up in the patapsco river. wjz is live, with first warning weather. bob turk and meteorologist bernadette woods are tracking snow headed our way. bob? >> you can see out to the west, south of chicago, there's a band of snow developing. it's all moving off to the east and northeast. what does that mean? take a look at this graphic. it appears the bulk upon pass to the south by tomorrow afternoon, into tonight. could even be some ice across southern virginia. looks like they'll be in southern maryland. we'll be in the northern fringe of it. how much do we expect in the maryland area? take a look at this art graphic. as you see, from washington down to salisbury, extreme southern portions of the region, could see 1 to 2 inches. that's going to cause serious driving issues, i'm sure, by tomorrow afternoon, and tomorrow night. with the cold temperatures, the cold ground. what are the temperatures out there? how does it feel?

bernadette? >> it feels cold. these are the numbers to go along with it. at this hour, we are still only coming in at 30 degrees in baltimore. 25 in hagerstown. haven't gotten in the teens. when you factor in the winds, it feel the like the teens in baltimore. 20 down at the ocean, and still below zero in oakland. this cold air is still in place. it's going to drop tonight. that's what the storm is coming into. that's why we are expecting snow for it. we'll have a full forecast coming up shortly. right now, back inside. remember, wjz 13 is always on. for instant updates on the forecast, live doppler radar, and information on closings and delays, log onto wjz.com. several buildings go up in flames. traffic brought to a standstill. tonight, new information on the cause of the fire on the block. wjz is there live. kelly mcpherson has the latest. kelly? >> reporter: denise, this is the first time we are hearing

anything from this investigation. what they're saying is that someone had to set this fire. it took more than 60 interviews and 90 investigators to be here. but they still need more information. >> reporter: shut down baltimore streets. and blanketed downtown in smoke last monday. was set by someone. federal investigators and the baltimore city fire department had determine the that the fire started here at 404 east baltimore. containing the gayity club, bloom errors and plaza bloom. they won't say where specifically, after sorting through the debris by hand. >> this scene was one of the more difficult ones that our nrt has faced, in terms of the structure collapse and what happened. it took folks two days to shore up the structure in order for us to safely move in. >> reporter: investigators are not calling this arson until they know more about who started it and why. >> it's an issue of intent. it was set because of human involvement. but it has not been determined

whether that was an intentional involvement or unintentional involvement. and that's about as specific, i think, as we can be on it. >> reporter: a few businesses, like crazy johns are back inside for the first time to start cleaning. >> we have been told by the health department to throw everything away. >> reporter: health inspectors will give the final okay to open. ryan branski saw the beginning of monday's fire and suspected this latest development all along. >> that's just not surprising around here. you have so much foot traffic, you never know what could happen. >> reporter: atf has announced that it has offered a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the conclusion of this investigation. this would only change to an arson investigation. if they hear from someone that the person who set this intended to burn the building down. reporting live from east baltimore street, kelly mcpherson, wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you, kelly. tonight, new information on a deadly fire that killed six people in east baltimore. wjz is live on the scene.

mike hellgren has an inside look at how investigators are working to find the cause. mike? >> reporter: kai, i spoke to the man in charge of city fire investigations. right now, his investigators are hard at work, trying to find the cause. and new tonight, they tell wjz why it's so important they get answers. >> reporter: fierce winds whip the caution tape, roping off the massive pile in what's left of the satterfield family's home. among the dead, three children, loved ones have so many unanswered questions. >> definitely going to get some closure. everybody wants to know what really started the fire. >> reporter: raymond obra hi heads the city's fire investigation. >> you cannot leave any stone unturned. there's always something to find in there. and you have to find it. >> reporter: he wouldn't give specifics about the homewood fire but did speak about what goes into these investigations. >> reporter: finding a cause when all that is left is burnt, wet debris. >> because you get to that point of origin, you have to

excavate, and hand excavate, sometimes with hand shovels, hand tools. then we work from least damage back to most damage. and much of the time, that gets us to our point of origin. >> reporter: he says starting the investigation quickly is critical. >> the further you separate, the time of the fire from the beginning of the investigation, the harder it is. we're lucky in the city. we staff our fire investigation bureau 24/7. >> relatives tell wjz, the family did use space heaters and recently smelled the strong odor of gas in the home. >> they didn't find where it came from and left it at that. it's crazy. it ain't hit home yet. ain't hit me yet. >> you really to have been a clean slate and be open-minded until all of the data is revealed. >> reporter: it's unclear how long that will take. >> we always going to wonder how it started. >> reporter: and mr. obra hi is also in charge of fire prevention in the city. he calls this fire a failure in

prevention because there was no evidence of working smoke detectors in the home. reporting live in east baltimore, mike hellgren, wjz eyewitness news. >> 18 people have died in fires in baltimore city this year. that's one fewer than last year. inside a murder case. defense attorneys making a controversial request tonight in connection with the killing of cockeysville native yeardley love. vic is in the newsroom to explain. >> reporter: the mother of yeardley love is opposing. they are trying to gain access to her medical records. love was found dead in her apartment in may. her boyfriend, george huguely was charged. but now, huguely's lawyer say the medical examiner's cause of death is inconclusive. they think it's likely love died from something other than a beating. the medical examiner reiterates what he thinks was the cause of death. >> say that one more time? >> blunt force injuries. >> do you feel like the autopsy

is inconclusive? >> no. >> the judge said the medical examiner's report will remain sealed. >> george huguely waived his right to appear in court today. survivors opened fire in a school board meeting, while a camera records every terrifying second. we want to warn you, the footage you're about to see is disturbing. manuel gallegus has the story for wjz. >> just listen to me for a minute. >> i don't want anybody to get hurt. >> bill huzfeld pleaded with the man who pulled out a gun during a school board meeting. but the man, clay duke, refused to back down. what happens next is disturbing to watch. >> please dont. please don't. please. [ gunshots ] >> he missed his target completely, despite firing at point-blank range. >> he was going to do this. there was nothing we could do

to stop him. >> reporter: he kept shooting until a security guard came in. then he opened fire on himself. ginger little snuck back in and used her purse to try to knock the gun from duke's hand. it didn't work. >> these guys were lined up like pingeons on a wire, and i couldn't leave them without at least trying to divert or somehow or other diffuse the situation. >> reporter: duke pointed the gun at littleton but didn't fire. by the time s.w.a.t. team officers entered the room, it was over. no one else was hurt. >> it was a tragedy. we're very thankful and bless the to be alive. >> reporter: immediately after the shooting, superintendent huzfeld called out that duke had a cap gun. but police confirmed, it was a real gun, with live ammunition. manuel gallegus, cbs news. >> witnesses say that duke complained that his wife had been fired from the district. police say he was carrying a lot more ammunition and may have been planning something much worse. the beginning of a major

battle. the obama administration is taking on b.p. and several other companies over the gulf oil spill. the lawsuit seeks damages from bp, transocean, and two other companies for the disaster that began in april. the suit asked that the companies be held liable under the oil pollution act for cleanup costs. it alleges that the companies violated environmental regulations. the companies face a fine that could go into the tens of billions of dollars. >> the story impacting every american. the tax cut compromise has passed the senate, now heads to the house. joel brown explains to wjz, if lawmakers don't pass it by the end of the month, every one of them will see their taxes go up by the end of the month. >> the final vote wasn't even close. senators from both parties easily push through the tax cut compromise. >> everyone should understand, this is one of the major accomplishments of any congress. >> reporter: but the toughest test is yet to come. the bill still faces a big fight in the house. liberal democrats are leading the charge against it, but they're not alone.

>> the american people have spoken. >> reporter: republicans are under increasing pressure from high-profile conservatives to vote no. they say it will boost the deficit. and they want a permanent extension of bush-era tax cuts, not just a two-year renewal. >> it's a bad year for -- deal for taxpayers and i cannot support it. >> reporter: liberals think extending the tax cuts to people in the highest income tax bracket goes too far. they think the bill favors the rich. >> this is a bad bill for the american people. and i hope my colleagues will reject it. >> reporter: despite the differences on both sides, president obama urged the house to move forward quickly. >> i know there are parts of this plan which both sides of the aisle object. that's the nature of compromise. >> reporter: they will have to provide more than half of the votes needed to pass the bill. but with everyone facing a new year's day tax hike, both parties know there will be a political price to pay if the

deal fails. in washington, joel brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> the house is expected to begin debate on the tax cut package and possibly even vote on it thursday. still ahead on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00. relief for parents. the action being taken against the controversial drop side cribs. i'm alex demetrick. coming up, more eyes on the bay, with a new surveillance system for the chesapeake. that story as eyewitness news continues. giving the gifts of toys and music for dozens of special children this christmas. how the baltimore symphony orchestra makes this yearly tradition happen. i'm andrea fuji. that story is just ahead on wjz eyewitness news. tracking a chance of snow. bob has your updated first warning weather. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

there's a lot more water than there are water cops in maryland. but on the chesapeake, a whole new way of patrolling is starting up. alex demetrick reports, high tech surveillance has come to the bay. it's not easy, sneaking up to a boat, especially when your natural resource is police. >> before you get to the oyster bar, everybody knows that you're coming. >> reporter: but what if the boat doesn't know you're looking? that's what a new high-tech surveillance system called m- line is capable of doing on the chesapeake. >> that's what the whole purpose of this is, getting more eyes on the bay. >> publicly unveiled for the first time. >> what you see here is our current radar picture. >> for large ships, it produces large mains. >> when we hit the alarms and see that james renkin has entered our security zone. >> we're also going to be bringing in the long-range cameras to help with the

poaching aspect. >> eventually, hundreds of cameras from a number of jurisdictions with water views. some will be infrared to see at night. bringing faster response time to rescues and arrests. patrol officers will be able to access the same information on laptop, meaning they'll be able to see what they're dealing with before they get there. >> really is a forced. it allows our force to get bigger with these eyes on. >> and with that patrol areas, it means even officers who work alone, will have someone watching their backs. alexalex demetrick, wjz eyewitness news. >> the new system is designed to be shared, giving federal and local state agencies access to the same real-time information. if you're waiting for someone to get home from work, let's check on the roads. >> if you are waiting for someone, it may be a while. as far as the beltway. solid 30 minutes there, from

harford to providence road. and 95 to liberty road. average speed about 30 miles an hour. 70 westbound, that continues to crawl along there from 29 to marriottsville road. and as far as 95 in the southbound direction, heavy from 395 to the beltway. northbound 95. on the median there. we have fire activity, attracting some attention. and several city accidents, south pulaski at wilkens. and orleans the street at court. heavy in that direction. 26 miles an hour, average. and 24 minutes to get through. now, let's take a live look as you can see on the beltway there, dulaney valley road. just bumper to bumper. area police are arresting drunk drivers, over the limit, under arrest. checkpoint strike force.net. now back over to you. >> all right. thank you. children at the kennedy krieger institute got an early christmas today, as members from the baltimore orchestra

gave them a private concert. andrea fujii has the story. ♪ [ music ] >> 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 play santa santa claus. we can bring music to kids who can't come to us. it's just rewarding to do. >> reporter: 6-year-old andrew just heard has favorite song. >> joy to the world. >> reporter: then straight from the north pole, the oboe- playing santa appeared. >> you pick a toy that makes you happy. >> reporter: all of the children received gifts, donated by the bso. >> reporter: and the rest of the toys will be left for future patients who may spend christmas here. andrew is impressed with his selection. >> hot wheel cars. >> reporter: it makes the days

go quicker leer. -- here. and it's a good thing. >> reporter: bringing holiday cheer to the most vulnerable. a tradition the bso hopes to continue for a long time. >> thank you. >> reporter: arn -- andrea fujii, wjz eyewitness news. >> the kennedy krieger institute treats up to 16,000 patients a year. >> that is a wonderful, wonderful place. happy to see those kids see santa. >> now, santa and maybe a little snow tomorrow for everybody. >> not so happy about that. >> it will be a nuisance event. but please be careful. it can get slick out there. take a look at temps out there. certainly cold for snow. 28 now. but very dry aloft. very cold air. 5 degrees. humidity at 6%. west winds at 10. finally coming down. and the barometer holding steady. come back and take a look at the forecast after this. ,,,,,,,

well, except for this past weekend, temperatures have been running at or below freezing for days now. >> i should say. >> most of this month. in fact, the warmest day of this month was on the 1st. it was 62 degrees. since that time, we have been at or below normal.

in fact, for the whole month, running about 6 degrees below average this time of year. take a look at temperatures right now. with clear skies. temperatures will drop tonight. but the good news is, the winds are coming down. it's 28 now. 27, elkton. 31 in d.c. dew point, 5 degrees. very try air. -- dry air. 10 above in oakland. the wind chill is still 5 below zero. we're at 19. last night, we were 6, 7, 8 degrees. so it has warmed up, somewhat, relatively speaking. our winds are down to 10. and 10 in ocean city. tonight, later on, the winds should be generally under 5 miles an hour. all right. we've got a system. one out here. and another developing in the rockies. this is going to head to the gulf of mexico and probably off the coast sometime saturday night into sunday. we'll talk about that later in the week. but right now, in the meantime, we have a system in the midwest that is eventually into the

portion of missouri and illinois and ohio valley. that's going to spread out of the way, by tomorrow. tomorrow afternoon, as you mentioned, we'll see in the area, north of the mason-dixon line. from york county north, may not see a flake from there south, generally across much of central maryland. a dusting to about an inch or so. and maybe a little more across extreme southern regions. take a look at this graphic. generally, as we mentioned, heaviest, across, let's say, southern portions of garrett county. down through southern maryland. south of d.c. down here, could see an inch or two. and also maybe an inch or two. north of that region, a coating to an inch. and north of the mason-dixon line, maybe just a few flakes across the region. take a look at the rest of the forecast. high pressure in control. that means clear skies tonight. very light winds. tomorrow, the low approaches from the west. passes to the south. down here, could see some icy

mixture again. and then it gets cold again or stays cold. we'll have to watch on sunday for something that could give us some more snow. a gale warning just going to be lifted at 6:00. and a small craft advisory tonight. but winds tomorrow, way down. only 5 to 10 knots. so the forecast tonight. clear, and it will be cold with lighter winds. 16 to about 22 in the city. tomorrow, cloudy skies. snow a little bit. coating to an inch. more south. less to the north. tomorrow's high, right around 30 degrees. please be careful. >> you know what i say to that? >> i don't think so. >> we hope not. >> we hope not. barely a few weeks left in the wjz pro football challenge. tim williams is at wjz.com to update this week's standings. hi, tim. >> the leader may remain the same on the bobblehead leader board. but there is a new face on it. sports director mark viviano. then it's new mom jessica, with her new bobble baby.

she's at 131 points. and then there's adam may at 135. and i snuck on there some kind of way, with 130 points. but the real winner, the local winner this week, laura robbins. of hampstead. she picked 15 of 16 games. she wins a best buy gift certificate for that. you can still sign up to play, just come to wjz.com and scroll down the right side of the page. it's a big blue box that says football challenge. still ahead on wjz's eyewitness news at 5:00. intense investigation. tonight, a twist in the search for baby gabriel. i'm suzanne collins. there are dead car batteries, emergency room visits. i'll tell you about all of the other effects this cold weather is having on maryland. that is coming up next.

i'm ron matz at the maryland spca. how you can help loverboy and other homeless pets in the baltimore area, with a floral bouquet. the story coming up right here on wjz. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it's 5:29. 28 degrees and clear. what a beautiful sunset right now. good evening. thank you for staying with eyewitness news. here are some of the stories

people are talking about tonight. painfully cold across maryland. frigid temperatures are keeping people bundled up and avoiding going outside altogether. just about everything turning out to ice and snow out there. this is the scene in woodlawn today, where a pond froze over. wjz is live with first warning weather coverage. bob turk is tracking snow. but we begin with suzanne collins. hi, suzanne. >> hello, kai. some of the local emergency rooms are seeing cases of frostbite and hypothermia. and there are other inconveniences. we're seeing more broken-down cars and more frozen pipe. >> they have absolutely no water. and the rest of the house, they do. >> reporter: this is an emergency call to a home in hampden, where the pipes are frozen solid. plumbers are getting those calls. >> especially two days in a row when it's this cold, that's where the freezing can happen. and that's where you can have the serious problem with not

just freezing water, but having the pipes burst. >> reporter: outside,itis -- ice is making the sidewalks slippery. emergency rooms are buzzing with activity. >> people are coming in with mild hypothermia, from being in the cold. especially when being wet. >> reporter: when the body temperature drops below 95, they can exet getconfused. >> they feel like they're not warming up on their own. >> reporter: this construction worker started dredzing in -- dressing in layers. >> yesterday was brutal. i wasn't prepared at all. >> reporter: firefighters struggled today in feast baltimore. and running water makes it even harder. they cover most of their faces to cope with it. the cold is also stranding some people on the road. >> reporter: triple a in maryland received 2100 calls yesterday for emergency roadside assistance.

that's about 900 more than the average december day. and many were for batteries that had died. >> this man was with hat, gloves, scarf. when many say stay warm is a matter of survival. >> reporter: there have been three deaths, directly linked to hypothermia. the state health department says you must be cautious. and last year, there were more than 40 during the maryland season. >> reporter: baltimore city is officially under a code blue tonight. but cold weather isn't the only problem. bob turk is tracking the possibility of some snow. bob? >> we told you we might see a nuisance event tomorrow, across northern maryland. you folks in southern maryland could see an inch or two. take a look at radar. we have a batch of snow developing to our west. and it's moving basic eel to the east -- basically to the east and southeast. heavy amounts will be south of the washington dover line. across northern maryland immediate.

temperatures be plenty cold. we're looking for a dusting to maybe an inch. heaviest amounts will be across southern maryland and the lower eastern shore. take a look at national temps once again. it's finally warmed up a little bit in miami. they're up to 58 degrees. but look at dallas. at 77, just up the road, only in the 20s in kansas city. it's a contrast that is causing some of the snow to break out in the midwest. we'll come back with the forecast in just a few minutes. >> thank you, bob. remember, wjz is always on. for information on closings and delays, log onto wjz.com. a christmas ornament is to blame for a scare at the pentagon and metro station. the blinking ornament is found inside a trash can. police started to investigate it as a suspicious object. metro trains in that area had to skip the stop for more than an hour. it was reopened once state officials determined it was just an ornament.

government officially outlaws drop-side cribs. vic is in the newsroom with this. >> tied to the deaths of 30 infant toddlers. now they have voted unanimously to ban the sale, resale and manufacturing of the cribs. the cribs' drop-side really can detach, creating a gap that can suffocate the child. kai, back to you. >> vic, thank you. the new standard requiring cribs to have thick sides will take effect in june. a disturbing twist in the baby gabriel case. 8-month-old gabriel johnson vanished nearly a year ago. now, in a chilling, newly released audio tape, the mother said she killed him. bill whittaker has the latest for wjz. >> baby gabriel was last seen the day after christmas. police still don't know whether he is alive or dead. but his 24-year-old mother, elizabeth johnson, claimed in a phone conversation, with the baby's father, that she killed

their son. >> where are you? and where is gabriel? >> gabriel is in the dumpster. >> snow, he's not. >> reporter: johnston and her ex-boyfriend, logan mcqueary, shared custody. but december 27th, the day mcqueary was supposed to get gabriel, the audio was dead. and in a taped conversation, johnson confessing to killing gabriel in chilling detail. >> you did not hurt gabriel. >> yes, i did. i suffocated him. then i threw him in the trash can. >> reporter: johnson was on the run at the time of the alleged call and had changed her identity, as police searched nationwide for both mother and son. her motive? she believed mcqueary was flirting with other women online and she wanted revenge. >> don't you care about me? all you care about is gabriel. and he's gone now.

you know what i'm capable of and you pushed me anyway. you just destroyed my life. >> i didn't destroy anything. >> yes, you have. you made me kill my baby boy. >> reporter: days later, johnson was arrested in florida, and told police she gave the baby to strangers in texas. she had also promised an arizona couple, jack and tammy smith, that they could adopt the baby. johnson remains behind bars, charged with kidnapping, child abuse, and custodial interference. she is due back in court january 24th. bill whittaker, cbs news, los angeles. >> reporter: earlier this year, san antonio police searched a nearby landfill but failed to find the missing boy. breaking news from the capital, the house has just voted to repeal the don't ask, don't tell policy that has prevented gays from serving openly in the military. now the debate shifts to the senate, where democratic leaders are trying to squeeze in a vote in the final hours of this session of congress.

chrysler is recalling thousands of dodge ram trucks. it affects certain 2010 and 2011 models. the automaker says a flaw in the power storying system could lead to braking problems. craisler says it -- chrysler says it will notify owners of affected vehicles. and dealers will fix the issue, free of charge. >> wiki leak's founder, julian assange is in jill today, even though he has been granted bail. mark smith is in blondon -- lond know -- london with details for wjz. >> reporter: the curious case of julian assange draws a crowd. most of those who came to the court hearing were there to support the wikileaks founder who was not being prosecuted for leaking secret documents but is facing allegations of sex crimes against two women in sweden, allegations he denies.

assange was brought to court for a bail hearing. and he was at first gratified to hear he would be bailed to strict conditions. $316,000 in cash bond. and the wearing of electronic tags. some notables announced they would contribute to the required money including film maker michael moore and mick's ex-wife, bianca. >> i do not agree with everything he's done. but i think the most important thing with us is law, justice, due process, and freedom of expression. >> reporter: but when the swedish prosecutor appealed the decision, assawmpleg -- assawmpleg was -- assange. >> there is a view that wikileaks will stop. but as he's been in prison,

wikileaks continues to run. >> reporter: asawmpleg's legal am-- assange's legal team says it has collected about half the money in cash needed to spring him. >> and asawmpleg's next -- assange's next court appearance is january 11th. the natural retail federation says the average person has done less than half of their shopping. just over 10% have actually completed their holiday shopping. "time" magazine has found facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg person of the year. he is the second youngest person to receive that honor. as one of america's richest people, zuckerberg is also new to the world of philanthropy. he recently pledged to give away half of his fortune to charity. paying for public events, like fourth of july and new

year's eve celebrations that are not in the budget. how the terps are trying to sell 10,000 bowl tickets. and why outside influences play more of a role in what children choose to eat. these stories and more, read tomorrow's baltimore sun. and remember to look university updated forecast. baltimore area animal shelters are overflowing. and now there is a unique way you can help them. especially during the holidays. ron matz reports, you can do it with flowers. >> reporter: loverboy is just one of the thousands of pets being cared for at baltimore area animal shelters. so eddie wingrat started pedals -- petals for pets. start a bouquet and help the animals at the shelter. >> we put the two together and said, why don't we do this for the shelters? and we did. >> the shelters welcome the help. >> we have a baltimore aliance. barks. and baltimore humane society

all work together. this is such a great idea that eddie had. we're so grateful. >> you'll get a special thank you card. most arrangements are $58. >> 20% of the sale price will go to either the baltimore humane society, the maryland spca, or barks. they can designate that at the time when they purchase the pet. >> reporter: loverboy is one of the 18,000 home unless pets baltimore's three nonprofit shelters see every year. >> we're all nonprofit. so we need all the help we can get. so helping your local shelters means more animals get saved. >> reporter: staving them with flowers. >> the joy that pets give to people. and the fact that shelters are in need of the money, put the two together. and it was easy. it was an easy mix. >> reporter: ron matz, wjz eyewitness news. >> and for more information on petals for pets, go to wjz.com and click on news, and click on the right-hand side for seen on wjz. scroll down for the story.

still ahead on eyewitness news tonight. casino crime. tonight, new developments in the robbery at the bellagio in vegas. protecting your heart. doctors raising the importance of family history. bob turk, first warning weather center. some snow coming our way. we'll have the exclusive first warning five-day forecast. here's's today's report from wall street. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

cold weather remains. bernadette woods with a look at your forecast. >> the cold part continues. but something is going to continue to come out of the sky tomorrow. we start out the day. there is's chance snow could a -- is a chance snow could arrive in the morning hours. light snow accumulating. probably a coating to an inch in most of the areas. 30 to a high. and it will be gone by tomorrow night. for the rest of the five-day, here's bob. we talked about another system perhaps to come our way for the later part of the weekend. and that could happen on sunday. all depends on a storm track.

tomorrow, chance of a little bit of snow. 33, 24. 38. sunshine returns. partly cloudy on saturday. up to 40. and a chance of snow on sunday. looks like it's going to stay probably to our south. but it may come up the coast. don't know that yet. 36/26. back to the cold, breezy, partly cloudy. 32, back on monday. thank you, bob. today's energy saver tip, a hot shower feels great on a cold day like today. but did you know that about 15% of an average home energy bill goes to home heat being water. take five-minute showers instead of baths. you can also install low-flow shower heads and sink aerators. for more information on how you can be a home saver, go to our special section on the home page. a daring, late-night

robbery at a casino. an armed bandit stole more than $1.5 million worth of chips. >> with his helmet still on, he look more like an astronaut than a bandit. but he brazenly held up a table of gamblers at the swank bilagio casino, making off with more than $1 million in chips. >> he went to the table where he confronted several patrons with a firearm. he told everyone not to move. and he took approximately $1.5 million worth of casino chips. >> reporter: this is the tenth casino rob in four years. >> he was carrying a handgun. and both of them. and was last seen wearing a white motorcycle helmet with multiple stripes on it. he was wearing a black jacket, black pants, and black gloves during both events. >> reporter: unlike money,

casino chips are only for the property. while the casino would not reveal security measures, a spokespansaid, at one point, they'll have to be redeemed. some of the more upscale casinos have microchips embedded in the chips that will allow them to know when they are redeemed. bellagio is not saying whether it has that technology. unthinkable cruelty. another shocking case of animal neglect in the region. new at 6:00. how you can help this dog. international transit agency. dozens of silum seekers are dead. -- asylum seekers are dead. the term ugly is usually not associated with a fashion trend. >> however, this holiday season, ugly sweater parties seem to be all the rage. >> that's right. >> and stories like this one in chicago are capitalizing on the trend. the owner says everyone is

looking for that once ridiculed combination of snow scenes and sown-on bells and ribbons. >> it -- can the much-maligned fruitcake also make it? not in my household. >> i don't mind fruitcake. the sweater, i don't know, but the fruitcake, i actually like, building it or not. saints come to town sunday. >> mark has the latest coming up. ,,,,,,,,

talking football. the ravens could have a real home field advantage. ed the ranks would like to give the saints a cool, if not snowy remark. >> new orleans is a team that plays in the dome. and when they venture in, they don't play so well. and we are expecting chilly temperatures for the game sunday. the saints, not accustomed to the cold. next, their quarterback's name is breeze.

he's quarterback drew brees. they enjoy the comforts of the super dome. but in the last five year years, when they played in temperatures below 40 degrees. new orleans' record is just 2- 4. not a worry, though, says their coach. >> we're a team that is battle tested and have been able to handle elements, and whether it's been wind, whether it's been cold weather, any of those things. and like i said before, i think we look more closely at travel logistics, in regards to thursday games, minute games, than we do weather games. and that -- i think there's a confidence that comes with where your team is at. and chances are, if you're playing pretty well outdoors, you're probably playing pretty well. >> reporter: and the ravens may have the home temperature advantage sunday, but they didn't bother practicing outside today. it's an indoor workout. late this afternoon, we're going to hear from the team, coming up in sports at 6:00. also, next hour, they're making major adjustments in

minnesota because they're making weather. and baltimore star carmelo anthony. that's all coming up later this hour. back to you for now. >> thank you, mark. in tonight's healthwatch report, a new report from the american heart association shows just how big a role family history can play in a person's risk for heart attack. kendis gibson reports for wjz. >> reporter: at just 32 years old, anna baptiste has to visit her cardiologist every three months to have her blood pressure and heart checked. she's at risk of having a heart attack, just like her mother had in her early 50s. >> she died when i was 18 years old. of a massive heart attack. >> reporter: and now a new report from the american heart association 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 are for heart disease. that means getting cholesterol checked. getting blood pressure checked. >> and it's not just a parent. if a brother or sister has heart disease, your risk doubles, whether male or female. >> there is good news. deaths from heart attacks are down. but operations and procedures for those conditions are up, nearly 30%. >> though we've treated it and the death rates have gone down, let's make no mistake. people are actually more unhealthy than they've been in the past. we've figured out the treatment. now we have to figure out the prevention. >> if i don't take care of myself now, i'm going to die early, too. and i don't want that. >> reporter: and that's why anna and her doctors are working together to keep her healthy. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. >> more than 920,000 americans suffer heart attacks each year.

well, still to come tonight on wjz's eyewitness news. investigating the cause. i'm mike hellgren, in east baltimore, where six people died in a fire. i'll tell you what goes into finding out what sparked it and how important it is for family members to find out what happened. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up on eyewitness news at 6:00. towering inferno. a huge fire destroyed several buildings from the block.

why investigators now say it was no accident. tragedy in east baltimore. new information on a fire that killed six members of the same family. unbelievable video. gunmen made it into a school building. we'll see what happens. and no break from the bitter cold. don't miss the updated first warning forecast. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. wjz at 6:00 starts now. hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking approximate tonight. >> one-two punch. the bitter cold is going away. you can see it's still cold.