now. it's up to them. >> what about long term about the electoral college? >> long term with respect to the electoral college, the electoral college is a vestige, it's a carry over from an earlier vision of how our federal government was going to work that put a lot of premium on states and it used to be that the senate was not elected directly, it was through state legislators and it's the same type of thinking that gives wyoming two senators and -- with about 500,000 people and california with 3 million get the same two. there's some structures in our political system as envisioned by the

are going to disadvantage democrats, but the truth of the matter is that if we have a strong message, if we're speaking to what the american people care about, typically the popular vote and the electoral college vote will align. i guess -- i guess part of my overall message as i leave for the holidays is that if we look for one explanation or one silver bullet or one easy fix for our politics, then we're probably going to be disappointed. there are just a lot of factors

in what's happened not just over the last few months, but over the last decade that has made both politics and governance more challenging. i think everybody's raised legitimate questions and legitimate concerns. i do hope that we all take some time, take a breath, this is certainly what i'm going to advise democrats, to just reflect a little bit more about how can we -- how can we get t

announcer: now "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. jonathan: we will have a complete wrapup of the president's newsc

a winter weather alert. michelle: we are bracing for the effects headed our way. alison: roads across the area are being treated as we speak. most of us now are under a winter weather advisory through tomorrow morning. michelle: the biggest threat is the icy conditions. the timing is critical for one of the busiest shopping day of the year. jonathan: letter has team coverage of this evening for you. stormwatch7's chief meteorologist doug hill is tracking the system, timing it and breaking down the potential impacts for you. alison: abc7's brianne carter has a look at the road prep and stephen tschida has a look at how to keep the homes warm out there. michelle: we start with doug hill with a winter weather alert. fill us in. doug: two big headlines. the first is a freezing rain advisory in effect from midnight until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow for the eastern suburbs, southern suburbs to the west. the area in pink. to the north there is a winter weat

a.m. tomorrow morning starting at midnight tonight. noon to the north. metro until 9:00. noon to the north and the pennsylvania line until 1:00 p.m. in the mountains to the cold air that will hang on a little longer. the future cast gives a clue that later tonight when the precipitation moves in there could be area of snowflakes in spots. but as we get to 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning we have sleet and northern rain north of town. eastern shore is too warm for anything other than rain. west of the mountains it could be rain. we have a period 5:30 to 9:00, 10 centre tomorrow morning where -- 10:00 tomorrow morning where we will see most of the opportunity for the freezing rain and sleet around the area. all the while, the warmer winds overhead work to the surface, warm temperatures above freezing. then we have the plain old fashioned rain and that will end we think probably before noon and we are sitting pretty beyond that. as far as how much will fall, snowfall wise? maybe up to .1 of an inch in baltimore, maybe .5 inch brie

but the other equation is the ice possibilities. that is a little more serious. .13 of an inch. .10 at andrews. .25 in baltimore. there you see how it goes. the farther north you are from washington the longer the issues and the more serious potentially traveling. metro south is limited in size and scope but tomorrow morning from 5:00 to 9:00 or 10:00 you should watch it. if you can put the traveling off for a few hours, we suggest that. your friends on duty in the stormwatch7 center. jonathan: this is the last big weekend before christmas for shopping. a lot of you may hit the roads to find the best deals ands that is when the conditions might be at the worst. crews across the area are deploying to treat the roads. abc7's transportation reporter brianne carter in clarksburg, maryland. they have had a busy day out there. brianne: yeah. you can see here from behind us, a bit of a packed par

this is what we have noticed. they have the salt down here on the parking lot already. so across the parking spaces. as you mentioned, it's because the folks will try to do this. hit the roads. here along 270 early tomorrow morning. to try to get out. that is exactly what the department of the transportation all across our region are urging folks not to do. they have been pretreating the roads for the past two days. wi expect to see a lot of crews out as early as 9:00 tonight, prestaging ahead of what mother nature brings. in maryland, the state highway administration is pretreating with brine, the cold temperatures. that works best. not the rock salt on the roads. the brine on the roads, you may have seen it along the beltway. they will be prepared as they move the crews in this evening. a similar situation in virginia and in the district. where today we talk with the department of public works and they say the one tricky thing is

>> black ice, icy spots, ramps, bridges. it really can be a much more difficult operation if we aren't prepared ahead of time in treating the roads ahead of time. brianne: that is why they are doing just that. it's also why shoppers today are trying to get ahead of that. coming up here tonight at 5:00, the warning to the drivers coming from all three jurisdictions today. reporting live, brianne carter, abc7 news. jonathan: all right. alison: thank you. the cold weather is slowing the commute, especially for those of us who have to park outside. there are a lot of us who have to do that. a.a.a. says the lanover facility gets 150 calls for jump-starts and today it is expecting almost double that number. it's not just that the cars need help to get going. some folks are without heat. can you imagine? the furnaces are having trouble keeping up with the cold snap. stephe

team coverage with the effort to get the heat back on. hi, stephen. stephen: hi, alison. i could use some heat right now. i'll tell you. the cold weather is causing problems across the region, across the metro area. we were out in the cold all day from if broken down furnace to broken down furnace. a lot of the homes have the furnace on the outside of the building. not a great deal of insulation. it can be too much for an old furnace like this. >> i have a cold apartment. stephen: the massive warwick apartment complex in silver spring is myselfty frosty -- mighty frosty. management is providing space heaters but some residents say it's not enough. >> it's cold. i have to wear jackets. stephen: across the region the technicians are racing from home to home trying to warm things up. the nasty cold

much stress on systems they konk out. michael and sons technician kevin bolden had a busy day. >> customer is having a problem on the second floor. we just find the air flow to make sure he is getting the proper air flow on the second floor. jonathan: as bad as we have it, this guy is dealing with a lot worse. look how he is dealing with it. in shorts and short sleeves. that is steve clay. he is from montana so he is used to this cold. you can see that is the apparel he wore to go outside and shovel snow. 6 degrees. steve's wife angie says it took him 20 minutes to move all the snow. never said anything about the apparel. he just said yeah, took 20 minutes to get it clear. alison: it wasn't unusual for her. she was like of course he wore that. don't get caught in the winter weather in t-shirt and shorts. download the weather app from the app store or the google play. you can have instant forecast updates where you are when you want it. michelle: president obama hosted his fin

conference of the year. we want to know if you think russian hacking influenced the election. vote now at wjla.com/votenow. the president is promising retaliation for the hacking. all while another international scandal begins. unmanned navy sub was picked up by a chinese warship. kevin lewis is at the "live desk." no easy afternoon for the president before leaving on vacation. kevin: a lot going on in his world, michelle. the president didn't seem to be too much of a hurry to jet off to hawaii for christmas holiday. he started talking around 2:40 this afternoon and, of course, the press conference just wrapped up. the president began by touting how unemployment is down 5 points. 165,000 troops are out of the middle east. and america's worldwide reputation is better when compared to eight years ago the president is saying. the president left reporters to raise the hot button topics of hillary clinton and vladimir putin. first on hillary, president obama saying he b

a detrimental role in costing clinton the election but passed the torch on to the political pundits to do any deeper analysis. on putin, president obama revealing back in september the two met in a trip to china. obama says during that one-on-one he told putin to cut it out. threatening revenge if the russian-led hacking antics continued. on russia, obama saying they can't change us, they are a smaller country, a weaker country. that unless we as americans allow the scales to tip. president obama: over a third of republican voters approve of vladimir putin. the former head of the k.g.b. ronald reagan would roll over in his grave. kevin: has for donald trump, president obama said the two spoke again only a few days ago. obama says trump listened earnestly to his advice. it's the acting on that advice which remains

i'm kevin lewis, abc7 news. jonathan: a lot yet to see ahead. thanks. next at 4:00 for us, the list of counties in the d.c. area happy to be on. this is an important list. alison: yeah.

jonathan: nothing good comes from this. behind the tree making that noise is a deer. he busted through a maryland family front door. went right for the tree. one of the family members got out his phone and started to record the whole thing. tonight at 5:00 we hear from the teen who recorded the video and how he got deer out of his house. until then you thi

would make a deer go into a home straight for the tree? maybe he wanted his presents or he smelled something. alison: of course a teenager recorded it. jonathan: don't do anything. just get the phone out and record it. alison: exactly. we turn back to politics. in the presidential campaign, hillary clinton once said to be grossly generallistic you could put half of trump supports into what i call the basket of deplorables. you remember that. clinton apologizedded for the comment but some of the trump supporters liked it giving way to what is dubbed "the deplorable." inauguration party scheduled for arlington but the clarendon ballroom is now backing out. northern bureau chief jeff goldberg explains the club is being targeted here. jeff: the clarendon ballroom has been the scene for big parties for decades. people have been inside it for many times but it's pulling out of hosting the party because it is accusing the

behavior. while the organizers say this whole thing is political. here is what we are talking about. the so-called deplorable, the inauguration party happening the night before inauguration called, organized by citizens for trump. telling the "post" the group was in final negotiations before management abruptly backed out. since then the past few days the ballroom is the target of the online threats accusing them of being anti-trump. but the organizers say it's not the case. they canceled the case because political pressure is untrue entirely. we cannot cancel an event that was never booked saying the organizers of the deploraball sold hundreds of tickets even before they had a contract with the ballroom. >> my only hope is they get a positive influential from this --

and there are good things too. jeff: we try to reach an organizer from the deploraball but never got a response. you may know that the clarendon ballroom is one of several businesses now eng tangled with the post for entangled with the post-election controversy. how should they respond? interesting answers at the top of the hour until then, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. alison: thank you. talk about a great gift. this is oprah-esque. everybody on board a southwest flight from dallas to los angeles got a free nintendo 3ds. nintendo sharing the pictures of us full of a plane of happy people. i costs $200 in stores. this coincides with the release of the super mario maker for the device where the players make levels.

michelle: cash strapped cuba offered to pay off some of the old debt in rome. they have old debt to the czech republic. they are still deciding how much the country owes but they offered to pay with $270 million of rum, medications and other commodities. if it were just rum, it would last a hundred years. jonathan: toss in cigars and maybe they will land that deal. abc7 on traffic watch right now. jamie sullivan with a look at the friday get-away. is it people coming home or getting out of town? jamie: people everywhere! in the car right now. we are seeing a lot of heavy volume. mainly we talk about the heaviest area on the beltway. you have a good point because a lot of those outlets we have, 66,270, 950. people will be using to head out of town. the northwest corner are in the teens. right now a live look. we will show you near bradley boulevard. you can see the volume we have. both the innerlo

maybe heading south on 95, you will average in the teens. a live look shows you near the occoquan what you are getting into with stop and go traffic and many brake lights. but no crashes on the interstates blocking lane. minor issues. they are mainly in the shoulder. that is a look at traffic. back to you. jonathan: thanks. let's talk about what everybody is feeling now. michelle: yeah. the cold and looking ahead to the weekend. alison: what is in store here? doug: the worst of the cold is behind us. that is good news. the temperatures come up tonight but in the process of getting rid of the arctic air, precipitation is moving in. we are in a period with ice, touch of snow in some spots. mainly freezing rain and sleet. overnight through 9:00 tomorrow morning. then we will jump in the 50's tomorrow afternoon and it will be over with. crazy stuff. let's get going. two separate colors on the map. one to the bottom and the south of washington in pink. that involves freezing rain. in fact, there is in effect from midnight to 9:00 tomorrow a freezing rain advisory.

shaded areas the metro, all the regions are under the winter weather advisory. they are similar except a better chance of freezing rain to the south. better chance of sleet with the freezing rain in the north. a window that is fairly small. it's probably precipitation arriving 3:00 in the morning in the metro area. lasting as a mix until 9:00. but in that time with the cold ground we could have slick spots. watch for that. i want to show you how big of a large part of the country under the watches. winner storm for heavy snow. western pennsylvania. part of wisconsin through minnesota and iowa. then this is the freezing rain advisory south through north carolina. so this is a large area. what is happening is the strong winds will be developing overhead. they will work the winds down to the surface. they are out of the south now. you will see the temperatures rising tonight. that is a good sign instead of going the other way. as the precipitation moves in. it will take a while to get the cold air off the ground and get the warm air down. that is why it will stay with a chance of the freezing rain and sleet for a while. eventually tomorrow m

metro area and the north. it will arrive and go above freezing. we have the plain rain in the area until it ends. 8:00 in the morning we are still depicting freezing rain and sleet over a large area. changing to rain on the shore and south and east. probably ending to the afternoon. that is good news. we jump ahead to sunday with another system, a cold front that could bring rain showers. gusty at that. wreaths across america tomorrow, a crowd of wonderful people will be at the arlington national cemetery. the weather will not be pleasant. the winds will not be strong in the morning. justdress appropriately in the 30's with a -- just dress appropriately in the 30's with chance of sleet or rain. future cast, through sunday. the next front with the rain. heavy downpours. once the front moves out in the afternoon we will see a sudden drop of rapid -- not a sudden group a rapid drop of temperatures. the rain moves out before the temperatures go low. back to sunshine and chilly temperatures monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, in the 40's. we look ahead to christmas eve and christmas day. it look

sunny skies. 50 on christmas day. beginning hanukkah and on sunday for christmas day is 55. it will stay mild to monday as well. it should work out pretty well. alison: great! good news, doug. thank you. still ahead on abc7 news at 4:30 -- the incredible effort to place a wreath at each grave marker at arlington national cemetery and the forecast for the volunteers showing up tomorrow. but first -- >> a 9-year-old girl gives back in a big way. now her family surprise with the christmas joy all their own. i'm amy aubert and i will have the story coming up.

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announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. jonathan: on abc7 we brought you a bunch of stories about toys for tots. michelle: and the marines helping run the program there is a special story they encounter that really touched them. alison: that is right. amy aubert with the 9-year-old and how her christmas wish just came true. >> everything you see right there, everything is for you and your family. [applause] amy: smiles and tears at the site of a of joy.

back in the box for another child. >> actions speak louder than words. she just did it. blew everybody away. amy: so much so that the group is providing enough toys for her whole family. when the family showed up here they had no idea of the prize waiting inside. >> i have been to 22 countries and done a lot of weird crazy stuff. i took a 9-year-old girl to blow me away literally on what she did. >> i am surprised. very impressed. amy: a 9-year-old girl with a big heart. her family giving back once again. planning to donate the extra toys to their church and another family in need. >> this one is definitely for us, our feel good story of the year. amy: an early gift, a celebration of giving back. >> she helped the marines out. we will help you out. we gave her hopefully a good christmas. but i promise it's nothing compared to what she

us. amy: amy aubert, abc7 news. doug: want to give you an update if you are just joining us about the two headlines we have. freezing rain advisory in effect from midnight till 9:00 tomorrow morning in southern part of the area. at the same time, a winter weather advisory to the north. it all involves freezing rain and sleet. farther north you go, the better chance of sleet. there is potential of the slippery conditions until the temperatures rise above 32 degrees at the surface. that won't happen until 9:00 or 10:00 in the morning. if you are traveling tomorrow, midday, the warm front will pass through. we warm up to the 50's and it's just rain before it ends. problems traveling through the northeast on i-59 with sleet and -- i-95 with sleet and snow. big storm in the northern lakes and the high plains and then a warmup going to sunday. we look ahead to tomorrow with a freezing, messy mix in the morning. turning all rain by mid-morning. ending with highs of 52. breezy, cloudy, mild, 62 with period of rain on sunday. some could be a

by monday we have sunshine but highs only in the mid-30's. steve rudin is back in 20 minutes with a look at the ten-day outlook. michelle: thank you. crime alert in alexandria. thieves there are targeting your cell phone and grabbing them in brazen ways. q mccray has a closer look at the crime and the warning from police. >> robbery involving cell phones. q: alexandria deputy chief posted the video online about the latest crime wave in the city. cell phone robberies. >> this is literally a snatch and grab. q: the crooks look for people not paying attention, grab the phone and make a run for it. >> it's crazy. insane. get a job. q: there have been nine crimes in about a month. >> they are targeting people who are not looking up. q: we noticeed a couple of people -- we noticed a couple people doing it. >> your guard is down. q: five cases involve using an app to meet a stranger

a cell phone. all the thefts happen in the neighborhood around braddock road metro. >> be aware of your surroundings. if possible take the phone and put it in your pocket. q: you have yours tucked away. she has the message. if you have to use an app to sell your cell phone, be smart about the transaction. bring a friend with you. pick a safe place to make the deal. like the police department maybe. i'm q mccray, back to you. jonathan: not bad at vice. up next at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- the wreaths are arriving and going in place at the pentagon and then they will be moved to the arlington national cemetery. that happens tomorrow morning. the emotional annual effort to honor those who have served coming up. alison: new at 5:00 -- >> it was two weeks before christmas and in this house there arose a clatter but it was no miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. i was a big buck and a boy in

michelle: it takes thousands of volunteers to make sure every grave marker at arlington national cemetery has a wreath for the holidays. jonathan: it's the most amazing thing. so many volunteers come out to do this. today the wreaths a

look at the effort it will take no matter how bad the weather is tomorrow. >> wreaths across america came here to the 911 memorial to lay the -- 9/11 memorial to lay wreaths for those who lost their lives on that fateful september day. each year volunteers meet where more than 300 trucks are packed with wreaths to be delivered to 1,200 participating memorials and cemeteries that includes the vietnam wall, the korean, and the world war ii memorials. and arlington national cemetery. organizers say this is not about decorating graves but rather remembering the fallen. honoring those who served and teaching children the value. >> we will go tomorrow and there will be people from the left and the right, christians, atheists. for

americans paying tribute to the people that served and sacrificed. >> when started there were only 12 vol toon for -- volunteers. tomorrow, even with the bad weather there will be 65,000 to 70,000 people. >> they will lay 1.2 million wreaths this weekend alone. we will have a crew covering the service tomorrow at arlington national cemetery. kevin lewis, abc7 news. jonathan: a number of our staff will be there laying the wreaths. traveling to the northeast could become faster. the federal railroad administration backing a plan to speed up the rail service in the region over the next 30 years. the $120 billion plans will allow the trains to travel up to 2300 miles per hour between d.c. and boston. they plan that the

d.c. to new york would be cut by 35 minutes. next at 4:00, a young woman breaking down barriers on the

michelle: women continue to break barriers in the sports world. today we hit the wrestling mat where a young lady is turning heads. scott abraham has more with this week's rising star. scott: a wrestling journey. >> i w

new still but my goal is to keep getting better band the best i can be. scott: 15-year-old olivia rondeau is a sophomore at poolesville high school. less than a year ago, she was introduced to the sport. >> i felt like wrestling would make a good fit for me. being on the mat by myself. you against another person. scott: this young lady can wrestle. olivia is already an all-american and state champion. >> more than anything is the will power she pressures her opponent into. she has a good shot to do something at the next level. scott: showing off the girl power on the wrestling mat. >> if they say girls can't wrestle send them a video. i prove them wrong by wrestling. scott: stereo typically it's a male-dominated sport but it's quickly cracking. in august, rockville's own helen won a gold medal in wrestling at the olympics. olivia is on the sam

success. she is not there quite yet but the talent and the tools are in place. >> it's being a stereotype breaker is what it takes i will do it. it's not to break stereotypes. it's to reach my personal goal of being olympic champion some day. scott: golden future in the works. i am scott abraham with our rising star. michelle: great to see her taking on the guys. jonathan: pound for pound there is no tougher athlete. what they do for their conditioning and the weight it makes football and baseball look silly. you can't be over one pound. good stuff. congrats to her. ahead for us at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- the richest counties in america. michelle: four in the top five right here, which ones made the list? we'll share it with you. plus -- mike: i'm mike carter-conneen in manassas where the banner posted in a public park next to this nativity

michelle: a van belonging to a country music duo dan + shay was vandalized in

video. the band posted several updates about the incident on social media. a witness says they saw the suspect who has now been identified use a cinder block to smack the van's windshield. dan + shay were in baltimore for a concert. it's no secret part of the area are among the wealthiest in the nation. here are the top five counties in the country based on u.s. census bureau estimates of the median household income. the first four all pretty close by. loudoun county takes the top spot. at $126,000. so that means half of the households there bring home more than that each year. jonathan: well, in manassas, a large banner in city park rattling nerves. michelle: it has been posted next to a nativity scene. as mike carter-conneen reports it calls religion a myth. mike: some drivers on 234 in

unhappy a seven-foot long banner set up next to the nativity scene. >> the city should take it down. mike: it reads "let reason prevails. there are no gods, no angels, no devils, no heaven or hell. >> this is the birth of jesus. why would you put that on there? >> anybody can put up a permit and put up a display. mike: it was posted by this man who grew up christian and is now an atheists. he wanted to us protect his identity saying it could impact his job. >> the goal is not to offend. it's to maybe cause somebody to think. mike: nelson park is a city park and saying the two groups have a permit. they have submitted for multiple times. the city does

content. just time, place, manner. >> everybody is entitled to their on opinion. especially if you are talking public property. mike: some defend his right to post the manner but others call it disrespectful. >> they can't inflict that on us who live by the virtues. >> a woman made this promise. >> i can take it down. >> they have a permit from the city. it's a public park. >> really? i'll take it down. by tonight it will be down. mic in manassas, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. steve: all right. we have wet otherren the way. it's slightly below the freezing mark. that is why it could get tricky after midnight or so. the highest threat is north and west of d.c. this is what we have in terms of the latest weather alert. the winter weather advisory. the area in purple expires at

noontime hour. further south we are looking at a freezing rain advisory. that is for extreme southern maryland and toward fredericksburg. once again for the overnight hours into tomorrow. if you have the travel plans that take you through western pennsylvania, could run into problems around the pittsburgh area. off toward cleveland. eventually to detroit. don't forget tomorrow a lot going on. wreaths across america. it will be messy in the morning. dress properly with the rain gear and leave extra time. the temperatures by so:00 in the morning. just above freezing. by the noontime hour we are look at 40 degrees. the rest of the weekend we are calling for the highs by late tomorrow in the middle 50's. look at sunday. 65 degrees. however, a cold front is going to drop the temperatures dramatically later in the day. the highs only around 36 on sunday. 40 on tuesday. talk about christmas eve and

christmas eve around 50. when everyone is opening up the presents after they open up the presents, if some of the kids are getting a new bike they can test it out. sunday afternoon with a high of 55. check on traffic with jamie sullivan. jamie: we are starting with what we have in d.c. 15 to constitution avenue. that's pretty typical friday night volume we have. a lot of people heading in the city to enjoy the weekend. heading out leaving work. we move to the maps, let's talk about the other areas outside of d.c. that will be congested. beltway. move to the map to show you what we are seeing and that will give you an idea what we have around the beltway. the bottom side is not bad. from branch to the wilson bridge. the outer loop in virginia is heavy from springfield to alexandria. the northwest corner is slow. in the teens as an average. live look shows you near bradley boulevard. a few crashes have happened. everything is on the shoulder. that is look at

michelle, back to you. michelle: all right. thank you. next on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- holiday shopping on the secondary market. and the potential dangers. >> i see recall items every day on craigslist and when i'm out at other consignment stores sometimes. michelle: a simple step to make sure the perfect gift is safe for your children coming up. jonathan: plus, don't start the final workweek before christmas without "good morning washington." veronica johnson has a preview. veronica: thank you, jonathan. on "good morning washington," after a weekend of mild temperatures we swing back to the arctic zone. the big impact on the morning commute. the chance of black ice and where to expect school delays. >> plus, looking for a last-minute gift for someone special? we show you how to get deep discounts on tons of great gifts in time for holidays. >> stay with us for traffic and weather every ten minutes monday morning st

wait, does this mean you're going to have to get a jobnow. where you like, tuck in your shirt? and carpool to work with people who are all like, "good morning"? and go to meetings where you pitch brilliant ideas and win the respect of your peers? and have to try to fix that annoying copy machine? dude! did you check your credit score? yeah, i signed up for credit karma. see. but i was thinking... if we both work on our credit, we could by our own record shop. so down! so down.

fios is not cable. we're wired differently. that means incredibly fast 150 meg internet for the holidays. in the 3.7 seconds it takes ry watson to beatifferently. the local sled jump record, fly, gary, fly. ...his friend can download 13 versions of the perfect song... ...his sister can live ream it... ...while his mom downloads how to set a dislocated shoulder. get 150 meg internet, tv and phone for just $79.99 per month online for the first year. cable can't offer that. only fios can. alison: working -- michelle: we want to keep you up to date on healthcare matters. brian wood explains the risk of shopping on the secondary market. >> want some toys? brian: she has a lot to dream about at this thrift shop. dad michael li

>> used toys definitely. brian: but he knows the risk. >> boys are always into trouble. even with things that are safe. they can make it unsafe if they want to. we check for safety. >> i have seen some really dangerous products. brian: it's mary's business to know what is not safe for kids. >> i see it every day. recall items every day on craigslist. i see them every day when i'm out at other consignment stores sometimes. brian: as the co-owner of baby and me consignment, she has to be careful. >> i have to research. if i can't find the information on it, i won't take it. >> she is researching this set to be sure. >> involving figures and toys manufactured from april 19, 2007. >> sometimes you have to look closely for the numbers. >> so, she is k3005 -- >> she finds good news. >> she is okay. her date code is saying she is all right to sell. >> when you are shopping used you can do this,

smart phone, type in the manufacturer's name, the model number and type in "recall." the results request save you and your family. she spots the recalled and the dangers you toys all the -- dangerous toys all the time. >> small baby bottle go to the garbage. >> she is a sorter at good will. tossing out wooden toys that could have lead paint. toys that are choking hazards and checking for the recalls. for sinclair cares, i'm brian wood reporting. larry: tonight, more bad publicity. a local ballroom joins the list of the area businesses caught up in the heated politics. >> merry christmas. >> santa goes to school. hiding a heartwarming surprise for an unsuspecting first grader. speaking of surprises, a maryland teenager encounters one in his living room.

four-legged intruder. announcer: now "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. larry: tonight road crews are getting ready for whatever mother nature sends our way. we're under a storm watch. let's get to chief meteorologist doug hill for the latest on the forecast. doug: it's all about location. there will be snow, sleet, freezing rain. drill down to the details. at midnight through 9:00, there is a freezing rain advise ril for all the jurisdiction -- freezing rain advisory for all the jurisdictions. freezing rain advisory. midnight to 9:00 a.m. in the area of blue. the metro and beyond is a winter weather advisory. both areas are subjective to sleet and freezing rain. mostly to the south. good portion of sleet with the freezing rain to the north. the timing is critical. from 2:00 to 3:00 to 4:00 in the morning. looking at the snow over the radar. lower great lakes and through wisconsin and minnesota where a heavy snowstorm will come. our precipitation is not coming there. it's from the winds

see. the winds that are blowing out of the south a few thousand feet up. that will start to produce the precipitation. when it lines up after midnight. the timing here. this is where we see the better chance of the freezing rain and sleet. plain old fashioned rain. that will continue through 7:00. it might be the heaviest of it. eventually tapering off around 9:30 or 10:00 men the colder air from the north will keep the freezing rain in this area. the rest of the region is plain rain. it will come to an end. more rain on sunday with gusty winds and warmer temperatures. how much ice? quarter to the north. lesser to the south. early tomorrow through 9:00, dicey driving conditions. alison: thank you, doug. the slopes opened at wisp, liberty, snow shoe and white tail today. but with the wintery weather moving in the area the road crews are doing what they can to make sure the streets don't resemble the slopes in any way. the transportation