the snow has start to fall across a large part of our viewing area. the weather conditions are forcingchools to close or close early. and this morning's flakes are just the beginning. right now, the storm is movin north, covering most of northern virginia. welcome to "news4 midday" i am barbara harrison. december 16, 2010. the snow is fallg, and in the

district, tom? >> we had snow beginning in washington an hour ago. it is picking up in intensity as olympic as you look at the radar, you can see, it is a broad area of snow, covering virginia and west virginia, and continuing to advance through the east. this is a fast-moving storm, otherwise we would be talking about a major winter storm. there is the view, looking down on nebraska avenue there. off in the distanc american university, lost in the snow. the visibility has dropped. it has changed to rain in southwestern virginia, sleet as well. the closer view of the radar, where the darker colors are where it i coming down harder in charles county that is the zone that will likely get the

heaviest snow. nortrn montgomery, northern loudo u.n. and stafford and prince william. it is cold. 22 in washington. this is light, fluffy snow that will stick and going to stay. all coming from low pressure that is traveling wes to east and rapidly moving through the area. for the afternoon, snow, light to moderate at mes, highs reaching the upper 20s. accumulations will be piling up. i will show you the forecast maps for the amounts d, when it will stop. the forecast for friday and the weekend coming up. our live team coverage continues, v-dot is trying to stay ahead of the storm.

more than 200 cruise ready to treat the roads. it appears the crews will be put to the test soon. live with the latest for us now. >> reporter: they are saying they are ready for that test. see what it looks lie, they have been catching up with this storm. didn't get an opportunity to pretreat because of freezing temperatures. they have been out here since the snow started coming down. they have been out here with the plows, puttin out salt as well. seeing the trucks going up and down the roadway here. taking a look at 66. the same thing has been happening there as well. we caught up with folks here who say what they have been looking for what they need. >> i need a shovel. we had the big snow last year,

everybody was looking for shovels. all the time that is what happens. >> we came out for light fixtures, saw it was snowin saw we thought we would be safe and get it now. >> salt, cat litter. >> no, we saw other people getting it. >> they had everything at lowes, and folks were rushing to get some of this stuff. we have about a quarter of an inch snow, it is powdery and white and sticking to untreated surfaces. this is a good example of what the roads would be looking like, if it wasn't forhe traffic and plows and salt. as a reminder. the trucks are on standby, what they wanted to do is pretreat the roads. get to the roads to clean them, to get them ready in advance. becae of freezing

temperatures, v-dot said they didn't have e opportunity to do that what they are doing now is getting the trucks out as the snow hits the ground. having the plows down. putting out salt as well. we have a salt truck coming down here now. they are definitely working to try to stay ahead of the storm the best way they k what it means for dvers? give them room to work and be careful with your speed. there may be slick spots out there. it is really coming down here. tracy wilkens. back to you in the studio. >> everyone has been preparing r the winter weather, many schoolare closing early today because of the snow. in virginia, fairfax and loudoun are closing two hours early, prince george's county schools closing one hour early. we will have a list of closings

throughout the newscast. and that will be at the bottom of your scrn throughout the newscast. >> our team coverage continues with meagan, live with the conditions. >> reporter: goodmorning, at our location, it has been snowing for an hour. the ground is so cold, the snow that falls is not going anywhere. this is a secondary stree through the area. you can see, there is a lot of snow covering the lanes here. most folks seem to be going to the far left lane, more clear than the two right-hand lanes. we even with that, we are seeing accumulation. the plows have been out there, they knew the storm was coming. fied with salt, sand, they

have their people on the schedule. out there on the roads right now. one driver thinks he will have been a long and busy day. >> g out, spread a bit of salt, try to stay ahead of it. it is bad, we will put a plow down and put out more salt. >> you can see, this parking lot is all snow covered we are seeing accumulation on the street as well. slippery conditions on the condary streets n areas not treated. you want to keep your speed down. anything that falls on an area that isn't treated, it is going to be on the on-going situation. we are not expecting any kind of warm-up here. give yourself extr warmth, i was walking to the convenience

store and i slid. getting slippery. >> you have a b on the ground out there already. >> yes, quite a bit on my hat, too. >> yes. i can see that thank you. stayith us, throughout the hour for updates on the forecast and where the snoi is falling right now. and check on road conditions.ñi we are going to start at 270 southbound, as you can see, the accident south of this is after 124, before 370, only one is getting by. can you see the snow between the lanes. now, on the other side northbound, snow is not covering the road.

if you look carefully, you can see, some of the ramps are snow-covered. that is not the only location where that will be a problem again, the snow partially coveraging the the several accidents reported off the interstate. there are delays on the rail, a cracked rail. no word yet onhat caused the crked rail. the official announcement will be made, lanier was chosen

by mayor fency in 2007. we learn thad gray will name kenneth elerbee as the fire chief. he currently serves as the ch f chief. >> firefighters say the fire broke out around midnight on hewitt avenue. one person w taken to the hospital with snoek-related injuries. 11:10,an the white house get the obama tax deal passed gn signal.

how much snow we can get. >> call if you are able to help the organization strive d.c., how the organization is helping pe

it is snowing around the washington region in most areas. 23, our current temperature.

we have been expecting the snow, we have ice on the potomac, as you can see. tomill be in in a bit to tell us how long it will last and how much you can expect to get in your area. meanwhile, continuing the 12 days of giving. we will be introducing you to a local organization that needs volunteers and donations, a group called strive d.c. >> it say nonprofit career development center that helps individuals in the d.c. area to get and keep wor volunteers are taking your calls, calls,. >> tell us more about strive d.c. >> strive d.c. is a powerful

program, one program is strive d.c. self, for those who are adults, conically unemployed. we hope to transform their lives through employment. the other is career gear, we receive business clothes, and strive for success program, that runs for ten weeks, we take them through a unit of ged preparation, that age is 16 to 25. >> who are most of your clients? >> from all over the city. all quad rants of the city. male and female, who tend to be young people, who make deision that is take them off their personal success track, and redorphed themselves and need this to move forward. >> they are youngsters no

longener school. >> yes, once they are in our program, they are in school, they go through intensive ged program. >> you need volunteers? >> yes. >> donations? >> both. >> in any respect, on financial donations, we are looking for $250 for those individuals who want to help with transportation. to and back home every day, five days a week for ten weeks. the next amount is $86, which will help to support young people in terms of school supplies, and $50, fo application fees when they take their tests downtown. >> are these tax deductible? >> yes. >> 202686 nbc 4.

>> a judge granted bail to julian assange. authorities are keeping him behind bars until his extradition hearing. his supporters say that he is being unfairly held because his website leaked government dourmts. >> there is a showdown at the capital. today, the house seeks to vote on the cs and extensions. the tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the m.

>> the house democrats are upset with the tax break for the rich. the president wants the bill passed as is, so he can sign it quickly. it extends benefits and allows estates as large as $10illion to be passed to inheritants tax free. the house is expected to ultimately pass that bill. a look at the forecast. snow coming down out there right now. as we can see, that is a live piure of the white house. all whited out out there. >> the snow is falling now, an inch per hour, advertently, and in washington as well. coming down hard.

it will come and go. and you can see, everything is snow-covered now. right now, at reagan international, it is as cold as it usually gets in the winter here. now, we are dealing with the snow. on radar, over last four hours, we have had this snow moving in. a fast-moving system, moving west to east. it will continue to pass through the region for the next several hours. the darker colors are where it is coming down harder. in culpepper county to adson and greene, high lands of west virginia, snowing in loudo u.n. northern montgomery county,

prince george's coun, the heaviest snows will continue to track west to east. the heavy amounts to the soh of washington: it covers all t this, and under this winter weather advisory int the mountains, only in the teens, norfolk, 28 degrees. we have had this system moving east. a broad area of snow. stretching from southeastern virginia, to west virginia, and the ohio valley. the broader view, showing the snow to the upper midwest.

a fast-veing storm. it will give us cold weather, it will be dry on friday, it looks like coastal moiste will stay out to sea. the teat of snow on sunday is greatly diminished. not for the rest of this afternoon. will have temperatures remaining in the 20s. 1 to 3 inches in nortrn virginia, the district and maryland, and 3 to 5 further south. it should end tonight, and the cloud cover breaking up by tomorrow, and it looks like sunday should sub snow-free.

reini remaining cold. >> we will check on mid day traffic. weather playing any tricks on the drivers at this hour? >> sure s have a look here at the soutound lanes of i-270, moving slowly left-hand side, the accident, still only one lane getting by. there is pavement. recently reported accidents around the corner right now. several on t beltway, and

especially, the first to free barb remarks back to you. >> there are a lot of accidents. people should stay off the roads if they can. >> it is now11:23, still ahead, jewelry is always the perfect gift. it sparkles, itshines. what are you looking for, at a good price. d exercises you can do oñiñ 3q

co 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, physema, or both, advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other copd medicions because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you brthe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a 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 coition or high blood pressure beforeaking advair. i had fun today, grandpa.

you and me both. if copd is still making it hardo breathe, ask your doctor if including advair will help improve your lung function for better breaing. get your first full prescription free ansave on refills. the snoi is -- the snow is falling, all the major roadways are treated, and the snow is melting on contact. visibility is down, and the schools are closing early. we will have tom in here shortly. in our fitness segment today, staying warm indoors is what you want to do. you don't need much room to get out and exercise in your living room, bedroom or wherever. you want to stay in shape when it is cold outside. with steve push, nice to have you with us.

>> yes, we are ging to burn off the holiday calories. we are ready to go. the first one we are going to do is called the swat. 15 of those. walk up on the chair, keep your feet flat. the leg muscles are so big, it takea lot toet the muscles activated. the next one will be our twist. ready, steve. go around the world ere. this is an arobbic exercise. does it burn or not? >> it is a very good arobbic workout. >> hands on the chair. if you want to make it more difficult, stretch you legs o more. >> when you chose a chair, try to get one that doesn't move around. and keep your hands ght on t it won't move.

the cardio, the swats and the twist. >> this is the upper body. the twist torso. as you can see, as he is moving, keeping his head straight, and turns and twisting the body. you have what you have these side muscles, this works the side muscles, takes the weight off there. you want to do 10 repetitions of each. without stopping. center set. >> three times, 15, 15, 10. rest 30 seconds in between. >> cardiac tip? >> nutrition tip. asou know, the holidays are sitting on to of us. we are going to be eating the cakes, pies and cookies, throw something else in the mix, a piece of fruit. when you go on for the second piece of cake, each a piece of

fruit. it is high in nutrition, and flushes out the body and stops the bloating, and allows you to lose those holiday pounds. >> great to e you. the hays way.com. coming up, we continue to watch the snow move into our area. tom will have the latest on how much and when it will end. plus, marion barry, a crime victim. who common mistake he made to help the crook out. we are waiting to hear from you 202-686-nbc 4 to help, we

right n on "news4 midday," we are under a winter weather advisory for most of the area. several major school systems are closing early. we posted information on the bottom of our screen fur that you might need. a snow emergency is now in effect in frederick, maryland. cruise have been out treating the roads. we checked in with meagan earlier. is it still coming down out

there? reporter: yes, accumulating, very cold conditions, whatever is coming down is sticking. this parking lot they haven't done much in the w of treating. look at fran conia road. we are seeing a bit of improvement in this roadway. a lot of v-dot workers have gone by, there is a less of a snow pack on the roadway. on the other side, it is even tter. the chemicals are working, the crews ar out there. slight improvement. it is still slippery, especially on the surfaces n treated. we are not seeingny melting at all because of the temperature. you are going to want to keep your speeds down, plenty of distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you, give the plows room as well. we are hearing about all kinds

of school stems, rethinking their plan. worried about the buses on the neighborhood streets. my daughter's school is out an hour earlier than normal. they are making adjustments, and the normal routines and schedules. that is the rule of thumb for everyone. can you see, we have school buses out here on the road. not seeing much in the way of slipping and sliding. the drivers are actually being responsible. they have dropped their speeds here. it is passable, but slippery. use common sense out there, and take your time. barb remarks back to you. >> we will check on v-dot. joan is on the phone with us. >> good rning. what are the concernses you see them on the roads in virginia. >> we are getting a lot of quick snow cover.

we have upped the numbeof trucks on the road. initially, shechbd, we have now gotbout 1,400 upon trucks out to spread salt on northern virginia roads. >> are the conditions worse than you had anticipated? is that why you have more trucks out there now? >> yes, we want to be on the side of caution. all the schools seem to be letting out earlier t cuts down our windows of oprtunity here. we are hoping to ve things salted before the rush hour. >> i know in anticipation ofhe storm, there was a lot of pretreatment done, how did it work for you? as effective as you thoug it would be? >> we did pretreat that is not a

panaceaor having a smooth surface. it gives us a leg up. it gives the road time to adapt. >>t doesn't mean that road will not be icing or slick. i am sure we having accidents out there. the pretreating helps, but it doesn't mean you can drive at normal speeds, you have to slow down. thanchlt is a good warning. joan morris of v-dot. >> and now, what can we expect? >> we could get three times that much, up to three inches perhaps. the enjoy the beauty of the snow. it is gorgeous, and foughting now. live view from the sky watch er.

nortest washington. you see the darker colors, where it is snowing harder. south of washington, prince george's county, fairfax, and prince william. this is rapidly moving east. the thing s it is so cold, this snow is sticking, not going away. 20 degrees around the region, all of this coming from a rapidly moving west to east area of low pressure, that right now is moving out of eastern kentucky it will move off to the east. and it will to the north, just an inch, up to five inches, thankfully, melty tomorrow, and

saturday and sunday. it looks like suay will be snow-free. colder than average into next week. >> check on the road conditions. steve? >> we will start with a map, here. this isn't the sum total what have is going on rit now. many, many accidents. still snow on the interstates, we will look at what the american legion. snow cover on the major

intetates. back to u. >> on saturday, barry parked his carutside the encarnacion center. barry left his keys in the ignition. it was recovered in ward. >> the career development center lped unemployment residents get jobs, and their ged. >> this is a student at strive for success, and latannia buck is back with us. you are 20 years old. not only a but working there as

an intern. >> i put things in the computer, and make calls. >> working on your ged? >> yes, it is very helpful. >> how did you find sdrif d.c.? >> it is nice, it has helped me a lot. >> how -- you take them out of their comfort zone, tell us about that. >> we have the opportunities to visit museums, corporations and businesses, anything to help

work with the whole person. there a saying that we don't get what we actually think we want, we get what we believe. what do you believe about yourself. if we can shift it, it can move you your personal success. >> how many people? >>0 to 25 youth and youth adults. >> how many go on to college? >>ry noit, we have a number of people in college. the 86 number, we have a percentage of those who have gone on your jobs, et cetera. good luck to you. we are all proud of you. r

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>> looking outside there, is the white house, snow falling, and a white out right now. 25 degrees in washington. be careful if you are heading out, the roads can be slick. pretreat overnight, and you will see trucks out there treating now. be careful. don't go out if you don't have to. stay with us, weill tell you about the snow throughout the day. and today, we continue our week long series for those still searching for the pfect holiday gift. and helping you stay on budget. we have jackie mason from charm georgetown. a stor that is brand new. people are surised to find the bargains they can find inside that store. >> thanks for having us. you wouldn't believe this all

the products on the table are under $100. >> what do you have at charm? jewelry, gifts and accessories, a lot of the items here today, we picked from both of our rooms. i wanted to tell you about some of our products. >> start with the earrings, everybody is -- look at this fantastic stuff. how much you are earrings? >> the prices range from $18, to $20. these however, are $80. they make a great holiday earring. you add a littlebling to the holiday wardro. >> how much? >> $95. >> you can find earrings at your store for as low as $17 or $15. these are $30. >> holidaybling. >> absolutely. >> and i like these bracelets,

these are very different. these are watches. >> these arelemare watches, they range fr $90 to 100. some of the other gifts fall in a much lower price range. this eye pillow from elizabeth w., it is $23. >> that is something that i could use. >> get some r. & r., these are from elizabeth w., they are $31. great for travel. >> jewelry bags. >> you see you have some shiny bracelets down on the front. >> fabulous bracelets, they range from $30 to $80. and this is one of our best sellers right here. this is the holidaybling bracelet. this is $92. it is just fabulous. really dress says up your wardrobe, the others in the

front, $45 or $30. >> tell us where we are find all this? >> at 2910 m street, northwest d.c., out. our e-shopping will be starting in january. >> how muc are the shoes? >> $50. >> thank you. >> jackie mason from charmed. >> courtney joins us with the rest of today's buiness. >> i would like a lot of that in my stocking this year. stocks are higher, good news for those of us looki for stocks in our stockings. europe up two. if you applied for unemployment,

and fed ex, seen as a reflection, the number of homes repossessed fell. amid freezes. 28% from october, and 12% from a year ago. banks are on track to te back one million home many resumed it as a more pressured pace. >> do you have snow? >> not yet. >> we have got it. >> thank you. a group of wednesday's childr were invited for an afternoon at the duke elington school of the arts. they got to see some of the

dream girls" show this ek. there werether surprises as well. >> reporter: getting to watch the duke elington production of ream girls." was several treats they got to enjoy. dreamed up by arts activist tracy jenkins. >> we try to find a way to help children in foster care or in agencies. she came up with a project called "dream catchers." she got elington staff, and friends to join in. including "meetw3 the bwns" star, lemar rucker. >> reporter: our wednesday's children know something about having adream.

>> are you a dream girl? >> my dream is to get an adoption facially. and be able to meet justin beiber. >> a lot of rocky roads, when i came to youyou, at six flags, we talked. i kept going. they found a family for me. >> wle many are waiting and hoping, like jennifer, she has other hopes and dreams in the metime. >> christmas, presents. each of t children got something they had been winnering for. >> she got pink pajamas. >> you dreamed of pajamas this much? it came true?

>> thank you. >> other dreams may come true, too. >> if you have room in your home and your heart for a wednesday's child, call 1-888-toadoptme. >> coming up,he big movies 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. 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 because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator, working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms

and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pumonia. 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 taking advair. i had fun today, grandpa. you and me both. if copd is still making it hard to breathe, ask your doctor if including advair will help improve your lg function for better breathing. get your first full prescription free and save on refills.

it is film to check out the weekend scene with the "the washington post." there is an old classic coming out? >> this one parents and kids will love "yogi bear." dan akroyd they are out to save the forest from devepers, opening friday. >> there is a movie everybody is talking about seven golden globe minations. >> a t of us may not have heardof this it is about the

king of england that struggled with a speech impement. >> tron legacy. >> this took 30 years to make this remake it. it is big, it is loud. >> bring everybody up to speed on the snow. >> the snow continues to fall. we will have it with us into the afternoon. you can see the snow coming down. right now, on radar. the darkercolors, is where it is snowing a bit harder in

montgomery, howard county. northern charles county, loudoun, getting heavier snow, as well as the highlands of virginia. it is moving east, and passing around six or seven p.m. temperatures are around 20. this snow ticking on the ground. toward the pennsylvania border, only an inch there. much of the snow should be. >> now, into next week, it appears we will remain colder

than erage. we will be back with frequent updates, we will have news tonight, and back tomorrow at 11:00. we hope you plan to join us. have a terrific day. see you in the building. [ male announcer ] are you watching cable? here's what you should be tching: your cable bill. because you could be paying way too much. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for just $99.99 a month for a year. plus this special holiday bonus: over 25 hbo and cinemax channels free for 3 month there's no term contract required. you can cancel anytime with no early termination fee.

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