140 and as many as 151 days in unexcused absences. the graduation lists from last school year show the seniors graduated ballou high. >> the grade they give students i do not expect it to be any -- reflect anything other than what the students earned. nathan: but "7 on your side" analyzed the numbers and the ballou teachers were much more willing to give a's and b's than d's and f's despite ballou flunking more students in standardized test than any other school in the district. in a hastily called news conference, the chancellor stands by the principal. >> she is adamant that she has been adhering to expectations and never required anyone to change grades. the chancellor says he is just learning how

allegations are. >> i didn't know all that was in the story. something that happens and it's uncomfortable when it happens and the stories come forward you learn the full extent of what they feel. i needed to hear that. >> it would be unfair to take away diplomas from those who received them no matter what the investigation shows about whether they earned the diplomas. kimberly suiters interviewedded a whistle blower and she will talk about it soon. larry: i can't wait to hear that. michelle: thank you for the report. muriel bowser says all attendance policies will be reviewed. parents have question about the education. >> that is right. they are

disturbed. and they are stunned by this. today the mayor held a news conference to allay concerns around fears. -- and heise schools. the revelation about ballou high prompted mayor bowser to hold an urgent news conference. >> we will review all policies related to the attendance. >> despite the pledge to rectify the situation, laura worries about her daughter's future. >> it makes me wonder what education will she get? >> the mayor did her best to reassure parents. >> if we find things were done wrong or if we find to make policies and the brothers more clear that is what we will do. but some say they have heard

this before. >> they are aware of the problems at ballou high school. some are skeptical about the ability to rectify the problems. larry: this is the first case of the kind in d.c. and we don't know the repercussions that could be coming. in plant 180 teachers and -- in atlanta, 180 teachers and administrators were implicated. 35 were indicted for changing answers on tests. 11 were found guilty for racketeering and eight went to prison. >> if you have information about the absenteeism or grade inflation or other issues the "7 on your side" i-team want to hear from you. you can e-mail us at tips@w

confidential hotline. you can hear more from that whistle blower through the abc7 news app. larry: in from richmond, two democrats are filing for recount in the house of delegate races. ten votes separate candidates in the 94th district and newport news. 106-vote difference in fairfax and prince william county. michelle: wi have news of a potential nightmare heading to the holidays. we are live where american airlines may not have enough pilots to get you where you need to go. this sounds like a disaster. sam: it could be but american airlines are working to fix the problem. what happened is a computer glitch alerted the pilots to take as much vacations

in the holiday season a lot of pilots dump the schedules before american airlines realized the problem. they quickly froze the system. too late. we caught up with an airline expert who says that this is unprecedented in the united states but it's happened overseas before. >> hard to remember this recently in america. in europe, o'ryan air has a mess similar to this. they are getting through it. this is a big mistake by american. >> american has days if not weeks to get it corrected. they are incentivizing the pilots to offer 1.5 times the regular pay to fill the seats in

by they will be busy. larry: bombshell from the nbc newsroom as "today" show host matt lauer is fired from the network. amy aubert shows us the latest headline sparking major conversations. >> we are grappling with a dilemma so many people faced. >> inappropriate sexual behavior. this time the accused "today" show host matt lauer. >> matt lauer, are you sure? no. it can't be him. >> i was shocked. >> quite disappointed. >> men in the power. positions it's becoming more common. i'm not that surprised. >> he is the latest in the string of accusations ranging from hollywood to news media to ca

>> matt lauer bothers me. but charlie rose broke my heart. >> there will be more before it's said and done. >> there will be a lot of people. i am happy people say something and taken seriously. >> the headlines some say have become the talk of the day. >> it's interesting. a number of things pop up on facebook. who would shock you? but i'm not really very shocked. >> some people commend swift action on nbc's part. we have more reaction at 6:00. >> thank you. within minutes of the news, president trump tweeted about it and accused them of being practitioners of fake news and called for the nbc president to be fire and he alluded to the death of one of joe scarborough's staffer 16 years ago. scarborough responded cal

and saying trump is not well. larry: congress is starting to take action to address sexual harassment on the hill. the house today easily approving a measure to require anti-harassment training for lawmakers and the staff. kathleen rice called for congress to resign. today she walked out saying they are ignoring the elephant in the room. >> in the past hour an attorney said that the congressman has no plans to resign. >> a few hours after the lauer news garrison keillor announced he had been fired from minnesota public radio after being accused of improper behavior. the 75-year-old former host of "a prairie home companion" said he touched a woman's bare back as he tried to console

when she recoiled. keillor said she had forgave him and not to think about it. larry: getting back to the top story now. allegations now of the grade fixing at the ballou high school. late today a former teacher, whistle blower with the inside knowledge about what is happening at the school talked to the fellow "7 on your side" i-team reporter suitland in an interview you will only see on 7. kimberly: do you consider yourself a whistle blower? >> i do. i do consider myself a whistle blower because at the end of the day the situation going on is illegal, unethical an doing disservice to the kids. overall illegal to have kids graduate that didn't meet the requirement. >> you are saying a number of the students graduated fraudulently? >> absolutely. kimberly: how many are we talking? >> i would say half or possibly more than half. kimberly: did you get pressure from the admi

records? a percentage has to be passing with d or higher and there is something that says you have to have this percentage of the kids attending to get the score. kimberly: when you brought it to the attention of the administration, school board, nobody cared? nobody cared. i took the issue to the city council. i have been in communication with the chancellor. >> about this issue? >> about everything. >> to you what is the point of allowing students to graduate when they didn't come to school for 100 days? >> the point is to show you have the certain graduation rate. this is affecting the kids. the poor black kids in south columbia are the victims. kimberly: do you t

position was eliminated because of the union activities and the things you have been complaining about? >> i know it was eliminated because of that. kimberly: you taught music and you made too much noise? >> exactly. larry: wow! more on that by the way on the website. i-team doing great work there. let's move on. people in tampa will sleep better tonight after police say they got the man that killed four people in the same neighborhood. 24-year-old howell donaldson is now behind bars. the key tip came from a coworker at mcdonald's. donaldson asked that person to hold a bag with a loaded gun to get a payday loan. the employee told the manager who alerted a police officer who was in the restaurant already. police don't know why he allegedly did it. >> the city of baltimore lays to rest a hero. michelle: also one thing you need

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michelle: the procession carrying a baltimore police officer to the final resting place arrived at the cemetery 45 minutes ago. dective sean suiter was shot and killed almost two weeks ago. brad bell attending today's service. >> there may have been more than a thousand police officers at slain officer detective sean suiter's funeral today. honor guard from as far away as chicago. inside the baltimore megachurch a celebration of the 43-year-old's life. the governor and the mayor spoke. suitland's closest friends on the police force, the ni

the detective joined homicide. >> we knew right away he was a good guy. he was a good person. brad: suiter's five children together to read a poem. her father remembered as a native of d.c. who joined the army out of high school and quickly became a sergeant. 18-year veteran of the baltimore police. respected detective out trying to solve a case two weeks ago when he was shot with his own gun by a killer who remains on the loose. baltimore police commissioner said he died trying to make the city a safer place for others. what cops do. >> that is the norm. that is what happens. every day. always has been. always will be. it's time that the local and the national narrative start reflecting that reality.

church is now quiet but it was jampacked. it's a huge church. this is the program from the funeral. pictures of him being a police officer but inside are other pictures of him with the family and the friends. nothing of him being a police officer. a finally is hurting. not just the people of the town. larry: tomorrow some roads will close as early as 12:00 noon for the christmas try lighting. the full list is on the app. join us tomorrow for report from the event. >> at this time of year, the rocketettes do four shows a day. two veterans of the famous troupe say they do 3,000 kids in each of the

each show. quite the workout. how do they keep from falling over? they knack on m&m's, fruit and popcorn. you do three shows a day you can have m&m's. larry: 3,000 calories over three shows. steve: they must eat like -- larry: cheeseits in the closet. steve: tomorrow i'm out there. it will be on the chilly side. looking over to the national harbor and how gorgeous is that? warmed us up and 73 is the weather. we were just shy of that. look at the temperatures out there now that the sun is

down. 45 degrees in oakland, maryland. if you are looking for something to do this evening or for that matter tomorrow and the rest of the week head to the yard. that is where we sent josh knight. it's a cool display. it's not open yet but you have a sneak preview for us. there is nobody here to stop you from checking it out. this is called the moon garden. this one traveled internationally as well. these are the little figurines. there are

there are four total. this is a light sensitive camera. you can take your phone. you can make neat designs. then it clears and you can start over. interactive display and a cool place to be at the yards park. you have a little while to check it out. great night tonight. it's not too cool. reasonable temperatures for the next few weeks. for more back to you. steve: it looks like fun. nighttime lows and the everything temperatures in the yards will be in the 50's. it's been down for at least a half hour already. and the storm watch 7 satellite and the radar. the temperatures fall quickly. 32 to 42. it's coldest to the north

west. 40 to 42. highs tomorrow. we will have good amount of sunshine to enjoy. the temperatures will be in the 50's. tomorrow is a different story. show you the updated future cast from stormwatch7. 7:00 in the evening, dry around the beltway. dry downtown. the shower overnight tomorrow to friday morning. rush hour commute. nice weekend ahead. toys for tots on saturday. 53 degrees. drop off a brand new toy. 55 on sunday. the

get through the upcoming weekend there is a warmup-up. look what happens. next week the temperatures will tumble to the 40's. more typical than what we'd expect but no snow on ten day outlook. larry: we'll take it. >> the national emoji nightmare is over. >> we will explain that coming up. >> the one family had a wedding and something to do with the reception. it was the wedding colors. michelle: what happened to the special tree for the special occasion? kellye: i'm kellye lynn at fedex field. where the students in prince george's county are in training for a healthier lifestyle. their story coming up in "spotlight on education." michelle: but first now a look at what is coming up tonight

larry: in "spotlight on education," kellye lynn takes us to the fuel up to p

training camp. >> the music and the movement, food and fun. a chance to fuel up. then train hard. >> the kids today who are here actually are the student ambassador. they will take the pledge to be the leader in the school to tell everyone hey, guys, let's go outside or have fun or eat right. have yogurt and smoothies not just chips all the time. >> this is a partnership between the american dairy association and the washington redskins. >> the goal isn't just to improve how but academic success. >> move around the 60 minutes a day. you have to incorporate the eating aspects. to make sure they have proper nutrients in the body. >> for a 500 prize the students are challenged to divide ways to increase access to the nutritious at their schoo

have a shelf to put on the fruit. >> i hope everyone else will heat healthier and get healthier. michelle: coming up, why the ez pass might not be as easy as driving the new toll lanes.

it's illegal. michelle: former teacher from ballou high school speaking exclusively with abc7 about being the whistle blower

students graduating after missing 70% of the classes the senior year. we brought you this last night mike carter-conneen picks up the live team coverage at the school after speaking with students. mike? mike: michelle students were leaving the school today a staff member shouted from the front door just over here to was offcampus. a couple of students told us they are not surprised about the reporting of the chronic absenteeism. >> they don't come to school. they know they have to come to school. >> with the qualification of the ballou's high school graduating class under scrutiny, the current students speaking out. >> it's not the teacher's fault. i came in and they were at a

now it's a fifth grade level. that is an accomplishment. >> many are unhappy to hear that a number of classmates missed months of school and still graduated and the teachers would give passing grades to chronically absent students. some don't believe it. >> it's putting a bad reputation on the school. >> others don't know what to believe but they are angry only their school is the focus of the reporting. >> this is a dcps issue. it's not just ballou senior high school. >> some students and parents seem to think the current absence policy is too strict. >> the way it is set up. if you miss one class you are absent for the whole day. i don't think it's right. >> three minutes late is like the whole day absent. they send you to court. >> today they said it's two

practice and the policy of the grading and the attendance at the high school. part of a district wide review. reporting live, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: thanks. if you have information about what is happening in the classroom in dcps, absenteeism, grade inflation or other issues the "7 on your side" i-team wants to hear from you. you can e-mail us at tips at wjla or call the confidential hotline. larry: developing now the latest concerns about a missile tested in north korea after a local group found the range could reach the nation's capital. >> the anti-peace booth sits across from the white house. people should be concern. the protesters david martin is worried about the new north korea missile launch and the mind set of a defiant kim jong un. >> that sort of the attitude is not helpful at all. it's going to lead us into war by

>> president trump said sanctions are already in place. >> we tell you we will take care of it. >> but the third missile's range 2800 miles that has many concerned about the capability of it reaching the district. >> which is scary. >> among the tourists here, u.s. army veteran who patrolled d.m.z in 1983. >> it was scary when i was there. i imagine the young guys and gals there now have to be on edge. >> walk around the d.c. neighborhoods and you will find the old fallout shelter signs. >> one of the things that keeps me up at night is a las vegas or orlando or san bernardino style attack in the city. >> if the unthinkable does happen and a nuke is headed to d.c. the people will warn people through wireless emergency alerts, or w.e.a. for short. >> it will allow emergency management agency to send alert to the public and

>> the d.c. government taking what it calls "an all hazards approach." and you can get text alerts in the case of a dire emergency but they are hoping cooler heads will prevail in this case. >> the largest muslim civil rights group the church of england and prime minister condemn the anti-muslim videos the president retweeted this morning. >> president trump's action are putting the lives and safety of the american muslim children and the families at risk. >> look, i'm not talking about the nature of the video. you are focusing on the wrong thing. the threat is real. that is what the president is talking about. michelle: you heard the white house press secretary telling media that they are focusing on the wrong thing. the video, we are not showing you, purports to show violence committed by muslims but it's unclear

real. tonight the dutch government says a void that the president referred to as a migrant never left the netherlands. it was originally posted by the leader of a british hate group. larry: several colorful christmas trees stolen from a christmas tree farm yesterday. while the value is only $242, workers say the stolen trees were set aside for families for special reasons. one turquoise tree collected because it was the wedding color. blue tree chosen following a family's tragedy. >> the family member lost a child four years ago. this from what i understand was the first year they were going to celebrate christmas in four years since his passing. larry: well, the owners are working to replace the family trees but they plan to add more cameras as the police search for the thief. michelle:m coming up at 5:00 -- >> it's all about giving back. it's not about money. >> how this young woman is using art to improve

community. >> the state of maryland is about to see a lot more green. i'm kevin lewis with that story still ahead. >> also ahead at 6:00, a vet visit for mandalay

josh: it's mild tonight but the temperatures are dropping. we are looking for temperatures in the 30's and back to mid-50's tomorrow. that is 15 degree cooler than today. cooler on friday. jump ahead to the weekend. at least it stays dry but on the chilly side. news at 5:00 continues a

michelle: tonight meet a painter using her talent to inspire young people and she hopes to bring her artwork to ward six as larger than live mural. >> it's about giving back. not money or any of that. it's about giving your gift. >> marlene's gift is a sle

metro station. >> this resembles freedom. but this is one of my biggest pieces. this right here. breaking that chain. i meditate and it starts to draw itself. michelle: so you are surprised by the end result as well? >> of course. all the time. michelle: her art confronts racism, sexism and global issues like hunger and pollution. >> what does success look like for you? >> not just, you know, putting it in a gallery or a museum but putting it in places that matters like the garden. >> she says underprivileged communities like hers in southeast, many young people feel hopeless and like outlet for self-express. >> what is around me is mostly

this. >> she applied the grant money to transform this wall. the d.c. housing complex where she lives. this is a preview of what it would look like. >> what i'm hoping to have is shine a light by bringing art to put a mural there where they can see every day. be given spired by it. >> she believes that the maurel will go a long way to the potomac gardens to expand the imagination of young people there. she says the d.c. commission on the arts and humanities is expected to respond to her request to paint the mural by end of the year. we will be tracking her progress and see if she gets the go-ahead. larry: i love her spirit. michelle: exactly. larry: first thing that comes out. like an aura around her. michelle: yes. larry: a great story. michelle: thank you. larry: still ahead at 5:00, having fun with the furry friend for a

>> as the toll lanes are set to open on interstate 66 inside the beltway on monday, ez passes are the stable at the grocery store.

larry: monday is when the flashing monitors will start to charge you driving on i-66 inside the beltway. as cheryl conner reports, finding an e-z pass to pay the tolls may not be so easy. cheryl: aside from turkeys, e-z pass transponders are the hot item at grocery store. >> we see a larger demand for them. cheryl: drivers who are alone can use interstate 66 inside the beltway during rush hour starting on monday. butted they need an e-z pass and they will be charged a toll based on the traffic volume. those who have a passenger can use e-z pass flex to ride for free. but first they have to find one. >> there are probably a lot of people cheating there. cheryl: this is a frequent driver on 66. his flex pass is ready to take a ride. but others are showing up at stores and learning they have run ou

stores in arlington. they are having trouble keeping up with the demand for the e-z pass flex. the one here on lee highway says they will have more in later this week. >> the wegmans store on alexandria farther away from the nine-mill stretch of 66 is stocked but they are a hot item. >> two months ago, we were ordering them twice a month. now we are putting an order in every week. cheryl: you need the pass to drive legally in the expanded rush hour which runs from 5:30 until 9:30 in the morning eastbound in the city and from 3:00 until 7:00 heading west to the beltway. >> increased traffic to the beltway. >> a.a.a. mid-atlantic says they are close to running out in stores in fairfax and d.c. in alexandria, cheryl conner, abc7 news. michelle: changing winds are allowing tens of thousands of people to escape a simmering volcano in indonesia. the government reopened bali's airport after two days

ash no longer poses a threat to planes. the volcano could erupt anytime. if the winds change, the airport could be closed again. larry: "7 on your side" consumer alert tonight. listen closely. this is all about the password protection or look of it. apple is working to fix a flaw in the operating system. the bug means anyone can access a computer without a password. users should expect a software update very soon. michelle: update to what felt like a long national nightmare. there were months of complaints about this. google finally changing the look of the cheeseburger emoji. you see what is wrong here, right? the company was grilled online after creating an image with the cheese under the burger rather than on the top. who notices these things? that was my initial response. larry: i haven't been able to sleep for months. now i can get a good night's

you need it. larry: c'mon people! got it right. well, today in alexandria, $25,000 shopping spree all for a good cause. toys r us donated the money to buy thousands of toys toys for s program. the shopping spree brightening christmas for many local kids. some redskins cheerleaders were also there to be part of the toy frenzy. michelle: of course, you can give back to the kids in need this holiday season. abc7 and newschannel8 holding our big toys for tots drive at the national harbor this weekend. join us this saturday from 11:00 to 3:00 and donate a toy to brighten the holiday for a child in need. today was warm. but hopefully by the weekend it will feel like the time of year. steve: i don't want it too cold. sometimes it's too cold and you are bundled up and the fingers hurt. but it's fun to watch the people drop off the presents for happy kids on christmas. la

you in a tank top. save it for the summer. steve: today is a fun day. this is of course the lunchbox weather. brian van de graaff went out to sugar land elementary school in sterling. a lot to do out there. sean was selected to run the kid camera. brian talked to them about the local weather patterns and he gave them an in-depth look at the instruments that we use on stormwatch7. pretty cool stuff. look at brian having a good time. today's question is from -- ready? fabri ceio. i like the -- fabricio. i like the name. >> i'm in the fourth grade. my question is what is difference between snowstorm and blizzard? steve: snowstorm is like a rain shower. blizzard, do you think you need snow to have a blizzard? michelle: no. steve: correct. the difference between blizzard and snowstorm. this is what you need for a blizzard. you need to have at least the following conditions within 12 to 18

visibility of a quarter of mile or less for three hours or longer and sustained winds at 35 miles per hour or greater. but you don't need to have snow. in case you forgot what a blizzard looks like around here in the d.m.v., this is 2016. january of 2016. it's hard to believe this is going on almost two years ago. that is the last time we had a big storm like this. oh, boy. ehad anywhere between a foot and three feet of snow around the d.m.v. and looking at that, i say to myself i don't know if we need one this year. i think the one from 2016 was enough. we are good for this season. it would be nice to have a little bit, like this much snow for christmas eve to put everyone in the season. then a dusting. michelle: put in the request. thank you, steve. larry: my feet still haven't thawed out. erin, speaking of thawing out. erin: i like the idea just a little bit for christmas. caps seemed to

after the slow start to the season. caps are now on a three-game winning streak which means the players are keeping things loose. he took some time today to raise awareness for animal cruelty. >> good girl! >> love at first sight. >> capital center is rough on the ice but today he showed his softer side. >> love to have this together. >> you can be a man and a strong man. not abuse animals because it's not right. >> he and the 8-year-old rescue dog showing the soft side public service campaign to show compassion toward animals is a strength and not a weakness. >> that's it. >> it's something that we believe needs to be brought to light. >> the two were featured in the 2018 capsca -- caps

calendar. all the proceeds benefit the rescue. >> you have sam in the calendar. she is a model now. >> veteran in the calendar for sure. that is her fourth or fifth year. >> finally, i had to ask the question. with a name like jay beagle how do you not own a beagle? >> it would be too much. i can't do it. erin: he thinks it's cheesy. i thought it would have been cool. hard to believe that lebron james was ejected from his first nba game last night. the cavaliers struggled to start the season, especially since they did add seven new players. the cavs are now rolling. cleveland won nine in a row and lebron spoke out a couple of hours ago about the ejection. >> the reason we won last night is because i have been a huge distraction to the team. that is why me getting ejected was best for the team. i got ejected and we still was able to win a game. erin: i just want him to get e

wizards in the playoffs specifically. larry: exactly. erin: save it for that. larry: thank you. with you on that. after months of delays maryland is ready to take the next step defending medical

larry: nearly 20,000 people approved for medical marijuana in maryland. some of the patients will end up outside of a nondescript office building in rockville. kevin lewis gives us a sneak peek inside a well-oiled machine. kevin: william is with potomac holistics. montgomery county's first medical marijuana dispensary. >> you can smell it through this here. >> like any doctor's office, patients will check in. and then sit in a waiting room. >> this is where the product will actually be shown. kevin: stocking dozens of strains for a variety o

grinders and pipes. the state of maryland limiting patients to four ounces every 30 days. >> it's a lot. but if you are a cancer patient or if you have aids you will go through the 4 ounces. >> most insurance don't cover medical marijuana. cash is the only way to pay as the credit card companies sided with the federal antipot law. so they are offering discounts to children, veterans and seniors. plus cooking classes on how to prepare meals with cannabis oil. >> it's giving hope to so many thousands of others and the children and their parents. and people in nursing home and people who are homebound. finally getting relief which they desperately need. getting off the opioids that are killers. kevin: potomac holistics plan to open friday at 11:00 a.m.

patients expected. in rockville, i'm kevin lewis, abc7 news. jonathan: christmas chaos at 6:00. >> this is a big mission take by american. jonathan: the computer glitch putting thousands of flights at risk of having no pilot. >> it's unethical and illegal and doing a disservice to the kids. michelle: blowing the whistle. teachers push to fake grades at d.c. school. i-team breaking new details in the scandal we brought you first. jonathan: look at the two old guys. they are not what they appear. the crime out of a hollywood script on "abc7 news at 6:00". announcer: now, "abc7 news at 6:00". on your side. michelle: as we come on the air tonight, the flight fiasco brewing for the holidays. jonathan: it appears that american airlines gave the holiday off for many of the pilots and now it's scrambling to fix the mess to avoid canceling thosa

sam sweeney is following the story closely and joins us with the latest. sam? sam: not the way american airlines wanted to go to the holiday season, busiest time of the year. but now they say they are confident they will be able to take care of the problem. the largest airline in the world scrambling to find pilots the fly the planes in the busy holiday season. >> hard to remember a time recently this happened. >> a computer glitch allowed them to take time off. they demped the schedules between december 17 and december 31. >> it is good we know about this a few weeks before it starts rather than a couple of hours or days before. >> american froze the system but it's too late. they are offering pilots time and a half to get them in the cockpit. airline weekly editor with advice for passengers. >> you get a dreaded text or the e-mail from american that the flight is