FOX 5 News at 11: October 29, 2026

A box of candy at a local school, what we know about today's scare. Plus, dozens of people evacuated from their homes in Northern Virginia. The unsafe conditions that have people looking for a place to stay tonight. And another perfect fall day ahead of your Friday. But is there anything to fear for this holiday? Mike Thomas with your full Halloween forecast. Fox 5 News at 11 starts now. First at 11, a shocking discovery that broke first on Fox 5. A gun found inside a box of Halloween candy at a local school tonight. D.C. police are trying to figure out how it got there. Fox 5's Sydney Persing is outside KIPP D.C. Grow Academy in Shaw tonight. This was obviously an incredibly disturbing discovery to make, and there are still a lot of questions tonight about how a gun even got inside of this school. But what we know is that it was a staff member here who was preparing to distribute candy from a box when he or she discovered a gun was inside that box of candy. D.C. police, they confirm with Fox 5 tonight. They got the call just before 3 p.m. and responded here to KIPP D.C. Grow Academy. This is a public charter school here on P Street Northwest for very young kids, pre-K and kindergarten students. Officers say they received a report of a gun found. They came here, recovered it, and they say so far no arrests have been made tonight. You can only imagine what it felt like for the parents here to receive this letter from the school today, which was shared with us by a KIPP family. The school wrote to parents in part, while preparing to distribute a box of candy, A staff member discovered a firearm in Inside in a statement tonight, KIPP told Fox 5 the staff member at KIPP DC Grow Academy found a firearm inside a box of candy today. Staff immediately followed safety procedures, secured that firearm and notified the Metropolitan Police Department. All students and staff remained safe and no students came into contact with the firearm. We are grateful to our staff. For their quick and careful response again, though, a ton of questions tonight about how a gun even got inside the school, let alone inside a box of Halloween candy. We are working to learn more from the school and also from MPD. As soon as we learn more, we will update you on air and online. The police chief responding tonight to a violent and deadly few hours in Prince George's County. Three homicides under investigation. Police say just before 11 a.m., a landscaper discovered a body in the woods in Lingley Park. The man has suffered trauma to his upper body. Hours earlier, around 4 a.m., a man was found stabbed to death in a College Park home. An hour later, another man was discovered shot to death in Landover. But violent crime happens, it affects all of us. The thing about these ones is I will say, wanna let our community know they appear to be isolated incidents. We don't think these acts were random at all. So the community is not in danger. There's not people out just randomly committing these murders. But it's something that we want people to pay attention to and we really just want people to give us any information that they may have regarding these cases. Police have not identified suspects in any of the cases. In the district, the search is underway for a gunman and a Petworth shooting. Today, police responded to Princeton Place Northwest around 4 p.m., where they found the victim. Officers say he was not breathing when he was taken to the hospital. No word on a suspect or motive. New details tonight in the police shooting of a D.C. murder suspect. Police opened fire on the man minutes after they say he shot and killed another person around 5 this morning on Minnesota Avenue. That injured suspect in the hospital tonight facing a long list of charges, including murder. About 20 minutes later, there was a call that came out for an individual waving a firearm in a parking lot in the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue. When officers arrived on the scene as they were exiting their vehicle, they saw a suspect. He was actually pointing and then fired around at another individual who was there. One of our officers discharged his firearm, striking that suspect. It's still not clear what led to the deadly shooting and if the victim and suspect even knew each other. And the ongoing debate over license plate readers tonight, a burglary arrest. Fairfax County Police want you to know about. Fox 5's Josh Rosenthal is in McLean tonight. Let's start here in Fairfax County where police say that automated license plate readers, including flock cameras, are helping them keep people safe. Our officers and our detectives rely on this technology every day to solve and prevent crime. It has become an essential law enforcement tool that has a direct impact on the public safety of Fairfax County. And that includes in this most recent case. Police say they've arrested 73-year-old Michael Spolino of Alexandria. He's accused of breaking into a home Tuesday morning. We're told the homeowner saw it happen through a home security camera and gave police a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Then police say they used automated license plate reader technology to locate Spolino's car, make the arrest. And they add that they later recovered evidence linking Spolino to other burglaries outside of Fairfax County. But the tech itself, which captures license plate numbers, also the time, date, and location that you drive by, is controversial. For instance, the city of Alexandria is choosing to shut down its 61 flock cameras by tomorrow night, in part due to privacy concerns. Also, last month, the Arlington County Board voted to remove dozens of the cameras there. Meanwhile, you've got stories like this one from the Washington Post, which details allegations of police keeping access to Flock's surveillance system long after they left the force. Back in Fairfax County Thursday, residents we talked to gave the tech mixed reviews. I don't like them. You can't drive anywhere. They see where you're going. To me, it's an invasion of privacy. I think it's a good idea. I think it's helpful to law enforcement. So I'm in favor of it. In the Fairfax burglary case, we made attempts to reach the suspect, Spolino, but we weren't immediately successful. Guys. All right, let's turn our attention to this weather here at 11. Get you outside alive. Look at Fredericksburg, Virginia from our Fox 5 Sky Cam. Now for Paris, it's one of the most important forecasts of the year. Will a jacket be needed for trick-or-treating? I say one of, Mike Thomas, because the night before a potential snowstorm, that's probably... Pretty important, too. Well, in terms of holidays, I would think, what? You got Halloween, Thanksgiving, people traveling. What is it, a white Christmas? Right. Well, I'll answer that right now. No. Okay. It hasn't been, we haven't had a white Christmas since I think 2009 here in D.C. It was the last time we got decent snow prior to Christmas Day. Not likely to change this year either, so I'll put the odds at pretty low. We'll look outside across the area. But yeah, look, the trick-or-treat forecast is probably the most important one for the kids, right? Santa's coming to town no matter what for the Christmas forecast. And then for Halloween, they want to make sure that trick-or-treaters are going to be just fine. And most importantly, yes, they will be dry, but you'll probably need that light jacket, especially after the sun goes down, drier air coming in for the weekend. It will cool faster after sunset. We're likely in the 50s for trick-or-treat time. 71 outside of Reagan National Airport this afternoon. We hit that high just before 3 o'clock today, but the low temp this morning, 53. So, cool start. Very mild day, and the good news, if you love today, you're going to love tomorrow. Same thing, cool start, but a really pleasantly warm afternoon. We could do middle 70s here in D.C. That is Fredericksburg, Virginia, all quiet on a Thursday night. D.C., 59 right now, Dulles at 58, BWI Thurgood Marshall, 57. Always nice when they line up, 59, 58, 57, just like that across the board. Clear skies region-wide, nothing to really worry about on satellite and radar. It has now been. 12 days since I've shown you any rain on satellite and radar. We're really stacking them together here. Cold front to the north, had rain with it, but the problem when they run into these big zones of high pressure that are just stubborn, that's a lot of sinking air. Clouds and rain don't like that. So any rain that front brings with it is going to dissipate well before it gets to us here in Washington. It comes through tomorrow, despite it being probably our warmest day this week, with sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Then as chief. meteorologist Tucker Barnes shows you 63 on Saturday, 64 on Sunday, a cooler weekend ahead. But yes, most importantly for that trick or treat forecast, we will be dry. All right, Mike, thank you. In Prince William County, prosecutors are expected to rest their case Monday in an arrest bot murder trial. Today, jurors reviewed bank and credit card records belonging to Bot's wife, Mamta Kapil, whom he's accused of killing. Prosecutors pointed to her final Uber charges in July of 2024 and late fees that followed her disappearance. Testimony resumes Monday at 9 a.m. A new trial date for the man accused of trying to assassinate President Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Cole Allen is scheduled to face a jury September 7th of next year. He appeared in court this morning for a pretrial conference. The judge says one more hearing is expected in December. Dozens of people out of their homes tonight in Loudoun County. Percival East Apartments on North 16th Street evacuated today due to unsafe conditions. About 55 people in two dozen units impacted. Fire Rescue says it got a call for service earlier this week and crews found safety hazards, including damaged staircases. Everybody on the second floor in this entire community is being put into hotels. Right now, the county is funding that. Thank goodness the county has come out and stepped in. But it is a matter of getting them, like I was saying before, resources, gas carts, food, ways to transport themselves back and forth. The children now have to get special buses to go to school. It is uprooting their entire lives within literally five hours. Right now, there's no timeline for fixes or when residents will be allowed back into their homes. A grassroots group is demanding a one-year moratorium on data centers in a northern Virginia community. The Coalition to Protect Prince William County launched a petition. It hopes that will give the Board of Supervisors time to develop policies to address major issues, including noise, pollution from backup diesel generators, and rising electricity bills. We need some semblance of sanity. And the only way we're going to achieve that is with a pause. There are data center applications going through the planning office right now. It is incomprehensible. The county says it has nearly 60 data center buildings. More than 80 projects are either in the planning or construction phase. And 15 data center applications are pending. Ending. And in Maryland, today was the final day of early voting. Maryland Matters reports more than 300,000 voters have already cast their ballots ahead of the Tuesday midterms. Early voting in Virginia ends Saturday. D.C.'s early voting period wraps up Sunday. D.C. Councilmember Robert White will resign his at-large seat Monday. The Democratic nominee for D.C. delegate says a little-known 1970 law could bar him from holding another paid public office on Election Day. White disagrees with that interpretation, but says he won't risk his eligibility. His resignation ends 10 years on the council and triggers a special election next year. A major escalation tonight in Alaska's high-stakes Senate race. The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas. It's investigating whether Democrat Mary Patola's campaign helped recruit candidate Dan J. Sullivan to draw votes away from Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Potola calls the allegations a distraction. Dan J. Sullivan denies coordinating with Democrats with control of the Senate at stake. The state's governor is also investigating. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is challenging his country's election results, claiming fraud in Arab communities. Officials say there's no evidence to support the claims. Netanyahu's opponents accuse him of trying to undermine the results and block a potential coalition that could take him out of power, as Arab-led parties make historic gains. Final results are expected next week. Another major shakeup tonight at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, Sylvia, who who was the military's top strategic planner. Pentagon officials accuse him of leaking sensitive information to the media. Sylvia is the second general fired from the role and among nearly two dozen military leaders to leave under Hegseth. When we come back here at 11, Golf Course Future, a greener outlook for two courses in the district, as another appears to only have a couple weeks left. Stay with us. A major development for two historic D.C. golf courses. The National Links Trust has signed a 50-year lease to operate and rehabilitate Rock Creek Park in Langston. The courses will see improvements and new clubhouses. But the Trust's management of East Potomac ends November 15th, the day the Trump administration plans to close the course for renovations. That plan remains tied up in court. Play golf at a low cost as well as that as well, too. So especially with Langston being a historically black course, something we need to preserve, actually. It absolutely needs some work. I mean, it has some rough edges, but it's the character that keeps us coming back. So that's why I'm here. At Langston, the trust plans to launch student workforce development programs, paid internships and college scholarships. A late night college basketball tradition, more than five decades strong, continues tonight in College Park. Terps basketball is getting ready to run the midnight mile with students on campus. Fox 5's Shemari Stone is live there tonight. Shemari, how's it looking? First of all, Kenneth, it is great to hear from you. Let me tell you, these students are all lined up. They're going to be jogging, running, getting ready for this moment to kick off the University of Maryland men's basketball season. Take a look at this line, Kenneth. It's extending all the way down there. A whole bunch of people, a lot of students getting ready. The basketball team is arriving here. And let me tell you a little about this. The Terps tradition dates back to 1971. That's when the iconic basketball coach, Lefty Driesell, decided the best way to kick off basketball season was a little bit of midnight fun. You come right over here, and you can see the mascot. Let me get this guy. Hey! Come over here. Get on Fox 5. You can see this guy right here. He's having a good time. Some of the basketball players are arriving. Hey, how do you guys feel about this midnight run tonight? Man, we're excited, man. We just can't wait to get going. Ready to kick off our season, and yeah, man, we're enthusiastic. Now, going around... Stop for a second, homeboy. Going around the track is four... You go around four times, you got a mile. Are you going to be running it? I don't know if I'll run it, but I'll probably walk it, just be talking to my teammates, talking to some... Fans around the area, so it'll be fun. And how does it feel to see all these students out here to show support, to kick off your season? Man, this is great gratitude, man, just seeing everyone coming out to support us. This is a tradition that Lefty Driesell started, so we take it with great honor and take it with great pride to continue with it. And speaking of tradition, you can see, what's your name? Bob Oladosu. Okay, you can see this gentleman right here. He has on one of the shirts that the first 300 students will get. It says here, Midnight Mile. Terrapin Hoops, sponsored by Under Armour on the back. It has Lido's Pizza because they're also going to get pizza if they run. That's the important part of all of this. So I want to thank you for joining us, and you have a great season. Thanks so much, sir. You can dunk? Yes, sir. Do you think you can dunk on me? Probably. Okay, he can dunk on me. Get out of here. All right, guys, so back to you in the studio, and a lot of these folks are going to have a good time, and go Terps! Go Terps, indeed. Hey, what you doing? What's up, man? Don't fight the mascot, Shabari. Oh, look at him. Give him a good hug. My homeboy, Shabari Stone, on the scene tonight, live. Yeah. And let's sort of get back to this forecast. How's it looking for the midnight run? You know, Mike Thomas, my mom used to say nothing good happens after midnight, but this is a different story. No, no. I mean, good things happen in there up at Maryland. Remind me, what was the mascot's name again, Kenneth? Oh, you mean for the one that Shabari's fighting with? Yeah. Testudo though. Oh, okay. University of Maryland, the Terrapins getting it done. And I like that it's got the Halloween costume. It gets scary. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. All right. I finally got you as we get ready outside across the DC region tonight, a live look at the Capitol wheel, which is paused for the evening, but temperatures cooling off though, not. Totally chilly, like it's been at this time the last couple of nights. 59 degrees, dew points actually at 56, so rather mild in that department. Overnight, these winds are going to shift out of the north, and that'll start bringing in some drier air, which means a cooler weekend ahead. But we do get one more day of extremely nice conditions across the D.C. area. 59, Annapolis, 55 for Linton Hall, Fredericksburg, 54, Culpeper, 52, Frederick, Maryland sitting at 51 tonight. 40s as you scan there. Cumberland's closest at 50 degrees. Westminster still rather mild at 62, which is closer to your average daytime high for this time of year. Overnight lows. Chilly still. I mean, it's hard not to be during late October, right? But compared to average low temperatures, most spots about 5 to, in some spots, even 10 degrees above normal tonight. Like Frederick, 54 is awfully warm for you. Gaithersburg, 55. Some upper 40s down to the south and west. Still going to want the long sleeves early tomorrow morning. But it's shorts and T-shirt weather tomorrow afternoon, where, of course, Chad Ricardo will be out doing the Friday football thing. It's great weather for Friday night lights across the D.C. region tomorrow night. Excited to bring you those stories tomorrow evening here. Big picture showing you calm conditions across the mid-Atlantic region. Cold front on the way. This is what's going to shift our winds. It'll make it a little breezy. You'll notice that tomorrow. But it'll be a pleasantly warm breeze that blows initially before we start cooling things down in the evening. Has some rain showers off the Great Lakes with it tonight. Those will fade long before it gets here. In fact, it will probably pass without even a cloud in the sky. High pressure is still pretty dominant tomorrow. And that'll keep us on the drier side of things. things. We're tomorrow afternoon. I mentioned the breezes. That'll be the one thing that'll get you from time to time. But other than that, just a pleasantly warm Friday with temperatures in the lower to middle 70s across much of the region. South and west of town will have the best shot at seeing those temperatures rise the most. Maybe 76, 77 degrees in some neighborhoods down that way. 53 is what we'll call for early morning at the bus stop. If there's a passing cloud or two, what there actually could be is maybe an area of a little bit of fog. We're not expecting as much tomorrow morning as we were seeing, say, This morning across the D.C. area, but with the dew point and temperature getting so close, a little bit of that wouldn't shock me. Then after school, sunny, bright, pleasant, much like today, but maybe a degree or two warmer, 75 degrees. Enjoy these 6 o'clock sunsets, by the way. You get tomorrow night and Saturday and Sunday after those clocks go back. We're getting those sunsets right around 5 o'clock in the evening. Cooler air coming in for the weekend. We will be dry, sun to start on Saturday. We cloud things over by trick-or-treat time, but everything's just fine for trick-or-treaters. on your Saturday evening. High pressure still in control on Sunday. An occasional... Peak of sunshine, but a lot of clouds pretty dominant through the day on your Sunday afternoon. There's your highs for Halloween Saturday, 63 cooler degrees in D.C., 64 then by the time we get to Sunday with middle 60s for much of the region under a deck of clouds for at least part of the day. If you're going to the Commanders game, big game this weekend. Eagles coming to town to take on your hopefully well-rested Commanders after their bye week. Expect temperatures to be in the 50s, some clouds out there, but should be dry conditions for the big game. We've had a lot of rain here for Commanders games so far this season. It will be nice to have a dry but cool one. 63, you're high on Saturday. 64 on Sunday. We do get 70s back next week. And, oh, thank goodness, finally the chance for some rain as we approach next Thursday. Can I Testudo was in a Halloween costume, so that's why I couldn't tell that was him, Mike Thomas. I know who he is. Hey, look at this. A set of metal claws discovered inside a passenger's carry-on bag at Seattle Tacoma International Airport. The TSA described them as a cross between Wolverine from the X-Men and Freddy Krueger. You know, from Nightmare on Elm Street. That Freddy, not my uncle, Freddy Krueger. The agency says the passenger eventually voluntarily gave them up at the checkpoint. No word on why they were packed in the first place. I don't really have an uncle, Freddy Krueger. When we come back at 11, Montgomery County Public Schools pleased with the progress they've made, but saying there's still work to be done. We'll explain after the break. Montgomery County Public Schools is celebrating major gains in student achievement. The state's new school report card shows 67% of MCPS schools earn four or five stars, with 50 schools moving up. That's up from fewer than half three years ago. Focusing on our Latino students, our emergent multilingual students, our students with disabilities, our black students, and making sure that they are focusing with intention on crafting support plans, making sure they have multiple systems of support that are helping them. And the best part is a re-energized focus on what high expertise teaching looks like in the classroom. M-C-P-S says it's working to have every school earn at least four stars by 2030. A new ranking puts Virginia nursing homes among the worst in the country for staffing. The findings from the Joint Commission on Healthcare reveal the Commonwealth ranks last in certified nursing assistants and low in overall nursing staff. The commission is calling for minimum staffing standards and an investment in a workforce pipeline. It also proposed a 2029 deadline for fixes. A major power outage tonight at D.C.'s Union Station. A commercial power failure leaving parts of the transit hub in the dark. It knocked out the lights at ticket counters, departure boards, restrooms, and the food court. Amtrak says trains are still running with minimum disruptions, but passengers should allow extra travel time and use caution on dimly lit platforms and walkways. D.C. is preparing to commemorate 100 years of cherry blossoms. Today, the district kicked off the century of celebration to mark the anniversary of the first ever cherry blossom event honoring Japan's gift of cherry trees. The National Cherry Blossom Festival starts March 20th and runs through April 11th. When we come back, imagine being invited to a wedding where they encourage you to arrive two hours early. They may even tell you to take off your shoes and give you a pat down. Stay with us.