eyewitness news starts right now. his side of the story. out of an aruban jail, gary giordano speaks out for the first time. >> what he's saying about the disappearance of robyn gardner. >> hi, everybody. i'm mary bubala. >> i'm kai jackson. here's what people are talking about. >> back in the u.s., but still under a cloud of suspicion, gary giordano speaks on national tv today, and he tries to explain his side of the story in the presumed death of robyn gardner, from frederick, maryland. gigi barnett has the latest. >> reporter: instead of going home to gaithersburg, gary giordano was in new york city, giving his version of events

the day his travel companion went missing. >> reporter: back on american soil, gary giordano gives his first interview on network news this morning. he appeared on "good morning america," telling his side of what happened on the island, the day his travel companion and frederick native robyn gardner went missing. >> i feel bad, for a travel companion, disappeared on my watch. >> reporter: giordano says that she went missing and he frantically searched for her afterwards. he also discussed the $1.5 million life insurance policy taken out for her. >> there is a holland handbook for travelers. it tells you what to do for missing persons. first thing it says is call authorities. second thing it says is to call your insurance company. >> his attorney is the same man who represents casey anthony.

he says gardner's disappearance is nothing more than a traffic accident. >> reporter: also in the interview, giordano said aruba is allegedly known for human trafficking, and had he known that, he would have never taken gardner to aruba. heartbreaking anniversary. it was two years ago this saturday, a maryland businessman was jailed in cuba. allen gross is in prison in cuba. gross, a u.s. contractor, was working as part of an aid program, supplying the internet to remote villages, in advance of anniversary of gross's incarceration, his mother makes this appeal to cuban president, raul castro. >> i have lung cancer in both lungs. and it stands to reason i'm not going to be here for any length of time. so i want to see my son. i want to see him, to come

home. so he can be with us. >> senators barbara mikulski and ben cardin, congressman chris van holland, and dozens of other congress members have sent a letter, asking for allen gross's release. symbolic ceremony, one month from today, u.s. troops will leave iraq. vic is in the newsroom, with more on the special handover ceremony. >> reporter: vice president joe biden, and iraqi prime minister nouri al-maliki stood together today. they thanked the troops for their service and sacrifice. u.s. naval flags were lowered for the last time nearly nine years after american troops are getting ready to come home. iraqi troops still face big challenges. a car bomb exploded near a market today, killing 13 people. >> thousands of combat u.s. troops will remain in kuwait, which is just south of iraq.

an update today on a disturbing story, the mishandling of remains of fallen troops at the military mortuary in dover, delaware. a house panel, headed by elijah cummings, is from the department on the incident. the in the is asking for records going all the way back to 2002. the deadline to receive those documents is december 9th. >> the defense blames its case. attorneys are trying to prove bob ehrlich's campaign manager didn't break laws, suggesting democrats stay home. derek valcourt explains, the defense already scored a minor victory. >> reporter: these morning, the judge threw out one of the criminal charges, saying the state prosecutor, failed to offer enough evidence to prove it. >> reporter: when the election into election night robocalls began, they said that paul surric intentionally withheld

information. but in court today, the judge dismissed the charge, saying prosecutors never offered enough proof. suric still faces charges that he and campaign consultant julius henson, conspired to suppress african american voter turnout, with the robocall that suggested that democrats had already been victorious. >> we're okay. relax. everything is fine. the only thing left is to watch it on tv tonight. >> reporter: in court, the judge blasted those calls, calling them clearly fraudulent. they claimed that it was counter psychology. but the judge insisted it would be a jury who decides. michael steele took the stand briefly to call suric an honest

man, a straight shooter. >> reporter: the defense is expected to call another witness, including former governor bob ehrlich, who is expected to testify he had no knowledge of the robocalls. derek valcourt, wjz eyewitness news. >> also on the stand today, former governor robin mandell and former governor ehrlich, more at 5:00. howard county police are charging a howard county man with breaking into churches churches and preschools. webster is facing three commercial robbery charges. bethel korean presbyterian church. and lapetite academy. they also be linked to other churches and preschools. he's being held on $125,000 bond. maryland welcomes a u.s. navy blue angel. the elite pilot landed at the airport just after 12:30 today. they will stay in maryland to

prepare for the bicentennial next june. maryland's commemoration begins with the star-spangemmed cell -- star-spangled celebration and international maritime festival that runs from june 13th through the 19th. if you can catch them, they're fast. the skies were clear when the blue angels landed. here's a live look outside, unseasonably cool continues with lots of sunshine. wjz has weather and traffic together. bob turk is here with the updated numbers from first warning weather. bob? >> not a cloud in the sky all day today. beautiful afternoon. just about normal for this time of year. look at the temperatures. normal high for today is 50. right now, we're looking at 51 degrees. actually, 52. 49, ocean city. 37 in oakland. now, tomorrow, a weak frontal system will be to our north. and it will give us another shot of slightly cooler temperatures on saturday. tomorrow, however, temperatures may actually get a little

warmer than they were today. all in all, plenty of sunshine coming our way. kai? >> bob, thank you. let's check on the roads with kristy breslin at wjz traffic control. >> hi, kai. hi, everyone. major delays already on the inner loop. if you are traveling in that direction, we have a lot of traffic from southwestern boulevard to harford road. average speed, only about 30 miles an hour. as far as the north side outer loop goes, stop and go there, from york road to green spring heavy. and northbound 95, crawling along there, from route 32 to 175. as far as accidents go, bel air road, between new cut road and record road. in towson, loch raven boulevard at 33rd street. in the towson area. and baltimore south pack at west camden. and we have police activity as well. loch raven at 33rd. because of the washington monument lighting ceremony, we have road closures. that's mount vernon place, closed between charles street and cathedral street. so take your time if you're traveling in that area.

and let's now take a live look. as you can see, we have some congestion to watch out for there on greenspring avenue. and we'll take another live look there as well. that's 95 right there at whitemarsh boulevard. this traffic report is brought to you by navy federal credit union. they have been serving the military for over 75 years. if you are a family member of the army, navy, marine corps or department of defense, they're happy to serve you. crowds will soon file into mount vernon to see the washington monument illuminated. jessica kartalija is live with the festivities. how are you? >> reporter: hello, everyone. this is one of my favorite nights of the year. it is so much fun. and i have to tell you, it's like the calm before the storm. it's so quiet. in a few hours, it will be so packed. everybody will be nice and warm thriewz no place to -- there's no place to move because there's so many people. the live stage starts at 5:30. and the fireworks and big

finale at 7:45. take a look. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: the stage is set for the 40th annual lighting of the washington monument. >> this started out with just a few local neighbors, holding hands around the monument with candles and eggnog and singing carols. and it's becoming a regional celebration. >> reporter: local vendors will sell food and drinks to thousands who come to start the holiday season with a bang. >> we have christmas classics from back in the 40s to modern twists with techno-style music. >> reporter: okay. now just to reemphasize. if you want to come down here, 5:30 is when all of the festivities begin. and all of the food vendors are beginning to get set up. and it's starting to smell great out here. and 7:45 is the grand finale. and be sure to tune into kristy's traffic report. because this mole wholearea, completely blocked off. and parking will be difficult. so if you can, get down here

early. or if you want to, stay on the couch and watch us. >> yeah, that couch thing is working on me. >> i think so. very much so. it's a way to stay warm and see it all. still ahead at 4:00 eyewitness news. risking arrest again. the new dispute country singer christy mccreedy is facing again that could end up causing her to go to jail. and a thing doesn't turn out quite as planned. an investigation grows. the latest on child sex abuse by former syracuse basketball coach, bernie fine. >> and here's a look over chopper 13, over mount vernon. as final preps for the washington monument are under way. we'll be right back. ,,

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deadly car pileup in tennessee. black ice and very thick fog caused this crash. at least one person is dead and several others hurt. around around 46 cars were involved in the wreck, involving a school bus. none of the children on the bus was hurt. a man wanted for kidnapping his wife, tries to evade police by land and water. this is the man trying to swim away from police in norfolk, virginia. police say he forced his estranged wife into a van alt a -- at a grocery store. once they got him back on land, he was arrested, the man's wife was found safe. >> singer mindy mccreedy is using facebook to defend herself. that is after she reportedly fled florida with her son, even though she doesn't have legal custody of him. nick spineto has more. >> when we saw him there, everything was fine. ms. mccreedy was there, as well as her father. so what we saw, everything was good. >> amy mclaughlin with the

children's network tells them, he saw them tuesday. >> better for him to leave the area. >> sources tell us the 36-year- old called in north fort myers and said her son was sick. the school then called the case worker, who filed the report after speaking with mindy's father. the school report said that tim mccreedy didn't want to tell her the whereabouts of zander or mindy. the report also says they could be in arkansas. the report says mccreedy has been advising the courts that zander is in danger physically and mentally in the care of her mother. >> our job in the community is child safety. and zander is supposed to be in an approved placement, here in link county, and he's not. and until he is home safely, we will continue to work with law enforcement in order to bring him home. >> and that was nick spineto

reporting. mccreedy's father released a statement saying that they are cooperating with the court and his only interests are the safety, health and well being of his grandson. a small setback on wall street. dow couldn't keep the wednesday gains going. the dow was down 26. s&p down 22. -- two. nasdaq up 6. let's go to alexis christoforous with the cbs money watch update. >> reporter: stocks pulled back one day after the market's best showing in two and a half years. investors reacted to some discouraging news on jobs. the number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose for the second straight week. it's a sign the job market is recovering but at a slow and uneven pace. it comes one day before the government releases the november employment figures. americans return to auto show rooms last month. chrysler sales jumped from a year earlier.

and gm is affording a 7% sales increase. overall, november was the best month for the auto industry since august 2009, when the government offered big rebates for drivers to trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers. and you may have money coming to you from the internal revenue service. the irs says it has millions of dollars in unclaimed tax refund checks, looking for the right homes. more than 99,000 taxpayers never received their refund check because they had the wrong mailing address. and if you think you're missing your refund, you can contact the irs by phone or website. go to cbsmoneywatch.com for more. at the new york stock exchange, i'm alexis christoforous. oriole park at camden yards may soon be getting a bit of a makeover. the maryland stadium authority's plan includes converting the center into a park that fans can visit all

year long. they also have more concessions for a rooftop area. they are expected to ask to approve the plan next week. we'll have more on these changes coming up on wjz at 5:00 and 6:00. >> all right. coming up at 4:00. a secret passage way. wait until you see what is inside a massive drug tunnel, linking warehouses in california and mexico. he says he can beat relief. more on world a.i.d.s. day. and a look at the lighting of the washington monument at mount vernon. will the weather cooperate? -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope.

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[ no audio ] >> well, apparently, we couldn't hear. but i could almost hear. it's going to be a great night, getting down to the washington

monument, getting lit up for the christmas holiday. it will be cool tonight. take a wrap of some kind. right now, we're looking at temperatures generally in the upper 40s to low 50s. we're at 51 degrees now. the normal high today is 50. so we're very close to that. the winds have calmed down. now west at 6. the barometer on the way back up. dew points low. humidity is way down to 46%. out to the west, it's pretty chilly. 37 in oakland. later tonight, we'll be way below that. 48 in hagerstown. and 49, ocean city. once again, the dew point 31. that's pretty indicative of tonight's low temperature, generally around the region. there will be more 20s in many, many places by morning. 53, annapolis and kent island by the water. and a 48 now up in westminster. winds have finally come down. but they're still a little breezy in elkton at 12. we're down to six. later tonight.

clear skies. boom, the temperatures are going to -- eastern canada. winds will kind of relax. from maine to florida. not a cloud in the sky. all the way out to illinois. not a cloud. across the border here into portions. let's call it the central rockies and the great basin. colder air, yes. and there's snow. denver was in the 60s. now, to 21 with snow. they may see 5 to 6 inches. across extreme northern michigan. a mixture of rain and snow. for our region, beautiful conditions. now, late tomorrow night, that weak front will cross our region. and it may drop temperatures a couple of degrees. just a couple on saturday. then they recover once again. but it stays on the dry side. let's call it cool, but by saturday night, the winds go back to the southwest. even milder air coming in for early next week. northwest winds at 5 to 10.

bay temp, right around 50 degrees. tonight, clear. it will be cold, with light winds. temperature down around 28 degrees to the low 30s in the city. tomorrow, just a beautiful friday, lots of sunshine. a little bit warmer than today. normal high tomorrow is 50. let's call it 54 degrees. certainly no complaints about the first few days of december. >> no. a-okay, bob. thank you. make sure you tune in for seeks primetime tonight. top off with the ever-popular show, the mentalist at 10:00. followed by eyewitness news at 11:00. and the first placed ravens travel to cleveland this weekend to take on the browns. watch the game sunday at 4:00, here on wjz 13. scott pelley has a preview of what's coming up tonight on the cbs evening news. new questions are being raised hazing at a famed college marching band. we'll hear from the ousted band director about what might have caused a tragedy. that's tonight on the cbs

evening news. turning the tables. the demand herman cain's attorney is making to the woman who is accusing the republican presidential candidate of an extramarital affair. hurricane force. some of the worst santa ana winds are blasting the west. we'll show you extensive damage. what penn state students say at a town hall meeting just hours after a lawsuit is filed. we'll have more after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

it is 4:29, 51 degrees. mostly sunny. there it is. the washington monument about to be lit here pretty soon. >> i'm denise koch. here's what people are talking about. >> trying to make amends. penn state university is donating $1.5 million to crime advocacy programs.

the sexual allegations are made, against the assistant basketball coach. >> reporter: in the first lawsuit filed against former penn state coach, jerry sandusky, says he was molested hundreds of times. he said he was threatened and his family, if he told anyone about the abuse. >> at that time, sandusky inspired his promise and began to groom him. and that's what predators do. >> reporter: the now 29-year- old claims he met sandusky through the second mile when he was just 10 years old. >> it's an opportunity to throw out a rope to some kids. and if they grab hold, they can become champions. >> reporter: sandusky founded the charity in 1977. investigators say he used it to prey on his victims.

in addition to sandusky, his foundation and penn state university have also been named as defendant in the suit. >> a lot of us are worried. >> reporter: at a town hall meeting last night at penn state, students were given the chance to ask questions about the scandal. >> sandusky was part of the penn state family. we all are. and i feel ashamed. >> he acknowledges it took sandusky's recent arrest for him to come forward. >> i never told what he did to me. i am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened. but feel now even more tormented that i have learned so many other kids were abused after me. he's seeking $400,000 and feels sandusky belongs behind bars. >> reporter: jerry san dunky's lawyer says he has not discussed pleading guilty with his client. and he continues to maintain his innocence.

>> kai is in the newsroom with the latest developments. >> reporter: federal agents have obtained a sealed search warrant in their investigation against former syracuse assistant basketball coach. three people accuse bernie fine of molesting them when they were minors. they investigated his home but will not say what they found. the third warrant was issued this week. fine has denied all allegations. >> bernie fine was fired by syracuse university on sunday. show me the proof. an attorney for republican presidential candidate herman cain, demands cell phone records from a woman accusing him of an extramarital affair. the attorney says cain wants to examine phone records to see if they're authentic. ginger wright claims they had a 13-year affair that ended shortly after he decided to run for president.

anthrax. marty stevens claims the government was negligent in creating weapons-grade anthrax at fort detrick. he said taking on the government the last few years has been painful. >> no one really knows, apart from family and friends, mr. shuller, how difficult it was to go through those early days because we were hit with somebody we didn't see coming. and that goes for a lot of the victims. >> the fbi eventually concluded frederick scientist bruce ivins was behind the attack which killed five people. he committed suicide in 2008. >> president obama is marking the 23rd anniversary of world a.i.d.s. day, with a major announcement. and mary is in the newsroom with the story. mary is this. >> reporter: well -- pairy? >> reporter: well, denise. president obama announced we will fight. and announced an additional fund will go toward combattling -- combatting hiv and a.i.d.s. the mission is 2 million more

than the original target. the president also urged other countries with major economies, including china, to give money to the global a.i.d.s. fund. over the last decade, the pandemic has claimed 30 million lives. >> while the rate of new infections is going down elsewhere, president obama night noted it -- president obama noted it is not going down in america. and shutting down schools causing widespread damage. about 300,000 have lost power in southern california alone. >> reporter: this southern california gas station was mangled, after hurricane- strength winds toppled a nearby tree. >> looking what goes through your head. >> thank god nobody got hurt. >> roger ferodge owns the business and estimates his damage will top $200,000. >> of course we'll be closed and will lose a lot of revenue.

>> the worst santa ana in years has led to warnings and advisories in six western states. the wind peeled parts of the roof off this business in los angeles area. schools and roads are closed in many communities. and hundreds of thousands are without power. last night, passengers sat in the dark for an hour at l.a.x., when the airport lost electricity. dozens of flights have been delayed or diverted. >> the base here really tells the story of the storm's strength. so powerful, it tears out the roots. >> courtney ramirez and her family woke up to downed trees all over their neighborhood. >> it was insane. and it was really very frightening. we haven't had winds like this ever that i can remember. >> it's an unusual and unwelcome sight, too, for roger ferag. >> only thing worse than this is my divorce. but this is unbelievable. >> reporter: powerful and dangerous gusts are expected to continue in several states until friday.

in pasadena, california, bigad shaban. winds in maryland today, not nearly as strong as the santa anas. outside, it's sunny, clear. a bit chilly. wjz has weather and traffic here. bob is here with updated numbers. >> high winds, not anything like that. we had wind gusts yesterday in the 20- to 25-mile-an-hour range. today, generally 10, 15, 20 miles an hour. take a look at where temperatures should be. normal high is 50. right now we're at 51. we did get up to 52. 37, chilly out in oakland. and 49 in ocean city. now, tomorrow, there will be a weak front to our northwest. it will bring us initially a little warmer temperatures. and then tomorrow night and saturday, temperatures dip just a little bit, but we'll have plenty of sunshine as we go into the weekend. vic? >> thanks, bob. let's check on the roads now with kristy breslin, with wjz traffic control. >> hi, vic.

hi, everyone. for the inner loop, it's just turned into one very long delay. it starts at southwestern boulevard and goes to harford road. the delay now, at least an hour long. if you're traveling on the outer loop, we're also seeing some delays in that direction. 30 minutes there from providence road to security boulevard. average speed at this point, about 40 miles an hour. 70 westbound, heavy there from 29 to marriottsville road. and northbound 95, a lot of brake lights there from 32 to 195. if you're traveling in the rosedale area, we do have some fire activity. that's pulaski highway, at rothville boulevard. in bel air, this is in a tough spot for us this week. another accident at the bel air bypass and emerton road. and of course, we have the washington lighting ceremony going on, which is definitely affecting roads. we have closures at west mount vernon place. between charles street and cathedral. also, closed between west center and madison. could be tricky if you're still driving in that area. let's take a live look. as you can see, not too bad

there. that's a look at 70 at the beltway. and 95 looks to be in great shape up there in harford county, by 543. this traffic report is brought to you by pizza bolis. new york-style pizza, but at a hometown price. you can get a large for only $9, only at pizza bolis. back to you. >> thank you, kristy. a monumental occasion is set to take place tonight in mount vernon square. jessica cartal kartalija has more on the 40th lighting of the mount washington -- washington monument. >> we're here. and they did my hair. you guys are doing what? >> we're going to do a medley of my hip "crabs for christmas." oh, i want crabs for christmas ♪ oh, only crabs will do ♪ faster ♪ oh, i want crabs for christmas ♪ my christmas will come true ♪ >> it's on my new album.

you can get it at stores at the crabs for christmas.com. do i have to pay for that? >> no. but what time will you be performing? >> did you know this is the 43rd performance. crabs for christmas is only 31. we're young at heart. >> okay. thank you, jessica. and the crabby people. lawstles -- [ laughter ] talk about shameless promotion. >> i thought she was wearing a hat. the more i see it, i get it. it's supposed to be her wig. still ahead. planes collide. what went wrong on a runway in seattle? bizarre accident. a tree crashes on top of a moving police car. and it's caught on tape. and here's a live look outside. will the skies stay clear for the lighting of the washington monument in mount vernon. bob has the updated first warning forecast. ,,,, [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable

and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality,

plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. a young father opens fire on his family, killing two of his sons in texas.

he shot his wife and four children before killing himself. the two are on life support. his wife under underwent surgery and suffered multiple garcia wounds. bond is denied to 4 amish men. a federal judge charged the men with hate crimes. three others will face similar hearings on friday. the men are accused of forcibly cutting the hair and beards of other amish men and taking their pictures. investigators are blaming a serial killer in the recent kill being of 10 bodies on long island. the discovery remains along the remote barrier beach. >> the remains were found while detectives were looking for missing new jersey prostitute, shannon gilbert. four of the bodies identified

are females who placed escort ads online. all four bodies were reportedly wrapped in burlap. six other bodies were also found. some dismembered more than a decade ago. the single killer theory could change as the investigation continues. police say all of the identified victims thus far appear to be linked to the sex trade. federal agents uncover an elaborate underground tunnel. six people are facing charges in connection with the operation. manuel gallegus reports for wjz from new york. >> reporter: it's being called the most elaborate and sophisticated drug tunnel ever discovered along the u.s.- mexico border. a 600-yard passage way, linking wayhouses in tijuana and san diego. >> it goes all the way back to tj. >> it's equipped with lighting and hidration. >> all considered, a highly-

efficient mechanism to move narcotics in an underground environment. >> 76, 77. >> reporter: authorities recovered a total of 32 tons of marijuana. on the street, that's worth about $53.5 million dollars. it's one of the largest pot busts. >> half of that haul was found in the san diego warehouse. >> some of them had markings, indicative of a produce-type business. >> the investigation began over the summer when agents believed the tunnel was still under construction. >> we were able to shut this tunnel down, as soon as it became operational. >> they forced drug cartel to come up with other ways to move their illegal merchandise. >> if they can't cross the border, above ground, they attempt to tunnel underneath it. >> u.s. officials say the message to the cartels is clear. >> if you build it, we'll find it. and when we find it, we'll destroy it. >> prosecutors say the real

work begins now, as they link the tunnel to a drug organization and move to dismantle it. manuel gallegus, wjz eyewitness news. >> for three years, tunnels have been discovered right before the holidays. agents suspect smugglers are trying to take advantage of the fall harvest. wal-mart is paying up. the retailer announced it will pay for any customers harmed from syringes, found in soiled clothing. recent days, they have been found four times in clothing from a wal-mart in cartersville, georgia. in two cases, needles appeared. wal-mart believes the syringe scare is isolated to this one particular store. >> a police car is seriously damaged and it's all caught on tape. this is dash video from the mission kansas police car. it breaks off right on top of the cruiser. the windshield was shattered. and the rest of the car was dented in several places. the officer inside was not

hurt. >> an investigation is under way tonight, after two planes collide on an airport runway in washington state. gary has more on what happened. >> reporter: according to eyewitnesses, the impact happened when the pilot was taking off from the runway, when he suddenly veered off crashing directly into an empty twin-engine cargo plane. >> i ran into the plane on the tarmac. >> the pilot in training was with his instructor, a woman in her early 30s. we're told somehow, they were both able to climb out of the upside down plane's cockpit while it was exploding. >> apparently there was a fair amount of fuel on the ground. and it exploded. >> reporter: king county airport firefighters were able to get the fire under control with foam within minutes. but it could take days to figure out exactly what led up to this crash. faa investigators are now on the scene to gather clues from the planes. the trainer plane was a piper

owned by a company in hillsboro, oregon. the empty twin-engine cargo plane is at boeing field. they'll also interview both survivors, after they were treated by doctors. >> there were injuries. but at this point, we don't believe those injuries are life- threatening. the two individuals were transported to the hospital. >> that was gary horsehire reporting. crews spent all night, cleaning up the foam. and anything that might have spilled on the ramp outside the terminal. a major change to happy meals in san diego. it's -- san francisco. it's now illegal to give toys with it. it requires meals to meet certain health food guidelines. but they have found a loophole. they are selling the toys for a 10-cent donation to ronald mcdonald toys. costello says one of his cd

packages costs way too much. he says the price appears to be either a misprint or satire. instead, costello is recommending buying a set of louie armstrong albums. it's surfing like you've never seen it before. it's glow in the dark. surfing in sydney, australia. the dark west suits with n neon stripes and glowing surf boards, transform the famous bundy beach. it was also a famous fire show. it's all to celebrate, don't we wish we were there? the first day of summer down under. >> wow. surfing on the first day of summer. >> yeah. and we haven't even gotten into the first day of winter. it is a clear, cool evening. >> and here's a live look at the west lawn of the white house, where the capital tree is about to be lit. bob turk has the updated first warning forecast coming up next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

here's a live look from the west lawn of the white house. where celebrations have begun for the lighting of the capital tree.

there's the president's limousine. >> that's not the tree, that little one there. [ laughter ] >> for some reason, i think it's something about 60 feet tall that came from washington somewhere. let's take a look around hereof. -- here. we have perfect weather in d.c. also for baltimore, later this evening. let's take a look at temperatures. we're alt 51. at least that last report. dew points way down to 31 degrees. much dryer air. 46% humidity. winds way down. 6 miles an hour out of the west barometer on the way back up. 30.28 inches. currently, 37. the cool spot in oakland. 48 in hagerstown. ocean city at 49. d.c. over there now at 51. same temperature we're having right here. pax river also at 51. locally, temperatures upper 40s to the low 50s, which is just about normal for this time of year. what's normal? 50, 32. today, we actually got up to 53 briefly. 37 last night. but it's going to get colder tonight.

the record high, 2006, 75 degrees. on december 1st. and the record low, 1967. 12 degrees above zero. right now, a light north and northwest wind. temperatures a few degrees warmer tomorrow. and then they go back to the north and northeast on saturday. slightly cooler air for the beginning. it's going to stay dry. there's a front to the north. it's going to pass through the region late tonight. may bring us a few clouds. no precipitation. beautiful, high pressure in control. with near seasonal temperatures. yesterday, they were in the 60s right now at 21 degrees. this week, the front will come through the area. winds will go back to the north and northeast. ahead of it, southwest winds keep us in a mild side. but dry. really no precipitation coming your way. until maybe next tuesday at

this point. so enjoy the sunshine. this high moves off the coast. and the front comes through dry and slightly cooler air for saturday. right on the back side of that, the winds go back to the southwest. and here comes more mild air, coming in for sunday, early next week, we may get back up to 60 degrees once again. yeah, that's pretty unusual. northwest winds at 5 to 10 knots on the bay. sunrise, 7:08. sets at 4:44. we'll be stuck with that for quite a few days. bay temp, around 50 degrees. tonight, then, look for clear, cold temperatures. upper 20s to low 30s. but no wind to speak of. a frosty morning, by the way, tomorrow morning. now, tomorrow, a beautiful day. a lot of sunshine. maybe a few clouds by evening. but a high above normal at 54 degrees. once again, the high normally would be around 50. so we've got dry weather. and a little cooler air coming in on saturday. you warm up again on sunday and over the next week, we may get back up to 60 once again.

by the way, november ended up about 4 degrees above average. >> great. >> slightly below normal precip. >> this is when you normally will predict when you get our first snow. what do you think? >> oh, no. >> december 17th. well, we already had a first snow. >> that's right. >> she's talking about 1 inch or so. maybe like december 19th. >> all right, bob. i'll write it down. still to come on eyewitness news tonight. >> free and cashing in. i'm mike hellgren, investigating the mystery in aruba. gary giordano reveals why he took out more than $1 million insurance on ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

coming up next on wjz eyewitness news at 5:00.

speaking out. gary giordano blames human trafficking for the disappearance of his traveling companion. his theory on what happened to the frederick native, robyn gardner. former governor bob ehrlich has just testified in a criminal trial. i can't live without him any longer. >> reporter: the family of a maryland man held in a cuban prison, makes an emotional plea for release. i'm mary bubala. the story just ahead. >> check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news. >> eyewitness news at 5:00 starts now.