the balloon boy saga proving once again truth is stranger than fiction. good afternoon. i'm wendy rieger sitting in for jim handly today. >> i'm pat lawson muse. this afternoon, investigators still working on the richard heene case. heene's now accused of faking the incident that captured the nation's attention last week. >> he may be awaiting a number of charges now after the story about his son float away in the family's experimental balloon. turned out to be false. leeann gregg has the latest from ft. collins, colorado. >> reporter: richard heene at the center of the balloon boy case appeared briefly outside of his home in ft. collins, colorado, where he and his family are waiting for word on charges. >> the presumption of innocence exists for a reason in this country. >> reporter: david lane, the heene attorney hired after this revelation on sunday. >> we did this for a show. >> this is a hoax that it was a publicity stunt. >> reporter: a stunt to promote a reality show according to the sheriff. the whole thing made up. >> they put on a very good show for us and we bought it. >> reporter: ins the moment captured on home video, a 6-year-old falcon heene was suppose lead swept away in a balloon. but when the helium leakednd the balloon came down there was no boy. now the sheriff says of the story of him hiding in the attic was false. >> for all that we know he may had been two blocks down the road playing on a swing in the city park. >> reporter: robert thomas claims he helped heene plan the hoax as part of a proposal to land the reality show. thomas sold his story to goccer.com which has posted the interview along with the link to what he says were their plans. authorities say it was plausible at first. they thought a child's life was in danger and investigators say evidence shows the balloon wasn't big enough to lift a 37-pound child in the first place. it didn't add up, the sheriff said. charges are pending that could result from jail time and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines. the heenes claim they're innocent. now in the limelight with an uncertain future. it's not the first time richard heene has been in trouble with the law. he served four days in jail in los angeles 12 years ago on a vandalism charge and was asked to pay restitution to the victim. in this case authorities are also considering federal charges. leeann gregg, nbc news. >> toke gawker.com that the plan that he knew about did not involve heene's children. jim zorn is still the head coach of the the redskins but no longer calling plays on offense. jim zorn's play-calling duties will now go to sherman lewis. hired just two weeks ago as an offensive consultant. the redskins' offense failed again to score a touchdown as they lost yesterday to the kansas city chiefs, 14-6. executive vice president vinny s cirotto. >> this is a big organization. it's got some strong leaders and i hope i'm one of those strong leaders. and sometimes we do -- we have do things that are uncomfortable and on a scale of one to ten, and so my comfort level's not there but you know sometimes -- i also look at the production. i mean this is not an easy thing. the production hasn't been there. so if this is something that we're all going to try to do to win, i want to do that. >> as for who's going to start as quarterback on monday night it's still unclear. jason campbell was benched at halftime government favor of todd collins who did not do much better. well after losing yet another game to yet another winless team, the skins fans across the region talking -- taking to the online forums. one is more frustrated, writing -- today's announcement that coach zorn will not call the play was not enough for one plan who says, shermlewis has been with the team for two weeks. doesn't know the players, hasn't called plays for, forever and wasn't good when he did. fans are arguing over which quarterback will start, one writing, i say campbell but it honestly won't really matter. i feel bad for sherman lewis coming in trying to fix an unfixable problem. fans that we talked with this morning are feeling just as frustrated. some say we need drastic changes with the team. >> we need get on rid of wroern and campbell. i don't -- i have never been a campbell fan honestly. >> a radical shake-up. i am sorry for them but i wouldn't pay to see them now. >> i think change their focus and maybe move in another direction. i don't know whatever they're doing now it's not working. >> next up the redskins take on the philadelphia eagles next monday at home. stay with news4 for continuing coverage. we'll have a live report from the park with sports and find out exactly what fans are thinking from news4's pat collins. president obama paid a surprise visit today to a local elementary school in montgomery county. it has a diversed student body and has by stressing reading shown remarkable improvement in test scores. chris gordon is here now. you were the at school earlier today and this was indeed a surprise. >> reporter: they got word on friday and they had to keep it top secret. there was a presidential motorcade up connectic avenue and the students were at lunch and all of a sudden in walks the president of the united states shaking hands saying, what have you been reading? and that's the secret of this school's success. the reading. the teachers, the staff has stressed reading, and that's gone over into math and their scores on the maryland school assessment test which they're aiming for 100% proficiency. in the last couple of years from 77% up to 99%. >> that's wonderful. what was the reaction to seeing the president walk into the class? >> everybody had a different reaction. a couple who look at their hand like they can't believe he actually shook may hand or spoke to me or here he is making a few comments in front of the class and they gave them their goal, read, read, read. he says, so you're a group of readers, huh? and he talked to them and then we got to meet with some of the students and there i am there talking to them in office and we found out why these students were chosen and part of the reason is because they have worked so hard. it's a national blue-ribbon school 2005 and a title i school of distinction. >> the reason that he picked this school? >> uh-huh. >> any idea on whether the president plans to pull another surprise like this. >> well, they're not saying. it totally took them by surprise. they kept the lid on it and of course school superintendent jerryweis from montgomery county washere and the officials knew it, the police were at every coroner connecticut avenue above the beltway, directing traffic and restricting it. so that the president can make this visit and the kids loved it and you know what they're going to be inspired for a lifetime. >> oh sure and i bet everyone in the neighborhood was wondering what was going on with the police and the security in the neighborhood. >> well, that's true and the kids say, basically, they're not going to believe he shook my hand. my friends are not even going to believe it that we had this time. >> some of them probably will not wash their hands which is not a good thing these days. >> yeah. one of the students said to me you know i'm running for student council president and i said did he give you any tips? and she said yes when i make a speech don't be boring. >> ah, okay good advice. good story. thank you, chris. wendy? money troubles are hitting fairfax county schools. the district is anticipating $176 million short fall and they're preparing parents for the worst. school officials say they may have to close schools ending summer school and get i received foreign language classes. the board in fairfax county is seeking public input. they'll be hosting several work shops. the first one this saturday at 10:00 in the morning. three locations, the centreville regional library, the reston regional library and the john marshall library finally, sunshine. chuck bell has our fast forecast from up in the storm center. >> wendy, certainly a beautiful day outside. finally the sunshine, yeah the big shiny object in the sky, it's back after five days in a row with cloudy skies and miserably cold, not very octoberlike temperatures. right now temperatures in the area in the 50s and boy cold outside this morning. downtown washington dropped down to 40 this morning. 33 at dulles airport. 32 in manassas and culpeper. 30 in fredrickson. a lot of spots below the freezing mark thermorning. that bright sunshine has warmed up things nicely. most in the mid to upper 50s in the area. but the fact that we have dry air if place, the winds will be dying off and a clear sky tonight means it'll be cold again so t weather service has posted arost advisory pretty much for the entire metropolitan area here for the overnight hours tonight into early tomorrow morning. there you can see on the satellite picture nothing but clear skies around the area. temperatures in the mid to upper 5 verys now. back into the upper 40s by 11:00 this evening. a nice, clear, dry october evening. a moonless sky out there for tonight. the last, really, cold morning of the week comes up tomorrow morning. plenty of october sunshine is going to be sticking around for much of the week but maybe not all week. i'll detail exactly of when i think the clouds and our chances for rain come back to the forecast coming up in a few more minutes. >> all right, thanks, chuck. some changes and procedures follow an infamous local fire. >> your chance to weigh in on a proposed toll road. >> a look at some other stories making headlines in our area today. the fire that destroyed the home of peggy cooper kay fritz has led changes to help firefighters do their job. more than 150 firefighters were called into battle july 29th. firefighters say the hydrants did not provide enough water essure but city's water and sewer authority blame the decisions made by the firefighters, not hydrants. today mayor released a report on that fire announce the changes that include better communication between the two agencies and new mapping technology, firefighters can use to learn more about the hydrants at the fire scenes. >> as we move forward, that intelligence will continue to be very, very important trying to glean the information so that we can make the best decisions, how to lay and connect hose lines. >> the mayor also said the cause of the fire at the home is accidental and undetermined. without them it could had been worse, several maryland emergency workers will be honored today for saving drivers trapped arch a massive water main break. a 66-inch line broke last zom river road in bethesda. nine motorists were trapped. crews on foot in helicopters and on boats pulled them onto safety. first responders members of county river rescue team will be recognized. the event takes place tonight at cabin john firehouse. a public hearing also held tonight so maryland residents can weigh in on the proposed tolls for the interconnector. the average trip would cost about $2 to $6. transportation officials say that's similar to other new toll roads. critics say it's too much. public meeting tonight is at high point high in beltsville. starts 6:00 to 6:00 to 9:00. additional meetings are planned as well. drivers in fairfax county will do road work and shut part of the beltway tonight and tomorrow. the lanes should reopen by 5:00 a.m. transportation officials say this is part of the hot lanes project. when news4 at 4:00 continues a bus driver trying to dodge a car runs smack-dab into a concrete pillar. making the best of the fall food harvest. we'll get expert advice for getting healthy for life. you can buy just about anything from walmart. has teamed up with trackphone. the so-called straight-talk service kicked off over the weekend and now walmart shop kers stroll into the store and choose a phone plan in addition to their clothes and food. two plans starting at $30 a month. like other prepaid phone services, no contract is required. another big retailer, toys "r" us is offering layaway through december 6th so customers can pay for their holiday toys in installments. the offer's good for in-store purchases only. the company says in the future it may offer lay away for online purchases as well. because of the credit crunch a growing list of companies, large and small, is now offering lay away as a payment option. >> got food for fall, they are festive, tasty and they're fun and healthy, of course. and many of the foods of the harvest are packed with a few surprises. in "get healthy for life" harvest foods and your health. dr. jackie's beens tthe farmer's market as you can see here and she's brought us baskets full. >> thank you. >> let's start with yams. yams, sweet potatoes, if you're trying to get pregnant add a few of these to your zplooit a researcher who was a yale medical student originally from nigeria and what he noticed was that there were a lot of twins that come out of nigeria and a more sweet potateopotatoes, mor particular the yams. thinking that there is estrogen, hence, your ovaries kick into action and you might pump out more eggs and as well as foliage in sweet potatoes and makes for healthy embryos. >> good for fertility. we make lots of pies in puddings with this of course p are we getting too much beta carotene during thanksgiving time? >> yams, sweet potatoes, pump kin, the squashes. any of those orange kinds of vegetables are full of beta carotene, beta carotene is a type of an antioxidant. antioxidants run around absorbing free radicals. free radicals have too many elect rons in them. the problem is as your beta carotene is absorbing those things they might get a little imbalanced themselves and go act like free radicals. you don't want to over do it, bottom line? sit down to yams and sweet potatoes and that kind of stuff. it can be too much of a good. >> i think lay off the vitamins for thanksgiving? >> i would like to roast the seeds. >> good for omega-3, fatty acids. your body cannot make it. you have to eat it. the wayhat you get through with what do you with them is help your heart. it can lower your cholesterol. >> my mother's always said eat your broccoli. my husband hates broccoli and cauliflower and isn't crazy about cabbage but they're good for sometime that's right they are good for him and one of of the good things that people don't know is one they do have vitamin a, of course helps with your vision, and help with your skin. if you ask a teenager or a person worried about wrinkles is vitamin a is what we use it rebuild the skin. >> my mother was right. brussel sprouts what some carry baby -- >> that's interesting. a lot of people don't know that. >> i don't know the benefits of vitamin k, and hence the was about of brussel sprouts. >> many of us do not get vitamin k in our zmooit that's right. an easy way to get it. >> apples and pears are bountiful in the fall. but here is my question while trying to prevent cold and flu. do they help because of the vitamin c? >> no the stories are done and add them up at the end of the day taking vitamin c will not decretes chances that you get a cold or flu and not help you shorten the cold or the flu, that's if you have got enough vitamin c in your diet. if you eat a regular amount of vitamin c from a glass of orange juice yooubl perfectly fine and adding extra vitamin c will not help you. >> one point about apples and pear and something called oral allergy syndrome. >> what happens with the apples and the pears is they are the fruit of the tree and you're allergic to the product of the tree. the pollen turns out to be the fruit itself. you bite into it you're biting into something that can cause an itchy mouth because you're biting into the results of the pollen. >> to avoid that? she answer is you have to peel it, or you have to cook it. >> okay, now i know why my mouth itches when i eat pears. >> yeah that can happen. >> jackie, thank you so much. more on the foods of the harvest and your health, logon the website and search, your health. wendy? >> all right. good news out there if you are stillution the postal service. the postal service it says plans on keeping the 44 cent rate same. it did go up two cents earlier in thyear. the post office has been struggling financially as it competes with the bret where people are paying bills online and of course they're e-mailing. so snail mail's hurting. coming up cooling pads for hotter looks. a new nonsurgical way to eliminate the muffin top. we had sunlight. >> i know. >> no rain, oh my goodness! >> i know. your mood has lifted i can tell. >> i know! >> everyone is a lot happier. >> i am not wade down with water. >> i know a lot of folks were getting very seasonally affected. an ugly stretch of weather but that's gone. >> yeah. >> it's all gone. and we've got the pictures to prove it. luckily. temperatures outside have climbed into the mid and upper 50s. we're 57 degrees at international airport with north wind at 10 miles per hour. dew points measure of the atmosphere way down in the 20s and low 30s and that will play a big part in our very cold overnight forecast. televisions around the area on this very beautiful monday afternoon, we're 57, as i mentioned downtown. 55 degrees in prince george's county. 52348 fairfax and loudoun. 61 in frederick, maryland. 58 in french royal and winchester. 57 in culpeper and 57 degrees in beautiful st. mary's county. temperatures tonight are really going to tumble with the dry air if place, the clear sky overhead and what breeze we've had for most of the day, that too, will be dying away once the sun goes down this evening. temperatures generally in the mid to upper 50s to 60s across much of this eastern seaboard. warming trend to our west in st. louis, 73 degrees. that part of the air mass is coming our way. we will be back in the 70s, if not tomorrow, for a few lucky folks, but for most everybody else back into the 70s as we get towards wednesday and thursday frameframe. for tonight this little area of high pressure's going to be settling down very close to us so clear skies and very cold. first thing tomorrow morning the national weather service has issued a frost advisory, area wide, for first thing tomorrow morning. so be ready for another bundle-up morning tomorrow. high pressure down to our south very slowly making its way across southern virginia and northern north carolina here over the next 48 hours or so. we're going to have near 100% sunshine for tomorrow, for wednesday and for most of thursday. i think our next chance of rain around here doesn't roll in until friday but it'll be cold tonight but a much nicer day coming up for tomorrow afternoon. so for this evening, clear, dry and chilly. temperatures, mid 50s now, back into the mid to high 40s by 11:00 this evening. overnight tonight, again the skies remain crystal clear. no moon out there tonight either. so a very dark sky. clear skies. the last, really, cold night though with temperatures back down low to mid 30s in the western suburbs to near 40 right alongside the bay and tomorrow during the day, sparkling blue sky for your tuesday. very pleasant. highs close to 70 tomorrow. i'll detail the "7-day forecast" in a bit, and i promise you, wendy and pat, at least o one 70-degree number on there. >> oh, oh, we like that. >> thank you! get a load of this, the largest pumpkin in the world, it appeared on nbc's "today" show. >> wow. >> wow. >> it is quite a goard. it made the trip from new york from the buckeye state. the giant pumpkin was grown by an ohio couple. christie and nick harp of jackson township. this morning christie talked about houtpumpkin could fit in her hands in the beginning of july. by september she knew she had something special when it started approaching 1,600 pounds and linus started to appear in her pumpkin patch and she knew, yes, finally the great pump kin has arrived. >> that's some pretty fast-growing. still to come on news4 at 4:00, swine flu is affecting patients differently. some are getting a mild version of the flu, others are becoming critically ill. we'll have the latest of how scientists are saying it is affecting. and a college football player is kid just hours after a huge performance on the field. we'll find out what police think happened. welcome back to news4 at 4:30. i'm pat lawson muse. >> aim i'm wendy rieger sitting in for jim handly. top stories at this hour, colorado father richard heene could face a number of charges including conspiracy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. authorities now say the story about his son falcon floating away in a balloon last week was all a publicity stunt for a reality show. heene's lawyer is maintaining the family's innocence. coach jim zorn gets to keep his job, at least for another week, but he loses some of his power. zorn will no longer call the offensive plays. that job now goes to sherman lewis, hired just two weeks ago as a consultant. the team's now2-4 and plays the eagles next monday night at fedexfield. president obama made an unannounced visit to viers elementary school in silver spring today. he met with third and fourth graders during their lunch period. the president said he made the visit because of the school's improvement. school administrators are celebrating after they overcame an achievement gap between minority children d other students. the government confirmed today that a pig has tested positive for the swine flu. it's the first documented case of a pig contracting the virus in the u.s. producers insist bacon, pork chops and other pork products that we eat are safe. tracie potts has the latest on this. >> reporter: the agriculture department tested pig samples from the minnesota state fair ter children in a nearby dormitory got sick from swine flu. >> we've got widespread novel h1n1 in people right now. it's not unexpected that it spills over into pigs. >> reporter: one pig sample tested positive. more tests are being conducted. but pork industry insists you cannot get swine flu from eating meat from pigs even if those pigs were sick. >> they get sick, they recover after a couple of days and then those pigs are perfectly fine and with this being a respiratory disease it doesn't get into the meat so no problems with food. >> reporter: the bigger concern is how this virus is affecting humans who were perfectly healthy. some have died. others recovered. scientists think in some people the body's immune system overreact and damages the respiratory tracks in the process. >> it's a delicate balance between your body making enough of an immune response to slow down the virus replication versus too much of an immune response which can lead to tissue damagen and of itself. >> reporter: more spots were given today in florida there's such a demand that the state is considering rationing its vaccine. so how effective might that vaccine be if the virus starts changing or mutating in pigs? experts tell me that's not an immediate concern because the current form of the virus is so widespread but they say it's something to keep an eye on. from capitol hill, tracie potts, news4 washington. usda says the pigs did not show signs of sickness. officials believe the animals contracted the virus from people who visited the minnesota state fair. and here's some of the latest information on swine flu. the vaccine clinics in this area, school-based clinics for young people and pregnant women start in the district tomorrow. there will be clinics in each ward on various dates through november 14th. in maryland, montgomery county's next clinic, will take place wednesday morning in rockville at the pickard drive health center. clinics for priority groups in prince george's county start on thursday at the cheverly health center. and clinics for children in fairfax county start this saturday at 10:00, different school. the justice department is changing its policy on medical marijuana. 14 states including maryland allow some use of pot for medical purposes. the justice department is now telling federal prosecutors not to waste their time arresting people in those states who use or provide medical marijuana. however, they can go after people who go beyond what's permitted under state law. this new policy is much different from the bush administration's policy which insisted it would continue to crack down pot users and sellers even if the state allows it. the deaths of three runners at detroit marathon over the weekend are under investigation today. it's unclear if weather had anything to do with it. temperatures yesterday were between 30 and 40 degrees. two men collapsed at the 12-mile marker and a 26-year-old man fell down and died after crossing the finish line during the half marath. autopsies are still in the works. police at the university of connecticut say the person who killed a football player is not a current student there. jasper howard was stabbed to death during a fight outside of a school-sponsored dance early sunday morning. howard's a junior cornerback. he helped his team win. his teammates said they learned that howard was going to be a father. >> but it's jazz who is looking down from us. that son or daughter will have 105 uncles for his life. >> a second person was stabbed but released from the hospital. still a head on news4 at 4:00, no love about it. if you wt to get rid of those fat handles above your hips, stick around to see a new nonsurgical option. >> i'm just going to stick around. i don't see any love handles on that guy! that's the after picture! and she's a singing legend. fans get the chance to purchase some her belongings to benefit charity. an assistant in san francisco, green bay, how does that affect jim zorn and welcome back to the news4 at 4:00. i'm news4 meteorologist chuck bell. sunny monday here in the nation's capital, a check of your satellite picture and you can see there, no clouds in our skies today. the last of the clouds from our weekend storm are now pulling way offshore and moving away from us so clear skies tonight. light winds, very dry air in place. it will be a very cold start tomorrow morning. 39 in downtown. 40 in richmond. 29 in elkins. so as a result of that, temperatures close to the freezing mark. we know a lot of the outlying areas the national weather service has issued a frost advisory pretty much for our entire area for overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning. really the only exceptions to that are the lower parts of the bay down towards virginia beach, but for tomorrow, arch a chilly start, temperatures back up to 70 by afternoon time. and the all-important "7-day forecast," 69 tomorrow, 79 on wednesday. 72 thursday. but as we get towards friday, especially friday afternoon and evening, i think rain becomes a lot more likely with temperatures back down into the 60s. the rain lasts i think for most of the day on saturday but i'm optimistic that we will start to get sunshine back in our skies by sunday afternoon. so the entire weekend is not a loss and between now and the next rain drops plenty of sunshine. back down to the news. >> all right, chuck. thanks. coming up, women taking charge. what do men think about that? >> maria shriver joins us live to talk "the women's nation." the number of women in the workforce today is almost equal to the number of men according to a new report. but the challenges women face today are not equal. nbc news is taking a groundbreaking look at the way women's roles are evolving today and california's first lady, maria shriver, is serving as guest editor of "a woman's nation." she joins us now with more on the series. hi, maria. >> hi, thank you so much for having me. >> well, it's nice to have you with us. and tell us, we know you've been very passionate about this -- about this, but "women's nation." what was it that you saw or observed that got you so interested in this topic? >> well, first of all, being a woman. and you know caring for children. caring for two aging parents. and being the chair of the largest women's conference in the nation in california. i chair a conference that was selling out in record time. couldn't keep up with the demand. and i would program sessions on caring for elderly parents. starting out as a business owner and they were filled to capacity and the women that i was coming into contact with, women who were living below the poverty line, women who had great jobs, kept saying to me, i don't see myself reflected in the media. the government doesn't know who i am. businesses don't support me or nurture me or promote me. we need a new look of who the america woman is. how does she define success? what does she make? how is her role in her life changed in the last 40 years since a commission done 40 years ago? so i went to the center for american progress to nbc, to "time" magazine which has a cover story this week on "the american woman" and together we took the most landmark look at american woman and also the american man. what does he think, what does he need? where is the communication or the breakdown in communication? do we agree on issues or do we not? and it's a fascinating look and i think it is a landmark moment in our nation's history. >> maria, if you reflect back on our history, was there specific time that you believe allowed women to step out of their traditional roles, or was this a gradual stepping out? >> well, i think it depends really who you talk to. certainly so many women of different generation than myself fought for the right for women to kind of enter schools, enter business, enter professions that had been so dominated by men. here in the media when i became a journalist back in 1977 there were hardly any women in the profession so a lot of women who broke down a lot of doors at great personal risk for themselves to pave the way for others but this shift of women to become half the american workforce i think has been gradual. it's been accelerated by the recession. 70% of the job losses have been in male-dominated positions. >> it's great t see you taking a close look at this. thanks so much, maria shriver. >> thank you. >> good to see you. and there's more on how women are taking charge in a woman's nation and what guys think about this all week-long on nbc news and coming up tonight on nbc "nightly news" at 7:00. and still ahead at news4 at 4:00, can you believe that credit card with a 75% interest rate? boy, not your wallet, let's hope. and it looks like something you might pull out from the drain, someone actually paid, not him, that. someone paid $15,000 bucks for that. people have been complaining a lot lately about the higher interest rates on their credit cards, cards that used to be 6%, 7% are now 14%, 18%, but that's nothing compared to what one mannowned his mailbox. bob hansen reports. >> the first thing i do is laugh. i think it's probably one of the most ridiculous things out there. >> reporter: gordon hagman is talking about a credit card offer that just came in the mail. an offer he could hardly believe. >> i think that they're just trying to take advantage of me. with what's going on with the economy, maybe to see what they can get away with. >> reporter: and this card comes with an interest rate you won't believe, not 20%, 30%, not even 50%, 60%. the mastercard offer from premier bank in south dakota 79.9%. >> i first thought it was a mistake so i called the 1-800-number on the back of the offer and gave the offer code and verified my information and sure enough though they verified it's 79.9%. >> gosh, i hope nobody would do that. i hope nobody would say i will just sign up for this card without even looking at the interest rate. >> reporter: but there's nothing on the letter that tells you the interest rate. for that, you have to read the fine print. >> i think you're starting to border on deception there. >> reporter: san diego state marketing professor michael belt says card offers like this are usually targeted with people struggling with their credit. the card comes with a $300 limit and a $75 annual fee. >> yeah, anyone looking to rebuild their credit will probably end up in worse shape than probably before they gat glot card. >> reporter: bob hansen for nbc news. >> and even with their pit falls experts say credit cards do have some benefits when used wisely. they recommending having two to six cards and keep within 30% of your credit card limit on each card. and if you got a high credit score you could negotiate a lower interest rate or even get a late fee dropped. well, something that's up today is the temperature, and the sun did come out. chuck bell is so inspired he's outside in it. hey, chuck. >> hey, pat, proof. sometimes the weatherman has to have absolute certainty that the shine is shining so out here on the front lauchb channel 4 today. absolutely spectacular weather out here. not all that warm, but it's still pretty nice especially compared to what we had over the weekend. not too much color in our trees on the front lawn of channel 4 just yet with you but our peek foliage is not too terribly far away. 57 downtown. 59 in frederick maryland. 56 in martinsburg, west virginia. clear skies overnight tonight. and cold. fall foliage report, near peak now. western maryland, southern pennsylvania, all very close to peak. southern tier of new york state. so the color will be coming on strong here over the next couple of day. our temperatures back down to the upper 30s and low 40s. the sun does not come up tomorrow until 7:23, but tomorrow afternoon bright and sunny. a cold start but a very nice finish. highs close to 70 tomorrow and if you don't make 70 at your house tomorrow don't you worry, you'll be 70 or so for both wednesday and thursday. back into the news. >> we're going to count on that. thanks, chuck. coming up a frightening bus ride forome riders who ended up being thrown to the floor. a new nonsurgical alternative to here are some of the stories making news on the web today. a city fwhus albuquerque collided with a car. and it was caught on tape. police say the crash happened when a car turned in front of the bus. the bus driver wasn't able to stop in time, hit the car and then ran into the pillar. nobody was seriously injured. a firefighter in eastern pennsylvania has been suspended without pay for refusing to remove an american flagsticker from his locker. a new fire department rule prohibits any stickers being placed on lockers. after several offensive and racial images showed up in the firehouse but firefighter refuses to give up. fifighrs union plans to negotiate with the department about this. someone's faced $15,000 for the lock of elvis' hair. the hair which looks like something you might pull out of your hairbrush was caught off of elvis' head when he entered the army if 1958. sold at a chicago auction house this weekend. other items included one of the king's old shirts which sold for $52,000. and more than 400 of barbra streisand's dresses, paintings and other vintage collectibles were on the auction block. to help raise money for several charities she supports. some of the memories include a robe she wore in "the way we were" which sold for nearly $6,000 and an outfit from "meet the flockers" that went for $3,500. a lot of people these days turned to liposuction to get rid of unwanted fat but soon a lesson of invasive option for them. a new medical device that promises to zap the fat cells and it doesn't involveeedles or incisions. deanna light has the details. >> reporter: rebecca blaha wants to get rid of the extra fat on her belly. >> i cannot get rid of through diet and exercise. >> hello. >> hi. >> how are you? >> good. >> are you ready? >> i am. >> reporter: she's about to try something new. it's called zelteak. a procedure that uses special cooling technology to get rid of unwanted fat without surgery. >> when fat gets very cold it essentially melts. >> reporter: and that's the basis of this procedure. a gel pad is placed over the skin to protect it. next a vacuum-type applicator is applied which sucks in the targeted area between two cooling panels. the cold temperature breaks down the fat cells without damaging other tissue. over the next two to six months those t cells are eliminated through the body's normal metabolic process like fat in food. >> after about ten minutes starts to get a little cold. >> reporter: the best candidate for the procedure is someone close to their ideal body weight who wants to get rid of belly fat, love handles or back fat. this device is a waiting-fda approval for fat reduction. clinical studies are ongoing around the country. dermatologisteffrey dove serone of the researchers. >> in 32 subjects that were treated in their love handle area the average person had a 22% loss of fat or fat layer reduction in that treatment area which when you think about it is a large reduction of fat for a totally nonsurgical, noninvasive procedure. >> reporter: michael was in the study mean had the procedure done on his right love handle. a year later dermatologist michael cam aneer is pleased with the result. >> so much more sleek. this nice shape to it. it just looks more muscular and on this side here it's rounder. >> reporter: this procedure takes about an hour for each area that's treated and when the procedure is over, patients can get back to their normal lifestyle which they say is a cool way to fight fat. nbc news. >> the cold procedure runs about $600 for each area treated. if you're thinking about grabbing some ice from your freezer, that will not work. researchers rather say it's just not cold enough to reach the fat cells you're trying to get rid of. >> all right. that's it for news4 at 4:00. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. tonight, deadly zone. why a major stretch of the beltway used by thousands of drivers is so deadly. plus, reflecting on a planned execution. the ex-wife of the convicted d.c. sniper mastermind talks about the father of her children being put to death. >> it's a complete horror because i did not realize that john had exploded to include innocent people in his mission. >> and spelling out problems, the sign that caught drivers by surprise. >> good afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. jim is off tonight. >> and i