suzanne kennedy live in wheaton with a look at the call to action. suzanne: well, officer, the chief major saw officer noah leotta, the rising star in the department. that is part of the reason why he stood here yesterday afternoon and said that maryland had some of the weakest drunk driving laws. officer leotta died yesterday from injuries he sustained after he was struck by a drunk driver while he was out looking if motorists operating under the influence. critics say first-time offenders only get a slap on the wrist in maryland, what is called probation report judgment. diversion program that has not been successful according to many. some think mandatory intermission interlock program would be more effective. >> the majority of the states around maryland have what is called ignition interlock devices for defendants. in-car bethizeers. virginia has, delaware has it, west virginia, majority around maryland. maryland only allowed it for

subgroup offenders. if you are super drunk, transporting a minor or underage. opposed to having it for all offenders. suzanne: interlock measures are been proposed in the assembly but have not been success. it didn't make it out of committee. coming up at 2:00 we talk to a police captain that says officer noah leotta had what it took to address drunk driving problem. we will ask the captain what he thinks about maryland's drunk driving laws. reporting live in wheaton, suzanne kennedy, abc7 news. alison: thank you. the washington regional program honored noah leotta with a moment of silence in the annual award ceremony. this afternoon, alexandria police department tweeted this photo showing the officers will be wearing the black mourning bands on the badges to remember him.

we are collecting condolences on the facebook page. jonathan: a lot of folks do it from time to time. if you have a lead foot and have a habit on it, think twice about jumping on the pedal. especially in d.c. here is why. if the d.c. department of transportation has its way, getting caught speeding in city could get you $1,000 fine. we're live in northwest washington with details on this. a lot of money for speeding. brianne: absolutely. that is one of the fines that could be going up. look here. there are pedestrians. it could cost you if you are not following the rules. >> $100. brianne: that is how much sam says on average he has to pay when he gets a traffic ticket. but he could soon be digging deeper in the pocket. a new ddot proposal called for increasing fines and adding new penalties for dangerous

driving. the are you caught going 25 over the speed limit it could cost you $300. but under the new changes it could cost you $1,000. under the proposed changes if you don't stop making a right turn on red you have to pay $200. four times the current fine. if you speed through senior center, that would lost you $100. >> who is proposing this? >> ddot. >> that's ridiculous. they need to be fired. >> the report says it will create a safer transportation structure in the city. a.a.a. atlantic called it a debter's prison. in a statement, john townsend said the district is enacting draconian traffic fines under dubious banner of traffic safety. >> check the court record, people who generally violate the law don't have the means

to pay anyway. >> will it get people to slow down? >> it's possible. i just don't know if that is the reason they are doing it. it's a way for the city to make money. >> this proposal officially posted online today. there is a 30 day review period where you can weigh in on whether or not the fines are the right way to go to reduce any of the accidents happening out there on the road. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. another heads up for you. forest glen metro station will be closed on sunday as the crews are taking part in the emergency response drills. a hundred workers will be on hand practicing how to respond to smoke and fire issues on a train and responding to suspicious packages. alison: the defense rested in the first trial for the freddie gray case.

the last witness was officer william porter's own mother. brad bell, tell us what she had to say. brad: well, you know, for much of the defense there has been a lot of technical testimony about what police are supposed to do, what they are not supposed to do. the defense closed today with people who could put a human face on officer porter. >> officer william porter's own mother was the last witness for the defense. she told the jury her son is a good guy. a peace-maker. porter did not want to repeat the comments or be photographed outside. >> he is a good guy. real good. i love him. three character witnesses on the stand this morning belong to the police captain who repeated what the jury heard from several others that

officer porter did nothing wrong in the contact with freddie gray. the defense team left the courthouse. prosecutor bledsoe will return monday to give the closing arguments. the case will go to the jury to decide as officer william porter is guilty of involuntary manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment or misconduct in office for failing to seat belt freddie gray in a police van or call a medic when gray asked for one. trial watcher and attorney brown has doubts the state has made its case. >> it is hard to say he acted with callous disregard of the life of freddie gray. you just don't see that. >> well, that is his opinion. ultimately it's up to the jury to decide. as we said, it looks like they are going to get the case monday. in baltimore, brad bell. alison: thank you.

developing now, sheriff deputies in stafford county charged christopher ellis will first-degree murder. authorities say ellis killed his mother elizabeth ellis. deputies found her body signed their home in stafford early this morning. deputies were called to the home by neighbors who reported christopher ellis was screaming in his backyard around 5:00 a.m. jonathan: the "7 on your side" team keeping you updated on hoverboard risks of the popular gifts catching fire. report of one of those happening in our area. consumer investigator kimberly suiters live in the newsroom with the details of this. kimberly: when we reported on the hazards, the reports of them catching fire were mostly overseas but the first local fire we know of caused by a hoverboard. this is photo released by the montgomery county fire and rescue who responded to a house fire in gaithersburg on

mineral spring driver. they found a smoldering fire coming from the family hoverboard. listen to this, it rolled to the bed. it ignited the bedding there. it had been charging at the time. you see what is left. earlier this week; you saw this video of a hoverboard on fire in a mall in washington state. we have heard from consumers riding them as well as discharging while caught fire. montgomery county firefighters urge to be presence. don't let them charge without using. the fire goes up when the quality go down. the kiosks or in the stores whether it's cheap or expensive.

after reports of a bottle might have glass inside of them. the company says there could be fragments of the glass in the 1-ounce glass bottles. ras perry tea, half and half and original tea, green tea with citrus. specific on the website wjla.com. alison: a short-term spending bill. just hours before funding for the federal government was scheduled to run out. lawmakers have until wednesday to vote on a $1 trillion budget. they are confident the budget will pass with the bipartisan support. jonathan: something we are

getting in the newsroom. president obama said the federal employees would only have to work a half day on christmas eve. happy early holiday to you. this is the second week of december. this is a spectacular weekend weather wise. alison: steve rudin has a check of the forecast. hi. steve: let me tell you a beautiful, beautiful evening. if you have plans to dine outside go for a walk or a jog. take while you can. still well love average for the time of year. the south is warming us up nicely. winds above 7 miles per hour. downtown d.c. a lot going on. stying dry heading through the overnight hours. the hourly forecast showing the temperatures falling through the 50's. to the 40's.

more coming up in a few minute. >> there is doug. it will be a break weekend to get outside. maybe do shopping. jonathan: chief meteorologist doug hill joining us live at the holiday market in arlington. hey, doug. doug: gateway park and i will tell you in the past few minutes we have gone from binge crosby to done martin to something more rock. we will talk want the beautiful outdoor affair and steve rudin has a look at the weather still to come at "abc7 news at 5:00". >> christmas is coming early in d.c. they are giving away 250 bicycles tonight. i'm stephen tschida. i will tell you about it. alison: later, making a change. a look at what the future holds for byrd stadium.

jonathan: all bets are off. find out where two online betting sites are told to find out where two online betting sites are told to cease

it's the holidays. and of course, everyone wants to get online at once.

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jonathan: you can donate online at wjla.com/toys. pick out your favorite toy. get to the marines and kids in need. the nerf bobble is huge. change the color of your hair. alison: and the hello kitty soccer ball. a small sampling. jonathan: mandy campbell, flanagan, some of the names. jonathan: stephen tschida is live in martin luther king avenue to explain. how are you?

stephen: the excitement is building at gateway. i will show you around. we have santa claus. and the he-s. we talk to organizers about the event. >> we have santa claus here and face painters and a lot of food. and candy. and bikes to give away. >> an organization to get back. that's what it is all about.

>> on the website. >> sounds great. stephen, thank you. this year we are also asking you to share the scene of the season with us. this is from sylvia who e-mailed us the picture of her tiny tree. send us your pictures. pics@wjla.com. >> what is amazing it started to grow out of the table. >> when christmas is over she can put it in a box. steve: the thought of wearing shorts to do the holiday shopping. you have don't mind it. enjoy it while you can. alison: i love it.

steve: 66 was the high. two degrees shy of a record in 1979. so far this month not a single day averaged below average. could we break or set records at reagan national this weekend? 68 degree information the forecast high. 71 is the record. we are going the right way. we could come close to it. 59 in leesburg. 63 in manassas. 63 in culpeper. closer to the bay and lower 50's in annapolis.

there is mild air to go around. the coolest of the air but it's not cold air to north of us. middle 40's in the suburban locations to the lower 50's in downtown d.c. 45 in waldorf. lalgo at 46. 70 degrees at some locations. reagan national might not hit the 70 degree mark. some may well see it. upper 60's. seven days, the wild's heart to early next week. lower 60's. upper 50's thursday and friday. the temperatures are above

average. doug hill, do we have a market going on? >> it's a bazaar on one side where there are tents, the booths, the local merchant. on the other side, they have an out door bar. in shot is mother lode. it's made from the recycled mother board. michelle from prince william county. cool idea. you take mother boards to turn it into jewelry. >> great way to recycle. they headache beautiful jewelry. doug: this is very cool. not often in the middle of december do you do the outdoor stuff like this. >> we've been blessed with the

weather. thanks to your forecasting. doug: do the best we can. this is along didn't in rosalyn. if you are not familiar, the park is broken to two part. one is south of fort meyer drive, where we are now with the tons of concession and a live band. on the other side, western end to the park they have the bonfire. we hang out here a little longer. back to you. jonathan: thank you. the weather is so nice. we're in december and other part of the country is shuffling the snow. steve: a lot of snow. rain from the east and northwest. take advantage of el nino. alison: thank you. jonathan: showdown over maintaining trees is coming to a head in maryland.

alison: plus, on the verge of an agreement of the global climate talk. congress takes a step that could throw a wrench in the works. >> but first, i don't through will be a celebrity like him again. i don't think there could be in today's world. >> celebrating the seng tenial of the voice of -- sen tenial of the voice --

alison: from the smithsonian to the music hall this week washingtonians are celebrating entertainer franksyal tra centennial -- frank sinatra's centennial. jonathan: maureen bunyan looks back at the lasting legacy. ♪ i want to kiss you maureen: old blue eyes. on the so 0th anniversary of his birth -- 100th anniversary of his birth, it's still with us. >> it's of a time but it's timeless. it continues to move and inspire generation of young people looking for something that endures. maureen: sheet music, album covers and movie posters may illustrate the breadth of his career. then the memories. >> the pime, they could -- the people they wouldn't let him go. he walked offstage and i remember saying can you imagine what the songs mean to

that people. he said, "what do you think they mean to me?" maureen: author of sinatra 100 traveled with him. >> after doing it for so many years he wasn't blasé. he was still always learning and honing the draft. >> the chairman of the board had a jet set lives. friendships with presidents and las vegas connections. >> is this the real frank or the movie star? >> you could go backstage and he would watch on television, jeopardy or "wheel of fortune" relaxing doing the "new york times" crossword puzzle. a simple guy. maureen: they estimate he donated $1 million in charities in performance and anonymous contributions. he also spoke out against racial and religious bigotry. >> i think he suffered

prejudice growing up being italian in new jersey and fraught a young age he couldn't stand that. maureen: his music continues to sell. now as then. >> there was something in the voice that compelled people to listen to him. maureen: you will celebrate the centennial this weekend at many music venues, the strassmore music center and the bethesda blues and the jazz club. enjoy yourself and enjoy frank sinatra. jonathan: what a legend. coming up at "abc7 news at 5:00" -- not today but find out where they are told the window is closed. alison: right now a celebration is underway in arlington in honor of a stellar career. we will take you there. >> i'm jennifer donelan. fighting back against the crime investigator. these are the e-mails and letters from "7 on your side" from grand parents in the

midst of custody battles for the grand children. emotional

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. jonathan: a mother is shot and killed in germantown leaving behind three young drivers and now a grieving grandmother is fighting to get custody over the young girls because one might be taken away. jennifer donelan takes us on

the emotional journey to keep the family together. jennifer: nightmare that began august 4. 34-year-old perkins shot and killed. police say by her husband. who then shot and killed himself. >> i answered the phone and it was my granddaughter screaming. >> suzanne learned her daughter had been killed. horrifying season. but the beginning of aty multitous custody battle. >> i have to. these are my daughter's children. >> she said her daughter had three daughters of her own by different fathers. the girls lived with their mother their entire life. 16, 193, 7 years old when she was killed. >> all i was trying to do help

them get through the trauma. >> days after the middle daughter found a biological father on social media and called him. >> she only met him three times in her life. >> i'm not coming down you. >> the knock at the door came next. the 13-year-old father who wanted to take his daughter back to georgia. where he lives. >> i never met the man until he showed up. >> he had been making child support payments. she tried to talk to him. >> you need to get to know her daughter, she needs to get to know you. we can do holiday and weekends. he said that is not going to happen. >> he hired an attorney. >> under maryland law a natural parent has a superior right to the child. >> montgomery county childhood protective services made a decision to let the biological

father take the 13-year-old back to georgia. >> she was like i don't want to go. >> we wanted to reach out to him. >> we called him ourselves. the lawyer began suing the father for custody on exceptional circumstances. >> she is traumatized a second time for being ripped away from what she has known. >> the three girls had a tight bond. >> she is upset. >> she is not alone. these are letters we have received from grandparents across the area fighting for cust xy of their grandchildren for one reason or another and they are all facing uphill

battle. they urge parents to get the arrangeles on paper before anything happened. jonathan: doesn't anybody step to see what is best for the child? 13 years old you are old enough to establish a lifestyle. 2011 is at great question for us to ask c.p.s. but they can't comment because of the privacy law. there is only one side of the story. best for her to stay in the area with the house and the friends and area she knew. alison: do you have a sense of the outlook? jennifer: probably one year of back and forth through the court. this is going the carry on. eye-opening look at the grandparents rights. jonathan: keep us posted. developing now, hours after a new york judge ordered draft kings and fan duels they have

a reprieve. there is a stay. customers in new york can keep betting. they have been accused of illegal gambling. alison: workers will cut down or cut back trees hazardous. this is along the chesapeake canal. they will be pruned at the hyper biker damp ground. partial close you ares are planned until the work is complete. week-long climate talks in paris have gone to overtime. negotiators worked past the deadline to reach global accord to combat climate change. inside, secretary of state john kerry says he is confident an agreement can be reached over the weekend.

>> a lot of progress. alison: the house approved a bill to cut greenhouse gas emission. jonathan: generations of american have grown up watching him and now "today show" willard scott is going to retire after 35 years on tv. 35 on the morning show. he is best known for the birthday wishes of the folks over 100 years old. alison: what is in a name? why the name is an issue of a local stadium.

>> i'm mike carter-conneen. in upper marlboro. today executive baker announced a new police chief. coming up, who he is. what the priorities will be and the role the current chief will serve. jonathan: more fall-out after sit the dellcash --sy the debt cadets wer

doug: doug hill. holiday market tonight. perfect time to talk about the weekend weather forecast. 68 degrees. 67 on sunday. the good news continues. monday a cold front will approach and breezy with the cloudy skies. still in the upper 60'sment 70% chance of showers monday

and monday evening. clearing skies and mild through was and wednesday. cooler weather coming in friday. stay with us.

alison: a changing of the guard coming at the police

department. mike carter-conneen reports that the current chief is retiring but not for long. >> i believe our police department has become one of the nation's best. >> prince george's county police chief mark magaw is retiring and starting a new job. part of a series of changes and promotions in the baker administration. >> i'd like to kept him in there until he said yes. for the first time in 32 years he won't wear a uniform to work. >> i had a conversation with my wife and it seemed very strange. >> under the leadership, the county primary dropped and they will work to continue it. >> stratdy we have developed is the strategy that we agreed upon. one of the key focus in 2016 is on the fatal collisions.

>> this control of the community policing. in the baltimore riots he worked to calm protesters. he joined it in 1982. >> i think this took tremendous posture. >> the transition will happen at the end of the year. he must be confirmed by the county council. meanwhile, magaw will enjoy a few days of retirement starting the new job january 4. reporting in upper marlboro, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. jonathan: coming up at "abc7 news at 5:00" -- rushing the court. on the scene of the basketball game becoming a cautionary tale for all. >> the longest serving member of the fire department is retiring. what retired him to be a

firefighter in the first place is part of the story. i'm jeff goldberg. is part of the story. i'm jeff goldberg. it's the holidays. which means a house full of people -- who all want to get online.

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jonathan: right now the end of an era in arlington. if you talk about a sendoff. after 35 years on the job, the senior firefighter is calling it a career. what a career it has been. alison: that is right. the inspiration for the career happened many years ago. just a few blocks away from station five. that is where we find the northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg. he is at the big retirement party. hey, jeff. jeff: this is so much fun. captain robert patterson retirement party. this is the group picture filled with smiles, memories, video for the retirement party. a day where captain patterson visited the stations across arlington saying goodbye to the colleagues why they are saying thank you. >> there are these who run to retirement and the others like captain patterson. >> i have enjoyed coming to work. every day for 35 years. >> who move toward it slower.

>> hard to walk away. >> he joined this rising to the rank of captain. he served at station five a few blocks from where we grew up and where firefighters watched over patterson's family after his father passed away in the early '1970's. >> i wanted to do what the arlington firefighters did for my family. >> it has been a fun ride. >> as he gained seniority he relished the role of mentoring the young firefighters like steve coda. >> he is passionate about the fire service. responded first to the pentagon on 9/11. >> very proud to watch the men

and women do an incredible job. >> he says what he will miss most is the camaraderie. the firefighting family. but he knows it's a family that he helped built. >> that is curtis, his son. he's now with d.c. fire. his brother with the prince william county fire. the brotherlaugh is the longest serving member of the alexandria fire department. definitely firefighting is in this family's d.n.a. really exciting night for really great guy. live in arlington, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. >> family of service. great story. >> nice to let us join in. we where are part of the party. >> give him a handshake and tell him thank you for the service. >> thank you. >> all right. see how it is moving on the roadways. this is friday, after all. >> jamie is keeping an eye on all that is moving.

brake lights. that is the fire and the police department. >> we started out with an afternoon rush but we have a one spending in a bad spot. this is before route 28. trying to get to centreville. it won't be easy heading out of the city. they are blocked off. let's move to the map to talk about how slow we are. from this point continuing closer to the accident, still on the brakes. the traffic is normal. inner loop and the outer loop between virginia and maryland. we are okay. over to you. steve: we have temperatures above average. if you have

time to get out, take advantage of it. if you can't get out sunday, monday then a cold front moves through. 66 in reagan national airport. 52 in winchester. quiet and dry. we stay dry. the next won't come until monday. 44 to 52 degrees. patchy fog. tomorrow, mild temperatures. the daytime highs middle 60's. we'll have warmer air on the way. some may flirt with the 70 degree mark. the debate planner tomorrow looking good. 7:00. 48 degrees.

4:00, 68. look at the seven-day outlook. upper 60's. no distractions in terms of the weather. jonathan: this is distracting here. college kids, pay attention. okay to be excited if your team wins when they are not expected to. but the next time they storm the court consider this. this is the scene last night. bedlam! in the middle of this "des moines ridge center" columnist randy pete out there with everybody and he broke his leg. not in one places but in two. initially he said he was trampled by the crowd. but then he said his leg

tangled with somebody else and he broke it two places. but this gives you a moment of pause. not a lot of room. >> i am rushing the field if the redskins win sunday. jonathan: don't worry about it. i don't care about what happens. it's the redskins. nationals lost out on another free agent to the cubs. he signed with the cubs though nats offered him $200 million. heyward finished last season with 13 home runs. the skins added to the roster signing former st. pierre thomas. they are making room for thomas.

and injured reserve with turf toe. time for friday night lights. we start with westfield high school in virginia. pep rally today. this will be the third state title. >> the school is hyped. drama coming down and the whole team. robert: high school seems like yesterday. another virginia stool clark county playing for a state title. this is big. this is the first time they have ever played for a state title in football. they will face appomadox high school. wise high school won the state title and they dominated. they celebrated the

championship this afternoon. the second time they accomplished the feat. they didn't run through the tape. alison: the university of maryland with a major change. jonathan: what

alison: following a developing story. 12-5 vote, maryland board of regents voted to name the stadium from byrd stadium to maryland stadium. jonathan: it follows opposing the namesake work to maintain racial segregation. >> the meeting wasn't as longing a the football game and the vote didn't resemble a game score. after two and a half hours of debate. >> yes, yes. >> the university of maryland board of regents voted 12-5 to

change the name of byrd stadium to maryland stadium. >> time to say goodbye and do it in a hurry. >> the petition led changing the name and related to the former school president that opposed immigration called at it watershed moment for the university. >> one of the reasons, not long ago i'll vote against it. >> he was so touched by the remark. and what he has heard in the interim. >> we go forward to make the university better. >> they believe that the victory was symbolic. >> coaches and the administrators making millions of dollars. the players don't get a dime.

>> that's those who are representing the school. in college park, abc7 news. alison: all right. that is it for "abc7 news at 5:00". >> right now at 6:00 -- >> this officer was killed trying to prevent the crime that kill him. >> the death of a police officer shining harsh light in the drunk driving laws. what some say has to be changed immediately. >> call for the citadel president to re-sign. how he is responding to the photos showing cadets dressed like klansmen. jonathan: dramatically increasing fines in the district. big money. "abc7 news at 6:00" starts now.

>> until maryland starts to take the crime, the crime of a drunk driver behind the wheel of a car killing someone, until they take the crime seriously. there is no justice for the families. there is no justice for the victims. maureen: montgomery county police officer noah leotta died yesterday a week after a car hit him in a traffic stop. he worked in a unit that targeted drunk drivers. suzanne kennedy is following the story and is live with a look at how maryland laws compare to those in the rest of the region. and how lawmakers are reacting. suzanne: a third of all fatalities are caused by drunk drivers and some say the practice for first-time offenders is not strict enough. noah leotta was a rising car in the montgomery county police