deeper into this story all morning. megan, what can you tell us? >> wen just recently moved into a friend's home and this morning we talked to that friend and roommate. during the course of our conversation, ha remembered nine letters that he had just recently given him to mail and he just didn't do it. he hadn't gotten around to putting them in the mail yet and just frankly remembered that he had them. he shared one of those letters with us and it had a dramatic account of an argument that may have led to the shooting. the night before the murder hu reads from the one addressed to him. accordi that nguyen wrote about one of his co-workers. >> he threw my lunch in the trash. that really hurt me. >> reporter: he wrote that he wanted to retaliate. >> i thought that i had to do something with him. i going to do die or he's going to die. >> reporter: a thrown away lunch seems trivial by american standers but he says the eating of a meal is sacred in the vietnamese culture. he was hurt when thiz lunch was thrown in the trash. >> in the vietnamese custom when you have lunch, the lunch is very important. dinner is very important. so, that's in the vietnamese custom. >> reporter: it's sacred. hu says nguyen moved into his home a week ago. he had no idea what was going to happen, he only knew he had trouble at work and he talked about dying and his wishes for burial. >> he kept telling me, if he die, if he die -- >> reporter: cremate him? >> he did. say that. >> reporter: making funeral arrangements. >> yeah. >> i say, what happened? what happened? why you say that? he don't say anything. >> reporter: we wanted to learn more about the role of food in the vietnamese culture and we contacted someone with the vietnamese culture seating itself is not sacred but the act of throwing away someone else's food is deeply offensive. hung nguyen turned himself in without incident last night and charged with second degree murder, but more charges may come. >> thank you, megan. now, breaking news on the roads and a problem on the vw parkway. >> we have a major problem in the beltsville area. the baltimore washington parkway northbound. let's take a look. a bus was on fire, all the children onboard were able to get off. there are no injuries, that's good news there. for traffic, though, all lanes are blocked. so, that's going to cause a problem and it's going to take some time to get this cleaned up. as you can see, they're going to have to get the bus out of there and get it cleaned up, but the good news, all the kids are off the bus. the lane blockage, we'll keep an eye on that. northbound vw parkway. let's look at 66 at gallos. that is slow for some time this morning. it is improving a lilittle bit. things are improving here. 95, the outer loop and has been clearing out and we had construction in the right lane up ahead and we have construction 95 at 123 gordon boulevard. we'll check back with you in a few minutes, barbara. >> all right, tanya, thank you. new today, police need your help finding a missing teen. 16-year-old dashanti herring was last seen tuesday. if you know where she is, please call montgomery county police. let's take a look outside. oh, isn't it absolutely beautiful out there with the sunshine and warming up. veronica joins us now with a look at our forecast. i actually got out and ran this morning. >> good for you. i hope a lot of people either have already or will take advantage of today. it's warming up pretty fast, too. we're in the low 60s throughout the area. some areas already up to around 63, 64 degrees. some warm conditions throughout the area. the reason for all that is this big area of high pressure smack dab over the mid-atlantic states. southbound to the carolinas right now and even off to the west. there will be a few high clouds making their way into the area. the high 70 degrees right in the district and 73 degrees expected in fredericksburg today. now, here's a look at your good night forecast. by 7:00, down to 64 and by 9:00, down to 58 degrees. what else we got. this is for the streams the shan doa and around millville, west virginia. some roads are closed along the shenandoah and the rains are running high and we'll talk about the current stage and when that water will recede in just a few minutes. breaking news now after another air traffic controller is found sleeping on the job, the federal aviation administration says ahead of the air traffic organization has now resigned. as of early this morning, every control tower that is open overnight must be staffed by at least two controllers. it's a change that will affect more than two dozeezen airports nationwide. melissa mollet is live in the newsroom and has the latest on this. >> the head of the air traffic control for the faa has just resigned following a number of incidents around the country where air traffic controllers were found to be sleeping on the job. the faa's chief counsel will take over. this latest incident happened wednesday morning in reno. >> you weren't able to get close to the tower? >> reporter: 2:00 a.m. wednesday morning a medivac plane forced to stay in the air while the pilot tries repeatedly to contact the tower in reno, no answer. >> all right, we'll circle once more. >> reporter: the flight originated in california and urgently needed to land. a radar controller there was listening and offers to call the tower by land line. >> we'll call him on the phone line. >> reporter: after circling for 16 minutes, the pilot says he can't wait any longer and decides to land. the faa says the controller, who has two years on the job, now admits he'd fallen asleep. transportation secretary ray lahood is outraged it's come to this. >> people expect to land at airports safely and i will not sleep until i can assure the flying public that our controllers are awake and alert and able to control airplanes in and out of airports. >> reporter: the admission, coupled with a number of incidents over the past months has prompted officials to add a second controller to midnight shifts at airports across the country. earlier this week, an air traffic controller in seattle caught sleeping on the job march 23rd at reagan national airport. two commercial flights had to land on their own. again, the controller was asleep. a week later, two other controllers in lubbock, texas, couldn't be reached as the plane was trying to land there. all of those controllers have been suspended. a knoxville, controller, though, expected to be fired after a february incident in which the faa says he willfully slept as seven planes landed over a five-hour span. controllers have long argued that the faa should never staff towers with one controller at night. >> the system is built on layers of redundancy of safety and when one falls down, such as somebody nodding off on position on the midnight shift, we have to see exactly why this is happening. >> for a full list of the 26 airports and that radar center that were being manned by one controller overnight, you can go to our website, nbcwashington.com and you might be surprised by who is on that list. airports like san juan, puerto rico and san diego, as far as that patient who was on that medivac plane, he, we understand, is doing fine. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, melissa. controversy at the huntington metro station and news 4 was tipped off by the site that workers were parking illegally at meters near the station. sure enough, our crew saw car after car parked at expired meters for hours without receiving tickets. john triffin tried to find out why the employees were parking there and they were less than helpful. >> you're not allowed to park without paying for the meter. did you pay for the heater? >> why you got that in my face, man? >> reporter: do you think you should be exempt from paying? >> whose problem is that? >> you know you're supposed to pay for this spot. >> metro gm richard sarles released a statement saying metro employees avoiding parking fees at huntington is not only unseeptable but a disservice to both customers and other metro employees. metro officials will ticket its own employees if they are found parking illegally. a fairfax county mother is keeping her 7-year-old daughter home from school until she knows the young girl is safe. this after she said a bully tied her up and choked her. her daughter is afraid to return to brookfield elementary school in chantilly because of the attack. she says the boy wrapped a jump rope around her neck last week and tied her up to a pole. two of jasmine's friends heard her crying and untied her. this wasn't the first time the boy picked on her daughter and she said the school knew what was happening. >> i told them over and over that this is not going to happen, again. this is getting worse and they told me, basically, assured me that something like this wouldn't happen again. and, so, it happened worse this time. >> the student accused in the attack has been suspended. they have hired an attorney. well, for the second time in a week we're hearing about a restaurant chain serving alcohol to a child. jill van heath said she took her 2-year-old son, nick lie, to a hospital after served san grea instead of orange juice at an olive garden in florida. his eyes turned red and dilated. he began acting up. he was given fluids and released from the hospital with no lasting effects. this story comes after reports surfaced about another toddler being served a margarita at an applebee's. they both said they are making changes. or catching a little cat nap. while the vice president is catching some heat this morning, stay with us. nato leaders agree moammar gadhafi must go but don't agree on how that might happen. secretary of state hillary clinton was among the leaders meeting in germany discussing the situation in libya. she is pushing for unity. three weeks of air strikes haven't stopped moammar gadhafi forces and said that nato is not doing enough. this morning, we now know the u.s. is doing limited airstrikes in libya, even though nato took over mission control last week. today the house and senate are set to vote on that long overdo spending measure that will fund the government for the rest of this specifical year. the six-month spending bill will pass with support from both sides of the aisle. $38 billion from the $3.8 trillion budget. analysts say today's vote could be a sign that lawmakers are willing to compromise in the future. president obama is also detailing his plan to cut the nation's deficit by $4 trillion over the next 12 years. in the day ahead, he'll meet with members of his bipartisan fiscal commission to discuss his plan. the president is recommending cuts in three main areas. the first is to medicare and medicaid and the second is to defense funds, those cuts will amount to about $400 billion. finally, the president called for an end to tax cuts for wealthy americans. the cuts put in place by president george w. bush applied to individuals making $200,000 or more a year and to couples making more than $250,000 together. there's probably a lot of days where you feel like you could just fall asleep at work. fortunately, you're probably not caught on camera doing that. this is vice president joe biden at president obama's budget speech yesterday. he was caught for an extended period of time with both eyes closed. this video quickly made its way around the web, of course. biden's aides say the problem they usually have is getting the vice president to relax. >> did you notice the other two people behind them were nodding, too. for a brief second. >> well, you know -- >> it can happen. >> this is why, barbara, adults need recess. we need recess, too. we have to get out for a little bit. >> i'll go for that. little recess. you know on a day like yesterday, rain just kind of makes you feel like snoozing. >> he was up late. i'm there in his court. >> today is not that kind of day. this is a day you want to get out and move. >> today you step outside for a few minutes and you have lunch and get innenergized. get out for a little bit today. let's check on the temperatures with the sunshine and warming very quickly. arlington, virginia, right now at 64 degrees. your wind is light at 3 miles per hour and college park, too, you're now at 63, as well. rockville at 66. look at the rainfall for the month there. over 1.5 inches. and 64 already the temperature in mclean, virginia. i talk about the fact that it's dry, of course, today. even though it's dry. we have flood warnings posted north and west of the area where flooding is imminent or where it's likely to happen. high pressure is overhead right now and our storm system long gone and here's the deal for the shannon shenandoah river. it will rise to 9.9 feet and then start receding. we'll also the water recede potomac river near williamsport flood stage at 23 and forecast is for 15.5 feet later this afternoon and friday morning up to 8 feet. the potomac river near little falls. all right, temperatures throughout the area today, we're going to rise to around 70 degrees. down south 77 atlanta, georgia. 78 degrees in memphis, tennessee. look at the warmth in texas. up to 84 degrees today. so, with that warmth, rising temperatures through the south and moisture coming northward. and a new system, low pressure around oklahoma and this will give way to renewed severe weather threat and right in here arkansas through louisiana and eastern texas. that system makes its way eastward that severe weather threat will move into areas like tennessee, alabama, as well as mississippi. cold front it's a weak one to the north, but it will be a cloud producer for tomorrow and may even produce perhaps a few sprinkles to the south and west. for today, though, high pressure smack dab overhead. there's that front coming into the area and kind of washing out and falling apart tomorrow. so, just some clouds and look at where that rain and even the thunder is by tomorrow. missouri and, again, heading towards tennessee, as well as mississippi. now, i'll zoom in here for you. this is noontime today. we'll get some high clouds moving through as our winds shift to more of a north and northeasterly direction. forecast then for your afternoon and evening, mostly clear sky, pleasant 51 to 54 degrees. a look at your four-day forecast as far as tomorrow morning, 45 to 46 degrees. 70 today, 60 tomorrow and it's looking like showers maybe some thunderstorms saturday late through saturday night and 67 for sunday. >> okay. thank you. we'll see you, again, in just a little bit. we have some breaking news right now on the vw parkway. there were approximately 30 eighth grade students from academy school in northwest washington on board for a field trip today. paramedics described everyone as being in good condition, even though some of the children may have been exposed to a little bit of the smoke from that bus. you can see it out there, that was a live picture and we'll check on the traffic right now with tanya hutchins. >> this is definitely an area you'll want to avoid if you're heading northbound. make sure you use as an alternate either route 1 or 95. at last report, all lanes were still blocked northbound. so, this is causing a major traffic delay here. this is going to take some time to clean up. lots of onlookers, as well. southbound traffic is still open, so, that is getting by as you can see. so, just avoid this area and use route 1 or 95 as alternates if you're heading northbound. let's move on to virginia 95 at 123 in woodridge. take a look at some construction that is going on here in the right lane. we have slowdowns that will cause anywhere from a 35 to 40-minute delay. things are also improving. these delays are easing a bit. barbara. >> all right, thank you, tanya. we will continue to follow that breaking news out there with that school bus. still ahead on news 4 midday, the latest on catherine zeta jones and her treatment for bypolar disorder and learn more about that condition. steve hayes tells us two things every workout program has got to have. first, here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime. spring can be the perfect time to begin a new fitness program whether you spent the winter on the couch or simply need a change of pace. steve hayes joins us this morning with two things that every exercise program must have. hey, steve. >> hello, barbara. >> you brought a familiar face. familiar because she looks a little bit like you. >> that's my daughter, janay. >> you visited us once before. you are an athlete yourself, right? >> yes, something like that. i played volleyball and basketball and played professionally overseas. so, i guess you could say that. >> in college you -- >> i went to duke university. >> you were on the volleyball team there. >> and basketball team. >> she has a lot of strength to show us these two things that you say we must know how to do. >> first thing. cardio conditioning and strength training. that is the main thing we need to do this year. we are coming out of the the clothing and we want to make sure our body looks right for the summertime. >> what do we start with? >> let's start off with our cardio blast. this is a great exercise. she goes down to the floor and as hops from one side to the other she'll step back. you see, she's stepping back and that is working the hamstring and the quad. backwards lunge. not only cardio with the hop, but the gluts, the quad and do ten repetitions on each leg. >> that will take some practice to do it as well as she does. >> after you do it one time, it becomes almost automatic. >> so, ten repetitions on each side. >> when you hop over, you use the leg on the other side to go back for the lunge. >> yes. >> now, you say we're going to go to the weights now and start with the arms. >> oh, yes. now, we're going to show you how to work the upper body in two different ways. this is called a punch out and a thrust, all at the same time. as you can see, she'll punch out and then brings it out this way. punch it, bring it in and this way you're working, i'm sorry, the triceps, the shoulders and the top part of the arms. and, also, with that ankle, you are using those abdominals. >> we know that the arms are very important. sleeveless dresses. >> the waving of the arms. >> and for the guys, too, this is an important exercise. we always think of it for women. how many repetitions of that? >> you want to do ten repetitions. three sets of ten. >> the two most important things are cardio for the heart -- >> and strength training because you're burning body fat and each one allows that body to burn the fat for energy fuel and it takes the inches off. >> so, the cardio will include that legs. we have your legs and your arms. what about nutrition? >> the nutrition tip today is protein. many types of proteins they can eat. you want a protein that synthesizes into the body real quick so you don't feel sluggish. your chicken, fish and eggs because it metabolizes quick and goes out. the red meats and everything, they're good for you, but what happens is they stay in the system a little longer and takes you longer to process it and you're more sluggish when you're trying to train and get yourself in shape. >> have to go for some protein, mostly vegetables. >> oh, yes, i love vegetables. >> so great to have you with us. >> pleasure being here. >> you and your dad look a lot alike. both in great shape. >> she keeps me in shape. >> see you next week. >> thank you so much, barbara. and coming up in the next half of news 4 midday, the women who picked up a inew york boy. >> the fear on his face, i'll never forget it for the rest of my life. that is the woman that picked up that boy in new york who escaped when his mother drove her minivan into the hudson river killing herself and his siblings. plus, where a local mayor has been evicted. veronica johnson looks ahead to the weekend and the rain [ grunting ] [ lawnmower running ] darn joneses. surprise! 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right now on news 4 midday, the budget deal that helped prevent a full government shutdown will go up for a vote on capitol hill. a six-month government spending bill is expected to pass with support from both sides of the aisle later today. it calls for $38 billion in cuts from the $3.8 trillion 2011 budget. the man suspected in yesterday's deadly shooting at a fairfax county barbershop is being held without bond on murder charges. hung nguyen turned himself in. he opened fire killing one person and injuring another. nguyen used to work at that barbershop. new details in the case of a mother who drove her kids into the hudson river. she tried to throw her minivan into reverse after she did it. but it was too late. nbc mara reports. >> we need you right now. >> reporter: after losing so much, the family of lashonda armstrong is trying to make sense of the senseless and figure out why a 25-year-old mother would kill herself and three of her young children. >> and i'm like, mom, what happened? calm down. calm down. and she, that's when she told me she said, she drove the van into the water. they're gone, they're gone. >> reporter: though armstrong, a student and working single mother of four was overwhelmed at times, they say she was generally happy and cheerful. but in the last few weeks she seemed clearly upset about something. even afraid. >> she was talking to me about how she felt like somebody was watching her. she felt like there was pages of her diary missing, the lights in her house were flickering on and off. >> reporter: most disturbing of all, armstrong began repeatedly apologizing to her friends and family which they now see as a cry for help. >> i apologize if i've ever done anything to you to hurt you. i said, why do you keep apologizing? >> she started calling family and apologizing and saying sorry and it's like nobody knew why. >> reporter: police say tuesday evening armstrong loaded all four of her children into a minivan before driving down a boat ramp and into the hudson river. killing herself, 5-year-old landon, 2-year-old lance and 11-month-old leanna. their bodies discovered in the van under eight feet of water. but the oldest child, the 10-year-old, survived climbing out of a window and flagging down passing motorist. >> he was waving his hand frantically and his face was full of fear and he said, would you please help me, president help me. the frozen fear on his face was just, i'll never forget it for the rest of my life. >> reporter: once safe, ryan told wnbc's pazy chang he recounted the chilling story of what his mother had done. >> i want to take you, i want to die and you're all going with me. >> i'm just so proud of my nephew to have the strength and the courage to get out. >> reporter: officials say the murder/suicide may have happened after a domestic dispute. earlier that evening police got a call from armstrong's family concerned she was tussling with the kids' father. when officers arrived, no one was home. they still can't make sense of what made this young mother snap. >> something got under her and clipped her where she felt there was nothing left. >> the 10-year-old is now staying with relatives. a couple hours from now, a house subcommittee is set to grill army leaders about the recent burial mistakes at arlington national cemetery. the hearing comes a day after we learned of even more errors at the cemetery. officials say they recently found eight cases in which family members were buried at the same grave site, but not all of their names were added to the headstones marking the grave. virginia attorney general is trying to prevent the commonwealth's board of social services from allowing same-sex couples to adopt. he claims the board doesn't have the legal authority to implement new regulations that would add sexual orientation to the list of classes protected from discrimination. right now only married coupluou and single men and women can adopt in virginia. gay rights are urging the social services board to impose the new regulations anyway. well, you could live at the white house, but it will cost you millions. the scales down replica of the white house is for sale in mclean. it's 12,000 square feet and includes six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gym and a home theater. the current owners are asking $6.5 million for it. that's still cheaper than the white house itself on pennsylvania avenue, which is valued at $253 million. >> i'm only going to take it if it comes with a weather studio. that's the deal breaker. >> a lot cheaper than the one on pennsylvania avenue. >> maybe a whole studio, that way you could come, too, and do the news from there. >> isn't it amazing how much it looks like the white house. >> someone was very good with the detail. and i have an apology today because i said i was going to wear red. >> and i did. just like you told me to do. >> i got to the dry cleaners, sorry, your suit's not ready. i'll wear it tomorrow in support for the next game. >> i'm rocking the red for you today. >> let's take a look at what's going on. beautiful out there. 65 the temperature right now. we've got a very light wind thanks to high pressure smack dab over the area. if you're traveling even up to philadelphia or new york today. very nice conditions south, too. 67 to 70 degrees. i'm calling it nice and warm for today. close to 73 and maybe 74 degrees. fredericksburg, st. mary's good conditions, too. later tonight, 5:00, 7:00. we'll drop to 64 degrees and by 11:00 into the mid-50s. we are going to see clouds on the increase late tonight and that will give us a partly sunny day tomorrow. not quite, not nearly as warm. 60 degrees the high tomorrow. and then those showers and storms will come in with the next big system on saturday. >> okay. and you'll be wearing red tomorrow. >> tomorrow. >> i'll see you, again, shortly. prince william county schools now have a concussion policy in place. under the new rules students diagnosed with or appear to have a concussion will be given time to heal. the students will receive comprehensive support until they are symptom free. the school board adopted the policy in a 6-0 vote last night. today attorneys for the nfl and locked out players will meet in the minnesota federal court. the two sides will meet after a federal judge ordered them to get together for another round of mediation. it's the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since the owners locked out the players a little more than a month ago. this is the nfl's first work stoppage since 1987. a judge ordered both sides to keep details about this meeting controversial, despite the lockout, the league released its preseason schedule earlier this year. . barry bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice by a federal jury, however, the jury deadlocked on the three perjury charges based on his telling a federal grand jury back in 2003 that he never knowingly used steroids or human growth hormones. bonds faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prissen for the obstruction of justice conviction. the sluggers' lawyers already said they will appeal the guilty verdict. the capitals began their quest with a nailbiter. washington won late in overtime to take a 1-0 lead over the new york rangers. the caps were trailing with about six minutes left in the game. he slams the puck home and a goal mouth scramble. they had to review the goal, but it counted and the game was tied at 1-1. we head to o.t. now with about 1:30 left. alexander blasts home the game winner. the goalie stopped 24 shots for the win and sounded like a seasoned veteran afterwards. >> it's good for my confidence, but, you know, it's only just one game and it doesn't mean anything right now. i got to be, i got to be there for friday and play maybe even better. >> the caps and rangers are right back at it tomorrow night at 7:30 at the verizon center. and now to the latest on that school bus fire on the parkway. tanya hutchins joins us with the latest. >> all laned blocked. we are talking about the washington baltimore parkway northbound let's look at video shot earlier. all lanes are blocked northbound. all of the traffic is being detoured at nasa and turned around. you'll have to make a u-turn. delays begin before the beltway. this is a pretty bad accident. southbound is open, but it's going to be slow from 197. if you're heading northbound, you can use 95 or route 1 as alternat alternates, but, remember, everyone else is doing that, too. huge backup for the northbound traffic. so, you'll just want to avoid this area. good news is all the kids on that bus that was on fire, all the kids got off and are okay. let's take a quick look in virginia. 66 eastbound. that is going to be slow from the exit to the inner loop through falls church and delays are improving a little bit, though, it's not quite stop and go any more. so, improvements here and we're glad everyone is okay with that bus fire, except for the people in the traffic. barbara? >> thank you so much, tanya. the mayor of one maryland city is out of her home today. brentwood mayor wright was evicted from her rented home yesterday. prince georges county sheriff deputies put all of her things outside in the rain. the landlord says she owes him more than $7,000. that's not the only financial problem she apparently faces. a city council member is accusing her of used an unauthorized debit card to pay for personal expenses with town funds. we're learning more about catherine zeta zones and her short stent in a mental health facility. she checked into a mental health facility to deal with bipolar 2. fewer of those highs that they often have. earlier on "today" dr. nancy sniderman said michael douglas' recent battle with throat cancer could exacerbate this. >> this used to be called manic-depressive disorder. we can see bipolar disease in really creative people. we're not talking about those kinds of extremes here, but certainly the stress. if you look at catherine zeta jones with a husband with cancer and small children and turning 41. >> they had plenty this year. >> this has been a power-packed year for tha kind of stress. >> snyderman commended her for coming forward with her bipolar disorder so people don't unfairly stigmatize it. the bad news released this morning on the job market. plus, planning a hiking or camping trip? we'll look at some of the hot [ male announcer ] are you watching cable? here's what you should be watching: your cable bill. because you could be paying way too much. stop spending more for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. call now and get this special bonus: $100 back. fios is a 100% fiber-optic network that delivers superior picture quality, the best channel lineup, more hd, plus the fastest internet in the u.s. there's no term contract required. why keep paying for cable? get fios tv, internet and phone -- for just $99.99 a month, plus $100 back. this is a limited time offer, so don't wait. call 1.888.884.fios. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's 1.888.884.3467. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. get the network that delivers more. get fios. a network ahead. airlines racked up more than $3 million in profit in bag fees last year. what happens if they lose your bag? the transportation department is asking passengers to give a refund on their bag fee if they lose the bag. last year airlines misplaced 2 million bags. bag fees run anywhere from $20 all the way up to $50 a bag. well, more people applied for unemployment benefits last week. the first increase in three weeks. let's check in with cnbc hampton piersee pier pearson. >> we started the day in negative territory after that weekly jobless claims report which saw a rise in jobless claims for the first time in three weeks. right now the dow is down 54 points and the nasdaq down 18 and the s&p down . initial jobless claims increased by 27,000 to seasonally adjusted 412,000 last week and the prior weeks' figures were revised upward to 385,000 by the labor department. economists have been looking for an increase of just 3,000 claims. jobless benefit applications peaked at 659,000 during the recession and have dropped by 6% in the last four months. a little bit of good news on the inflation front. the producer price index that measures what manufacturers and wholesalers are paying for goods and materials was up just 0.7% in march. a tad better than the consensus forecast and a big decline from february. the ppi excluding food and energy rose 0.3%, not the kind of number that will have the fed worrying about inflation. meanwhile, shares of ford motor company fell 2% after the automaker announced plans it was expanding the recall of the popular f-150 pickup truck because of a problem with their airbags. the ford f-series truck is the best selling vehicle in the u.s. earning season highlights today toymaker hasbro said profits fell by 71% in the last quarter and the stock is down just 1%. grocery store chain super value is up 12%. stock in the largest supermarket chain rose after it beat profit expectations, but revenue is down from a year ago. later today, all eyes will focus on google, which reports earnings after the markets close. barbara? >> okay, hampton, thank you. >> you got it. we want to reintroduce you to a young lady still waiting for a permanent family. i took andrea to meet one of her heroes d.c. police chief cathy lanier in this week's wednesday's child. >> andrea, i'm barbara. i'm so happy to see you. >> me, too. >> i hear you want to be a police officer some day, is that right? >> yes. >> i think you'll enjoy what we're doing today. you're going to see what it is like to be a police chief. d.c. police chief cathy lanier welcomed us. >> nice to meet you. welcome. the chief showed andrea around and shared some of her stories of the interesting aspects of her job. and what it takes to be chosen for the force. >> my first assignment was walking the beat in the fourth district. >> andrea listened intently to the chief's answers to her questions. those who know her say andrea is a bright young lady who, unfortunately, has been without a real home and family for most of her life. >> she's had multiple placements. she had some relatives placements that didn't work out and some good homes. >> andrea brought some questions for the chief that she had written down before she came. what is your favorite part of your job? >> oh, my favorite part of the job? talking to people and seeing the canine dogs like we're going to do here in a few minutes. >> outside we met red with his trainer of the bomb squad. andrea was impressed with how smart red is. >> what is your favorite subject? >> math. >> do you do well in math? >> yes. >> what kind of grades are you making? >> as and bs. >> she's hoping for a family that will appreciate her hard work in school and a family with a dog. >> a mother, a father and kids and a pet. >> i'm looking for a family that can help andrea learn how to trust again. someone who is going to love for her and care for her. >> and then i got you -- >> not exactly the dog that andrea is wishing for, but a cute police panda and the chief warned andrea to keep it away from dogs like red. >> because he would love to have this. and you won't get it back. >> if you have room in your home and your heart for andrea, call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me. or you can logon to our home page at nbcwashington.com. 11:50 is the time. coming up, where to hit the hiking trails this weekend. plus, meteorologist veronica johnson lets us know how long this beautiful weather will la happening today, defense secretary robert gates is taking part in a groundbreaking at mt. vern vernon. a $47 million library will be constructed. the library will house more than 2,000 books from the 18th and 19th centuries, including 80 books that belonged to the first president. the new venture is privately funded and will be named after its chief contributor fedex ceo, fred smith. warmer weather means we're all getting out of the house a little bit more often. joining us to talk about some of the outdoorsy things to do. hi, lavonya. >> hi. >> let's talk about hiking in our area. a lot of folks like to hike and you're featuring this week, the billy goat trail. is that right? >> it's spring outside and great time to get out. if you never have, the billy goat trail is a great one to get out and try hiking here in the area. so popular with hikers because it offers this really great view of the white water. it's a very steep trail, too. the first section is the most popular. it's section a and 1.7 miles and it gives you views like this and a great workout. it's very steep and not for kids, but definitely for folks -- >> i asked that question. this is mostly over rocks. >> this is over rocks. very rocky, sort of hilly. but if you're in good shape, you should be able to navigate it just fine. >> do you need to wear a life vest? >> you don't have to go that close to the water? >> let's move on now. some people want to stay overnight when they're hiking. you have some ideas about places you could hike to and then sleep over. >> if you are like me, you're high maintenance and you like your blow dryer. >> are you high maintenance? >> i am high maintenance and there are places you can go camping and still have that experience without giving up those amenities. a half dozen cabins just like that. they have electricity, a microwave and like a studio apartment and a refrigerator and air conditioning in the summer, which is so important. >> wow, that means you have to carry that hair dryer and that backpack. >> everywhere. and the great thing about this place is, it's great for kids, too. if the kids get tired or hot in the middle of the summer, it has a water park. not too far, not too far. you can head over there and have a nice day and cool off. >> that sounds like a terrific idea. let's stay in virginia and talk about water sports. >> in virginia a lot of places will offer kayaking and canoeing. you can rent them including georgetown but at the bay they actually offer na er naturalist. you can head on a tour with a naturalist that will point out some of the trees and wildlife that you'll see on your tour. it is a two-hour tour and they kick off next saturday. >> sounds terrific. thanks so much. >> thanks. >> for more ideas for your weekend, logon to the around the town section of nbcwashington.com with the going out guide on washingtonpost.com. well, we'll take a look at some of the stories we're following for news 4 this afternoon. pat joins us with a preview of things to come. >> here's some of the stories we're following at 4:00. the facebook factor. how the social media factor played an enti intergle role. one of the most famous designers in the world even oprah, oprah winfrey begged him to design for her. we'll introduce you to the man that lives right here in washington. those stories and the latest on our weather coming up, starting on news 4 at 4:00. barbara? >> those are some beautiful rooms. i can't wait to hear about them. time for a final check on our forecast. here's veronica johnson. >> zoom, boom, out the door we go. in the 60s right now. low and mid-60s and a high of 70 degrees and nice and warm conditions tloutd the area. we talked bout it earlier. the flood warning along the shannsha shenandoah. the flood levels are high from the recent rain and williamsport, maryland, over some of the area roads. until that water recedes, they have a flood warning there until 7:45. 73 degrees down south in fredericksburg. as far as locations to the south and east around 70 st. mary's and a lot of sunshine and high clouds will come into the area late and by 7:00, 64 with mostly sunny sky and 55 by 11:00 p.m. and then tomorrow a little cold front comes through without any rain. 60 the high temperature and looks like showers to start your day saturday, probably as early as 9:00 a.m. and scattered showers and a better chance of thunderstorms for the late afternoon and the evening. sunday, barbara, the best day of out of the weekend. >> today looks fabulous. thanks so much. thank you. that's news 4 midday. we thank you for being with us today. we invite you to tune in for more news at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 and tonight at 11:00. i'll be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. with news 4 midday. we'll be talking gardening tomorrow. have a terrific day and we'll see you in the morning.