Retain Police Officers. The officer did not dispute she received special consideration in her application because of her d. C. Residency. A spokesperson for the d. C. Department of Human Resources which instituted this job action tells news 4 that once the matter goes to a hearing, it becomes a Personnel Matter and in each case is handled on a case by case basis. Stay with us. News 4 today continues right now at 5 00 a. M. Preparing for the pontiff this morning. Last minute touches are under way as pope francis gets ready to make his First Official visit to the u. S. But are you ready from the closures to the added security . We are working to get you up to speed on everything you need to know. It is 5 01. Good morning, everybody. Im aaron gilchrist. Im eun yang. Welcome to news 4 today. We have complete Team Coverage on the papal visit for you this morning. Adam and melissa on top of the impact the popes trip is going to have on your commute. And the latest security measures in place. First to chuck bell and the weather the pope faces when he lands here. Hell be facing an awful lot in the way of cloud cover upon arrival. I think the bulk of the rain chances are stacked up here in the front part of the day today. Outside cloudy skies, and a little light rain and drizzle around. So your weather headlines, morning clouds and drops, some late day clearing. And sunshine for papal events tomorrow and thursday. But today, the weather impact on your day, relatively low. It is a cloudy and wet and puddly morning this morning. Clouds around by later on this afternoon. Here is the rain. What is left of it on storm team 4 radar pulling north and eastbound out of the metro area. Temperatures are in the upper 50s and low 60s early this morning. Hometown forecast, northwest washington, pet worth neighborhood, 67 with clouds at lunch time and maybe a little bit of sunshine late this afternoon. Pope lands at 4 00. Might get a break of sun before the sun goes down. Well be looking at your commuter forecast in a few more minutes. But the commuters, already have road closures to deal with. Amelia . Amelia, melissa. This will be the first closure that will start here in the next couple of hours. Talking about northbound massachusetts avenue right there in front of Vatican Embassy where adam tuss is for us this morning. Well talk with him in a little bit. Northbound bw parkway, do have a crash, doesnt look like it is slowing anything down at this point this morning. Nice and green and moving. Dickerson, darnestown road, martinsburg road, all lanes blocked because of a tree down from overnight. And right now 66 looks good. A lot of road work that was scheduled just not happening today because of all of the wild stuff happening with the popes visit. Remember to tune into wtop when you hop in your car this morning. Guys . Thank you, melissa. Today, pope francis last day in cuba before visiting the u. S. Before leaving the country, the pope visited a shrine very special to cubans last night. He prayed at the virgin of charity in santiago. That statue represents the patron saint of cuba and it is 403 years old. Today, the pontiff will hold mass at the shrines sanctuary. Hell also meet with families at the cathedral. His last official act in cuba will be blessing the city from the cathedrals balcony. Today pope francis will land in our area for his first ever trip to the u. S. Landing at joint base andrews 4 00 this afternoon. Well bring you that historic moment live on news 4 at 4 00 and stream it on the nbc washington app. President and mrs. Obama will greet the pope at andrew and then go straight to the apostolic nunciature, the Vatican Embassy, on massachusetts avenue. We are working for you to cover all impacts of this papal visit. One of them will be the traffic. Crowded metro stops and closed streets would really mess up your day if you are not prepared. We put transportation reporter adam tuss in charge of keeping you informed. Hes live this morning along massachusetts avenue at the Vatican Embassy with what you should know today. No pressure. We said youre going to tell everybody what we need to know to get around the traffic. No pressure at all. Im so happy you gave me a job. I really appreciate that. Listen, interest a road closure and metro perspective, today is really not the worst day. It is going to be tomorrow. Now, what is going to happen today can show you that right now. Were along massachusetts avenue right outside the naval observatory and the Vatican Embassy. The fencing is up. Massachusetts avenue will be closed in this area to northbound traffic only. And those closures, according to ddot start at 6 30 this morning. Thats what you can expect in this area. Now, here along mass avenue, once the closures start, in place for the entire three days that the pope is here. Youll only be able to get through here in the southbound direction. Northbound, you cannot go beyond waterside drive. Trucks not permitted to come through here. All vehicles could be subject to screening in this area. It is important to take these closures day by day because the pope doesnt land at joint base andrews until about 4 00 this afternoon. Aaron was mentioning that. So really we have a whole day to get through here before he even gets here. Hell then make his way here to the embassy which likely means rolling closures later today and motorcade along places like the suitland parkway and the southeast southwest freeway. Metro is a whole other story. They had that meltdown yesterday on the rails. They say that theyre working to prevent things like that and all hands on deck. We wont know until we get into the situation. Well keep an eye on all of it for you. Eun, thank you for giving me this job. I appreciate it. Were in good hands. Thank you very much. The papal visit will mean long lines, crowded trains and possible delays on metro. A couple of things to keep in mind, metro will open and close at normal times. 5 00 in the morning to midnight. Be sure to buy that smart trip card before you go to the station. Be sure to leave your selfie sticks or bicycles, coolers and chairs at home. Tough to take through metro. And cant take them into any papal events. Be aware of security crews that could search any bag you bring with you on the train. The papal visit will affect two schools. Imagine Andrews Public Charter School and imagine foundations morning side Public Charter School will dismiss students two hours early this afternoon. School officials warn bus pickup and dropoff times may be off as well because of the heavy traffic around washington. The papal visit is being called an unprecedented security event in this country. Three large cities, 16 stops, crowds topping a million people. Law enforcement here in d. C. Along with new york and philadelphia say they are ready. Secret Service Officials are leading the security effort across the visited cities. There will be snipers, s. W. A. T. Teams, helicopters, protecting the pope and you for that matter. Coming up, molette green will have more on the air and ground effort to keep everything safe. A teacher who was fired from a Catholic School for marrying her same sex partner will help welcome the pope to the white house. Margy winters was invited to the ceremony by human rights campaign. Thousands of people are expected to attend the welcoming ceremony wednesday on the south lawn. Winters says she hopes pope francis will address issues facing gay catholics. Our coverage of pope francis visit to the u. S. Continues of the straight ahead, a live report on the security measures in place today and the rest of the week. Also following a developing story where a manhunt is under way to find two prisoners that escaped. It sounds like something straight out of a movie. Live look outside, some roads are still wet this morning. But will you need the wipers . But will you need the wipers . Chuck has your commuter forecast what can i make for you . How about one of our reuben sandwiches . Choose from tender corned beef or oven roasted turkey breast, topped with sauerkraut, melty swiss cheese and thousand island dressing. Enjoy one while theyre here subway. Eat fresh. New developments right now in the escape of two prisoners from a kentucky jail. Corrections officers say they caught christopher cornelius. You see him on the left here. The man on the right, matt johnson is still out there now. The men apparently tied bed sheets into a rope to escape a minor security jail last night. They were both arrested on heroin possession charges. Police have now charged them both with felony escape. Breaking news out of the philippines now. Military planes and choppers are looking for gunmen who kidnapped four tourists. Those missing include a norwegian resort manager, two canadians, and a filipino woman. These are the victims. Their identities just released. Police say the victims were targeted as they entered a resort. 11 gunmen are believed to be part of this. Right now no immediate suspects or a motive has been given. Well let you know if that changes. Thanks. Lets check the forecast. Talking about a little bit of a wet start to our day. Chuck bell is here. Good morning. Tuesday off to a very gloomy start. So we got the yellow light on for your weather slowdowns this morning. There are some wet roads, a little light rain and fog to deal with as well. Things improving by lunch time and we should be completely dry. But still cloudy by later on today. There is storm team 4 radar, last of the drizzle drops and light rain Frederick County and loudoun county. Temperatures will rise from the 50s and 60s this morning. May need light jacket and umbrella early today. The rain will be over with before lunch time. Check on traffic right now. Good morning. Northbound b. W. Parkway, Prince Georges County looking quite good now. Going to be different this afternoon when the pope lands at joint base andrews around 4 00 and start looking at road closures, which well talk about here in the next half hour or so. Top of the beltway, no problems. B. W. Parkway rolling along nicely. Live look at 66 coming up. He is supposed to have students best interests at heart. Wait until you hear what this fairfax teacher is accused of doing. And we are monitoring the trial of a man accused of killing a former d. C. Police officer. What is expected to happen today. Your time is 5 14. This afternoon, pope francis will land at joint base andrews and begin his first visit to the united states. The trip is not only historic, it is an unprecedented security event. Hundreds of Law Enforcement officers will be on hand to make sure everything is safe from start to finish. Molette green live with more on the huge security presence youll notice around town. Good morning. Reporter aaron, good morning. Pope francis first ever u. S. Visit will take him to three large u. S. Cities. And there will be more than a dozen stops as you mentioned. Unprecedented security to keep him and the public safe. The biggest challenge here is guarding a pope who likes to be among the people. Who likes to shake hands and touch the people. The secret service is, of course, in charge. There is a lot that you will see and security that you will not see so easily. S. W. A. T. Teams, snipers, police in helicopters and in boats to protect you and the pope. Along with very restricted air space. And here at the basilica, there is a long list of prohibited items you cannot have on your person. Including anything deemed a threat. And if they find it on you, they will take it away from you when the pope visits tomorrow. So you need to be mindful of all of that. Of all of the security happening around town and if you plan to be here or anywhere where the pope plans to visit, you need to make sure that you are as safe as possible and carry very little items on you. Im molette green, reporting live outside the basilica. Back to you. Molette, thank you. 5 19. This weeks papal visit will be only the third time a pope visits the white house. The white house seized the popes visit as an opportunity. This pope and what this pope really represents in terms of shared value s with the president on climate change, on poverty and income inequality and on cuba as well. President jimmy carter hosted john paul ii in 1969. You can count on news 4 to cover all aspects of the papal visit on the air, online and on our nbc washington app before you head out today. Check out our list of road closures and tips from the pros on riding metro. Be sure to search pope commute. Closing arguments begin in the trial of a man accused of killing his stepfather. Prosecutors say antwaan james shot Joseph Newell moren this a dozen times in 2013. The two were arguing over yard work at their home. A surveillance camera at a neighbors house caught the whole thing. Detective newell was a 24year veteran of the force. A Fairfax CountyPublic Schools teacher is under arrest this morning. Police say Michael Sweeney was arrested after being found in a parked car with a 16yearold girl on sunday in alexandria. According to an online staff directory, sweeney teaches at Walt Whitman Middle School in alexandr alexandria. Authorities have not said how he and the girl know each other. Sweeney is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. We may soon learn more about the bloody arrest of a university of virginia student. Governor Terry Mcauliffes office is expected to release the administrative report of the arrest of marquis johnson. Johnson and some lawmakers repeatedly asked for this report. It is expected to be released pending signed consent agreements from those involved. Photos and video of the arrest outside of a pub in march were circulated on social media sparking public outrage. The agents involved in the arrest were cleared of any wrongdoing and back at work. Loudoun county has a new interim supervisor following the arrest of one of its former supervisors, Shawn Williams arrested earlier this month on assault and unlawful entry charges. James bonfils will represent the Broad Run District also a chairman of the countys parks and rec board. Williams resigned after his arrest. A newly elected supervisor will take over on january 1st. It is 5 21. Time for western and traffic on the 1s. Something to look forward to because we are getting ready for the popes arrival. Weather will clear up a bit. Storm team 4 meteorologist chuck bell has the skinny. Gray skies will clear up. Sounds like a song to me. Outside this morning, damp out there, a little light rain and drizzle to contend with and puddles to be left over early this morning. Just be careful when you do it. Outside on nebraska avenue, the road is wet. The rain is tapering off just a bit. So rain chances for today, generally not much. There is a little rain and drizzle outside this morning. This should be gone by about 9 00, 10 00 this morning. Dry, albeit cloudy later this afternoon. Good weather for wednesday and thursday. Unfortunately rain chances are going back up again just in tim. These rain drops are going northeast bound, headed into frederick and montgomery counties in maryland. Not much going on back across the southern parts of the shenandoah valley. Thats our drying trend that will come our way later today. For now, drizzle drops to be dealt with to leesburg to lovettsville, fairfax and falls church and bethesda. This should be tapering off over the next couple of hours. Temperatures will rise from the mid and upper 50s and low 60s now. Will continue to climb through the Morning Hours. 58 now. 59 at 7 00. 65 by 9 00. 68 degrees by 11 00. And planning for the pope later on this afternoon into this evening, do plan on an awful lot in the way of clouds to contend with. Here is the way the day breaks out. Noon time, cloudy, 68. Maybe a little sunshine. Due to land at 4 00. Maybe a little sun, temperatures in the mid70s and back to the 60s for this evening. Here is your sevenday forecast. 75 today with drizzle this morning. Cloudy and dry later today. Near 80 for both wednesday and thursday with fair amount of sunshine. Rain chances come back on friday and linger at least through saturday and maybe on into sunday morning as well. That is not good news from the weather department. Well have more of a breakdown of your bus stop forecast in ten minutes. Right now it is traffic time with melissa. Right now, want to remind you of the first big closure in the next couple of hours because of popes visit. And that, of course, northbound, massachusetts avenue where adam tuss is for us this morning. Going to be shutting down in front of the Vatican Embassy. That should happen in the next couple of hours here. Big look at the beltway overall looking good, interloop and outer loop, no major problems, 66 rolling along nicely. So is 95 this morning. 66 east of sudley road. Darnestown road shut down at martinsburg, all lanes blocked because of the downed tree. Back in a few minutes. She blazed a lot of trails in the Prince Georges CountyFire Department and as she blazed the trails, ill use the term, she left a map for us. Words of high praise for the first africanamerican woman to become the deputy fire chief in Prince Georges County. Carla blue served in the community for 20 years and retired in 2009. She died in a car crash over the weekend. Police say the 48yearold mother was driving on indian head highway Early Saturday Morning when she tried to my emt hand turn. Another car ran into her. Darren ware was on duty when he got the alert. My first reaction was, wow. What are you going to miss most about carla in. What im going to miss most about her is her positive outlook on life, how she was always smiling, and how she was always willing to take on any task. You can pay your respects next tuesday at a public funeral. We posted details about that on our nbc washington app. Search fire chief funeral. 5 25 now. Decision 2016, the republican president ial field is now down to 15 candidates. Wisconsin Governor Scott walker pulled out yesterday during his farewell speech. He took one last shot at donald