computer glitch that cost nationwide delays and cancellations. what exactly happened? should passengers be worried one week shy of the busiest travel season of the year? good afternoon, i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. we'll have a live report from reagan national airport in a bit. first, we begin with the weather and somerough our region right . rain began early this morning and it hasn't let up since. >> a flood watch is in effect for some parts of the viewing area. the question now is just how long to expect this wet weather to stick around. veronica johnson has more from the storm center. >> hey, jim and pat. it is a coastal flood watch that's out for the bay and potomac. earlier today we had a flood watch out further south where we did have some of those thunderstorms. now the stedst rain and thunderstorms are gone. temperatures have been near 60 degrees. mild out there. we've seen the fog drop down. bwi visibility down to 3/4 of a mile. just over a mile at dulles. probably more airport delays taking place. as i said, the steadiest rain is gone. we are left with sporadic showers. you can see some of t last lightning on this loop here leaving the area up through northern anne arundel county. right there around 97. rainfall well over 0.50 inch. some spots were over 2 inches. a coastal flood advisory up until 7:00 p.m. through this evening. annapolis high tide at 7:02. we are in the 60s right now. we'll see the showers coming to an end around midnight. we'll look at the forecast in a few minutes. >> veronica, thank you. now to that computer glitch that paralyzed the nation's skies today. the faa tells us the problem which lasted five hours has been fixed, but not before a ripple effect at major airports here and across the country. hartsfield-jackson international airport in atlanta, one of the busiest in the world was the hardest hit. dallas/ft. worth and charlotte's douglas caused hundreds of cancellations. this caused flight plans to be registered manually causing big delays. so what exactly happened and could it happen again? steve handelsman is live at reagan with the latest. >> reporter: it's still rippling out is what's happening now, jim. i'm in concourse c, us airways. i took a look at the board. not a pretty sight. lots of delays posted here at reagan national and in airports across america. it was a cascade of backed-up planes and delayeded and canceled flights. the problem started 5:00 a.m. eastern. an faa computer system used by pilots to file flight plans went down. air traffic controllers had to type in the data. thousands of flight plans, just as millions of travelers were arriving at airports. in atlanta, some passengers were onboard. >> captain came on about 6:15 and said there's been a delay. >> reporter: the tracking of planes was never affected, and the computer was fixed 9:00 a.m. eastern, but delays rippled up the east coast to boston. >> i find out about this glitch so i turn on the airport channel. i find out that my flight was canceled. >> reporter: fliers in washington asked why? >> i would think in the age of technology they should have a backup system of some kind. >> reporter: the faa said technical and safety experts are discussing systems corrections. it's the second failure in 15 months. >> this system has needed a redo for the last decade. >> reporter: former head of the safety board jim hall. >> we are going to see repeated failures if we don't address this system. >> reporter: making matters worse today was bad weather in the east and midwest. at least it's not thanksgiving week. >> if this would have happened on the wednesday coming up, you would have had a lot of mad people who only fly once a year. >> reporter: today we had a lot of mad people who could not fly. new york democratic senator charles schumer said our aviation system is in shambles. he and others say we've got to get congress to find the funds to fix it now. live at reagan, steve handelsman, news4. back to you. >> steve, thank you. steve did mention there are big delays at reagan national airpt at this hour. the faa tells us planes are taking off between 15 and 30 minutes behind schedule because of high volume. over at dulles international, delays are less than 15 minutes long. thanksgiving day travelers may run into some delays if they are not prepared next week. there is a new tsa policy that requires the name on your boarding pass to be an exact match with the name on your i.d. you could be questioned if the names don't match up. screeners will be taking a closer look at your luage. if you've got powdered materials inside. depending on the airline, you might be paying more to check your bags this year than last. experts recommend packing, above all, some extra patience. delays aren't all travelers will have to worry about in the coming week. with millions expected to travel for thanksgiving, there are concerns about the spread of swine flu. to help protect the public, the centers for disease control is launching a new travel well campaign. leeanne gregg has more. >> do you have your boarding pass already? >> reporter: holiday travel often means large crowds, jammed flights, and with widespread flu activity, it can be a primetime for people to come face-to-face with viruses, including the h1n1 swine flu. >> any time people are close together there is the possibility of germs spreading. >> reporter: that's why the centers for disease control is launching its largest-ever public awareness campaign about staying healthy while traveling. >> one of the most important things is travel only when they're feeling well. >> reporter: consider buying travelers' insurance in case do you have to cancel because of illness. >> i think the airlines have been flexible and adopted flexible policies. they are carrier by carrier. >> reporter: the travel well campaign will use social media, posters at airports and border crossings, television and radio ads to advise people not only to stay home if they're sick, but to wash hands often, cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and get a flu shot if in a high-risk group. >> we are up to 51.9 million doses of h1n1 vaccine that are available for the states to order. >> reporter: still not enough for everyone, but health officials promise more vaccine is on the way and the flu season could last until may. the cdc reports that flu-related hospitalizations and deaths are extremely high nationwide, compared to what's normal for this time of year. >> these common sense steps make a difference. >> reporter: the campaign will continue through the first of the year in hopes of keeping the holiday season healthy. leeanne gregg, nbc news. >> since the h1n1 virus first emerged last april, it's accounted for millions of cases of illness and more than 4,000 deaths in the u.s. alone. and doctors say the best way to protect yourself is with the swine flu vaccine. you can find out about the availability of the vaccine in your area and get details about upcoming clinics on nbcwashington.com, search for swine flu clinics. the details are out. senate democrats unveiled their plan for health care reform today. the plan extends health insurance to 94% of eligible americans. it costs $848 billion, according to nonpartisan estimates and includes a medicare payroll tax on americans who western more than $250,000. top senate democrats say their measure covers all bases. >> number one, we cover more people. we make insurance more affordable. we take a lot of the abuses with the insurance companies and reforms that we have. >> some senate republicans criticized the measure as being too costly and say they'll fight it. president obama released a stement from asia today saying the plan meets his goals. the first votes could happen this weekend. more confusion today for women and cancer groups after the secretary of health and human services speaks out about the controversial new guidelines about when women should get mammograms. >> that they make recommendations looking at a global set of data. what ismportant then is to take those recommendations and put them in a real health care setting with real patients, and every patient is different. every woman is different. >> the task force suggests only women who are at risk for breast cancer should get mammograms before age 50, and then only every two years. many leading cancer groups strongly disagree saying mammograms and early detection save lives. among county teacher is charged today with stealing cash and drugs at gun point. 41-year-old brendan friedman is a biology teacher at cartsburg high school and is accus of holding up a bethesda pharmacy to steal prescription dugs. police tell us he went and robbed a bank after the pharmacy heist. friedman long suffered from drug dependency problems. clarksburg high placed him on administrative leave. we learned t name of the teenager killed in a fiery car crash in vienna, virginia, this morning. the victim was 18-year-old alexander mcclellcclellan. there were flames shooting from the car's engine when police arrived. two passengers inside had to be cut out of the vehicle. they are expected to be okay. investigators are still trying to figure out what caused the crash. the first congressional hearings into the shootings at ft. hood got under way at capitol hill today. senate homeland security committee wants to know whether warning signs about the suspected gunman were ignored. army major nidal hasan is charged with 13 counts of murder. he opened fire on unarmed soldiers and civilians at ft. hood on november 5th. the committee wants to know how much information was gathered about hasan, and how it was shared. today a counterterrorism expert who served under president george w. bush testified sensitivity to law-abiding muslim americans may have hindered. >> there might have been a reluctant for them to pursue a senior uniformed military member, a doctor who was muslim. >> it appears likely that major hasan's targets and his radical beliefs are directly related as he chose to kill those who were destined to fight jihadist extremism. >> major hasan was shot during the incident and is still in a military hospital. president obama should arrive back in washington in just about two hours. he's on his way back from his first official trip to asia. he spent his final day in south korea and the welcome he received in seoul was easily the warmest of his eight days abroad. a report this afternoon from nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd. >> reporter: president lee literary rolled out a red carpet. mr. obama announced the u.s. will send a special envoy to north korea december 8th to jump-start talks on their nuclear program. on news that iran has apparently rejected a deal in similar talks regarding that country's nuclear ambition, the president said the u.s. is pursuing serious sanctions. >> our expectation is that over the next several weeks, we will be developing a package of potential eps we could take that will indicate our seriousness to iran. >> reporter: after a trip filled with uneven receptions in japan and china, mr. obama emphasized his appreciation for the warm reception in seoul. the president ended his trip the way he started it, with a speech to american troops. >> we'll give you the strategy, the clear mission, equipment and the support you need to get the job done. that's the promise i make to you. >> reporter: the president returns to washington tonight with aides on the defensive over how well this trip went. said senior advisor david axelrod, they didn't expect ticker tape parades and added diplomacy is not an immediate gratification business. chuck todd, nbc news, seoul, south korea. we have breaking news. d.c. police made an arrest in the shooting death of a store clerk earlier this month. 51-year-old rafina hernandez was killed during a robby at the store she owned on georgia avenue. she handed over the money, but was shot anyway. we have a reporter on the way and we'll bring you more details at the top of the hour. news4 at 4:00 is just getting started. tragic ending. next at 4:15, why detectives believe they can solve a local cold case more than three decades after the brutal murder. at 4:30, all an act? new video of a woman in police custody after an alleged murder for hire plot against her husband. at 4:45, with the economy in crisis, helpful tips on what you need to know about investments. 36 years ago this week, a recent bowie high school graduate donna dunston was raped and killed and left in the woods. police have suspects and know people in our area know what happened, but they still need information to solve this cold case. joe krebs reports. >> reporter: donna duston was murdered november 17, 1973. >> donna was a 17-year-old young girl with a younger brother living at home with her parents in bowie. >> reporter: her parents and brother were visiting florida at the time and she was taking the opportunity to have some fun. >> she was quite the party girl. she was last seen approximately 1:30 the morning of the 17th, we believe, at a local house that was known for its weekend parties. >> reporter: investigators believe she continued the party at her home before something terrible happened. >> early next morning, she was found by two hunters in the area. she was found nude, a lot of trauma, and she was back in the wooded area. >> reporter: she had been beaten and stabbed and repeatedly raped. >> we believe it was a gang rape gone bad. >> reporter: her parents found out when the local sheriff knocked on their door in florida and told them to call anne arundel police. >> they told us our daughter died. you need to get home. >> reporter: they had to make the 20-hour drive back to a life changed forever. his wife suffered until the day she died 15 months ago. >> she got so she would cry during the day and at bed she would sit there and cry almost every day. >> reporter: back in 1973, a lot of people knew about this area. perhaps even partied in the woods back here. perhaps even know what happened to donna duston that night. >> people come forward that witness something, unless they participated, it's our opposition we would not prosecute. >> be honest with yourself and be honest to the world. let us know what happened. >> we do have partial dna profile, and we also have other bits of evidence that place an original suspect in the home that night, which he had originally denied. we are actively working the days. >> reporter: knows what happened might ease, but will not erase the grief and torment of joe buston. >> my feelings won't change what he did to her or my wife. it's that simple. there will be no closure. i don't care who it is or what they say, there will be no closure. >> joe krebs, news4, washington. >> if you have information that might help identify the rapists and killers of donna duston call anne arundel police 410-222-3460. fairfax county is trying to curb its deer population. in doing so they established a controversial policy allowing bow hunting in the colden mill park stream valley. the county is holding a public forum. residents got letters informing them. people in that area are concerned about public safety and fear bow hunting isn't effective. the public is invited to the fairfax county park authority board public forum. it starts 7:00 tonight inside the fairfax county government center. just ahead, make sure you tip. >> wait until you hear why some college students were arrested after their night out eating dinner. >> plus, the happy homecoming for a navy ship that rescued its captain from pirate. >> why that extra can of beer might be good for your health. the ribbon's cut. it marked the opening of a protected bicycle lane in the district on 15th street northwest. mayor fenty with transportation officials participated in the celebration. they tried out a lane for themselves. the contraflow bike lane is the first kind in its city. an eight-foot parking lane separates bicyclists from traffic. it allows bicyclists to go southbound from massachusetts avenue and u street through part of 16th street. >> we know the mayor will use those lanes. >> now. we had a misty day out there. >> it's been misty, drizz and foggy. there is the fog shooting toward our tv tower. you can see it there. visibilities will be improving during the overnight and by tomorrow morning. should be doing okay with airport delays. soupy out there right now. as i said, it depends on where you were in terms of rainfall. only had 0.01 inch of rain. 61 the temperature. mist and drizzle around the area. here is a look at that rain moving north and east. some of the heaviestight now just south of baltimore. moving out of anne arundel county toward baltimore county and moving away. the last of the light nick, too. lingering showers back in winchester and front royal, as well. that is about it. we are going to have sporadic light rain around until about the midnight hour. charlottesville, virginia. ok the a the rainfall today. over two inches. that's where some of the gusty thunderstorms were. at one point some of the roads were covered with water. six inches of rain for them now for the month. close to an inch in front royal. close to 0.75 inch in winchester, virginia. west and south, some of that heaviest rain. temperatures in the 50s behind the front here in the 60s. look at the dry air. that's the blue you see on the dew point temperatures moving in. we are goi to dry out and clear out, too. airport delays just over an hour in new york and close to 45 minutes here at reagan national airport. your futurecast, we are going to get back to sunshine around he. we are going to clear out. by tomorrow morning, we'll have a fair amount of sunshine around. not just for tomorrow, but also for saturday. then on sunday, notice that moisture down across the deep south. there will be another coastal storm system moving through. 59 to 55. wet weather lingering around the next couple of hours. clear and cool tomorrow. 46 to 51. by the afternoon, we are sunny and pleasant with the high about 62. again, for the next two days we'll see a high temperature around 60. sunday we drop to the 50s with those clouds and our next chance of rain by monday morning. should be ending by about noon time. your extended forecast and a look at thanksgiving day in a few minutes. taking a look now at some of the stories we are working on for news4 at 5:00, there's some new development in a forgotten corner of washington. tracee wilkins, tell us what's going up? >> reporter: minnesota avenue and bening road ward 7 are going to have some of the most interesting development in the next two to three years. here is a look at one of the plans they have. this is going to be minnesota avenue in two to three years. developers who worked on u street and columbia heights all have interest in this area. they bought up a lot of space. they are doing a lot of work and we are looking at the opening for a first class steakhouse in a month. we'll go inside, take a tour and show you all of that. >> the look is already changing in that area. >> reporter: absolutely. >> tracee wilkins will have the full story at 5:00. we have a whole lot more at 4:30. murder for hire. the new video on a woman's emotional breakdown after an undercover cop busted her for allegedly trying to kill her husband. >> when, why and how much? we'll clear up the confusion about investing during tough times. >> and a warning for parents about a troubling trend among about a troubling trend among teenagers. i'm doing a bit of light calisthenics to practice for the big target, 2-day sale next friday morning. ho ho. the hottest toys, the flattest tv's. hot. flat . that's how you win christmas! boom! boom! boom! looking good sis! starts friday, november 27th, at 5am. get ready. i don't channel all of my insecurities into christmas. i'll le