at national what are were, bruce leshan, 9news now -- harbor, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> of course the dream act was a major one too. this allows illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public colleges. under the law illegal immigrants can pay those in- state rates if they attend maryland high school for three years and they or the parents can show they filed state income taxes during that time. maryland is the first state in the nation to approve the dream act by a pop already vote. >>> our coverage continues online at our website. wusa9.com. log on to find the results of every race from the presidency all the way to the local school board races. 9news now returns in less than two minutes. >>> welcome back. howard here with your weather first. 4:56 on this wednesday morning. you'll need a heavy jacket today. maybe some rain gear. we're going to have some moisture moving the later this morning. only about 43 for the high with a brisk north wind with windchills in the 30s. this afternoon some of the rain is going to change to wet snow especially east of town. high temperatures by

. >> i'm bruce leshan on capitol hill where worried demonstrators from across d.c. urged house speaker john boehner to compromise with president obama and avoid direct budget cuts. >> jobs, no cuts. >> reporter: more than 100 protesters. >> 47%. this is the vietnam veteran. >> reporter: organized by the group rdc. crowded the hallways outside the house speaker's office. >> i have three children. >> reporter: april thomas was homeless up until two years ago when federal help finally put her young family in an apartment in southeast. >> now i'm told that it will be a possibility that i might end up back where i came from. >> reporter: the speaker staff locked the doors. but a spokesperson says that they proposed a responsible and balanced framework to avert the fiscal cliff. bruce leshan, 9news now. >>> it was the worst oil spill in our nation's history and today bp says they will pay $4.5 billion for that deadly oil rig explosion in the subsequent massive oil leak. that money will also include more than $1 billion in criminal penalties. bp plead guilty to 12 felony c

. >> reporter: i'm bruce leshan in d.c. where some popular food trucks say some proposed regulations could drive them out of business. >> if the public did not want us here, we would not be here. >> from the curb to the end of the sidewalk how much face do we have? >> reporter: the city's proposal would ban food trucks with less than 10 feet of unobstructed space on the sidewalks. we found eight out of 10 of the most popular food trucks spots where customers want food trucks to be would not be legal under the proposed regulations. >> it has nothing to do with trying to limit their ability to conduct business in the city. >> reporter: they are making money, paying taxes, employing hundreds and feeding thousands. >> i've only had a bite of the chef special, but it was very good. >> i think they're really convenient. >> i love the food trucks. they've got delicious food. they're where you need to be for lunch. >> reporter: the question is whether they will be able to stay. in d.c. bruce leshan, 9 news now. >> the city is givin

in bethesda, bruce leshan, 9 news now. >> we will keep checking in with bruce as he rebuilts his home. his contractor says it may be a matter of months before it's all done. >>> now topper shutt is here. what about our forecast? we know about that nor'easter. >> well, it's still giving us wind even though it's essentially off the new england coast, but the winds will die down slowly. let's talk about the scope of the winds. they're not as strong as superstorm sandy but still covers a pretty big area, 29 mile-per-hour wind gusts in boston, 24 mile-per-hour wind gusts here in the downtown area, even down toward hatteras 16 mile-per-hour wind gusts with even gusts over 20 miles per hour in the mountains back into west virginia and extreme southwestern west virginia. closer to home they're dying down slowly. our highest wind gust was 34, down to 24 now in the last hour, 17 mile-per-hour wind gust in both gaithersburg and leesburg and frederick but still a 28 mile-per-hour wind gust in martinsburg. so it's chilly. if you head outside, dress for the 30s. it's 15 downtown, mainly in the 40s

in bethesda, bruce leshan, 9news now. >> we are with you bruce. his contractor is telling him it may be just a matter of months. topper. >> my heart goes tout bruce, of course, and it's why erica and howard and i, we sound like a broken record that night, both before the storm and during the symptoms, not to sleep upstairs. that's a textbook reason why we kept saying it. 25 miles per hour wind gusts at national, 7 in gaithersburg, 17 in manassas. the good news is it will slowly diminish. temperatures chilly, 45 in frederick, 43 in leesburg. your wake-up weather, 30s to start, 7:00 still 30s, 9:00 38 to about 48. we'll come back and put the finishing touches on a very nice weekend forecast. >> thank you, top. >>> a bus driver who fell asleep behind the wheel last year on i-95 has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter. four people died and 49 others were hurt when the driver lost control of his bus last may. the tour group was off to new york city when the driver dozed off and ran into a barrier before the bus flipped over. the national transpo

in d.c., bruce leshan, 9news now. >>> d.c. schools chancellor henderson says closing 20 schools across the city after the current school year will save some money. according to henderson the schools on the list were chosen in part because of low enrollment, the percentage of the buildings actually being used and the condition of those structures. if the proposal goes through it would be the second major consolidation of d.c. schools in the past five years. >> if we reduce the number of our facilities we'll be able to improve the programs that we offer. we'll be able to utilize our staff more efficiently. so that we can concentrate on the things that we know move things for kids. >> you can see the full list of schools and where those students would be sent the coming years at wusa9.com. >>> the former chairman of the d.c. council learned his fate from not one, but two judges today. >> this is bruce johnson, late this afternoon kwame brown was here in court to respond to a misdemeanor campaign finance conviction. he was in the

. >> down in vienna, one of the most vibrant vet is telling his remarkable tells and bruce leshan is still listening. >> reporter: richard kirkland's life sounds more like a movie. >> charles a. lindbergh, tommy mcgwire. >> reporter: he flew with some of world war ii's greatest aces. >> that's the picture of my squadron. >> reporter: he knew charles lindbergh and howard hughes. he met eisenhower and mccarter. >> as i backed up i glanced down at him. he was sitting in the cockpit, flames going all down the airplane. >> reporter: he shot down at least four japanese zeros. >> he turned and looked up at me, and i was looking down at him, and for just a second, we had eye contact. >> reporter: in the korean war, he choppered patients to the surgeon memorialized in mash, the t.v. show. >> the infamous hawkeye. his name was sam gillfan. here's a picture of him. there's his buddy, trapper. >> reporter: so you were there for the atomic testing? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: to the test in the pacific. >> it seared the board and left that. that's atomic bomb blast. >> reporter: kirkland has painte

. >> our own bruce leshan is living the nightmare, trying to rebuild after a tree nearly destroyed his home. he hopes it will help others. >> i'm learning a lot about how to come back after a huge tree nearly destroyed my home. and i'm hoping what i've learned is going to help some other people. a week ago i lived in a forest of tulip poplars. but all around the neighborhood now, the chainsaws are buzzing, the cranes are lifting the logs out of people's backyards. my neighbors are all scared that what happened to me -- might happen to them. and so they're taking out this tree now, later in the afternoon this one will come down. luckily my wife had decided to ride out the storm down in the basement because this was my bedroom. this crisis had convinced me that my friends and neighbors are the best ever. they helped me move into this house just a few blocks away. my wife and my kids and i are all thinking the sun room is going to be a really nice place to spend the winter. in bethesda, bruce leshan, 9news now. >>> you can help people struggling to recover from sandy with just the click o

i'm bruce leshan. that's coming up. >> if you're looking for a way to honor a service member this holiday, why not donate thanks giving or christmas basket to -- a thanksgiving or christmas basket to a local family. call 202-895-5560, donate whatever you can afford. a $50 donation will feed a family of six, but if you can't afford that, that's not a problem. you can donate whatever you can give. you can also go online to www.wusa9.com and click on the uso button on our homepage. >>> welcome back. each veterans day leaves us with fewer world war ii heroes to tell the amazing stories of the greatest generation. >> but in vienna one of the most vibrant vets is still telling his remarkable tales and our own bruce leshan has been listening to him. >> it's been a good veterans day. >> reporter: richard kirkland's life sounds more like a movie. >> charles a. lindberg, dick ball, tommy mcguire. >> reporter: he flew with some of the world war ii's greatest aces. >> that's the picture of my squadron the flying k

back to you. >> bruce leshan live from the national harbor. let's look live at the scene from chicago. this is where president obama spent a few days, played basketball, did a few interviews. he was perhaps a little nervous about the outcome but not anymore. he has been declared the winner. he is the president elect supposedly as the votes are counted tonight. as you can see, tremendous excitement in chicago tonight. it sort of bee lies the sort -- belies the sort of campaign, it got low, nasty, hardly recaptured the magic of 2008. yet this time and across the blue st

bruce leshan with their story. >> reporter: the step says that the basic issue -- the city says that the basic issue is this. this is public space, the sidewalks and the streets, and yet on this food truck friday on farragut square you can see it's a little tough for people to wind their way through the lines waiting to fill up. >> the public did not want us here, we would not be here. >> from the curb to the end of the sidewalk how much space do we have? >> reporter: the city's profile would ban food trucks from any downtown sidewalk with less than 10 feet of unobstructed space. >> so this is giving up about 9 1/2 feet. >> reporter: the food truck association went out and measured the sidewalks at the 10 most popular spots and just two passed muster. >> that's 6 1/2 feet of unobstructed sidewalk space. >> we found that eight out of 10 of the most popular food truck spots where customers want food trucks to be would not be legal. >> reporter: right now food trucks can park in any legal parking spot and the city thinks that they are way past due for some regulations, but it also says

back to you. >> bruce leshan live from national harbor, thank you. >>> millions of americans are casting their ballots in the extremely tight presidential race and both sides are campaigning in the battleground states right up to the very end. danielle nottingham joins us no live from obama headquarters in chicago. so danielle, did the president do any actual campaigning today at all? >> reporter: well, derek it's not over until it's over they say. the president spent the day in chicago but he did conduct satellite interviews with tv and radio stations in battleground states. it's another sign that the president knows this will be a close race and he's trying to get every last one of his supporters to the polls, derek. >> now what about the mood of the campaign officials you've talked to? the final poll numbers did seem to swing the president's way even just by a bit. >> reporter: well, the president's campaign is saying what they've been saying all along. they are very confident. they believe they will have a huge turnout especially in the swing states. they admit they think florida may

bruce leshan has more. >> reporter: fireworks at national harbor. as leaders in prince george's county celebrate victory in a fiercely fought battle of gaming giants. >> so happy. >> reporter: supporters of expanded gambling promise thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new tax heavy ewe for schools and roads -- revenue for schools and roads. >> it's going for health care and jobs, and jobs, and jobs. >> but we've heard those empty claims before. >> reporter: critic vas i it is all a mirage -- credittics say it is -- critics say it is all a mirage. >> it's going to lead the political corruption. >> reporter: but voters sided with supporters and the man who developed national harbor promised an $800 million resort casino on a hill overlooking the potomac. a destination resort more like something you would see in las vegas. >> we're going to give you something that you will love. and in prince george's county really needs is an economic development property. >> reporter: supporters say marylanders are already spending hundreds of millions of do

bruce leshan reports there's yet another difference as well. >> ladies and gentlemen, one, two, me. >> reporter: stephen colbert plays a right wing pundit on comedy central. like anyone vain enough to appear on tv every night. >> i may be a news junkie but i also got to have my story. >> reporter: he just cannot get enough of himself. ah, self-love. colbert said the artist painted him in dots and measured him with calibers. >> i even sent them a dvd of my latest colonoscopy. >> reporter: ey missed one detail. >> i'm american. >> reporter: tried not to be a pompous tv guy myself. how do they do this? do they dip you entirely in hot wax and it pulls all your hair out and everything. >> most of the time they actually murder the suspect. >> reporter: they didn't murder dan rather but they did relegate him to the gift shop to make way for colbert's man crayole. he called himself the latest wax american. >> it reminds me of my infancy. >> looft spitting up. >> reporter: the guy who's run for president a couple of times refuses to divulge his secrets for solving the nation's problems. >> i'm

bruce leshan, we're talking expanded gaming here. >> reporter: no kidding. we saw all the an ads in the presidential race and it seems if you're washington washington d.c. tv, there are just as many ads about expanding gaming. you see the big vote for question 7 behind me, the big sign, and supporters are hoping to hold a big victory party here at national harbor tonight. this is where they want to build a $800 million destination resort casino, but first they have to get the nod from voters to build both maryland sz sixth casino and to allow table games at slots palses across -- pal asses across maryland. voters are conflicted because of either side of this issue. polls suggest that voters going into this are split right down the middle. >> i'm just -- i'm not certain when i get in there which way i'm going to go. >> reporter: you're actually going to decide in the ballot box. >> in the ballot box, that's what i'm going to do. >> that will bring more jobs. i didn't think any would go toward the schools and i need a job. >> reporter: ununemployed and looking

. >>> an update on the colleague, bruce leshan and what he and his family are dealing with after a tree crashed into their home when super storm sandy hit our area. top? >>> temperatures below average. but the wind made it feel much cooler than the actual numbers. 56 and ho will go in the books. we had a trace of snow again in the second row at nationals. records, 81 and 27. we'll come back and talk about the winds going down and temperatures going up. >>> but first a landmark church becomes a scene of a massive traffic jam in potomac. why they might be slowing down to look at it yet again for tomorrow. >>> we've got a commuter alert tonight if you travel to montgomery county. and that is because of the bbc, they are filming a movie in a church in that area. and that filming will be expected to run from 6:00 in the morning until 6:00 tomorrow. look out for traffic again. >>> on metro, the upcoming three-day weekend made somestations. they will be closed on the orange line, so the buses will replace trains between the east falls church so the crews could work on switches at the ballston

. >> our own colleague bruce leshan suffered the tree through the roof -- >> but they're safe. >> they're safe. >> that's a good thing. >> yeah. let's talk about today because another day like we've had. breezy. cool lots of clouds a little sun and maybe a shower. this pattern will break down slowly as the remnants of sandy fete out

>> and we were really disappointed until bruce leshan told us there are other differences too. >> reporter: ladies and gentlemen, one, two, me! >> reporter: stephen colbert plays a pompous, right-wing pundit on comedy central.  >> i point the finger at american enemies. >> reporter: and like anyone vain enough to appear on tv every night, he just cannot get enough of himself. ah, self-love. >> mmm. >> reporter: he says the artist painted him in dots and measured him with calipers. >> i even sent him a colonoscopy. >> reporter: but they missed one important detail. i tried not to be a pompous tv guy myself. >> how do they do this? do they dip you entirely in hot wax and then it pulls all your hair out and everything? >> most of the time they actually murder the subject. >> reporter: they didn't murder dan rather, but they did relegate him to the gift shop. colbert was born in d.c. and he says he's happy to be back. but the guy who has run for president a couple of times refuses to divulge his secrets for solving the nation's problems. >> i'm not gonna tell you. you have to elect me first.

bruce leshan is live with the latest on this. bruce? >> reporter: yeah, the plan is to pull all the advanced life support. the a. l. s. or paramedic units off the streets between the hours of 1:0and 7:00 in the morning. the fire chief says that there are far fewer calls during those hours. but firefighters say it is that one call, that one heart attack, that one baby having trouble breathing that they are worried about. now, there could still be paramedics on the fire trucks and there would still be basic life support or emt unitth units on the -- units on the street. the civilian paramedic union thinks that might be okay. but the union that represents firefighter paramedics thinks there are all kinds of scenarios where it would be a terrible idea. >> a natural disaster just seen sandy come through mt. middle of the -- in the middle of the night. a high demand. a fire in an area of the city that border area of the city. such as east of the river. and the medics that ride the fire engines are tied up on the fire ground. they're not able

bruce leshan has been looking into things we can do to perhaps make it a little easier on the populous when they want to exercise their public obligations. >> yeah, their duties and responsibilities as citizens. in almost every other democracy, tell you, what even in third world democracies, you get the results almost instantly. an independent national agency counts the ballots quickly, racketly with few allegations of -- accurately with few allegations of fraud or voter suppression. so why can't we do that? >> this is the longest line that i've ever seen. >> reporter: all across america on election day. >> i got up early this morning and i went to cast my ballot and now they're telling me that my vote is not going to count. >> reporter: voters complained the system had failed them. >> when an individual would press the romney button, it would come up obama on the printed record. >> reporter: couldn't it be easier? in new jersey in the wake of the super storm the state let voters cast ballots electronically by e-mail, by fax, not that it worked perfectly. even in the former soviet repu

among those struggling to recover is our own bruce leshan who is trying to rebuild after a tree nearly wiped out his home. he is hoping what he is learning helps others. >> reporter: a week ago, i lived in a forest of this view. but all the way around the neighborhood now, the chain saws are buzzing. the cranes are ripping the logs out of people's backyards. my neighbors, they are all scared about what happens to me. that it might happen to them. and so they are taking out this screen now later in the afternoon. this one, they will come down and then that one over there will come down and my next door neighbor over here has already removed three. three huge trees. this is a tree house that i built for my kids. and it actually survived the tree falling initially. it balanced the tree up on the corner of the house there. but the portion from my house and about 11,000 pounds. and the crane, they just could not hold it. so when they cut it off my house, the log is going to collapse on here. one more little bit of destruction. >> luckily my wife, they had decided to ride out the storm down

our bruce leshan is at national harbor with some of the supporters of 7. >> reporter: our timing couldn't be worse. they just had the big victory speech. they are going to have fireworks outside in one second. votes still coming in. votes still being counted. still very close for question 7, expanded gaming here in the state of maryland. but these guys have called it. and i just heard a big boom. and the fireworks are going off now. people are celebrating. you know, there was a lot of questions here about whether this money, tens of millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars in gaming expenditures by people from the state of maryland, in other states, whether that would go to classrooms and schools and healthcare and roads in maryland. they say it will. apparently their argument carried the day and they are overjoyed here at national harbor where they plan to build an $800 million resort casino. back to you. >> so, while it was close and there were millions of dollars spent to defeat this referendum with regard to expanded gaming, the folks that wanted gaming apparently get thei

>> thank you, bruce leshan. several board of education seats. >> they're also being asked to address three ballot questions including one that would allow the council to remove for poor conduct and bar those convicted of felonies from holding seats on the council or ever becoming mayor. >> you can get your election results directly on to your phone. all you have to do is text "election9" the number 25543. you can also follow us on twitter at @wusa9. we'll be back in half an hour with the latest results. i believe they'll begin to release the results at the 8:00 hour. we'll have more for you in just minutes. stay with us. >> this has been a 9news now campaign 2012 campaign update. >> pelley: the polls are now closed in half the states but there's still time to vote in the other half. as america elects a president tonight. five of the nine swing states are now closed, including the two biggest, florida and ohio. but no projection yet in any of the swing states. mitt romney has a small lead over president obama in