about this storm, one of lightest are accumulations in recent memory when you think about all the powerful storms of last winter, but it didn't take much. that ground was at about 25 degrees, every flake sticking in the roads got to be a mess in a hurry this afternoon. let's look at our updated snowfall totals. just pulled these off the national weather service wire. right now officially at bwi, just under a half inch believe it or not. .4 inches. we might add another 10th or two of an inch tonight. no shocker here, frostburg picking up 2 1/2 inches of snow. but again it didn't take much to foul things up today. radar beginning to clear out right now. but nonetheless, even though we're just getting down to a few snowshowers, still a winter weather advisory through 9:00 tonight statewide. still some decent snows going on down there on the lower

eastern shore. this evening, in the 20s with light snow. cold icy conditions. that's going to be the concern. we're going to be below the temperatures where salt can even are effective so that means less chemicals sprayed, those road services will have ice tonight and tomorrow morning, and right into the afternoon tomorrow so you definitely want to be aware and alert for that. much more on this first wintry blast, late fall on the calendar? five days of autumn left. much more coming up. >> thank you. when the cold weather showing no signs of even across up country, the system that brought massive snowfall to the midwest is now wreaking havoc in the southeast in the form of ice and sleet. tj winick has the latest. >> reporter: winter may not have officially started but it's already taking its toll. down south, at least five people were killed in accidents caused by icy conditions. >> suddenly i lose control, i

go into the guardrails. >> i couldn't see it. black ice, it's trance parent. >> in alabama, mississippi and kentucky, the driving is especially treacherous. and tennessee, this school bus full of kids skidded off the road. in the upper midwest where they're more used to driving in extreme weather, two people died in this chain reaction pile-up in wisconsin. >> when you went over the hill, you didn't see the cars stopped until it was too late. >> the big chill is wreak, havoc off the coast as well. in north carolina, the coast guard rescued 80 young sea turtles stunned by the frigid water. the bitter cold in florida threatens to kill citrus crops and push produce prices higher. >> mother nature is tough to deal with sometimes. we have to take what we get. >> lake-effect snow hasn't let up in new york. it's still two weeks to go, this month is already the second snowiest december on record there. >> i want to recall where i don't have to shovel. >> syracuse, new york hit with five feet of snow, just since

december1st. >> i hate the snow! i hate the snow! i hate it even more! >> according to the 2010 farmers almanac, more days of wintry conditions lie ahead, with below normal temperatures for 75% of the country. tj winick, abc news, new york. and remember, you can get the latest information from abc2news.com/weather for the latest forecast, even track severe weather right down to your very own neighborhood, plus we'll take a look back at some of this wild weather we've had this year. the blizzards, blazing heat and even a tornado! our special one for the record books, is saturday night at 7:00. let's look at our top stories. a man is under arrest after he managed to sneak into a boy's bathroom and attack a child.

the child wasn't physically harmed but the school system is looking into how this happened. and she is hailed as the brave bag lady, the school board member who tried to save her close by hitting a gunman with her purse now has the most famous handbag around. clay duke fired multiple shots at board members in florida tuesday night but each of the 14 rounds missed. gunger tried to stop him sooner, only armed with her purse. her purse now has its own facebook fan page. tonight the northwood animal hospital is caring for a pit bull left on the porch of two towson university students. this is sugar snap in very bad shape, starving, unable to walk with serious gashes to both legs. kate and her husband eric founded the baltimore bully crew, a grassroots rescue croup raising awareness about pit bull abuse. now they're raising money to cover the dog's cost, offering

a 5,000 reward. students at bayside elementary on ken island are in the middle. of a sweet school project. they're building houses and can't keep their hands offer the materials! don harrison explains why. >> reporter: this isn't just any school project. it's a project with a purpose. >> making gingerbread house for the people in -- katrina. >> a lot of -- >> it was an idea this fifth grader who was watching the news, and was surprised to hair that five years later, there are still thousands of people who have not had their homes rebuilt or are living in fema trailers. she couldn't believe it. >> i don't know, just me. >> the kids decided to build these gingerbread houses and sell them at the holiday concert for $35 each, then

donate the money to habitat for humanity in new orleans. they designed them to look like the ones built in new orleans, and even to look like the trailers some were living in since the storm. cookie wheels and all. >> 18, 20 -- >> with all the laughter and creativity, the students don't realize they are learning also. >> fractions, percentages, addition, subtraction. they've used measurements when they made the things. we've tried to add the instructional piece into what has been a fun activity too. >> so these kids get to make an impact on children over a thousand miles away. some told me this is the best tasting school project they've worked on. don harrison, abc 2 news. and the kids hope to raise close to $4,000 for katrina victims in new orleans. you know what the countdown

to christmas is on with just a few shopping days left! we've got great ideas to help you avoid the mall madness. and if you're shipping presents, the clock is ticking. we have the very important dates you need to know to make sure they get where they're going on time!

oh, i see. a throne for the tv... room for movies... your workout gear... non-stop football... it's a man cave! the boys next door will never leave. who says we want them to? in ton, are you tired of

battling for a parking spot at the mall? sick of waging war over discount cashmere sweaters? it's the holiday shopping season already has you worn out, consider some alternatives. many cities and communities are offering shoppers a different experience and a chance to give back to local businesses. >> reporter: a few weeks into the holiday shopping season, the walls at the mall can get a little confining. and the selections. >> when you go to the mall you'll find the same thing anywhere else in the country. >> so many cities and communities are offering an alternative as you wrap up the shopping, go local! holiday markets like this one in downtown washington, d.c. showcase homegrown talent and give shoppers an opportunity to break out from the mall. >> i don't have to look around so much. i just place my eye on one thing and i can get that. >> it's a chance to support a cause. >> i call myself a social entrepreneur. >> or local artist whose goods might otherwise get lost in the

shadows of big box stores. >> we've been working on the of a two-car garage for five years. >> a survey of last year's sales found an up tick of 2.2% among independent retailers. outperforming holiday sales growth. perhaps thanks to events luke this one, or building onments bilocal movement popular in the food world. >> a chance to touch your own community. not buying something across the country, something you're buying that's essentially made and crafted and just right around the block. >> a gift back to local economies at a crucial time. >> if we can do something by buying their goods, keep them in the business, it's worthwhile. >> in washington, karen cava. if you mail gifts, listen up. send them quick. here are important dates. if you're shipping fedex ground delivery, send it out tomorrow. if you're shipping via ups, it will need to be sent by next tuesday with the three-day select to make sure it gets

there which christmas. and start writing cards! first class mail needs to be sent by monday. express mail can be sent by next wednesday. and if you're planning on sending a letter or package to someone in the military overseas it, needs to be sent by saturday. so get stepping! a burglar hits a home and posts pictures to facebook. it's a case of a bold burglar that police still can't catch. and fans are waiting for the release of the move, but before it hits the big screen. one fan is becoming a celebrity for the creation.

>> on a night like tonight, who wouldn't want to be home playing twister? we're live inside the ax 2 studios here on york road. you're checking all these toys for auer kinder time toy drive. and keep them coming. we made one call to david here from cfg bank and he said, yeah, i'll join, because you're a community bank and this is for the mundt. >> and for the children 92 for fallen soldiers, police officers, for fallen firefighters, for kids in need. and it's either their -- they don't know what is coming but christmas will be get for them. >> question just want everybody to applies finish strong so every child has a gift. >> we can drop them off at our bank where? >> towson road, annapolis branch on forest drive.

>> mr. and mrs. claus are here. name names of people watching out for us. back to more. see you in a bit.

tonight more on that story about the woman who returned to the aid of a police officer in ohio. an officer on the side of the road in dayton struggled with a suspect reaching for his gun and taser. officer jonathan sider got help from a good samaritan, who

pulled over and jumped right into the fight. initially the woman's name wasn't released but now we know who it was. it was angela pierce. >> i did it because i feel he needed a hand. and wasn't nobody else. everybody just ran past him. >> pierce said when the other officers arrived, they initially handcuffed her. but quickly took off the cuffs and give her high 5's. pierce was reunited with officer sider are who thanked her a lot. and social break-in. a burglar breaks into a washington, d.c. house then puts it on facebook. mark fisher had his home broken into. besides having his home violated, the burglar decided to engage in a very more personal injustice. he stole his son's laptop and decided to post has pictures on the boy's facebook page so all his friends could see it. the billboard even wore a new coat that fisher had just

received. >> i actually had to look at the photos several times before i even realized that was the new coat because it had just arrived the day before, and he stole it out of the macy's box it was delivered in the day before. >> the burglar is still on the loose but police are hoping that the facebook posting of his picture will lead to his arrest. not too bright. it's the 12th annual kinder time toy drive and right now we want to show you our lobby of it's fill with all kinds of toys for little boys and girls and also jamie coos tello! >> reporter: i want to you name names. who has been naughty? >> i'm happy to say nobody is on the list! >> it's clean slate? >> clean slate. >> see what happens when you drop toys off here? and here's david from cfg bank. how do you luke my tie, mrs. claus? >> i love it. >> candy cane social, baby. tell me, these kids deserve a christmas. and that's why you got involved?

>> absolutely. we wanted every child to have a gift. we saw what channel 2 was doing for 12 years, so last year we joined the effort. >> here's my list. here's who we'll be helping. sick and needy children all over maryland, social services of baltimore county, city and also anne arundel county. we're helping serious ill children at the ronald mcdonald house. laney is a great lady. the salvation army we're helping out. families of fallen police officers and firefighters and soldiers. and also area churches. we're leaving anybody out? >> i think that's it. but as long as the people get gifts, we'll make sure every needy child gets something no this is just one portion here that what we can show you here of all the toys that we have in our lobby now. people just coming up here at 6400 york road and dropping off toys. and next week they'll be dropped if the laps of kids that don't see it the christmas coming. santa, you're make somebody very happy next week. >> ho-ho-ho! >> all right.

i want to you chase everybody to our website at abc2news.com, you can learn more about cfg bank and the kids that are really going to have a great christmas and how you can still join the effort. it's not too late! we'll start this effort on tuesday and that's when all the cops show up and we have a great, great -- and the sleigh shows up and we deliver toys for the kids! >> all right. thank you. let's check out what is going on with the weather now. we didn't get that much snow but people need to learn to drive all over again. >> it is, it's been since last march since we've had any wintry precip. and just doesn't take much. the snowfall totals, i thought they might be higher. we thought about an inch for baltimore, more towards anne arundel. but most spots get an inch to inch and a half but it doesn't take much when it all sticks on contact. and roads -- >> cold. >> ground was frozen and frozen three days. that's what set the stage on this one, all that cold weather leading up to it. >> take it slow! >> that's right. and don't head out if you don't have to tonight or early tomorrow morning. it will be icy.

salt doesn't work too good below 25 degrees. that's where we're headed. we track the snow as it entered the state. pretty much the peak intensity around 1 lone 30 or 2:00. you can see what happens here. and end up clearing out pretty quickly. but no doubt about it, putting down a solid inch in most spots in its wake, that was plenty in terms of fouling up the roads and making it tough travels this afternoon. how much snow? bwi see farnd a half inch. that will probably be updated to a higher total closer to an inch. more totals for you, just pulled up these off the wire. dc did get a little more as we thought. nor beck down towards howard county, .8 inches. montgomery county, southern maryland, nearly an inch. in virginia, higher totals into central virginia. we thought we with see 3 1/2

inches there so definitely a headache travel through virginia. weather winter advisory through the state through 9:00. still heavier snows weather south expected tonight. take a look at current conditions. it's cold! take a look at our high- definition weather net cameras across the state as that snow came in, hard and heavy for a good hour to three hours midday today. clearing out nicely in baltimore. towson, look at the roads, just getting snow coated and travel getting tough, traffic getting thick. that parking lot in west towson elementary not looking too good right now. wintry scene here. it's starting to lock like christmas! and i want to also show you this area. heavier snows toward howard county. one last check at d.c. area. tough visibility here in the nation's capital. this is the skycam at reagan, at least an inch and a half. radar cleared, that's good.

locally at least. there's still snow here lower part of delmarva. salisbury, ocean city and east virginia getting quite a bit of snow. we'll get hit and miss flurry action but it will be icy from the snow that's already come down. the same storm will continue to go offshore, the heaviest part of the moisture of this storm out of here now so that means almost no accumulations. new accumulations. but what we're watching is this -- we clear out tomorrow, some sunshine will melt the snow. but next storm, riding up the coast, this is 6:00 saturday evening. and impressive little storm here. if it tracks further offshore as we think it will, it will be a snow event for delmarva only mainly. if it severe inward, ride the coast tighter, baltimore may get more snow saturday night, sunday morning. stay tuned on that. 23 tonight with still snowshowers. sunshine tomorrow. help melt some of that snow. plenty of ice on the roads early in the morning. we can see refreezing tomorrow night as we go to 22.

again, salt not very effective below 25 degrees. 7-day forecast, frigid outlook, and again that coastal storm watch closely saturday night into the first half of sunday. tricky travels especially east down towards the beaches. >> i'm jamie costello. coming up at 6, what if you could skip the gym because you're getting a workout in the office? we'll take to you the workplace where they're training in the desk chairs. and some ravens are trading the football field in for the basketball court. with the help of the globetrotters! those stories and your drive home from work, coming up at 6. it's slow going. be careful out there. copd makes it hard for me to breathe. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now, i can join the fun and games with my grandchildren. great news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications

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decades since the original tron movie came out. now anticipation is building as fans wait for the long await sequel. one of those fans has become a celebrity of sorts himself. you may know him as the tron guy. criswell and takes a look. . >> sorry i'm late. >> reporter: this is tron guy. but chances are you already knew that. >> i'm brit well-known. >> in case you haven't heard of him, his real name is jay and he's such a fan of the 1982 movie tron, he built his own costume out of a spandex suit and plastic pieces of after more. >> so you see how his hair is sticking off? it's not supposed to do that. >> now he does not usually wear this out in the small town of fairmont, minnesota. but for this story, in advance of new disney film tron legacy, he said why not? >> that's just perfect. >> you consider yourself celebrity now? >> i am a celebrity on the

internet. >> case in point, this video has 4 million views. >> becoming the tron guy really changed my life. >> he's been on jimmy kimmel live 16 times, and was even featured in the youtube themed episode of the comedy central series, south park. >> it's tron guy! i saw him on youtube. >> but the currenty unemployed administrator says for all his fame, for being the tron guy, he is surprised and disappointed that makers of the new movie haven't asked him to be part of the promotion of the film. and they didn't even invite him to the premiere. >> they didn't involve me in the marketing because if you look at the -- >> does it irritate you? >> some. >> that's because he feels he's partly the reason for the renewed interest in the tron franchise. however, they hasn't been completely forgotten in that regard. he'll write a review for wired magazine.

hopefully somebody is watching! tron opens in theaters tomorrow. and here's a local twist to the tron legacy -- a man love the movie so much he decided to change his name, so todd heartily became tron star heartily. he found the school named tron was already used. wow. that's really a big tron fan. the snow is letting up in most parts of maryland. but the damage is done for loved ones driving home. our live team coverage continues on abc 2 news at 6, which starts right now! i'm jamie costello with your 6:00 news. didn't we know where the hills are by now? know we're supposed to see this far in back of a car in front of us? didn't we learn anything last year? since it's been below freezing the last couple days, the snow, no problem sticking to the road. here we are in parkville, drivers taking it nice