breaking out throughout our region. what you need to know to protect yourself and your home. and -- do you remember this scene?? it started with a child assault, and ended with a police chase and crash! the suspect's due in court today. what we know about the case. plus, another war of words between president trump and the north korean president. the threats they're now making. good morning washington. toss to eileen - briefly above freezing this afternoon - snow late tonight east of i-95; highest accumulations over southern md from coastal storm - windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week

cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east of i-95. lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30 winds: nw 10-20 g 30+ mph breaking right now -- fire ripping

townhouse in laurel. it started less than an hour ago in the 78-hundred block of carissa lane. we're working on getting more informtation. we have a crew on the way, and will bring you the very latest as soon as they get there. also breaking -- people forced into the cold when fire hits their aparment in southeast. flames sparked overnight in the 300 block of parkland place. heavy fire was showing when crews arrived. despite the exem

trouble for firefighters, the fire was contained to the apartment where it started. no injuries reported, but the family cannot go back inside. we're waiting to learn what caused a fire in a townhouse in bowie. the fire broke out just before nine p.m. in the building on spanish oaks lane. sky trak seven flew over the scene, as dozens of firefighters put out the flames. investigators say the fire started in a basement.. and spread to the upper floors. there are no reports of any injuries. back to that bitter cold - blanketing the dmv. the frigid temperatures leading to so many problems with buildings in the d-c area. crews have been busy fixing dozens of water main breaks. there have been more that 60 since friday. overnight we saw wind chills in the teens - but today we are expected to get a big break with temperatures in the 30's. not really a big warm up but it's still better that what many of us have dealt with over the past couple of weeks. another thing to look out for in this cold is frost bite. so if you

out in this weather - be sure to dress in layers, wear hats, gloves and a scarf to stay warm. new this morning-- we're getting word that kramer middle school in southeast will be open today as planned. yesterday -- a pipe burst inside the building -- causing heat and power to go out. crews have fixed the issue, so classes will resume this morning. check this out -- up in baltimore a water main break in the fells point neighborhood covered streets in ice and even trapped cars. a pump is supposed to be installed today to completely stop the water from flowing. it could still be another week or two until crews get the part needed to fix the break. do you remember this scene in fairfax county?? it started with a man randomly assaulting a child -- and led to a carjacking, a police chase and a crash. well brandon vinson -- the man accused of it all is due in court today.

at district court with details. ryan? breaking news out of south korea -- in the last three

saying it began preliminary contacts with north korea on a reopened cross-border communication system. this comes as north korean leader kim jong un continues heated threats with president donald trump. un said he had a button on his desk to launch a nuclear missile. but last night -- president trump tweeted -- "will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that i too have a nuclear button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his... and my button works!"

at this hour -- a frantic search -- to find two missing girls in texas. what we now know know about their disappearance. plus -- how would you like to only need a flu shot every few years?? it may soon be a reality. we'll explain -- straight ahead.

before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesn't have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben. what's so good about fios anyway? uh. what's so great about a 100% fiber-optic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely? hey. did you take out the trash? haha, garbage boy! dad, i already took out ben. it's not funny. gaming is best on a 100% fiber-optic network.

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- windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week today: becoming cloudy. cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east of i-95. lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30 winds: nw 10-20 g 30+ mph a consumer alert coming up -- a

to lower your heat bill, and what you need to know if you have a fireplace. plus a star football player -- paralyzed after taking a bullet for his girlfriend. the events that led

his family is saying about it -- coming up.

texas - after their mother was found dead in their home. there's an amber alert out for the 7-year-old and 14-year-old. police believe 44-year-old terry miles -- who lived with them -- kidnapped them on new year's eve. authorities are looking into possible sightings in new mexico and colorado. police are looking or

abduct an 8-year old girl in takoma park. she missed her school bus and was standing at the corner of elm and pine avenues, when a van pulled up. the man in the passenger seat allegedly said, "come to my home, i have candy." the girl told police he was wearing all black clothing -- had a hoop nose ring -- flower tattoo on his left hand -- and a "pink pimple or growth" near his left eye. six volunteer firefighters in strasburg, virginia are facing charges, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl. but they're not charged with a sex crime. they're charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. the accusations were first made in april. court documents reveal, five men were accused in a gang rape of a 17-year-old girl, caught on video. that video was shared through snapchat. a sixth man is now charged, as well. this morning.. police have identified the woman found in a burning car in southeast as 23-year-old kerrice lewis of hyattsville. last thursday officers were responding to reports of a shooting on adrian street. once at the scene - they found a car on fire.

were put out - they found lewis inside suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. she was pronounced dead at the scene. her death is being investigated as a homicide. a health alert now -- a flu vaccine is in the works - that could last years researchers at the university of washington are working on a "universal flu vaccine" - known as a d-n-a vaccine. the flu virus is constantly changing - and right now, scientists have to guess how to protect you each year. the new vaccine will tell your body to create antibodies to fight the infection. it could be available within the next decade! we're learning more about sewage and flooding problems that erupted in northwest d.c., as officials work to prevent a repeat. dozens of residents experienced sewage backups, after a torrential rainstorm in august. d.c. water officials tell us, they could not find evidence of a major blockage. but they learned, two sewers overflowed after more than an inch of rain fell in just 20 minutes.

dollar project would help increase the capacity for the sewers that overflowed. meanwhile, d.c. water is urging residents to check out a rebate program. it gives people up to six-thousand dollars to install a backwater valve that allows water to flow out of a home. the valve has a gate that closes if water starts to back up from city pipes. a seven on your side consumer alert about your heating bill -- most of us are cranking the heat to stay warm during this deep freeze. but - doing that too often, can lead to a massive bill. a few ways you can chip away at it -- lower your thermostat just one degree. it can save you five percent on heating costs! a kit will cost you about 15 dollars. you can also

weather-proofing your doors and windows. important information if you use a fireplace to keep the house warm. abc 7 on your side -- went inside a potomac home that was seriously damaged when ashes caught fire. the homeowner says he placed ashes in a plastic bag. the problem is - fire officials say ashes can retain heat for days. you should always put ashes from your fireplace in a metal container, splash them with water, and place them outside and away from your home. time now for weather - briefly above freezing this

- snow late tonight east of i-95; highest accumulations over southern md from coastal storm - windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week today: becoming cloudy. cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east of i-95. lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30 winds: nw 10-20 g 30+ mph

a tech guru is making a bold prediction about

ahead. that's after the break. plus, do phones really make people feel good? we'll look at the new study -- next.

prediction about amazon this year. abc's kendis gibson and erielle reshef have the details in this morning's tech bytes. breaking right now -- fire ripping through a

through a townhouse in laurel. suzanne kennedy just getting on the scene. suzanne what's the latest? - briefly above freezing this afternoon

i-95; highest accumulations over southern md from coastal storm - windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week today: becoming cloudy. cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east of i-95. lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30 winds: nw 10-20 g 30+ mph

this scene in fairfax county?? it started with a man randomly assaulting a child -- and led to a carjacking, a police chase and a crash. well brandon vinson -- the man accused of it all is due in court today. ryan hughes is live

developing now -- a 75, yes 75 car pile-up in new york.

learned one person has died. adrianna hopkins is at the live desk with details. it all happened in snowy conditions on interstate 90 near buffalo yesterday. one person was killed. a second victim in the hospital with life-threatening injuries. multiple people had to be extracted from vehicles. but most injuries reported are minor. the road was closed for a while. it took crews about eight hours to clean up. officials say the

"huge factor." there was a blizzard warning in effect at the time. developing now - a new war of words with north korea. president trump.. taunting the country's leader kim jong un... bragging in a tweet that he has a bigger and more powerful nuclear button than north korea. it comes after kim jong un made his new years address, where he repeated nuclear threats against the u.s. abc's stephanie ramos is following it all from northwest. runs=1:42 oc=sigout happening today. congress returns

agenda. this afternoon the senate will reconvene with two new senators being sworn in. newly elected alabama senator doug jones will be sworn in after his narrow defeat of republican roy moore. and minnesota lt. governor tina smith will be sworn in to fill the remainder of the term of senator al franken who resigned over sexual misconduct allegations. the house will return to work next monday. eileen?

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over southern md from coastal storm - windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week today: becoming cloudy. cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east

lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30 winds: nw 10-20 g 30+ mph coming up -- john gonzales with why some

facing charges -- johnny?

shot in the back -- and paralyzed. adrianna hopkins has details from the live desk. 19-year-old "larry aaron the third" had everything going for him. a football scholarship at marshall, good grades, and a loving family. he was home in columbia, maryland over the holiday break, when he decided to go to a house party he saw advertised on social media. and that's when things took a turn. that bullet lodged in his spinal cord. and surgeons can't

of doing more damage. that leaves aaron, a lifelong athlete, permanently paralyzed, from the waist down. police are trying to find out who fired the shots, but there were more than a hundred people at the party, many of them from out of state. a go-fund-me page has been created to help with aaron's recovery. police say -- there could be charges against the homeowners -- who were not there at the time of the shooting. right now -- five firefighters are facing charges after a teenager accuses them of a grisly sexual assault. but they're not charged with a sex crime. john gonzalez is live in strasburg to explain. two major airlines are taking advantage of the

passed and signed just before christmas. southwest and american airlines will both give employees a one-thousand dollar bonus. millenials plan to be responsible with their tax returns this year. a survey from jackson-hewitt found 43-percent of millennials who get refunds this year, plan to use the money to pay down debts they acrued over the holidays. only 31 percent of the general population polled, plans to use their refunds in the same way. eileen?

a houston man surprised his favorite waiter, with a car! edward pollard wrote on facebook -- when he leaves work, he often sees the waiter sitting at the bus stop. so he decided to get his extra car detailed like new -- and gift it. he's hoping it will inspire others to pay it forward as the year unfolds. an animal rescue - in california. highway patrol officers trying to wrangle up more than a dozen chickens on i-605 in santa fe springs. they tweeted this video of the ordeal, with the hashtag "why did the chicken cross the road." and - hashtag "we like fast food" but not on the freeway. it's 5: and time for a check on weather.

afternoon - snow late tonight east of i-95; highest accumulations over southern md from coastal storm - windy from a powerful nor'easter thursday/friday - another reinforcing shot of cold air late week (highs in the teens) - 40s return early next week today: becoming cloudy. cold. highs: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and cold. snow developing east of i-95. lows: 19-25 winds: n 5-10 mph thursday: early morning snow east of i-95. windy and cold. highs: 25-30

it's workout wednesday!

throwing some punches. kidd o'shea is live at nuboxx in northeast washington right now. good morning kidd!

much more to come on good morning washington.

minutes.

before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesn't have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesn't get us all killed, ben. what's so good about fios anyway? uh. what's so great about a 100% fiber-optic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely? hey. did you take out the trash? haha, garbage boy! dad, i already took out ben. it's not funny. gaming is best on a 100% fiber-optic network. so get fios. now, just $79.99 per month with a 2-year price guarantee with a 2-year agreement.

>> now, "good morning washington," on your side. autria: breaking this morning, forced out into the cold. to overnight fires. the rescues having all you were asleep. this: we are on your side morning with the efforts to keep your kids safe and warm on your way to class. two jackpots, hundreds of millions of dollars, up for grabs. the new headline overnight about one of those massive rises. -- prizes. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] autria: heads up, parents, multiple school systems close -- with two-hour delays this morning. take a close look at your screen. they are all operating on a two hour delay this morning. an extra two hours to try to warm up and get going. it is going to be tough on this wednesday. veronica, how bad is it? veronica: tho