right now, policeave opened an investigation after commuters are searching for a different way to work this morning. and some d.c. leaders are wanting so help. a vote could happen in the next hour. the passage of the tax deal could spare every taxpayer from a significant increase in january. news 4 midday begins right now. good morning, everyone.

i'm barbara harrison. it's wednesday, december 13t 2010. the metro station has reopened after pentagon police were forced to shut down the computer stop for several hrs. while evything is back to normal. commuters say that closure was a major inconvenience. tracy ha more on the confusing commute. >> reporter: good morning. it was confusing. i wish you could have seen all of the passengers walking dn this way across army navy drive. they were all wrapped up, freezing cold, pretty upset about the inconveniences here and at the end of the day, they thought they had a suspicious package. shuttles and passengers were lined up in front of the pentagon this morning and there was a lot of frustration reported for metro passengers directed off of the subway system and on to the shuttle

buses. some folks chose to walk to the nnecting station due to the confusion. >> buses are on different schedules. it's like, good luck to me. >> there's no plan or process. it's typical of the metro system. >> reporter: the pentagon metro system was shut down due to what was believed to be a suspicion shos package. a passenger saw blinking lights coming from a trash can. the situation was unnerving for some passengers. >> my concern is that there's been so many of these recently, i am just a little concerned that it's a dry run to check our response. >> reporter: after evacuating the area and bringing in an explosive expert, it was a

christmas ornament harmlessly thrown away. for many it had already been a horrible start to a freezing cold work day. >> it's a coldorning to be out. i'm walking now. you just do what you've got to do. >> reporter: at the end of the day, proper procedure was followed and they are very happy with their response to the situation. bob barbara, back to you in the studio. >> tracy, thank you. a man is accused of threatening to blow up the metro system. he told a friend on facebook that he could use pipe bombs to kill people onhe underground transit system. that friend alerted authorities. neighbors who live near him in arlington were stunned to hear the news.

>> there are good peoplend she trying to raise him. and brought him up this far and one that is i high school and one that is in college. >> this is the second threat to the metro system in just eight weeks. act, a virginia man was accused of ting to help undercover agents plot to bomb stations. it sure feel gold enough to snow. what can we expect for the next 24 hours, tom? >> the deep freeze continues. and i don't see any end until the end of december. it looks le this is prolonged subfreezing type of weather is going to continue. it may get above freezing but much of the time we'll stay below freezing and still are. it's 28 at reagan national. and this is just about as cold

as it ever gets during the wintertimes here and this is certainly early in the season to be seeing this kind of cold weather. right now windchills are down into the teens to just near ten degrees in many locations. due to winds that have been gusting -- these are the latest wind gts, around 25 to 35 miles per hour. peak gusts out at reagan national at 22 miles per hour. it's frigid in the mountains of maryland and west virginia. it's only in the mid-teens there now. windchills are near zero. across virginia and the eastern shore, temperatures in t upper 20s right now. we're not allow. this cold air mass stretches from canada down to florida. and from the atlantic seaboard all the way to the plains. and over the last 12 hours we have had this flow coming out of the north and west. it's been picking up moisture across the great lakes. but the big lake-effect snow machine has ended temporarily for the mountains of western maryland and west virginia where

they got more snow yesterday. for us, for the afternoon, partly cloudy and windy and very cold. high temperatus in t teens. we could get snow torrow. i'll have details on that and we'll take a look the at focast for friday and saturday and the weekend. more snow for the weekend. details coming up. a white christmas, it sounds like, huh? >> we'll see. >> thank you, tom. we'll talk to you shortly. some people have been forced out of their artments in the cold. fire crews were called to this building in the 400 block of muddy branch road for an electral problem. when they arrived, they realized the problem was caused by a water leak in the basement. firefighters condemned the building after indicating that it was unsafe. there is no word when the residents will be allowed back in. six families have are been forced from their home after a fire swept through a w of town homes there. the blaze started just before 8:00 last night in the 500 block of garret morgan boulevard in

capital heights. firefighters say when they arrived they found the spreading up to the outside of the three-story town home. the two-alarm fire spread to two neighboring town homes. no one was injured and the cause of the fire is still under investigation this morning. we will check on the midday traffic right now and we have steve in. good morning, steve. >> good morning, barbara. we begin at a look at the beltway. traffic is moving away from us on the screen as the inner loop leaves the college parkway. it looks like things are moving better than they were a few minutes ago. we'll check to see if that road work is still there. in the meantime, it's good news. over to the map now to work zones, delays as you head into the district from maryland and continuing through town over to springfield. pretty good righnow. road work back again. barbara? >> thank you, steve. we'll check in again with you

soon. >> residents are demanding this midday a protest during the morning rush hour on the corner of martin luther king and in southeast washington. they are angry over a rent string of burglaries in the community. residents say that there have been at least seven robberies. home invasions of less than ree months. they say they live in fear every day. d.c. 9 is expected to open stores again tonight. the district's abc boarduspend the liquor license when five employees were arrested after a man died back in october. witnesses say the workers chased that man and attacked him after he threw bricks in the window.

charges against the man were eventually dropped and the suspension of the club's liquor license ends today. the man convicted ofilling a popular hip-hop producer in prince county georgia will likely spend his life in prison. he was sentenced to 140 years. he's convicted of killing in 2006 outside of the home. he chased down a man trying to steal the wheels off his car. he will not be eligible for parole until 2080 and will be 94 years old. our time right now is 11:09, 9 afte 11:00. coming up, what action is taking place in the tax package. plus, time magazine's pern of the year for 2010 is the youngest chosen since 1927. stay with us.

we continue our 12 days of christmas giving. we introduce you to a local organization that needs volunteers and donations. a group called mentoring to manhood. >> thank you, barbara. 's a program that targets young men between the ages of 12 and 18. mentors help these young men develop an understanding of their social responsibility and help them to become effective

leaders and leaders in their schools and clubs. tell us when you got starteand how. >> we got started in 2004. four men saw the need and wanted to act immediately stead of waiting and joining other organizations. they decided when we have the power and know-how. so let's get out there he a help these young men. >> how many are you serving and tell us a little bit about them. >> we serve about 50 men per year. we will he other students in ongoing years and their background, single parents households don't have that opportunityo have a positive male figure in their lives. so we provide that support to help them academically, to help them in their personal life and be successful in their home life and be respectful to other members of their family as well.

>> do they have pay a fee or to join what kinds of requirements are there? >> there's no fee. they simply go on to our website. there's an application and telephone number. we simply do a screening with them and their parents. and they are welcome to come aboard in our program and as long as we have the space for them. we max out at 50 students per year. >> there are so many single parent households. many of the households, as you indicated, don't have the male role models. so a lot of youngen come with specific challenges. and you're targeting those challenges. talk about how difficult it is. >> certainly. it's very difficult. i mean, we deal with the age where, you know, young men are trying to grow up and they want to do their own thing but at the sameime you need guidance. they need proper guidance and there's a lot of negativity out

there but we need more individuals that bring positive tift to these individuals and some of the challengeses that we deal with are individuals not performing well in school, not having good study habits and we instill into them the need for that. >> and the mentors, who are the mentors? >> they come from a diverse background, from lawyers to business ownerand i.t. field engineers. and so we bring a lot to the table and we're able to offer them a great deal. >> how much are they able to donate? >> they call the mentee once per week and spend an hour to two hours per nth. >> it's calling mentoring to the manhood. we don't have our phone bank but we have a website that we'like to direct you to if you can volunteer. that's what you need. >> that's what we need. >> the website address is m 2minc.org. >> thank you for having me.

>> bash before, back to you. >> thank you. today's senate could vote on the obama tax plan. the bill has strong bipartisan support in the senate. it would extend unemployment benefits for jobless americans. somehowemocrats are furious with the bill because it would ease the estate tax. >> we're goingo borrow $1 billion a year, all of the american people are going to borrow that money to give 6,000 families a tax break. who are already doing kwoit well, thank you very much. how many jobs will that create? zero. goose egg. none. >> democratic leaders want to bring back the 2009 estate tax levels and a move rpublicans could warn would jeopardize the passage. they expect it to pass as it stands now. also today, president obama is meeting with 20 top ceos to

figure out ways to spark the economy. it's a virtual who is who, heads of american express, dupont, google, and boeing. before going into the meeting, the president addressed his hopes for the meeting. i hope to elicit ideas from the business leaders that will not only help them climb out of recession but seize the promise of this moment. ideas about tax rerm and a balanced approach to regulation that will promote rather than undermine growth, ideas that will help encourage businesses to invest in america and american jobs at a time when they are holding nearl $2 trillion on their books. >> the meeting is part of a renewed obligation to help reach out to the community. the house will soon be voting on the don't ask, don't tell policy.

a stand-alone bill was introduced and steny hoyer ss he will bring the regulation to the house floor soon. the house already passed a defense authorization bill that krued a repeal of the policy but stalled in the senate. meanwhile, u.s. troops in afghanistan may be heading home as early as july. that's according to a status report on the war in afghanistan due out tomorrow. the president expected to discuss the review tomorrow, a little more than a year after the announced new plan that included $30,000 addional u.s. troops robert gibbs said that the report will also show that afghs ma be able to take control of security responsibilities by the year 2014. florida farmers cod lose millions of dollars because of frozen crops. many farmers are coating their crops with ice because it

insuteds the food from harsh winds and colder temperatures. talked about that with tam just last week. and he was explaining how this actually helps to seal the freshness and does not freeze the fruit. >> right. it's simply too time consuming to put little coats on everything. all of the little stwberries and oranges. but it could have a huge impact on agriculture, he in florida. re, we are past the growing season and it feels mre like the middle of winter rather than mid-december. outside right now, we've got that blustery cold wind. i love wall. don't you love wool? >> how about cashmere? >> and freeze and goretex and everything else you needle. if you plan on heading out fo running an errand, you need your warmest winter gear. and it's the coldest december in ten years. in december 2000, that month was

colder than average. we're on pace to match or exceed that one from ten years ago. look at the lows that we have this morning. it got down tthe middle teens in many locations in virginia and maryland. bottomed out just at 21 degrees at national airport. arlington, fairfax, montgomery county, bottomed out in the teens. it's into the mid-20s in our nearby suburbs. it's in the per 20s around the bay and lower eastern shore. in the west, it's in the mid-20s. these are the windchills that feels like ten degrees. and that wind i continuing to whip up out of the north and west and gusting. these are the latest peak gts that we've had generally around 25 to 30 miles per hour. they may get higher than that as we get into the afternoon. west virginia, many locations there, in the mid-teens right now, their windchills are just near zero. temperatures around the bay, lower part of the eastern shore, there in the upper 20s in most

locations but it's below freezing from canada down to rthern florida and all of this, thanks to a huge cold dry air mass that stretches from canada all the way to the gulf coast. embedded in that is a powerful low pressure system spinning over easternñi canada and the south winds coming out of the north and west spreading snow into western pennsylvania and we're not alone. look how far deep this cold air has plunged. atlanta is only at 31. temperatures in the midwest only 10 degrees. that's going to be a weather maker for us as we get into tomorrow. high pressure over us now gives us the sunshine. that will exit off over the atlantic ocean and begin to diipate. this low pressure gains strength. it's not going to be a powerful low. it will be fast moving, spreading snow in here tomorrow

morning. and then during the afternoon and evening it will zip out to sea, taking away the moisture with it. behind that, a couple more dry days andnother coastal low pressure system forms on sunday and that could give us some snow. for this wednesday afternoon, bundle up if you're planning on heading out, it'soing to be a brutally cold withhe windchills only in the teens through the rest of the afternoon. gusting to 30 to 35 miles per hour and highs only reaching near the freezing mark. and th overnight tonight, we'll have that with a clear sky and that is at 4:47. tomorr, near 20. light snow in the viewing area. 20, 30 miles south and southwest of washington. but closer to washington, probably not until mid- to late morning tomorrow for the snow to arrive. it looks like a dusting. maryland, north of washington, they may not get any. just flurries. south of washington, perhaps up to two inches of snow. sleet in southern maryland,

perhaps around fredericksburg, charlottseville, two inches of snow. and that looks like it's going to stay below freezing, too. just to near 30 degrees. light know tomorrow. and then on friday and saturday, it looks like we may finally get above freezing. cold in the mornings. quite a bit of cloudiness. coastal storm could get us snow on sunday depending on the track of the storm. if it goes farther east, it may not get any. as it tracks farther west, accumulating snow. it's too hard to tell right now. stay tuned. we'll know better as we get closer to the day. >> tom, thank you. let's head out to the roads again and see how the midday traffic is looking. >> traffic slowing dowonce again on the inner loop of the beltway from silver spring to college park. this is beyond the camera range. road work is still in the right

lane. springfield, moving slow slowly. time magazin has announced their person of the year. why doctors say they are close to coming up with a cure for hiv. but, first, here's a look at what 3q

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. grt news! for people with copd, including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can rerse copd, advair is different from most other copd medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working togeer to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before takinadvair. i had fun today, grandpa. you and me both. if copd is stillaking hard to brthe, ask your doctor if incding advair will help improve your lung function for better breathing. get your first full prescription free and save on refills.

well t. looks like it's so long for the first person to lose tir job at the botch at the ends of sunday's game. the 12-year vet will be replaced by sam. time magazine is releasing the person of the year. >> mark zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, the c of facebook. something that is transforming the way we live our lives every da why this year, though? facebook has been around for a

while. >> this year they passed 500 million users. it's an extraordinary number. the scale of this facebook is something that is transforming our lives. coming up in the next hour on news day, a man pulls out a gun and starts shooting in the middle of a school board meeting. the latest that police are sayi about that incident. tom will be back with the latest on the possibility of snow

the legislation would extend bush era tax cuts for all americans for two years t would also extend unemployment benefits and cut the social security tax. the pentagon metro station has reopened after police discovered a suspicious package this morning. the closer forced commuters to find a new way to work. police cleared the area and it

was just an electronic christmas orn meant. a man upset that his wife was fired, began shooting at school board members. the entire ordealwas caught on camera by whje. we want to warn you that what you are about to see could be disturbing to some. >> witnesses say a man talked briefly with the school board members about her firing. >> we have no idea what you are talking about. >> she was fired. >> reporter: after spray painting a red fixture on the wall, he took those remaining hostage. a female school board member tried to knock the man out of his hand. he knocked her to the ground. what you're about to see is disturbing. >> please don't. please don't. please. >> reporter: duke fired his weapon and although nobody was injured by the initial gushots,

duke was confronted by a security guard. after reviewing video, police say duke exchanged gunfe with the guard. then killed himself. >> obviously the gun that he had was real. >> reporter: the school superintendent said that security measures for future meetings will be discussed. >> i've got employees in there at will probably never be the same again. i'm no sure that i'll ever be the same again. >> reporter: a city on edge and an investigation der way. >> the security officer who returned fire was taken to a nearby hospital. his condition is unknown at this time. this morning, wikileaks' founder julian assange is wang up in jail. he was granted bail but must remain behind bars for another 48 hours while sweden is appealing that decision. he was arreste a week ago because prosecutors want to

question him on sexual assault allegations. meanwhile, his supportersre trying to raise $300,000 to post his bail. they say he's being unfairly held because his website leaked thousands of secret documents. the only survivor of a medical helicopter crash in marynd has filed a $50,000 lawsuit against the faa. he was originally injed in a car crash back in september 2008. she was being flown by medevac when the copp crashed due to foggy weather. she lost her leg. the four others on board were killed. the suit alleges that air traffic controllers failed to give the pilot updates on weather formation and did not properly alert medics at the scene of the crash. she's undergone more than 30 surgeries. travelers may be packing more than just presents when they ride amtrack this holiday season. starting today, passengers are allowed to check guns in their

luggage. there are restrictions. you must be traveling between locations that offered checked service and must be put in the baggage car and must be stored in approved containers. you must also make a reservation no less than 24 hours in advance. amtrack mass previously banned weapons from its trains after 9/11. ifñi you live in montgomery county, you can use a high-tech tool to see whether it's safe to venture out of your house. there is a new online system that shows which roads are cleared and which roads still need to be treated. the mapalso connects you to 190 real-time cameras s you can see for yourself what the roads are like. >> it gives our residence a choice. while they are sitting at home, they can make a decision, an informed decision of whether or not to venture outside of their

house. >> montgomery county invested more than $60,000 io this new computer system. well, that really brings us to the 21st century, doesn't it? >> and it was certainly a big issuon last year's winter blizzards when people were wondering, when are my streets going to get cleared? let's take a look at our sky now. cold enough for snow but no snow today. a live view, bouncing around in theblustery wind, it's still subfreezing. we'rjust in the 20s throughout most of the region. 28 at nation airport. it's in th teens. peak wind gusts have been around 25 to 30 miles per hour and that's the story throughout the rest of the ternoon. higher gusts on the ridges to the west and we'll have that wind continuing to tap the cold air that will be in place re today, tonight, and tomorrow. and an area of low pressure

tomorrow. likely bringing light snow. and then warming up on friday and saturday, could get more snow on sunday. >> okay. i ra into icy spots myself ming into work this morning. >> lingering today. >> with the cold temperature. let's talk to steve and see if folks are having any problems on the roadway as they try to get to and fro. good morning, steve. >> good morning, barbara. let's see if everybody is getting used to the road work. southbound 95 on springfield south of springfield, the right lane is blocked but there really is no backup. traffic in the middle of your screen. which means that you're getting ready to turn the hov lanes to the southbound direction. at the beltway, we're not -- heading from silver spring to college park, it's still pretty slow as you head around to university boulevard. barbara, back to you. thank you.

happening today, montgomery county school superintendent will present his recommended budget for fiscal year 2012. it will be the last time that he will present budget recommendations. he announced his resignaon and will step down at the end of the school year this june. he will present that budget at 7:30 tonight at the montgomery high school in rockville. well, it was once known for the academic excellence for african-american studes and for it is beautiful school grounds. it became a concrete facade which some considered to be the downright ugly building back in the '70s. but that's about to change. there was a new modern $100 million campus for the school and it will be built on the orinal site. the new glass wall building will house 1200 students, 500 more that it can currently hold and school officials say it shows the commitment to d.c. students

the state-of-the-art education. >> we want our students to be able to go to schools that are state-of-thert. it sends a tremendous message to our students and families when we're able to send them to the education that wehink they deserve. >> city officials say that the school should be ready by 2013. well, yu'll see more than skruft a christmas nativity scene in leesburg, virginia. the ard of county supervisors agreed to allow a mixture of displays. last year, all displays were banned. later this week, luke sky walker, from st wars, will be on display to promote jedi-ism. and then a display from an atheist group. >> main injury, love it. that's the meaning of christs. now, the other things that you're talking about not so

excited about that. >> >> instead of having a lookt the historic courthouse, we ended up with a hodge podge. >> under the new rules, ten permits were displayed on a first come, first serve basis. attorneys, educators, politicians, writers, bankers, engineers, who volunteer a little bit of their time to help teen boys and prince george county growing into self confident youngmen. our phone bank is not up this morning but we'll direct you to their website. we need to you go there and sign up if you can volunteer your time. shawn, you currently have five students that you're specifically trying to match to mentors, right? >> we do. >> tell me about them.

>> we have one student that has self-esteem issues and it's someone that could help with their confidence and go on to do great things because what we've seen, e low self-esteem t. affects them academically in school. >> he's a victim of buling? >> yes. and he tries to overcome it but when you're dweelg something by yourself, it's difficult. >> so you need to match him with someone that can help him but g through that. do you train the mentors? >> we offe mentor training on a regular basis and also meet with them just to watch a football game, to go grab coffee, to get to know each other. mentors can bounce ideas off of each other and that helps to solve some of the issues that we deal with. >> tell us again specifically homuch time it takes to

mentor. >> one phone call per week and one to two hours per montis all it takes to make a difference in a young person's life. >> i would imagine the mentors that you have, you told me earlier 14? >> 14 mentor rs currently. >> and do they stay with you for a year or until they get ready -- >> a year comtment but most of them involved in the program have been around for a long time and they enjoy what theyo because for mentors they also learn something from a young individual. >> mentors making a difference. the group is mentoring to manhood. they need volunteers for these five specific indivials, these five young men. if you can volunteer as a mentor, go to their webte at m 2minc.com. 11:42 is our time. stl ahead, it's today's frugal finds. great gift ideas for those watching their budget. plus, after small gains yesterday, we'll check to see how the markets are moving this morning.

one of las vegas' posh casinos is looking for $1.5 million in chips. a man robbed the bellagio. he walked over to a krebs table and walked off with the chips.

he may be the same man responsible for a similar heist at the sun coast hotel and casino last thursday. well, consumer prices picked up in november. let's check in with courtney reagan. she joins with more on that and the rest of the day's business. hi, courtney. >> hi,barbara. it's a quiet day as far as trading is concerned. there is a the lof news but the dow isp 3 points and s&p 500 relatively flat. the economy is improving but not enough to bring down unemployment. asian markets were down a little overnight anlike you said, the inflation level did rise but just a tenthercent in november. holiday bargains may have helped to motivate shoppers.

the average person only has fen nished half of their hopping. retailers will push aggressive promotions reminding shoppers ey only have one weekend left. and the american workforce is getting grayier. usa today says they are on record to hit 28 million this year. that's squeezing out the younger neration. barbara, it's also important to mention that 30 ceos are meeting to discuss a the state of business to create jobs and growth. that meeting is expected to adjourn around 2:00 .m. eastern time. >> okay, courtney. thanks, have a great day. >> thanks, you too. today we continue our week

long series of helping you find a gift. well, fortunately, there's amazing things that we have available for under $100. we have things for example, like the lovely life-size lion for only $75. >> that's huge. >> and with the national new line cub, what a great gift to give to the young child. >> little kids could sit on top of that and enjoy watching television. >> exactly. >> so i think because we're so familiar with the catalog -- >> uh-huh. >> it starts off with a milli dollar gift, we don't think of neiman marcus of having things that are reasonably priced. let's go through your favorites. >> sue. we have amazing, affordable luxury. this is a vote of -- this could be something that you give to anybody. that's $25. the craft manship.

you could have a it as a desk accessory. that's the type of thing. it comes in the beautiful box with a ribbon. maybe you get them a nice briced bottle of wine. but for the person that has everything, you nt to get them something that is thoughtful. >> i love this. this is one of our greatest vendors. it's a wonderful piece. it's $35. it's tainted enamel. evything is hand painted and made in new york. how wonderfulis that?

>> thas true. >> we also sell t wonderful ginger bread dog bones. >> they are delicious. >> i'm kind of impressed with these thngs. anybody that has little kids and this looks like children so creative and imaginative, this is great thing where you give them a costume and you can ma your own wonderland. >> how much are these? >> $65. >> it comes with a hat and it's really detailed. >> and the one thing we want to mention, there is a charge for the beautiful wrap that you do in your -- >> yes. it's 795. >> but folks go out to pay that much for ribbon. sometimes. >> it looks wonderful and it's beautifully done. you can add the person's name right here, which is a wonderful

touch. i think, again, when you're looking to add something special withouspending too much, it's a lovely detail. >> but lots of the gifts come already wrapped. >> exactly. >> treats? lots of cakes? >> our department is wonderful. that means everything. >> you've brought a lot of interesting things all for under $100. thank you. >> thank you. our timeight now is 11:51. coming up, a [ male announcer ] are you watching cable? here's what you shou be watching: your cable bill. because you could be paying way too much. stop spending more for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. call now for this special holiday bonus:

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an hiv patient seems to have been cured in germany. >> matt has been living with hiv since 1988. for the first time, heis cautiously optimistic, a cure maybe within reach. researchers say a patient in germany is proof that it's possible. >> the youngest patient with aids who develops leukemia and lacks genes. it turns out that it's the key doorway to get inside the cell. >> four years later with no other treatment, the patient is hiv-free.

the goal is to replicate what happened i berlin, shutting that doorway through gene therapy. it's happening in san francisco. experts are removing ccr 5 from patients genes, replicating them and then putting them back. >> their own key cells, stem cells, manipulating them to remove that gene and then reinfusing them that is doable. >> jacob says without ccr5 the virus cannot infect new cells and eventually goes away. it's a development that he is counting on. >> i've exhausted all of my possibilities for drug treatment. >> reporter: three months into the gene therapy trial, his numbers are improving. >> from the experiment so far, g-cells have doubled and my percentage numbers have gone up. so everything is going in the right direction. >>eporter: only time will tell if the new treatment can actually cure patients. >> we're keeping our fingers

crossed. >> that was jean reporting. so far, they are treating ten patients with the gene therapy and the results so far have been described as encouraging into let's take a look at the stories that we'll follow for you this afternoon. pat joins us in the afternoon with a preview of things to come. coming up at 4:00, we'll have moren our frigid weather and get the latest forecast on that snow that is headed our way. plus, a consumer group is none to happy about the happy meals sold by the world's largest fast food chain and they are taking their issue to court. and then tonight at 5:00, caught on facebook, a burglar brags about his crime on facebook and d.c. police are saying thanks to the suspect. they now have all of the information that they need to track him down. that's at 4:00. barbara? >> all right, pat, thank you. time for a final check on our forecast. here is tom. weave sunshine here. a few clouds are racing in from

a big area of eastern canada highs only near 30s and gusty winds. increasing clouds and low pressure has weak low with light snow. perhaps up to an inch or so around the metro kwar and two inches at the most it appears now for fred drixburg and into southern mare land, a mix of sleet. highs near 30 tomorrow a then friday and saturday to the upper 30s over the weekend. maybe more snow on sunday depending on the track of a coastal storm. stay tuned and we'll keep you tuned tomorrow morning. tom, are you a sucker for a bargain? >> sure. >> i guess we all are. think you can draw a sketch of a cat like this? you probably could. the so-called artist who drew it agrees. so that begs the question,hy would anyone pay $3 for a little dudeell of a cat. when that $3 price tag is labeled a bargain, apparently a

lot of people will. usually charging $10 for his personalized sketches, le take the joke further and pitched his idea to groupon. they went along with the pitch offering his sketches, though, not for $10 but $3. orders started pouring in. he wnd up tapping the limit, 1,000 sketches, because he couldn't keep up with the demand for such a bargain. how about that? all right. that's news 4 midday. we tha you for being with us we tha [ female announcer ]s safeway talks hostess gifts. you know what i want for the holidays? do tell. true lo. true love is a myth. [ gasps ] you're a myt excuse me? [ female announcer ] it's the thought that counts. and the gift. safeway. ingredies for life.

that smells scrumptious. yummy! smells delightful.