it's calm and doesn't feel too bad out there. temperature, 35 degrees. we're watching a few snow showers off to the west, intending to break apart and go to our south and west but a few of the snow showers can survive later this evening and overnight, might be a couple slippery spots. you can see some light accumulations that could make for slippery spots so watch out for that. it will be gone by then. we'll have sunshine coming in. there's the foundation for our weekend storm. now it's been onshore for a while here. it's in the rockies and north texas. it's going to sweep down to the gulf and come up through the midatlantic states. watch the evolution of the storm. the radar will look more impressive by this time tomorrow. then a big ice storm developing over the carolinas tomorrow morning. snow is breaking out in the virginias, approaching dc by the evening commute. we get our evening commute in, even your friday night plans, it's okay. we're in good shape. waiting on the snow starting to get in late night. really southern new jersey. predawn areas on

morning or midday as you go in to the northern suburbs, the theme will be heavy snow south and west and lighter amounts off to the north. winter storm watches poeed -- posted for new jersey. hudson valley will be included in the watch. blizzard watches toward baltimore and dc. this is new, a coastal flood watch for ocean county. this could be serious property damage. major flooding any time from friday night in to sunday. first flakes saturday night, sunday morning. brunt of the storm with 50-mile-per-hour gusts. coastal flooding that could be major and power outages as well. we've done these percentages over the past 24 hours. higher personals and the bigger totals. the lighter totals could be north of new york city. we have our latest snowfall map and we'll have it in accuweather in just a few minutes.

real snow totals comes in to focus, new york city officials aren't the only ones preparing. so are residents. >> rob nelson is in the gowanus section of brooklyn with how folks there are preparing. >> as you heard lee just say, there is growing confidence at this hour that we are knowing to get hit with major snow this weekend which means not only is the city bracing for the storm but we caught up with early birds here at this lowe's in brooklyn. >> a lot of them are looking for salt, a lot of things like that. snow blowers. shuvlss. -- shovels. >> reporter: it's coming a little later than usual but this is certainly a familiar drill for all of us in the northeast, hitting the stores for all the supplies needed to deal with old man winter. >> my son moved in to his own apartment so i thought i'd surprise him and buy him some ice melt.

really hard and that's what mothers do. he'll pick a nice nursing home for me when i get older. >> reporter: they expect these shovel snatching crowds will only grow between now and the weekend. >> our emergency command center makes sure we're always stocked especially during times like this. >> reporter: things are bustling inside the city's emergency management office. the nerve center for new york storm response where snowfall amounts, high winds and possible coastal al flooding possible-- coastal flooding will all be closely monitored. >> it's over the weekend so it doesn't affect schools too much, commuting too much. sanitation, they have their plans that they roll in depending on how much snow we're going to get. >> reporter: mayor de blasio has teamed up with the new york islanders for a public service announcement filled with advice on how to cope with all the cold. >> keep your fingertips, ears, and noses covered if you're out. >> reporter: back here at the lowe's, for some the pending snowfall means it's time to

labor when sunday's big dig-out rolls around. >> i'm not worried. let the kids do the shoveling and i'll just hang out. [ laughter ] >> good advice, right? let the kids do the heavy lifting. city officials are saying the best way to stay on top of the storm and whatever may come over the next few days is to follow the city on facebook and twitter. there's also a program called notify nyc. you can use that program to get emergency alerts depending on what this storm does. to sign up for the program, you can call the city's 311 line or go to nyc.gov/notifynyc. it's a great way to stay on top of whatever mother nature has for us this weekend. rob nelson, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> we'll try to get a link of that on our website as well. they're also making sure they're prepared for whatever comes their way in suffolk county. stockpiled. the beaches are in good shape and they doubt

the suffolk county police department has stationed humvees at each precinct just in case people need to be rescued from homes or cars. you can keep up with the accuweather forecast in between our newscast by downloading our free accuweather weather alert app. lee will be back with full updated forecast coming up. we've got a developing story right now. police are questioning a man after getting an anonymous tip about a threat. the caller claimed someone wants to shoot police officers and that that person is connected to isis. tonight all new york cops are on alert. eyewitness news reporter dave evans is live in harlem with more. >> i actually talked to a couple police officers here in harlem. they tell me they were getting these alerts on their smart phones last night and also early this morning about this anonymous tip that was called in to two different locations yesterday, both to police as you mentioned in philadelphia and police here at the 32nd precinct in harlem.

the police up in the bronx late this afternoon that this 36-year-old man wanted for questioning, he actually turned himself in to police. police want to get to the bottom of this to see how legitimate this threat was. >> reporter: you can't blame police for being skittish about the tip phoned in to the precinct in harlem. >> shots fired. >> reporter: in philadelphia early this month a man pledging allegiance to isis opened fire on a police officer in his car. despite 13 shots, that officer miraculously was only hit in the upper arm. yesterday's tip went to two places. philadelphia police and police here in harlem. >> one of the phone calls indicated isis, not the phone call to philadelphia but rather the phone call to new york and we are taking it serious based on what happened in philadelphia a couple weeks ago. >> reporter: police were serious enough about the tip that they sent a bulletin to every officer on the street. the police union president said police officers recognize that

target for terrorists and the pba is reminding all of our members to be alert at all times. >> they did some work on it and the phone call came back to an address up in upper manhattan. we then received a phone call from an anonymous person also indicating that this person was going to shoot a police officer. so we started an investigation. >> reporter: this afternoon in the bronx, police took that 36-year-old man in for they're trying to find out if there's any truth to the tipped called in, supposedly that's why police didn't want to say a lot about the case today to give it anymore publicity. >> i think we've gone as far as we can on this. that's why there was an alert put out to the police officers as opposed to the public at large because this investigation is still at that stage. i think we're going now. >> and again, police updating us late this afternoon that this

questioning actually turned himself in to police in the bronx that detectives are talking with him right now. they want to get to the bottom of this to find out if this is a legitimate threat or a wild allegation called in by a rival gang member. we'll keep you posted. reporting live in harlem, dave evans, channel 7 eyewitness news. we're following another developing story. triple-digit losses capped off a wild ride for stocks on wall street today. a huge dip in oil prices set the dow plummeting more than 500 points. the market rallied in the afternoon but couldn't make a full recovery. in the end the dow closed down 249 at 15,756. the nasdaq finished down 5 at 4,471 while the s&p 500 dropped 22. police are looking for the driver of a truck that struck and killed a father who was riding his bike home from work in brooklyn. surveillance video shows the 54-year-old just before he was hit. it happened at east 9th street and avenue u

tonight his daughter is talking to eyewitness news. kemberly richardson is at the scene with more. >> one woman ran after that truck. another person took pictures. still at this hour police don't know where it is or who was driving. it was right around this time last night right here, can reng ma had just left work right around the corner. he was riding his bike when suddenly out of nowhere people who had never met him rushed to be by his side. >> i really thank you for all the people who be there for my father. thank you. really thank you for that. >> reporter: even in her darkest hour, unbelievable grace, yanping ma thanking those who tried to help her father, can reng ma, a man who wanted only the best for his family. in this surveillance video, you see can reng on his bike on avenue u, right next to a rider truck.

over east 9th street, for some 54-year-old, killing him. the at least one but the vehicle made a right on east 8th street and disappeared, just after 5:00 last night. that before. >> reporter: police are now looking for the truck. can reng was here doing what he did every day, making the roughly two-mile journey home by bike. >> it's busy street but it's we open happened before. >> reporter: cami can't get it out of her mind what would turn out to be her friend's last moments alive. very nice. >> reporter: around the warehouse, can reng was known for his work ethic, generosity, a humble soul who adored his wife, daughter, and teenage son. >> we do love him. sorry about him. >> reporter: just seven years ago they came here to the u.s.

can reng wanted a better life for his family. yanping has this to say to the person who just shattered their american dream. >> i really want to ask him why he do that to my father and leave my father there. he should just have called the police or 911. maybe my father could be saved. >> witnesses say the truck did at this hour investigators aren't even sure whether the driver of the truck realized they had hit someone but folks out here tell me that's hard to believe since at least one person ran after that truck. for now we're live in sheepshead bay, kemberly richardson, channel 7 eyewitness news. tonight pakistanis denouncing terrorism after an attack on a university that killed 20 people. students and activists took to the streets to condemn today's violence in karachi. a break-off faction of the taliban claimed responsibility. 18 students and two instructors were killed.

an hours-long battle with the military. we're learning hillary clinton's private e-mail ability kept classified information that was very sensitive, even top secret e-mails. that's according to an inspector general for the intelligence community. he says more of clinton's classified e-mails were found including some containing information from special access programs. they have a classification higher than top secret. any news about clinton's e-mails can't be good for her in the race against bernie sanders for the democratic nomination. the vermont senator right now is surging. the stunning numbers out of new hampshire show sanders beating clinton by 27 points. 60% to 33%. that is the biggest margin yet in new hampshire. and on the republican side, frontrunner donald trump was joined on the campaign trail by his newest supporter, sarah palin. both spoke in a rally in tulsa, oklahoma today. when asked about whether he would make palin his running mate, trump dodged the question.

palin could be apart of his administration if he wanted a position. a murder mystery. still ahead, a woman killed in her home. it's the first murder in one local town in decades. >> plus, a new request tonight in the bill cosby case as prosecutors say he's seeking special treatment. >> and an invention by a college student on long island that eases the fears of sick children. how it makes them

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all new at 5:00, a man killed in a house fire in westchester county. thanks to good samaritans they're recovering tonight. a crew picking up spotted the fire this morning. it broke out at a house in mount cisco. they rescued a woman, but rescuers were not able to reach the 29-year-old man trapped in a different basement apartment.

look at two americans since their release from custody in iran. former washington post jason rezaian and his wife. former marine amir hekmati is getting treatment at the hospital. prosecutors say bill cosby is seeking special treatment by trying to have the sexual assault charges against him in pennsylvania thrown out before the first evidence hearing. causeby's lawyers claim he had an agreement with prosecutors that his deposition testimony in a 2005 lawsuit would not be used to criminally charge him but the district attorney says there was never such an agreement. a hearing on the motion to dismiss the charges is set for february 2nd. the governor of michigan has filed an appeal tonight to

without the aid, the state does not have enough money to repair the entire water system, plumbing inside homes and 100,000 residents in flint can't drink tap water all because of lead contamination. operation 7 save a life a celebrating 18 years. eyewitness news anchor bill ritter hosted a breakfast this morning in midtown manhattan. the campaign has fdny and other local fire departments distribute free fire alarms. >> we ended 2015 with our second lowest number of fire deaths ever. thank you again to bill and everyone at wabc for your steadfast commitment to fire safety education. >> we invite you to watch our operation 7 save a life special this saturday hosted by bill ritter. it will look at different types of emergencies from active shooter situations to gas explosions.

night at 7:00 here on channel 7. you i always catch it on the watch abc app. timely because this is fire season >> you're going to be hunkered down this weekend, be very careful this weekend. >> everybody is going to make the mad dash after the show over the next couple of days getting ready for the storm. >> the thing is we have to remember that we're in this sort of broad strokes timeframe right now but we're getting in to details and i'm going to try to get as specific as i can. first of all, as we look downtown, you see thin spots in the overcast but clouds are definitely thickening up. a lot more comfortable than the last couple of nights. 36 degrees for a high number today. not too far from average. sunset just before 5:00. partly sunny skies a year ago today and 40 degrees. we're in the mid 30s central and southern new jersey. we could

also this could be the jackpot area for some of our snow totals over the upcoming weekend. sayreville to wrightstown. 35 in poughkeepsie. these areas from monticello to poughkeepsie could get ripped off from some of the big snow totals. cloudy skies this evening. snow showers overnight especially over parts of new jersey and mainly south and west of new york city. although a few flurries could make it in to northwest jersey. wind does break up during the day with bright sunshine. 30s feel like 20s. there are the flurries trying to get in to philly now. a few of these could hold together and work across the area during the overnight. that's nothing compared to this weekend storm right here, at least the beginnings of it. you see the snow breaking out against kansas and in to nebraska. dives in to the gulf of mexico thursday. up the coast from friday to saturday. brunt of the storm saturday, one thing you can plan on is this timing where we're okay friday and friday night. travel becomes progressively worse

do not recommend travel after saturday midday and saturday night, even saturday morning could start to get dicy especially from the city on south. big time travel delays. we could get in to blizzard conditions at times. coastal flooding a major concern especially on the jersey shore. power outages a concern on the coast with the heavy wet snow gumming up against trees and knocking downpour lines. here's our snowfall amount. i still think the average totals are around 6 to 12 inches. when you talk about being 60 hours away from the first flakes, if you're sitting near this borderline, this is a bus zone right here. you could be very close to very little or a little shift in the storm and all of the sudden some of the bigger totals are there. much more confident in the middle of the 6 to 12-inch swath. this is significant, i'm putting this area of a foot or more in the city, heavier snowfalls in the southern new jersey area. tomorrow, 34. lots of sun shine and a chilly breeze. then tomorrow night

24. here's what we're going to try to build on at 5:30 with this storm. could this be a mix for the mountains? will mixing at the coast knock down some totals? will it exit early sunday? yesterday looked like this could linger during the day. i'll make sure the snowfall map is current and we'll see you in our next half hour. still ahead on eyewitness news, a woman refuses a panhandler and is then stabbed right in front of her daughter. what police are doing to find the guy. >> spike lee speaking out in an exclusive interview on good morning america on his decision not to go to the oscars and what he wants hollywood to start enforcing. >> running out on the bill. a local politician accused of stiffing a restaurant after holding a fundraiser there. wow. the internet is crazy fast here.

it's so nice to have everyone over. hi hey. mmm. i just laid an egg. does anybody want it? joey, you want some gasoline? yes, please. mom, guess what? i married a clown and we're having tiny little clown babies. mhm. i just bought a hammer. with internet fast enough for everyone, your guests might get a bit carried away. get out of the past. get fios.

and now, governor cuomo's task force is doing what's right. state tests don't unfairly count against students. and test scores won't be used in teacher evaluations. less testing. greater focus on learning. that's a start, but there's more to do. let's work together to support sensible and fair learning standards that help every child -- in every neighborhood -- succeed. in new york state, we believe tomorrow starts today. all across the state the economy is growing, with creative new business incentives, and the lowest taxes in decades, attracting the talent and companies of tomorrow. like in the hudson valley, with world class biotech. and on long island, where great universities are creating next generation technologies. let us help grow your company's tomorrow, today at business.ny.gov you'd be surprised how easy it is to get a good low-cost health plan!

go to nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777 enrollment ends january 31st. a $75 million gift has been given to new york presbyterian to build a brand new hospital. the alexandria and steven cohen hospital for women and newborns will be the first facility in the city with mri capabilities and an operating room in the neonatal intensive care unit. it will provide pre and post natal care. it's expected to open in 2020.

verifying his stand on the academy awards controversy. he spoke out on good morning america. >> we're not coming. not going. >> reporter: movie director spike lee is taking a clear stance not attending next month's oscars. but clarified on good morning america he's also not urging anyone to follow him. >> i have never used the word boycott. >> reporter: the honorary oscar recipient and two-time nominee grows a growing list of stars speaking out about the lack of diversity. for a second consecutive year, all 20 nominees in the acting categories are white. whoopi goldberg speaking out on the view. >> we haven't done enough to nurture our diverse talent. >> reporter: even george clooney tells variety, i think african americans have a real fair point that the industry isn't representing them well enough. >> there have been rumblings about how white the oscars have been for quite some time, but this year it's reached a fever pitch.

hollywood can ignore it at this point. >> reporter: in a statement, president cheryl boone isaacs, who is herself black, promises the academy is taking dramatic steps to address the makeup of the membership. >> it goes to the gate keepers. we're not in the room. >> reporter: spike lee wants hollywood studios to start enforcing a quota system where senior officials aren't filled until minority candidates are at least interviewed. one of the cars used by pope francis during his u.s. visit is hitting the auction block. bids will be taken for one of the fiats next week as part of a frund raising -- a fundraising gala. if you can't make it to philly, bids will be taken online. they'll go to the archdiocese and children's hospital philadelphia. a woman killed, this is the

nearly 40 years. what police discovered when they arrived on the scene. >> new bomb sniffing dogs at laguardia airport. an inside look at how they hunt down explosives. >> today was declared dave bowie day here in new york city. are you happy with your bathroom? i wasn't. but for years, i didn't do anything about it. i thought i didn't have the money, until i learned about bath fitter. bath fitter puts a new bathtub right over your old one. isn't that amazing?

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a woman murdered in a mansion in westchester county. >> tonight one person is in custody in connection with her death but police represent say -- but police aren't saying much more. this happened in scarsdale and it happens to be the town's first murder in decades. >> marcus solis is at the scene with the latest. >> 1977, the last time police in scarsdale investigated a homicide.

of domestic violence that's left residents of the community shocked. >> i'm living here 34 years. nothing like this has ever happened. >> reporter: the rare crime of homicide did come to scarsdale this morning. just after 10:00 police received a 911 call about a seriously injured woman at 50 lincoln road. when officers responded, that woman was dead. the person who called 911 was taken in to custody. police won't release many details but confirm the couple lives in the house. the victim is 58 years old, a pediatrician affiliated with montfure hospital. her husband is a high powered new york city attorney. the couple lives in a 6400 square foot house in an affluent suburb that hasn't seen a murder since 1977. the quiet community abuzz with police activity while investigators process the crime scene. >> we're confident this is an isolated incident and there are no other threats posed to the community.

neighbors say there was a history of marital problems between the couple. again, police not releasing the identities here. the suspect who is being questioned has not yet been charged or arrested as this investigation continues. we're live in scarsdale, marcus solis, channel 7 eyewitness news. police in connecticut are searching tonight for a panhandler who stabbed a mother who was walking with her child in stanford. investigators say the woman was walking near the interstate about 8:30 on saturday night. she said a man asked her for money. she declined and kept walking. she said she then felt a pinch but didn't know she was hurt until she got home. she actually had a 4 inch deep stab wound. her 4-year-old daughter was not hurt. police say the same thief who pulled a gun to rob a subway sandwich shop last week robbed a different store this week. it happened just after midnight tuesday. the suspect walked in

wearing a black ski mask. he pulled a gun, demanded money and a pack of cigarettes and ran off. a college professor at kent state university in ohio under investigation tonight for potential ties to isis. the student newspaper breaking word of the fbi probe of julio pino. he is defending his actions saying he's not a tear supporter. >> reporter: kent state university associate professor julio pino under investigation for possible ties to isis. the 55-year-old man also known as assad teaches latin american and third world history. the fbi probe came to light after the editor of the student newspaper broke the story. federal agents interviewed her as part of their investigation in to the professor. >> i had written a couple articles about professor pino a couple semesters ago. they wanted to see what we talked about in those interviews and tried to get more information on him. >> reporter: the daily news

denies supporting the terror group. >> i haven't broken the law. i don't ad vocate anyone else break the law. >> reporter: the convert to islam has not been charged with a crime. in october 2011 he made headlines after shouting death to israel in a lecture given by a form er diplomat visiting the campus. >> everything that i've done is perfectly legal. i've fulfilled my duties as an american citizen by speaking out on issues some course. >> reporter: kent state said they're cooperating with the investigation and assured the campus. the nypd is planning to bulletproof some of the doors and windows on its vehicles. >> we are in the process of equipping 50 of our vehicles to experiment both with the ballistic panel and the glass to

what they think about it. >> the commissioner, commissioner bratton, says the trials to find the right product have been given the green light and they are expected to start soon. the department has been researching different options and looking at other departments like the nypd which already uses the tech itnology. tsa demonstrated some of the most adorable and deceptive detectives. the k-9s sniffed passengers getting off a flight for traces of explosives. the dogs are trained to recognize more than a dozen different explosive smells. >> his nose, it's tens of thousands more times sensitive than our noses. >> we all smell a roast, he smells the beef separately, the potatoes separately. >> they're trained for 12 weeks from the time they are puppies.

at mass transit hubs in the near future. >> and they wag their tails while they're doing it. tomorrow you can submit an application to take part of the 2016 tcs new york city marathon. runners with a guaranteed spot must fill out an applic. a -- application. a drawing will be held to determine who gets the spot. it will be broadcast here live on channel 7. applications will be accepted until february 21st. two former correction officers now off to jail themselves. what they did to an inmate that landed them behind bars. >> and you might have seen this video on our facebook page. a woman fights off a car jacker. why she was so desperate to keep him out of her car. and this. >> running out on a restaurant check is something you might expect from bad kids. but a state senator? coming up, find out which politician charged big bucks for a fundraising breakfast then didn't pay the bill. >> and i'm meteorologist lee goldberg. not a bad evening. temperatures

the low 30s across the area but we're watching some snowfall. that's moving across pennsylvania right now. seems to be falling apart but maybe some icy spots off to the south and west a little later on. there is the low that will become the big east coast snowstorm. going to be a

all new at 5:00, a stolen assault rifle was recovered in brooklyn from a 16-year-old boy. this 9 millimeter assault rifle was stolen from a home in scenectdy in 2007. they discovered it in bed-stuy after they saw a large bulge protruding for the boy's coat. 16-year-old eric barry is facing four weapons charges. a brave mom fights off two would-be car snatchers to protect her children. two men

the men jump inside her car. her children are in the car. they're strapped in to the back seat. mom springs in to action and she forces the men out. >> she was a mom and what that bad guy didn't know in the back seat of that car were two kids and she wasn't going to let them be taken so she fought, she dragged the guy out of the car and they both ran away like cowards. >> i'd do the same thing. the men jumped in to a waiting car. a police officer nearby noticed the speeding car and he followed that car until it crashed. police arrested the two men and the woman who happened to be driving the car. a big mess to clean up when a fire truck veered off a highway and slammed right in to a dairy queen. its driver somehow lost control and crashed in to the side of the restaurant near dallas. what a mess. a driver and a dairy queen customer suffered nonlife-threatening injuries.

executive known for raising the price of a life saving drug by 5,000% has been subpoenaed by congress. martin shkreli has been ordered to appear in front of an oversight committee. the hearing will come eight days before his next court date on securities fraud charges. he spent many years living in the big apple and ultimately died here. mayor de blasio has declared today david bowie day in new york city. the proclamation will be read tonight at the curtain call of the final performance of lazarus, the off broadway production cocreated by bowie. de blasio tweeting today he believes he speaks for all of us when he says the stars look very different today. bowie died last week from liver cancer. a lamborghini catches fire. >> it's caught on camera tonight. what a valet did that sparked those flames. plus this. >> ever see a really cool idea and say, wish i had thought of that.

eric, and we're going to explain the logic behind heroes coming up. >> the multiple tracks tonight, the monster storm up and down the coast. we'll have the latest track coming in. up to 2 feet in some places. the dow spiraling today. the culprit and how to protect your savings.

the bronx district attorney announcing today two former correction officers at rikers island are being punished for attacking an inmate, victor rodman and michelle huberth was

that left him blind in one eye. she got 200 hours of community service. she apparently helped rodman cover it up. talk about a bad day on the job. a valet learned a very hard lesson. don't play around with someone else's $400,000 car. posts on social media say the valet in miami was revving the lamborghini engine when flames started coming out of the back of the luxury sports car. the whole ordeal was caught on camera including the valet's reaction. it's not clear if the valet still has a job. >> you hate when that happens to your lamborghini. [ laughter ] there may be ninth planet in our solar system and it's not pluto. researchers from the california institute of technology say they found evidence of a planet up to 10 times the size of earth. >> 10 times? >> 10 times. it's huge. planet 9 it's called orbits so far away it circles the sun once every the scientists hope to see it with a telescope within five

pluto of course was once considered the 9th planet. it's now called a dwarf planet. we don't like it as much anymore. >> so it's going to take five years to see that? >> pretty remarkable. >> by then maybe we'll come up with a name for it. >> okay, this is scaring me because i'm seeing a bunch of numbers here. what are these? >> we get new information hour by hour. just new information that we confirm an all-snow event, would confirm the 6 to 12 inch range is still a strong forecast for the new york city area. one indication is it could ramp up a little bit by saturday midmorning rather than waiting for the afternoon, but just minor tweaks we'll be dealing with over the coming days. six hours here and there. that's really what our goal is over the next couple of days is to keep ironing out these details. be careful once we get to saturday. a calm wind. mostly cloudy. pretty comfortable this evening.

drop down toward the freezing mark with a fairly light wind and cloudy skies. nothing more than a flurry in new york city. couple snow showers over parts of new jersey. lots of sun tomorrow. the wind is gustier. bundle up a little bit more than you did today. it will feel like 20s and you'll notice the wind despite the snow shower. pretty nice day but a little on the breezy side. we look at the radar down to our south, we see the storm developing and gathering steam and moisture on the gulf of mexico and gulf coast. it will start its move up the appalachians on friday. for us, not an issue on friday. clouds increasing later in the day. dry during the daylight hours and first part of the night. you're okay with your friday night plans to head out. south of i-78 or 195 in new jersey, some snow showers can get in here later at night but the heaviest snows are down at dc. this is where they're getting their blockbuster storm. look how the storm won't arrive till the predawn hours saturday

the north. we are forecasting for this snow shield to get farther north than is depicted by this computer model. i want to show you the entire mideast atlantic. this one, the gfs. don't worry about the big numbers but look at these bright areas. the bullseye. the cripbling bliz zard down toward dc. same thing with the european model. bullseye south and west of washington, d.c. but the purples, some of the higher amounts getting in to our western suburbs. here's a close-up of that. these amounts are pretty much in line with what we're thinking right now with the foot or more amounts to the south and west, sharp cut up to the north. maybe that's a little high for new york city but it's in the ballpark. maybe lighter amounts along the coast with mixing and a lot of water content and the snowflakes. 6 to 12 inches the average forecast amount for the hour. drop-off big time north of i-84, very little in the far northern suburbs and best chance of highest totals over central new jersey toward the philly area. fine through friday.

coming in late friday night and saturday morning. worst saturday noon and night. i think it does taper off pretty quickly on sunday. afternoon should be quiet in the mid 30s. we see melting as we go in to early next week. temperatures will be around the 40-degree mark or so. timing will be pretty confident. snowfall amounts gaining more confidence. i think the big bust areas could be the northern suburbs because you could go from nothing to 6 inches within 50 miles. that's going to be a big difference. >> all eyes are on you. the scary, especially for kids, but one college student came up with a way to help put children at ease. >> very clever. it has to do with turning their iv bags in to a source of superpowers. here's what they look like. pretty cool. stacey sager shared this picture on her instagram. she has the story. >> so when we put super sam on your iv, his superpowers come in

>> reporter: sure sounds good to 6-year-old who just had his appendix removed at staten island university hospital. here. >> reporter: but things can change when suddenly you got superpower status. superman. >> reporter: actually, it is supersam, one of 10 iv heroes created by malloy college junior bobby meanham. >> it transforms the operating room to an opportunity to get superpowers. >> reporter: if you're diamond mask -- >> impervious to anything. she can turn her skin in to diamond, make the kids feel strong. >> reporter: especially if they're more seriously ill thaneric. than -- than eric. he's the ninth to try it at the hospital. the others all had cancer or blood disorders but gave the product very high marks.

some of the more famous iv heroes come for a visit, like disney princesses. batman. >> reporter: wide ning the scope of his patent pending product is something bobby would love to do, maybe even include versions for adults as well. they cost under a dollar each to make, about what he's charging because for now it's all about endorsements like this one from the sister of a 2-year-old patient. >> she runs straight to the back and asks for super sally because she wants to make her little sister feel safe. >> you introduce these covers and they seem to calm down. >> reporter: such a simple concept that seems priceless. in staten island, stacey sager, channel 7 eyewitness news. >> i think adults could use them too, you know? a state senator's campaign accused of skipping out on a massive restaurant bill. >> why staffers say they

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penny counts. for one family-owned restaurant hosting a state senator's campaign event, it was a big get. >> when the bill for more than $1700 sat unpaid for months, they lost their patience and turned to 7 on your side for help. nina pineda here with details. >> this is a small restaurant in a westchester tennis complex. the owner didn't even take a deposit, figuring the senator, who was a semi-regular customer was good for it. it was only after hitting road blocks with their office that they turned to us for help. >> we make it to order so you get it fresh out of the pot. >> reporter: chef mike rich uses milk for his home made mozzarella fresh from the hudson valley. >> you got to support your local people. >> reporter: now the owner of 40 north feels like he got a big blow-off after helping out local politician state senator ruth hassell thompson. last october the senator was running for mayor of mount vernon. on a

fundraiser at the restaurant. it was more than $10,000 a ticket. >> did you know how much people were being charged? >> this was so shocking. >> reporter: the total bill, more than $1700. >> four months later, no check. >> reporter: but a lot of excuses. >> somebody is coming with a check and they'll drop it off to my father at the restaurant. we were told she'd call us. we never heard from her. we didn't want it to have to go this far, but season is a little bit slow right now. when you're counting pennies, that's a significant chunk. that's a food bill, that's electricity. >> reporter: last month the final straw. an e-mail from the senator's general council stateding they needed to raise funds to pay off out standing bills. >> 7 on your side. 7 on your side. >> reporter: when we called the council he told us the

in half a year. but less than two hours later -- >> right after they call you, the federalies came in and i got paid. >> reporter: the senator's outstanding bill, a bygone. >> i'm losing it right now, what am i saying? thank you. [ laughter ] >> always get a written contract with a pay by date. the restaurant owner didn't get one but he won't make that same mistake twice. the senator also called 7 on your side, admitting the restaurant's beef was legitimate. she said her campaign couldn't pay because her fundraiser didn't make any money. also a handful of other vendors are owed money from that event. she couldn't say when they'll be made whole. still ahead, a historic promotion in newark. >> the first african american and the first woman named chief of detectives.

at 6:00 starts right now. new york cops tonight on alert after an anonymous threat is called in. the threat, some said officers were going to be shot. tonight a big development in this case. but first the winter weather. cold tonight with a chance of a dusting of snow but it's not the dusting that's got our attention. it's the major storm that's headed our way this weekend. good evening at 6:00. i'm bill ritter. >> i'm liz cho. tonight we're bracing for what's expected to be the first major storm of the winter. >> 60 or so hours before that happens, it actually feels a little warm today compared to the bitterly cold temperatures yesterday. snow and dangerously high winds. workers right now building dunes up. this is in belmar. in suffolk county in long island, humvees placed at police stations just in case they're needed to respond to emergencies during the upcoming storm.