part of our area saw its first inch of snow. enough to delay some school from opening on time. good afternoon. i'm kimberly. >> i'm pat lawso muse. the snow is blowing through the area but the cold weather isn't easing its grip on us. >> in fact this will seem warm compared to what lies ahead. doug, it's windy out there. >> it's very windy. that will be one of the bigges problemse've seen over the next 24 to say, 48 hours. we did see the snow a little earlier. most of it to the south and east of the washington, d.c. area. we did see some of the snow throughout the i-95 corridor. but down toward fredericksburg, some areas picking up over an inch of snow. same thing with the northern ne and other portions of northern maryland, picking up some snow. only about one to two hours of snow but it was enough to provide a litt bit in the way of some accumulation. especially on those grassy surfaces. the temperatures, 32 degrees. the windchill of 19 with those winds out of the wes northwest at 22.

but gusting upwards of 30 to 40 miles an hour. we are going to see a very cold night and a very cold air mass over the next couple days. 28 right now. actually 26 right now in sterling. 30 toward quantico. look at the windchills. frederick, maryland, 15. hagerstown at 9, the windchill in sterling, ten degrees. this is the kind of windchill we're going to be dealing with oh the next couple of days. overnight, i think we could see windchills in the single digits as we see our storm system continue to move off. in behind it, a very cold air mass moving straight in from nada. tomorrow morning, the windchills will be between five and ten degrees across the entire area. bundle up. >> not sure we're ready for th. the cold weather is taking a toll on cars in our area. aaa mid-atlantic said as of 1:00, it has gotten more than 4,000 roadside assistance calls. that includes motorists from virginia to virginia but more than half came from d.c. maryland and virginia.

yesterday the travel agenc said it got more than 5,100 calls for roadside assistance. while the freezing roads that we are, well, we're expectinnever really materialized, some kids in virginia got to sleep in a little bit. news4's tracee wilkins has more from spotsylvania where schools had the first delayed opening of the season. >> the decision gotix reviews from parents. >> i don't thinthe school should have been delayed. not that bad. the roads actually look good. >> it's okay. >> for the most part, the snow cover pretty much stuck to the grass making the first major snowfall pretty easy for commuters. >> this is nothing. i'm from minneapolis. >> you got it really bad out there. >> yeah, my parents are holding tight, hunkered down in their house. >> reporter: but waking up to

snow cover cars and grass was unexpected. >> i got up and didn't know we had snow. i was just surprised. >> reporter: tracee wilkins, news4. police are questioning the driver of a shuttle van after several drivers said the van hit them. chopper 4 wa there when the van was towed away from dulles international airport this morning. it occur i-66. no one was injured. police are still trying to figure out what led the driver to crash into the vehicles. today a virginia judge struck down part of president obama's health care reform legislation as unconstitutional. ruling the government cannot force people to buy insurance. >> reporter: while not invalidating the entire health care law, federal judge henry hudson took issue with one of its key provisions. ruling congress overstepped its authority by requiring that individuals buy health insurance. virginia's republican attorney

general filed the challenge and tay applauded the ruling. >> this case is not about health insurance. it is no about healtcare. it is about liberty. >> the white house is likely to quickly appeal. >> we're confident that it is constitutional and quite frankly, of the three courts that have renderedecisions on this question, two have ruled in our favor. >> reporter: pointing out the minimum coverage provision doesn't go in effect until 2014. leaving plenty of time for this and at least 20 other lawsuits to play out in he courts. it is also playg out in a political arena with republicans dwoik praise the ruling. >> people still have the right to personal decisions, whether they buy health insurance or they don't buy heth insurance. they should not have it impoese upon them by government. >> reporter: and while he ruled a higher court will rule, analysts said it a blow to what is seen as the premier leslation of the obama administration thus far. >> i'm not a lawyer.

i'm not qualified to say whether the administration and democrats overreached butolitically they clearly overreached. >> reporter: the debate over health care once again being waged from congress to the courts and kitchen tables across america. just last week, the administration pointed out that e ruling would have little to no effect on the law's implementation sint sinimplement ation since it doesn't go into effect until 2014. both sides expect it to be argued before the supreme court. >> school lunches will soon be healthier and more students in need will be able to eat for free. this morning, president obama signed a school lunch bill into law at harriet tubman elementary school in the district. the first lady lobbied for the $4.5 billion measure to stop childhood obese city and to feed more hungry children. the law also gives the government more control over which foods can be offered at school fund-raers. we should know tonight

whether michael steele will run for eelection as chairman for the republican national committee. he has faced heavy criticism for his leadership and inability to fundraise for the party. there are multiple reports saying he will not seek re-election but snnothing is conformed yet. he was elected chairman in january 2009. he'll announce his elections to run during the press conference at 7 sko:30 tonight. this would allow police to obtain search warrants to get samples from wthem. >> these aren't nelaws or regulations. they're efforts to streamline existing procedures while protecting due process to ensure that drunk drivers cannot skirt

the consequences of their actions. >> nine states already have a no refusal policy in place. transportation officials say one in every four drunk driving suspects refuses a breathalyzer. when news4 at 4:00 continues, airline are raking in the profits from those baggage and rescheduling fees. hotels are trying to capitalize on flyers who aren't happy about em. a first look at engagement photo pose are a big break from tradition. we're waiting to hear from you as part of our 12 days of giving. call and then organization called friends of homeless animals. we'll have more about the group's work coming up on news4 4:00. and for all your news, be sure to follow news4

if you're sending presents that absolutely must receive your lov ones by christmas, you're running out of time. holiday shipping deadlines are fast approaching. here's a look at why fed-ex and other carriers say today will be their busiest day of the year. >> reporter: mountains and mile of rumbling, rolling conveyor belts today. >> 16 million packages

throughout the country will. >> reporter: 400,000 of those working their way through this maze in one of the company's busiest just south of dallas. the holiday lights here, high speed scanners. sorgt 30,000 packages every hour. >> it will be heavy all way through christmas eve. nothing changes for us. we expect high volumes next we as well. and there will be no drop-off. >> reporter: a lot of that business coming from shoppers inting and clicking to find that perfect present. this has been the busiest hoday ever for online retailers. analysts say cyber sellers have taken in almost $22 billion, up 22% om last year. and last week was the busiest of the season. shoppers thinking outside the box, while shippers are making sure the box is delivered on time. if you have a package that needs to be delivered before the holiday and you don't want to pay any rush charges, you'll need to have it on one of these belts by the end of the week.

jay gray, nbc news, hutchins, texas. a few more details on t deadline for shipping packages. to have them get to their destinations by christmas. fed-ex, ups, you've got until friday. it's wednesday fothe u.s. postal service. and that's for standard service. if you're willing to pay for express, you can eve airlift on ristmamorning. you thought only santa could do that. heads up. friday is free shipping day for many online retailers. watch out for those promos. we now continue our 12 days of giving series. each weekday between now and christmas we're introducing you to local organizations that need volunteers andonations that are doing good work. today we're featuring the work friends of homeless animal. a nonprofit no kill shelter that rescues homeless dog and cats in the washington area. and our phone bank is open.

volunteers will take your calls. joining me nearin our studio is debbie, the group's director of marketing. she has a little friend with her. tell us about your friend. introduce us. >> this is peggy sue. a 2-year-old calico. one of our 65 cats we have at the sheeer. >> how did you get her? >> she was an owner give to us, unfortunately as we're seeing with some of our animal coming in. her owner was misplaced out of her home and therefore her new living conditions didn't permit animals to come which is how many have found their way into our shelter. >> so she was given up by the owner but many are abuse asked abandoned. >> we work with a variety of the county shelters. aware no kill animal shelter and we take them in and work with the shelters dirtly to help

with the overflow because we have a very good adoption rate at ing able to find permanent and loving homes for the dogs and the cats that we have in our shelter. >> out find foster home as well. you have the adoptive program. >> foster is an avenue we look for for volunteers because we have many animals like peggy sue who come into a shelter situation that aren't able to cope with a shelter environment. especially those that were owner give-up. they may have medical conditions that warrant a little more tlc in a home where they get one-on-one attention, as opposed we have this, the only one in virginia. we don't keep our cats in cages. they are in big room with 10 to 15 roommates so they can live a relatively stress-free life. >> in reading your website, you spent thousands of dollars to rehabilitate animals. >> our medical expenses sometimes get to be exorbitant.

all of our animal that are available for adoption, we provide, we make sure they're current on all their shots. they're say that asked neutered. if they have any kind of medical condition coming in, we address that. sometime we don't know if a dog will test positive for heart worm. we'll incur about $1,200 in heart worm treatment. say that and neutering is $12 hundred to $1,400. and last weekend, a dog waiting for her forehome collapsed. she had a llapsed disk. >> you're running a program called the alternative gift giving program in time for the holidaysful tell us about that. >> in addition to our regular 365 days of online giving at our website, we are providing an alternative give giving in lieu of the traditional gift. for $20 a month you can sponsor a dog or a cat and that provides eir basic care and food for the course of a month.

we kind of suggest to people, you can kind of give up your pizza or the movie out or the coffee at the coffee shop for about a week. for that $20, you can make a difference in the live of our dogs and cats. >> money well spent. they give you a certificate and you get a picture of the animal and your informing, whether it is in memory of a family member or a pet, gets put under their bios. >> it's a wonderful program and peggy sue is adorable. >> you can call our volunteers. if would you lake to ll friends of homele animals this holiday season. >> thank you. at this hour we are awaiting the results of the first test vote on the tax cut package. the senate is voting on whether to end debate on the bill and move forward with it. steve handelsman has our report.

>> reporter: today the deal was whher he got enough democrats. >> if we do not act, taxes will go up. >> reporter: the deal would keep all income tax rates what they are now. no hikes for the top bracket and wealthy families would get a big break on inheritance. no tax when the estate is up to 0 million. then just 35%. house democrats vowed to fight back. >> literally it boweils down to $600 families. >> but barack obama is insisting it will be helped by people getting bigger paychecks. >> they're more likely to spend. they're more likely to be confident about the direct of the economy. >> reporter: in a "washingt post"/abc poll 69% said they support the compromise. his post election work with republicans. >> i think you're seeing the president acknowledging, okay, we've got to do a mid course

correction. the question is how fast will the rest of the party do that? >> today they faulted both sides. >> the only thing that unites both parties right now is, that they want something for nothing. that they want a free lunch. >> congress estimates the tax compromise wuld cost $858 billion. liberals here say tax the rich more. conservatives say spend less. so far what congress is doing is neither. go i'm steve ndelsman, nbc news, capitol hill. >> thank you, steve. coming up, today is the end of the line for sale of certain alcoholic drinks. and t redskins talk about what's next after another disappointing loss.

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the redskins are now officially eliminated from the playoffs following a tough loss at fed-ex field to the tampa bay buccaneers. the redskins were down 17-10 but were able to pull within a point when santana moss got that six-yard touchdown pass from donovan mcnabb with nine go seconds left. the special teams uit attempted the extra point in the ti

with the ball, now tied, went through hunter smith's hands twauxt the latest in a game full of special teams miscues. thekicker also missed two earlier field goals. today head coach mike shanahan said how, the team still has confidence in him. >> even though he had a rough day. i told him i think it is more metal than anything else. i watched him do the consistently in practice. even though he didn't ha a good game, he is very disappointed. we're very disappointed. we still have a lot of belief in him so hofully, we can clear it up this week. >> it dropped the skins to 5-8. >> brave football fans waited for hurs in the bitter cold for free tickets to a monday night football game. the detroit lions handing out free general admission tickets this morning to the minnesota viking n york giants game. this was supposed to be a home game for the viking. the metro dome's inflated roof

collapsed under the weight of heavy snow under the weekend. the game will be played at ford field in detroit and lined up hours ahead of time in 12-degree temperatures to get thei tickets. >> i kind of wish we had an excuse to delay our game. >> a little bit. >> it might help. i don't know. >> a one-day difference. >> today we're dealing with the winds. and you know, the first snow of the season. >> some areas did see over an inch of snow for the first time. >> exactly. some areas down. mostly to the south and east where you live as well. to the north and west, a little in the way of some snow but that's all it was. the good thing is temperatures were above freezing overnight so most of that did not stick on the roadways. yo did not have any problems driving, did you? >> no. not at all. >> we were okay there. >> as far as the temperature are concerned, they're going down big time. the winds is really going to be the story we're talking about. the current temperature, 30 degrees. winds out of the west northwest at 18. 18 miles an hour.

we're seeing winds sting over 30 to 40 miles an hour. that put our windchill at 18 degrees. a very cold evening. 27 in frederick. 27 in manassas and 31 in fredericksburg where they saw some get snow. look at the wind gusts. upwards of 37 miles an hour. 30 toward an andrews air force base. winds gusting near 30 to 40 mis an hour and that is going to be the story. not just tomorrow but through wednesday as well. 14 in frederick, it fee like ten in sterling. 14 toward quantico and toward the air force base, 15 around clinton. a very cld evening. windy an cold conditions a an area of low pressure to the north and east. high pressure is off to our west. the combination of the two, ve you those west to northwest winds. and then, it will continue to drive in the coldest air we've seen so far this season. we just said that last week and

the it will be even colder over the next couple days. something else that i'm watching, a little storm system to the west. and i do mean a little storm system. if it is cold enough and this makes its wayoward our area, we could see some more snow. maybe some rain to the south. we could see more snow on thursday. maybe some accumulating snow. we'll have to wait and see on that. here's what i'm worried about. the windchill. 7:00 tonight, 8 infrederick. by 11:00, 6 in washington, d.c. windchill tomorrow morning, how about 7 degrees? when you're waking up and sendg the kids off to school. you're getting go ready to go to work as well. an extremely cold night and an extremely cold morning. windy and very cold. 26 to 31 degrees. tomorrow morning, waking up and walking out the door. bundle up. windy, very cold. windchills between 5 and10 degrees actual temperatures between 18 and 22. as we move through the day tomorrow, temperatures will not climb above freezing in most locations. windchills will be in the teens

all day long. and that i think will stick with the day on wednesday as well. there's our chance. about a 40% chance for some rain or snow depending on where you are. friday warming up to 41. ladies, i'm sorry, bad hair day right on through thursday. >> we don't care about that. we're allowed to say bitter cold now. we're bit better these temperatures. >> no need looking forward to january, i guess. >> this is cold. >> thanks, doug. still to come at 4:00, winter storms strand travellers and make life hazardous for many people across the country. >> an take a close look at the new royal engagement photos. notice anything different about these pictures? we'll explain.

welcome back to news4 at 4:00. >> police are questioning the driver of a shuttle va who may have been involved in several hit and run accidents. the van was towed away from dull he is international airport this morning. the accidents occurr on the roosevelt bridge on i-66. no one was injured. today a federal judge in virginia ruled that president obama's historic health care reform law is unconstitutional.

u.s. district judge henry hudson said the government does not have the power to require americans to buy health insurance. virginia aorney general ken cuccinel filed the lawsuit challenging the law. >> the final vote tally is be in just yet but it appears the senate is moving forward with the president's tax cut compromise. across our region, people woke up to a light blanket of snow on the ground. for the st part, roads were wet but not that icy. still in virginia, some school children got a bit of extra sleep this morning. spotsylvania county schools had their first delayed opening of the winter season. >> barely enough to make a snow ball. the snow was an innocent distraction across the country most of the cities pummelled with snow evidence to week are now bracing for several days of frigid temperature. >> reporter: the same system that made a mess in the midwest over the weekend dipp into the

deep south by monday making travel treacherous in north carolina. where not even news vans were immu. roadways in indiana were hazardous, too. the same in kentucky. ten inches were on the ground near lexington. >> hopefully they've done good job. we will see. >> reporte the instates weren't clear in tennessee. this was i-40 near nashville where nearly a foot fell by sunday night. cows in neighboring georgia were left frozen in for the day. very little activity outdoors. even birmingham had a rare sight of snow falling monday morning. back in the midwest, city buses were running again in minneapolis. residents braked for the utal cold. >>t is quite cold. the snow is not too fun to walk around in. >> reporter: under the weight of all that snow, the dramatic tear and collapse of the inflatable roof on the metro dome might also tear a hole in the city's budget.

beusehey've been threatening to move. meanwhile, sunday's game with the new york giants was moved to tonight and detroit where the weather is just as bad. but frigid fans lined up this morning for free tickets anyway. >> we've got lots of blankets and body heat. we're good. >> reporter: you tell me what your drive was like. >> it was horrible. a blizzard. >> reporter: almost in defiance of the fact we're still aw from winter's official start, a water main break in sub freezing weather turned this home in kansas cy into an ice castle. chris clackum, news4. >> that storm was dangerous, too. it blamed for a dozen deaths in five states. half of em being traffic accidents. the days of caffeinated sugary booze have come to an end. as for tomorrow, drin like four loko are not on the market. at least not with caffeine. the fda labeled itn unsafe

additive. it has led to high profile incidents ending one students being rushed to hospitals. a tearful amanda knox was back in court today. the american student and her former boyfriend were convict in the 2007 murder of her roommate. the saturdayrial was scheduled to be a preliminary hearing but she declared her innocence. she said justice would not be served by taking her life away. the trial is expected expected to resume ler in the week. prince william and kate middleton released their official engagement photos over the weekend. the photographer has a poignant connection to the prince. peter alexander reports. >> reporter: they're at ease, affectionate and in love. their first official photographs. the principle of cuddles. >> they had time to adjust to each other. the reason they look so happy is

because they are. >> reporter: for much of their eight-year courtship, william and kate were rarely seen touching in public. even hand in hand. it was these unforgettable shots of his mother princess diana shortly before her death that ledwilliam to select mario for his engement photographer. who describe the young couple as in their prime and brimming with happiness. released this weekend, the portraits mark a stark contrast to prince charles and camilla's car being attacked lt week. anchists are already threatening to disrupt the royal wedding four months away. he said he wants a very public celebration. if these photos are any incation, he and kate may be willing to share a little more of their private side, too. as for security, police confirm that one of the protesters was able to jab camilla through the window with an open stick. that vehicle will be parked for a while. it had few built-in security

modifications. now back to you. thank you. another wedding on this side of the pond could have guests repeating themselves. the new york post is reporting that george w. bush's knees lauren bush is marrying ralph lauren's song david making her lauren lauren. or lauren squared. no official word on the engagement or whether bush will change her name. >> i'm betting she will keep bush. >> is it better than w? >> there's more to come this afternoon at 4:00. thieves turn a dream cruise into nightmare. and you have a chance to help out in our 12 days of giving.

it is day four. our 12 days of giving and these voluntee are from the group friends of homeless animals. they're taking your call at

202 -- if you had a kill shelter finds home for abandoned and abused cats and dogs. joining us now, claudia and collin o'brien and their cat. what is your kitty's name? >> stafford. >> why don't you tell meow deborah came to be a member of your family. >> weste were going out to buy cat because we lost our c two years ago. we were originally going to get a kitten. we got talking and we agreed that he needed a home. >> you found dapper at the shelter. was it your first adoption? >> no. we adopted a dog about eight years ago from friends of homeless animals and loved him. we decided we wanted to go back and dapper was a cat who had be at the shelter for five

years and nobody wanted dapper. >> that's a long time. >> that's a long timeor a cat to need a home. >> and howid you choose this cat in what kind of condition was the cat in? >> the cat was in great condition. i think we pked dapper because he needed us the most. didn't we? >> yh. >> why do you thk it is important, as opposed to getting a kitten, or in the case of a dog, a puppy. why do you think it is good to get an older cat? >> most pele pass on the oriole cats because kittens are the ones that are the most cute. but people don't realize that older cats need us just as much. >>well said. i guess would you agree with that. >> absolutely. and dapper adjusted very quickly and is very happy in our home. our big lap cat. >> so the shelter's program now, they have adoptive program, foster care. have you ever fostered? >> we have not fostered.

we have two dogs and two cats now. we adopted another cat, casey at the same time. and i'm afraid if we fostered a cat, we would keep the cat, wouldn't we? >> you would have a growing furry family. well, thanks so much for bringing dapper so we could meet him. if cou you help this shelter which helps animals like dapper, call our hotline. volunteers are waiting there to take your calls. the organize needs volunteers and donations. back to you. >> thank you. when news4 at 4:00 returns, you know those days when you cannot seem to make yr hair do what you want it to do? now scientists are looking into what causes bad hair days. >> finally a local football team that h

scientists working on one of the most vexing thing. we're talking aut bad hair days. researcher are taking a look at how two strabds of hair interact when the strands attract and then repel each other. scientists believe they can figure out how hair fights itself. they will study this and then

eventually come up with a product to eradicate bad hair days, please. researchs are focusing on fly-aways but theyay look at humidity. >> or in today's case, wind. >> 40-mile-an-hour winds. >> winds and if you throw in humidity and the wind, you have a mess. >> humidity, wind, yes. >> you have a mop. >> thank goodness, that's exactly what you need out there. a hair cut close to the head. we've got those winds out there. upwards of 40 miles hour. still? snow showers and snow flurries courtesy of the great lakes. making its way into maryland. 28 toward fredericksburg. look at the windchills. 11 right now. the current wg.

it feels like 10. a windchill of about 21 degrees. and there's a wind advisory in the same area, including frederick county, maryland. we're talking about wind advisories and a windchill advisory. especially lake the higher ridges for windchills. potentially below zero in some of those locations. a very cold night toward the west. through this evening, partly cloudy, windy and very cold. around 22 in the city. windy and very cold. windchills including the city could be around ten degrees tomorrow morning. temperatures only29 to 32 degrees. windchills, ten to 18 with gusts once again, upwards of 40 miles an hour. really unsure about where this system will make its way. it looks a little further to the south which mean most of the

area could see some snow. the farther south it goes, the less precipitation you see as well. we're going to moan in. about three days out. >> thanks. >> thank you. beacon house is a nonprofit tutoring center for d.c. ward 5. some of the boys who spent time there also played football for beacon house. and oh the week, the players in the 75-pound and underclass celebrated a national championship. news4's craig melvin has their story. >> we're excited. >> reporter: d.c.'s best junior pee wee team returned sunday to show off their new hardware and watch the redskins game together. >> who is out? >> they were still beaming. >> it is amazing to be the first

team from washington, d.c. to wi the super bowl. >> reporter: while they won in florida this time, for the 19th straight blowout, this was not the first time that the beale acon house falcons have played in a grand stage. >> we played in the championship. we were thinking about going to florida. >> reporter: parents and coach were just as proud of the chance. >> i'm happy because they committed themselves to this goal and they achieved it. >> reporter: and the coach hopes another lesson came to life. they thanked the washington redskins for the new field they provided. one plar even offered some vice to albert haynesworth. >> i have a little bit like anger issues sometimes. so keep his head in the game. and if he keeps his head in the game and his practice, he might become, might ben the redskin' squad again.

>> reporter: craig melvin, news4. >> how about that advice? >> very wise young man. coming up, some hotels are trying to take advantage of those baggage fees thatair travellers are so unhappy about. we'll tell you about that. we're going to tell what you the officials in old twn alexandria plan to do to turn that fabulous waterfront into a top tourist destination.

don't expect baggage fees to go away any time soon at the airport. >> airlines are making me money than ever charging passenger for their bags.

a new government report shows airlines made about .5 billion on baggage fees during the last fiscal year. that's a $150 million increase over the previous year. if there's any good news here for passenger heading into the busy travel season, some hotels are now offering to pay baggage fees to attract more customers. an event to honor the los angeles lakers for their accomplishments on the court took a special twist today. instead of the traditional ceremony in the white house, the president and the lakers surprised students at the boys and girls club in southeast washington. they all me care packages for wounded soldiers and some of the area's homeless. terwards, they praised the lakers as one of the great sports franchises and thanked the players and the coach for sharing their preciousime with children. >> every once in a while, ty need a little encouragement. they need to know no dream is beyond their reach. when they see people like the

los angeles lakers who are willing to spend time with them, that sends a message to them that ty're special. >> the lakers will be honored for winning theisecond straight nba title. >> what a thrill for those kids. >> i'm sure they'll be talking about it forever. still ahead, passengers did not expect to end their cruise with bruises. >> we'll hear about the vacation many o

a violent storm in the mediterrann is being blamed for a rough ride aboard a cruise ship. the brilliance of the seas was on its way to alexandria, egypt, when large waves and heavy winds caused it to tilt and sway. >> it gives new meaning for cruising for a bruising. about 30 passenger suffered minor juries. >> reporter: she's billed as run of royal caribbean's finest with glistening glass walls and elevators. the 962-foot brilliance of the seas is a floating mess this morning after the ship steered head long into stormy seas. >> it was just violent. we truly thought it was the end. >> reporter: for ten terrifying minutes, the ship pitched back and forth viontly, injurin at least 30. furnitur christmas decorations, anything not bolted down became a flying weapon. >> i would say 90% of the people onthis boat thought they were

going to die and spent the day crying. >> reporter: the cruise ship was some 1,600 american on board left spain for a mediterranean cruise that included a stop in alexandria, egypt's largest port. but severe rain and wind have been battling the middle east all ek long which had some passengers wondering what th captain tried to make port at all. >> i don't know why he would subject us to this. i think he really put us in harm's way. >> reporter: unlike carval cruise ship that had a fire knock out the major system last month, royal caribbean said the ship has fl power and is sailing normally. but reports of the ship almost tipping over are coming even close to that would be greatly exaggerated. the characterization that angers some passengers. >> the boat was completely sideways and everybody thought they were going to die it is and not an exaggeration. >> reporter: it may not be as bad as lacht week's cruiseliner being tossed around like a cork near an arctica or this ship

being hit by waves in march. but it was enough to shake passenger up and they're still a day away from dry land. >> makesyou feel a little sea sick, doesn't it? >> yeah. news4 at 5:00 starts right now. some scary moments on i-66. police stay man behind the wheel of this airport shuttle van sideswiped several cars, ran drivers off the road, he push speeds close to 100 miles an hour. good afternoon. welcome to news4 at 5:00. >> the dver is now in custody. he is charge with at least one hit and run and more charges are expected. derrick ward jns us. he is alive along i-66 in arlington with the latest on this. >> reporter: it turned out to be quite the commute for at least five motorists