announcer: from abc7 news, this is a breaking news alert. leon: this breaking news is a serious accident on u.s. one. five vehicles were involved a crash there just past russell road in fairfax county. maureen: live in mobiletrak7. what can you tell us about this? sam: maureen this is being cleaned up. take a live look behind me. accident investigation reconstruction crews on the scene. five vehicles involved. you can still see there are four of them here on the scene. one a tow truck. three of them are smashed up right here as crews try to clean up the road. several lanes are blocked. traffic is backed up all the way down in the southbound and the northbound lanes. we are standing route one at buckman. if you know anyone that normally comes home on this route, they will be late. here is what we are told by the fairfax county police. car driving in the northbound

line, hit another car in the southbound lanes head-on. that car ricocheted and hit three more cars. a total of five people have been transported to the hospital. four of them by ambulance. one by medivac helicopter. three of them are in critical condition. a very serious accident. we are continuing to follow up with the fairfax county police on the scene. we will bring you the latest coming up in the broadcast. reporting live in fairfax. i'm sam sweeney, abc7 news. maureen: u that. d.c. utility regulators struck down controversial $6.8 billion proposal to merge the city electric supplier with exelon. leon: the deal is not exactly dead. it's still very much alive. d.c. bureau chief sam ford on the story and is live with the new conditions set by the public service commission. tell us about it. sam: leon, maureen, i would call it tweaking. more oversight and more putting things ou

so for a lot of people it seems that the supporters are happy, the opponents are not. >> the chair votes yes, the motion is carried. sam: the cheering on the yes vote rejecting the pepco-exelon merger came too soon. minutes later the board held another vote saying if pepco-exelon agreed to change certain provisions that the board didn't like in two weeks the deal would be approved automatically. that passed. to the ire of deal opponents. >> we have a well functioning financially stable company that does distribution. now we are going to tie ourselves to the ma mom money-lose -- mammoth, money-losing last century company that needs us to bolster the bad business model. sam: the people's council. >> mary chase does a lot of things and sound bite. sam: she insisted the benefit for low-income customers in deal may not seem like much to those making hundre

>> but for some people who live on $28,000 a year, and for whom the utility bill represent 20 to 30% of the income, those benefits are significant and tangible. sam: mayor bowser's administration proposed the first deal that was rejected. at another event they were happy they passed another a earntive -- alternative. >> our hope is to make the deal better for residents. zach same for pepco. >> we are pleased they did not reject it. they came one a plan but we need to study it to make sure it makes sense. sam: so assuming that pepco-exelon accepting the deal and that is a good assumption, then it is a done deal. d.c. will join states like new jersey, maryland and delaware that have already approved the merger. reporting live from northwest washington, sam ford, abc7 news. maureen: breaking news out of washington state tonigh

dead following a standoff in the western part of that state. police say four people were shot inside a house and then the gunman shot himself. police have negotiated with the man for several hours before the shootings. leon? leon: maureen, today virginia governor terry mcauliffe signed a rare compromise on gun control. democrats and the republicans were able to reach a deal to allow more out of state permit holders to legally carry in the commonwealth. the new law also will force those who have to give up the guns to do so in 24 hours. the orders can last up to two years. >> the debate on gun safety has had sharp edges that kept all of us apart for so many years. but we brave those sharp edges together this year. and we can be proud of the accomplishments. leon: the new law prohibits people subject to protective orders from carrying guns and the police will attend gun show for the voluntary background checks there.

debate is raging about a plan to open up a gun store in arlington. and the owners are getting the green light to open a shop along north pershing road not far from fort meyer and a daycare center. jay korff has a look at the concerns there. jay: the gunshot slated to open in a few weeks is billed as one of the largest sporting arms dealer in area. some who live in the community say they didn't find out about it-up in yesterday and now they are fighting it. >> right now the only evidence of a gun shoppe coming to the retail spot in arlington is a nova armory sticker on a door with an american flag draped in the background. >> my initial response was outrage, surprise. >> shaw, a mother of three who lives nearby is deeply concerned about the business moving to a neighborhood that includes a preschool and single family home of an ear shot of the store front. >> we are not your market. this is guns on children do not fit. jay: other than expressing outrage with the n

collecting signatures on a petition there may be little they can do to prevent it from operating. according to the county officials they are legally permitted here. while the gun shoppes cannot be -- gunshops cannot be near schools, preschools do not qualify. >> we just want an opportunity to present concerns to the county. to have our feelings about the culture of the home in which we raise our children be understood. >> in a prepared statement a represent of the nova armory said -- nova armory is unlike any other store. nova armory caters to those individuals seeking high-end custom engraverred firearms. some would leave you to believe all firearms are evil but a mar joy the americans support sporting arms and the ability to purchase the firearms for their recreational use. we plan to have an open house to allow people to see exactly what we offer and more importantly what we do

offer. community meeting to discuss the issue is scheduled for sunday at 7:00 at the lyon park community center. a different business nova firearms relocated last year from proposed site in arlington following community outrage and moved to mclane where the community pushed back as well but the gun shop remained open and has no plans to move. n toova firearms expanded to another location in falls church. jay korff, abc7 news. maureen: years behind schedule, millions of dollars overbudget and a couple of miles long. tomorrow the h street line opens. the ceremony will kick off tomorrow and the public will be allowed on the streetcars. the cars will ride on a fixed track down h street and benning road from union station to oklahoma avenue northeast. there will be eight stops along the route. streetcar ride will be free for six months. after that the d.c. department of transportation will announce a permanent fare schedule. leon: ahead at

who admitted to sexually abusing teenage girls learns how long he will be spending behind bars. the reason the judge gave him a lighter sentence. >> a seventh grader surprises school by officer noah leotta's family. i'm amy aubert with the story coming up. maureen: abc7 goes one-on-one with nats' star bryce harper. what he says about the upcoming season. doug: the weekend is getting off to a chilly start for sure. warmer days ahead. part of the seven-day forecast still to come at "abc7 news at 6:00".

leon: 18 years -- darrell best got 18 years in prison today for sexually abusing teenage girls. darrell best admitted to sexually assaulting a girl at the metropolitan police headquarters and southeast d.c. church. the judge in the case called the crime reprehensible and said he believes that best should be locked away for life. however the judge agreed to a lighter sentence to spare the victims of enduring a trial. police have rearrested one of six suspects in a january 26 fight at the gallery place metro station. maureen: the suspect charged with unlawful entry and attempt of court for allegedly violating a judge's order to keep away from metro. the teen was caught riding a red line train this week. leon: just ahead at

the political endorsement that you probably didn't see coming. robert: i'm robert burton. coming up in sports details on the reported tag on kirk cousins and erin hawksworth goes one-on-one with the m.v.p. bryce harper. his thoughts on how last season end and

for a cup of coffee just because you're a woman. so why does congress think it's ok that women get paid 20% less than a man for doing the same job? i'll fight for pay equity, to protect planned parenthood, choice for women, and expand paid and family leave. now some politicians will belittle this as a women's agenda. more proof that we just need more women in congress. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message.

leon: mark zuckerberg's facebook never had rules what people can write on the doodle pad walls but zuckerberg said he expects everybody to treat each other and the company are respect. maureen: keeping mentally active

alzheimer's disease and the symptoms. new research from the mayo clinic shows even when the symptoms are not apparent the biological markers seem to march forward. the study says despite the new research it's important to keep physically and mentally active. now for the latest on the zika virus. two new cases are confirmed in baton rouge, louisiana. there are three new cases in canada. all five people traveled to infected areas. this comes as researchers at yale discovered the zika virus in a stillborn infant with a severely underdeveloped brain. the finding raises concern the disease could lead to more birth defects than previously thought. leon: officer noah leotta was a montgomery county officer killed by an alleged drunk driver. tonight out of the tragedy comes artwork. amy aubert tells us about the new bond between a group of police officers and some students and st. john's episcopal in olney, maryland. amy: memorial of sort

the words of a seventh grader. >> we have alexander come up here. amy: the same group of students that line the roadways for officer noah leotta's funeral procession and asked about to write about the experiences. >> i will try to read this without crying. >> they hit a chord. >> i want to thank him but i'm quiet. amy: silence throughout the gymnasium as the officials read a poem in front of the school and the leotta family. >> it's not just an exercise in a school. it was more than that. it helped us heal. >> leotta's father richard says it meant a lot to him to meet the face behind the words. >> it is important because it makes me realize that even though i lost my son he had an impact on the community and the children. >> for close, a sur surprise recognition. >> we took the poem and put it in a framed piece.

maureen: for a family, a department and an entire school. >> thank you for your beautiful words. amy: this meant bring the words that helped to heal off the paper. amy aubert, abc7 news. leon: we have breaking news coming to the newsroom right now. we are just getting word of a person being hit by a train. this happened at the l'enfant plaza station. we don't know which line but now there is an active scene at the l'enfant station. we are getting more information on the station. once we learn it we'll deliver it to you. maureen: thank you. nice day today. except for the wind. sun was great. doug: 35, 37-mile-per-hour wind gusts commonly

the day. the weekend looks great. let's get into it and get a look at what is going on. this is a live look from the camera in national harbor. the sun has been down for 23, 24 minutes. something like that. some cloudiness at times but it will dissipate tonight. along with that and the diminishing winds it will get chilly. the numbers at the moment are 36 at the reagan national airport. winds to 16 miles per hour. out of the northwest. a chill in the air from the wind. but not terribly cold at the moment. want to look ahead as we do here to give you a countdown to spring. 15 days away from the beginning of daylight saving time. 22 days before the official beginning of spring. tuesday is the first day of meteorological spring. the countdown to the unofficial kickoff summer in memorial day weekend, 93 days away. still have cold air to deal with here. we will see that return next week. by the end of next week. meantime, the temperatures will head up. 40 and 34 the high and low at e

50 and 33 are the averages. at the moment everybody in the 30's across the region. 34 in frederick. 32 in hagerstown. 36 in the nation's capital. here is the mechanism for that. cold air pushes in. the snowshowers are diminishing as the high pressure center is moving east. high is moving farther east and the winds will come back out of the southwest. we are good to go with the warming trend. number wise here is what we have for you tomorrow. partly cloudy skies. systemly cool. where we should be. 48 for a high. winds develop out of the southwest at

hour. then as we get through the next seven days. 61 on sunday. leap day monday. 62. partly cloudy and 62 on wednesday. temperatures are near 60. turning colder and we have the clouds increasing friday. there is a couple of models to suggest we could get rain by friday. we have more about that through the weekend. that is the latest. back to you. leon: talk about the spring training here. robert: talking with the m.v.p. today. can he have another season like that? no pressure. erin hawksworth talks about the expectation for this seasoned and franchise tag on kirk cousins. he is getting paid but for how long? sports is next.

robert: let's start with football. redskins will place a transition or a franchise tag on quarterback kirk cousins. adam schefter reported that this afternoon. the team has until manch 1 before kirk cousins is a free agent. in baseball, yesterday erin hawksworth sat down with the nats' new skipper dusty baker. today the next best thing. one-on-one time with the reigning national league m.v.p. bryce harper. erin: i know dusty talked to the team today. what was his message to you

>> just to have fun and enjoy what you do. come together as a team, as a unit. that is what you have to do. have fun and enjoy the game. don't lose sight of that. try to do everything you can to better the team. better the organization. >> what are your goals? >> i want to win. to win the day. nothing else matters. the day ahead of you or behind you or what you are going to do in five years. erin: was it hard to get over the way the season ended last year? >> when you close the year on the book it's done. look forward to start a new year. leave it behind and worry

we have a great group of guys and a great staff. looking forward to it. robert: d.c. united fans head to the new nando's perry, perry tomorrow on eighth in northeast. d.c. united taken over the restaurant. players will be there working and mingling for the d.c. scores. the charity for 1:00 to 5:00. that should be fun. maureen: the weekend? doug: the weekend has a lot of sunshine. upper 40's to near 50 for sunday and hanging on to the mild we have for a few weeks. we need it. after the week we have had, good. steve rudin will check the model on the latest on the weekend warmup to see how long we hang on to 60's next week. maureen: looking forward to it. "world news tonight" with david muir up next.

tonight, right here, the bombshell endorsement. the presidential race turning personal. the new attacks leveled tonight. rubio going after trump. and chris christie tonight, now saying it's time for president trump. breaking news, the motive in the deadly rampage. the video now discovered, and the notice the gunman got 90 minutes before the shootings. the new head line about the zika outbreak, and pregnant women in the u.s. the miscarriages as well. and the sudden explosion. the little girl grabbing her bag when a hoverbrd