hi. i'm kai jackson. mary's off. we could be less than 24 hours away from snowfall in parts of maryland. outside the winds died down a bit but that didn't help things feel warmer. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. tim williams and bernadette woods are tracking it. >> the key word is potential. we're looking for a storm system forming in the west that's moving in our direction. while we have nothing in maryland, there is a storm system in the west. we're at 38 degrees. that is all doing to be moving in our direction. the low is going to track to the south. we'll give you an idea how it

will impact us through thursday. our neighbors to the south, virginia, to the care line nas, could be expecting an icy mix. we're on the northern fringe of that. this will set the stage for another system that will be moving through this weekend, going to take largely the same path. there are a lot of questions as well. the key is that the stage is set for a snow event tomorrow and another one on saturday. for a little bit more we send it out to meteorologist bernadette woods. the other big story is the cold. look at the temperatures. this is our high so far on the day, 31 degrees. our average is 46. we're 15 degrees below average. when you factor in the winds, we're talking about 20, which is what we've gotten up to, still below in the mountains. at the ocean 17. the cold weather will continue.

that will set the stage for the storm coming our way. right now back inside. we're following breaking news out of downtown baltimore. investigators announced the five-alarm fire that ripped through the block was not an accident. denise is following the details. >> federal agents said the fire was intentionally set but they are not sure why. the atlantic bureau of alcohol and tokyo -- tobacco is investigating. some of the businesses are starting to clean out. investigators are back on the scene of baltimore's deadliest fire of the year. mike hellgren reports on the focus of the investigation.

>> reporter: it is an intense and time consuming process into what started this fire, a process that is not yet over. a memorial sits outside the house where six people died on homewood avenue including three children ages 9, 3 and 1. one day after flames ripped through, investigators are looking into the cause. family members are speaking about the tragedy. >> got the phone call. >> reporter: arson investigators are at the scene, which is routine. some relatives said the family used space heaters. they are unsure whether the home had working smoke detectors. >> we're investigating. a cause has not been ascribed.

i don't think there's ever a good time to los family. the holidays make if particularly more difficult. >> reporter: it spread to two other homes. this is the deadliest fire in baltimore this year, killing three generations of the satterfield family. lived here for a long time a very nice neighbor, looked out for everyone. she was a very, very nice lady and i'm praying for her family. >> reporter: the strong winds made it especially difficult for firefighters as they battled the blaze. reporterring in east baltimore, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. a suspicious object shuts down the pentagon metro system today. turns out it was just a holiday deck raismghts the --

decorations. someone discovered blinking lights in a trash can. x-ray showed it was just a christmas ornament. school board members held at gun point describing their night of terror after they were forced to plea for that are lives. manuel gallegus reports. the entire ordeal was caught on tape in florida. >> reporter: the superintendent of schools in panama city, florida, pleaded with the man who pulled out a gun during the school board meeting, but the man, clay duke, refused to back down. what happened next is disturbing to watch. >> please don't, please don't, please. >> reporter: despite pointing at gun point, he missed his target. >> he was going to do this. >> reporter: the 56-year-old kept shooting until a security guard wounded him. the suspect then turned the gun

on hem se. before he opened fire he let people leave. a board member snuck back in and tried to use her purse to knock the gun out of his hand. >> these guys were sitting ducks. i couldn't leave them without trying to at least diverse or somehow or another give fuse the situation -- diffuse the situation. >> reporter: by the time s.w.a.t. team entered, no one else was hurt. >> we are blessed to be alive. >> reporter: the superintendent called out that duke had a cap gun but police confirmed it was a real gun with live ammunition. manuel gallegus. >> witnesses said duke complained his wife had been fired from the district. police say he was carrying a lot more ammunition. the justice department has file lad law spout against --

filed a lawsuit against bp. it asked that the company be lie belt the government estimates more than 200 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the gulf of mexico. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check in with kristy breslin. if you're traveling on that north side, some slowing from providence to the jones falls expressway. stop and go from york to harford road. average speed about 23 miles an hour. on the west side inner loop heavy. 95 moving well in the northbound direction. southbound that regular delay from whitemarsh to the northeast corner. as far as accident, quite a few in baltimore city, st. tom misat

mannesota. let's take a live look. heavy traffic at 95 and 395. this traffic report is brought to you by coldstone creamerring. fun, innovative flavors introduced each month. back over to you. a plan to keep your taxes down is a step closer top final approval. the senate pushed it through but there's a tougher fight in the house. joel brown reports for wjz from washington. >> the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: the final vote wasn't even close. senators from both parties easily pushed through the tax cut compromise. >> everyone should understand this is one of the major accomplishments. >> reporter: but the toughest test is yet to come. the bill face as big fight. liberal democrats are leading the charge but they're not

alone. >> the american people have spoken. >> reporter: republicans are under increasing pressure from conservatives to vote no. they say it will boost the deficit and want a permanent extension of bush-era tax cuts. liberals in the house think extngd the tax cuts go -- extending the tax cuts go too far. >> this is a bad deal for the american people. >> reporter: despite disagreement on both sides, president obama urged the house to move quickly. >> i know there are different aspects of this plan to which members of congress on both sides of the pile object -- aisle object. >> reporter: with everyone facing a new year's day tax

hike, both sides know there's a pries to -- price to pay if the deal fails. >> they may vote on it tomorrow. still ahead, a real live las vegas heist. a man stole more than a million dollars from a casino. new questions in the murder of yeardley love, why her medical records are under review. an easier way to pay off traffic tickets. a program that allows you to pay on the spot. are we in for snow? the answer in the updated forecast.

the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud.

a woman is killed after a tree crashes on to her home. police say strong winds caused the tree to fall on to the 55-year-old woman's home. her bedroom was crushed. firefighters tried to rescue her but she was dead. her 2-year-old son and --

27-year-old son and family friend were in the home but not hurt. a robbery was caught on tape. the suspect ordered the female employee and then another customer enters, sees what happens and goes behind the counter. the kiss mer -- customer grabs the gun and the suspect dies at the scene. a daring robbery at a big name las vegas casino where an armed robber stole $1 1/2 million. >> reporter: with his helmet still on, he looked more like an astronaut than a bandit. he brazenly held up bandits at the bellagio, making off with $1 1/2 million in chips. >> he confronted people with a

firearm. he took approximately $1.5 million in casino chips. >> reporter: this is the 10th robbery this year. police believe tuesday's crime was the same man who made off with $20,000 at the sun coast casino on december 9th. >> he was last seen wearing a wire motorcycle helmet, black jacket, black pants and black gloves during both events. >> reporter: casino chips are only valued at certain properties. the chips taken at the bellagio can only be cashed there. a spokesman said quote at some point they who have to be redeemed. >> some of the upscale casinos have microchips. belarge yoap isn't saying -- bellagio isn't saying whether it

uses that. >> can the dow continue its winning streak. the dow was down 19. the s&p off six. the nasdaq off 10 1/2. let's go to alexis christoforous. >> the senate has passed a sweeping tax cut package that would spare millions of americans higher taxes come january. the house is expected to vote on it tomorrow. the government is outlawing drop side cribs after the death of toddlers. all drop side cribs will be banned from being sold or resold. manufacturing and assembly problems have caused the frame to pull away from the mattress. mcdonald's is being sued over the happy meal sues. one mother wants the fast food to stop using the toys to market

to children. they claims it targets the child's vulnerability. and dannon will pay $21 million and drop health claims for the dairy drinks. its ads claim it helps relieve irregularity and can help prevent the cold and flu. the federal trade commission said there's not enough evidence to back up those claims. you could soon pay your speepgd tickets on the spot. police have come up with a pilot project in san antonio, texas. you can pull out your credit card and pay what you owe. some drivers who owe money on tickets could go to jail. the startling thing that could double your prix for heart

attack ?oo -- risk for heart attack. there's a new surveillance system for the chesapeake. is snow moving into the baltimore area? the answer is next. wjz is always on. for the top stories and instant [ male announcer ] earlier today, your living room was game day central.

[ cheering ] a place for friends, family, and your husband's trademark victory dance. [ cheering ] now the crowd is gone. and all that remains is the stink. [ dog barks ] but you're ready because febreze air effects cleans away tough game day odors in the air. sweat socks, chicken wings, garlic dip and leaves a light fresh scent. febreze air effects. just one of the many ways

cor -- katie couric joins us live from new york. you're working on a story about wounded marines. >> we're going to get the perspective of four u.s. marines who were gravely wounded, and what they have to say may surprise you. also, what we know about the gunman in that school board meeting in panama city, florida. we'll also look at a very strange disorder called face blindness. back to you. >> sounds interesting. thank you. you can only see those stories

and more tonight at 7:00. let's check in with meteorologist tim williams. i guess it's that time of the year. >> we're colder than we typically are. our average around 45 degrees or so. we've been in the 30s. bwi is 3 -- 30. very dry air. wind is from the north and west at 20 miles an hour. it's contributing to keeping the temperatures below. we have 12 degrees in oakland. 27 in couple about -- cumberland. when freezing is the warmest spot on your map, you know you have a cold forecast. our winds are also contributing to the wind chills.

winds have subsided a little. it's breezy enough that this gets your attention. 22 at elkton, 18-mile-an-hour winds at reagan national. we've seen wind gusts, 25 in washington. that has been contributing to wind chills feeling like five to 10 below the average temperature. with all that we do have a storm system moving in place. we are going to see a snow advisory going into effect. a winter weather advisory all the way to virginia. that is because of the storm system moving in our direction. it will track primarily to the south. it's taking a deep. it will take a southerly path. we'll be on the northern fringe.

we could she coating to maybe an -- see a coating to maybe an inch of storm. virginia, west virginia, the carolinas, an icy mix. this will set the stage for another disturbance moving in by the weekend. there are a lot of questions with both of them. this one location is everything. we're hoping it doesn't get close enough that it dumps more. we are expecting to see a coating through friday. this is going to start to impact us late tomorrow morning into early afternoon. we'll see that snow coming down. so the sun sets at 4:4. gale warning in effect for 6 p.m. turning west on the bay at 16, gusting up to 25. tonight clear, breezy and cold. 16 degrees our overnight low.

and 33 degrees. it's cold enough that anything comes down is likely going to stick. be careful if you're driving out early. it could be a little dicey. >> tim said coating to an inch, not a blizzard. >> not a blizzard. >> don't panic. don't miss tonight's prime-time lineup. it's "the defenders" followed by eyewitness news at 11. a mother's disturbing confession caught on tape. >> where are you? >> newly released phone calls in the case of a missing baby. why the mother said she killed him. >> a winter blast crippling parts of the country. drop side ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 30 degrees and clear. i'm denise koch. >> i'm vic carter. >> a winter blast cripples half the nation and won't go away. we're seeing below freezing temperatures as far south as florida. the worst of it is in the midwest. >> reporter: the prewinter assault continued across the midwest dumping two feet of snow across cleveland with nine more expected. as the slow moving storm continues to move east, there's more snow for pennsylvania and new york. on a snow bound highway in ontario, military choppers had to rescue motorists. >> i have lived here for 35 years and never seen this. >> reporter: people were stranded for over 24 hours. >> it's just blowing and keeps on snowing, got no visibility

hardly. >> reporter: the northeast is experiencing an arctic blast that has temperatures plummeting. >> freezing code. >> reporter: the bone chilling temperatures stretches as far south as florida. a cold snap experts say is unusual. >> late december, january, it's not terrible to see cold snaps like this. >> reporter: while most central floridians slept, most held vigil on the crops. >> as you can see, it's still juicy, but it was close. two or three more hours and we would have lost this crop. >> reporter: temperatures plunged 30 degrees below normal. daytona beach 24. more seasonal temperatures are expected to come back starting tomorrow. here in maryland we are still

dealing with bitterly cold conditions. the winds have died down a bit but could there be the potential for snow coming our way. wjz has a check on the weather. >> there is snow perhaps coming our way tomorrow afternoon. take a look at radar. it's clear and quiet. a few flakes of snow in pennsylvania. there is a system developing out to the west. you see that light band of snow. it's moving off to the east northeast. we expect to see some snow. here in maryland we're looking for a dusting to maybe an inch, whether can cause problems. we'll have another look at the forecast coming up. a hearing today in the yeardley love murder case. and attorneys for her accused killer are asking for her medical records. >> reporter: 22-year-old george

huguely is charged with murdering her at the university of virginia in may. huguely's attorneys are asked for love's medical records. police say huguely admitted to repeatedly slamming love's head into the wall. the defense said cpr could have been the actual cause of death. the washington examiner is also reporting the prosecutor is not seeking the death penalty. there is a lot more water than there are water cops, but a whole new way of patrolling is starting up. high tech surveillance has come to the bay. >> reporter: it's not easy sneak up to a boat. >> when you leave a harbor and before you get to the bar, everybody knows that you're coming. >> reporter: what if the boat

doesn't know you're looking. that's what a new high tech system is capable of doing on president chesapeake -- the chesapeake. publicly unveiled for the first time -- what you see is our current radar picture. >> reporter: for large ships it produces vessels names and can monitor sensitive areas. >> it has entered the security zone. >> we'll bring in the long range cameras. >> reporter: eventually hundreds of cameras from a number of jurisdictions. some will be infrared, bring faster response times. patrol officers will axles the same information on laptops, meaning they'll know what they're dealing with before they get here. >> really, it's a force multiplied. it allows our force to get a

little bigger. >> reporter: and even officers who work lay loan will have someone swatching their backs,. >> the new surveillance system is also designed to be shared. >> the government is outlawing drop side cribs after the deaths of dozens of infants and toddlers in the last decade. the cribs have a side rail that moves up and down. at least 32 children have been suffocated or strangled since 2000. starting in june all cribs will have to have thick sides and they will have to perform tougher standards. the american heart association shows how history can play in a person's risk for a heart attack. >> reporter: at just 32 years

old, anna beth has to visit her cardiologist every three months. with plaque in her arteries, she's at risk of having a heart attack just like her mother had in her early 50s. >> she died when i was 18 of a massive heart attack. >> reporter: a new report shows women like anna are at a 70% increased risk of having a heart attack if one of their parents has had one early in life. for men the risk doubles. >> if we have a family history, we really need to pay attention to exactly what our risks are for heart disease. that means getting cholesterol checks, blood pressure checks. if a brother or sisters a heart disease your risk increases. there is good news. deaths from heart desease are down -- disease are down but

operation are up 30%. >> though we've treated it and the death rates have gone down, let's make no mistake, people are more unhealthy. we figured out the treatment. now we have to figure out the prevention. >> if i don't take care of myself now i will die early and i don't want that. >> reporter: that's why anna and her doctors are working to keep her healthy. >> more than 920,000 americans such heart attacks each year. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the traffic with prez bries -- kristy breslin. traffic is backed up to whitemarsh boulevard. heavy from york road to harford road and heavy from prove dense to the -- providence to the

joans false expressway. city accidents include orleans, north green, fayette. let's take a live look. plenty of brake lights. that will take a good 15 minutes to get through. this traffic report is brought to you by nissan. visit your local pretail -- retailer. children at the condition di creeing -- kennedy krieger institute got a surprise visit. andrea fujii has the story. >> reporter: this is the fifth year the baltimore symphony orchestra or santa's elves have played for the children at the

kennedy krieger institute. >> we can be santa claus. we can bring music to kids. >> reporter: kennedy krieger cares for children with brain injuries or disorders, like 6-year-old andrew and then straight from the north pole santa appears. >> you pick a toy that makes you happy. >> reporter: all the kids receive gifts that have been donated by the bso. andrew is impressed with his selection. >> hot wheel cars. >> it makes the day go quicker. it's a good thing. >> bringing holiday clear to the most vulnerable, a tradition the bso hopes to continue for a long time, reporting for wjz, eyewitness news. >> it treats up to 16,000

patients every year. >> there are only a few weeks left in the pro football challenge and tim williams will update this week ames standing. >> ames -- week's standing. >> sports director mark viviano remains in the lead then new mom jessica and the bobble baby. they are bringing up second place. adam play is in third with 133. i snuck in there with 130. now this week's local winner is laura robins. she came closest to the score of the sunday game. she wins a best buy gift certificate. you can still sign up to play. just come top wjz.com land scroll down the right side of our newly designed major. good luck to everyone. we'll see you next week with the new standings.

>> jessica still shaking that baby back and forth. still to come a money saving solution. the easy and cheap way to borrow . a mailman make last delivery wearing nothing but a smile, the strange explanation he gave police. the updated forecast straight ahead. in the meantime, look at this spunset. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

for itchy dry skin. try cortizone 10 intensive healing. the strongest itch relief medicine now has three vitamins and seven moisturizers. feel the heal.

police have now determined that four decome posed bodies found on a new york beach are women. they were systematically dumped over an 178-month -- 18-month period. investigators believe the women were killed elsewhere and dumped at the beach. a freak accident. a man in wisconsin was killed by a falling refrigerators.

the workers were removing it from an apartment by drop tsmght they yelled to make sure the coast was clear but another worker apparently didn't hear them. police have made one arrest. >> a deadly gun battle killed two people. one victim was a mother standing in front of her 2-year-old child. >> 30-year-old monique nelson was killed as she tried to strap her 2-year-old in the car. a man was being treated for a gunshot wound. police are still investigating the shooting. >> the woman's child was not hurt and has been taken into protective services. a bizarre land -- and disturbing twist in the case of missing gabriel. there's a new confession from

the mother. >> reporter: baby gabriel was last seen the day after christmas. his 24-year-old mother claimed in a phone conversation with the baby's father that she killed their son. >> where are you? and where's gabriel. >> reporter: she and her boyfriend shared joint custody but december 27th, the day he was supposed to get gabriel, he received a text message that the baby was dead. an audio statement johnson confesses to murder. >> you did not hurt gabriel. >> yes, i did. >> reporter: johnson was on the run at the time and changed her identity as police searched nationwide for both mother and

son. her motive, she believed her boyfriend was flirting with other women online and she wanted revenge. >> you destroyed my life. >> i haven't destroyed anything. >> yes, you have. it made me kill my baby boy. >> reporter: days later johnson was arrested and told police she gave the babe tboi strangers in texas. she also promised an martinez couple, jack and tammy smith, they could adopt the baby. johnson remains behind bars charged with kidnapping, child abuse and cuss toad yam interference. she's due back in court january 24th. our sister station in phoenix, arizona said the source of the recordings asked to remain anonymous. julian assange will spend one more night in a london jail.

a hearing on the appeal is scheduled for tomorrow. a postal carrier in wisconsin is arrested for deliveringed mail, only he wasn't wearing a uniform or anything at all. he told a woman on his route seemed stressed out, so he said he would return naked to clear her up and he came threw on that promise. he stripped down in an office hallway and knocked on the door -- completely naked. rent or buy. just in time for the holidays many of products you once had to buy are now available on a short-term basis. >> reporter: the red rooster has found a home in his kitchen but just for the time being. >> i'm kind of outgrowing college posters. i appreciate some scenic photographs but i travel a lot. i don't have much time to go to

galleries. >> reporter: just like net flicks, todd's created a list of artwork he wants to have shipped to his house by a company called turning art. starting at $10 a month, you can get a new print. >> we allow customers to explore and rotate art. you can, based on the plan you choose, you can rotate art at whatever frequency is best for you oar renting instead of buying seems to be the trend. there's rent the runway if you need a party dress. other sites offer the same service. you can get the matching purse on loan or a piece of jewelry. of course you can always get to that party in a zip car. >> you have to make sure it's cost efficient. that requires doing the math. >> reporter: only then will you know if this makes sense to rent. >> this comes down to are they

short-term assets or long-term assets. if you're talking a prom dress, i would rent for the trendy items and buy for the things with a residual value. time magazine has named facebook founder mark zuckerberg it's 2010 person of the year. he is the second youngest person to receive the on north. as one of america's richest peernlings zuckerberg is -- people, zuckerberg is new to the world of philanthropy. one man's trash is another man's treasure. a woman started her own business with her husband and sister selling ugly holiday sweaters. it has inspired facebook pages. the family says it sells thousands of the sweaters this time of the year. if you have a sweater like this

-- i didn't slay it was ugly. she's the one who said it. she's selling it as an ugly sweater. there are a lot of people with a christmas sweater and i don't want to afend them. >> a live look. is there snow coming our way? bob will have the upcoming bob will have the upcoming forere

plenty cold air. all we need is a little bit of moisture. looks like tomorrow afternoon about this time there may be a nuisance event going on. not a big deal but certainly just a coating of snow can cause slick issues. let's take a look at temps, cold enough for snow. 30 degrees. the dew point is so low, it's very dry air. it will take time to moisten up the atmosphere. northwest winds in the last hour have come down but they're still at 20. the barometer is holding steady, 29.90.

32 pax river. 12 in oakland. 25 in hagerstown. 27 cumberland. the dew point dry. the wind chill is up. it was in the single digits. it's up to 17. oakland was 10, 15 below. 22 ocean city, the way it feels. 22 at the air station. later tonight it will finally quit, probably under five miles. 9 in ocean city. that's been a factor. out to the west a system developing. you can see it from iowa to dakotas. eventually that band is going to move towards west virginia, virginia. the main low pressure will pass to our south but close enough that some of the warm air overriding the cold air with clouds to come back and tomorrow afternoon, but pushing light

snow probably from baltimore south. right along here you may see two inches of snow, even southern maryland may she that much -- see that much. the precip is getting into the mason dixon lean -- line. it's a tough close call, icy mix, a few inches and you may see an inch or two and the shore could see an inch or two of snow. southwest winds tomorrow at five to 10 knots. bay temps in the upper 30s. the winds finally quit later on, 16. then 30 degrees, cloudy and cold, light snow, a coating to an inch across the region, more south, less to the north. watch out for that.

driving home may be getting into some spots. >> some of us driving to work, some of us driving home. still to come tonight on wjz eyewitness news. i'm kelly mcpherson reporting from downtown baltimore where east baltimore street is back open for the first time since,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up next on eyewitness news at 5:00. cold weather. now a chance for snow. wjz is live with first warning weather. investigating the cause. i'm mike thel -- helgren in

east baltimore, where six people died in a fire. i'll tell you what sparked it and how important it is for family members to find out what happened. and searching for a cause in another big blaze. tonight, new information about the fire on the block. was it intentionally set? details on more of these and breaking news, eyewitness news at 5:00 starts now. i'm kai jackson. and i'm denise koch. mary has the night off. here's what people are talking about. >> brisk wind is overnight and now the word, possibility of snow. wjz crews were in catonsville, where chunks of ice are