Transcripts For WJLA ABC 7 News At Noon 20150227

Also some snow flurries. Its 25 degrees right now at Montgomery College and rockville. Notice the number on the righthand side, 18 degrees. A little biftt of a breeze making it feel that much colder. Only 25 degrees in gaithersburg. And theres a bit of a breeze. So that, of course makes it feel a little bit colder. It feels like 19 in gaithersburg. 13 in hagerstown. Feels like 23 degrees downtown. At least its nice and dry. You know still cant rule out maybe a passing snow flurry but for the most part, pretty calm for the rest of the afternoon and as i take you hour by hour by 3 00 p. M. In the city, 33. Some of the suburbs may stay in the 20s for daytime highs. After sunset i think the winds will start to taper off a bit. It will be cold overnight tonight. Maybe you have dinner plans, maybe going out on the town. Make sure that youre layered up because its definitely going to be on the cold side but skies will be partly cloudy overnight and still have a bit of a breeze. Looking ahead to the last day of february tomorrow, its going to be cold. Still monitoring the potential for that light wintry mix come sunday i think, probably after 3 00, 4 00. How does near 60 degrees sound . I know im looking forward to it and well talk more in detail about that in the full forecast coming to you in a little bit brad . The u. S. State Department Employee charged with soliciting a minor was in court today. Our John Gonzalez is live with the details and why he wont remain in jail. Johnny . Brad, good afternoon. We are live inside the Fairfax County Detention Center at this hour where daniel rosen the state Department Employee who was arrested this week accused of suspicion of soliciting sex from a minor will be released from those doors in a matter of minutes. He was extradited from d. C. To Fairfax County here where he was arraigned this morning and was actually released after posting 25,000 bond and again, in just minutes, hes expected to walk out of the jail here. Prosecutors wanted him held because of multiple passports and he is a flight risk. His attorney handed over his clients passports telling the judge that he has lived in d. C. For 21 years, has hundreds of ties to the community, has no criminal record and just because hes charged doesnt mean it should start destroying his life. After all spending three days behind bars the judge agreed to release him on bond only if he has no contact with minors and no computer use, not even at his job. Even though he has already lost his state Department Security clearance. That has been suspended. Rosen, appearing through Video Conference during this arraignment hearing this morning through his lawyer. He was allegedly talking on line with a female detective posing as a child. His attorney told me today we are pleased the judge under presumption of innocence gave him the benefit of the doubt. He deserves it. His wife was inside the courtroom and she had no comment. Rosen will be back in court may 4th. In the meantime firefighters remain on the scene of a large house fire in Montgomery County. The fire injured two people cluding a firefighter. It started in a former group home on norwood road in Sandy Springs and Jeanette Reyes is at the scene with why firefighters had a hard time battling this blaze. The roof of this home sustained significant damage after a fire tore through the attic and then much of the rest of the structure injuring a woman inside and a firefighter. The two alarm fire broke out just past 5 00 this morning at what was formerly a group home for disadvantaged boys in the area. About 100 Montgomery County firefighters responded to the scene here on the 17000 block of norwood road. Firefighters had to deal with below freezing temperatures and frozen fire hydrants. A medical ambulance bus was required on scene to help while crews battled the blaze. A firefighter injured his shoulder in the process. Is associated with the foster home and well known to this community. Injuries are precautionary but exposure maybe some smoke inhalation. The woman inside the home was alerted to the fire after a smoke alarm went off. Reporting in Sandy Springs Jeanette Reyes, abc 7 news. Recent snowstorms have complicated trash collection in d. C. In some neighborhoods, residents say the amount of garbage piling up is inexcusable. As mike conneen reports, the district has promised to clean up the mess this weekend. The neighbors are on the trash cans and its just a mess. Across the district, trash cans are overflowing two weeks overdue of collection. I think the mayor wants to make a good impression. According to the department of public works 30 to 40 of District Residents have missed trash collection because of our recent Winter Weather. Were going to get the trash. To get the job done they are operating with all hands on deck and outside contractors doubling the number of weekend workers. Became unbearable this week you know, so the mayor said we got to do something about it. And thats why we did it. Lot of complaints from resident . Thats true. Thats exactly what it is. Thats correct. D. C. W. Workers say icy snow packed alleys like this one in Dupont Circle are difficult to navigate because theres a lot of obstacles. Its narrow and because of the tall row houses not a lot of sunlight gets through and theres not a lot of melting. I could be disciplined behind it. For 24 years, donyell has never seen weather this bad for this long. Because of Public Health concerns, they will collect trash and d. C. Is confident it will clear every route in 72 hours. In northwest, mike conneen, abc 7 news. The Winter Weather causing problems with pipes this noon. Crews are working on a water main break along route 28 in rockville. One eastbound lane of 28 is closed for repairs. If you live in that area and your water looks a lit cloudy, public work crews advise you to run your faucets for several minutes until it clears. And crews are working to clear two trees that are blocking Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring this noon. This is video from news chopper 7. Its unclear what caused those trees to fall. They are blocking two southbound lanes just south of the i. C. C. An update this noon on an arson investigation in Fairfax County. Fire investigators charged 22yearold Brenton Carter with intentionally setting the fire at the walmart in the chantilly shopping center. The store was evacuated and an employee quickly put out the fire. No one was hurt. The damage is estimated at 1,000. A gaithersburg man charged in a murderforhire plot will be sentenced today. Montgomery county Police Arrested him in june after he ended up meeting with an undercover officer playing a hitman. He offered the officer 1,000 to kill his exwife. He had just gotten his ph. D. In cyber security. Well on the hill the countdown continues. Congress is moving to approve a shortterm funding bill for the Homeland Security department now just 12 hours away from a partial government shutdown. The measure leaves intact president obamas executive actions on amnesty which republicans vowed to appeal without any action. Funding for Homeland Security expires at midnight. The short term bill would simply be a funding measure essentially leaving the immigration fight for another day. New developments this noon about the man known as jihadi john. We are learning more about londoner turned isil militant and why u. S. Officials are even more concerned about the terror groups reach. Abcs Marcy Gonzalez tells us what counterterrorism officials are worried. He is the terrorist behind the barbaric videotaped murders of hostages. Continue to start the next of your people. And today, some are questioning if isis executioner Mohammed Emwazi could have been stopped years ago. The British Security service mi5 reportedly started tracking him in 2009 belong before he disappeared into syria where he later joined the terror group. Today, britains Prime Minister David Cameron defended mi5s efforts. All of the time theyre having to make incredibly difficult judgments and i think they simply make very good judgments on our behalf. British and u. S. Officials first figured out who jihadi john really was soon after he beheaded american hostage james foley but they kept his identity a secret. The name is just a very small piece of the overall identity. The real goal is identifying where he is. Hoping theyd be able to track him if he eventually called home to his family in west london where he grew up. He was my neighbor. That could reveal emwazis location. James foleys mother said she hoped the College Graduate turned savage killer is captured alive but adds justice wont end there. Its not all about him its about, you know, this whole culture of hate and brutality and all that isis is. Still, the Obama Administration has not confirmed his identity saying doing so could only hinder their efforts to find him. Marcy gonzalez abc not news. A militant group is claiming responsibility for an attack that killed an american brother. They were attacked with a cleaver on the way home from a book fair in capital. A previous member of the militant group says he was the target of his crime against islam. He was a prominent voice against religious intolerance. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing criticism now from israeli media, political opponents over his planned speech to Congress Next week. Netanyahu agreed to the invitation from house spea john boehner to talk about preventing iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. It was made and accepted without the knowledge of the white house. Several top Obama Administration Officials Say the speech will damage u. S. Israeli relations. Well, that is the focus of abc 7s next town hall. It airs following Prime Minister netanyahus address to congress tuesday, march 3rd and you can watch it live on our sister station, newschannel 8 or on line at wjla. Com. That is next tuesday at 7 00 p. M. Coming up on abc 7 news at noon president ial hopefuls are making their pitch. What theyre saying today. Too hot to handle . A consumer alert about a possible danger involving your cell phone. And the great debate. Weve been talking about it all day. What color is this dress . Not everyone can agree to the answer and is still blowing up social media. And the possibility of more wintry weather before the weekend is done. Eileen is back with what to expect and when it could arrive. The truck driver accused of triggering a Train Derailment in Southern California is out of jail. Prosecutors say no immediate charges have been filed against Jose Sanchez Ramirez at this time. Ramirezs truck was stopped on Railroad Tracks in oxnard on tuesday. That caused metrolink train to crash and derail. Dozens of people were hurt including three in critical condition. Potential republican president ial candidates are trying to establish their conservative credentials at a conference under way at national harbor. Conservative Political Committee conference or cpac is the years biggest conservative event and marks the unofficial kickoff of the battle for the conservative vote among g. O. P. President ial contenders including new jersey governor chris christie. So much ridiculous stuff being spewed especially out of the white house. Time to shut up. Well Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker also delivered a highly anticipated speech yesterday, marco rubio spoke this morning, rick perry, Santorum Jeb Bush expected to speak later today. The second round of talks to reestablish diplomatic relations with cuba are under way today. It comes after president obama eased some restrictions last month. The white house wants embassies reopened by april summit on north and south american leaders but the cubans want to be removed from a u. S. Terrorism black list. Lawmakers in maryland are considering a bill to lower the drinking age for military members. The Maryland Senate committee will hear legislation to allow Service Members 18 and older to drink beer and wine at bars and restaurants in the state. Critics argue the bill if passed, would jeopardize federal funding and Public Health. This next story you have to hear. 7 on your side consumer alert about what experts call a rare but dangerous problem with some cell phones. A new york man suffered severe burns after his cell phone exploded in his pocket. Eric johnson spent more than a week in the hospital with second and third degree burns. Johnson said he had his iphone in his pocket and bent over to pick up a pair of keys when he felt the burn and saw smoke. Instant burn and first thing i do i cant get it out. I was trying to get the phone out of my pocket. I think i had dress pants on. The phone melted my pocket shut. I couldnt get into it. Apple is reportedly looking into the case. No word on what caused the phone to explode but experts say even the tiny bit of damage to the phones Circuit Board or use of a third party charging device can cause thattery to overheat. Rumors this noon swirling about apples next big product. The Company Announced a special event on march 9th and that usually means something new is on the way. Analysts believe apple will finally give more details on the apple watch including exactly what it does and when it could be available and hopefully comes with a storm watch 7 weather app already preloaded on the watch. I was going to say its probably going to be a hot seller that. Probably would be bad with the first story there. Yeah. Got that. I know. Who is ready for spring . Speaking of hot. I think everyone is. And you know at least we have some somewhat milder temperatures ahead. Yeah. Coming by next wednesday but you know today its been cold and we had a little snow. You can see a little blip right there. If you caught it. You were fast enough to see it. This is one of the weather bug cameras in Prince William county. In woodbridge virginia and i will show you our live super doppler located in bowie and anyways, it is picking up on a few showers, snow showers into Southern Maryland into southern st. Marys county and into southern calvert as well. For the most part this is associated with an upper level thats pretty much moving on out. But is it cold outside . Our average this time of year is 50 degrees and were nowhere near that. 30 degrees in quantico as well as in lexington park. It feels a little cooler especially with the winds blowing out of the northwest anywhere between 10 and 20 miles an hour. And radar shows the bigger picture. We had that front still moving well off shore. Still, a little upper level disturbance moves through, it is bringing us a little bit of some of those snow showers. Otherwise, the breezy winds with us and then High Pressure off to the west will move on in for the day tomorrow bringing us more sunshine. But as ive been hinting at the possibility of maybe a little wintry weather come sunday. Let me time it out for you on the futurecast. Started it tomorrow at 10 00, nice and dry good bit of sunshine although cold for the day tomorrow. Youll notice the next weather system by sunday at 7 00 start to go move into the midwest and i think as it gets a little bit closer towards us by late in the afternoon and evening, temperatures may be cold enough that we start with a little bit of a wintry mix. There isnt a loft moisture with this particular system. At least as far as im seeing right now. Over the area. So this should be a relatively low impact but stay with the stormwatch 7 weather team and well be updating it throughout the weekend and then this system moves on out and i think by monday, we really start to dry out. So if any impact arrives, it will be through the mid to late day hours on subpoenaed. For the rest of today, mainly dry, still cant rule out a few passing flurries especially to the south. Temperatures, though in the 30s. Overnight tonight in the city, well drop down into the teens. There could be a few Single Digits as the winds begin to drop a little bit. Looking ahead to the seven day forecast, not looking all that bad. For the day tomorrow. Partly cloudy skies. A little bit of wintry mix come sunday. Can we focus quick on wednesday . Nearing 60 degrees. I know its a big jump from tuesday to wednesday. Thats evidence of a warm front lifting north of us so well keep an eye on it. But come on 60s sunday is meteorological spring. So much on my brain i almost forgot about it. Meteorological spring starts sunday. Add two degrees. Make it 60. Feel all better. Thank you, eileen, very much. Well, breaking sad news from the entertainment world. The New York Times is reporting that leonard nimoy, actor who spent 50 years portraying mr. Spock in the star trek series and films has died. The times said his wife claims he died at their home. He was hospitalized last week and has spent the past few years battling the lung illness copd. He blamed the illness on years of smoking, a habit that he gave up 30 years ago. Leonard nimoy dead at the age of 83. Well coming up on abc 7 news at noon, the big life change being announced by prince harry. Dress color controversy. Why its taking over social media right now. In a race, its about getting to the finish line. In life, its how you get there that matters most. Like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. My doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. So he talked to me about xarelto®. Xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesnt require regular blood monitoringr changes to your diet. For a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. Not this time. While i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didnt have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. Dont stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. While taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. Get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. If you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto® tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidneng problems. Xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe, with no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. Prince harry is quitting the armed forces this year. According to a british newspaper, he reportedly decided to end his active military career after serving two tours of duty on the front line in afghanistan. The 30yearold is known as captain harry wales in the military. He plans to focus on his charity work and aims to spend a significant period of time abroad on field projects in africa. Kensington palace has not commented on the report. Well this is the dress color controversy continuing to take over the internet. Ok look at this. What colors do you see here . White and gold or blue and black . Right now, the debate is so hot it still holds a spotted in twitters top trending list. Even celebrities are weighing in taylor swift, kanye west see blue and black. Academy award winner Julianne Moore and Kim Kardashian see it as white and gold. No matter what your eyes see, the reality is its blue and black. Thats according to the dressmakers website. Weve been talking about it all day. I see blue and black. I saw it from the beginning. Absolutely. Thats what it is. All right. Well find out what eileen is seeing. Maybe some white. Maybe some gold. We know theres cold out there and its a breezy start to the weekend. We can see wintry mix ending. Eileen is back with welcome back. Time for a quick check on the weather. Looking good. Weekend forecast not all that bad. 20s to around 30 for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, dry around 32. Its still going to be cold. Slight chance of a wintry mix come sunday. Meteorologist steve rudin will have more on that tonight at 4 00. Nearly 60 come wednesda [dramatic music] yeah [cheers and applause] yes, yes. Im terry crews, and ive got a whole lot of cash to give away today here on millionaire. [cheers and applause] todays returning contestant has been finding clever ways to make money since he was just 11 years old. And today, hes hitting me up for some more cash. From somerville, massachusetts please welcome Andy Blackett [cheers and applause] glad to be back. Glad to be back. Whats up . How you doing . Im awesome. Im doing awesome. Oh. Man. Andy, now i know you work for a fertility app. I do. But what other things have you done to make money . Ive done everything, man