drama offscreen for patrick dempsey. he and the makeup artist he was dating say they are splitting after 15 years of marriage. they have three children together. in a statement they said their primary concern was the well-being of their kids. they're asking for privacy. the winter weather can be a drag, but some people and the loose, minnesota, came up with a way to enjoy it, holding a tiny sled dog race. each dog a miniature sled. awards were given for the fastest dogs and best in show. i want to see the tiny dogs. my gosh. oh, off course. i don't think they are very interested in finishing. is that a chair? that is fantastic.

>> now for another check of the forecast? >> dry through most of the day tomorrow with rain, snow mixing in by dinnertime. most of the action arriving after bedtime with snow showers likely monday. it will turn breezy. much more coming up. the news rolls on.

[captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> >> intelligence agencies are working to verify reports that a japanese man taken hostage by isil has been killed.

earlier today the white house and department of defense condemned the murder. >> the race against time may have run out for one of two hostages. a new video saturday reportedly from isis claims the terror group beheaded haruna yukawa. japan's prime minister headed to an emergency meeting calling the new development outrageous and unforgivable. >> i cannot stop shaking. i hope this news is incorrect. >> abc news has not confirm the authenticity of the video, which shows a still image of japanese television reporter kenji goto alive, appearing to hold a picture of haruna yukawa's body. he pleas for help, saying the terror group no longer wants to hundred million dollars in

ransom money. and said -- instead, they said they would free kenji goto and exchange for another prisoner released. the 47-year-old tv correspondent went to syria to documentlian life. his syrian guide told him not to venture inside this territory. before he left, those he left behind with a message saying to those who captured him only he was to blame. saturday's new video message had some reporters saying it was a fake. >> in washington metro is promising change more than a week after the deadly smoke incident near the l'enfant plaza station. they announced a plan to improve safety. at the top of the list, allow train operators to cut air

intake as soon as car stopped because of smoke. during the incident on the yellow line, fans meant to push smoke out of the train actually sucked the smoke inside. lawmakers are pushing for greater transparency and accountability. >> we are not going to let this issue go. we want safety. >> other safety measures include regular safety drills, greater protection from the electrified third rail, and improved emergency communication. a court will hear another challenge to the 2013 gun-control law, deciding the constitutionality of the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. opponents say federal judge erred when she upheld the law. >> during the term of my acting as governor.

>> larry hogan becoming maryland's 62nd governor wednesday, just the second republican governor since thes in maryland. he promised to work with e democratic-controlled legislature to close the $750 million shortfall. an update to a story that 7 on your side has followed more than a month. when we first introduced you to 106-year-old virginia, her house was infested with bedbugs. tonight, it is a different story. here is 7 on your side troubleshooter horace holmes. virginia could not be happier these days. >>ironically it had been bugs that were bugging her, bedbugs that had invested -- infested her apartment. the bugs were so bad that they

were even crawling on her. after we hear the first story just before christmas, josh kramer from innovative pest management came forward and offered to exterminate. today, 7 on your side came back with kramer to see the transformation. >> was all the news story that you guys did. it was absolutely the right thing to do. >> while the crew was working on the apartment, her landlord sent crews to paint the apartment new locks of a door, and carpeting on the floor. over the weekend, kramer had a brand-new bed delivered. >> i did not have a bed. >> she is so happy that she has what she calls a brand-new apartment, a brand-new bed to sleep in. most of you, no bedbugs. -- most importantly, no bedbugs. >> if you need something fixed talk to channel 7. horace holmes, abc 7 news. >> if you have a story that you

want 7 on your side to investigate, send an e-mail to tips@wjla.com or call 1-866-236-3401. coming up -- another local community has banned the containers that are a staple of takeout places. first, learn how investigating one crime helped the police discover another and save these dogs. >> and still tracking a winter weather system that will bring us some snow late sunday, possibly through tuesday.

>> tonight, a search for answers after several dogs were found chained to trees, starving and freezing. diane cho says what is being done for the dogs. >> most of these five pitbu were malnourished and underweight when discovered, but they were considered lucky. the police say that six dogs were found dead friday. one was frozen to the ground. the anne arundel county police department say they were

investigating a recent homicide in the community. they came across this area and glen burnie littered with trash and bowls of frozen water, where the dogs had been chained to trees, left out in the cold. >> for people to do this to animals, you just don't know what they could possibly due to a human. that is problematic. these are people we need to talk to. >> animal control says the dogs are recovering and some are gaining weight since they have arrived. >> you have to hope for a positive ending. >> the police say there has been a spike in violent crime in the area. two were homicide, and there is an attempted murder that is being investigated. >> we are looking at whether these incidents are related including this animal abuse. >> which is why they are hoping somebody will come forward with the information they need. >> if you saw some but he come to this community and bring these dogs, we want to hear from you. >> the dogs are still under

protective custody and are not available for adoption just yet. but the police are asking that you call the anonymous tip line in anne arundel county if you know anything. dianecho, abc 7 news. >> next, eileen is back

>> the next 72 hours snow?

>> pretty much. this is an evolving situation because the clipper will essentially transitioned into a coastal storm. i know it sounds complex, but it is going to affect the monday morning commute. right now, things are pretty quiet after a gray, rainy day. 40 degrees at reagan national, a little bit of a breeze. that is drying out some of the moisture, but it feels like 34. the reason i bring up the moisture, with temperatures getting closer to freezing through the early morning hours tomorrow, there could be some black ice, so be cautious. upper 30's, near 40 right now clouds overhead. that is keeping temperatures from falling. we will have a clearing trend over the next few hours. 37 dulles, 40 degrees downtown. i think we will have lows ranging from 28 to 35 so there

will be some slick spots. the satellite radar showing the system pulling away off the coast of new england. the next weather system is an alberta clipper. the moisture is moving into the midsection of the country. this storm system will continue at south eastward track overnight tonight through the day tomorrow before really continues to intensify off the east coast. this will bring us know. the main polls live for the system is new england, talking about feet of snow. just inches where we are. tomorrow morning, nice and dry cloudy skies increasing through the day. by 6 p.m., northern and western maryland i think could see some rain mixing with a little bit of sleet and eventually snow. most of the snow in the d.c. metro area probably not starting until most of us are in bed. as i show you futurecast overnight sunday into monday morning, notice the snow we are

depending in blue from d.c. to montgomery county, frederick loudoun county, virginia. further to the south, a winter mix, but what roadways monday could make the commute slow. i suspect there will be closings and delays as the snow is expected to continue on and off through the day monday as the low intensify's offshore. it will be bringing more morris chair. through the afternoon monday, eventually into tuesday, some snow showers. it will also be pretty windy so there may be reduced visibility. the snow totals, still have to fine-tune these but one of the computer simulations we look at is depicting the higher snowfall totals further northwest. probably in the three to six inch range, which is where the winter storm watch is in effect. in the d.c. metro, probably more one to three inches.

but as the coastal system develops, the wraparound snow could add to the total. this is an evolving forecast. stay with the weather team for the latest. tomorrow morning, walking the dog, going for an early morning run, it will be dry. temperatures in the mid to upper 40's. it will take a while for the precipitation to transition to snow, but you will be waking up to snow showers monday with windy conditions, the highest accumulations further northwest. you know the drill, this is a classic set up as far as the higher snowfall totals. i think a few of the snow showers possibly lingering into early tuesday. it will be cold, also, so the snow will stick. i think the roads could be icy. overnight tuesday into wednesday, 16 degrees. it will be chilly. >> no sunday sleepovers? >> my thought is always be ready

and then be pleasantly surprised in the morning. >> still ahead -- a coffee controversy.

>> the montgomery county council voted to ban the use of food and drink containers made out of plastic foam and require the use of composed of all the recycled

alternatives. the requirement goes into effect january 1 of next year. d.c. already approved a similar measure last year, citing environmental concerns. >> it is one of the most a popular appliances, but plenty of people are upset. we explain why in this 7 on your side consumer alert. >> we have seen the brand-new coffeemaker over the holidays, perhaps on sale. a growing number of people are not happy with their new coffeemakers. why? they will not accept the older coffee pods. linda was among thousands upset with her new keurig coffeemakers. numeral use a computer chip known as digital rights management,, drm, meaning you have to use official k-cups.

you cannot make your own? >> naiadot at all. >> with the old coffeemaker, she was using a refillable pod. but the new machine will not read the reloadable pod. sure enough, she got a mess of water and coffee grains. worse when she tries to use old k-cups she gets an error code. >> we had three boxes. >> but hope is not lost. youtube is filling with videos that show how to cut the label off of old cups and put them on other pods. a spokeswoman said the changes make a better cup of coffee and if you have the older pods you can call company for free replacement k-cups. >> if i had known it was going

to be this difficult i would not have gotten the machine. >> if you want to use the older pods on the newer machines google k-cup hacks. there are number of video showing how to do it. >> you don't want to mess with people's morn