take offhe gloves, and take on wall street, take on big business, take on big money, and get the working class back to where they should be. he's a rock. sanders: i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. >> this is 7 news at noon. >> christa: we are begin with breaking news. officials investigate the run-away red line train and say the operator did not follow procedure. instead, tying a cord around the throttle, apparently did not secure the brake. that train was carrying about 50 passengers when it left the station yesterday unattended.

operator made several errors. byron barnett is live with more on the man who should have been behind the controls. byron >> reporter: yeah. well, from the beginning, officials have been saying that the investigation was focusing on operator error. with respect to that. sources familiar with the investigation tell 7 news that the operator of the run-away train apparently, tied a cord around the throttle and failed to set the brake when he exited the train to override the signal. now, these are some of the preliminary findings of that investigation into yesterday run-away train. a red line train takes off from braintree early thursday morning. filled with passengers, but no conductor. >> the train pick up speed. it went from, like, five miles per hour to, like, 30. it kept going and going and going. >> reporter: "t" workers noticed the problem within minutes. it had gone six miles and

right around that time back in braintree, they were calling for help for that missing driver, 52-year-old david vasquez of canton. >> an emproi ye was struck by a train. i think it was a skim. he does have a laceration. >> reporter: an investigation immediately began. the d.o.t. says it wasn't a problem with the train. >> operator error is the current focus of the investigation. >> reporter: officials wouldn't say exactly what the operator did wrong. when the red line train was set to leave braintree, there was a signal issue that prevented the train from starting up. officials say the operator got permission to get off the train to flip a switch to bypass the signal. >> the requirement is that the train be put in full service brake as well as a hand brake which is a manual brake also deployed on that particular vehicle. before the operator exits the cab to then put the vehicle into bypass. >> reporter: here is what a red line operator area looks like. on the dash, the master control which is essentially a lever. there are reports of a passenger seeing a cord

but the d.o.t. would only say they are looking into that claim. friends of vasquez say they couldn't believe it. calling the veteran "t" employee conscientious. >> he is a friend. yeah, i can't picture this guy doing something wrong. i mean, the equipment is old. they always try to blame the operator for everything. >> reporter: once again, the new information coming out. a source familiar with the investigation telling 7 news that the operator of the run-away train apparently, tied a cord around the throttle and failed to set the brake when he exited the train to override a signal. again, these are some of the preliminary findings of this investigation. and the investigation, we are told, is ongoing. that is latest live from boston, i'm byron barnett, 7 news. >> christa: also breaking, a 39-year-old woman killed when her car crash into this home in north reading. this happened on elm street earlier today.

accident closed the road for several hours and shocked the people living inside it. jennifer eagan is live with the latest on the investigation. jen? >> reporter: and nick, there is still clean-up to do here. right now, police are looking into what caused this driver to cross the yellow line, hit a curb, and then the home. fog made for low visibility this morning. heavy fog hung over route 62 in north reading. the scene of a deadly accident around 6:00 this morning. >> we heard a loud bang. i knew someone had hit the house. just because of the sound and the feeling. >> reporter: tracy griswold was home m.s. when the driver, a 39-year-old woman from wilmington, slammed into her living room. >> when she hit the wall, the wall fell. in the wall was in on the living room furniture. she rushed outside. >> i came out and saw the vehicle. the engine was still revving. i just called 911. >> reporter: the impact of the crash threw the driver into the passenger seat.

out. certainly, forecast weather is always a factor. but we haven't determined the exact cause of the accident. >> it is upsetting to know someone passed away. it is a little difficult. >> reporter: an inspector told the home owner to stay out of the rooms on the left side of the home. police have not identified the woman who was killed here this morning. >> christa: more breaking news right now. a passenger is dead after a pay thele the car crash in norwood. the two-car crash happened on walpole street. that was a bit after 8:00 last night. three others were injured as

a driver ignored a stop sign and caused the crash. >> anchor: draftkings and down service in new york state. they must stop doing business while they continue a legal battle with the state's attorney general. a new york supreme court judge issued the order earlier today. it follows an ongoing debate over the legality of fantasy sports games boston-based draftkings and fanduel both say the games are based on skill, not luck. also on 7: police searching for a gunman who shot three people in revere. two of them died. the third rushed to the hospital. steve cooper is live in revere with what we know this afternoon. >> reporter: nick, neighbors have been coming and going from the crime scene gathering and shaking their heads outside here on the sidewalk. just in disbelief at this hour. so concerned about the deadly violence that erupted overnight. all this while police are

for a suspect. >> he was, like, out of breath. he was like, help, help. >> reporter: residents describe the horrifying moments after three people were shot inside this apartment building thursday night. >> all of a sudden, i heard five loud pops. you know, i knew it was gunshots. >> reporter: two people, a 66-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were shot to death. a third victim, a 38-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries. >> we saw a man. he was on the ground lying-up at the front door. and he was bleeding out. >> reporter: that victim was rushed to the hospital. crime scene investigators spent hours overnight searching for clues and interviewing people who lived around here. right now police won't comment on any sort of a motive and whether or not this was a targeted attack. whatever the reason is, neighbors are rattled and anxious for answers. >> my friends, everybody is close to the victims. they are not doing very well.

to come downstairs today. i'm going to talk to them. >> reporter: investigators have come and upon the at this point. investigators are turning to the public this afternoon. they are basically asking for anyone who knows anything or has any information in connection with this triple shooting to come forward. we are live in revere this afternoon, steve cooper, 7 news. >> christa: now the latest on the terror attack in california. divers searching this lake that you see here near san bernardino, looking for potential evidence. the f.b.i. says the shooters may have spent time at that lake. it is unclear if they had hoped to find a weapon or electronic the two might have ditched before or after the attack. syed farook and his wife tashfeen malik shot and killed 14 people at a holiday party last week, injuring 22 others. it is couple was later killed in a shoot-out with police. federal officials now say farook was in the same social circle as a man from california convicted of a terror plot in 2012. and they say the friend and three others had planned to

forces with al qaeda and attack american troops and bases. >> anchor: protesters greet donald trump in new hampshire v new hampshire in his first campaign stop since proposing a plan to ban muslims from entering the u.s. despite the controversy, the g.o.p. front-runner picked up an endorsement. >> the things i have heard donald trump say on his campaign, the race ice intolerance is so disguing that i can't sit home and do nothing. >> reporter: among the anti-trump crowd in portsmouth, this new hampshire muslim who can't believe a leading presidential candidate wants to ban an entire religious group from coming to the u.s. >> what if donald trump becomes president, i wouldn't feel safe if he is president. >> reporter: hillary clinton says enough is enough. >> i no longer think he is funny. the democratic candidate says

>> this latest demand that we not let muslims into our country really plays right into the hands of the terrorists. i don't say that lightly. but it does. he is giving them a great prop been a ga ... propaganda tool. >> reporter: one group that says they will feel safer with donald trump as president, the police unions. >> this isn't a religious thing. we all bleed blue. i'm not going to get into that rhetoric. that is ridiculous. forth from you are wondering how to controversy is affecting trump, trump's lead in new hampshire is still double-digits above his closest competitor. >> christa: rob gronkowski back on the practice field. he is limited. he wore a brace during thursday's session. but this was the first time we

field since suffering a bad bruise and a sprain nearly two weeks ago out in denver. later on today, we may learn a bit more about his status for sunday's game down in houston where the team releases its injury report. >> anchor: the texans have a big-name player dealing with an injury. j.j. weather broke his left hand during wednesday's practice. watt was seen wearing that cast on the field yesterday. despite that news, he won't miss sunday night's game. he has played with worse. >> christa: tom brady reaching out to his old friend vince wilfork on facebook. last night brady posted this picture from last year's super bowl. with the caption "throwback thursday" to a special moment with a great teammate. and friend. take it easy on me this weekend, vince. >> anchor: that will be quite the match-up there. watch the game right here sunday night on 7-nbc. we get started at 6:30 with our 7 on the sidelines special.

night in america. fns and the game kicks off at:30. >> christa: coming up next at noon, a new pod-cast may help explain fast u.s. army soldier's motive for deserting his post. >> jeremy: it does turn cooler weekend. >> anchor: we take you to marlborough to meet [ dog barks ] [ bark ] there it is! [ gasps ] oh no! look, the sky's awake! that. was.

>> christa: well, it took a little while. the fog has lifted from this morning. it took a lot to get through the murk of the morning. we are here. >> nick: we saw pictures on social media as well. pretty fixed up out there. we are looking forward to this weekend. >> chris: we have been looking forward to mild weather here. we will have that the first half of the weekend. second half of the weekend, a little cooler out there. we lost the fog in the city of boston.

60 in plymouth. some low clouds and patches of fog out there. for the most part, the visibilities have improved. still run about a mile from provincetown to hyannis down to nantucket. ten-mile visibility out in boston. three miles in worcester. expect these temperatures, generally, on average, mid-50's to near 60 this afternoon. there may be a few cooler spots in the low 50's north and west of 495. we have had some batches of clouds to continue to mix in with that sunshine. not totally blue skies out there. we certainly have seen improvements from this morning. and this time of year, it can take a while. that sun angle is low. the nights are long. it takes a while as they shake off some of the fog. overall, with the southwesterly flow the next couple of days, temperatures will be on the mild side. not here... not only here in boston, you look southwest of us, pittsburgh, buffalo, new york. temperatures running into the mid to upper 50's. i don't expect a lot of change from today temperature-wise into tomorrow. sunday will be a different story. we will explain that in a second.

mild day, mid-50's to near 60 degrees. the average high this time of year, 43 degrees. in fact, the low temperatures average high temperature. we could have fog redeveloping. we will have to keep an eye on. that so it's mild to start the weekend. we are watching here on sunday a back-door cool front sliding on in. once you change that wind direction out of the north, northeast, you stay cool throughout the day and anywhere northth of that front, upper 40's to near 50 degrees. a lot of us will be on the northern signed of that front. pattern on sunday. from boston north. upper 40's. best chance of's southwest of the city of boston. get close to 60 degrees down toward providence, rhode next best rain chance is on monday. how we get to that, over to danielle. >> reporter: thanks, chris. pacific northwest. they have had a series of storms moving through from washington. for the area.

touching down yesterday. this is in battleground. an ef-1. the national weather service called it an ef-1. winds over one hundred miles per hour. still more heavy rain and snow. oh, here we go. you can see, downed trees from there. an ef-1. roof damage. some strong storms moving through. let's go back to the maps now. winter weather watches, warnings remaining in effect for much of the area through the weekend. and then the storms move into texas into arkansas. they could see record rainfall for december. all of this doesn't become our rain-maker until we head into monday. we could see the best chance of rain after 3:00 p.m., up to an inch in most areas. the 7 on 7 forecast: today, mild. tomorrow, sunshine. upper 50's. again, sunday is that tricky day in the 40's. then that chance for rainfall is on monday.

berg dahl. hear what he has to say about bosh. clots in m it was serious. game plan. ent with xarelto . hey guys! y,inally, somebody iok up to... is proven to treat lp reduce the risk vt and pe blood clots. o is also proven reduce the risk of stroke eople with afib, used by a heart valve problem. r people with afib rrently well managed on warfar there's limited information how xarelto d warfarin compare ucing the risk of stroke. you know, d dietary strictions... n't get me started rted on xarelto

nice pass. safety first. all blood thinners, n't stop taking xarelto t talking to your doctor, this may increase your risk a blood clot or stroke. while taking, u may bruise more easilyd it may take longer for bleeding to stop. o may increase your risk of bleeding you take certain medicines. relto can cause serious, d in rare cases, tal bleeding. ight away for unexpected bleedin unusual bruising, or tingling. you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , tch for back pain any nerve or muscle related gns or symptoms. not take xarelto ou have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. our doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. fore starting xarelto , ll your doctor about y kidney, liver, bleeding problems. u know xarelto prescribed blood thts class. that's a big win. it is for me. with xarelto ere is no regular blooring and no known dietary restrictions. tment with xarelto ... .was the right move for us.

>> christa: he has been called a traitor. now sergeant bowe bergdahl is sharing his side of the story. you might remember he was taken prisoner after deer ising his army outpost in afghanistan. then president obama swapped five taliban prisoners in

>> nick: controversial move. now after facing criticism since returning to the u.s., bergdahl says he wants to set the record straight. here is kim khazei. >> reporter: for year, he was america's only prisoner of war. after walking off his outpost in the middle of the night. >> i'm in over my head. suddenly, this starts to sink in that i did something bad. >> reporter: his first-person account is featured in the new season of the wildly popular pod-cast serial. describing the move as gutsy but stupid. he wanted to warn commanders about leadership problems in his platoon before quickly concocting a new plan that he might track taliban insurgents, casting himself as a super soldier. >> i was trying to prove to the world i am, like,... i don't know, jason bourn. >> reporter: critics argue bergdahl was a traitor who endangered his fellow

later, swapped for five detainees held at began tan moi bay. ... guantanamo bay. serial's first season down-loaded more than one hundred million times offers maximum exposure according to bergdahl's lawyer. >> the more information that people have about his motivation, the better. >> reporter: 19 months after his release and the white house ceremony with his parents, the political slug-fest over the swap hasn't subsided. in a 1202-page report, house republicans accuse the obama administration of breaking the law during the controversial . >> the administration intentionally vie lated the law by not informing congress and misleading congress about these negotiations. >> reporter: to this day, bergdahl is haunted by his days in captivity. >> there is times i wake up, it was so dark. i would wake up not even

news. >> nick: he is still an active-duty soldier with a clerical job in texas. if he gets a court-martial, he could still face life in prison. >> christa: coming up next, we head to marlborough for this week's class act. meet a sixth-grader going above and beyond to raise money for children's hospitals. anncr: when the ...the person behind this desk will have to protect your family. will he be impulsive and reckless, like donald trump? will he have voted to dramatically weaken counter-terrorism surveillance, like ted cruz? will he have skipped crucial national security hearings and votes just to campaign, like marco rubio? 27 generals and admirals support jeb bush. because jeb has the

to protect your family. right to rise usa is responsible for the content

>> nick: so on fridays, we like to to highlight students that go above and beyond in academic, athletics in their community. >> christa: this week's class act is from marlborough. we are here today because of a young man who we wanted to recognize who has done a lot to raise money for children's hospital in boston. i wanted to welcome tyler

tyler is in sixth grade. but he has raised $8,000. an incredible amount for children's hospital. and this is how he did it. by building a lemonade stand and selling lemonade for three years in a row in marlborough. >> i sell it for 50 cents. most people don't buy it for 50 cents. some people buy it for, like, $20 a cup. lemonade. they just want to give me money. >> christa: he didn't do it >> my whole family helped selling the lemonade, setting it up. >> i made sure everything was safe. the kids were the architects and the assemblers of this. >> it was amazing how much money people donated. >> christa: when tyler was in fourth grade, he wanted to volunteer to help kids at children's but didn't qualify. >> she said that i was too young. >> christa: his teachers see

>> he is a really great kid. other people are right on his mind. he is ready to jump up. >> christa: he plans to keep helping. >> i don't know how long i want to do this for. hopefully, i just raise some more money. >> christa: i mean, he has already raised $8,000. that is a lot of lemonade. he will be back in marlborough in july. >> nick: if you know a student between 6-12 grade doing something great in the community, go ahead and nominate them at whdh.com. >> christa: a big night for the celtics. they get the chance to bring the warriors' perfect season to an end. >> chris: another mild day out there. can we keep it going for the weekend? we will look at the numbers ahead. >> nick: all eyes on the operator of a red line train that left the station unattended. the new details in a live report when we return.

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>> christa: breaking news today. officials investigating that run-away red line train from yesterday say the operator did not follow procedure. instead, they say he tied a cord around the throttle and didn't secure the brake before climbing out of the cab. at the time, this train was carrying about 50 passengers. clearly, frightened about what happened when it left the station unattended. >> nick: investigators are now saying the operator made several errors. we are live with more on the man who should have been behind the controls. byron, this new information is not good for him, it appears.

officials have said fret where much from the beginning that they were focusing on operator error. and again, the new information now is that coming from a source familiar with the investigation telling 7 news that the operator of this run-away train apparently tied a cord around the throttle and then did not set the brake correctly when he exited the train to override the signal. these are preliminary findings in the investigation of yesterday's run-away train. a red line train takes off from braintree early thursday morning. filled with passengers but no conductor. >> the train picked up speed. it went from, like, five miles per hour to, like, 30. it kept going and going. "t" workers noticed the problem within minutes and cut power to the six-car train to make it stop. but not until it had already gone six miles and through several stations. right around that time, back in braintree, they were calling for help for that missing driver, 52-year-old david vasquez of canton. >> an employee was struck by a

i think it was just a skim. but he does have a laceration. >> reporter: an investigation immediately began. the d.o.t. says it wasn't a problem with the train. current focus of the investigation. wouldn't say exactly what the operator did wrong. when the red line train was set to leave braintree, there was a signal issue that prevented the train from starting up. officials say the operator got per miltion to get off the bypass the signal. >> the requirement is that the brake. as well as a hand brake which is a manual brake also deployed on that particular vehicle. before the operator gits cab to then put the vehicle into bypass. >> reporter: on the dash, the master control which is essentially a lever, there are reports of a passenger seeing a cord wrapped around the lever, but the d.o.t. would only say they are looking into that claim. friends of vasquez say they couldn't believe it. calling the veteran "t"

yeah. i can't picture this guy doing something wrong. i mean, the equipment is old. they try blame the operator for everything. >> reporter: again, the new information according to a source familiar with the investigation, that the operator telling 7 news... the operator apparently tied a cord around throttle and did not correctly set the brake when he got out of the train to override a signal. gej, preliminary findings of the investigation here. the investigation is ongoing. and the operator has been interviewed. that is the latest live in boston, i'm byron barnett, 7 news. >> christa: a 39-year-old woman killed when she crashed into a home in reading. >> nick: you see the fog there from earlier pictures. the people inside getting quite the shock. jennifer eagan spoke with them. >> reporter: heavy fog hung

the scene of a deadly accident around 6:00 this morning. >> we just heard a loud bang. we knew someone had hit the house because of the sound. >> reporter: tracy griswold was home when the driver, a 39-year-old from wilmington slammed into her living room. >> the wall was in on the living room furniture. outside. >> i came out and saw the vehicle. and the engine was still revving. so i called 911. crash threw the driver into the passenger seat. she did not survive. >> we are not ruling anything out. you know, certainly, weather is always a factor. but we are... we haven't determined the exact cause of the accident. >> reporter: tracy's mother and brother were inside also at the time of the crash. they weren't hurt. there is significant damage to their historic home which dates back to the 1640's. what happened here. to know that somebody passed

yeah, it is a little difficult. >> reporter: an inspector took a look at the home. they told the family they have to stay out of the rooms on the left side of the house. >> christa: a passenger killed in norwood. this happened on walpole street. and three other people were jirld as well. police arrested the driver who they say ignored a stop sign and drove into the other car, causing the crash. >> nick: a judge orders draftkings and fanduel to shut state. business while they continue a legal battle with the state's attorney general. a new york supreme court judge issued the order earlier today. it follows an ongoing debate over the legality of fantasy sports games. the new york a.g. says the games are a form of illegal gambling. draftkings and fanduel say the

not luck. >> christa: it's friday. we need to know. we have a nice day to finish out the workweek. a bit of good news when it comes to saturday. fill us in, chris. >> chris: mild weather will continue for the first half of the weekend here. 60 degrees right now in plymouth. 57 in new bedford. still a little cooler back through portions of merrimack valley out into worcester county. thanks to some low clouds, patches of fog still there. also what we have noted, though, is the visibility has come up quite a bit. in the city of boston. down through plymouth and new bedford. over the last couple of hours. still some reduced visibility. hyannis up to chatham with some fog. patchy fog still out there into worcester. overall this afternoon, remaining mild. temperatures running into the upper 50's from boston to 60 degrees down in taunton. low 50's north and west of town. this weekend, a mild air again on saturday. saturday is the brighter of the two days. a lot of clouds around on sunday. not expecting much precipitation. can't rule out a few sprinkles.

we do expect cooler weather. it is still above the average for this time of the year. the forecast ahead. >> nick: police searching for a gunman who shot three people in revere. two people are dead. another badly injured. steve cooper has the latest. >> he was, like, out of breath. he was like, help, help. >> reporter: residents describing the horrifying moments after three people were shot inside this apartment building thursday night. >> all of a sunday, i heard five loud pops. i knew it was gunshots. >> reporter: two people, a 66-year-old man and 35-year-old woman were shot to death while a third victim, a 38-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries. >> we saw a man, he was on the ground lying face-up at the front door. and he was bleeding out. >> reporter: that victim was rushed to the hospital. crime scene investigators spent hours overnight searching for clues and interviewing people who lived around here. right now, police won't comment on any sort of a motive and whether or not this

whatever the reason is, neighbors are rattled and anxious for answers. >> my friends, everybody is close to the victims. they are not doing very well. that is why some of them, they don't want to come downstairs today. i'm going to talk for them. >> reporter: neighbors come and go from the crime scene. investigators are asking the public, anyone who has any information in connection with this triple shooting to come forward. in revere, steve cooper, 7 news. >> christa: closing arguments in the philip chism trial have been postponed. an attorney went home sick yesterday. >> nick: a korean war soldier who went missing in action 65 years ago is finally back home. the remains of sergeant robert dakin were greeted by family members at logan airport thursday.

identified his remains using d.n.a. testing. his niece says this is an emotional time for the family. >> i stood by my nana. this devastated her. she talked with everybody about bobby. no one was left behind. they knew who bobby was. all of us did. she would be so proud today. she truly would. >> reporter: the sergeant's family members are now planning his funeral. >> christa: charles barkley going on an unexpected rant against donald trump and national election coverage. this came after someone on twitter compared him to trump, saying they both talk a lot. >> to lump all hispanics together, that is insulting to. lump all the muslims together, that is even more insulting. it is sad to watch.

his poll numbers go up. to be honest with you, cnn has done an awful job this election. they have been kissing butt, chasing ratings. it's been sad and frustrating that our company has sold their soul for ratings. >> reporter: barkley works for tnt which is owned by the same company as cnn. >> nick: a jury found a 29-year-old guilty of 36 charges including rape and sexual battery after he assaulted 13 women. he chose these women because areas and some were he thought they wouldn't speak up. >> christa: protesters lining the streets in chicago thursday night calling for police accountability. hundreds of people marched and held signs. they also want the city's mayor to step down. this comes after police shot and killed an african-american

video of the shooling wasn't released, though, until last month. >> nick: airlines calling for a no fly zone for one of this year's hottest christmas gifts. you may have seen these things outside. delta, american airlines and you flied are banning the hoverboards. despite their popularity, they are now notorious for, as you can see, catching fire. possibly an issue with their lithium ion batteries. the consumer product safety commission is investigating ten reports right now. saying the incidents are a top priority. the hoverboards so popular, even leaves the using them. watch this. police in london searching for this man who they say stole a pack of sports drinks before gliding away gracefully. you can see them casually roll into the store and roll right back out. this happened in september. detectives just released the video thursday. >> christa: a close call caught on camera. look at this. part of a roof collapses on to a busy sidewalk. by the way, this is also in london. unbelievably, you see people

but amazing that no one was building inspectors are blaming high winds for that collapse. >> nick: close call there. still ahead, you don't want to miss these whoopi pies with a holiday twist. it is coming up in what's cooking. when i was sidelined with blood clots in m it was serious. ent with xarelto .

y,inally, somebody iok up to... ...besides arnie. is proven to treat lp reduce the risk o is also proven reduce the risk of stroke eople with afib, used by a heart valve problem. r people with afib rrently well managed on warfar there's limited information how xarelto d warfarin compare ucing the risk of stroke. you know, ied warfarin,t the blood testing d dietary strictions... n't get me started . nice pass. safety first. all blood thinners, n't stop taking xarelto t talking to your doctor, this may increase your risk a blood clot or stroke. while taking, u may bruise more easilyd it may take longer for o may increase your risk of bleeding relto can cause serious, tal bleeding. ight away for unexpected bleedin unusual bruising, or tingling. you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto , tch for back pain any nerve or muscle related not take xarelto heart valve or abnormal bleeding. our doctor before

medical or dental procedures. fore starting xarelto , ll your doctor about y kidney, liver, u know xarelto prescribed blood thts class. that's a big win. with xarelto and no known dietary tment with xarelto ... .was the right move for us. ur doctor about xarelto

>> christa: okay. let's talk about the weather. we have the weekend on the way. we have lots of shopping to do and decorating for all of us procrastinators. can you believe? two weeks before christmas. >> chris: think about it. i guess last year was kind of a trick. >> christa: it was. i remember, chris, last year at christmas, no snow whatsoever. my kids were playing on the lawn. go figure. >> chris: we went three weeks into january, that storm around january 24, winter kicked in. at one point, it felt like, are we going to get any snow? we sure got a lot of snow last winter. piled on late. this month running on the warm side. average high this time of year, 43 degrees. we are at 55 right now in the city of boston. 60 in plymouth. we have been stuck in this october mode weather-wise here. over the last couple of weeks. visibility has dramatically improved from the dense fog we

for many of us. still patchy fog down across the cape. as well as the merrimack valley. into worcester county. overall, we have seen improvements out there. a mix of sun and clouds as we go through the rest of this afternoon. temperatures from boston points south, running in the upper 50's to near 60 through the afternoon. a little bit cooler in spots. north of boston. up to the merrimack valley. a little bit of low cloudiness and fog hold on stronger. everywhere pretty much in the low to mid-50's this afternoon north and west of town. holding in the mid-50's across the cape and the islands. take a look back to the west of us. not a lot going on. we have had some batches of clouds work on. in the southwesterly breeze continues to usher in that mild air. i don't see a lot of change with the forecast going into tomorrow. may start off with some patchy fog once again. some low clouds. and get some breaks of sun in the afternoon. temperatures, mid-50's to near 60. the forecast gets trickier here, on sunday. there will be a back-door cool front sliding in from the northeast.

cool air and when you get of the front, we are in the 40's to near 50 degrees. i certainly think that will be the case for a lot of us from boston points north. on sunday itself. high temperatures tomorrow running mid-50's to near 60 degrees. still a mild afternoon out there on saturday. saturday, the brighter of the two days. likely seeing more clouds around. maybe a sprinkle or two here on sunday. there is the temperatures, upper 40's, boston points north. the farther south and west you go through new england, the warmer it is. now, sunday, a couple of sprinkles. we have a better rain chance coming in on monday afternoon. monday night. and for more on that, over to danielle. >> reporter: thanks, chris. on the west coast, feeling more like december than it is here. the storm systems they are seeing right now, those will impact us on monday. i want to take you to washington. we have some video of a tornado that touched down yesterday. very rare for the area this time of year. an ef-1 tornado that moved through battleground, washington. just north of portland. winds were over a hundred miles per hour. downed trees. so a lot of damage there.

the pacific northwest. from washington into oregon and california. now, all these storms move into the midwest in the central united states as we head into the weekend. they could see record rainfall for december from texas to arkansas. now, this becomes our rain-maker as we head into monday. so monday afternoon, after 3:00, is when we have the best chance for rage. we could see totals up to an inch. we don't have to worry about it quite yet. the 7 on 7 forecast, nice today. more sunshine tomorrow. upper 50's. great for christmas shopping tomorrow. sunday, is our cooler day. monday, we have that rain chance. >> christa: all right. thank you. the holidays, always a great time for great food and company. of course,dyou cannot leave out decadent desserts this time of year. >> nick: some of us overdo it. i speak for myself there. we have a simple recipe that could be a hit at any holiday party. bri eggers takes us to cambridge to whip up some

cooking. >> reporter: these chocolate peppermint bark whoopie pies are sure to bring the whoopee to the party. >> t executive pastry chef at the royal hotel in cambridge loves to make her holiday favorite. >> what we do first is we put the shortening... with our sugar. we are going to beat it until it gets nice and light and fluffy. >> reporter: in goes one egg. >> nice one-handed cracking. >> thank you. my last name isn't eggers for nothing. blend it all together. getting a little kpilted. i want cookies now. . >> now a touch of lemon juice. it's anybody's guess where these treats got their name. >> it is because every time you had one on your plate, you would yell "whoopee."

flour, cocoa, and salt. >> i'm not doing this right. am i? gradually add to the wet ingredients. mix some more. mix baking soda with warm water. add that in. and then blend until your dough is ready to bake. done. scoop them on to the baking shoot. christina likes to use an ice cream scoop to make perfect rounds. >> well, that is handy-dandy. onward. at 350 degrees, just 12 minutes later, we have whoopee pies. well, not quite yet. we can't forget the filling. the chef uses homemade butter cream with crushed candy cane. the part you don't want to skip is the crushed candy canes at the edges. >> you have to remember not to squeeze as you are turning. >> and you are finished. >> they look great. they look awesome. i'm bri eggers. 7 news. >> nick: salivating over here. looks really good. >> christa: i saw you.

celtics pull off a major upset at the garden?

england patriots. julian edelman returning to the field for practice today. field. the wide receiver broke his left foot less than a month ago on a play against the new york giants. today edelman was spotted warming up with teammates. we even saw him in a brief video clip high-fiving gronk out there. he did not have a brace on his foot. at least he didn't appear to have a brace on his foot. despite practicing, edelman is not expected to play sunday night against the texans. this return no, doubt, is sooner than expected. >> christa: fantastic sign there. hopeful sign. now to the celtics. facing a tall task tonight. as they host the undefeated goaden state warriors? curry and the warriors have won the first 23 games of their season. it is not known if golden state shooting guard clay

hurting his ankle earlier this week, though. either way, curry says the c's are a threat to their perfect start. >> they move the ball well. they shoot a lot of threes. a lot of energy. we know that they were an explosive team last night. they have a pretty strong punch. you have to be ready for 48 minutes really. especially on the road. >> christa: the celtics have lost five of the last six games against warriors. >> nick: we know one of the main reasons why rob gronkowski chose to attend the university of arizona. according to his dad, gronk chose the school for its pool parties. that's right. in an interview with vanity fair, rob had 65 scholarship offers, and decided to play for the wildcats. when he asked his son why

"dad, if you ever went to a pool party at arizona, you would understand." all right. temperatures, mid-50 tos to near 60 degrees this afternoon. we will keep that trend going

>> chris: looking good the next couple of days. sunday, the cooler of the weekend days. upper 40's. more clouds around. >> nick: all right, chris. thank you. that will do it. >> christa: don't forget, come back first at 4:00.