>> all week long, nbc will be airing stories about the changing roles of women. tune in later this morning to the "today" show for more. >> sta with us, everyone. "news 4 today" continues now at 5:00 a.m. intercepted. big changes for redskins head coach jim zorn after a disappointing loss to the kansas city chiefs. what this move may mean for the future of his coaching career. >> made for tv. it was a little boy's story that captivated the eyes and ears of the nation. why criminal charges could soon be filed involving that runaway balloon. >> well, good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters sitting in for barbara harrison this morning. it's monday, october 19th, 2009. taking a live look outside. beautiful start to the morning. no rain, which is welcome news this monday morning. >> what a soaker of a weekend. fimly we did dry out in time for the game yesterday. overnight we cleared out. this morning under a clear sky we have the autumn constellations gleaming in a black sky. only near 40 in washington, the nearby suburbs of prince george's county. a few isolated spots around the shenandoah valley in light blue have a freeze this morning. the counties in darker blue, frost advisory until 9:00. maybe a little scattered frost. eastern shore, upper 30s. it's below freezing. out in the mountains there's a hard freeze going on there. a clear sky and plenty of sunshine today. afternoon highs warmer near 60, even warmer tomorrow and wednesday, into thursday. dry all through the period. a look at the weekend coming up. >> that was a quick peek at the rest of the week but that's good looking. great. >> let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning. happy monday and all is well. pretty quiet as we get going here. northern virginia along 95 and 395, clear, dry road surfaces. trav lanes, regular lanes and hov moving along nicely. southbound, very light volume of traffic. elsewhere this morning along i-270, travel lanes are open. no active work going on today on the beltway. around river road, still have the uneven pavement. south of town, wilson bridge looking okay as we get going on a monday. back to you. >> thank you very much, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. well, it was an ugly loss for the redskins. jason campbell threw a late hal. then he was pulled from the game. but his backup, todd collins, did not fare much better. the redskins lose to the previously winless kansas city chiefs 14-6. >> and after that loss, the team's top brass called an audible. >> head coach jim zorn will no longer be calling offensive plays. this afternoon the team will announce who is taking over that role. >> megan mcgrath is live this morning with more on the shake upof the team. >> reporter: another bad night for the redskins and their fans. they lose 14-6 to the previously winless -- todd collins, but collins just wasn't able to do enough for the team to turn things around. of course, another disappointing loss for the skins. now, this has led to some big changes. coach jim zorn will no longer be calling plays for the offense. sherman lewis, brought in as a consultant, will reportedly be taking over that responsibility. now, coach zorn, though, is taking full responsibility for the team's losses. >> when we get down there, i mean, we're on -- we're deep into the red zone, and to not be able to score, it's awful. and it's my fault. it's my fault. you know, our players are rallying and all that kind of stuff, but i got to be better. and it really irritates me. it truly irritates me. i'm just not going to rest until i get that taken care of. >> it's hard. this has been the toughest season that i've been a part of early. again, i don't have any answers but to come back and keep doing what i'm supposed to do. i just don't. >> seems to be no confidence. that's a good reason. >> reporter: coach zorn says he will work tirelessly to turn things around. the big question, though, is will he be given that opportunity or is he going to find himself without a job? joe, kimberly, back to you. >> okay, megan, thanks very much. we'll certainly be watching. >> yeah, thanks, megan. it turns out the runaway balloon drama that unfolded before the nation last week was a hoax. the parents behind it were hoping it would land them a reality tv show, but instead it could land them in jail. it all started last thursday when this balloon floated away from a colorado home. the owners said they thought their 6-year-old son was inside. he was later found hiding in a box in the attic. well, afterward investigators interviewed richard and mayumi heene and searched the family's home, and soon after that, the realized they had been duped. >> we have since determined that, in fact, they met together. the way they met and established a relationship was in acting school in hollywood. so, needless to say, they put on a very good show for us. and we bought it. >> 6-year-old falcon heene, their son, helped out, too. he admitted on cnn that his parents told him this was for the show. the parents may now face felony charges, including conspiracy and making a false police report. >> well, if you travel the beltway in prince george's county, slow down. a new report out today shows that that portion of the roadway is the deadliest section. 42 people were killed in crashes between 2006 and 2008 on the section of the beltway between the virginia border and the interchange where i-95 splits off north toward baltimore. during that same time, 18 people died on the rest of the highway. according to the ntsb, long-term construction projects are a likely factor, but speed could also be a major issue. >> one person is dead and three others are injured after three shootings this weekend involving prince george's county police officers. the latest shooting happened yesterday afternoon in college park when officers shot and killed a man robbing a 7-eleven on route 1 with a knife. that was just down the street from a shooting friday night. police say an off-duty officer who was working as a security guard at a clothing store shot and wounded two shoplifting suspects. investigators say he opened fire after the suspects, who are transgendered, closed their car door on his hand and then ran over his foot with their car. one of the suspects tells a very different story. >> he, he said now make me shoot y'all. so as the car was rolling back, he was running with the car, and he shot several times. >> the other suspect's mother says her son is in critical condition under heavy sedation. police also shot an armored car robbery suspect in the stomach friday afternoon in beltsville. >> well, president obama is apparently practicing some patience in deciding on a new strategy in afghanistan. the white house says the president will not commit additional troops until he is confident afghanistan's government can be seen as credible. the top u.s. military commander in afghanistan says the work would be lost without more troops and critics of the president say that waiting too long to decide on a strategy could be dangerous. the white house says president obama will not rush his decision. >> a lot of people who all of a sudden say this is now the epicenter of the war on terror, you must do this now, immediately approve what the general said, where before it never even got on the radar screen for them. everything was all about iraq. >> the white house says meetings to discussion the strategy are scheduled for at least the next two weeks. >> it's tough to tell which side is winning in the new fight between pakistan's military and the taliban. pakistan launched a new offensive over the weekend after a string of deadly attacks on security forces. both sides are claiming early victories. pakistan saying dozens of taliban fighters have been killed. the u.s. is supporting pakistan's efforts, sending supplies to help out. today general david petraeus and senator john kerry will be visiting pakistan to meet with top leaders there. >> 5:08 is our time right now, 41 chilly degrees outside. deep cuts coming to a local school district faced with a multi-million dollar bunning it deficit. >> passengers onboard a bus thrown to the floor when the driver takes an unexpected detour. >> the investigation into why someone would stab and kill a star football player. weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 5:11. a chilly 41 degrees in washington. in the nearby suburbs our temperatures are only near 40, in montgomery, fairfax and prince george's counties. it's only in the 30s around the shenandoah valley. a few places in the central part of the shenandoah valley are in the low to mid-20s right now. and where you see those counties in light blue, that is a freeze warning. if you have any plants outside, the house plants, bring them in. those counties just to the west of washington, including montgomery, howard and fairfax, prince william, fauquier, loudoun county under a frost advisory for this morning. there could be scattered frost over the next couple of hours. right now, no frost around. for the rest of the day, bright sunshine, highs near 60. it will be near 70 on tuesday and wednesday. thursday, too, near 70 with sunshine. end of the week, though, as we get into friday and saturday, we may ha a few passing showers with highs near 60. that's the way it looks this morning with the weather. now let's check traffic. how's it looking at this hour? >> good morning, everyone. doing fine so far this morning. i-270 picking up a little volume in a couple of spots. nothing to worry about. the good news is the pavement is dry. elsewhere there had been an accident outer loop at allentown road. quickly moved to the shoulder. northeast, southeast, looking okay. back to you. >> thanks. >> thanks, jerry. the time is 5:12. new regulations are being ago nounsed today formarijuana. >> the debate over health care reform and whether a public option should be included. the investigation into the brutal murder ofn up and coming football star. well, it has become a weekly part of attending a game for fans at fedex field -- the call of the boo birds. the redskins are now 2-4 after losing to the previously winless kansas city chiefs. the team mustered only six measly points. after the game, the skins stripped head coach jim zorn of his play-calling duties. stafford county joining the fight against swine flu. the county will begin vaccinating its students later today. a clinic is scheduled for 5:00 at north stafford high school today. the parents of the will could colonel boy thought to have floated away in a giant helium balloon could now face felony charges. investigators say the entire thing was a hoax. according to the larimer county sheriff, the incident was a marketing ploy to land a reality television show. and the white house says president obama will wait until he is sure that afghan's government is seen as credible before committing more u.s. troops to the war effort. a u.n.-backed investigation into voter fraud from august presidential election is complete but has not been released. kimberly? >> thanks, joe. congressional leaders are continuing to meet this week to craft a single piece of health care reform legislation. meanwhile, the bat e between the white house and the health care industry is intensifying with president obama warning that the way the industry has done business in the past may no longer fly. brooke hart is live on capitol hill with the latest now. good morning, brooke. >> reporter: good morning. so much for insurers and the white house being partners in reform. some democrats here are now openly challenging the industry's long-standing immunity from antitrust laws. one week after health insurers warned reform would raise premiums for americans with coverage -- >> it's smoke and mirrors. it's bogus. >> reporter: -- president obama opened a new line of attack on something insurers have enjoyed since 1945. >> a privileged exception from our antitrust laws, a matter that congress is rightfully reviewing. >> reporter: congress passed the exemption then so states would regulate health insurance. critics, as in this ad, claims it helps keep prices high. >> when baseball players fix games, they get in trouble. when health insurance executives fix the game, they get rich. >> reporter: insurers deny there's any price fixing. they're fighting efforts to repeal the exemption. >> believe it will lead to more competition, lower insurance costs, and basically what it says is nobody's above the law. >> reporter: in the meantime, democrats remain at odds over the public option. >> we have some tough choices to make, but i think the public option makes the most sense. >> reporter: opponents are making their criticism more specific. >> i will not support any public option tied to medicare levels of reimbursement. >> reporter: could democrats agree on higher negotiated rates to hospitals and providers, or allowing states to opt out of a public plan? republicans are wary. >> what they're really good at doing is putting it in a different package, putting a different color ribbon around it and saying, well, it's only the public option. if things don't work out in a couple of years or something like that. that's the concern that a lot of republicans have. >> reporter: in a health care battle tested again this week. and tested this way, too. democrats here will be pushing a separate $250 billion bill to raise medicare rates to doctors. critics call it a trick, splitting off a high cost piece so theain reform measure can be called deficit neutral. live on capitol hill, i'm brooke hart. back to you. >> the nitty-gritty is the toughest part, isn't it? thank you. president obama is leading medical marijuana users and providers alone. the justice department will issue new guidelines on its policy later today. it's expected to tell federal prosecutors not to waste their time going after people who use or sell pot for medical reasons as long as they aren't breaking state laws. the bush administration continued enforcing federal antimarijuana laws despite what states said. 14 states will allow some use of pot for medical purposes. >> police at the vrt of connecticut are trying to figure out why someone would want to kill a star football player. jasper howard was stabbed to death during a fight outside the student union. he was there for a school-sponsored dance. investigators say they don't believe the stabbing was premeditated but also don't think it was a random crime. the crime has left howard's coach and teammates shaken. they also learned that howard was going to be a father. >> but as jas looks down on us, i can promise him and his family that son or daughter will have 105 uncles. >> just hours before his death, howard had helped his team win the homecoming game. well, it's another disappointing week for washington redskins fans certainly. >> even after coaches tried to come up with a new plan of attack, the skins lost to another winless team and dan hellie has your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. after losing to a winless team for the third time this season, changes were bound to be made and last night it happened. jim zorn was not fired. instead he was stripped of his play-calling duties. sources tell us that sherm lewis, who was hired less than two weeks ago as an offensive consultant, has already been named the new play-caller. the redskins will make that announcement today. jason campbell was benched at halftime, generating just 89 yards passing and throwing one interception in the first half, so in comes the veteran, todd collins. first play of the second half, first pass play, that is. collins going deep. 42 yards to santana moss. that would lead to a field goal. fourth quarter, skins trailing 12-6. collins still in the game, and trying to make something happen with about 30 seconds to go. this was not good. holly sacked collins in the end zone. that's a safety. chiefs win it 14-6. here is zorn's reaction when asked about his future immediately following the game. >> that part's not up to so i won't answer that question because it's not up to me. what we all ought to look at is how -- see if our players are going, what? and i don't sense that. i don't sense any moaning and groaning on that sideline between series. it's going to be a very hard week. last week, i thought that was as hard as it could get. it just got harder. >> going to be a long week at redskins park. the redskins play host to the eagles next monday night and if zorn is fired, it's possible jerry gray, the current secondary coach, could be named the interim head coach. that's your morning sports. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great monday. >> going to be an ugly week for those skins and skins fans. >> that locker room could not have been a fun place to be. >> i can't imagine. >> oh, my gosh. >> 5:21 is our time. time again for traffic and weather on the 1s. let's go to meteorologist tom kierein. >> good morning, tom. >> good morning. we finally dried out yesterday afternoon, still dry this morning thankfully, now just near 40 degrees in washington and the nearby suburbs. a few locations around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley are right near freezing this morning. that's where they do have a freeze warning in effect from the blue ridge to the nearby suburbs of washington. we have a frost advisory, a little scattered frost over the next couple of hours. lots of sunshine today. afternoon highs climbing to near 60 degrees. sunny and warmer tuesday, wednesday and thursday with highs near 70 each day. into the weekend, friday, saturday and perhaps into saturday night, some passing showers but drying out sunday. jerry, good morning. how's the mondaycommute? >> tom, good morning. good morning, everyone. we will head south, take a live look thousand oxon hill, maryland, let you know things are movingretty well. inner loop of the beltway as you come down 295, there it is moving nicely. did have that accident outer loop at allentown road, quickly moved to the shoulder. on the rails this morning, so far trains pulling out on schedule. metrorail, vre and marc tell us no early delays. back to you. >> good news. thanks. >> thanks, jerry. >> 5:22, 41 degrees. how some maryland residents will be able to voice their concerns about toellls on the i.c.c. >> also, the terrifying ride on board a bus and why riders were thrown to the floor. >> the deep cuts coming to a local school district in hopes of balancing a major budget deficit. >> and a reminder, news 4 is always connected to you on facebook and twitter. for up to the minute breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, you can find us on either site by searching news4today. take a look at this. a city bus collides with a car before slamming into an overpass in albuquerque, new mexi. the crash happened when a car turned in front of a city bus. the bus drier was not able t stop in time and hit the car before running in a a concrete pillar. luckily, no one was seriously injured. >> that is terrible. today will be a pivotal moment in the political career of south carina governor mark sanford. the south carolina supreme court will hear arguments about whether legislators should get initial findings of an ethics panel investigating the governor. sanford opposes the release and filed suit in the state's highest court to prevent the state ethics commission from giving them to legislators. >> why health officials are raising new concern about the swine flu and children. >> after another loss to the skins, some big changes being made the next time the team hits the field. >> also a dramatic rescue attempt. now a group of local responders bein fail to the chiefs. the skins suffer another loss this morning, their big changes for head coach jim zorn. >> opportunity knocks. what motivated a family to make up a story involving their son and a runaway balloon. >> start your engines. the new app to get you going in the morning and it's all in the palm of your hand. good monday morning to you. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters sitting in for barbara harrison. it's monday, october 19th, 2009. taking aive look outside, 41 chilly degrees but at least it's dry. >> it is dry. let's go to tom kierein. he's joined us here in the studio now to tell us about the weather for today. going to stay dry? >> yes, indeed, but it's frosty cold this morning. weather watchers reporting around the shenandoah shntd there's not only fros ought the pumpkin, there's fros ought your ficus. if you left it outside you better bring it in. near 40, though. above freezing in washington and the nearby suburbs. around the region, we have these frost and freeze warnings up until 9:00 this morning. frost advisories for montgomery, howard, fairfax, loudoun county, along the ue ridge. west of the blue ridge, yes, it's freezing this morning. we're starting o with lots of sunshine for today. by 9:00, mid-40s. by noon, mid-50s. by mid-afternoon, should be near 60. a clear night tonight. by this time tomorrow morning it will be near 40. bright and sunny with highs near 70 tuesday, wednesday, thursday. a look at friday and the weekend in ten minutes coming up at 5:41. >> that really frosts my ficus. that should be a new expression. i like that, tom. >> if you mean it. let's go to jerry edwards now, take a look at the roads. >> good morning. so far we're doing all right. let's see how you're doing headed through southeast. this is south capitol street toward the douglas bridge. >> everything moving well. pennsylvania avenue and 295 to the 11th street bridge also looking good. elsewhere, we did have that accident outer loop at allentown road, quickly moved to the shoulder. no lanes closed off. in from the west, 66, the dulles toll road both starting off quietly. that's how we're doing. back to you. >> we like quiet. thanks, jerry. >> thanks. a shake-up after another embarrassing performance. the redskins scored only six points at fedex field yesterday. they didn't score a touchdown and a loss to the kansas city chiefs, 14-6. jason campbell was pulled from the game after struggling in the first half. >> after the game, more changes from the redskins. head coach jim zorn will no longer call the offensive plays. >> the team will announce today who's going to be taking over that role. megan mcgrath right now, though, is live out in greenbelt and she's been talking to some fans about the moves and the game and the season. megan, good morning to you. whoops, megan, you even went away. no way. i'm not going to talk about it at all. >> this happened during the game yesterday, too. all right. we've got megan back now. megan, it is a sad situation, isn't it? all in the doom and gloom. >> reporter: there are a lot of people who just simply don't want to talk about it. when i approach them this morning, they're like, no, no, no. one guy we talked to here at the metro station actually called them the dead skins so it is a disappointing loss. the fans are not happy. and we saw some changes here as a result of their performance last night. coach zorn will no longer call plays for the offense. we also saw a change in quarterbacks at the half, and the fans say well, something major needs to be done. >> to be honest with you, it is what it is. we need to get rid of zorn and campbell. i've never been a campbell fan, honestly. that's just myself personal opinion. >> reporter: you think big changes? >> big change. top two, coach, quarterback. >> just think that really change their focus and maybe move in another direction. i don't know. whatever they're doing now is not working so they need to find something else. >> reporter: you think the coach should be changed? >> that's a possibility. they stink. >> reporter: what should happen to zorn? >> he suddhould be gone. no, it's not his fault. >> reporter: you're not sure? >> no. >> reporter: coach zorn has said he will work tirelessly to turn things around, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be given that chance or whether he'll find himself without a job. back to you all. >> i guess zorn's lucky the public's not voting. >> thanks very much, megan. this morning investigators in prince george's county are still trying to figure out what caused a devastating apartment fire that forced dozens of families from their homes. it start around 9:00 saturday morning at the empirian apartments in greenbelt. most residents were able to make it out safely but several did have to be rescued. nine were sent to the hospital. firefighters say the blaze started on the second floor and spread to the roof. some families lost everything they owned. >> everything. i mean, not a thing. i came out in my shorts, without any shoes on, nothing. i was just getting up from bed. >> the red cross helped place some of the residents in other apartments. investigators think this fire may have been sparked by an electrical problem. >> several counties in our area began giving out the swine flu vaccine to students this week. they will begin it today. today, stafford county is doing it. other counties, prince george's and montgomery among them, have clinics planned for later in the week. over the weekend, federal health officials expressed concern about the number of children who have died because of the swine flu. swine flu fear has many people changing the way they live. everywhere from churches to jails people are finding ways to have less contact with each other. >> we get it in the jail, we don't have the facility to separate people so it's going to be a really big issue for us. >> one place where contact is impossible to avoid, the football field. but some high school teams are instituting a new policy against sharing water bottles. that ought to help. they're also reminding players to wash their uniforms and their hands often. joe? >> thanks, kimberly. money troubles hitting fairfax county schools. "the washington post" reports that the district is anticipating a $176 million shortfall. school officials say they may have to close schools, ending summer school and get rid of foreign language classes. the board is seeking public input, hosting several workshops. the first one is this saturday at 10:00 in the morning in three locations. they'll be at the centreville regional library, the reston regional library and the john marshall library. >> today several local emergency workers will be honored for saving those drivers trapped after a massive water main break. this was an unforgettable scene. a 66-inch line broke last december on river road in bethesda, sending a huge flood of water onto the roadway. nine motorists were trapped and had to be pulled from their vehicles by crews and helicopters. today the first responders and members of the county river rescue team wille recognized. that event will take place tonight at the cabin john firehouse. also tonight, marylanders will get the chance to voice their opinions about the tolls that are expected along with the intercounty connector. the road, which is currently under construction, will eventually connect i-270 in gaithersburg with i-95 in laurel. the proposed tolls will be among the highest in the country. right now two axle vehicles would pay 25 to 35 cent as mile during rush hour and 20 to 30 cents during off-peak hours. the maryland transportation authority will answer public questions tonight at high point high school in beltsville from 6:00 to 9:00. >> i don't know about those tolls but i'm charging 5 bucks for everybody coming through my living room. >> because it goes right through. is that right? right through your yard. >> pretty close. traffic alert. part of the beltway being shut down. >> also waking up and digging out for residents in the northeast after a round of wild weather. >> plus, the endless possibilities for your smart phone and the power to start your engine in the palm of your hand. let's go to tom kierein. he's up in storm center 4. good morning to you. >> so great to see the autumn constellations back. we're able to see the stars this morning in a clear sky but it is frosty cold in many locations around the shenandoah valley and the blue ridge this morning. from the blue ridge, though, to near washington we're generally above freezing, although parts of loudoun and frederick county, northern montgomery county, western howard there is a freeze there, near 30 degrees. all these counties in the darker blue are under a frost advisory. the light blue counties under a freeze warning. off to a clear start. we'll have plenty of sunshine today. by noon, mid-50s. by mid-afternoon, near 60 degrees. clear tonight. down near 40 tomorrow morning. then during the day tomorrow, should be bright and sunny and warmer with highs near 70 and more of the same on wednesday and thursday. as we get toward the end of the week, friday into saturday could get some showers. i'm back with the national travel forecast. that will be coming up in ten minutes. jerry, how's the traffic? >> tom, we are jumping for joy because the roads are dry this morning, something we haven't seen for many, many commutes. capital beltway, american legion bridge moving along very, very nicely. there's the outer loop. there's the inner loop. still have the uneven pavement. hopefully this week might be the week where they wrap that up. we'll have to wait and see. right now no lanes csed off. let's check your speeds, see how you're doing, you folks coming in from the west this morning. very, very quiet and very uneventful. ten minutes between gainesville and centreville. only 13 minutes centreville to the beltway. 17 minutes continuing in toward the roosevelt bridge. back to you. >> thank you very much. >> thanks. 5:42. good news for drivers using jerry's favorite brooidge, the woodrow wilson. why you can get faster on your way to work. >> felony charges could soon be filed against the family of the runaway balloon. a new app to get you going. if you're just waking up, here are some of the top stories we're working on this morning. redskins head coach jim zorn will no longer be calling the plays on offense. the team took that duty away after a 14-6 loss to one of the worst teams in the league, the kansas city chiefs. sources tell nbc 4 sherm lewis, a consultant hiredy the team, will take over the play-calling. in stafford county, virginia, they're preparing for a swine flu clinic. students from schools across the county will be receiving their vaccines later today. other counties, including prince george's and montgomery, are planning their own clinics for later this week. investigators in prince george's county are still trying to figure out what sparked a devastating apartment fire that forced dozens of families out of their homes. it happened saturday at the empiri apartments in greenbelt. several people had to be rescued, and nine were sent to the hospital. an investigation into potential voter fraud in afghanistan's presidential election may determine whether the u.s. sends additional troops there. the white house says president obama will not commit any more troops until he's convinced afghanistan's central government can be seen as legitimate. joe? >> it was apparently all a hoax. the runaway balloon saga that captivated the country last week was all a publicity stunt, accoing to colorado police. now the parents of the 6-year-old boy said to be inside that balloon face possible charges and jail time. jay gray now joins us live from ft. collins, colorado, with more on this. jay, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, joe. yeah, as the investigation continues here, sheriff's deputies say they are learning a lot more about what went on side the heene family home that's behind me here. they now say that what officers believe was a publicity stunt had been in the works here for almost two weeks. >> on the bizarre meter, this rates a ten. >> reporter: that meter is still running. while the flying saucer-shaped balln has been grounded, charges against the man who created it and his wife are still very much up in the air. >> there's absolutely no doubt in our mind that this was, in fact, a hoax. >> reporter: and, investigators say, a crime. sunday, they announced that richard heene and his wife mayumi will likely face several charges, including three felonies that could lead to time in jail. last night an attorney saying he represents the couple released a written statement which says, in part, quote, the heenes are more than willing to voluntarily turn themselves in to face any charges which may be filed against them. in part, he says, to avoid the, quote, public spectacle of an arrest. >> have you talked to the sheriff today? >> reporter: though some would say it's already too late for that. as investigators continue to build their case, they admit at first they were fooled. >> they met together -- the way they met and established a relationship was in acting school, in hollywood. so, needless to say, they put on a very good show for us, and we bought it. >> we did this for a show. >> reporter: but ironically, it was their family's time in front of the camera after the incident that ultimately did them in. >> it became very clear to us at that point that they were lying. >> reporter: the sheriff says it's one in a string of lies from heene who often has called mself a scientist. >> he's not what you would think the nutty professor. may be nutty, but he's not a professor. >> reporter: blamed now for a bizarre stunt that has created a very serious situation. so serious that investigators plan to share their evidence with federal agents to see if they might have a case against the heenes as well. live in ft. collins, colorado, i'm jay gray. joe, now back to you. >> jay, thanks very much. >> this week could go a long way towards determining wheth our economy is in, fact, recovering. several companies will be reporting their third quarter earnings, along with their financial outlooks for the rest of the year. those companies include mcdonald's, american express and at&t. housing reports will also be released this week. they're expected to show more new homes being built, as well as housing prices on the rise. economists will look to see if new claims nor jobless benefits drop below the half million mark. president obama's ambitious agenda is face ago major hurdle this morning. a budget gap of $1.4 trillion. that's a new record high and more debt than the nation has racked up in its first 200 years. the obama administration says it inherited this problem, but republicans say the president and his party have spent too much and accomplished too little. >> the truth is no jobs, no recovery. let's finally admit america's recovery can't be built on the unsteady democratic doctrine of spending more, borrowing more and higher taxes. >> experts say the democrats could face trouble in next year's congressional midterm elections without strong evidence of an economic turnaround. the obama administration has already ordered federal agencies to start looking forays to cut their spending. >> well, hurricane rick, the strongest eastern -- north pacific storm in more than a decade weakened slightly over open seas. within the last hour, though, rick became a category 3 storm. forecasters say it could veer into the resorts at the tip of the baja peninsula by mid-week. the hurricane's winds were still 160 miles per hour. yesterday, down slight ri from a peak of 180 miles per hour according to the national hurricane center. rick is expected to remain a dangerous hurricane for the next couple of days. well, some pennsylvanians and new englanders are digging out from a fall snowstorm this morning. a second nor'easter in just a week dropped nearly a foot of snow in parts of the northeast. it was flooding that wreaked havoc in places like oyster bay, new york, which drenched the community's annual oyster festival. forecasters warn that the worst may not be over. high tides, heavy rains and strong winds are threatening to cause more devastation in the coming days. >> until the northeast winds relax and the wind changes direction and starts pushing that water back out into the ocean, the water has no place to go. >> while folks in the northeast are shivering, south florida residents are sweating it out. miami just broke a stretch of 13 days with temperatures of 90 degrees or higher. that's hard to believe here. >> what a contrast. we know at least two marylanders who woke up to snow this weekend. >> yes. we had snow out in western maryland. it was beautiful. gorgeous yesterday morning, about an inch of snow on the savage river area. >> out in garrett county, right? other locations up io pennsylvania had a lot of snow, too. here we had that drilling, cold rain saturday that lingered into sunday morning but finally dried out yesterday afternoon thankfully. even saw a little bit of sunshine yesterday afternoon. now this morning under a clear sky, we have a chilly start on this monday so dress accordingly. it's only 41 in washington. live picture from ourity camera. washington monument pointing to the autumn constellations that are gleaming this morning in a black sky. right now just near 40 in montgomery county, fairfax, arlington and prince george's counties. weather watchers in southern maryland reporting low 40s. it's low and mid-40s near the chesapeake bay. farther to our west and north it is below freezing in northern montgomery county, parts of frederick, into loudoun county, right along the blue ridge. some isolated locations in the shenandoah valley temperatures there are in the upper 20s this morning in these counties in light blue are under a freeze warning this morning for the blue ridge west into the mountains. from the blue ridge to near washington it's just maybe a little scattered frost over the next hour or so. eastern shore, upper 30s. yes, below freezing in many locations out in the mountains. under a clear sky, plenty of sunshine today. the nation, well, looking fairly settled. if you're planning on traveling today, could be some minor flight delays around the great lakes and perhaps pacific northwest from some showers. we are not alone. the chill extends from georgia to new england, only inhe 30s this morning as well as around the great lakes. the color's looking very good many areas out in the mountains all the way up into new england now have peak autumn color. for us over the next, oh, 48 hours or so we'll have this large area of high pressure moving in and it will be in place here going forward all the way into mid-week next week. so here's your bus stop forecast this morning. we'll have our temperatures chilly, in the 30s to near 40 with bright sunshine so dress your child accordingly. by noon, the mid-50s and lots of sun this afternoon with a high near 60. clear, chilly tonight near 40 tomorrow morning. then, bright, sunny days with chilly evenings today all the way into thursday with highs near 70 beginning tomorrow, into thursday. the end of the week, the weekend could get some passing showers. i'll be back in ten minutes. >> good to see the 70s again. thanks, tom. >> let's see what the roadways look like now. here's jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. >> good morning once again. monday morning starting off quietly and thankfully dry. no worries at the american legion bridge either direction. as a matter of fact, the beltway from annandale all the way around toward i-95 in prince george's moving along well. out to the rails, see how we're doing this morning so far. metrorail, vre, marc rail, no significant early delays. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. all aboard. drivers in fairfax should be aware of some overnight beltway closures that begin tonight. at 11:00 this evening, the northbound lanes of the beltway will be shut down before exit 51, gallows road. crews in the area will be working on the high occupancy toll lanes project. the overnight closures will take place tonight and tomorrow. all lanes will be re-opened by 5:00 a.m. drivers can speed up in the area by the woodrow wilson bridge. the 55-mile-an-hour speed limit is being restored there now that construction is complete. vdot had been using a variable speed limit system in the area. the system monitors traffic conditions around the bridge and can lower speeds as needed. the variable speed limit is still being used in the construction zone around telegraph road. >> iphone users know you can get an app for just about anything these days. now you can add t your list starting your car. one click on your phone is all it takes to get your vehicle warmed up and ready to go. here's charlie with those details. >> we can actually start the car. >> reporter: it has been the stuff of youtube parody. an iphone app that can start your car. but now parody has become reality. >> watch what happens when i press that button. that's right. i just started my car from my iphone with cyber smart start. >> if i can have this i won't have to carry a key. >> that would go along with sliced bread. one of the greatest inventions ever created by mankind. >> probably buy it right after this interview. >> reporter: the smart car app works from anywhere you can access the internet. >> remote start your car virtually anywhere in the world. especially here in chicago where we have this crazy weather. >> reporter: the good news, the app is free. the bad news, the device costs almost $500. and after the first year, service will be $30 a year. detroit is working to put the same function in production cars. >> i can unlock the vehicle from my smartphone. you see the pulsating button coming up live. you hold it with your finger. the vehicle becomes alive. >> reporter: the similarities don't stop there. your iphone can control everything from the heater to the windows. >> press the up button, and you see the windows going up. >> reporter: but for now, the smart start app stands alone and some worry about the implications of starting your car with your computer. >> could also be a security problem, you know, where people could be able to hack into that, start your car remotely. >> that was charlie wojciechowski reporting. it's currently for sale at all best buy stores. better not let the toddler play with that one. >> this morning, aero point corporation is looking for a legislative assistant. the job is based in crystal city. if you're interested in learning more and applying, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. >> news 4 is always connected to you on facebook and twitter. for up to the minute, breaking news, weather and traffic alerts, you can find us on either site by searching -- this is one word -- news4today. coming up next at 6:00 a.m., the salmonella outbreak lynn accounted to a household pet. >> what you need to do to get some extra change in your pocket the next time you go shopping at one of the nation's biggest retailers. >> meteorologist tom kierein will let you know when the weather will start to warm up. we'll have your weather and traffic on the 1s. >> stay with us. ews 4 today" continues now at 6:00 a.m. winds of change. jim zorn is still the redskins head coach but he has lost some of his power after another loss to a previously winless team. the change the skins will announce later today. >> hit with reality. the parents of the boy and runaway balloon that captivated the nation now face criminal charges for putting together what authorities call an elaborate hoax. this morning we're learning more about how the family orchestrated the publicity stunt. >> well, good morning to you. welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrison today, monday, october 19th, 2009. it's still 41 degrees outside, but is that venus twinkling above us? >> it is. above that we have saturn and mercury will be rising shortly, so a beautiful start. finally we're actually, yes, seeing some storars in the morning. look at the leaves here. these are some scenes here near washington where a lot of the leaves and some isolated trees have gotten to peak color. look at these temperatures. northern montgomery county, into frederick, parts of loudoun county, near freezing temperatures now so some frost beginning to form there. scattered frost reports now around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley as well where they have freeze warnings in effect this morning from the blue ridge to near washington, a frost advory. lots of sunshine today so dress for a chilly morning but a cool afternoon. highs near 60 but that sunshine will certainly feel great. bright sun in a blue sky. sunrise at 7:22. sunset, 6:24. we'll have a clear night tonight, near 40 tomorrow morning. then tuesday, wednesday, thursday, each day sunny, highs near 70. wonderful payback for what we went through over the end of the week and over the weekend. looks like we'll take a look at the weekend coming up. maybe more rain on the way. >> sunny and starry. great combination. >> the rain was dreary. let's go to jerry edwards now, take a look at the traffic. >> good morning. problems in northern virginia unfortunately. this is southbound i-95 approaching lorton road, accident in the roadway and right now it appears only one lane is getting by on the southbound side. look at that backup. lots of taillights there. northbound just a brief rubbernecking delay but we're certainly beginning to fill in now as you head north out of document fr dumfries on the northbound side. wilson bridge, no hang-ups. top side of the beltway is okay. 66 eastbound outside of manassas word of a broken down vehicle in the roadway so coming in from 234, look out for that. back to you. >> another tough monday morning commute. >> jerry, thanks very much. well, a sideline shake-up for the redskins. coach jim zorn has been relieved of one of his duties after his team lost to the kansas city chiefs. the chiefs failed to reach the end zone against the chiefs, losing 1-6. after the game a lot of shaking heads in the locker room. >> had a big run, three points. same thing. it's like a rerun. >> i don't have any answers but to come back and keep doing what i'm supposed to do. i just don't. >> seems to be no confidence, i think. for good reason. >> yep, for good reason. the redskins made one change during the game. todd collins came in to replace starting quarterback jason campbell who wasn't able to do much in the first half. no word on what's going to happen next weekegarding the quarterback situation. then after the games, the redskins announced coach zorn will no longer be calling the plays on offense. megan mcgrath is joining us live to tell us what the fans are saying about all this this morning. what they're saying that you can print or at least say out loud, megan. >> reporter: that's right, that's right. a disappointing, embarrassing, frustrating or how about all of the above? redskins fans are just not happy about their team's performance and they say that something needs to be done to turn things around. we've got a lot of opinions on the subject in terms of what needs to be done. now, of course, big changes were made after last night's embarrassing loss. coach zorn will no longer call plays for the offense. we also saw a change in quarterbacks at the half. again, the fans say they agree with those decisions. most of them say that major changes are needed here to turn things around. >> i think they need to replace the quarterback, they should have. other than that, i think it's moral issues. settle down and play some ball. >> reporter: what do you think should be done? >> kind of hard to say. >> reporter: do you think it's the coach's fault or do you think it's beyond his people? >> the coach doesn't play. >> get better players, better coach, start from scratch. >> reporter: you think a radical shake-up? >> radical shake-up. yeah, i really am sorry for them but i wouldn't pay money to go see them now. >> reporter: what do you think? should the coach -- >> i think maybe they need a new coach. >> reporter: and will coach zorn stay on? that is the big question here. as you heard, a lot of fans think they need a change at the top. others, though, say it might not necessarily be his fault but the players. remains to be seen exactly what happens with that. in terms of who will be calling the plays, that decision is going to be made and announced officially later today, but many believe it will be sherman lewis who was brought in earlier this month as a consultant. but again we're expecting an official announcement later on this afternoon. joe, back to you. >> going to wonder when we'll find out who will the be the quarterback for next monday night's game against the philadelphia eagles. >> a lot of people will be very interested to see how that goes. >> megan mcgrath, thanks very much. >> there is absolutely no doubt in our mind that this was, in fact, a hoax. >> all for show. police in colorado now say the runaway balloon incident that captivated the nation was nothing more than a well planned scam. the parents behind it were hoping it would land them a reality tv show reportedly, but instead it could land them behind bars. it all started last thursday when this balloon floated away from a colorado home. the owner said they thought their 6-year-old son was inside. he was later found hiding in the attic in a box. afterward, investigators interviewed richard and mayumi heene and searched the family's home. soon after that, they realized they'd been duped. >> we have since determined that, in fact, they met together -- the way they met and established a relationship was in acting school in hollywood. so, needless to say, they put on a very good show for us. and we bought it. >> 6-year-old -- the 6-year-old son, falcon heene, admitted on cnn that his parents told him this was -- quoting now -- for the show. the parents may now face felony charges, including conspiracy and making a false report. >> our time is now 6:07. questions about afghanistan's presidential election could affect whether president obama sends more troops to that country. the white house says the president will wait until he is certain afghanistan's central government is credible before deciding on a possible troop surge. a u.n.-backed investigation into voter fraud from the country's august election is complete but has not been released yet. along the afghan border and pakistan, the pakistani army and taliban are claiming victories in fierce fighting there. pakistan says at least 60 militants and 6 soldiers have been killed since the offensive began on saturday. >> three shootings involving police officers have left one man dead and three people injured in prince george's county. all three happened in the last three days. the most recent coming yesterday afternoon. that's when officers shot and killed a man who they say had just robbed a 7-eleven in college park. also in college park, an off-duty officer working security detail shot two shoplifting suspects friday night after police say his arm got stuck in their car window as they tried to drive away. one suspect's mother says her son is in critical condition. police ao shot an armored car robbery suspect in beltsville friday afternoon. >> well, today there is a swine flu clinic in stafford county. students will gather tonight at the north stafford high school to get their vaccinations. several counties in our area are holding clinics this week, including prince george's and montgomery counties in maryland. just this weekend, federal health officials expressed some concern at the number of children who have died because of the swine flu. >> the obama administration is getting ready to change the rules for medical marijuana. >> also coming up, what caused the deaths of three men during one city's marathon. >> we are off to a chilly start here in the d.c. area. it is just 41 degrees outside at 6:09. we'll have your weather and traffic together on the 1s. weather and traffic on the 1s now at 6:11. a chilly 40 degrees in washington. good morning. as you start off this monday, we've got a clear sky but it is frosty cold in areas about 30 miles west and north of washington and into the shenandoah valley and mountains this morning. closer to washington just near 40 degrees. off to a clear start. we'll have lots of sunshine today. afternoon highs climbing just to near 60 degrees but warmer weather and should stay dry tuesday, wednesday and thursday with bright sunshine. chilly evenings, but mild afternoons. end of the week, into the weekend might have passing showers friday into saturday. now let's check the traffic this morning. jerry, how's it looking? >> some rough times out there, tom. 95 southbound jammed up as you head south from newington toward lorton. at that point, there's an accident. at last report, only one left lane is getting by on the southbound side. northbound lan are open but there's a rubbernecking slowdown so heads-up for that. out on the rails this morning, do have some delays now, marc rail, brunswick train 870 is 14 minutes late. 872 6 minutes late. vre and metrorail reporting no delays. back to you. >> all right, jerry, thank you. the murder of a college athlete has stunned a college campus. more on that in a moment. also coming up, the new legal guidelines the obama administration will issue today regarding medical marijuana. >> and what redskins head coach jim zorn had to say after that game when asked about his future with the team. get online payroll and put hours back in your day suntrust. live solid. bank solid. with online cash manager, you can do it all. suntrust. live solid. bank solid. our time right now is 6:15. just waking up, here are some of the stories --he top stories this morning. the redskins season is slipping away, and the team is trying to salvage it. after losing to the kansas city chiefs 14-6, the team announced that head coach jim zorn will not be calling the plays on offense any longer. the team will announce today who will take over those responsibilities. a robbery suspect is dead after prince george's county police shot him. this happened yesterday in college park. it was the third shooting involving prince george's county police officers in as many days. and the parents of the colorado boy thought to have floated away in a giant helium balloon could now face felony charges. investigators say the entire thing was a hoax. according to the larimer county sheriff, the incident was a marketing ploy to land a reality television show. the white house says president obama will wait for afghanistan's government to be credible before deciding whether to send more troops to that country. investigators have reported -- they have completed their report on potential voter fraud in the presidential election but not have reeleased the findings yet >> the battle between the white house and the health care industry is heating up now. president obama warning the way the industry has done business in the past may no longer fly. brooke hart has more from capitol hill. >> rorter: one week after health insurers warned reform would raise premiums for americans with coverage -- >> it's smoke and mirrors. it's bogus. >> reporter: -- president obama opened a new line of attack on something insurers have enjoyed since 1945. >> a privileged exception from our antitrust laws, a matter that congress is rightfully reviewing. >> reporter: congress passed the exemption then so states would regulate health insurance. critics, as in this ad, claims it keeps prices high. >> when baseball players fix games, they get in trouble. when health insurance executives fix the game, they get rich. >> reporter: insurers deny there's any price fixing. they're fighting efforts to repeal the exemption. >> i believe it will lead to more competition, lower insurance costs, and basically what it says is nobody's above the law. >> reporter: in the meantime, democrats remain at odds over the public option. >> we have some tough choices to make, but i think the public option makes the most sense. >> reporter: opponents are making their criticism more specific. >> i will not support any public option tied to medicare levels of reimbursement. >> reporter: could democrats agree on higher negotiated rates to hospitals and providers, or allowing states to opt out of a public plan? republicans are wary. >> what they're really good at doing is putting it in a different package, putting a different color ribbon around it and saying, well, it's only the public option. if things don't work out in a couple of years or something like that. that's the concern that a lot of republicans have. >> reporter: in a health care battle tested again this week. and tested this way, too. democrats here will be pushing a separate $250 billion bill to raise medicare rates to doctors. critics call it a trick, a way to separate a high cost item so the main reform measure can be called deficit neutral. in washington, brooke hart, nbc news. >> thank you, brooke. congressional leaders will continue to meet this week to form a single piece of health care reform legislation. new today, the justice department will issue new guidelines on its medical marijuana policy. that policy's expected to tell federal prosecutors not to waste their time going after people who use or sell pot for medical reasons as long as they aren't breaking state laws. the bush administration continued enforcing federal antimarijuana laws despite what states said. 14 states allow some use of pot for medical purposes. >> race organizers do not believe the weather contributed to the deaths of three men running the detroit marathon. yesterday, temperatures hovered around 30 to 40 degrees with very little wind. two men collapsed at the 12-mile marker. a third man in his 20s fell down after crossing the finish line during the half marathon. it's not clear yet whether any of the men were suffering from medical conditions, but all three men died. police at the university of connecticut are trying to figure out why someone would want to kill a star football player. jasper howard was stabbed to death during a fight outside the student union. he was there for a school-sponsored dance. investigators say they do not believe the stabbing was premeditated but they also do not think it was a random crime. the crime has left the howard coach and teammates shaken. they also learned howard was going to be a father. >> it was another ugly loss for the redskins, even switching quarterbacks did not work. dan hellie has more in your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. after losing to a winless team for the third time this season, changes were bound to be made and last night it happened. jim zorn was not fired. instead he was stripped of his play-calling duties. sources tell us that sherm lewis, who was hired less than two weeks ago as an offensive consultant, has already been named the new play-caller. the redskins will make that announcement today. jason campbell was benched at halftime, generating just 89 yards passing and throwing one interception in the first half, so in comes the veteran, todd collins. first play of the second half, first pass play, that is. collins going deep. 42 yards to santana moss. that would lead to a field goal. fourth quarter, skins trailing 12-6. collins still in the game, and trying to make something happen with about 30 seconds to go. this was not good. tamba hali sacked collins in the end zone. that's a safety. chiefs win it 14-6. here is zorn's reaction when asked about his future immediately following the game. >> that part's not up to me so i won't answer that question because it's not up to me. what we all ought to look at is how -- see if our players are going, what? and i don't sense that. i don't sense any moaning and groaning on that sideline between series. it's going to be a very hard week. last week, i thought that was as hard as it could get. it just got harder. >> going to be a long week at redskins park. the redskins play host to the eagles next monday night and if zorn is fired, it's possible jerry gray, the current secondary coach, could be named the interim head coach. that's your morning sports. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great monday. >> another week of intrigue for the redskins. >> yeah. anyone heard of five-a-days? let's head out to tom kierein for a check on the morning's weather. >> hey, tom. >> finally we can wring ourselves out over the wet pattern. we dried a little bit yesterday afternoon. now under a clear sky this morning it is frosty cold in areas about 30 miles west and north of washington. near 40 in washington. upr 30s in montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's counties near 40. into parts of loudoun, howard county, prince william and fauquier, around the blue ridge, weather watchers reporting scattered frost this morning, as well as out in the mountains. for rest of the day, afternoon highs climbing to near 60 with bright sunshine. tomorrow morning near 40. afternoon highs near 7 0 on tuesday. that will be nice. a bit milder perhaps on wednesday and thursday. end of the week, friday into saturday may get a passing shower friday afternoon, into saturday, perhaps into saturday night, drying out sunday. jerry, good morning. how's our monday commute going at this hour? >> it all depends where you are. 270 and the montgomery county stretch of the capital beltway, no worries whatsoever. things are moving along nicely. unfortunately, northern virginia we do have an accident still in the roadway, 95 southbound at lorton with only one lane getting by. that is southbound. the broken down car we told you about eastbound 66 between manassas and centreville gone. good news there. slows in a couple of stretches but no big concerns. northeast corridor still looking pretty quiet, moving along well. joe, kimberly, back to you. >> thanks very much. >> thank you. coming up, a heads-up for anyone driving across the wilson bridge any time soon. why the speed limit is now changing. >> well, the material girl is also apparently a bad neighbor. find out why madonna is getting sued. >> and we're getting a first look at the budget cuts coming to fairfax county schools. the time is now 6:23. we dropped a degree, 40 degrees. we will be right back. an attempt this morning to get madonna evicted from her central park apartment. she has apparently turned it into an improvised dance studio. she's been working apparently so diligently on her routines that it's driving her neighbors crazy. as a result, the neighbor has filed suit to get her thrown out. >> the jailed filmmaker roman polanski is undergoing medical tests. no word on what is exactly wrong with polanski but he was taken from jail to receive some sort of treatment. polanski has been in custody since late september in switzerland for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in california back in the 1970s. >> 6:27, 40 degrees. we're connected to your commute. part of the bet way will be shut down this week. coming up, how you can keep down the cost of your future commute. hearings begin today on the toll proposals for the icc. >> the sheriff says it was all a hoax. the charges a family now faces for saying their 6-year-old son was trapped in a runaway balloon. burst bubble. the story of a runaway balloon and a lost boy was all a publicity stunt. the parents behind the whole ordeal now face criminal charges. the sheriff says more people have been behind the hoax. >> chief concerns. the redskins make a coaching change following another loss to the winless team -- the loss to a winless team. it's not the change everyone might have expected. good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrison today, monday, october 19th, 2009. taking a live look outside. we have, indeed, lost a degree here at 6:30. a chilly start to your monday morning. >> but it is dry out there, and there's venus. venus better put on a parka, a parka with no sleeves, i guess. >> venus is usually not dressed. >> are you sure that sky's not a hoax? is this a publicity stunt? >> might be. >> supposed to be raining and cold. well, it dried out thankfully yesterday afternoon and evening. overnight, we cleared out. look at those temperatures. it's frosty cold around the blue ridge and shenandoah valley, waechgs are reporting this morning. only upper 30s to near 40 in prince george's, pnt, fairfax, near 40 in washington. it's down into the 20s in many locations out in the mountains on this monday morning. now, the view from space showing a clear sky thankfully. lots of sun today. by 9:00, in the mid-40s. by noon, mid-50s. during the middle 'part of the afternoon peak near 60 degrees. sunrise 7:22. sunset 6:24. should be a clear night tonight, a chilly evening, cold again tomorrow morning but probably not as cold as this morning, in the upper 30s to near 40. highs near 70 tuesday, wednesday and thursday with bright sunshine each day. a look at friday and the weekend in ten minutes. >> thank you, tom. that's the good news. >> that is the very good news. let's see whether we can say the same thing about the traffic. i doubt it. jerry? >> good morning. unfortunately, the traffic not so good this morning. 95 southbound, this is the southbound side, accident cleanup continues at lorton road. about three minutes ago, the tow truck was on the scene and we may have all lanes open here before too long. but the backup for that begins just below newington southbound. northbound all lanes are open. out on the rails this morning we have continuing delays. marc rail, we still have the delays over on train 874 and 870. so be prepared for that. metrorail and vre, however, looking good at this hour. joe, back to you. >> jerry, thanks very much. well, this morning the parents of balloon boy are waiting to see what kind of charges they might face. police now say the whole runaway balloon saga that captivated the world last week was all a publicity stunt. now jail time could be in their future. jay gray joins us now from ft. collins, colorado, with the very latest on this. go morning, jay. >> reporter: good morning, joe. just outside the heene family home here as the investigation continues, sheriff's deputies say they're learning a lot more about what went on inside this home. in fact, they now believe that the heenes had been planning this hoax for at least two weeks. >> on the bizarre meter, this rates a ten. yeah. >> reporter: that meter is still running. while the flying saucer-shaped balloon has been grounded, charges against the man who created it and his wife are still very much up in the air. >> there's absolutely no doubt in our mind that this was, in fact, a hoax. >> reporter: and, investigators say, a crime. sunday, they announced that richard heene and his wife mayumi will likely face several charges, including three felonies that could lead to time in jail. last night an attorney saying he represents the couple released a written statement which says, in part, quote, the heenes are more than willing to voluntarily turn themselves in to face any charges which may be filed against them. in part, he says, to avoid the, quote, public spectacle of an arrest. >> have you talked to the sheriff today? >> reporter: though some would say it's already too late for that. as investigators continue to build their case, they admit at first they were fooled. >> they met together -- the way they met and established a relationship was in acting school, in hollywood. so, needless to say, they put on a very good show for us, and we bought it. >> we did this for a show. >> reporter: but ironically, it was their family's time in front of the camera after the incident that ultimately did them in. >> it became very clear to us at that point that they were lying. >> reporter: the sheriff says it's one in a string of lies from heene who often has called himself a scientist. >> he's not what you would think the nutty professor. may be nutty, but he's not a professor. >> reporter: blamed now for a bizarre stunt that has created a very serious situation. so serious that investigators plan to share their evidence with federal agents to see if they may have some charges to file against the heenes as well. live in ft. collins, colorado, i'm jay gray. joe, back to you. >> jay, thanks very much. kimberly? >> one person is dead, three others injured in thr shootings involving prince george's county police officers in the last three days. the first shooting happened friday on powder mill road in beltsville when officers shot an armored car robbery suspect in the stomach. that night in college park, an off-duty officer working security shot two shoplifting suspects after investigators say his arm got stuck in their car window as they tried to drive away. the third shooting happened just down the street yesterday afternoon. that's when police shot and killed a robbery suspect who allegedly held up a 7-eleven at knife point. they say he actually called 911 and said he wasn't going to make it out alive. >> he came charging at one of the police officers with a german shepherd. then they all opened fire on him. i saw him fall. >> a police dog was accidentally shot in the leg yesterday, but he is expected to be okay. >> well, traffic should start moving a little better on the woodrow wilson bridge this morning. the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit in the area has now been restored. vdot had been using a variable speed limit system in the area while construction was under way there. that system monitors traffic conditions and can lower the speed as needed. the variable speed limit is still being used in the construction zone around telegraph road, though. if you drive through fairfax, you should know that some overnight beltway closures will start tonight. at 11:00 tonight, the northbound lanes of the beltway will be shut down just before exit 51, gallows road. crews in the area will be working on the high occupancy toll lanes project. the overnight closures will take place tonight and tomorrow. all lanes will be re-opened by 5:00 a.m. also tonight, marylanders will get their chance to voice their opinions about the tolls that are expected along the new intercounty connector. the road, which is currently under construction, will eventually connect i-270 in gaithersburg with i-95 in laurel. as the plan stands now, two axle vehicles would pay 25 to 35 cents per mile during rush hours and 20 to 30 cents during the off-peak hours. the maryland transportation authority will answer public questions tonight at the high school in beltsville from 6:00 to 9:00. >> money troubles hitting fairfax county schools. "the washington post" is reporting the district is anticipating a $176 million shortfall. school officials say they may have to close schools, ending summer school, and getting rid of foreign language classes. the board is seeking public input, hosting several workshops. the first one this saturday at 10:00 a.m. in three locations. the centreville regional library, reston regional library and john marshall library. >> the "today" show is next at the top of the hour. let's go to new york city and say good morning to matt lauer. >> good morning right back to you, joe. nice to see you. coming up on a monday here on our program, the latest on that runaway balloon story. boy, it just keeps developing. police now call it a hoax. the attorney representing the colorado father who's allegedly behind it all will speak out to us in a live interview. then, the swine flu is hitting harder and faster than expected, and now comes word of a vaccine shortage nobody wants to hear that. so how concerned should we be? we'll talk about it with dr. nan nancy snyderman. plus, maria shriver will be here to kick off her week-long series of reports on the state of women in america. see we have that and much more ahead as we start on a monday morning right here on "today." joe, back to you. >> sounds like a busy start to the week. thanks very much, matt. have a great day. >> all right. thank you. you, too. >> thanks. >> we've got a health alert this morning. the salmonella outbreak that's linked to a household pet. >> also coming up this morning, jim zorn is still the redskins head coach, but later today the team will announce it is stripping the head coach of some of his powers. >> meteorolost tom kierein says warmer temperatures are indeed on the way. we'll have your weather and traffic on the 1s. the time is now 6:39. it's 40 degrees outside. time for weather and traffic. good morning. a chilly 40 degrees in washington. as we look around the region, we are off to quite a chilly start this morning west and north of washington, scattered frost. from the shaw neighborhood in washington to seat pleasant, falls church and aspen hill, a mostly clear sky this morning. we'll have lots of sunshine today with afternoon highs reaching near 60. sunny with highs near 70 tuesday, wednesday, thursday. here's a look at friday and the weekend. could get some showers on friday afternoon and evening, into saturday but the other part of the weekend looks dry. how's the traffic? >> along i-270 southbound between shady grove road not route 28, car fire. the fire department's just pulled up. two left lanes southbound 270 below shady grove road, southbound, two left lanes currently closed. good news, the accident that we had 95 southbound at lorton has cleared. all travel lanes open now. good news. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. >> good news. thanks. the nationwide salomon it la outbreak that's blamed on a little household pet. >> what redskins coach jim zorn had to say when asked about his future with the team. >> t obama administration getting ready to change the rules for medical marijuana. well, that pretty much says it all. hed skins head coach jim zorn began his postgame news conference with that deep sigh. his team lost to the kansas city chiefs 14-6 yesterday. the redskins had some big plays but the trend of not being able to get into the end zone continued. a lot of people consider that to be pretty critical, to be able to get into the end zone. zorn took that personally. >> -- deep into the red zone. to not be able to score, it's -- it's awful. d it's my fault. >> zorn tried to provide a spark by pulling struggling quarterback jason campbell after the first half. campbell threw an interception late in the first half and backup todd collins replaced him for the second half. it's not clear who will be taking the snaps next week, but we do know who will not be calling the plays. the team announced that jim zorn will no longer be in charge of choosing the plays on offense. there is a lot to digest for fans. indeed, just a lot to swallow for fans this morning. megan mcgrath has been talk to them out there today to see what they think. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. a lot of people just shaking their heads and throwing up their arms, very disappointing for redskins fans, yet another loss. as one person put it to me, he called them the dead skins earlier this morning when we asked them about -- asked him about the team's performance and what should be done. so, a lot of disappointment here among the fans and a general sense that something major is going to have to be done. of course, we did see some changes after the -- after the loss. as you mentioned, coach zorn will no longer call plays for the offense. we also at halftime saw a change in the quarterback, but, of course, that didn't prove to be enough. again, the fans say that there really needs to be a shake-up here to turn this team around. >> to be honest with you, that' what it is. we need to get rid of zorn and campbell. i've never been a campbell fan, honestly. that's just my personal opinion. >> reporter: you think big changes? >> big change. top two, coach, quarterback. >> coach doesn't play. >> reporter: you think it's the players? >> a little of both. inexperienced coach and the players. >> get better players, better coach, start from scratch. rrn you think a radical shake up? >> radical shake up. yeah, i really am sorry for them but i wouldn't pay money to go see them now. >> reporter: coach zorn says he will work tirelessly to try to sturn things around, but of course the big qstion here is will he be given the opportunity to do that or will he be looking for another job soon? joe, back to you. >> huge game coming up next moay night. thanks very much. megan mcgrath reporting live. kimberly, back to you. >> thank you, joe. well, a health alert this morning to parents. be careful if your child brings home a cute little pet turtle. new research shows 107 salmonella cases in the past two years were linked to the little turtles. most of the patients were children and 1/3 had to be hospitalized. the research also shows most parents didn't know turtles could carry salmonella. >> kind of a shocker. >> now to the debate over health care. democrats hope to have a finalized health care reform bill sent to the full senate sometime this week. congressional leaders and ws house aides will resume closed door negotiations today. they're trying to blend five house and senate bills into a single piece of legislation that can pass both houses. the white house says president obama still supports a so-called public option, but it's still not clear whether a bill with the government-run plan can actually pass. >> we have some tough choices to make, but i think the public option makes the most sense. >> i will not support any public option tied to medicare levels of reimbursement. >> senate democrats are considering possible compromises on the issue, including allowing states to opt out of the public option. new today, the justice department will issue new gid lines on its medical marijuana policy. that policy is expected to tell federal prosecutors not to waste their time going after people who use or sell pot for medical purposes. as long as they are not breaking state law. now, the bush administration continued enforcing federal antimarijuana laws, despite what states said. 14 states allow some use of pot for medical purposes. joe? >> well, you can find yourself with a little extra change in your pocket the next time you go shopping at one of the nation's biggies retailers. courtney reagan joins us live now with that story and more business news. >> reporter: good morning to you. target is putting a bull's-eye on plastic bags. the retailer announcing prance today to give customers a 5 cent discount for every bag they use to repack their purchases. a pilot test this year cut down bags by 60%. this comes days after cvs says it will give customers a $1 bonus on their cvs card every four times they buy something. just don't ask them for a plastic bag. verizon rolls out a quadruple play service. the phone giant is adding bundl bundles even of phone service to its pack angs. verizon is looking to recapture market share lost to cable providers. just in time for the holiday shopping season, toys "r" us is introducing layaway for big ticket items such as bikes and strollers. the company is considering an online option. layaway has seen a big resurgence since the recession hit. sears launched a successful program during last year's holiday season. you never know. other retailers may have to follow suit. back to you. >> i guess what is old is new again. >> reporter: that's right. >> courtney, thanks very much. >> reporter: thank you. >> have a great monday. kimberly? >> thanks. news 4 is helping to find jobs for you. this morning, arrow point corporation is looking for a legislative assistant. this is based in crystal city. if you're interested in learning more and applying, go to nbcwashington.com and search jobs 4 you. time to take a look at our weather. >> tom has joined us again here in the studio. still cold out there. >> finally not wet anymore. saturday everybody was getting cabin fever or mcmansion fever as the case may be. as we take a look this morning, there is a view of old georgetown road, you can see the skyline there finally getting bright. yes, that's actually a blue sky, not gray. we're happy to see that. as we start off this morning, there is the predawn glow over the potomac river. look at that live picture. the lavender waters of the potomac reflecting that predawn sky. sunrise, though, still about half an hour away. a chilly 40 degrees in washington at reagan national airport there in the foreground. out at dulles now down to 38. weather watchers checking in many areas of virginia and maryland, shenandoah valley into the mountains have some scattered frost this morning, in the low 30s to near 30 degrees there, especially northern montgomery county, into frederick, loudoun, parts of prince william and fauquier, down to culpeppeculpepper, near freezing. weather watchers in southern maryland and right near the bay, northern neck reporting at near 40 degrees. upper 30s away from the waters on the eastern shore. only in the upper 20s now in many locations out in the mountains. western maryland down into the mid-20s after they had some snow overnight last night and sunday morning. well, as we look at the view from space, we're off to a clear start here. traveling today, may be some minor flight delays only in the northern plains, through the northern rockies, pacific northwest to northern california. elsewhere, we should have settled weather. here's the local bus stop forecast. dress your child for a chilly but dry morning. keep the umbrella home today thankfully. temperatures only in the 30s and low 40s nor the next couple of hours but we'll have the bright sun coming up at 7:22. by 9:00, should be in the mid-40s. a bright and sunny day, highs reaching the upper 50s to near 60 by mid-afternoon. sunset 6:24. a clear and chilly evening. cold again tomorrow morning but probably not as cold as this morning. temperatures upper 30s and low 40s as we start off tuesday. then during the day tomorrow, warmer, lots of sunshine. afternoon highs reaching near 70 degrees. it will seem like a dream compared to what we went through last week. and wednesday and thursday perhaps even a tad milder during the middle pt of the afternoon, into the low 70s. morning lows still rather chilly, in the 40s to near 50, though. here's a look at friday and the weekend. friday, increasing clouds. may have some showers later in the day. that should keep things a bit cooler with temperatures near 60 but not a prolonged, chilly rain like we had last week. saturday, maybe some passing showers. otherwise, cloudy and cool with highs near 60 but it appears now we will dry out on sunday. that's the way it looks on this monday morning. >> so, long johns go back in the drawer. >> that's right. we're happy for that. >> for a while. a brief period. let's go to jerry edwards now and the news 4 traffic network. >> i got the joke anyway. brief period? long johns. 270 southbound had the car fire after shady grove road, looks like everything's been pushed to the showeder on again, off again delays out of germantown, a little worse than normal but manageable at this point on the southbound side of 270. on the rails we do have red line delays in the direction from metro centre toward shady grove. that in a couple of seconds ago. continuing delays marc rail on brunswick train 874, 14 minutes late. brunswick train 872 running 7 minutes behind schedule. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. here's a look at theop stories we're following this morning. the parents of the colorado boy thought to have floated away in a giant helium balloon could face felony charges. investigators say the entire thing was a hoax. according to the larimer county sheriff, the couple came up with the stunt to help them land a reality tv show. >> well, the white house says president obama will wait until he is certain afghan's government is credible before sending more u.s. troops into that country. an investigation into voter fraud from august presidential election is complete. however, its findings of not yet been released. >> he's the head coach but he's no longer the play-caller. the redskins announced jim zorn will not be calling plays on offense. made the move after the team failed to reach the end zone in yesterday's 14-6 loss to the chiefs. this afternoon, they'll announce who is taking over that responsibility. >> well, there are, of course, a lot of die hard elvis fans out there, but how much would you pay for a lock of the king's famous hair? an auction of elvis memorabilia was held in chicago over the weekend. up for grabs was, yes, a clump of elvis' black hair. it eventually sold for $15,000. the hair was collected after elvis got his hair cut back when he joined the army in 1958. other items on the auction block included some old records. one of his old shirts. hope it had been laundered, which sold for $52,000. >> a clump of hair. that's just gross. >> it is. what are you going to do with that? don't want to think about it. >> don't want to think about what you're going to do it. >> well, if you have a bald s t spot -- dress for a warm -- dress warmly and dress for a chilly morning. you'll want to cover your hair this morning with a hat. we'll be in the mid-40s by 9:00. by noon, mid-50s. it's chilly now, only in the 30s to near 40 degrees. near 60 by mid-afternoon. a clear night tonight. it will be near 40 tomorrow morning but, oh, look at this week ahead. enjoy. feast your eyes on the four-day. we'll have highs near 70 tomorrow, wednesday and thursday, remaining dry. that's the way it looks. >> thanks very much. any major traffic -- there are indeed some traffic problems. >> my question is why isn't that hair gray? think about it. 270 southbound, a car fire toward gaithersburg. that's out in the roadway. red line delays in direction of shady grove. >> when you get the answer, mail it to jerry. that's "news 4 today." thanks for starting your day with us a. >> have a great day. we hope you'll join us tomorrow. we will see you again coming for local news breaks. >> bye.

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