welcome to "news 4 midday"! i'm barbara harrison. it is friday, july 2nd, 2010. we will start with the holiday weather. a live look outside. absolutely beautiful. look at the blue sky. will it hold for the barbecues and fireworks? tom kierein joins us to get your holiday started. hopefully, good news. >> it better. looks like the weather is going to be cooperating for all the outdoor events and festivities. we have been benefiting from the wonderful, low humidity over the last few days. there is a view from 300 feet above northwest washington looking toward downtown in the center of your screen. the jefferson memorial. just beyond that is the potomac park. beyond that is southeast washington, prince george's county in the distance. that's the scene there in the middle ground where all of the star spangled spectacles will be taking place on sunday. we have a beautiful blue sky with a few puffy clouds floweding through. low and mid-70s with dry humidity. in for instance george's, arlington and fairfax counties, and all around the region, we have low humidity in place. out of the mountains in the 60s. eastern shore, in the mid-70s. beaches, mid-70s as well. lots of sun. a day where you need the sunblock. a quick burn is possible with the high july sun. we will have temperatures climbing in low and mid-80s by mid afternoon and a light, northerly breeze. a look at the forecast for the holiday weekend in detail. let's head out to the roads. busy out there as folks try to get away. let's go to jerry edwards. jerry? good morning, barbara. good morning, everyone. a short time ago, chopper 4 flew over route 50. it is jammed. an earlier accident combined with the holiday getaway traffic, very slow toward the bay bridge toll plaza eastbound on route 50. northern virginia, we could not catch a break all day long. i'm afraid it is going to be this way for quite some time. 95 southbound, delays began at or possibly before the capital beltway. we had a series of accidents during the morning rush-hour. they are all cleared out of the roadway. we did not recover. now, this theory, probably reality, the afternoon rush-hour is underway. lanes are open. jammed, beltway, all the way down. hov lanes in the process of being configured for the southbound flow. we will keep you updated for the hour. thousands of you will head to the national mall fort concert and fireworks. crews are down there preparing for the big show and so is news 4 tracee wilkins to tell us what we can expect and what we have to do to get there. >> reporter: we can expect lots of crowds. we are celebrating this nation's 243rd year of independence. this will be the 30th anniversary of this show. it is going to be messy downtown. lots of people. if you are trying to avoid that, how about this view of the fireworks. this is a beautiful view of the nation's capital and a great place to check out the fireworks. if you are going to head downtown directly, don't forget to take metro. everyone from the d.c. fire marshal to the national park service gathered here in iwo jima to make sure this is a fun and safe fourth of july. know what to leave at home. know what to bring. traffic downtown, too many roads closed to begin to name. all portions of pennsylvania avenue, constitution, independence, rock creek parkway and first street will be closed from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. on sunday with some roads around the capital staying closed starting tonight. it will be that way until monday morning. after the fireworks, operation fast forward kicks in to quickly move everyone out. officials here are reminding everybody to stay focused on safety and make sure you and your loved ones have a plan. >> you can't imagine how much you are going to sweat out in the 90-degree day. so if you think you need two bottles, bring four bottles of water. sunscreen is important. insect repellant. leave your dogs at home. don't bring alcohol. don't expect to set up a grill. bring a picnic basket, anything you would like to play with. make sure you keep your friends and family close to you. don't get lost. >> reporter: and have a meeting place in case that happens. here are some of the activities for sunday. 11:45 a.m., the independence parade begins on constitution avenue. 3:00 p.m., capitol grounds open up. 8:30 to 9:30, the concert gets underway. 9:10 to 9:27, the sky is going to light up with fantastic fireworks downtown. parking is free at metro. that's a great thing. metro is the way you should come into downtown if that's what you are going to do. know that the smithsonian is going to be closed before the fire works. it will open up in time for folks to head out. what about the gw parkway and some of the sights there? you can see beautiful fireworks there. the pentagon is going to have additional parking as well available to people. gw parkway, 500 spaces after they get this makeshift parking lot up and running along the gw parkway. folks from virginia, you don't have to drive all the way into the city to enjoy it. i'm tracee wilkins live. back to you all in the studio. >> you have big plans, tracee? >> reporter: i'm not going to come downtown. i am going to go to greenbelt with my dad like i do every year. >> have a wonderful time. metro is preparing for holiday tourists to flood the nation's capital. there will be large crowds. the smithsonian station will be closed most of date on the fourth but will reopen after the fireworks. metro expects to be at rush-hour capacity between 6:00 p.m. and midnight on the fourth. if you live in montgomery or prince george's county, you will likely be spending the entire holiday weekend dealing with water restrictions. a 96-inch water main was ready to burst. we have a view from chopper 4. the main was completely shut down. now, 1.8 million customers are being asked to cut their water use by one-third. megan mcgrath tells us what you can do to help. >> while they have made a tremendous amount of progress in digging out this pipe, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. a view of the emergency repairs. wssc had to cut water to this 96-inch transmission main. they are now rerouting the water to much smaller 48-inch pipes. that is creating concerns about water supply. mandatory water use restrictions are going to stay in place through the week end. the work is happening around the clock with large, portable lights blazing. crews continue to dig out the damaged pipe. it is a big one. 96 inches. that's the largest water pipe in the wssc system. a rupture would have been catastrophic. fortunately, a fiber optic monitoring system picked up on the sound of breaking reinforcement wires inside the pipe before there was a major problem. >> the fiber optics alerted us to eight pings if you will. that's a lot of pings in a 24-hour period. that alone let us know that the integrity was compromised. seeing those wires, a large number of those wires have failed the con continue knewity test. we know the integrity is compromised. >> reporter: to maintain service and keep water pressure up, mandatory water restribs have been placed on all wssc customers. outdoor at terring is prohibited. wssc is asking people not to flush toilets with every use and to limit the use of washing machines and dishwashers. it is an inconvenience but customers say it is important. >> it is no the a big deal. it is a few days. i think it will be done pretty quick. i think we can all do a little bit for a few days. >> i didn't have that much knowledge about it but if it is what is necessary to do, sure, no problem. >> reporter: what about your garden? what about your lawn? >> my husband is out of town. it is okay. he cannot water. >> reporter: and these water restrictions are mandatory, people who don't follow the rules, they could face a $500 fine. in potomac, megan mcgrath, news 4. three northern virginia residents accused of being russian spies will appear in federal court today. they were all arrested in arlington last weekend. they along with eight others across the country have been charged with conspiracy. yesterday, federal prosecutors said that one suspect confessed to working for russian intelligence. they also say they found $80,000 in new $100 bills stashed in a safe deposit box of two other suspects. despite increased negativity in the war in afghanistan, the house approved an $80 billion measure that would continue to finance the war. they added money to secure teacher's jobs, college grants and fund summer employment. the job funding could face a tough battle in the senate. the funding is slated to send 30,000 more troops to afghanistan. meanwhile, president obama is on his way to charleston, west virginia, right now to speak at a memorial for the late senator, robert byrd. he died on monday at the age of 92. his casket arrived in charleston last night and was then carried through town to the state capital building. before that, he lay in repose in the senate chambers. his colleagues came to pay their final respects. >> he was an institution, a great defender of the institution of the senate, understood the constitution well. >> byrd was the longest serving lawmaker in the history of the u.s. congress. it's now 11:11. there is more news ahead on "news 4 midday." overnight, our virginia family got a rude awakening after this fast-moving fire. we will show you where. crews get back to work after hurricane alex moved through the gulf. we will show you how the strong winds and heavy waves made the oil disaster worse. could the giant pandas at the national zoo be moving? we find out new today, a family was able to escape a huge house fire overnight. you can see the flames shoot out of the home along the 5200 block of elicott court in centerville. they say the fire started on the front porch sparked by used fireworks not properly disposed of. everyone was able to get out of the house safely. it took firefighters about half an hour to put out the flames. damage to the home is extensive. this is day 73 of the gulf oil disaster. the coast was spared the brunt of hurricane alex. the strong winds and waves pushed oil closer to the marsh lands and beaches. local leaders and bp officials are ramping up cleanup efforts from louisiana to the panhandle of florida. leanne gregg reports from grand isle, louisiana. alex has passed. barges moved out before the storm are being repositioned. skimming vessels are returning. on a post-storm boat tour with the louisiana governor, disheartening finds. >> with he know oil got into our wetlands. >> reporter: despite frustrationings, there is optimism. >> i have an obligation to my children. we are going to win this war. we don't have any choice. >> reporter: to help in the balt, a third containment vessel will double the amount of oil bp can siphon. weather forced a delay in putting it in service earlier this week. >> we are looking at somewhere around midweek to bring the third production vessel on line. that will bring our capacity up. >> reporter: bp announced it will double the skimers and add planes and a blimp to help track the path of the oil in a long-term commitment. >> we will continue to have all the resources necessary through a unified command to clean up the gulf and restore it to the way it was. >> another possible tool in the arsenal. a super skimmer, 3 1/2 football fields long. ten stories high. capable of collecting millions of barrels of oil a day. the "a" whale, a south korean vessel retrofitted for the cleanup. the government has not approved use of the ship but those in charge are hopeful. >> we want to find out how effective it will be. >> reporter: an entire region looking for progress in restoring their way of life. leanne gregg, nbc news, grand isle, louisiana. the coast guards say there have been 107 offers of help from 44 nations but only a few have been approved by the state department. those giant pandas are one of the national zoos biggest attractions as you probably know. they soon may be replaced. a spokesman says they could be allowed to swap one or both of the giant pandas with china. that could happen when the lease on the pair gets extended. in the ten years, mei xiang and shing shing have been in washington, they have only produced one cub. they are trying to figure out if there us a problem with mei xiang that's preventing her from getting pregnant. >> i think they should swap them for a couple of maryland terrapins. everybody is in a weekend holiday mood. we have the weather to go with it. we have been basking in the flower of this low humidity with a bright blue sky and sparkling sunshine. today, no different. there is the theme overlooking northwest washington in the foreground from our sky watcher camera, about 300 feet up. we can see downtown that's going to be the scene of the big parades and fireworks display. it's under 75 at national airport where the precipitation so far this year is running almost six inches below average. don't the area lawns show it. everything is looking parched. in prince george's county, mid-70s. it has mihit the mid to upper 7. right near the chesapeake bay, the beautiful waters of the bay, a bit of a chop on the bay. annapolis, 72. the bay water temperatures are near 80. it it quite warm. great for activity on the bay this week conditioned as well as the atlantic beaches from lewis, delaware, down to ocean city. terrific weather for the beaches. look at the lows we had this morning. it was near 50 degrees in montgomery county and in frederick and loudoun county as well. manassas got down to 48. it was in the upper 40s out in western maryland. they got down to the upper 30s in garrett and allegheny counties and near 50 in the shenandoah valley. these are the dew points. eastern shore, salisbury, 74. ocean city, low to mid-70s there with a crystal clear sky and a beautiful blue ocean. out of the mountains in the mid-60s where they did bottom out in the mid-40s. high pressure moving in from the north and west. it is going to be in place for the next several days tichlts not beneficial for the developing drought that we have. that's for sure. certainly, great for outdoor activities. this will drift on top of us overnight. it will drift a bit to the south on saturday. during the day on saturday, if that happens, into sunday morning, we will see beginning blow coming in out of the west/northwest of increased humidity that will be in here on monday and that will last into next week. here is how things are looking for the rest of the afternoon. uv index, very high. quick burn without protection. highs in the mid-80s. for the game tonight, great for baseball at nationals park. they are playing the mets. first pitch at 7:05. after that, we will have clear sky, temperatures near 60 by dawn tomorrow. during the day on saturday, another delightful day. great for the beaches and pools. highs reaching the upper 80s, hotter on the fourth of july. not a lot of humidity. great weather for all of the activities. monday and into next week, here comes the humidity along with the heat, highs in the 90s each day and sweltering humidity. i think it looks pretty good. >> enjoy. not looking so good on the roads out there, jerry? >> that's the case. it is a good thing that the weather is nice because the traffic, not so much. hello. the accident at the approach of the bay bridge a short time ago as chopper 4 showed you the backup. the accident is gone. the accident combined with the folks trying to get to the eastern shore put delays all the way back to the seven river. it is just a miserable trip. beautiful weather. so enjoy it while you can. eastbound route 50, very, very slow indeed. 301 at the bridge. lanes are over both directions. any road work has been postponed until after the holiday period. 95, virginia, tough. beltway, most of the way down to daly city. it's friday, a long holiday weekend. 22 minutes after 11:00. the race to become maryland's next governor just got hotter. we talked to republican candidate, bob ehrlich and his republican candidate. here is a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. are you making it easier for bacteria to grow on your dentures? you are if you use toothpaste instead of soaking them in polident toothpaste is abrasive on dentures look, scratches where bacteria can collect and grow and bacteria can cause bad breath that's why i recommend replacing toothpaste with polident only polident is proven to clean without scratching and kills 99.9% of odor causing bacteria don't scratch your dentures clean use polident every day the race for governor in maryland is heating up. ehrlich made headlines selecting mary cane to be his runningmate. >> thanks for having us back. >> pleasure. >> tell me why you selected mary cane. >> i have known her family. we go down a long way. she is secretary of state, been a prosecutor, business advocate, worked for the u.s. chamber of commerce. she meets my needs in what i want in the way of a partner in running the state of maryland. for me, personal come pat ability, philosophical compatibility. for my, a relatively easy choice. >> let me ask her. why do you want the job? >> because i have worked with the governor. i have known him for quite a while. i respect his integrity and everything he stands for. i want to be his partner, go around maryland and ad voe kavor his policies. >> what do you see the role of lieutenant governor as doing? we don't hear a whole lot about that in the state. what do you want to do with that job? >> we talked this extensively. small business advocate, entrepreneurship. we need to be out there getting businesses to come back into maryland so they can recover. that's one of the things that's going to be crucial. >> it would be foolish for me not to take advantage of her resume. she has been a prosecutor. she knows criminal justice. it is a major part of my portfolio as governor. jobs are the number one issue around the state and the country. mary has done that. she knows it. she will help me create the business environment we need in the state to create the jobs that marylander's are looking for. >> you promised not to raise taxes. you accused your opponent, martin o'malley of doing that. >> i haven't accused him. he did. >> you criticized him. >> yes, i have. >> what are you planning to do? >> raising taxes in a recession, you don't get the dollars. you are surprised. you raise millionaire's tax, we will get the wealthy and all that. we didn't make anybody. they said it would raise $106 million. it has lost us $257 million. the sales tax didn't come in with regard to projections. personal income tax, we are the poorest in the country. not the way you grow jobs. >> do you expect this to be a nasty race? >> so far, the other side has been real nasty. >> we have been very positive. >> when you are fading in the polls, you get nasty. we will let the nasty be on the other side. >> we will be watching both sides. thanks so much for coming. glad to see you. we'll be right back. stay with us. a memorial service is being held in charleston, west virginia for the late senator, robert byrd. a live look at the ceremony. both president obama and vice president joe biden will be speaking at the memorial. byrd, who died monday at the age of 92, was the longest serving lawmaker in the history of the u.s. congress. crews are still working on a 96-inch water main in potomac, maryland, ready to burst. because of that, everyone who lives in montgomery and prince george's county are being asked to conserve water for the next few days. they are asking people to stop all outside water use and use water only when necessary. for some of you, the holiday weekend has already started. you may be heading out of town. here is a live look ott what the traffic looks like out there. not too bad. in virginia, the major restrictions will be lifted along major roadways. they suggest you leave