the northwest. this has to come through during the evening hours. for the next few hours, some of this could be strong to severe. temperatures have been up into the 80s. we had very strong winds coming in, too. severe thunderstorm warning in effect technically for montgomery county until 5:45 but there is nothing severe right now. if you are in howard county and ann arundel, you are under the warning as well as well as baltimore county as well. keep an eye on the thunderstorms. there is probably more coming this evening. we will have a first look at the forecast coming up as well. turning to the other top story, the hunt is on for a killer on the run. d.c. middle school principal brian betts was found shot to death in his bedroom. it happened in the same house where a father and daughter were murdered eight years ago. paul wagner is live at montgomery county police headquarters with more. >> reporter: we got an update a little while ago. the investigators are working on the theory that brian betts was killed by someone he knew. there was no forced entry to the house. his s.u.v. was taken as well as other items of value taken from the house. he was last seen wednesday night. today outside shaw middle school, friends, coworkers and teachers remembered brian betts with a fashion for teaching, a real superstar. reporter: brian betts loved the kids at shaw and they loved him back. the ninth graders didn't move on to high school. they wanted to create a 10th grade at shaw. an idea michelle rhee was considering. >> last year i ran track. i passed out. i was taken to the hospital. before my mom got there, anybody, my dad, brother, mr. betts was the first person to get to me. >> reporter: brian betts had such connection with his students, he would give them his personal cell phone number telling them to call between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. >> my staff would come back from a visit at the school and say that place is alive. the kids love being there. the adults love being there. it's such a positive place to be. that is a huge testament to the work that he did. >> reporter: michelle rhee knew him well having recruited him from montgomery county schools. they talked frequently. she knew of no trouble in his life. the last time someone heard from betts was through a text message about 8:30 wednesday night. neighbors saw him in his backyard barbecuing with friends. when he didn't show up to work, friends went looking for him. they found the front door ajar. >> every morning 7:50 to 8:30 he is on the corner greeting us. it's those things that matter. he was with them before school, after school, on the weekends. it was a 24-7 job for him. >> reporter: friends say brian betts didn't know until after he purchased this house it was the same house where erica smith and her father gregory russell were murdered in 2002. he was so unhappy about it, he had the house blessed. montgomery county police don't think there is a connection between that double murder and the murder of brian betts. the man that killed erica smith and her father was found guilty and sentenced to prison. police tonight are still looking for brian betts vehicle described as a dark blue 2007 nissan exterra. it has maryland plates 567 m 222. if you see that vehicle, police are asking you to give them a call. maureen? >> let's hope someone can help. thank you for that. a warning to women manage the georgetown area -- in the georgetown area. there was another attack. it happened at 2:00 this morning. a young woman says the man came up behind her, put his hand up her dress and tour part of her clothing. she was able to escape and the suspect took off. developing story out of landover maryland, swat temperatures rush to a scene after reports of a man barricaded inside an apartment. police believed at first he had hostages. beth parker is live with what happened out there. >> reporter: well, will, it was quite a scene at the woodland landing apartments. we want to go right to the video so you can see what it looked like a little while ago. residents were locked out of about six of the buildings here at the apartment complex. witnesses say police with bull horns were trying to talk to a man that they believe was inside one of the apartments. sources tell fox 5 the man came home to find his daughter at the apartment with a teenage boy. the original call indicated that that man might have had a weapon. >> when i first pulled in, i was taking my mother to the doctors. i came in and the police stopped me, told me what was going on here. so, made me turn back around. he was saying something about a hostage situation. >> i just pulled up. i seen everything going on. they told me i couldn't get to my building. i had to walk around, got around. found out i still couldn't get to my building. >> reporter: this whole situation went on about four hours. it has been resolved. police were able to get in the apartment and learn that the man was not inside. the young lady is getting help from social services. as for the teenage boy, sources tell us that he went to the school where he attend and then from there was transported to the hospital. we are told that he had minor injuries and expected to be okay. live in lanham, beth parker. back to you. a school sexting scandal. montgomery county police are investigating explicit pictures of students that may have been distributed or sold to two schools involving thomas pyle middle. matt ackland is reporting on this. >> reporter: the investigation could take weeks. they don't know how many students are involved. authorities are saying it appears a student may be using a device or may have using a device similar to this to show pictures of female students. and that student may have been charging a fee for a chance to see the pictures. it's a decision that can happen in a flash. but the image from that decision can last a lifetime on the internet. i have three daughters. i talked to all three of them not to take pictures and be careful before you push the send button. >> reporter: some students didn't get the warning. the principal at pyle said he first learned about the sexually explicit pictures when a student walked in the office. >> when i asked what the concern was, he was very nervous and shared that there were inappropriate pictures on the device. >> reporter: school officials say those images of young female students were traded and even sold. to who and how many students? well, officials wouldn't elaborate except to say students have been punished. >> students who purchased or sold the pictures we have provided consequences. again, i can't speak to what those consequences were but we did address that. >> reporter: this incident is not only being talked about at thomas pyle middle and walt whitman high, all the schools are looking into the problem. >> we have an entire program build around cyber safety. we will -- all of our principals are talking about this. >> reporter: lisa brown says in this day and age it was important for her to speak to her kids about new technology and the issues it brings. she thinks more parents should do the same before it's too late. >> i heard about this kind of phenomenon and how dangerous it is. once they make the mistake, it's all over everybody's phone. >> reporter: part of this investigation is trying to figure out if the photographs were e-mailed or placed on the internet. police say there are so many layers to the investigation, if charges are filed, it will be weeks from now. will? >> thank you. a traffic alert for metro riders. long delays begin tonight. trains will share a single track on the red, blue, orange and green lines. that means you want to add about 40 extra minutes to travel time. the delays will affect a lot of you heading to the games. the nationals, capitals and d.c. united will be playing this weekend. metro is replacing old track components. the weather has loudoun county issuing an important burn ban through 8:00 a.m. tomorrow because of the possibility that wildfires could start and spread. there are open burning restrictions that prohibit open burning before 4:00 in the afternoon. today is the third anniversary of the mass shootings at virginia tech. the campus in richmond held a solemn ceremony remembering the victims that died. the bell rang 32 times, once for each of the students and faculty gunned down in 2007. governor mcdonnell lead the ceremony. the crowd observed a moment of silence. mcdonnell said during his term in office they will hold a virginia tech remembrance day after april 16th. actor danny glover arrested at a local protest. why police were called in still ahead. thousands of passengers worldwide are stuck in situations like this at the airport with no plane to board. staying on top of a developing story with travel plans and chaos all over the world. this is dulles. nearly ever flight heading to europe is canceled. late this afternoon, british airways announced it's canceling all flights two and from london today and tomorrow. the volcano began erupting wednesday sending smoke and ash miles into the air. now it's being pushed over some of the most busiest air routes in the world. fox's david lee miller has more on the travel trouble. >> reporter: airport counters across europe are quiet. flights are grounded because of this spectacular ash. the plume is spreading across europe. >> the navigation systems and concerns about particles in engines. >> reporter: that's why planes are parked on the tarmac. >> i have been here days and days and hours and hours, just waiting. that's all i can do. i'm frustrated, irritated, twitter-pated and disgusted. >> reporter: passengers have been forced to camp out at jfk after flights were scrapped. >> a nightmare. nobody tells you anything. they said they would tell us within the hour and nobody came down and told us anything until the next day. >> a few beds but -- >> reporter: the predicament is extensive. travelers lucky to get hotel rooms are forking over big bucks. >> i'm completely lost. >> they are providing us with food and water and drinks and blankets. the floor is hard but we got through the night. >> reporter: it's a massive financial burden on the carriers as well. the industry is losing $200 million a day in revenue and that is being called a conservative figure. in new york, david lee miller, fox news. officials in poland are concerned the ash clouds could threaten the arrival of leaders to the president's funeral on sunday. [ inaudible ] allowing gays and lesbian pants rights to visit them. tom fitzgerald is here with more details. tom? >> reporter: maureen, this decision is being applauded by gay rights groups as an important step for all patients, gays and straight. some hospitals didn't allow them to visit partners because they were not technically relatives. this order tells hospitals they could lose federal fund if the patient can't choose their visitors. it instructs hospitals that receive medicare and medicaid payments that they must respect the right of patients to designate visitors. they may not deny visitors on the base of race, color, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. the project director of the human rights campaign says the move is an important step for all patients. >> you should be able to designate that person. for people who aren't married, regardless of sexual orientation, is it your mother, father, best friend, former college roommate. people need to decide for themselves. that's what this memo gets at. >> reporter: it's no secret the obama administration was strongly backed by gay rights advocates in the 2008 presidential race but in recent months the president faces criticism from the same group for moving to slowly to expand rights for gays and lesbians. president obama wants more americans to head outdoors. he signed a land conservation measure into law. it will protect more of the country's land from pollution and climate change. the signing kicked off the white house conference on the great outdoors including listening sessions throughout the nation to get ideas from community and regional conservation groups. students got outside and got their hands dirty working in the garden. executive chef reserves 300 feet of his garden space to teach kids how to raise herbs and vegetables. one of his helpers has a couple of years experience. >> it helps me -- it helps us, we have something to do instead of being in the house. >> students are in middle school and members of higher achievement a nonprofit enrichment program. after the work, the chef prepared a lunch to thank them. >> not a bad deal. we have trouble outdoors. we started the newscast with word of storms rolling through here. >> i guess it's a spring phenomenon. we see the pop-up thunderstorms. not to overshadow the beautiful day we had today, gary. >> temperatures up in the mid to close to upper 80s in some places with the sunshine. let's get to it. we have active warnings out there. what you see colorized, the yellow, that indicates the counties under a severe thunderstorm warning until 5:45. montgomery county was under a severe thunderstorm warning until 5:45 but it was canceled. there is no storm activity from montgomery county. ann arundel up to baltimore and hartford are under warnings until 5:45. notice a couple of things as we track the storms to the east, they are weakening. we expect heavy rain with the thunderstorms this evening. there is more on true view. expect heavy rain at times, very gusty winds. that is prompting the severe thunderstorm warnings this afternoon. in terms of the forecast for the evening hours, showers and scattered thunderstorms possible. the atmosphere looks unstable the next few hours. forecast for the weekend in a few minutes. maureen? >> thank you, gary. people in the midwest a bit startled after capturing a glimpse of a giant meet year -- meteor streaking across the region. >> everyone was stunned. >> reporter: from a view of the squad car -- >> it was extremely bright. >> reporter: to surveillance cameras across wisconsin. >> as bad as anything i have seen in 30 years. >> reporter: the event may not be forgotten by the editor of astronomy magazine. he says it's possible the light was a falling satellite but it was most likely the debris of a comet. it could be billions of years old traveling from the furthest edges of the solar system. before hitting the earth's atmosphere. >> it could have been something the size of a car or bus to produce this much light or energy. >> reporter: he said it traveled two to three times the top speed of a commercial airliner. >> came in through the atmosphere at a couple thousand miles an hour. >> reporter: likely reached thousands of degrees. >> it explodes. >> reporter: what could remain is debris the size of a bowling ball. >> we have plenty that saw the meteor. >> reporter: here are two meteorite samples. >> you can see it sticks to it. >> reporter: the rarer kind has an obvious magnetic pull. if anything remains it would look and act like a rock. but the size of a bowling ball, that meteorite could fetch an uncommon price. >> probably worth several hundred thousand dollars easily. >> neat stuff. it may be a few days before scientists can determine what debris may have fallen. bad news for allergy sufferers. maureen is looking at me because i'm suffering. what is keeping you from getting over the allergy season? at 5:30, actor danny glover part of what should have been a peaceful protest. why did he wind up in handcuffs. that is still ahead. keaith fox 5 health alert. pollen counts are reaching record highs. allergy sufferers are feeling it. the sudden shift to warm weather after unusually long cold winter is to blame and the cold weather is blocking rain storms that would wash away the pollen. if you are fighting knee problems you may think you need shoes with a lot of support but flip-flops may be the thing to have or going barefoot could put less of a load on your knee. 30 patients were looked at and compared clogs, stability shoes and the load was 15% lower when patients were barefoot or wore flip-flops. a local university is ready to welcome the first lady at commencement. who will join her on stage? a potential math mistake ends with a formal lawsuit filed today. a war of words over a math mistake has taken center stage over whether d.c. budget schools is running a surplus or deficit. john henrehan has the latest develop's on this one. >> reporter: the teacher's union announced it will not hold a ratification election on a proposed five year contract until they certify that d.c. has the money to pay for promised raises it used to be a two-way fight, the chancellor of d.c. schools versus the washington teacher's union. now a three-way brawl including the chief financial officer. on tuesday rhee told the city council a multimillion dollar surplus will pay for a new contract that promises 20% raise for d.c. teachers. on thursday, gandy says a surplus does not exist. gandy projects more than 20 million in overspending for central operations, administrators not classrooms and 10 million in overspending in overtime and other items. rhee fired back with her own letter complaining that as of march 19th the cfo staff predicted a surplus in the school budget of approximately 30 million. now that the number has shifted she rights that they have identified sources to fill the balance. those unidentified sources presumeably will pay for the promised raises for teachers. the union is ridiculing the situation. >> this week was not a shining moment for the d.c. government or the d.c. public schools. the keystone cop nature of their actions would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. >> reporter: the teacher's union is asking a d.c. judge to reopen their case that the firings of 266 teachers were illegal. with the budget numbers now all over the map, the union believes the judge may want to revisit the original complaint. the teacher's union is delaying a ratification vote on the new contract until it's certified that d.c. can afford the deal. the ball is now in gandy's court. >> john henrehan sorting is out for us. thank you. no word on whether gandy will issue his report on the affordability of the teacher's contract. dpan danny glover was put in handcuffs during a union protest. the charge, trespassing. 12 people were arrested in the rally. they were released. the workers were protesting against low wages. they say their civil rights are being violated by big corporations. before his arrest, glover rallied the crowd. >> more than 2.5 billion people on this planet live on less than $2 a day. more than a billion live on less than $1 a day. what is happening is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. >> this rally was in gaithersburg. the protestors were joined. [ inaudible ] there were civil disobedience rallies in 11 states. the government is accusing goldman sachs of defrauding investors. the sec says they failed to disclose con thrict of interests in mortgages they sold just as the housing market was fault tearing. the sec filed a civil lawsuit against the company. you sent off your taxes or at least the extension. don't forget to mail other important papers, the government census forms. today is the official deadline to send in the 2010 census form. 68% of households returned the form. after this weekend, the mission shifts from collecting the forms to compiling lists of unresponsive household and then visiting you in person. >> so much is riding on the 2010 census. if people want to avoid having someone come knocking on the door around the first of may, it's important they send it back today or this weekend at the latest. >> if you mail in the form it costs taxpayers, you, 42 cents. you can still mail them in after today they will still take them. if someone has to come to your house, it costs the taxpayers you, $57 per household. big difference. wisconsin has the highest return rates. alaska has the lowest. today is emancipation day in d.c. on april 16, 1862, president lincoln signed an act freeing slaves in d.c. the day became an official d.c. hold in 2005. special events including a rally and march were held. she faced tough competition but george washington university senior zoey has won the honor of speaking alongside michelle obama at graduation. she will graduate from the elliott school of international affairs speaks before the first lady at the may 16th commencement. the d.c. region is setting a good example when it comes to being less wasteful. the area ranked 9th. it looked at recycling to using public transportation to shutting off the lights when you leave a room. san francisco topped the list of least wasteful cities for the second year in a row. wedding season is upon us. looking your best doesn't have to break the bank. from the gown to the accessories we have your shopping secrets all ahead. t breaking news, more trouble for toyota. the carmaker is recalling 600,000 minivans. core rugs is in a spare -- chorus shown in a spare tire carrier. the new safe way on m street across the waterfront is from the metro station. one classic video game is paying off big times for a texas man. he told it online for 31,$600. only 12 copies of the game made for attari are -- atari are known to exist. he says he bought it back in 1984 for ten bucks when he was shopping with his mom. justin says he and his friend hated the game so he never played it which is why he probably had it in perfect condition and in the original box. >> did you have an atari. >> i think my older sister did, much, much older. it is a walk down memory lane. >> i was a twinkle in my mother's eye. this weekend could be your gorgeous spring weather. after the storm passes, of course. clear skies and sunshine for part of the time. will the weather hold? wedding season is here. for brides to be the hunt is on. brenda butner has a look at the latest trends and styles. wedding fashions are about keeping it simple with a few style issue extras. >> a lot of things that are transforming from your wedding to your reception. it gives two completely different looks without spending a lot of money. >> reporter: starting with the dress. silhouettes are showing off curves while staying feminine and refined. >> she can still feel great about herself and her mom doesn't feel like she is showing everything. >> reporter: for the accessories, bling is the thing. >> tons of bling, lots of sparkles. here and there touches of rain stones and glitz. >> we are seeing so many sparkling belts. what is great is that a bride can really buy a simpler gown and have two dresses in one. >> reporter: watch for strategically placed feathers making their way down the aisle. >> incorporate them attached to the dress or in your hair. >> '50 inspired wedding dress, small vintage netting, those are big. >> reporter: eco-friendly brides are going green and looking glam. >> according to the wedding channel tot com 2009 real wedding survey, 11% of brides are incorporating eco-friendly decor in their wedding. this includes organic materials through and there. >> reporter: in new york, brenda butner, fox news. >> beautiful all those gowns. >> i thought our producer raquel who is engaged would be taking notes but she already has her dress. >> gary, let's get serious. we were talking about the storms earlier. >> everything seems to be quieting down. there is more coming our way. some of the clouds look ominous. we had lots of sunshine today. you know it's been windy and warm. temperatures have dropped orlando jumped into the lower to mid-80s for just about everybody. they will come crashing down through the weekend. temperatures tomorrow will be 20 to 25 degrees colder than what we had today. we start with max hd radar to show you what is going on. a little thunderstorm activity pushes through to the northeast of us. that is out toward the bay. nothing at least right here around the metro area that will bring us problems. if we get tighter here, we will be able to see the line of showers from aberdeen up i-95. earlier it was severe. it's no longer severe. up north to hagerstown to southern sections of pennsylvania here, the yellow that you are seeing from a severe thunderstorm watch. now, we don't have that here for us. but, again, up in pennsylvania where the storms are a little stronger, there was a watch in place. right now there is nothing too heavy around us in the way of showers or thunderstorms. that doesn't mean that we won't get more. through the evening hours, we are talking about this possibility of severe thunderstorm activity pretty much area wide. then to the north of us, the greatest chance will be into pennsylvania and back out into western maryland. i still think for the next few hours we have at least a slight possibility of getting another round of thunderstorms that could be strong to severe. then later on this evening as things cool down a bit, we are mainly talking about showers and thunderstorms coming through. i don't think they will be too terribly strong. through the evening we will have the showers and thunderstorms ahead of an overnight cool front that will cool us down significantly for the weekend. we will have basically the best way to say this for the weekend, a mixture of clouds and sun. we will start off with sunshine on saturday and sunday. then as we heat up, we will build clouds out there. 66 at 11:00. showers and thunderstorms with gusty winds. clouds to start the day tomorrow. 58 degrees. we will be dry even to start the day as the sun comes up we will be partly cloudy. through the day, more clouds. it will be breezy and cooler tomorrow. temperature at noontime 63 degrees. that's probably where we will max out for a high temperature. the breeze will make it feel burg is cooler. hagerstown 71 with cooler air down from the thunderstorms as well. gusty out there. 30 miles per hour wind gusts at national. 21 for dulles. that is not going to change. the winds will stay gusty through the overnight and through the day tomorrow. lots of warmth ahead of the system. that is driving showers and thunderstorms. look back to the northwest, there is a lot more that still has to come through. i think this initial wave that moved through this afternoon and this evening from the heat firing up ahead of all this and helping to create that. here is futurecast tonight at 9:00 showers and thunderstorms too working through. by tomorrow morning we are dry, a couple of clouds around. chilly and breezy tomorrow. we will build clouds in the afternoon so it will only be partly sunny late in the day. cooler sunday. colder air comes back around this big system and it means temperatures only in the 50s on sunday for us with limited sunshine. breezy, chilly tomorrow. again, we start off in the 50s. we warm up to 63 degrees at noon and 62 by 4:00 p.m. officially tomorrow we will go with a high of 64. if you are out in it, limited sunshine in the afternoon. the wind will make it feel cooler than that. 59 degrees for a high on sunday. then we gradual warm temperatures up monday, tuesday and wednesday. i'll keep an eye on the thunderstorms this evening and let you know if any more of them become severe. >> thanks, gary. talk of the town on tmz, larry king. i can sum this up, looming divorce, millions at stake and larry's wife sister may be involved here. tmzdax holt is live in los angeles. the marriage may not be on the rocks. they may salvage this thing? >> well, it started last night. they went to their son's baseball game and they are sitting out there hugging each other. he was talking about how lovely she looked and great she smelled and earlier in the day was the best half hour of his life. the rest of the evening they were cordial and flash forward today, monday they will start going to couple's counseling. neither wants to get the divorce. everything is being put on hold and they may be able to work through it. >> let's change the pace and talk about crystal bower socks she is the blond with the dreadlocks. >> she walked off stage about two weeks ago, went out to the parking lot. she didn't like the media coverage, being in front of all the people and she was over the competition. ryan seacrest came outside and talked her off the ledge, you can make a lot of money, you are doing really well and he said he himself bought his mom a house with the success he has been doing and that was the key to stay on the show. >> maybe not fame but the idea to set up herself and her family. thanks for the update. tmz on fox 5 at 6:30 tonight. a possible encore on "american idol." paula abdul is ready to return. "the new york post" reports she may come back when simon cowell leaves at the end of this season. because of a slip in the ratings. she told the post she has not been asked to come back and an idol producer denies that paula is making a come back. >> i kind of miss her sort of cookieness on "american idol." >> i am crossing my fingers she comes back. >> give it to her agent to slip in the ratings to paula abdul. >> at 6:00 two breaking stories, the death of a beloved principal and a sex assault in georgetown. neighbors puzzled by hate filmed graffiti and the string of incidents and who they think is responsible. details on a statewide college tuition hike just approved. harvey fire stein is in washington playing the lead role of fiddler on the roof. >> earlier today he talked about it. as gurvir dhindsa explains, he believes the under lying themes of the play are relevant today. >> the show is about prejudices. we call it ethic cleansing now. prejudice against jews -- i just saw a figure is up 100% this year alone but we know it's going on around the world. it's ridiculous, people killing each other over religion. >> even though the original play was 1964, in 2010 -- >> it's still as powerful and the same message today. >> absolutely. absolutely. because they live a fundamentalist life. the show opens with him explaining we know exactly who we are and what god expects us to do. [ inaudible ] you have to break with the fundamentalists. there is a message there. that frightens me in america because we are having this return to fundamentalism. it's nice to have faith and a terrific thing but to put everything in faith is not a good thing, every part of the future to a church leader or synagogue leader and turn over your life is not a good thing. >> are you politically active still? i know you were back in the day. >> back in the day. we still have gay issues. president obama -- one of his personal aides told me before the election said you trust me harvey? 100 days, don't ask, don't tell will be gone. i guess not. >> those issues are important to you. >> yeah. they are real issues because i, as a tax paying citizen of the united states don't have a right as everyone else. that becomes important. >> when you are denied your rights, it becomes important. >> fiddler on the roof is at the national theater through may 2nd, for ticket information, go to myfoxdc.com. >> 180 from his tony winning role in hairspray. >> the "news edge at 6:00" starts right now. we start with breaking news. a campus on alert after an armed sex assault in georgetown. a woman says a man with a gun attacked her this morning, 3300 block of prospect street not far from the georgetown university campus. wisdom martin is live in georgetown where students are just now getting word of the assault. >> the word is