kimberly: two hou >> from abc 7 news, this is a breaking news alert. kimberly: a house fire in montgomery county. firefighters found the home engulfed in flames in germantown.

live on the scene. do we know how this started? jay: we do not. the calls of the fire is under investigation. of the fire is under investigation. the road is closed down to fight the fire. there is a huge gaping hole in the middle of the home. fire officials say when they arrived flames were shooting out and it was fully engulfed. on the video, you will see the backside of the property, where the whole back of the home is blasted open, totally gutted. firefighters were back there. we just got the video moments ago and sent it in. they are trying to clean up the hotspots and make sure that the blazes out. the good news is it appears nobody was home at the time. firefighters scoured the home.

here, but again, no cause of the fire. this is an area of germantown that does not have hydrants accessible to the house, so they had to get a lot of fire trucks here with a lot of water to put this blaze out. jay korff, abc 7 news. kimberly: another house fire, this one in fairfax county. the flames broke out in springfield. adults madethat two it out safely, but their dog did not. crews are investigating the cause. stay with abc 7 for updates on both fires. escape,great christmas millions of americans hitting the roads and taking to the skies. aaapro-dex 3:00 -- predicted 3:00 until 6 p.m. was the busiest travel time in our area, and it was. the good news is the weather is cooperating tomorrow. we check in with chief meteorol

bill: earlier it was a very festive evening, a lot of red and green. 38 tonightin d.c., 32 upper marlboro, 33 oakton. we should not drop much from where we are currently. 28 frederick, 24 winchester. the weather tomorrow will be just fine most of the day. there are a few clouds floating by, not a big deal. tomorrow morning for the rush hour or travel forecast, we will drop in the mid to low 30's, then we go up a little bit, 37 .y 5:00 in the morning some of the outlying spots will be cooler, but not too cold. my 11:00 we are at 48 degrees and a little warmer tomorrow than today.

weekend and the christmas holiday in just a few minutes. kimberly: a renewed call for vigilance tonight. the department of homeland security's warning everyone to stay alert while traveling, shopping, and gathering together over the holidays. inre is heightened security new york city in light of the recent van attack and subway bombing. in las vegas, there are 800 safety posts on the strip to stop potential vehicle attacks. get the stormwatch 7 forecast and check travel conditions anytime, anywhere, plus breaking by downloading the free abc 7 news app. on the hill tonight, shutdown averted again. looking live at the capital, the senate and house passed a short-term spending bill late today. lindsey mastis is following the developments from the live desk. this seems to be the new norm for the government. lindsey: the past few times,nd

the government running through january 19, the military running through the end of the year, and the chip program through march. lawmakers are speaking out about the process. >> we are ready to work across the aisle to make sure there is funding for services. >> we hope the future will be different in our republican realize their legislative and political goals are better served by bipartisanship rather than gridlock and strife. : the white house made it clear that it would back the short-term plan. kimberly: thank you. today vice president mike pence in afghanistan, rallying u.s. troops and meeting with top afghan officials from his first trip to the country as vice

your courage and your spirit. you have crushed the enemy in the field and continue to do so. kimberly: today's visit makes highest trump administration official to visit a active combat zone. this comes four months after the president committed several thousand more service members to the war effort. president trump payday personal holiday visit to wounded troops today, visiting some of the bravest people anywhere in the world at walter reed national medical center. during the visit, the president awarded a soldier with a purple heart. d.c. publicw, two charter schools are closing middle schools. this will happen gradually over the next few years. theirhools did not meet goals in

chair about the reasoning behind it and joins me in the studio with this developing story. this has to be disappointing. anna-lysa: it is disappointing for some community members, but the goal is to close them by 2021. the board believes this is the best decision for the students and their futures. >> we respectfully and passionately request the board vote not to follow the staff recommendation to close. anna-lysa: representatives for the charter schools on monday night requesting they reconsider closing the middle school sections of both. >> part of the charter school mission is to make sure all of our schools are operating with the highest possible levels. anna-lysa: the board voted to close the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade at parkside middle school in northeast and seed public charter school in northeast, meaning t s

school students. the board said the students were not meeting expectations, with tier one being the best in the category. >> you will see disappointed parents and students, but in the long-term we work very hard with the schools and we do have to close them. anna-lysa: seed public charter school is known for making history as the nation's first college prep boarding school. will remainool open, a very award-winning program, tier one. kimberly: new at 11:00 a charles county sure stephanie learn his fate after being caught with -- charles county sheriff deputy learn his fate after being caught with child pornography. jay korff has the story. 10 years alexander sullivan wore the badge of a charles county sheriff deputy. now he is on the other side of the law. thursday he was sentenced to two

years in prison due in part to a nationwide project to find a crackdown on sexual exploitation of children. according to federal officials, sullivan was caught with more than 100 images in several videos of child pornography on his personal cell phone. authorities say cloud security company uncovered the images and alerted the national center for missing and exploited children. that was in 2016. a year later, and sullivan of king george virginia heads to jail following a plea deal. jay korff, abc 7 news. kimberly: we now know that raul castro and remain cuba's president until april, two months longer than expected. the 86-year-old had said he would step down in february. he will retain his position as the leader of the communist party. federal appeals court in virginia rejecting a trump administration request to delay transgender people from enlisting in the military. last week the

transgender recruits can sign up january won despite the legal battle. the department of justice disagreed with the court ruling and is now evaluating the next steps. not guilty, that was the verdict handed down today in the trial of six people charged with rioting following the violent protests on inauguration day. the defense argued their clients were peacefully protesting and unfairly swept into a police crackdown. prosecutors relied on police body camera video of what they characterize as a coordinated effort to riot. the jury was not convinced. >> i stand in solidarity with all the defendants facing state oppression. kimberly: about 175 people are awaiting trial on similar charges. it is not clear what effect this will have on those cases. prosecutors suggest they will continue. now the terrifying attack on holiday shoppers overseas.

pedestrians on the streets of melbourne, australia. 19 people were injured. the police are calling it a deliberate act, but so far not terrorism. bystanders dragged the person out of his vehicle and held him until offers is arrested him. at capitol heights church waiting to see if it can hold services on christmas after this. a car slammed into the freedom way baptist church on benning road this afternoon. inside the lobby, bent wood, exposed insulation and christmas pamphlets scattered. this is the second car to hit the church in just the last month. the driver and passenger are expected to be ok. nobody else was hurt. brazen break-in at a local liquor store, caught on camera. what the thieves do not take that as the head scratcher. an abc teenager gets a life-saving christmas present. what a nurse in

kimberly: must-see video, barreling throug

surveillance cameras capture a liquor store robbery in germantown. they jump the counter and grant any bottle they can grab. they completely ignore the cash register. the police released the video from last friday. there is a $10,000 reward for a tip that leads to a conviction. a crazy scene in kansas city, missouri, cows on the loose after a cattle truck overturned. .t was carrying nearly 100 cows the trailer wound up on its side in a ravine. no reports of injuries. ceo is stepping down this month after criticizing the nfl's response to player protests over the national anthem. at the time the founders said the protests hurt his sales. drew praise from white supremacist and were later criticized.

johns pizza. and it was a popular theory for years that every time apple released a new iphone that old ones get slower. the company says that is partly true, but they claim it is not to make you buy a new phone. apple says it is to help you save your battery and prevent older iphones from suddenly turning off. >> when your batter is no longer able to provide the processor power, it scales it back. kimberly: to find out your battery lifespan, search for battery checkers in the app store. to replace the battery costs about $80 to get it professionally done. you can try it yourself, but first you need the tool to pry open the case, a hairdryer to remove the glue that attaches it to the case, and beware that all of that void your warranty. crunch time is here and some stores are staying open 24

for the last-minute shoppers. tom roussey caught up with a few people tonight in gaithersburg. stores including this one in gaithersburg will be open 24 hours a day until 6 p.m. christmas eve. there are folks here tonight. they say they do this every year , and yes, they get shoppers in the middle of the night because a lot of people do wait until the last minute to finish holiday shopping. , this yearo the firm was supposed be the first year ever where people would spend more holiday budget online than in stores, but stores are still very popular. they especially are popular for folks who have waited this long to christmas shop. shoppeople still prefer to online or in the store? >> a little bit of both. >> i like to see and feel what

online is a pain. >> i think some websites it is too late, but either way for me it is easier to hold something in my hands. >> it's nicer to do something physical. >> it is a get away from the house, from the kids, the chaos at home. >> how much shopping to you have left? >> i'm almost done. nationalrding to the retail federation, for those of you who do holiday shopping, about 40% are not done yet, which is why they are keeping open 24ike this kohl's hours until 6 p.m. christmas eve. from gaithersburg, tom roussey, abc 7 news. teenager a d.c. battling leukemia caught an early christmas gift this year. a nurse in florida donated his bone marrow to the teenager. nathan hanson has been in the hospital -- worked in the hospital for seven years. he is signed up with

registry in the world -- "be the match." >> i just thought it was a list i should be part of it if i could help out i would. kimberly: hanson will meet the boy that he helped after one year. bill: good story. good evening to all of you. the temperatures tonight, a little cool the pending on where you are. some are at or below freezing. at reagan, 25 in manassas. some sponsor in the mid 20's. the numbers will hang about where they are right now, not expecting a big cool down from where we are currently. 52 in huntington, 42 parkersburg. ofund the region, a couple clouds, but what a nice day it was today. hope that you enjoyed it. very drive for the travel.

be there until tomorrow night. what we are watching tomorrow is a dry day. clouds increase and tomorrow evening you will see the clouds thicken. the next weather maker will work into the region tomorrow night. heading out, the timing on this may be slightly earlier, 9:00 p.m. until 11 p.m. timeframe, and then for the most part it rains through the overnight. saturday morning, likely have rain. midmorning break saturday before the clouds for lynn saturday afternoon. -- before the clouds fill in saturday afternoon. it will be raining saturday, but not worried about snow. we may pick up a moderate amount of rain in spots. this clears out by saturday night. run this from friday night through saturday night, we pick up

off to the west. there will be much more the mountains. 60king ahead to the weekend, degrees, 46 christmas eve. christmas eve night into early christmas morning, not totally out of the question that we will get a little bit of snow, mainly just flurries, nothing that will stick. 36 monday. beyond the seven day forecast, there is another cold snap with the possibility of our first big snow late next week. kimberly? kimberly: an 11-year-old boy giving thanks this christmas. >> i was scared i was going to die. kimberly: he survived an accident all shooting. the special vi

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kimberly:

ago this 11-year-old boy was in the hospital after being shot in the chest accidentally by a family friend. he is home for the holidays and he got a very special visit today. >> merry. christmas waserly: caleb henry showered with gifts from prince george's county police officers, tons of games and toys. dad taught him to stay strong. >> i can't just means you are not willing to try. if you are not willing to try, how will you succeed? kimberly: great words of advice. both father and son for gave the neighbor for the shooting and he will not be charged because it was an accident. when i would coach, if i heard "i can't," run a lap. robert: we cannot have that here. the terps did not say "i

tonight. sports is coming up.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ it all starts with a wish. the final days of wish list are here. hurry in and sign and drive off in a new lincoln with zero down and a complimentary first month's payment.

>> and now the toyota sports desk, brought to you by your local toyota dealers. robert: terps in the first of their last two before they start big ten play. kevi

the terps, lighting and up from the outside. he could also play inside come in case you do not check the memo. the dish and the finish. cruises, 75-50. american taking on marquette. sevengles, 73-pointers -- three-pointers. marquette wins easily, 92-51, not a mistake. when you thought the injury situation could not be worse for the redskins, you were wrong. did notma, perine practice today after a groin injury he suffered during drills. we asked about his

well, we had a bad experience trying to protect these hamstrings, groins, and calves. i think it was a minor thing, still has flexibility in a movement. robert: not to mention all the other players on injured reserve. kimberly: does the next game mean anything? 8-8,t: if they win out, and it will not be a losing season.

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kimberly: are you teasing us with this dusting of snow on christmas, really? bill: we are stretching it. that is late sunday night into early monday morning.

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>> dicky: from hollywood, it's the "jimmy kimmel live" red special! tonight, bono, president barack obama, kristen bell, bryan cranston, ashton kutcher, dj khaled, rita wilson, sean "diddy" combs, and more. and now, first and foremost, here's jimmy kimmel! [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: thank you very much. i'm jimmy, i'm the host. thank you for watching.