to put the pieces together, some families were allowed back in. four units are now considered unlivable due to an early morning fire. one of those severely damaged unit belongs to adam. he had a chance to see his destroyed condo for the first time on wednesday afternoon. >> the carpet. the ceiling is gone. it will be a big hit. i don't have insurance. anna-lysa: he was going to celebrate holiday early but he had to rush back from delaware when he heard about the fire. >> you were out of a place to stay tonight? anna-lysa: i'm going to drive back to delaware. fortunately. anna-lysa: he tried to save some of the personal items. the good ne

injuries were reported. adam was able to get the items he was hoping for out of the apartment. you may see him walking behind me. we are hearing water dripping from the ceiling because again, this is one of the units that was severely affected. fire officials believe the fire started in the third floor. third floor unit. live in greenbelt, anna-lysa gayle, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. also developing tonight, unknown number of chickens killed after a fire ripped through an egg farm in accokeek. skytrak7 over the scene this afternoon on old marshall road. we are told most of the chickens and the turkeys in the building were released to safety. no word on a cause. alison: a fire that ripped through a home this morning were started by fireplace ashes. they were put in the wrong container and left in the garage. they were still hot and they reignited. the estimated damage $700,000. s

damaged. everyone in side escaped unharmed. jonathan: because of that, and a lot of fires like it across the country, firefighters are urging everybody to safely dispose of ashes on the cold day of winter. it has been cold leading up to today. the first day of winter. stormwatch7's chief meteorologist doug hill joining us now. it felt milder today. i guess the sun warmed things up. doug: a little bit. nice air mass for the first day of winter. for the short-term we will see the milder temperatures, not the cold stuff again. evening hours, light winds and partly cloudy skies. it will drop in the upper 30's this weekend. overnight we stay mostly cloudy for a while. temperatures are chilly, not freezing cold. low 30's most part for the suburbs to the south and southwest. could get as cold as 29 in manassas. stafford by morning. in the western zone we have seen upper 20's in warrenton but everybody else is in the 30's to start the day. we will head through the 30s and the 40's to the low 50's

we have a look at the holiday travel forecast tomorrow. there are gusty winds through arizona and mexico. most of the country looks pleasant. nice weather with the high pressure in control. we can continue to see the fairly mild temperatures. coming up here shortly in nine minutes we will take a complete look at the christmas weekend weather and the local travel and the long distance travel again through christmas day. back to you. alison: looking forward to that. thank you. meanwhile we have new information on the deadly pileup that shut down the beltway during saturday morning's wintry weather. virginia state police now say the man killed was 41-year-old nguyen of alexandria. his car spun out of control as he tried to avoid the pile-up. another out of control car hit him after he got out to assess the damage. 23 cars were involved in the pileup and it shut down the highway for hours.

into a home and injured three people. the home has been ruled uninhabitable. four days before christmas this is playing out. kevin lewis is on the scene this afternoon and is joining us live with how it happened. do investigators have it figured out, jeff? jeff: yeah, it depends on who you ask for a cause. that is because there are two very conflicting stories. the restoration crew boarded up the front of this town home. you can see the mudgy tire tracks in the grass left by the dump truck. >> he didn't stop. jeff: if you ask 62-year-old larry clark how his dump truck ended up inside this oxon hill hill town home he will tell you a white box truck is to blame. >> came around me. once he did that, i lost control of the front of the truck. that is how i plowed into the car. when i it

building. jess however, the construction crew nearby saw it differently. he says that clark sped through the work zone and seconds later caused the wreck himself. according to the search, clark has 20 citations dating back to the 1980's for d. u.i., driving on suspended license, driving without insurance and speeding. >> i have heard that, yes. jeff: prince george's county police are investigating but so far no tickets or charges filed. all the while clark continues to claim his innocence. were you able to get a description of the driver of the truck? anything? >> nothing. it happened so fast he just kept going. jeff: i spoke again with larry clark by telephone and he told me he has no recollection of ever getting a d.u.i., speeding tickets or driving

registration and insurance. as for the three people injured in the crash including two young boys, they are recovering at the hospital tonight. live in oxon hill, kevin lewis. abc7 news. alison: thank you very much. two day avel the attack at a christmas market in berlin police are searching for a driver. manhunt underway for this person, 24-year-old tunisian national anis amri. they say he has known ties to islamic extremists but stress he is only a suspect at this point. isis claimed responsibility if for attack that killed 12 people and injured 48 others. the attack in berlin is prompting precautions worldwide this holiday season. of course it means the visibility changes in the nation's capitol. stephen tschida spoke with the interim police chief a short time ago. he joins us live from the d.c. christmas market which is in northwest washington.

tonight? stephen: first, i want to show you the orange, the security water-filled barriers here. they went up in the past hour. check this out. this is what you are seeing. strong police chief. interim chief newsham says get used to it for the next months. >> i notice the water barriers at the entrance. stefs the terror a -- stephen: the terror attack in berlin sparking stepped up police presence here. >> we are going to do everything we possibly can as a police department to prevent those things from happening. stephen: he said we could get used to a stronger police presence for at least the next month. >> you will see a

enforcement activity in washington, d.c., stepped up law enforcement activity in washington, d.c. just because of the mere fact on john 20 -- january 20 we will have the inauguration of the president of the united states. we'll be vigilant. stephen: if anything, he says the measures to reassure the public. some say it's working. >> for sure. i'm happy about it. stephen: back live you see the police officers here in a lot of them out and about. we spoke with a lot of people. people had come to shop or browse. they said they really didn't feel imminent terrorist attack but they are grateful for all the police they see at the market. reporting live, stephen tschida, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. first look tonight at the aftermath of the devastating firework explosion this time yesterday outside of mexico city. if you haven't seen the video it's unbelievable. we learned that the blast killed 31 people, maybe more.

this is outside mexico city. open air area that sells fireworks. huge amount of fireworks. we told you this yesterday at 6:00. the out-of-control explosion ripping through the entire fireworks market. in addition to the 31 people we know that were killed. another 50 are hospitalized. 12 people are still missing. this is the third explosion in the market in the last seven years. the cause, they haven't figured that out yet. alison: back at home, police arrested two teens in connection with a deadly shooting in capitol heights. rayshand cotton was robbed and shot monday morning on brooke road. his body was later set on fire. 17-year-old demiko aiken is charged with first and second-degree murder. police say officers arrested him driving cotton's s.u.v. a 16-year-old whose name has not been released is charged as a juvenile being accessory after the fact. jonathan: still ahead for us at 2:

give a dog a new chance at life. what a cutie. why the puppy's front legs were intentionally cut off. what is being done to help her walk gone. alison: plus, a nativity scene burned days before christmas. why the family that has spent years putting up the display say this is no accident. and why the investigators disagree. >> we will take you deep inside the new m.g.m. national harbor with an exclusive look at the secret surveillance room. jonathan: first, there is new information about the gas explosion raging out of control in columbus, ohio. we will

alison: check out the scene from columbus, ohio. crews are battling a fire after gas filled up a nearby pizza shop. the workers smelled the gas. they decided to leave because they saw the construction crew run away. so everybody got out safely. but that building blew up. actually a nearby children's hospital was even affected by this. they say everyone inside the hospital and at the shopping center

jonathan: when you see construction crews run, that is a good time to go. alison: probably. jonathan: staple in any hollywood movie about casinos. look inside the control center filled with suveillance tech that would make the c.i.a. and n.s.a. jealous. tonight, abc7 is getting an exclusive look at the security center for the new m.g.m. casino at national harbor. maryland bureau chief brad bell joins us live with what it looks like. this is impressive stuff. brad: yeah, jonathan. you talk about a movie set. it does look like a casino movie set. it is very impressive. the cameras that are spread throughout the complex are so powerful in that from the ceiling they can zoom in and read the cards you put down on the blackjack table when judy came to the new m.g.m. national harbor today she had more than winning a jackpot on her mind. she was wondering about security. >> they talk about soft targets, this type of place. the malls.

brad: she was relieved to almost immediately see the m.g.m. sniffer dogs working the conservatory area, part of the 250-member security team here. the team at least for a while longer also supplemented by on-duty p.g.p.d. officers. >> we are overstepping to make sure that the guests can enjoy their experience here. brad: he is in charge of the vast and the hidden surveillance system. abc7 news was granted exclusive behind the scenes access to the resort and casino high-tech surveillance room. >> we have 900 cameras on gaming floor alone. 2300 cameras throughout the property. it's 1080 h.d.p. brases they watch for -- brad: they watch the table games to look for cheaters but the monitors are looking for people who look out of line. >> we have to be prepared for anything. part of the job is

brad: this guest says it matters to her. >> extremely important. in light of the terrorism around the world, i'm concerned myself. brad: so the chief of security here told us today that they have specially trained staff to look at the cameras and look for people that they think might be up to no good. then they have the ability to react quickly. they say security now more than ever is paramount. brad bell, abc7 news. alison: a crime alert that brings a reminder to keep an eye on your bank statement. the prince county police found bank card skimmer at the exxon-mobil on jefferson davis highway across the street from the wal-mart in 95 and dumbfries. it's not clear how long the skimmer was there. they just found it yet. check your statements. jonathan: turn the attention to the weather. a

to the weekend. doug: there is a chance to see the area of rain on saturday, christmas eve. before then and after that then looks good. alison: mild really. doug: steve rudin is out to get the sights and the sounds of the holiday. this evening he is on location at meadow lark gardens. i see lights. it looks cool out there. what you got? steve: it is really neat. they started decorating for this three months ago. that is how much time and effort goes in the whole project. they expect thousands and thousands of people here. i opened up three weeks ago. it continues now until january 5. it is open every night until 10:00. if you look behind them, step out of the way here, there is so much t see. all different type of venues here in terms of what you expect in terms of if, in terms of what you see there. lagoon, there are snowflakes, snow men. all sort of themed areas. a lot of fun and neat things

this evening. it is on the chilly side. temperatures are in the 30's now. we are not dealing with much of a wind. that is nice. the crowds are yet to arrive but i was told if you plan to come here tonight or over the next couple of days you are best off buying tickets online. it all goes to keep the gardens up. it looks fantastic. you buy ahead online and it costs less. you are take the risk to buy tights at the ticket office here at the ground. however, you might not be guaranteed a place. there you have it. it looks great. i hope everyone comes here to enjoy. it's fun. the crowds are just beginning to arrive. guarantee you in an hour or so the place will be packed. let's head back inside to doug. doug: steve, things out there will get cooler tonight but not terribly cold anywhere we look. travel forecast, show you the only place we have concerns weatherwise for flying is in and out of phoenix. there will be showers and maybe a few thunderstorms and gusty winds. most of

concentrate out west. this is the time of year, where you expect the pattern to be wintry as all get out but not so much. sunshine in seattle. bureaucracy is 38. dallas-fort worth, 53. let's talk about the local conditions. we will be in good shape going forward here. not good shape with the clicker right now. see if we can go to the weather center. watch that and we will magically make a change in a second to find out what is going on with the maps. got it back? okay. good deal. we will continue to look at the numbers across the country being favorable with no really extreme temperatures. if you want warm weather, south florida. in the 80's. cold front that is moving through portion of the midwest. that will bring us the chance of showers here as we get through the day on christmas ease. that is about it. the temperature wise we are good to go across the region. not a lot to change

let me tell you the forecast. i will bail out. we finally got one to work. we will give you forecast for christmas eve and christmas day as well. showers christmas eve. clearing out at night. christmas day back to sunshine. 49 degrees. good stuff. we get to monday it look like we will warm up more. possibly 53. then 60 behind that but it will turn cooler again to the end of next week for new year's eve and new year's day. i know what is on my christmas list. alison: we will get you a new clicker for christmas. doug: yeah. alison: new batteries maybe. that is usually the problem. still ahead at 5:00, jesus, mary, joseph, even the baby jesus gone in a nativity scene

jonathan: what happened weeks ago that made the family suspicious that the fire that destroyed the labor of love was no accident. >> the salvation army in frederick county doing all they can to meet the fundraising goals. they have thousands to go with the christmas eve deadline. i'm amy a

alison: a blood drive was held today in honor of a montgomery county police officer killed by a drunk driver. several people dona

county public safety headquarters in gaithersburg. they were celebrating the life of noah leotta who died earlier this year after being hit by a vehicle on the job. jonathan: it is the soundtrack of the season. the jingling of bells as you walk in a store. at the salvation army it's all for a good cause. amy aubert shows us some volunteers in frederick county are stepping in high gear after seeing donations for this year down significantly. amy: a sound and cause -- >> merry christmas. god bless you. amy: known well this time of year. >> we reach out for those that don't have money to pay the bills and things like that. amy: this holiday season the salvation army of frederick county feeling the pinch when it comes to donations, blaming last week's frigid temperatures. captain mike michels says currently they received $23,000 less than this time last year. they are $35,000 away fr

>> we need really good days to make the goal. that is all we are doing. letting folks know in the frederick community we are running shy. amy: the group says any little bit helps. >> thank you. amy: he is retiring the bells for now and trying his hand at christmas tunes. >> people love to listen to christmas music. even when it's not the best. amy: his effort to help fill the bucket. >> i hear it and it puts pressure on me but i feel it as a challenge. amy: the group's deadline to raise the $35,000 is saturday. bringing a little jingle in a newway hoping it will help to meat the goals. >> god bless you. merry christmas, happy new year. amy: and spread holiday cheer. >> i don't know if i can do something like that. but i would love to see it. i would love to see peo

generosity. amy: amy aubert, abc7 news. alison: coming up at 5:00 -- >> they cut her feet off. alison: a local vet comeses to the rescue of a dog rescued from a cambodian dinner table. the new technology that will let liberty walk again. jonathan: plus, he appeared to confess to multiple murders in an h.b.o. documentary. what we are learning as robert durst faces a judge. >> debris like this is all that is left over from a nativity scene fire. but two very different theories about what caused the fire. we will explain

announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 5:00". on your side. jonathan: just days before christmas, a symbol of the season reduced to ash. this is after a family's long-time nativity went up in smoke. they say this is not the first time. richard reeve is live from frederick. there are two different theories on how it happened. richard: john, exactly. fair officials believe this may have -- fire officials believe it may have been an electrical issue. the family of the property believes it was an arson, deliberatery set. a hate crime. this is where the naytivety

scene -- nativity scene was. it's buried now for safety reasons. look at the metal fence, melted because of the heat. >> when straw burns, it's like 2,000 degrees. >> a metal fence bent from the heat. >> it's just ablaze. >> recommend nants of a tuesday evening -- remnants of a tuesday evening fire that destroyed their nativity scene days before christmas. >> it's a hate crime. that is all it is. richard: fire investigators believe it was started by an electrical light or wiring issue. but they suspect it was deliberatery set by someone who doesn't share the christian beliefs. >> it tells people that jesus, he was born for us. he lived for us. he died for us. >> couple who put up the scene nearly every year since 18965 point to the sign -- 1925 point to the sign near with the biblical passages

>> they egged. they stone it. they broke the plexi glass and shot at it. richard: this is not the first time the family's naytivety scene up in flames. it happened before. 12 years ago. the family and the friends saw something wasn't right. >> a person she worked with had seen a man walking out of the yard and seen smoke. richard: they are vowing to rebuild the cherished display. >> what the devil wanted for evil, god turned out for good. richard: this is some of the debris from the fire. there is good news. some neighbors are rallying around to help them rebuild. we got off the phone with the fire marshal in the area who wants to get in touch with the family to help them look for answers. in frederick, richard reeve, abc7 news. alison: thank you. checking the top stories tonight investigators are looking for what caused an early morning fire in greenbelt. no one was hurt. but smoke and flames

the building on hanover parkway. a number of pets were rescued from the fire. some families returned home this afternoon but others have to find a new place to stay. jonathan: authorities condemned an an oxon hill townhouse after a dump truck crashed into it. two children and an adult were inside and they were hurt in the crash. but they are expected to be okay. alison: authorities in tunisia questioned the family of a man wanted in connection with the deadly truck attack on a christmas market in berlin. monday's attack killed 12 people, injured nearly 50 others. the suspect anis amri has a long criminal record and was under surveillance earlier this year. jonathan: right now the north carolina senate is debating repealing house bill 2 which is seen by many as discriminatory to the lgbt community. democrats support the repeal. but they object to a provision placing a six-month ban on

at the local level. supports of hb2 said it was an ordinance in charlotte that created the need for the law. this week charlotte removed jeber identity and sexual orientation from the ordinance with the expectation that the state law would be repealed. alison: a california judge will appoint a third party to review evidence in the murder trial of real estate heir and former fugetive robert durst. the 73-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of his friend susan berman. this comes after the defense complained about the prosecution release of durst's three-hour interrogation. durst's lawyers claim it tainted the jury pool. >> we are concerned about putting selective pieces of evidence out in public. this is a public proceeding, your honor. this will be a public trial. alison: durst was profiled the 2015 hbo documentary "the jinx." he ruse arrested in new orleans -- he was

episode aired where he confessed to several murders. he has pleaded not guilty. jonathan: we are learning how much alec baldwin's portrayal of trump is worth on "saturday night live." >> made up by bitter people who need to move on. jonathan: baldwin tells the "new york times" he gets paid $1,400 per appearance. the actor doesn't write the sketches but he spends hours studying video of trump at rallies and other events for the impression. paycheck won't be enough to keep him in the role for long. he has four well-paying gigs in the works that will keep him away from new york. alison: still ahead an eagle habitat at risk. >> i'm serious that the organization charged with protecting the eagles doesn't care. alison: the i-team investigation claims that progress is being put ahead of mother nature. where this fight is unfolding around a bald eagle's nest. >> her paws wer

cambodia for meat. now the california k9 is about to get up an running thanks to the help of a virginia business. that story is coming up. jonathan: new at 6:00, music filling the metro. the voice is going viral. abc7 spoke to the singer about her holiday message which was born out of struggle. that is coming up for us at 6:00.

alison: real-life grinches dampened christmas for a baltimore family after t

were stolen, including a new puppy named peggy. andy got peggy for the two daughters as an early christmas gift. yesterday the thieves broke in stole ipads, keys and other valuables but most importantly, they took peggy. >> we hope that whoever has her, we know that, you know, you love her and she is a sweet dog. but she means a lot to us. i would mean a lot to the family if you would give her back to us. alison: they are offering a reward for anyone who finds the dog. jonathan: can you imagine? alison: awful. jonathan: still ahead for us at 5:00 -- >> mike: i'm mike carter-conneen in alexandria. today more than 400 individuals became new american citizens. coming up the special message from local eighth graders. alison: plus, how some in manassas are reacting to people building right next to a place eagles have called home for years. a special i-team investigation is next. jonathan: u

dinner table. so help us set a place at the table for those who sacrificed so much for all of us by nominating a veteran to win a dining room set valued at $3,000. to do this, go to the website wjla.com/7salutes to nominate a deserving veteran. you can do it today. nominations are accepted through december 28. hi, i'm currently located in bahrain. i would like to wish my family and friends happy holidays, merry christmas, happy

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dn't pick a slow race car. then why settle for slow internet? comcast business. built for speed. built for business. jonathan: the city continues to pursue land. they are saying that the government is not doing enough to defend the symbol of freedom. >> two eagles in controversy in manassas, virginia. in this case, the nest came before the construction of two office buildings. >> i am serious that the gas charged with protect -- the orga

care. >> amber, an eagle advocate and a former animal welfare investigator filed a lawsuit claiming the u.s. fish and wildlife should have issued restrictor permit to the developer. she believes the construction disturbed the nest. >> there is so much more they could and should have done. >> they followed the rules to apply for a federal permit but the fish and wildlife says the company didn't need one. >> we would like permanent issue with permanent restrictions saying these are the things you must do to make sure the eagles are not disturbed. >> we are north of the eagle nest right now walking along a trail in the city owned cannon branch park. look how far off the trail the eagles' nest is. it's right there. then the city makes it clear don't go near it. on the south side of the eagles' nest. a different story. there is the building. the nest is up there. this month the city of manassas brke

second multimillion dollar development half a mile away from the nest. but only feet away from the eagles' favorite fishing hold. they tell "7 on your side" the feds think the birds won't be affected. >> it's a major economic benefit to the city. so again, talking to us from fish and wildlife, they don't see the necessary elements. >> those are the same people who didn't think it was necessary to get a permit and give restrictions on a property owner underneath the nest. >> the u.s. fish and wildlife made that decision. >> the feds won't do interviews during litigation. the pruitt corporation says no comment. >> i want the eagles to feel safe. they want them to continue to nest successfully, breed successfully and i want them to do it without any human disturbance. >> while they are beautiful right now, it's mating system so exciting news. we expect a new egg in the nest very soon. i will keep an eye on it for you and let you know the outco

scott taylor, abc7 news. jonathan: thanks. a new chance at life for a dog right now is using a stroller to get around because of its front legs. alison: that is right. you will fall in love with the dog named liberty. rescued from a meat farm in cambodia. as kellye lynn reports, liberty will soon be up and run thanks to a virginia business. kellye: this is where animal activists martin first laid eyes on liberty. undercover at a slaughter house in cambodia where liberty's paws were cut off for meat. >> there is a belief in asia if you torture the dog first it makes them taste better. kellye: estimates are chilling. 30 million dogs killed every year in asia for food. he rescued liberty last spring and is raising her with the other dogs in california. she has come a long way but still needs to take a few more steps. >> we are going to fit

tomorrow with prosthetic legs. kellye: this is what liberty's prosthetic legs will look like. they usually take three days to a week to make but hers will be made in one day. >> a rush order that would usually run $5,000 will cost a fraction of that. animal ortho town says it will take much of the expense. >> we are trying to preserve her health and keep the quality of life as high as possible through the rest of the years. >> we are excitedded. >> new legs and a new life for liberty. in sterling, kellye lynn, abc7 news. alison: look at that face. jonathan: that was tough. alison: really tough. it's so nice to see. jonathan: great! alison: all the help that liberty is getting. we'll need a followup on that. jonathan: look at the road situation. jamie sullivan has a look at traffic. jamie: we started off with a fire, a brush fire earlier this afternoon. that was on 95 in virginia. that i

full traffic. crossing the wilson bridge you can see the brake lights on the outer loop to national harbor. you get a nice break continuing to branch avenue. if you are on 95, right now this is through dale city. yes, we have a few brake lights. it look like we have a stall here. he is where we had the earlier brush fire. we may be doing clean-up now. again, 95 is moving. not at a fast pace but it is moving. we are in the single digits in the slowest areas. that starts and continues through lorton to get to dale city. the beltway, bumper to bumper as you head north passing by old dominion continuing to the 270 spur and wrapping around to silver spring. 8 miles per hour is the average. g.w. parkway looks good. 66 heading outbound is not too bad. 395, the volume from the pentagon to edsall road. it's 33 from the 11 street bridge to the baltimore washington parkway. that is a look at traffic. back to you.

report now and with the new year comes new laws. gaithersburg is making a change to the smoking ban. the city voted to amend the rule to add vaping and e-cigarettes to the list of banned substances. that manes you cannot smoke -- that means you cannot smoke or vape in any public property or the city owned vehicles. the new rule goes into effect on new year's day. jonathan: let's talk about what is happening outside with the weather. a lot of folks are gearing up for the weekend. a lot of folks are getting ready to travel. alison: a lot going on. doug: the travel weather conditions tomorrow and friday locally and nationally shouldn't be too bad. start would have a big screen look at the low temperatures in the morning. cold but not terribly so. low 30 to the upper 20's across the western zones. as we move through the rest of the zone, the metro area is 35 in d.c. it's 31 in gaithersburg. 33 in clinton by morning. here is a big picture for tomorrow. the high pressure dominates the eastern half of the country.

breeze. partly cloudy skies. highs about or above average. only problem is southwest with showers out of the pacific to the phoenix area. possibility of some effect on flights coming in and out of sky harbor. looking ahead to friday. wently mix. fairly light precipitation in the upper midwest and the western lakes. we don't think that will slow down traffic. the east coast will be fine with the sunshine and comfortable temperatures. gorgeous in the south. south florida in the 80's with sunshine. on friday things will clear up in phoenix. it could be rain over las vegas. north las vegas, reno and the pacific northwest. no major storms and that is good news. we will look ahead to christmas eve and the first day of hanukkah with the showers in the forecast and 4. rain ends saturday night. christmas day. 49 and partly if not mostly sunny skies at times. it will give you a look ahead at the next ten days. we will see the temperatures go up tomorrow. down on friday. there are the rain chances as we head to the wee

of kwanzaa, 53 with sunshine. we will settle down with cool and dry weather to the end of next week. back to you. jonathan: wednesday. coach of the week. motivational time. robert: this guy has a lot of work to do. a great job. but a tough one. we start a guy who had a lot on his plate when he took the head coaching job for maryland football. given a chance to turn things around completely. off to a good start. durkin is our coach of the week. before the football season maryland new head football coach d.j. durkin had a long to-do list. at the top, win more than three games. that was the total number of wins for the terps last season. you can check it off the list with a trip to the quick lane bowl. >> go play in a bowl game when you are in the right, the reward. the guys deserve it. they have done a tremendous job. they bought in what we are trying to do. it's been hard and dif

robert: success hardly comes easy. that is why he would love to see the players make it out of college park and become better men than they already are. >> when you hear from a guy or see a guy. you coached your back and seeing with the own family or being successful in his own line of work. really, that is what it is all about. that is a different feeling than any win can give you or anything else. robert: how much do you love coaching the guys? >> it's great. a couple of weeks ago the one-year anniversary on the job here. it went by fast. i can't believe it's been a year. i have enjoyed it. it has been hectic, 1,000 miles per hour but it has been great. robert: i'll bet. on the pro level, redskins play the bears on christmas eve. ravens play the steelers on christmas day. whoever wins that game takes control of the division. some players are deep in the christmas spirit at the moment. just look at ravens receiver steve smith senior. he showed up to the press conference as n

helpers. not sure if he is in the spirit on christmas day. that might go out the window. at the presser smith said, "there is going to be joy, not a lot of peace." there never is a lot of peace in a football game. jonathan: steve left the locker room dressed in that? robert: he did. in the spirit. jonathan: that is a proud man. robert: yes, it is. alison: thanks. coming up next at 5:00, the special message eighth graders sent to hundreds of new americans. jonathan: then ahead at 6:00 for us, there is a new study that shows the airports are busier than ever. how the results are used to make the next flight that much smoother. must see video out of georgia. you won't believe how the thieves broke into a target. and the complicated purse fraud scheme sending a north virginia stronger is blasting her tumors... without risking her bones. stronger is less pain, new hope, more fight. it's doing everything in your power, and everything in ours.

s to grow up. we want them to grow up stronger. and with your support, they will. make a gift today at childrensnational.org/givenow

alison: a happy holiday season for a group of u.s. citizens who live across virginia but

countries around the world. mike carter-conneen takes to us a special ceremony in alexandria. mike: i hereby declare d. hundreds of newly naturalized miles per hours celebrated the citizenship at the secondary school. >> i am so happy. mike: in one of the final such ceremonies in the obama administration. >> diversity has made america great. mike: guest speakers include deputy secretary, congressman and eighth grade students from longfellow middle school. >> people such as you are the kind that makes change to world. >> in all 400 individuals became citizens representing 66 countries on five continents. >> i love this country. >> i feel proud the be in this country. >> i'm already happy. i am proud of myself. mike: they come from majority of muslim countries including iraq, iran and syria. based on the campaign pr

trump citizenship candidates from the nations will likely face more vetting and maybe an immigration ban. some say the rhetoric about muslims and the mexicans this election cycle was difficult to hear. >> and it hurt. but i believe that the president elect has common sense. and i believe that he will do the best for the americans and for the neighbor, too. mike: but today was a celebration, not focused on politics. the program ended with "america the beautiful" the new citizens proudly waved their flags. in alexandria, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. alison: congratulations. that is it for us at 5:00. but coming up on "abc7 news at 6:00" tonight -- an urgent manhunt for the suspect in the berlin truck attack. what we know about this man who is now considered armed an dangerous. plus, a bizarre a

the owner of a town home can't spend tonight at hope because a dump truck plowed into the building. a new study shows our airports are busier than ever. we are exploring the research designed to improve the airport experience. "abc7 news at 6:00" starts right now. announcer: now, "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. jonathan: first at 6:00, armed, dangerous and on the loose. police in berlin say they know who was involved in the deadly truck attack and they are actively searching for him. maureen: monday's attack at a christmas market in berlin killed 12 people and injured dozens more. tom roussey is live with tonight's new developments. tom? tom: the man we are talking about that the police are look for is an asylum seeker who was rejected and should have been deported. a manhunt in europe for 24-year-old anis amri, a wanted poster offers a 100,000 euro reward. isis is c

soldiers of the islamic state. >> obviously this was place was not protected enough. tom: amris documents were found in the cab of the truck that crashed through a christmas market in berlin monday. 12 people died. 48 others were hurt. today we learned amri was put under surveillance in march due to fears he would commit a terrorist attack. he wasn't even supposed to be in germany. authorities rejected his asylum request in july and he is should have -- he should have been deported before the attack. many other christmas markets in berlin reopened today. here in the u.s., the president-elect weighed in. >> wondering how this might affect -- >> attack on humanity. that is what it is. an attack on humanity. it has got to be stopped. tom: tonight there are reports that the suspect in germany amri was