in. >> reporter: i'll tell you in a second, monika. i want to say we're continuing to make progress here on 495. you see the two lanes of traffic now opened up. so, we're continuing to see progress and the tow trucks have taken those two vehicles away. i just want to show you the debris here that you can see part of the side mirror just shattered. here. and all of the glass is now all over the road. on 495. here is what we know happened. at around 11:00, the tractor trailer hit those two vehicles and smashed into them, lost control and then hit the barrier or the abutment on the darcy overpass. it was just a fiery, fiery crash. it burst into flames. the cab almost unrecognizable. it wedged in there. safety inspectors have deemed the overpass sound and talking with officials, the driver of the tractor trailer lost his life hauling sugar last night. and now, state police are investigating to see if alcohol may have been a factor in this crash in one of the passenger vehicles. we're continuing to stay here on the scene but investigators do have a long road ahead of them. trying to figure out exactly what happened in this deadly accident. back to you, monika. >> thank you so much, surae. we'll take you back over to the maps right now to give you your alternate routes. as surae just said, the two left lanes are getting by the accident but if you just want to avoid the area, you're still at home and you want to plan ahead, i would suggest you get off at ritchie marlboro road. take that inside the beltway either to pennsylvania avenue or here at branch avenue. you will be beyond that accident scene. again, the southbound side of 495. you will be ok. if you're one of those that heads inbound on central avenue, you can take that to route 301 and take that all the way around to pennsylvania avenue. you will be beyond the accident as well. the outer loop northbound 495 at this point is unaffected by the accident. let's take you over to 66 on the inbound side here. no problems from route 50 as you head to route 123 and the beltway. a quick look at the beltway travel times right now. if you're planning to head on the beltway between 395 and thele to road, 13 minutes. the beltway, 95 to 270, well north of the accident, only ten minutes right now. another update on the accident in forestville at 6:12. mike, andrea? let's get to some of the stories happening today. a memorial service set for tonight for three of the people killed last week in mans a, virginia. it starts at 5:00 at pierce funeral home. brenda ashcraft, her son and julio cesar were killed in a violent outburst. was the economic crisis over the last few years avoidable? that's the question before the house financial services committee today. it will get the final report of a commission which found yes, it could have been prevented. >> the history of ben's chili bowl is going to foggy bottom. the wife and children of founder ben ali will present historical documents from the eatery to george washington university. it happens today at 4:00. also today, cbs news correspondent lara logan is back home in washington after covering the revolution in egypt. >> it has been made public that logan was apparently sexually assaulted by a group in cairo last week and that the attacks like this are not rare. >> a photo shows logan in ta rear square. moments after the photo was taken, she was sexually assaulted. the group reporters without borders says half of female journalists they meet have been sexually assaulted in some way but many suffer in silence. >> they feel weak when something like this happens. there is also a part of guilt where at first, you just tell yourself maybe it is my fault. it is very difficult to get over that. >> the group estimates at least 140 journalists were injured or killed covering the egypt revolution over the last month. the same pro democracy spirit that swept through egypt this month is spreading to other countries in the middle east. >> that includes nations like algeria, libya, yemen and bahrain. >> in bahrain, protestors are hitting the streets for the third straight day. they're demanding political reforms there and they say they're not leaving the main square of the capital city of man am ma. security forces pulled back after fights yesterday left two people dead. bahrain is the key u.s. ally in the persian gulf. also, while you slept, american and mexican investigators are working to find whoever killed a u.s. immigration agent. the agent was killed yesterday in some kind of a attack in northern mexico. another u.s. agent was shot sand expected to survive. they were stopped at what appeared to be a military checkpoint. while mexico has seen a spike in violence, it is rare for american officials to be attacked. overnight, montgomery county police investigated what they're calling a suspicious death. a man killed in what appears to be some form of domestic violence incident. the scene is along lost circle near lake forest mall in montgomery village. police found a man who was dead when they arrived. a woman in the same apartment was injured. she was taken to the hospital. their names or their exact relationship has not been made public. a legal battle may be behind a shooting in charles county, maryland. the sheriff's department there says robert becker of la plata shot his neighbor yesterday at an intersection in white plains. becker then killed himself. the man police say he shot was a neighbor, christopher hopeert. the two were involved in a legal dispute over a car but investigators don't know if that was the motive. county executives from prince george's county and montgomery county will be in annapolis, they're pushing a plan to make you pay another dime for every alcoholic drink you buy. democrat baker and leggett support the new alcohol tax. they say it would cover every drink sold at restaurants and stores. and they have the support of local religious leaders. supporters of the tax say it would raise $215 million for health and antidrinking programs. jessica doyle is here with a your money report. >> she's talking about protecting our identities when we eat, file our taxes. >> after a slight delay, the i.r.s. is finally accepting tax returns with itemized deductions. if you're like millions of americans, you're likely going to be filing your tax returns online this year. before you start crunching the numbers, make sure your computer is safe, secure and ready. >> it is aimed at making a complicated process a little bit simpler. but if you're not careful, it can put sensitive financial information at risk. so, before you get started on preparing your tax return online, experts suggest you get your computer as secure as it can be. >> now, antivirus software and to make sure that your computer is encrypted. information on your computer is encrypted and that it is strong pass word protected. >> once you've chosen a reputable tax prep site, create a password that combines letters, numbers and symbols and make sure it is exclusive to your taxes, not the same as other sites. >> never share a password between your social networking site, your e-mail site and anything to do with financial services because the problem is that if someone were to get their hands on your password, they would suddenly have the gateway to your entire life. >> and never prepare your online return while using a wi- fi hot spot like at a coffee shop, library or airport. that connection might be free now but it could cost you later on. >> there are so many people who are actually sitting in environments like that, watching, looking, and waiting for somebody to come along. >> new programs allow crooks to spy on your commuter while you're on free wi-fi and that could allow them to steal your personal information like your social security number. and here is a reminder. tax tip thursday back tomorrow. you have questions about filling out your forms, we're getting you free answers from the experts. you can e-mail your questions to me at financial 411 at wusa9.com. i'm going to bring you answers tomorrow on the air and on my blog. >> i have a question for you. >> can you pay my bill? >> no. [ laughter ] >> question answered. >> very quickly, too. >> an 784-year-old arizona -- an 784-year-old arizona man has an incredible story to tell after he was stranded in the desert for five days. >> henry was driving back last week and he got lost after crashing his car. >> his family became concerned because morello needs medication daily for his dementia and diabetes. he said he survived by rationing his leftovers from his diner doggy bag and drank his car's windshield washer fluid. >> this is it. i said if they don't find me by tonight, i'm not going to make another night out here. >> he did very well on his own. a search party found morello saturday and doctors expect him to fully recover! >> wow. windshield washer fluid. >> ugh! >> do what you have to. >> that's right. >> glad he made it. >> here's a look at what's ahead coming up within the next hour of 9news now... >> within three minutes, fighting the cravings that come with pms. what works and what doesn't. and what's in a name? 6:36, the most popular last names in the united states. >> next, howard has the wednesday forecast. weather first is just 90 seconds away. every woman suffers from premenstrual syndrome or pms at some point. in many cases, the simple tops are at their worst in a woman's 30s and 40s. anita brikman reports on how one woman sought the help of a nutritionist to get her cravings under control. >> i have pms for two weeks. my cycle for one. so, i have one good week out of the month. that's it. one good week where i'm normal, happy, you know, even keel. >> regina hogan is talking about the pms that's plagued her for years. like clockwork, two weeks before her menstrual cycle. this 44-year-old doesn't get much relief. >> the pms does stop but cramping can come as well as. so, the pain doesn't stop but the mood kind of subsides. >> she isn't alone. dr. sharon malone says hormonal fluctuations cause women to more easily lose their cool. >> they have irrational outbursts of anger. i don't know where that comes from. >> regina has found some relief by treating her pms symptoms with things found in her own kitchen. >> if i'm having a pain in my abdomen, the tea works really well. >> she's even hired a nutritionist who's helped overhaul her eating habits. >> she's telling me to incorporate more vegetables, more than fruit because at one time, i was doing more fruit which turns into sugar. so, she's telling me to incorporate more vegetables. she's told me how -- i started slicing up cucumbers, carrots. >> reporter: of course, she still loves her chocolate cake but she doesn't need to worry so much about that. dr. malone says chocolate isn't the worst food to crave. >> probably releases some endorphins, makes you feel good. i wouldn't be adverse to a little piece of chocolate every now and again. >> regina has taken low dose birth control pills for years to combat pms. now taking charge is the most satisfying remedy yet. >> it is getting better. i'll control it. >> anita brikman, 9news now. the biggest dietary no-no for women prone to pms, salty foods! you may crave them but they can make bloating a whole lot worse by encouraging the body to retain water. 6:15 now. good morning, howard. >> good morning. get outside, take a walk. that's going to relieve a little stress. >> there you go. >> weather will certainly be cooperative for that as we get to the afternoon. not just today but tomorrow and friday and then a little bit cooler as we head back toward this upcoming weekend. this morning, we definitely have chilly conditions out there. your momslikeme.com bus stop forecast, with temperatures ranging from the low 20s to the lower 30s. had some wind chills in the teens also. one saving grace actually, mostly cloudy sky. without the clouds, we probably would be in the teens in areas. clouds tend to act like a blanket, keeping the radiational cooling from occurring all that much. temperatures today though by 9:00, upper 30s to near 40. south wind, 10 to 15 will be -- south-southwest 10 to 15 will be the norm today. south wind at 13. by 5:00 p.m., we're still talking sunshine and 53. daytime high about 56. that will happen around 2:00, 3:00 p.m. 26 in great falls. college park is 30. down south, we've got mid-20s at fort belvoir. upper 20s. 28 from mason neck and 27 in haymarket and manassas. we'll see luray is up to 38 now. oakland at 36 and garrett county. there is some milder air coming in today on the heels of the south and southwesterly winds even southerly maryland and hagerstown, same temperature there at 32. when we expand the picture, look at the rest of the country. where is the arctic air? it is up in northern maine. boston is 19. but look at the green here. this 50s coming in from nashville now. we've got 32 in great falls. 49 salt lake. it is mild across a good deal of the country. it is all thanks to the big pattern change we were talking about late last week where everything now, the jet mainly up north except on the west coast. storm systems are barreling into california. washington and oregon with heavy rains and mountain snows, the milder air being pushed off the pacific across much of the country and that will be the case especially the next few days. we'll tap some warm air actually as we head toward friday. once again, some areas around could be near the 70 degree mark. chilly this morning to start the clouds. break up here by noon, 1:00 mostly sunny conditions with a few clouds out in the mountains of west virginia. we finish out your wednesday with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures. tomorrow we start generally sunny. a few showers down in the carolinas will stay south and east of us. just a couple of clouds through the afternoon on thursday. here, we're at 5:00 with the mild air here for tomorrow and even milder air on friday. that next front is coming friday night. and that will cool us down a little bit for the weekend. here is the next three days. mid-50s today. we become mostly sunny. tomorrow, low 60s, partly to mostly sunny. friday, upper 60s to around 70. by the weekend, that's what i'm talking about. windy and cooler near 50. sunday and monday, 54 sunday. showers of rain, maybe a wet snowflake north sunday night before being in the 40s on presidents' day. monika, over to you. thank you, howard. we're starting this traffic report with the yellow light because of a messy and pretty terrible situation on the beltway in prince george's county. let's take you to a couple of live pictures right now. if you are planning to head out the door and over to the inner loop of the beltway, between d'arcy road and pennsylvania avenue, that's where the overnight accident occurred. involving a tractor trailer that hit a couple of cars and then the bridge abutment at d'arcy road. so, therefore, it has been there for over seven hours with that terrible fiery situation that authorities had to deal with overnight. in the meantime, as you can see, on the left side of the road, the two left lanes are getting by. that's the southbound side of the beltway past d'arcy road and over to pennsylvania avenue. but you might just want to choose alternate routes since you're still planning ahead and you're at home. let's go to a graphic now. if you're one of those that usually uses the inner loop of the beltway, your last chance to exit is going to be exit 13, ritchie marlboro road. you can take that to route 4 or route 5 of pennsylvania avenue and head back to the beltway. you will be beyond the accident. the outer loop is unaffected by the accident by the way. you will be ok if you're one of those that heads northbound past the scene of. of course, there is a lot to look at. it will take awhile to clean this one up. on 66 at route 29 in centreville, the accident was just moved to the right shoulder but as you can see, it is pretty heavy here. getting by with the lanes open, beyond that, a little slow again at route 50. a quick look at your travel times if you're one of those that heads on the outer loop north of town, no worries. just 12 minutes, 95 to 270. 95 from 216, normal at 9 minutes. 674 to the beltway, only six minutes. another update on the accident in forestville at 6:24. andrea, mike? >> thank you, monika. still ahead, we're going to take you for a cruise along the intercounty connector highway. >> next, mason nation going for a dozen wins in the row. see if patriots can do it against dcu. . coming up on 6:24. we have clouds throughout this morning. it is a cold start. it will be a really nice afternoon. your temperatures right now running in the 20s and lower 30s with those mostly cloudy skies. as we head through the 9:00 hour, upper 30s near 40 under the clouds. this afternoon though, sunshine. we'll see temperatures midday in the upper 40s. we top out mid 50s with a drive home temp around 53. mike and andrea? >> in sports, george mason basketball fans are ready to party like it is 2006. the patriots have the longest winning streak in the nation. >> you go, pats! they've secured part of the caa title. mason down in richmond last night visiting dcu. they had 15-point lead at halftime. in the second half. here is cam long. two of his 14 right there. patriots win. mason visits northern iowa saturday. now to the acc, border battle there. maryland versus virginia tech. malcolm delaney, 22 points for the hokies. they pulled away with about five minutes left in the contest. tech beats maryland. hokies sweep the season series against the terps. the capitals west coast trip takes them to anaheim, california tonight. they'll take on the ducks. the puck drops at 10:00 our time. washington has lost three in a row. hope springs eternal in vieira, florida. the national pitchers and catchers reported to spring training tuesday at space coast stadium including hernandez who will start opening day for the team. the first exhibition game is monday, february 28th. jim dorn didn't spend too long on the unemployment long. the former redskins head coach and ravens quarterback coach is heading to kansas city. zorn will work with chiefs quarterback the matt cassel. >> flight delays expected on united airlines. they learn why it is grounding its 757s. >> monika following a busy morning on the roads. over to you. >> mike, crews continue to deal with an overnight fatal tractor trailer accident on the inner loop of the beltway here at forestville between d'arcy road and pennsylvania avenue. stay to the left to get by. more on this in my next report. you're watching 9news now. stay with us. úú7ú . welcome back to your weather first at 6:30. howard bernstein out on the weather terrace. chilly this morning. 20s and low 30s now. as we look at the day planner, got a good day ahead. mostly cloudy skies. the sun will come out. we'll be in the upper 40s to around 50 by noon. we top out in the mid-50s. by 5:00, we're at 53 degrees. nice and sunny today. even milder as we head toward tomorrow. and friday. before some changes again by the weekend. that forecast coming up when i see you next. right now, let's go to monika samtani with the latest timesaver traffic. >> we've been telling you about it overnight. fatal tractor trailer accident is why we have the yellow light this morning on the inner loop of the beltway right here in forestville between d'arcy road and pennsylvania avenue where right now, the two left lanes are getting by. our surae chinn is live at the scene with more. surae? >> reporter: good morning, monika. i want to show you some debris that was left from the suv that was here just feet from where i am standing. you can see the glass shattered right there from the side mirror. you can also see more debris all over the road