[ inaudible ] apparently we have lost gurvir. we'll get back to her in a bit. and people lined up early and sherry ly has more on that angle. >> as gurvir mentioned, there are a lot of dignitaries and politicians and celebrities and presidents that will be here for the funeral service for dorothy height. so there wasn't a lot of room for every day people that she championed. there are still some tickets available. a few people still waiting in line. many of them came out, hundreds of them waiting hours for a chance to say farewell. [ singing ] >> reporter: they sat in the cold. >> warmed by the songs dorothy height loved the most. >> reporter: a small sacrifice to a civil rights leader who sacrificed so much for equal justice in women's rights. people lined up early to get one of only 700 tickets for the public to height's funeral seven he is. rhonda craig was first in line at 3:00 this morning. >> she had led an exemplary life. a model for women and all people and a life of service from beginning to end. >> reporter: some in line met height and some never did but to each one she touched their live lives. >> it's a part of history and i wanted to be a part of it. >> reporter: and this is culminating three days of events for the icon. last night celebrities and dignitaries paid tribute to her. >> she was a feminist before there was a women's movement and she was for integration before it was the civil rights movement and now she doesn't want nuns the only people in heaven with something on her head. >> reporter: many wore hats, a tribute to her trade park style. >> peter, you can open the gate now. i hope you all have a good hat store up there in heaven. in line outside of the national cathedral. >> this is her honor, just so we have something to remember this day. >> reporter: and i can tell you, i saw a lot of hats out here this morning that dorothy height would have liked. she was 98 years old when she died. she just celebrated her 98th birthday not long before that. just to give you an impact, i have a list of the honorary palm buries. michael angelo, camille cosby, john lewis, congress member, and civil rights leaders and the list goes on and on of all of the many people who will be here at honor airy palm bearers and to honor a great lewder -- leader in our community. >> and we'll carry the event live here on fox 5 and stream is it on myfoxdc.com so keep it here for more. we are following breaking news from kentucky it morning -- this morning where there was an accident at a coal mine. two miners are missing after a ceiling collapsed underground earlier this morning. it's at the dell tiki mine in western kentucky. 150 miles from louisville. two other miners were able to get out okay. a total of 300 miners work at that mine. another big story this morn, the oil rig leaking in the gulf of mexico is worse than previously thought, according to some. it's now believed 5,000 barrels a day are pouring out of that well. the federal government is offering to have the department of defense help contain the spill and protect the u.s. shoreline. fox's chris guiterrez has the latest on that effort. >> reporter: british petroleum launches an assault on the massive oil slick threatening the gulf coast. officials are trying to burn away the oil coming from last week's deadly rig explosion, hoping to stop it before it reaches land. governors in lousiana and alabama fear the oil would destroy their coastlines. >> we've asked our agencies to potentially responsible to any -- respond to any oil on our shorelines. >> reporter: and if the oil reaches the beaches, the state said its something they can't afford during tough economic times. >> this is a catastrophic accident that we're going to have to deal with. >> reporter: and gulf coast fishermen are praying the wind carries it in another direction. >> if we don't fish, it's the end of everybody's little business. as far as stores up the road and everything. >> reporter: a tugboat leads a convey of ships to the site. the heaviest contamination is 30 miles east of the mississippi river delta. ships will try to wrap it like a large rope around the ticket parts of the oil to keep it from advancing inland. >> and we are evaluating whether we can gather the oil with fire retardant booms. >> reporter: and this is the largest control burn ever. and the results won't be available until afterward. >> 11 people were believed to have been killed after the explosion last week. the senate will start debate on the financial reform overhaul later today. republicans sended their three- day filibuster last night. they agreed to open rebate on the biggest reform of wall street since the great depression. now comes the fight over the details. republicans want changes to the consumer protection part of the bill and government wants to limit the size of the banks. the obama operation has given the green light to the first off shore wind electricity. they win plans to build 130 wind turbines and expects them to generate power by 2012. there are attempts to derail the project. charlie crist is saying goodbye to the g.o.p. sources close to the governor tell fox news that he will run as an independent in the u.s. senate race. an official announcement is expected sometime later today. he is facing criticism by marco rubio. he was a 30 point lead and now rubio is the one with the 30 point lead. the teachers contract controversy continues this morning. the chief financial officer releases a statement about the budget and what he will not do, next. and economy has hiten many hard including those who would consider being foster parents. the latest on a recruitment plan to help those in need. fox 5 morning news will be right back. crafted to be exceptionally smooth... decadently rich... delightful... chocolate... bliss. hershey's bliss chocolate. crafted for bliss. friends and admirers have lined up early for a chance to say goodbye to a civil rights icon. the funeral service for dr. dorothy height will begin in just under an hour and hundreds have shown up to say final farewells. >> we will check in now with gurvir who has a look at what we can expect this morning. good morning. >> reporter: allison and tony, good morning to you. i was mentioning we're outside of the national cathedral, about a block or so away. and this is a place where the country has said goodbye to the most distinguished dignitaries. dorothy height died last week at the age of 98. she never married. >> instead dedicating her life to bring equality to all people. this morning about an hour or so ago her body left the national council of field goal row women building along pennsylvania avenue. she served as president of the national council for 40 years, beginning in 1957 and up through 1997. they made their way from the building to the national cathedral where hundreds have gathered to pay their respects to dorothy height. she's counseled presidents from eisenhower to barack obama who will give the eulogy here today. and we do want to talk about what is happening here today. the funeral getting underway at about 7:00 this morning. 700 members of the public stood in line to get 700 tickets. those were free to members of the public who wanted to be here and there will be dignitaries, celebrities, members of congress here as well to pay their final respects. so let's just talk about what will happen here today. as we mentioned president barack obama will deliver the eulogy. reflections will be given by dr. height's g with bill cosby's wife camille cosby and former labor secretary and front of dr. heights alexis herman. mia angelo will read from the psalms and then music from bb wine ands and opera star denise graves. following the funeral she will be interred at fort lincoln cemetery. we talked about what she metropolitan to the civil rights movement here today and just the dignitaries that sherry ly talked about that will be here in attendance goes to show you what an impact she had on this country as a whole. we haven't talked about her as a woman. in her personal life, she never married, they did dedicate her life to her cause. but her family did issue a time and it reads in part, for 98 years god put dorothy in our lives and each of us is better for her. her love for the national council of negro women are legendary and its her commitment to family and friendships that are most compelling. and the letter goes on to say that dr. height always remembered birthdays and was there for marriages and for the birth of children and the transitions of loved ones. she would admonish someone when they needed to be admonished and she was the mate re arc for her family. we'll be streaming this live on myfoxdc.com and carrying it live on fox 5. so back into you, tony and allison. >> gurvir, thank you so much. trouble for teacher contracts. the chief financial officer of d.c. said that he won't approve the tentative contract unless michelle rhee finds public funds to replace the $64.5 million that private foundations pledged. its problem is some foundations say they reserve the right to drop funding if michelle rhee left the district. the board that oversees metro is expected to vote on a proposed fair hike and serve us kits later today. they include about a 15% in metro rail and riders would pay an extra 10 cents a trip if they catch rains during the peak rush hour. basic bus fares rise by 20%. the interim gm did trim some of the proposed service cutbacks. the economic downturn has left many families too overwhelmed by stress and a lack of income to care for their children. as a result, there is an urgent need for people to become foster parents to children who need help. that is why there is a campaign to find more foster parents for children who need a family. joining us this morning to talk about the campaign of ralph boyd junior, president and ceo of the freddie mac foundation. >> good morning. good to be here. >> and this is something -- you think about the economic downturn, the crisis, and this is one area that for many of us wouldn't pop right to the top of your head where it would have a problem but it is having a ripple effect and you're seeing fewer foster families become available for children, is that it? >> that's correct, tony. we've had an ongoing difference in our region between the number of families and parents available to be foster parents for children who are in the system. we've been running at about half of the number of families that we actually need. we have about 4500 children across the national capital region who are in the foster care system and we have about half of the foster parents that we need to house and to love and care for those children. and we have a concern that with the economy continuing to lag and the potential of increased foreclosures that could add to the number of children. we haven't seen a huge uptick but it could happen. >> but it could happen. and tell me about this program. kids need families like yours and that runs for a couple of weeks. >> that's right. the freddie mac foundation working very closely with our partners at the metropolitan -- washington council of government are sponsoring this campaign to really go out and reach out and recruit foster parents or faster families and that campaign really kicks off today with an awarded ceremony downtown where we are recognizing foster parents of the year from various jurisdictions in our national capital region from foster parents here in the district to as far west as frederick county to the city of alexandria. and the idea is to give recognition to those people who are welcoming children who have a need for love and home into their homes and to use that recognition as a jump off point to recruit foster parents and foster families for the children who still need them. >> for people who might consider becoming foster parents, what do they need to know? what do they need to consider before getting involved in a program like that? >> i'm glad you asked. the first thing you need to know is it's about love and not perfection. we need families ant parents who will love the children, who can love the children. it isn't so much about being perfect, whether it's in terms of material resources, whether you think your family is too chaotic or whatever. i would say to people is there is no perfect time or that every time is the perfect time. and so what they need to know is that there are rear sources out there available to them. there is financial assistance for foster families. the children would have health care coverage. and there is a whole support structure that's available to help foster parents, to help foster families who have brought the children from the foster family care system into their homes. so they're not flying by themselves. >> and again, they don't need to be perfect. and no family is perfect. and family life is what it is. >> if someone were to watch our family, any five minute clip during the day, you would be well assured that it's not about perfection. >> the kids who are in the system during a time when their waiting for a foster family or foster parent to become available, where are they? what is happening to them? >> well there are foster parents out there who take kids who are in that interim situation. and so many of those children are in those kinds of homes but those are not permanent stops for them. so it is really important to get a child settled in a home at which they can spend whatever amount of time they are going to be in the foster care system, either before being returned to their biological families, or being put up for adoption. so the idea is to get them in a stable setting where they can remain and really put down some roots and be nurtured and supported by folks who love them, it's an important need and as you say, it's not necessarily about perfection or the money or anything like that. the program is kids need families like yours gets underway may dish. >> it starts may 3rd and runs through may 16th. >> for more information go to myfoxdc.com and we'll link you to the freddie mac website. thank you very much. >> thank you, tony. thank you very much. >> my pleasure. allison, back to you, tony, thank you. well a big disappointment for caps fans and the city itself. alex ovechkin and the boys have been eliminated to the playoffs. they lost to the montreal canadiens 2-1 blowing a three games to one lead. that means no stanley cup again this season and fans are left to think about what could have been. >> i'm pretty upset. i thought we were going to come back there, but i don't even have words for it, i'm so sad about it though. >> we had a great year. it's not the end of the year. still a young team and we have a great of young players and great goalie. they didn't blow it. but that's fine, it's sports, you have do move on. >> the caps are the first team in the history of the nhl to blow a series as a top one seed to a number eight speed. and gordon brown, what he said that has him apologizing and multiple times. and first lady laura bush opens up in her new book. a preview of what she reveals in that memoir coming up next. but first a live look say goodbye to dorothy height. we're back in a moment. in case of everyday emergencies, it's important to be prepared for dinner. that's why i've prepared my perdue perfect portions fresh chicken breasts. they're individually wrapped, so you can cook what you need and store what you don't. [ male announcer ] perdue perfect portions. ready when you are. i do 22 more inspections than the government requires. and my fresh, all-natural chickens are never given any hormones or steroids. ♪ ...and no candy, gladys. [ clucks ] [ male announcer ] perdue. extra inspections... extraordinary chicken. there is a political scandal brewing over in britain this morning. prime minister is saying about something he said about a woman. >> gordon brown said she was a bigoted woman and that was caught on his microphone. he met with the woman while campaigning. she said she was worried about the immigrants coming from eastern europe. he got in his car and forgot his microphone was still on. >> should never have put me with that woman. whose idea was that? >> i don't know. i didn't see. >> i didn't say nothing. >> what did she say? >> everything. she is just a bigoted woman. >> a reporter caught up with the woman a bit later and told her what the prime minister said about her. >> well, you might not like it, but he said what a disaster. who got me to talk to that woman. she's a bigot or words to that effect and we want to know your response to that? >> you're joking? [ inaudible ] >> gordon brown has been dropping in the opinion polls lately. the final debate before next week's election starts later this morning. >> i have to say, i don't understand the great controversy. i mean he shouldn't have called her abigot. he did apologize. but some people say he will lose the election because of this. >> i must agree with you, tony, i don't quite get it. >> but if you're the person being called that, you don't feel that you are. >> but he went and apologized. >> right. she was a favorite of the idol judges but that didn't matter to american. how do you pronounce her name? >> siobhan magnus joins us. and and and we are talking to our gardening expert derek thomas. that's coming up next. hey, derek. >> hey. how are you? . the person who goes home tonight is ... siobhan magnus. casey, you are safe. >> another idol hopeful is getting ready to go home. she received the fewest of america's votes on tuesday night and she joins us live to talk about her idol experience. good morning, nice to talk to you. >> good morning. >> you were a judge's favorite week after week. what was the whole experience like if it's not too big of a question to ask this early. >> it was amazing, and i'm grateful to be a part of it and i've learned so much about myself as a performer and a person. and so it's been incredible. >> and we learned a lot about you. especially your love of family. and we saw the closeness of your parents there as well. it seemed to mean a lot. did it help motivate you through the tough times on show? >> yeah, the support that i received from my family and friends back home was something that got me through every week. i couldn't have possibly done it without them. and without knowing how important it was for them to see that i was able to do thi and work hard enough to get this far. >> i'm sure you are an inspiration to them as they are to you. let's talk about shania twain night. the criticism was great. simon said he didn't like the last couple of notes. would you have done anything differently? >> no, i wouldn't do anything differently because i'm glad i got one of my screams in, if it was going to be the last time i got to perform. so i'm proud of my performances and i probably wouldn't change a thing. >> and it's so subjective. as an audience member watching every week, tara would say, i love how you hit the note and then simon might not like it. how do you power through those conflicting criticisms? >> you take what you can. if there is anything helpful, you take that and then whatever is not helpful, you just have to dismiss it and move on. and you do what you can with the critiques and then the rest is kind of just up to you. >> just do what you do. siobhan we'll see you in concert this summer. >> thank you. >> that's siobhan magnus, everybody. did you catch the show last night? >> i missed it. >> she can really sing. >> she seemed lovely. but she finished in the top five so she did fine. >> well six. and right to the weather forecast. take a look. it will only get better and better as the day goes on. 70 this afternoon. this is your temperature trend. and if you love 80s, you will love the next couple of days. friday, saturday and sunday, highs