inchester through frederick county virginia and portions of loudoun county virginia, and through paris, northern sections of prince william county and the extreme northeastern faquier county. both of those areas with the red and the purple are active severe thunderstorm warning. lightning, heavy rain and pockets of hail. that has been a highlight of the slow-moving storms. pocket of hail up to nickel, dime size and some reported larger. the larger picture shows you that we have several lines of storms that every time they tend to just rain themselves out, a new one forms up now. we have a second line coming from the winchester area toward the potomac river. that is drifting into washington metro region as well. we will track those. temperatures are warm. the humidity levels are up. warm and muggy afternoon. so the atmosphere will support more storm. but later tonight, by 10:00 11:00, it should all be over. the skies may clear. we will have a little bit of fog. then we will be in a nice treat for a couple of days.

no storms, nice may weather ahead. but still several hours of this to watch tonight. we'll have more in a couple of minutes. leon: thanks, doug. busy evening ahead for you. tonight a sad evening. brad bell covering engine company six in northwest washington affluent kevin mcrae died after fighting a fire in an apartment building this morning. we have team coverage of the 24-year veteran passing tonight. we're begin with bureau chief sam ford live from the scene of the fire. sam? sam: leon, there is an ugly hole in the building behind me, what was left where a fire erupted today. a hole left in the heart of d.c. fire e.m.s. with the death of fire lieutenant kevin mcrae, whose engine six knocked down that fire. firefighters and emergency medical technicians lined up at attention as the colleague's fallen body put in an ambulance at the medstar washington hospital center.

>> we used everything we had all the resources available were used. sam: lieutenant kevin mcrae was in charge of engine six, the first to arrive on the scene of a fire in a high-rise. flames were jumping out of the ninth floor window. >> they are responsible to put out the fire. as they exit the building, lieutenant kevin mcrae collapsed. the medics on scene gave immediate care for him. sam: he left the scene unconscious. the mayor declared him a hero. stephanie: as a city we take care of our own and we take care of our firefighters. sam: the mayor says we will tell people how to help his family. one of the son is a student at dunbar high school across the street from engine six firehouse. he learned his father had died. students led by the principal came to engine six too express condolences. >> we wanted to come here to show we really care because unfortunately with the child we had to build a team around him because he found out this morning in the building.

sam: another firefighter and two residents in the apartment that burned were also taken to the hospital. their injuries were not life-threatening. you are looking live at this building. residents in the upper floors will be displaced for a while. i was told by some of the residents in the floors one through eight they can go back in beginning at 6:30. the incoming fire chief said this was a routine fire. but then there was a collapse of lieutenant mcrae and the fire was anything but routine. reporting live from northwest washington, sam ford, abc7 news. alison: sam, lieutenant mcrae was the 100th firefighter to die in the line of duty in the district. we pick up the team coverage from engine six where he was stationed there. jay korff? jay: members of the d.c. fire department are devastated. you see the black bunting laid out in front of engine company six. people from the community have

been coming here all day to pay respects. fire officials and firefighters are telling me all of them that lieutenant mcrae was a firefighter's firefighter. funny, compassionate inspiring, nurturing and fantastic at his job. he went right into the cadet class after high school and he has been associated with the department for nearly 25 years. he has a family, married three children. only 44 years old. i just want to wrap it up by showing two conversations i had with fire personnel today. one said working at a fire station in washington, d.c., can at times be hard. lieutenant mcrae made it a lot easier. finally, one firefighter said to me, "kevin was always smiling. he treated everyone with respect. he was a leader, a friend, a mentor," and in this person's words he said, "he was one hell of a fireman." coming up on "abc7 news at 6:00", we will bring you reaction from one of the department's leaders.

for now live in the district jay korff, abc7 news. alison: all right, jay. one more note. lieutenant mcrae was the cousin of the last d.c. firefighter to die in the lain of duty. james mcrae iii had a heart attack and collapsed after fighting a fire july 7 2007. he was a 17-year veteran of the department. leon: we are monitoring a developing story out of prince george's county where police are planning to be out tonight to try to find anyone who can help identify a rapist. he is wanted for attacking a woman in 11000 block lakeville way in mitchellville. reporter: his plan to be in the neighborhood tonight handing out a flyer showing a picture of this man here. this is who they want you to take a close look at. this is a man they believe was in the area and attacked a 19-year-old woman and forced her into a wooded area along the street.

and attacked her. right now prince george's county police are searching for the man matching this sketch after they say he sexually assaulted a woman along the quiet and quaint mitchellville street a week ago. >> i saw three or four police cars there. the criminal lab was there. reporter: in the early on april 29 a 19-year-old woman was walking along lake arbor way when according to police a man who claimed to have a gun grabbed the woman and forced her into a nearby field and sexual assaulted her. >> it's very surprising. i'm just literally shocked. i would have heard it, if it was last week sometime. i was over here last week. >> every day people running around here. i'd be surprised if no one saw that. reporter: this is also a section of the street with two bus stops and it backs up to the now unused lake arbor golf course. some residents are concerned the empty green may be inviting unwanted people to

loiter in the area. >> it's still vacant. they take care of the grounds but there is a facility back there and it's dark there so you can't really see back there. reporter: there was another attack last year of a jogger in a similar section of this same community. we asked police today and they say they do not believe that those two are connected. again, police expect to be back out here at 7:00 this evening canvassing the neighborhood and talking to residents here. up to $25,000 reward is offered in this case. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. alison: more than a week after riots in baltimore, it's starting to get back to normal. today, governor larry hogan ed the state of emergency put in place hours after freddie gray's funeral last monday. and the mayor stephanie rawlings-blake asked the department of justice to open a probe into the death of freddie gray. she said all officers will have body cameras by the end

of the year. brad bell is live at city hall with the latest. brad: this is war memorial plaza in front of city hall. for the last week and a half it has looked like a military encampment. but tonight, all of the soldiers are gone. the state of emergency is lifted. the mayor whose offices overlook the plaza says what happened cannot be more gotten. one of the famous landmarks, lexington market, looted and happily crowded again. >> back to normal? >> it will take a while. brad: minutes earlier the governor announcing in his baltimore office that the state of emergency declared in the midst of rioting is lifted. thousands of national guard troops now out of town. >> together we have survived troubled times in baltimore that we haven't seen in more

than 40 years. brad: the final tally, 250 businesses looted or burned. 170 cars torched or vandalized. 159 fires set. 130 police officer injured. the governor says there are no easy answers over the frustration that led to the violence. baltimore's mayor wants to start with justice department practice investigation of the baltimore police department. mayor rawlings-blake: we have to get it right. brad: back at the market customers agree change is needed. >> even before freddie gray there were victimized brutalized by the police. >> procedures need to be redone. brad: well, after the mayor issues a request for the investigation, department of justice issued a statement saying they are strongly considering that suggestion. word here in baltimore is that it is very likely that that justice department investigation of the police

department will in fact happen. in baltimore, brad bell, abc7 news. alison: and a virginia lawmaker meanwhile is apologizing tonight after mocking the civil unrest in baltimore on facebook. the photo shows a snarling k-9 with the words "go ahead and run, he likes fast food." delegate buddy fowler junior of hanover county commented "i wonder if a few of these would help bring calm to baltimore." critics said the post conjured images of police brutality against protesters in the civil rights marches in the south in the 1960's. leon: new developments from a kiss we have been following - case we have been following in richmond. a teenager sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing 8-year-old marty cobb. marty was a boy beat on the death trying to protect the sister from an attack. 17-year-old maurice washington entered no contest plea to first-degree murder charges. received a 40-year sentence with ten years suspended. coming up at 5:00, "7 on your

side" has outcome of the flooring that has been under scrutiny from lumber liquidators. we show you what we found. alison: letting the air out. the nfl issues a report on what it thinks the patriots did to footballs at the end of last season. leon: a storm watch 7 team tracking storms in the area. we'll check in with the chief meteorologist doug hill when we come back after the

>> back with a live look at 66 in gainesville. we'll have an update coming up inour minutes. if rain is coming dorn heavy. alison: first, a busy week on the hill as members of congress tackle the issue of isis. members of local delegation are trying to keep one of the local airports from losing a bit of business. senior political reporter scott thuman at the abc7 capitol hill bureau with a local senator speaking out on both issues. hi scott. scott: hi, alison. we'll talk about all the subjects in a quick interview. we're joined by senator senator cain of virginia. start out with the latest

activity. we had an attack in texas over the weekend and new threats reported at this point. there are new threats that there will be followup and soldiers. this now involves people taking direction from the group oversea. >> this is legitimate that isil headquartered in sierra but active and they are trying to recruit or inspire others. even in lone wolf attacks. we need to dig in here. it's the intent. it makes it more plain we are nine months in a war and congress hasn't had a debate about it. we spent $2 billion. american service member lives are lost in connection to this and time for congress to do what we are supposed to do constitutionally and take up and authorize military action to give some shape to the

mission we are asking people to risk their lives for. scott: this has stalled on the hill dramatically. why is it significant to push this through? some say the war will continue regardless. why do we need the authorization from the president? senator kaine: because the constitution says we are supposed to do it that way. congress declares it, not the president. you couldn't allow the president to do unilateral war without congressional authority. i'm speaking on the floor tomorrow. scott: making news. talking about what? senator kaine: the only action taken was in the senate foreign relations committee in september on the resolution i introduced in september. it passed and never got action on the floor before congress returned. it's time for the congress to say to the men and women we are asking to risk their lives overseas this is a mission we think is worth it. since the beginning of this if anybody thought this was a

threat that was going to go away, isil claimed credit for attacks in libya in afghanistan. obviously in iraq and syria. lone wolf attacks in the united states. foreign fighters going from western europe or north africa. it's time for congress to finally have some backbone to authorize this military. scott: one minute left. i'll ask about the issue with the airports. congress has to say it is okay to allow longer flights to come in to reagan national airport. that is the case. you say you are prepared to be the clerk on this issue -- jerk on this issue. what do you mean? senator kaine: the airports used to be part of the central government and put in the hand of the authority for a reason so congress and the federal government wouldn't micro manage the operation. the long haul flights were supposed to be from dulles to keep the lines getting too long on reagan. reagan is on a smaller acreage than dulles. members of congress there the west want to race to reagan and fly home at the end of the week so they are forcing the

airport to do exceptions and have the long haul flight from reagan. congress is not supposed to make row-manage the airports -- mico-manage the airports. scott: you say this is hurting business. so senator warner and i both are expected to come up again this year. we will make sure they are not hurting dulles airport. scott: something we'll keep a close eye on. thank you for the updoubt on the three. back to you. leon: thank you. rarely do you hear a senator bragging about trying to be a jerk. that's news for you. alison: weather wise, a busy afternoon. doug: we're not finished yet. downpour and hail. we'll start with the video we got in, hail in the past hour. this is in chantilly. the folks are detailing it and got a firsthand look in chantilly. supplied us with the video. we appreciate that. this gives you an idea of what

hailstone this size looks and sounds like. it can make a racquet. in the midwest, you see the softball size hail. this is nasty stuff. not so much from the wind but from the torrential rain and the hail. let's show you live image from a weather bug camera. this is still out at clarke county high school in berryville. a dark sky. heavy thunderstorms. we're tracking them. look at this temperature wise. big drop from 60's and 70's. rain-cooled air. an inch in hearndon. not farther from maryland lighter rain. the hail, it has been impressive in the hailstone size.

many areas are reporting over an inch. the heaviest storms continue west of the metro area. we have a couple of new ones outside of frederick. another across the river in maryland. then moor reconsolidate from marshall and north back to the areas not far from leesberg. we will track this. we are hoping in the next couple of hours these will rain themselves out. that is what they have been doing. not a lot of wind at these. more rain, hail, lightning. a lot of it. this is a big picture showing another big line along the cold front itself. it stretches along the pennsylvania turnpike. that whole area will try to settle south through the baltimore area and our area later tonight. 1-1/4-inch hailstone in chantilly. the same in centreville. these are big hailstones here, quarter size or larger. we show in the video it makes a heck of a racket.

temperature where the rain is light, warm and 80 degrees. where the rain is heavy it's dropped to the 60's. tonight this will end and the skies will clear and we have temperatures of 55-60 and areas of fog. the next few days will be beautiful around the area. satellite and radar, we will leave you with this. we look farther south. we see an area of storminess developing. this could be a tropical system or have tropical characteristics. what will happen down the coast of florida as the system lifts northward is going to -- ah, it's no problem here. the next seven days will see the pattern end a little bit here -- [laughter] alison: if you could have seen the weather department when you dropped that clicker. doug: these things aren't cheap. alison: i know! [laughter] be nice. doug: these youngsters have

not learned to be kind to their elders. alison: they all went like oh, no! he dropped another clicker! all right. thank you, doug. doug: we'll try again. leon: all right. still ahead in "abc7 news at 5:00" -- find out what is time for the first three at-bat today. alison: later, we have all had a moment stuck waiting at home for the cable company to come. find out how one provider wants to make it worth your while. leon: but first, why local parents say the spirit of this event gets lost in shuffle. alison: a look at what is coming up tonight on abc. we'll be right bag. leon: that is unless doug has your remote.

leon: today, several schools across the region host events to mark national bike to school day. alison: it is the fourth year of this event. this is designed to encourage kids to bike to campus and urge drivers to share the road. leon: but as mike conneen reports, some want to extend it beyond one day of the year. mike: on the fourth annual bike to school day one d.c. parent expressed his frustration in a blog post. >> we do all the events and year avenue year after year, we have the mayor come and what does it mean? mike: last year, tim decided

to let his then fourth grade daughter bike to school. he was most concerned about her crossing 17th street southeast. she calls a virtual freeway. >> it just takes one person to be texting while driving and it ruins our lives. ruins their lives too. mike: residents want this to change from one-way to two-way or have a camera or something. >> they have a sign. mike: not just speeding drivers, parents are concerned about infrastructure. corners that lack curve cuts and crosswalks that change too fast or don't change at all. >> the biggest is not having the bike lanes open. mike: of course the safety issues are not unique to children. >> you really have to be on alert wherever you are. mike: still many cyclists give ddot credit. >> the city is putting in bike lanes which is excellent. micro: in a statement, -- mike: in a statele, they say it's more than just one day. they have planning assistant to have safe barriers to bike

to work or school. the ultimate goal is eliminate all traffic related deaths. some have heard it before. >> this is a citywide adjustment how we view transportation. this is not moving cars but make the neighborhoods safe for people to live in. mike: in southeast washington, mike conneen, news news. leon: coming up at 5:00 -- >> absolutely get your kids involved. but be involved yourself. meet everyone involved. leon: an in-depth look at what you need to know to protect your child and maintaining safety before picking a summer camp. alison: find out what sent people running for cover in a busy downtown this morning. >> with customers waiting months for result from the lumber liquidator testing firm, we are taking matters in our own hand. i'm joce sterman and what the "7 on your side" i-team found out about the samples we sent in for testing. leon: we're tracking a system moving through the area right

now. we will get to doug for an update in a few minutes. don't go

you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00" on your side. alison: the "7 on your side" i-team tonight digging in to answer concerns about flooring that many people bought from lumber liquidators. that company has come under fire with allegations its laminate contains high level of formaldehyde and offered testing to the customers but

after hearing about backlogs and delays, we are taking matters into our own hands and investigator joce sterman is here with the results of our tests. joce? joce: we took samples to the accredited lab in the country to test flooring for formaldehyde. we did that after hearing from a local family who has this in their house and they claim they had health problems since putting it on their floor four months ago. what the test found has them talking very seriously about whether they need to rip out the floors tonight. david and sandy hicken are tired of waiting. david: we still don't have the results. joce: it's been 49 days since they sent samples away for testing. david: until we have something tangible in the way of evidence it's difficult to put it all together. joce: they are trying to piece together whether the lumber liquidators flooring they installed in january is making them sick. >> i broke out in a rash. >> if i spent too long i felt like somebody had a belt around my chest. joce: after complaining to

lumber liquidators the company sent them a kit to test their air but nearly two months later they are caught up in what the testing company calls a backlog. >> nobody really has answers as to what we should do. joce: "7 on your side" does. after sending two samples of the hickens' flooring to testing to an accredited lab. and the results are in. the i-team discovered both the hickens packaged and installed flooring had what the testing firm labeled concern level red saying formaldehyde in the lam nant is a probable contributor to indoor air levels. >> it's a scary feeling. joce: summer drake says she installed another company laminate after pulling up bamboo floor she bought from lumber liquidators after she paid an independent firm to test the air in the bedroom she shared with her baby girl and the results came back with elevated formaldehyde levels. >> we can't take a chance. we were sleeping with the windows opened.

joce: he is asked them for a -- she asked them for a refund and she got a atypo-filled e-mail. >> why do we trust the fox guarding the hen house. joce: lum bier liquidators tell me it has offered thousands of testing kit to the customers. after an initial delay they say results should be delivered in the next five to ten business days. the company would not talk about our testing saying it could not verify the results we got or the method that was used. in summer drake's test, her testing levels were below guidelines set by the world health organization. another note for you guys, we did send away an additional sample for testing on older laminate laid down a year ago and came back at the lowest level of concern. in the newsroom, joce sterman news -- abc7 news. leon: thanks.

a manhole blew its top in manhattan. check it out. [explosion] yeah! this happened near penn station around 10:00 a.m. the few buildings nearby were evacuated for a time including the new yorker hotel and the studios of al-jazeera america. boy, that would get your attention. alison: wouldn't it? leon: no word on what started the fire inside that, that led to that explosion. we had that happen here a few times a couple summers ago. alison: in d.c., around here. very scary. leon: now, i scared the crap out of jamie sullivan. alison: did you think it was around here? jamie: yes, i was ducking as i was walking over here. alison saw me, i didn't think leon saw me. you did. you caught me. look at the traffic. it's bumper to bumper. i want to give you a good idea of what you will get into. or if you have your wife or friends calling you telling me hey, can you tell me what is going on, on 66? it is slow due to the weather. we do not have accidents on 66 heading outbound.

this is the metro you are going to see the congestion. let's talk about how long it will take you. just under an hour on 66. working your way from the capital beltway to the fairfax county parkway. nine-mile stretch. so it should take you 30 minutes. pack on an extra 20 minutes. we have a crash on the toll road. if you catch a flight at dulles prepare for this. you need to leave a lot of extra time. we take a look, just an overview, typical slowing for you. we are not seeing the wed roads in maryland on the top side of the beltway causing delays. we do have an issue on the freeway. the center lane is blocked. 95 is very slow. back to you. leon: all right. good deal. you can take a breath now. okay. be sure to sign up for an abc7 traffic text alert.

just go to wjla.com and sign up to get notifications about the traffic prones in your area on your cell phone. alison: you have probably heard of sunken treasure or seen a scuba dyeing santa once in a while but what about an underwater skeleton tea party? that is what the sheriff deputy found at the bottom of the colorado river earlier this week. a man snorkeling came across the skeletons. they are if lawn chairs. they are 40 feet under water. they were wearing sunglasses. one had a sign that said bernie and dream in the river. dated august 2014. sheriff's deputy think someone staged the scene to be funny. leon: august 24 scene, that is when we became legal in colorado. alison: now you are thinking. leon: i wonder. all right. alison: coming up on "abc7 news at 5:00" -- lifting off but not for long. find out why the mission was perfectly short-lived today.

leon: but first -- >> it was all green with sheets of blue. it was very pretty. leon: a unique program getting young students excited about science. alison: plus, a new push to find out why a woman's college in southern virginia is closing. what lawmakers are

leon: all right. take a look here at super doppler radar here. storms still parked over part of loudoun faquier and prince william counties right now. warnings right now no warnings are posted but we'll keep you posted about that. chief meteorologist doug hill will have an update in a few minutes here. alison: "7 on your side" consumer alert now. comcast says it will pay you $20 if your technician is late. it's part of an effort to improve customer service. the cable giant is hiring hundreds of additional workers across the country to help improve performance. it's always rolling out a new app called the text tracker. so you can see in real-time where your technician is located. it will all be available by the end of the year. leon? leon: students at a maryland

elementary school are giving up their recess time to learn science. the chemistry club, as they call themselves, held once a month but it's already having an impact. that makes the program this week heralded. >> so what you are going to do today is testing whether certain solutions are acid or bases. reporter: at dayton oaks elementary school in howard county the budding chemists are doing experiments. >> take it and dip it into different solutions. reporter: plus, this is not your average fourth grade science class. patricia is a college chemistry professor and a volunteer science coach with american chemical society. she comes to the school once a month. >> this is a fun way to get the kids involved to show them science is not just a book. science is real. it's something you touch. reporter: the substitutes really like the hands-on

aspect -- the students really like the hands of on aspect. >> sometimes you're like flying and stuff. chemistry is a lot of things, in cooking, like that is one of them. i really like cooking. >> think it's worth it. i learn amazing things here. >> you don't have to worry about everything being right or the experiment going right even if you mess it up. reporter: for one student it's personal. >> i like it when she can take on other people. reporter: that is because the science coach is also her mother. as for the program's impact on the students -- >> they are talking about chemistry, they are telling me knowledge about the periodic table i wouldn't expect anage fourth grader to know. >> all it takes is one person to spark an idea. leon: think about that. the periodic table in the fourth grade, that is way ahead of where we were. not only do the students gain from the program, the schools that have a science coach there, they get $500 from the american chemical society as well. there are 200 science coaches nationwide. 11 of them right here in our

area. alison: making science fun. sounds great leon. thanks. summer will be here before you know it. for thousands of kids in the area, that means camp. >> all parents should learn to develop a healthy suspicion of anyone they leave their children in contact with. alison: "7 on your side" tonight with things to look for before you make your pick. mark: i'm live at the verizon with the caps have a 2-1 lead over the rangers. can they make it 3-1? it will take defense. we have the latest from verizon coming up in sports. brought to you by 84 lumber

alison: well, it's already that tame of year to sign up your child for catch or summer sports, but experts tell us at "7 on your side" that parents should have a healthy amount of skepticism when handing their children over to strangers. leon: as we report a lot of it has to do with recent child sex abuse cases. reporter: they were entrusted to nurture young people in the

washington d.c., area but these people are arrested for sex crime against children. certified sex offender therapist says as many as one in four girls and one in six boils will be abused -- boys will be abused before turning 18. >> this is probable the biggest pub -- probably the biggest hub lick -- biggest public health risk we have. reporter: the son is autistic. >> they get into roles to put them with children. reporter: former documents say a former middle school teacher groomed and sexually assaulted devon and left the country and hasn't been seen since. >> as a human being, you experience shock rage, fear. reporter: they speak out now so other parents can catch warning signs he did not see. >> if you are not closer to your child than these people are in eight-hour period they will get the upper hand on your child and win their trust. reporter: harding says assess

the trustworthiness. make sure as much as possible is known about them. >> the background check is going to keep real offenders that have already offended out. but there are so many that have never been caught. reporter: numerous child safety experts say a background check that only looks at a sex offender registry is not enough. a national background check and a child protective services are the gold standard. also critical, training employees on how to spot abuse and instituting a code of conduct so employees are clear on how to act around children. a website connects parents with camps across the country and they suggest going with an overnight camp accredited by the american camp association. an organization with exacting standards. >> what does supervision look like? what are the ratios between the counselors and the campers? reporter: she and others say if you want your child's camp experience to ben riching steer clear of camps that get

defensive if you start asking tough questions. >> do they have a good policy about two adults at all time? if it's a sleep-away camp, who is sleeping in what cabin? who is in the showers with the kids? are kids allowed to call home? reporter: "7 on your side" gathered valuable resources for parents interested in learning more about preventing child sex abuse. for those critical links head to wjla.com. jay korff, abc7 news. alison: a castle designed to carry -- capsule designed to carry astronauts to and from the international space station passed a key test today. i was a two-minute test to simulate what would happen if a rocket malfunctioned in liftoff. it separated with the capsule going safely in the ocean so they hope to put the capsule into service for real by 2017. leon: okay. what would you pay to take a ride on those things? alison: i don't think i would. no thanks. all right. well we have have had a rough afternoon weather wise.

doug, what is going on now? doug: no severe warnings in effect at the moment. but plenty of heavy downpours. scattered across the region. go to the computer full screen to get you updated on what is closest to the area now. north and west on the metro area across frederick county to faquier barnsville, montgomery county. all the areas in red featuring heavy rain and hail drifting from northwest to southeast toward the metro/washington area. the second hot spot is out west along 66 and 50 west of the beltway. the areas continue to push through middleberg, market, hay market south to prince william county. there are more showers and storms across pennsylvania we are keeping an eye on here. all with a slow-moving cold front that will push through tonight and that will stop the rain. we have several more hours. possibility of heavy downpours, isolated hail, a fair amount of thunder and lightning that goes with the storms as they move south and east. very muggy with the temperatures in the lower 80s today. upper 70's everywhere at the

moment. moisture content high in the air. i feels like a summer evening. later tonight men the front is done, clearing skies area of fog and cooler night. 55-60 degrees. through the day tomorrow beautiful, lower humidity. upper 70s, lower 80's friday. same in saturday. humidity levels, the temperatures rise sunday monday, tuesday. it will be muggy and warm with a good chance of showers and storms each of the afternoons. more coming up at 6:00. back to you. alison: we'll see you then, doug. leon: all right. this is a pretty good day huh? >> a lot going on in sports. deflategate, bryce harper with three home runs this afternoon and the caps play the rangers in game four of the eastern conference semi-finals. let's go back to the verizon center, where we have robert burton, sequestered with the team. robert, take it away. robert: well thank you, tim. you know the saying, "offense sells tickets, defense wins championships." you got to give it to goaltender holtby. game one schult-out against the rangers.

in game three, another shutout against the rangers. on monday he blocked 30 shots to help the caps win 1-0. however, we talked to holtby today and he said not so fast. to him a shutout is simply a shutout. >> i always said shutouts are a lot to do with luck. a lot to do with the team in front of you. a lot of games there are goals you can't do anything about. you might play better in a game you get a shutout. so, you know i'm trying to do my part, do my job and focus on my job to help my team win. robert: a stat for you. so far the rangers are out-shooting the caps 38-18 in the first quarter. why that can't happen is coming up in sports at 6:00. but for now, back to you. tim robert, we'll get back to you soon. meanwhile, the nationals played a matinee with the marlins. he looked like lou gehrig. he hit three home runs in the

game. howitzer shots. 455 feet for the third one and the nationals win the third series in a row 7-5 over the marlins. in the nfl, the league appointed attorney charminged with investigate the new england patriots football scandal says it's more probable than not two new england patriot locker room attendants participated in a deliberate effort to release air from the patriots game balls after they were approved by the referee. the report goes on to say that quarterback tom brady was at least generally aware of the rules violation. which means -- >> i don't think there is a surprise there. he likes a thought football. leon: what happens next? tim: he thought it was legal. leon: what happens next? you are supposed to know this stuff. are you talking to me? [laughter] tim: the nfl will rule on this. leon: coming up next on "abc7 news at 5:00" --

moved in and just won't leave. reporter: a woman reaches out to "7 on your side" after squatters have been inside her house for more than six months. i'm

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leon: a prince george's county woman fed up with squatters on our house turns to "7 on your side" to help. alison: as investigator chris reports, she has an order from the judge to have the squatters removed but they're still there. >> i don't know how many people are in there. i don't know how damaged the property is. chris: marissa has a problem she never thought she'd have. >> they are living there squatting in that house for six months. chris: back in november, new renters moved in her fort washington house but she says they haven't paid rent in six months. in march, she filed to have them evicted. a judge signed it. but the sheriff's office has yet to remove them. [knocking] "7 on your side" tried to

speak with the person inside the home. >> i'm not talking on the news about any of this. chris: she wouldn't speak with us but she called the police even though we left the property. >> we understand people are frustrated. chris: mark spencer the inspector general for the sheriff's office admits the process is long but not as long as it used to be. five years ago it took the county upwards of 12 weeks to evict a squatter after the court order had been signed. now it's down to four to six weeks, which is on par with similar size counties. like montgomery. >> it's a significant issue. so many of our people. i'm pretty confident that she will have an eviction sometime by midmay. chris: which is just too long. >> the process is broken. and quarters can live for free. all i can do is sit here. chris: earlier this afternoon, after we spoke to the sheriff's office, she did

learn she does now have a date for the eviction. that would be may 20 at 9:00 in the morning. she will get her house back. live in fort washington, abc7 news. alison: all right. got to follow up on that one. thank you. that is it for "abc7 news at 5:00". leon: all right. coming up right now at 6:00 -- >> we just need to find ways, we need to bring him home. leon: a wife's plea to find her missing husband just days after their baby was born. what he was doing just before he vanished. and the new clue that police have just released. >> a sad day. alison: and we mourn the loss of a firefighter. what happened and how the community is stepping in to help. leon: first, though, we're on storm watch as wicked weather pounds the area. "abc7 news at 6:00" starts right now. now, "abc7 news at 6:00" on your side. maureen: we begin on storm

watch. scenes like this one captured by mary ellen in chantilly are playing out across our area tonight. we have already seen wind rain lightning and hail. how much longer will it last? chief meteorologist doug hill is tracking it in the weather center for us. doug, what is the latest? doug: maureen, at the moment no severe thunderstorm warning though there is downpours and hail and rain. nothing to severe levels yet. get you up to the rooftop above the furniture weather center. it's cloudy and we have a patchy of blue skies getting through in spots but there is also the area of rain we are checking on storm scan. a cold front over south central pennsylvania dropping south to maryland, virginia, west virginia. it is heavy with rain and hail and moving northwest to southeast. close up on the live doppler radar shows thunderstorm activity from gaithersburg northwest to the west