 5.8 magnitude quake knocked statues loose and sent capstones from the highest parts of the towers crashing down to the roof. the cathedral remains closed and so does the washington monument. national park service cruise found at least one crack in the sop part of the 555-foot landmark. it's off limits to visitors until further notice. >> i feel kind of sad because we didn't get to go to it. >> reporter: the washington monument may be closed but it's business as usual at virtually every other museum and memorial here on the national mall. about 80 miles away at the quake's epicenter in the small town of mineral, virginia, things are anything but ordinary. store owners are cleaning up the mess left behind. this was the scene inside miller's market the moment the ground started shaking. as many as 12 million people felt the biggest earthquake to hit the east coast since 1944, while most communities made it through with just minor damage, inspectors are still checking for structural problems. danielle nottingham, cbs news, washington. this morning a first look at part of the september 11th memorial at the world trade center site here in new york. on wednesday crews tested the waterfall at one of the two reflecting pools in the memorial. water pours down black granite walls into the pools built in the footprints of the twin towers. the memorial opens sunday, september 11th, the tenth anniversary of the terror attacks. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports the little leaguers who are making some big league plays. hey, check it out. she's using the mr. clean magic eraser bath scrubber. i've heard of it, but i haven't seen one up close. what's the word around the sink? that it removes 3 times more soap scum per swipe, and it came from outer space. it is not from outer space! no, man, it's from outer space. they're aliens on an intergalactic cleanliness mission. they're here to clean up the universe. oh, the kitchen scrubbers are aliens, too? yeah, look at that greasy kitchen mess. everybody's in on the cleanspiracy, man. i can't even trust myself. [ male announcer ] mr. clean magic eraser kitchen and bath scrubbers. the clean is out of this world. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york thunderstorms 86. miami rain, 88. chicago sunny, 78. dallas a blistering 106. and l.a., a sunny 85. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a thick line of thunderstorms racing eastward from the great lakes region. isolated thunderstorms are drifting through the desert southwest toward the central plains and get ready as hurricane irene swirls toward the southeast coastline. latest today the northeast will see severe and damaging storms. it will be very hot in the desert southwest with a chance of a pop-up thunderstorm, and much of the west coast is going to enjoy a sunny day. in sports, what an end to the tiger's-rays game. tenth inning, bases loaded, brandon inge, routine throw to second, too late, he's safe. tigers cannot believe it. rays outshine detroit 3-2. another heartbreaker in the tenth, bases loaded again, the astros, rodriguez uncorks a wild pitch sending in the winning run. rockies over houston 7-6 for the three-game sweep. and the a's coco crisp on fire against the yankees, in the tenth blasts a three-run shot to right, oakland powers past new york 6-4 to knock out the yanks from first place. one of baseball's great pitchers has guide. mike flanagan played 18 seasons in the managers, most of it with baltimo baltimore. t his body was found outside his home in maryland yesterday. no word on a cause of death. he was 59 years old. switching gears now to the little league world series, montana versus california. in the second montana's catcher can't handle the ball, he tossed it back to the pitcher who makes the tag at the plate, a solo blast though, check this out in the seventh, wins it for the northwest champs, they nip california 1-0, and advance to the u.s. championship. congratulations to them. when we return another look at this morning's top stories. and the dinner rush to get you out. why some restaurants may put a time limit on your meals. % if you think occasional irregularity is no big deal, think twice. it may be a sign that your digestive system could be working better. listen to this with occasional irregularity, things your body doesn't use could be lingering in your system, causing discomfort. but activia has been shown in clinical studies to help with slow intestinal transit when consumed 3 times per day. 7 out of 10 doctors recommend activia. and the great taste is recommended by me! on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. severe storms expected from virginia to new england. scattered rain storms could come around to portions of the southeast and the southern plains will be hot and steamy. here's another look at this morning's top stories. hurricane irene is turning into a monster storm that threatens to strike the east coast. irene has sustained winds of 115 miles per hour, and is expected to get stronger. residents from north carolina to new england are being warned to be prepared. and steve jobs has resigned as ceo of apple. jobs founded the company, was the visionary behind the iphone and ipad. he's battled health issues including pancreatic cancer and says he can no longer do his job. he's asked to stay with the company as chairman of the board. waiting for a table in a crowded restaurant can be a long and annoying experience. seems like people already eating, just will never leave. well, it may be time for a change. scott rappaport of our new york situation wcbs tv has the story. >> reporter: hey you over there hogging the table for the last two hours, tick tock, dude, a nationwide survey by zaggatz says 60% favor time limits eating at restaurants during peak hours. >> during peak hours i agree, they give everybody a chance to sit there. >> reporter: to eliminate the endless wait created by customers and their marathon like meals. >> i wouldn't want a time limit because i wouldn't want the limit to be imposed on me. >> reporter: at this posh restaurant the owner says time limits are off limits. >> they're basically rushing you out. >> reporter: here the average dinner lasts 2:45 and if it goes longer so be it. >> i think when people go out they should enjoy themselves. they're spending their own money. >> reporter: try that here at the belillo diner, customers are in and out 20 minutes. >> half an hour at the most. >> reporter: food for thought the next time you sit down for a long meal because to somebody waiting the clock may be ticking. scott rappaport, cbs tv news. >> i don't know if i like that idea. this morning on "the early show" the latest on hurricane t[ male announcer ]e early this is the network. a network of possibilities. excuse me? my grandfather was born in this village. [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves. no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. n soldiers and base] [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. [explosion] boom [panic, screams] soldier requesting help ♪ [male announcer] he was there when his country needed him and we'll be there when he needs his country. join us and send your message of support to our wounded warriors at uso.org. the uso. until every one comes home. good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is thursday, august 25th. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm mike hydeck. welcome. we're glad you're here. so is monika samtani. good morning. and howard bernstein is here with your weather first and we keep thinking about that pesky hurricane. >> but before we get to that pesky hurricane, we want to let you know one d.c. public school has a closing this morning to announce. >> indeed. school of walls in ward two will remain closed through the end of the week so crews can determine repairs necessary. all other d.c. schools are open. >> in prince george's county, 32 schools remain closed this morning. we have the listing of all of the affected schools at the bottom of your screen as well as at wusa9.com. now, here's howard with more on that pesky hurricane. when monika and i left last night, it was going out into the atlantic ocean. >> i wish i could say that but it looks as if it may stay closer to the coast. >> oh! >> uh-oh. >> some of the models are trending west. that's not a good trend for us at all. saturday night, sunday morning could be rockin' and rollen in a bad way. let's talk about today. it could be rockin' and rollin' this afternoon. temperatures by 9:00 in the upper 70s. noon, upper 80s. midday, we could have a couple of showers and storms. 5:00, 89 degrees. highs today around 90. right now, 76. the muggies are back. this morning, we're watching a severe thunderstorm watch up across parts of pennsylvania, new york and ohio. you can see the strong thunderstorms moving off to our north and west. they're moving east. this is why we could get in on some of that action. you can see all of the lightning strikes with this as well. so our north and west. these are some hefty showers and thunderstorms that are marching eastward this morning. they'll be approaching western maryland here. 76 in town. 70s, we don't have the 60s or 50s. 70s for the most part as we start your day. around 90 here in town. also southern maryland, low 90s down south to the tappahannock airport. manassas, 91. 87 over in winchester. monika samtani stepping in with your timesaver traffic. >> good morning, everybody. i'm starting off with the green light. that's because overall, things look good. we've just got construction around town. we'll start off with the northside of town. on 95, it is both directions between powder mill road and route 198 blocking off the two left lanes for you. be aware of that as we head toward the beltway especially. over on the southbound side of route 29, close by, construction at briggs cheney road and only the left lane is getting by. on the southbound side of route 29. let's take a look live on the outer loop of the beltway on the northside here at university boulevard. out of the camera shot between new hampshire avenue and university boulevard, you've got construction in the two left lanes. that should be clearing up by about 5:00 this morning. back to the maps on the inner loop of the beltway. there is construction. two areas here. one at ritchie marlboro road in the two right lanes on the outer loop, one lane is going to get you by to the right. we'll wind a live look on 66. no problems here in virginia as you leave the beltway, and heading all the way out to centreville and centreville to the beltway and over to the roosevelt bridge, you're doing fine. >> coming up, another look around the area at 4:39. back to you guys. >> just after 1:00 this morning, another aftershock from tuesday's earthquake. >> according to the u.s. geological survey, a 4.5 magnitude quake shook parts of maryland. viewers called us from spotsylvania and gaithersburg and silver spring, maryland. in prince george's county, some are still staying in a shelter and nearly three dozen schools remain closed. we have the school closings scrolling at the bottom of your screen. a temporary fence is around the washington monument this morning. this after more cracks were found at the top of the landmark. it initially closed tuesday when the first four foot crack was found after the earthquake. the national park service says the 555 foot monument has never been damaged by a natural disaster before. no word yet on when the monument