because of the way this camera is timed. >> the only thing appropriate here is justice. chris: rarely have i interviewed anyone as passionate as peggy. >> anything short of that is illegal. and ludicrous. ed and wrong! wrong! christ: last month she was turning left off georgia avenue in montgomery county to seminary road. that is her dark blue toyota. a short time later she got a $75 ticket courtesy of this >> it's made criminals out of people doing nothing wrong. chris: a year and a half ago maryland state highway administration changed the policy, mandating yellow light times be minimum of 3.5 seconds. so the item grabbed a stopwatch. it turns out the turn arrow that caught peggy is under three seconds. montgomery county department of transportation has had 19

it hasn't. yet the camera continues to issue tickets. >> i think the county should refund the issue issued since the standard have changed. chris: a lot of ticket. this is one of the county east most profitable. in the past 14 months it has issued 4,600 tickets for nearly $350,000. >> i have a concern they were delays making the change because they didn't want to disrupt the ticket, the flow of tickets from the camera. >> the i-team contacted montgomery c transportation and the police department. but no one would go on camera to discuss this camera. we got an e-mail. they said, "the current timing meets the federal guidelines." the county executive office added "avoiding a ticket is simple. do not enter the intersection when the light has turned red. "the police department department stated, "even though the intersection is within the state and federal

until the timing can be adjusted." but peggy says it is not enough. >> this absolutely should be voided. no way on the planet this is fair. chris: as far as the camera being retimed we are told it should happen by the end of the year. as far as 2 county repaying those who got a ticket here? we asked that question. we n larry: great stuff. tell us how 7 can be on your side? call the tip line. >> e-mail us us. >> the finishing touches are going on at the new m.g.m. casino at national harbor. the big night. tonight at 11:00, two years after the crews started working on the site.

it will have an impact on prince george's economy and maryland economy and traffic. we have team coverage from inside to the roads outside. let's begin with brad bell. high, brad. brad: we are inside the conservatory. it's decorated. a dozen cellos for the v.e.p. party at 7:00. it's a big deal but it has been a long time coming. there was a saga that saw the legalization first of slot machines in maryland and table games. then this. this comes at the end of a long saga for gambling in

industry by miller. >> my vision was slots only at the racetracks. it wasn't until 2008 that maryland legalized slot machines at five locations around the state. including maryland live at anne arundel mills. the existing casino insisted on the tax right to install table games. millions were spent on rival campaigns to say no to question 7 campaign. it was bruising. >> the longest voyage i have been on in politics in the state of maryland and the most difficult. brad: question seven carried and the casino was allowed. what opens tonight in large part due to the vision of the

peterson. >> this bothered a lot of people. this was a big change. abandoned quarry site. brad: far from an abandoned quarry now. people are starting to gather for the v.i.p. party that starts at 7:00. we will be back at 6:00 with much more to show you about the brand new resort casino at national harbor at m.g.m. national harbor, brad bell, abc7 news. larry: thank you. we have gotten glimpses inside the casino in the last few days, governor hogan will be among several v.i.p.'s getting inside before the grand opening. tim barber picks up the team coverage inside. tim: let me set the scene for you where i am now. the stairs i'm standing on meet up to the lobby. you walk in the lobby and you come here to the grand at it trium. they are still getting ready,

everything getting polished off. this is the conservatory. it's a spectacular winter wonderland display. there are tens of thousands of flowers here. if you walk in here, i want to show you how close the detail is here. those are flowers. 70,000 flowers. if you look up, the 20-story hotel. there are hundreds of dollars, ranging several thousand dollars. there are restaurants and a theater. we'll have more at 6:00. that is the latest live at the casino. if you want to get a full look at the casino we have everything, all the images you need on the website, wjla.com. alison: fancy. go chain in your tuxedo. we'll be watching. one of the concerns apt the casino is getting there. the traffic it will cause even for people who aren't headed

the chief of police sees five trouble spots. >> one of the trouble spots is 495. he is worried about traffic from virginia on the wilson bridge and traffic coming from north. another road that is a big concern is 295. they want to avoid bottlenecks going to the casino. the main local road that folks can take to another concern 2:10, the police chief says plans are in place to keep as much casino traffic off indian head highway as possible. the final concern is national harbor itself. the police will keep a close eye on the roads there including the ones that are part of development close to the potomac river. now we are live driving around. getting off at the indian head highway which i mentioned and

front of us. right now the casino itself is not creating a traffic jam. but that could change. party at 8:00 that is invite only. but the big event grand opening at 11:00, a lot of people could be coming this way to get here. reporting lifer from the road in prince george -- live from the road in prince george's county. alison: we knew you were good but that was magic. that was great. tonight at 1:00 and 1310 11:00, jaime jaime will be in mobiletrak7 to see if it gets bad at national harbor. we think they probably will. she will have an update on the evening commute in 40 minutes. larry: folks heading to the casino may find they need a heavier coat when they leave. stormwatch7's chief meteorologist doug hill is here to check on the big chill headed our way. doug: good advice. live look from the national harbor.

moving south. cold front is passing through. temperatures fall and the winds increase in velocity. a cold night reminiscent of february the last time it was this cold in area. it feels like 25 degrees in winchester. 236 in hagerstown -- 26 in hagerstown. through the everything hours we expect the numbers to continue to fall. 42 and then 30's. we think the temperatures will be late tonight. you will make up in the morning 20's. the mid-20's in most of the area. 36 at noon. 39 in the afternoon. and fielding colder because of the wind chill. we will take a look to the weekend and beyond coming up in seven minutes. alison: a legendary astronaut, senator and fighter pilot. tonight the world is remembering john glenn. glenn was the first american

astronaut. he was 95 when he died today. richard reeve is live at the smithsonian museum of air and spas with the news. richard: a lot of folks flocking here to see the mercury aircraft on display at the museum. an amazing life that john glenn was an astronaut. politician. look at the video. the stuff that made him famous. "the right stuff" as you saw glenn flew the friendship space capsule three times around the planet. it had never been done before. two circles around the planet were in manual mode when he was having issues with the equipment. he is flying that spacecraft 162 miles above the planet

>> it's interesting, his flight, he was the third american in space is the one that people wanted to remember from the mercury program. that was the first flight in which an astronaut went into orbit. that was the achievement that equal what soviet union had done the year before. richard: folks may not remember he had issue with the heat shiel atmosphere. that complicated matters. he was the only astronaut ever in space, john glenn dead at 95. reporting live, richard reeve, abc7 news. larry: thanks for that. what an icon. coming up at "abc7 news at 5:00" -- the search for the man who shot two georgia police

killed in the firearm related death on the rise. i'm amy aubert with the story coming up. alison: first, snow and cold sweep across the midwest in upper northwest. >> a new charter school and a number of the residents here say they don't want in their neighborhood. that is next on abc7 news. horace: i'm horace holmes in the "7 on your side" help center. 703-236-9220. we are talking apt your talking about your teeth. ask the dentist.

accused of raping a woman in upscale potomac county home. we are in the courtroom today when ricky morris learned his fate. >> may 2015, ricky and a group of his friends drank to oblivion in downtown bethesda. at 3:00, the group crashed a friend's home where he later entered a guest bedroom and

incapacitated. today at sentencing, 22-year-old claimed he had no memory of the assaulted. >> the fact you want to get hammer and take advantage of another human being, there is no excuse and no safe harbor under the law for that. >> prosecutors played a jailhouse phone call where he joked he pretended to be an alcoholic. >> go to a.a. meeting and talk addiction. >> i think it certainly didn't help. >> defense attorney taken aback by his client's words. >> did i like the answers? they were terrible for my client when i heard them. but he was talking privately for the girlfriend.

years in prison but prosecutors say even more impactful he will be on the sex offender registry until the day he die. in rockville, i'm kevin lewis, abc7 news. larry: a sad epilogue to inspiring story that will play out on national television. in august, a windy named cindy stowell qualifieded to appear on "jeopardy." she called producer she was dying of stage four cancer and wanted to have her appearance moved up. she has passed away but she donated all of her winnings. >> two people were killed in a 0-car pileup in michigan this morning. in portland, oregon, the kids had the day off from school in anticipation of snow.

a wind tunnel. the columbia winter gorge, a beautiful area but it packs a punch when it comes to wind. the truckers heading out on the route leer are in for a windy drive. they will be blown around a lot. arctic air is blown in by the strong east winds. it acts like a freezer. it will cool down the entire metro area. we are expecting six inches of snow. it could turn into an ice event. th we are expecting three inches of snow in the portland area. doug: interesting to see how cold it is in oregon. it's warmer here than it is in most of the country at this hour. a big outbreak of the arctic air overspreading the region. the cold front has come through. now it will change for us. do time lapse from the weather bug camera in northwest washington. a lot of clouds, sprinklals

through the area after the sunset. this is a gorgeous image of the skies clearing. this is what we will deal with. the wind chill, feels like temperatures that are continuing to drop. 25 in winchester. the values will continue to drop for the remainder of the overnight hours. air temperatures heading through the overnight in the metro. down in the mid-20's by morning. you can shave another eight or nine degrees off that friday morning. there will be plenty of sunshine. this kind of weather pattern here will crank up the snow effect of the lake effect snow. one area in particular that is always hit is in the buffalo area. depending on the wind direction. there is the potential for enormous snow in areas here because of the sustained

the future wind chill feel like 23 in the city. 158 in winchester and luray. 19 in baltimore. 17 in frederick. 19 degrees around andrews air force base. through the afternoon, it warms up a bit. wind chill wise. but still a 15 to 20-mile-per-hour gust will make it feel like the mid-to-upper 20's. maybe 32 degrees in the city. we get through the overnight and saturday, a little change. maybe not as windy but it will be j wind chills. teens to the west and north of town. low to mid-20's in the metro area. a lot of cold air. this is the coldest air mass since february. that is the truth. tomorrow is cold and blustery. a lot of sun. highs to 39. wind chills in the teens and the 230's. the winds will gust to 25 miles per hour or higher. for the weekend, a breeze on saturday. not as much. sunshine and 39. the clouds will increase

a slight chance of wintery mix late sunday night but the air will warm up rapidly. overnight monday. as a result, we expect rain here. a look at the future cast. most of what we have is rain. warming is only temporary. we'll show it in the ten-day outlook. milder on sunday. we will jump to 50 with rain on monday and we will start off with colder air. colder air mass than thi thursday, friday. we will level off in the low 40's by next thursday. alison: you can change the taste with syrup. larry: it's something that happens before the cart reaches your fridge that can impact your health. we will tell you what it is. >> how money from washington, d.c. could have a major impact on a problem in virginia and across the country. i'm jeff goldberg.

what is coming up tonight on abc7. and now jummy olabanji has a look at what to expect tomorrow on "good morning washington." jummy: thanks, alison. it's now hours before the new casino at national harbor opens. tomorrow on "good morning washington," see how it came together for the grand opening. get a glimpse of never-before-scene part of the luxury gaming resort. "rogue one" is about to hit the screens. you can call in to win tickets. >> stay with us for traffi

afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine.

larry: "7 on your side" fighting back against opioid addiction. today, jeff goldberg find out how the move in d.c. could provide needed help throughout the region. >> the day of celebration on capitol hill preceded >> we have been pushing very, very hard. >> don is the father of kevin, a 26-year-old from alexandria who died two years ago after overdosing on what he thought was heroin. since that time they have been working with the resources. >> they need help. >> yesterday as part of if 2

congress approved $1 billion in grant to help the states deal with the growing problem. >> as the parent of someone who struggled to get mariningful treatment, i believe that this will have a dramatic impact on saving lives. jeff: in virginia it's been declared a public health emergency with the overdose deaths increasing 15-20% a year. the money from washington will be distributed across the country to places like this. the city of alexandria center. >> there is a big realization this is a health problem. >> suzanne is the assistant director at the center where they are filled to capacity and often have to turn away people in need. >> there are so many reasons that investing in this way is so helpful to the community at large. jeff: don knows that to be true. >> this will save lives now. >> he'll keep fighting for more. in arlington, jeff goldberg, abc7 news.

news at 5:00" -- the surgeon general sounds the alarm now on e cigarettes. find out why he is issuing a warning. horace: give us a call in the "7 on your side" help center. 703-236-9220. any questions you may have about your teeth. ask the dentist. we'll be right back. larry: nearly 200 people lining up in the cold and throughout the night. we'll tell you what they were waiting for. alison: but first a remindser for you, to make holidays bright for a local child. donate a new unwrapped toy the toys for tots and you can do it easily right online.

larr look at that. gorgeous picture. that where is the new mcchrystal -- where the m.g.m. casino opens tonight. we will tell you about the traffic in the area. alison: should a lack of children in a neighborhood be a factor whether a new school is built there? residents of southeast washington fort davis neighborhood says it definitely shoulder. d.c. bureau chief sam ford went to the intersection of alabama and massachusetts avenues.

>> residents around massachusetts and alabama southeast woke up this morning to a demolition crew taking down an apartment building. to make way for a new public charter school for rocketship, a company that built this school in another part of southeast. >> this is wrong. i don't care any way you look at it. sam: the neighborhood activists in the predominantly senior community says the lot is too small, under water tower and they don't want the traffic and the noise. >> they will bring the kids from somewhere e all of our kids are grown and gone. we don't even let grand children commod here and stay two days. it's quiet here. >> no record. no respect. sam: the focus of the ire is rocketship jacque patterson who says after demolishing two structures they will build $23 million school for 700 children. >> i hope they understand education is important thing in district of columbia and there are people that do have kids that do want a school,

sam: he has been criticized how the bulldozer showed up without notice this morning. we asked the immediate neighbors if they heard anything about it. the woman here wouldn't go on television and said no. heshe just heard the noise this morning and she is a nervous wreck. they will still face hurdles. patterson is optimistic. >> there is need for the children. >> he is determined they will build the school but i'm will not be built on this square of land. sam: in southeast washington, i'm sam ford, abc7 news. larry: new developments to redevelop the mcmillan site. today the d.c. court of appeals stopped the work in its tracks. the panel vacated orders from the zoning commission saying it failed to address how the

surrounding neighborhood. we are waiting for comment from the city. alison: hundreds of people camped out in near freezing temperatures last night just for the chance at affordable housing in the district. the line started this time yesterday for people hoping to get an appointment to try to apply for housing at the woodbury village apartments. >> this experience has been horrific. it's extremely cold out here. i feel like i am getting sick. the city should have a better way for us to receive affordable housing because staying out here over 15 to 20 hours is not a cool thing for a senior citizen or people with children. alison: and waiting all night as we said provided absolutely no guarantee. the line was just for a chance at one of 200 available appointments. not an actual lease.

that e-cigarettes are an emerging threat to the nation's youth. in a report the surgeon general says vaping can create a whole new sgren ration of kids addict -- generation of kids addicted to nicotine. it's among the most commonly use of tobacco by teens. alison: a new scientific discovery is shining a light an how milk tastes. that is a literal statement. virginia tech researchers discovered the retail case using l.e.d. lighting, it tastes better. that is based on an actual taste test. the reason they say is built around how it oxod izes. fluorescent light makes it taste worst. think about that. or add chocolate sur run and it will taste better. larry: to cover it. that is the answer for he.

county about to make dinner. you need to boil your water first. water main break tuesday night prompted 48-hour boil water notice for haymarket and gainesville. we will let you know when the boil water order is lifted. alison: after more than 30 years on the hill, harry reid is saying goodbye to congress. reid made his farewell address. later hillary clinton spoke to unveil portrait of reid at seek re-election this year. larry: coming up, they said they were done with extending the late night hours but find out when and why the transit agency says it will still offer service in the night. alison: we continue our team coverage inside and outside the new m.g.m. casino. new at 6:00, we are at the unified command center to keep tabs on traffic. you will see how they are

smooth coming up at 6:00. >> hey, this is kim from the u.s. army in the netherlands. wishing everybody at home a happy holidays. merry christmas. happy new year. shout out to my family.

steve: one more day until the weekend. hope you look forward to it. on the cold side. not as windy as we'll see tomorrow. 39 is a high for saturday. sunday is lower 40's. leesburg, christmas parade. it's saturday evening. temperatures are near freezing. stay with us.

oh, how was the open house? so good! did you apply? oh, i'll do it later today. your credit score must be amazing. my credit score? credit karma. it's free. that's great! um hm. just whip bam boom, it's done. that apartment is mine! credit karma. give yourself some credit. afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me,

the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me. larry: horace holmes has a pearly white smile is in the abc7 help center. flash them for us. horace: that's okay. that's all right. how about you? do you have a toothache? no? how about you? everybody is fine up there. larry: we're okay. we're okay. horace: maybe you are not out there in television land.

they can answer any you have concerning the teeth. dr. hutchiso came up for air. it has been busy. >> busy night. horace: what kind of calls are you getting? >> where do i find a dentist, toothache, hey, i had this happen. what do i do about it? spans the horizon. we refer people in maryland, virginia and d.c. if they are in virginia go to the vadental.org. maryland and district of columbia we give them the dental society number. horace: thank you. good back to work. crack the rip here. in the "7 on your side" help

back to you. alison: i want to know when do we take a baby for the first appointment. horace: i will get the answer for you. larry: a nice smile as well. alison: you are so sweet. larry: shop in the favorite store and the brand with an app this season. you may be being scammed. we'll explain how tomorrow on "abc7 news at 4:00". alison: his team lost two right? but redskins jay gruden was all smiles today. how his son helped to lighten the mood at redskins park. larry: first, look carefully at this. that is the eiffel tower. behind all the haze.

alison: new development of two shootings in georgia. they found him dead at the home after being on run since yesterday morning. he is the man they believe shot two officers responding

one officer died and the other is in critical condition. larry: the 63rd officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty so far this year. amy aubert reports a number that some are calling shocking. amy: on thursday, visitors at the national loch officer memorial paying respects to the fallen. >> it's a very sad time for our nation. our police officers are under attack. when the police officers are at risk, all of us are at risk. >> am the 63rd officer to be shot and killed in the line of duty in 2016. >> you hear every day or other every day, police officers getting shot at. police officers getting killed. again; just trying to one, earn a living. two, protect the citizens that they serve. >> so far this year it's 63 officers have been killed in firearms related deaths. that number at this time last

names and numbers. these are mothers and fathers and sons and daughters. >> in addition to the 63 firearms related deaths another 73 officers died in the line of duty so far in 2016. >> david leotta, whose nephew noah leotta was struck and killed last december calls the deaths senseless. >> every time i turn on the news or open up a paper, the headline another officer dies struck by a car. or shot, you know, they are targeted now. >> we should respect them. we should say thank you. to a lot more. they are mothers, fathers, sister, brothers, husband and wives. >> in northwest washington, amy aubert, abc7 news. larry: well, this saturday marks one year since officer noah leotta died after being struck by a drunk driver. tomorrow we will have more from the emotional encounter

national law enforcement memorial. >> we have an update now on the city of lights. blanketed by the worst pollution in a decade. look at this. we told you about the problems in paris earlier this week. now we can show them to you. because today the city made public transportation free for the third day in a row and bannedded cars with odd numbered license plates. the hope is that half as many cars will translate to less pollution. amazing. larry: that is. the hampton roads brge the virginia transportation board improving plans to expand the road to relieve con question. it is adding a third tunnel to go if four lanes to six. the $4 billion project should be finished by the year 2024. alison: late night hours returning for metro, at least for one night. trains will run on new year's eve until 3:00 a.m. on new year's day. no track maintenance work is planned for that time. larry: time for a check of the

sullivan is on traffic watch. jamie: we are seeing slowing but there are no big crashes. this is the 14th bridge mid-span. that is why it looks like a christmas tree here. it's disabled and not an accident. hopefully when they get it out of there you will move faster. traveling along the american legion bridge, same thing and the volume. not terrible but we have slowing. nothing major yet. alison: thank you. get down to "7 on your side"'s hor ris homes in the help center. horace holmes, you have an answer to the question? my question about when should you take your kids to the dentist for first time? >> dentist tell me as soon as you see the tooth break through. ja really? >> -- alison: really? >> you can go to the pediatric. alison: i'm late on this.

we'll check back in with you again. horace: that is what ewe're here for. alison: you're the best. we love you. coming up tonight at "abc7 news at 6:00" -- with the excitement at the casino comes concern about traffic. we are inside command center working to keep the traffic moving there. we also are remembering the legacy of iconic astronaut john glenn. we hope you will join us for "abc7 news at 6:00". larry: lunchbox weather. alison: he this is something we look forward to. doug: we do this a couple of times a week. this morning, molly went out and we had a video to give the kids behind the scenes look at how we do the weather here. how the graphics work. she conducted experiments and how the equipment work. we measure the weather and

then took them outside to look at the weather truck. the kids had a great time. we had a young man named zohar operateing the abc7 kid cam. we have a weather question from payton dale. >> my name is payton. my question is what is the most dangerous weather you have ever had to deal with? >> well, i took a lot of time thinking about that. i have been doing this for nearly 40 years on tv. the answer several years ago i was at an outdoor concert. 5,000 people on a grassry area. i noticed there were severe thunderstorms coming. i talked to the management of the concert. they had me go up on the stage before the storm hit and i had to make an announcement all the 5,000 had to leave and go find shelter in cars or anywhere they could. good thing we did. there was lightning there. it would have been dangerous. all the fact i've done not taking action could have been

wow! okay. very good question. thank you, doug. larry: check in now with erin hawksworth. alison: she has a proud papa moment from redskins park today. this sounds good. erin: it is. how about this for the proud dad moment. joey gruden son of head coach jay gruden plays basketball in dayton. he doesn't play in many games but tuesday night he scored his first career point for the flyers. wjla sports parker asked coach gruden how proud he is today. >> it was awesome. we were fired up. the only thing upset i didn't get to see it. but i have it on my phone. see the picture. >> that is the picture. >> his first point as a dayton flyer. it's on my screen saver. we are fired up. he missed the first one. his knees were shaking on the second one. but we're excited. >> to me as a dad to know he will always have at least one. >> right! he played a minute and

>> i wonder if the manager took a video of him. >> how is life as a college scorer? >> same old. moy twitter blew up for a day. i got high h fives going to class. teachers said congrats. i'm big-time now. >> what do you think? >> he has always been big time in our view. he is fired up. score a point in college basketball is something to be proud o jay gruden looks so proud. a big send off for damascus this afternoon as they head to the navy marine corps memorial stadium in annapolis for the 3a championship game. this is the third consecutive state final for swarming hornets where they will take on franklin. a rematch of the 2014 final that franklin won. expect it to be a good game. it's a game you can see tonight on me tv. that is the digital channel.

alison: exciting. larry: who do you like? erin: damascus. i like the underdog but you have to be realistic, too. alison: thanks. larry: appreciate it. vicious attack on camera and the victim is talking to abc7 about what happened. alison: hear what he has to say about it coming up at 6:00. larry: first, the man is on for a person who assaulted a woman at a popular park in georgetown.

larry: breaking news out of georgia. the second police officer shot after responding to a domestic dispute has died. the man who shot them has been found in his home in georgia. first officer shot died of his injuries. that is breaking news now. an area popular with walker, runnerssh bicyclists and folks

q mccray reports police are looking for a man who assaulted a woman in georgetown's water front park. q: word of sexual assaults happening around georgetown have people on high alert. >> i'm just going to hang out here in the broad daylight. >> it's kind of scary to think that you could be walking, going for a walk and be sexual assaulted. q: in the past we told you about the six cases reported to metropolitan police. in less than four months between august and october. police added a seventh. it happened october 19. right here before 7:30 police say the victim was walking through georgetown water front park when she was grabbed by the suspect and sexual assaulted. she was able to get away and dialed 911. >> detectives say the suspect ran away eastbound toward the waterfront shops and m street. all of this happening in a hot

joggers, walkers and the georgetown students. >> i haven't heard about it until you said that. q: most of the people we spoke to had in idea about the seven cases until we told them. >> if i go on a morning run to the monuments, i go down this way. that is scary. >> it east interesting that we -- i think it's interesting that we as a georgetown community on the campus, we haven't heard anything about it. >> the suspects spoke english and spanish and may possibly be homeless. give them a call. in georgetown, q mccray, abc7 news. jonathan: track the crime in your area using the spot crime map. you can find it on the website wjla.com. coming up at "abc7 news at 6:00" -- we are counting down to grand opening of the new m.g.m. casino at national harbor. tonight, team coverage of all the excitement. plus, the bizarre case at comet ping pong where a suspect fired a gun over fake

saying goodbye to former astronaut and senator john glenn. his legacy as the news at 6:00 starts now. announcer: now, "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. jonathan: first at 6:00, it all comes down to tonight. the new m.g.m. casino opens in five hours. it's promising top-grade entertainment, excitement and great food. alison: we have team coverage for you inside and outside the casino tonight. starting with our maryland bureau chief brad bell. okay, brad: all right. that is exactly what i want to do. we are in the central area of the hotel casino. over there if you arrive at the hotel, that is essentially the lobby. the first thing you are going to see is this. pretty spectacular sight. they call it the conservatory. all done up for the holidays. they will change it with the seasons. take a look across the conservative floor to the left. you will see the entrance to the theater and a picture of a

performing here fairly soon. >> ? here i come ? ? you can't hide ? brad: that is the booming vid they debuted for the press. they have gone big and they are not going home. >> this amazing resort will open the doors this evening and will forever change the business and tourism landscape of the region. >> the casino as big as any in vegas literally at the heart of the m than slots and tables. the hotel for instance looming 23 stories over the soaring conservatory. rooms start at $299 for a standard. this is the chairman suite. it's not standard. designer living room, bar, bedroom. this is the bathroom of chairman suite. look at this. take a bath with the view of the capitol. or come over here and take a shower with a view of old town alexandria.