well, it has been eight years now since the 9/11 terror attacks, and for many the pain still runs very deep. today we visit the memorials taking place here and around the country. >> also this morning, how you can honor the victims of those attacks by volunteering your time to those in need. >> good morning, everyone, and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today, friday, september 11th, 2009. >> let's take a live look outside right now. we have 63 degrees here in t nation's capital and we have some rain as well. let's get the forecast now from meteorologist tom kierein. he's joined us here in the studio. >> yeah, good morning. we do have improving news for ethekened, but we are goingngni al elouwxtfrs e time. largefre oa o low pressure spinning like a giantow merry-go-round ofnai r right near ocean city and it is pushing that rain farther to the west. right now we're getting light rain in washington but some more moderate to heavier rainr iaiou eastern suburbs and around the ouy and on the eastern shore. cd this area of rain is going ononuto tepin taway here as get into theerft anoonft hours. t's going g, , ctfawno d , factnnow down to just 60 in washington. we're in the upper 50s tor nea 60 all around the region with this area of low pressure finally lifting out by later on today. we'll have improving news. but prepare for a wet morning bus stop for the children. definitely need umbrellas. passing showers through the morning and cool, in the 60s. later on today, a lower chance of any rain by this a eronno thwiighs upper 60s to near 70. improving news for the weekend. a small chance of a shower saturday, into sunday and monday. increasing sunshine, may hit the mid-80s by monday. >> thank you so much, tom. >> now let's go back to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. jerry, going to have your hands full today, i suspect. >> yes, going to be a busy morning. a reminder when the rain first comes down, the first 30 minutes or so, particularly during a light rain, that can be the most dangerous. that's when it brings up all the oil to the surface. makes it very, very slick. these please be careful. now we're okay as we get going at the wilson bridge with no early issues. the drive out of southern maryland on 301, routes 4 and 5 are okay. virginia quiet on 395 at the 14th street bridge, as a matter of fact. let's take a live look and see how we are doing on the wet pavement this morning. be very careful. a lot of road spray as well. the good news is no accidents tc joe and eun, back to you. >> jerry, thank you. >> thanks very much. > well, it has been eight years now since the 9/11 attacks, a day no american certainly will ever forget, especially those who live here in washington or who work at the pentagon. >> today will not only be marked by a day of remembrance, it has also been named a day of service in honor of those who lost their lives. >> right now final preparations are being made for a somber ceremony in arlington. >> president obama will attend that ceremony with families of those killed in the attack on the pentagon. megan mcgrath joins us now live near the pentagon with a preview. megan, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. that ceremony to take place in a few hours, and it's going to be very different than what we've seen in years past. if you take a look behind me here at the pentagon, you can see that it's dimly lit this morning. there really are no outward signs that today is the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks here. again the building just dimly lit. we aren't seeing any of the special lighting effects that we've seen in years past. we're told that no special fla will be flown today. this will be a much smaller remembrance ceremony than we have seen in the past. it is closed to the public, open only to the families of the victims. we're told it will last less than one hour. now, the remembrance service will be held at the memorial here at the pentagon. that memorial, of course, dedicated this day last year. family members are expected to sit on the benches dedicated to their loved ones who died in this terrorist attack. again, we're expecting a very personal, very short remembranc tas ke a look at the he a oduscfle esvent .rehe it beg this morni9:ng his t mor athethlio nnahe ant m and a f fschf.st oaf a t chiefs of staff.jo at aenom mt a moment at t ithshe that is the momen wtenhen fght t 77 hit tbuilding. thenbuding. bth dseyenef remks b dseen secrys,tega fwelod gates, flowe. bl arack obama. tghis linakpe em rcebremanhien rembrance ceremonyil wlcl conanude less tc an r h hour after it begins with "america the beautiful." you can imagine a very difficult day for the families of the victims here, a very emotional day, and a lot of people will be sitting on those benches, as you would imagine, the benches that are at the memorial honoring those who died and we're expecting to see people just reflecting, remembering their loved ones, perhaps taking some rubbings. we saw quite a bit of that last year, rubbings of the names that are engraved in those benches. but certainly a very personal and private moment for the family members. again, a much smaller ceremony than what we have seen in years past. back to you, joe, eun. >> that's very powerful memorial and if folks have not had the opportunity to go by to see it, if not today, certainly ought to go by and see it. it's remarkable. thanks very much, megan. >> reporter: i recommend it at night, too. the way its lit is truly beautiful. >> thanks, megan. >> many people in our area are going to serve their community today. about 50 volunteers will be in southeast washington to take part in president obama's united we serve effort, a day of service to commemorate 9/11. 74-year-old isabel bra shears has lived in the same house for more than 50 years. two of her sons died serving in vietnam. she is excited about the work being done to spruce up her home. >> haven't stopped crying yet because it's -- as old as i am, i never thought that no one but the lord would help me get my house like this. and every time someone says something to me about it, tears come up in my eyes. >> volunteers say giving bouk is great way to remember and honor those lost on september th. stay with news 4 throughout the morning for continuing coverage of the 9/11 memorials taking place here and around the country. weve'lhal more on today's day of service and aha live report from groun zero. that's coming up at 5:45 a.m. >> new today, police in prince george's county are hoping you can help them find a driver involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident. investigators say the 36-year-old jose perez sim an tall of riverdale was hit around 8:00 last night in the 7900 block of annapolisoad. police say they're looking for a chrysler with its front spoiler torn off. they say the vehicle should also be missing its left front hub cap. >> president obama is pushing his health care reform forward despite opposition for his plan for public option. democratic leaders in congress say they have not seen a better idea and are optimistic they will pass health care legislation in the coming months. today president obama will speak at a cabinet meeting. tomorrow he will travel to minnesota for a rally and he has another speech scheduled for tuesday. >> well, weather forced nasa to wave off a second landing attempt for space shuttle "discovery" last night. nasa decided conditions were too poor to bring the shuttle home and ordered the seven astronauts to stay in orbit for a 14th day. "discovery" will try to land at kennedy space center this evening at 5:45. if that is unsuccessful, the shuttle will wait for a second window to open at 7:29 p.m. 5:07 is our time, 63 degrees out there. still ahead, a scare on capitol hill. new details about the man caught outside with a shotgun on the night of the president's health care speech. >> plus, the srch for a woman who went missing just days before her wedding. the new surveillance videoha tt well, a little relaxation bar this bgainaras t.bl gadatu tuda vyen envyg bin oer susge jortgus j $35.e dedontat us e s gan komen g .cu rre cure. to n ait.rgasblcomrch oo to n aiblast.ai >> let's go to tom kierein now up in storm center 4 as we begin a look at traffic and weather on the 1s now, approaching 5:11 now. at 5:11 now. >> good morning, tom. tom, a little bit wet in some locations as you just mentioned. heads-up. here we are at the american legion bridge. outer loop, inner loop, it is getting a little wet. on the slick side. what's going to make it potentially more dangerous is the uneven pavement. hang on tight to your steering wheel both directions of the beltway. elsewhere northeast corridor looking pretty good. new york avenue, kenilworth avenue, both are quiet. right now quiet start at the wilson bridge. there had been an accident quickly moved to the shoulder outer loop at marlboro road. travel lanes are open. back to you. >> thank you very much, jerry. it is now 5:12. the push for health care reform is full speed ahead. more on the president's latest . ders and when we could see asi p>> h owmpcos,semi >> plus, how a a president obama continues his push for health care reform. he's also pushing past a south carolina congressman's outburst. during the president's health care addresso congress. there had been talk of an official reprimand for representative joe wilson but that has not occurred. kimberly suiters now joins us live with the very latest. good morning. >> good morning. it was reported that the democratic leadership would discuss a punishment with the republican leadership, but the democrats backed off. the house speaker wanting to refocus the issue on health care. the president even saying he accepted the congressman's apology for this interruption. >> you lie. >> south carolina congressman joe wilson has become well-known in the last couple of hours for the two words, you lie. so many people flooded his website that it crashed. we'rgoing to take a look at the website coming up at 6:00. conservatives have rallied behind him. liberals and people who are outraged have posted articles like, "republicans behaving badly," on their facebook pages. congressman wilson admitted he was told to apologize. >> they wanted me to contact the white house and state that my statements were inappropriate. i did. >> we all make mistakes. he apologized quickly and without equivocation, and i'm appreciative of that. >> the congressman's shouting was a response to how the health care reform proposal addresses undocumented immigrants. republicans argue the house version of the bill does not make proof of citizenship a requirement to get health insurance. now, the president has also suggested that the media can be helpful, and this is a quote, by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices and try to stay focused on the issues at hand. the president hits the road to garner support for those issues in minnesota on saturday, and then has another speech scheduled tuesday. joe, back to you. >> kimberly, thanks very much. >> a falls church man is charged with bringing a gun onto capitol hill during the president's wednesday night address to congress. police say 28-year-old joshua bowman tried to drive through a security checkpoint near the cannon house office building with a shotgun and 500 rounds of ammunition stored in his trunk. investigators are still trying to figure out what he intended to do with the gun. bowman is charged with having an unregistered firearm and ammunition. >> well, the nfl season started with a defensive thriller that went into overtime last night. >> and the redskins are all ready and rested for the giants. here's dan hellie with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the redskins. the guys, of course, getting ready for the giants on sunday. and the good news for the redskins, they don't have a single player on the injury list today. no excuses for the skins. they are 6 1/2 point underdogs to the g-menn the season opener on sunday in new york. the regular season kicked off in earnest last night in pittsburgh. the defending champs hose particular the titans. it was a defensive struggle that went to overtime. i would like to personally thank jeff reed for ending it early in o.t. with a 33-yard field goal. the steelers win the opener 13-10. on the diamond, it'she nats and the phillies. ian desmond made his major league debut last night and what a night it was. desmond hit his first major league home run and finished 2 for 4 with 4 rbi. the nationals hang on to win 8-7. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great friday. >> well, strong winds last night caused some damage in woodley park. a huge tree fell on top of several cars parked on 29th street between woodley road and cleveland avenue. the tree ended up on an apartment building. that section of 29th street was closed while the crews worked to remove the tree. >> well, it's about time now to check your traffic and weather. >> let's go to tom kierein. he's in storm center 4. tom, strong winds today? good morning to you. let's head south to the wilson bridge. getting report of a broken down tractor-trailer on the wilson bridge, about midspan, reported to be in the roadway. the camera will be fuzzy because of the raindrops out there. on the inner loop as you come through oxon hill headed for virginia, heads-up for the broken down tractor-trailer. elsewhere, check and see what's going on with your speeds this morning on the beltway inner loop from springfield to 66. just 8 minutes. 66 to the american legion bridge, 7 minutes. keep in mind uneven pavement up there. hang onto your steering wheel. pay close attention to the signs on the shoulder. off the american legion bridge, college park right now just 23 minutes presently. lanes are open but be very careful. joe and eun, back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. our time is 5:21, 60 degrees. still ahead, remembering the vick 9/11 by helping others. a new call asking people to volunteer on this anniversary. >> plus, the warning about the flu and we're not talking about virus. why the feds issued a new health dt. nd dnd fon't forget, you can alwayson find us. we're connected to you on nd twitter for up to numiree bgteinak news, weather and trafftsinalerts..er find us oither side by rd the serve for a missing yale student and bride to be is intensifying. 24-year-d annie le has not been seen or heard from in nearly three days. le's supposed to get married sunday in new york. the graduate pharmacology student was last seen on a surveillance camera outside the building where she worked at a lab. it's where police say she left her purse, cell phone and wallet. le's fiancee is reportedly in town and working with police. >> very close call for a driver filling up at a gasoline station in british columbia this week. take a look at this. a car plowed into one of the pumps, causing a huge fireball. somehow, the man pumping the gas was able to jump out of the way just in time. the driver and the passenger in the striking car also got out of the car before the flames engulfed it. the driver says he lost control when another car cut him off. well, i'd say he certainly did. >> nasa says it's taking an important step toward building a new rocket that could take astronauts into space. >> fire. >> the space agency tested the powerful new rocket yesterday in utah. nasa and its contractor, ally ant tech systems, say the rocket may eventually help shoot a crew of astronauts more than 30 miles into space in just two minutes. it's part of nasa's plans to put a man on the moon again by 2020. >> might want to suggest they aim it in another direction if they want to go into space. well, maybe they will. 5:26 is the time. >> still ahead, you may notice some changes the next time you fly. the security upgrades happening at dulles international airport. >> plus, we'll ride with the busiest fire engine in the country. that happens to be right here in washington. why emergency care is now becoming primary care. it has been eight years since the 9/11 terror attacks. the memorials taking place today to remember the victims here at the pentagon and around the country. >> a new warning about the flu. why it's not just the swine flu you need to be watching out for right now. >> and changes coming to dulles airport. why going through security is going to look a lot different starting next week. >> well, good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm eun yang in for barbara harrison today friday, september 11th, 2009. we're going to take a live look outside at 5:30, 60 degrees, cloudy skies once again. i think wre seeing a pattern. meteorologist tom kierein is here to tell us what this means for today. good morning. >> pitter patter pattern that continues. yes, the rain continuing to fall this morning. good morning. coming in from the east and northeast, where you see the blue it's light rain in fairfax, montgomery, the district. s hterevi rean in prince george's county, calvert, le archs, st. mary's and anne arndarun al howardounty a and around baltimore they're getting some heavy downpours. also som d hyvyeaownpours on the eastn vy it omo'sg.ininnly it's only in theer upp0s 5 to near 60 degrees with a blustery northeast wind. kind of a raw andhi cy slltart to thi er storeashn te,vehe eastern shore, t vede tramooteea hdemo ttevyo heavy rain. around ocean city, they've had mountains, inhemountains, in upper upper 40s reeyt tl m aleyos ct ar tth is. are mostly clear at frm hefrom t shenandoah valley to the beaches it's cloudy. that rain, you can see there in color, is really coming down hard. for the bus stop this morning, yes, it's going to be wet and cool. only in the lowom0s. and for the rest of the day, highs just near 70. but less of a chance of rain by late afternoon. a look at the weekend, that will be coming up in ten minutes. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards. he's looking at the roadways out there. any early problems? >> getting busy, unfortunately. good morning. hard to tell from this shot, but the outer loop of the beltway just off the american legion bridge, the initial reports of an accident, apparently car possibly hit some water, spun out, left side of the roadway. the rescue crews are headed there. outer loop at the american legion bridge. elsewhere, let you know that things are moving along pretty well at the wilson bridge except on the outer loop it's okay. the inner loop, the tractor-trailer, last check still in the right lane of the local lanes. outer loop of richie marlboro road, that accident gathering some attention so it will be a bit slow. the through lanes should be open. 66 and the toll road are quiet so far. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. >> jerry, thanks a lot. president obama will be at the pentagon later this morning for a memorial service for those who lost their lives there eight years ago today. >> just one of many ceremonies happening nationwide on this september 11th, 2009. megan mcgrath is live at the pentagon this morning with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. the remembrance ceremony gets under way in a couple of hours, but driving by the pentagon this morning, there really are no outward signs that today is the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attack here at the pentagon. the remembrance ceremony that we're going to see today is very different than what we have seen in years st. it's going to be very intimate, just the families. it will be held at the memorial to the victims. the pentagon dimly lit this morning. gone are the special lighting effects that have illuminated the building in years past. it's a physical sign of a subtle shift. this year's memorial service will be much smaller, o