over. president obama will take part in a washington tradition tonight, the lighting of the washington christmas tree. and tracee wilkins is live. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. they are working to get the stage set up here behind me. we have been hearing some of the acts performing and reversing and preparing. right now, over there to my right, that's carson daly, who will be hosting tonight's program. preparations are under way for the 89th lighting of the national christmas tree. and this year there's a proud, new, 26-foot tall colorado

spruce. it's expected to be cold tonight. folks planning to attend will need to prepare for that and tight security as well. >> they can bring blankets to drape over their lap or that sort of thing, and beyond that, leave the rest of the stuff at home. >> reporter: this morning, acts like the star-studded event, it will be hosted by carson daly. >> we have the air force jazz band playing throughout the show this year, and rodney add ktkin and kermit the frog. he hopped by for a little interview. >> i am going to be reading with our first lady, michelle obama.

>> reporter: you have met her before? >> i have not. looking forward to it. i am going to read "t'was the night before christmas." i am hoping i don't get too cold, because being a frog, it's permissible to not wear clothing, but not in this weather, not good. >> reporter: you have to listen to the frog. he got his start right there in our buildings there in wrc, so he knows what he is talking about. it will be cold so wrap up and be careful and prepare for that. and over my shoulder, carson daley, making sure everything is cool for what he needs to have done for tonight, and while the rest of you are making preparations at home, also remember that it's really important that you plan to

possibly take metro instead of trying to drive down here or take a cab down here. there's almost no parking. because of all the roads they will have closed around here, it could be impossible for you to get to the location by cab. make sure you take metro. plan for that. and also plan to use the 17th street c street entrance into this area, and just quickly, barbara, over my shoulder, marcia, the multi-grammy nominated song writer and singer, and she will be performing tonight. lots of treats for those coming down here. tracee wilkins, and back to you in the studio. >> what a great assignment you had today. a one-on-one with kermit the frog? >> yes, i was so star struck,

and he is so cool. he misses everybody at wrc. >> can't wait to see the show. we will have more of the coverage of the national christmas tree lighting. several roads are closed tonight. 15th street will be closed to traffic between e street and pennsylvania avenue and constitution avenue. and all roads should be open again around 7:00 this evening. turning to the weather, very important news. sunny and chilly out there right now. tom kierein joins us with the first forecast. is the weather going to hold for tonight? >> it will. it should be clear and it should be cold, but thankfully it looks like the winds will be diminishing. right now doesn't take much wind to cut right through you.

and we cleared out overnight and how high pressure is holding and we have a clear sky from new england to the carolinas, and this high pressure will be here today, tonight and into the weekend bringing more, chilly, dry weather. and temperatures are now climbing into the mid and upper 40s at reagan national. now in the mid-40s in principles joernlgz and montgomery and arlington and fairfax counties, and the shenandoah valley into the mountains, it's now in the 40s. right near the bay and the eastern shore now, it's in the upper 40s. for the rest of the afternoon, lots of sunshine. it will be chilly, though. and thankfully, light ee eer br. and they will climb into the mid-50s in the next few hours. the forecast for the tree lighting ceremony, and we will take a look for the rest of the week into the weekend and next week in a few minutes, barbara.

>> tom, thank you. folks trying to drive by and have a look at the tree. any problems, danella? >> well, this one just cleared. 55 and cedar lane. it's clear. that's good. you have your roadway back. the intersection did have blocking. and inner loop at braddic road, left shoulder lane off to the side. police are on the scene, but you are jammed. you can see the police officer right here. and on the inner loop giving you a travel speed right now. once you pass this accident you are at 34 miles per hour. to get from i-95, the interchange to the dulles toll road, it will take you about 17 minutes to do so. back to you. >> thanks, danella. right now, metro officials are meeting to discuss major budget problems that could cost millions of dollars, and one of the solutions they are considering could hurt your

wallet. melissa malay just left and joins us live now. >> reporter: that meeting has been under way since 9:00 this morning. the math is simple. the cost rising faster than revenue. metro is facing a $124 million budget short fall. there's a talk about a rate hike, and how much rates might be raised. distance based to zone base, a 10 cent increase in base rail fares, and some increases could make metro $50 million more a year. they are looking at possible

cuts anyway to trim the budget. >> what today is about, it's the start of a conversation with our board about the choices ahead as we work towards next year's budget and closing a budget gap currently estimated at $124 million. >> reporter: of course, many customers don't like the thought of paying more, and the increase was at 11%, which was a record, and they could increase the fares every two years, and the board could use a combination of the proposals or none of them. the board's version is not due until july. before any hike was approved riders would have their say at public hearings and those hearings could start in february. back to you. >> thanks. well, things could be a lot different the next time a snowstorm hits our area.

there's a major overhaul planned. derrick, what are they talking about doing? >> reporter: the meeting just sort of broke up. really three significant changes. they are all based, at least for this year, on this. this is the national weather services forecast in our area. d.c. falls into the area that is expected to get about average snowfall, equal to what we got last year. this will be a la nina winter. take a look. we will show you the video of what happened last year. a lot of decisions are based on last year. three major changes. staggered release for federal workers. that's in place. but now there will be an out-of-town time or by time, and that's expected on your start time. and the second option is immediate release, and that would entail all federal workers

except emergency personnel, and the final option is shelter in place. and that's the last option and that's based on being used when there are things like tornados or biohazards and what have you. and they will issue emergency tool kits to federal employees, water, flashlights and food and even a whistle. it's not system wide. they are on a 3:00 a.m. conference call, where transit officials and folks from the local governments will get together at 3:00 a.m., preferably on the previous day or the day before a storm is forecasted, and it will be triggered by an inch of snowfall or ice. and they will have a decision at 4:00 a.m., and earlier if possible. that's their drop dead time. there's certain flexibility built into this.

it's an agency by agency plan. they want continuity and safety for the employees, and the alleviation of the traffic mess we saw last year. the storm came in the middle of the day, and they don't want to bring people into town if they will have trouble getting them out. >> thank you, derrick. this morning, we are hearing from the man jailed in aruba for four months in connection with the disappearance of a woman. robin gardener vanished, and prosecutors were suspicious because he took out a million-dollar insurance policy online, and he said he was selecting both of them for

himself and gardener had to be selected by default. >> if i am traveling and i disappear, i want them to be covered. medical was $150,000, or whatever. that's automatic. i can't unselect robin. when it came down to the accident insurance, you can't unselect her, okay? so when i selected that, i selected that for me and she got the same thing. >> giordano is not in the clear yet. under dutch law, they have three years to file charges against him. and richmond already looking ahead to the governor's race. plus, a look at what stock prices are doing this morning after

[ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement. it's an amazing holiday deal. but don't wait. it's only available for a limited time. so go to verizon.com/superoffer to sign up. act now and we'll add a special bonus -- $300 back. fios delivers the best picture quality, plus america's fastest, most consistent most reliable internet. spend the holidays saving money. switch to fios and get our best price online -- just $79.99 a month for two years with a 2 year agreement when you order online. save $840 in your first two years. and don't forget your special bonus -- $300 back. hurry, offer ends soon. go to verizon.com/superoffer. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/superoffer. at 800-974-6006 tty/v.

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virginia attorneygeneral has his eyes set on the governor's mansion. those close to the republican say he has decided to run for governor in 2013. he served two terms in the state senate and he has become a favorite among virginia tea party voters. he is one of the first attorneys general to file a lawsuit against president obama's health care law. he has also been one of the most

aggressive on immigration checks. and mcdonnell cannot run for re-election because of the term. and president obama along with two former presidents joined top anti-aids advocates for a discussion at a university. it was sponsored by two organizations including bono's charities. they are trying to fight against the devastating virus and the president talked about additional funding. >> we are committing an additional $50 million to the program. we want to keep those doors open so they can keep saving lives. we are committing an additional $35 million for state aids drug assistance programs. >> the president also called on

state governments and pharmaceutical companies to help them. and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas. this year's theme is shine, give, share. it honors the men and women serving in the military. bo, the first dog plays a role in the decorations. there's even a gingerbread white house, and visitors will get to tour the white house this season. let's look ahead to the rest of the week. >> it's a great time of year to tour the white house. i have toured it during a christmas holiday and it's gorgeous. we have the weather feeling christmassy. it's a cold start to this december. it's the wind swept waters, 47 degrees now and the wind is coming in gusting to around 15 miles per hour. it's dry. it's one of the skin lotion days. and it's into the 40s throughout most of the region, from the

mountains to the atlantic beaches, and closer to washington, they are in the mid-40s now, and right near the chesapeake bay, the mid and upper 40s. and 20 to 25-mile-per-hour gusts around the bay and eastern shore, but locally the latest gusts are generally around 15 miles per hour. it's enough to make that cold air cut through. what has been happening over the last 12 hours, we cleared out beautifully overnight and we have a clear sky now and the high pressure is in place, and not only here but up and down the atlantic seaboard. and in between here and the midwest, there's a snowstorm around denver. there are flight delays there as well as out in california, oregon, and for us, a sunny,

chilly light breeze. and this evening it will quickly get chilly. northwest winds from around 5 to 15. and then the event there, the tree lighting, it's going to be chilly, and then the winds will be diminished, 5 to 10 miles per hour, but should be down to the mid-40s for the ceremony and the entertainment, and then midnight around 40 degrees and then by dawn tomorrow another freezing start on friday morning. we will bottom out around 30 degrees tomorrow morning. a bright and sunny day on friday. afternoon highs should make it into the mid-50s, and then friday night, another cold night. looks like a cold start to saturday morning, too. it will be down to near 30 degrees, and saturday afternoon, bright and sunny. afternoon highs on saturday, only in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. and then on sunday, we'll have sun in the morning. looks like clouds may move enduring the afternoon, but still chilly. mid-30s in the morning and afternoon highs in the low 50s. now here is the extended out

look into next week. monday, it looks like we will be warming up a bit. a head of a cool front that will be arriving. and then as we get into tuesday and wednesday, that front along with perhaps an area of low pressure forming along it may give us showers, rain, that is, on tuesday and wednesday. temperatures mid-50s on tuesday and wednesday in the upper 40s, and then the extended outlook looks colder next week. let's check in again with danella sealock and see how traffic is moving. >> still seeing problems on the inner loop of the beltway, and as you make your way towards braddic road, as this truck gets out of the way police are on the side. this is in the left shoulder lane, but you are seeing delays at robinson terminal. travel speeds, 41 miles per hour to get from i-95, the

interchange to the dulles toll road, and that trip takes you 19 minutes. 11:21 is the time now. what are the benefits of yoga? our fit expert, steve hayes, checks out a class. we're cooking up a french holiday tradition. a sweet

yoga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. it can help you relax and also helps to increase strength and balance. our fit expert spent a little time in a yoga class. you brought your teacher with you. >> yes, kelly. >> tell us about what yoga is all about? >> i teach an integration, so you move with the breath. >> let's look at the video and tell us what you are doing here. >> we are flowing with the breath. we start with citation a, and it adds heat to the body. >> can somebody just walk in on the class like this and get involved. there are moves there that you

really have to be pretty agile to do? >> yes, anybody can come and take my class. all levels. i will talk to the instructor first and let the instructor know who you are. >> are there levels? >> yeah, it's all level. >> tell us about the benefits. >> you tone the entire body and you have a lot of body awareness, and also quietness of mind, which we all need today especially in d.c. >> you talked to some of her students when you were there. what did they say about taking yoga? >> they loved it. one lady in particular, she has osteoporosis. her doctor recommended that she take the yoga class, and she says her gains had been tremendous. her foot was bothering her with neuropathy. >> well, i stopped by, of course, when you were there, and i tried to keep up with you, and

i tried to take yoga many times. we had to watch the teacher the whole time, because you are just describing it, and that was not enough for me. did that make it not so good for the mind. >> that's fine. most people start out that way. a lot of people are visual. and this is just body awareness. >> well, i don't think that i have it then, because -- >> no, you did great. yes, indeed. >> it's great to have you. we're looking for all kinds of different ways to stay in shape, and steve, he brought you and you are our second one, and we did a dance last time. a tip? >> don't go to the parties hungry, because you will snack on everything. when you get to the party, you have a nice nutritious meal and won't feel bloated. >> thank you, that's a great tip. it's now 11:27. coming up in the next half hour,

mixed messages from herman cain. is he in the race for president for the long run. plus, police go fishing for a suspect from our area, who led them on a chase across the state. and we're looking ahead to the weekend. tom kierein is going to let us

right now, gary giordano is

back in the u.s. and claiming he is innocent in the disappearance of a woman in aruba. he said there was an explanation for all the information police released, including why he tried to leave the country while robin gardener was still missing. aruban prosecutors have up to three years to charge him. the office of personnel management is overhauling the snow plan to avoid what happened last year. they will have a 3:00 a.m. conference call and then determine one of the three release plans, staggered release, immediate release, or stayed release. and crews are repairing for the national tree lighting tonight. president obama will help to light the tree this evening. this year's tree is new, after the old one fell over in strong

winds back in february. former frontrunner, herman cain is gauging whether he has enough support to stay in the race. new accusations have taken an emotional toll on his wife. and as chuck todd reports, cain appears ready to fight. >> the stupid people are ruining america. >> reporter: herman cain is defiant, oddly campaigning in ohio, and cain told supporters the allegations were a conspiracy. >> they are attacking my character and my reputation and my name in order to try and bring me down. >> reporter: cain told fox news he will decide to stay in the race by next week, acknowledging the accusations of infidelity and sexual harassment has taken its toll. >> it's weighing on me and my family and especially my family

because it continues to stir in the news. i have talked to my wife many times since monday about this situation. i have not talked to her face-to-face. that's what i said. we have had many lengthy conversations. this is another reason why that i am not going to make a decision until after we talk face-to-face. >> reporter: still, cain is acting like he is staying in the race. the campaign unveiled this new tv ad set to debut on friday. >> if you make me america's ceo, we the people will take the country back. >> michele bachmann had these comments on iran. >> you may have heard there was a break in on the british embough sea. that's what i would do. we would not have an american m embassy in iran. she says she is fully aware

there is no embassy in iran. and romney is up with his first serious tv ad buy, reintroducing himself to new hampshire voters. >> i spent my life in the private sector and competed with companies around the world. >> gingrich refers to romney as a great manager and says his own experience makes him better equipped. >> i think it has an enormous advantage. i don't think you go to the middle. you bring the middle to you. >> republican power broker seeming increasingly more comfortable. >> mitt romney understands the business side of business, and job creation. and newt gingrich understands government, and those are two very important strengths. >> herman cain has indicated he will make a decision about

whether to stay in the race after he sees his wife face-to-face tomorrow. tsa authorities confiscated a pink cell phone that was a stun gun. authorities stopped her. officers found the stun gun at the security check point. she told them she forgot it was in her bag after turning the device over to the tsa, she was allowed to board her flight. a group of men got more than they bargained for off the coast of north carolina. they thought it was a dolphin, but it was a great white shark. the shark circled their boat for about 20 minutes, and luckily then the shark swam away. the video was athuthenticated. it's feeling wintry cold

still. there is the beautiful blue sky. the live picture from the skywatcher camera you can see the high rises of friendship heights there, and then the downtown skyline of bethesda looking into montgomery county. we have the blue sky all over the region, but only in the low and mid-40s throughout much of the area. winds are gusting from 20 to 25 around the bay and the eastern shore, and elsewhere, peak wind gusts are around 15 miles per hour. that's enough to bring the windchill down into the 30s. we have a settled weather pattern and a large area of high pressure into new england, and giving us a delightful start to the month of december, and feeling cold here all the way into the weekend. each morning it will be near freezing and afternoon sunshine in the mid-50s, and then a warmup on monday and then a front with an area of low pressure coming through and that may bring rain on tuesday and wednesday of next week. that's the way it looks right now, barbara. >> thank you, tom.

metro is planning a new snow strategy at today's budget meeting. they will plan to keep trains running at above ground stations this winter even if it reaches eight inches. they are hopefully going to speed up snow cleaning around the system. here is danella sealock. >> there is still slow moving on the beltway. fire department was on the scene as well as ambulance was on the scene here, and are now out of the way. i will give you travel speeds, in virginia, 41 miles per hour and from the interchange to the dulles toll road, 18 minutes to make that trip. the beltway in other areas look nice. inner loop not seeing issues for you, and outer loop, nice and clear as well. back to you. >> thank you, danella. take a look at the amazing

video from hampton roads, virginia. a man abducted his wife and led authorities on a high-speed chase and it went all the way into downtown norfolk. he jumped into the elizabeth river when he hit a dead end, and police arrested him. he is charged with felony abduction and eluding police and driving without a license. police are offering a reward. the men are believed to have hit three stores from sunday to monday. surveillance video captured the terrifying ordeals as the armed men ordered employees and customers to the floor at gun point. one of the employees says he did fear for his life. >> i don't know how to explain. it's like movie. a gunshot to my head.

>> police have a vague description of the suspects. d.c. fire chief hoping for shorter shifts to save the district millions of dollars. he wants to change firefighter shifts to 12 hours. as of now, they work 24 hour shifts, but just eight days a month. some firefighters live as far away as south carolina, and the shift change could save the district more than $30 million in personnel expenses. the union says it would fight that move. today at a fairfax county school board, it could be one step closer to allowing security cameras inside the high schools. it is on the agenda today and could be voted on by december 15th. the cameras could be placed in large gathering places. each school's principal would have the final stay on this. they cite safety issues while opponents say it's an invasion

of privacy. neighboring counties already use in-school cameras. new from overnight, former capitals coach has found a new home. he is going to take over as coach of the anaheim ducks who fired randy carlyle last night. carlyle led anaheim to their only stanley cup in 2007, but his first game is tomorrow night against the flyers. and then the penguins are coming to town for the first time this season and it's the first time the caps will face sidney crosby since last year's winter classic.

face-off is at 7:00 tonight at the verizon center. our time is is 11:40. checking the stock market after huge gains yesterday. could a bad jobs report have investors backtracking? [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom.

for everyone.

reverendbilly graham is in stable condition as he is being

treated for possible pneumonia. he was admitted to a north carolina hospital yesterday for a cough and slight fever. this is the second time in about six months he has had to be hospitalized. he served as a spiritual adviser and taken his message to faith to people around the world. the day after the dow had its biggest gains in more than two years stock prices are seeing a weak opening. let's get the rest of the day's business headlines. >> we have gotten a mixed bag of data here in the u.s. this morning. we had unemployment claims above 400,000 for the second week in a row. stocks are treading water ahead of tomorrow's very big november jobs report, and investors are taking a breather after yesterday's monster rally in the dow. there was a coordinated effort to ease the european debt

crisis. meantime, if you are one of the three million americans taking lipitor because it's now in the generic version. lipitor, the best-selling drug of all-time had about $10 billion in annual sales. if you choose some of the savings to buy gift cards this holiday season, new consumer protection rules make it easier to make the plastic gifts and putting them to use. cards will not expire until five years after they are issued and issuers can no longer charge service fees or activity fees until after the first year. and if a retailer closes, the consumer loses the value of the card. we spent $65 billion on gift

cards in the country, and about $7 billion worth are never redeemed. >> i am guilty. i will find one in my wallet, and i will think, i did not use that yet. thank you so much. have a great day. >> you, too. in today's wednesday's child, we meet a lovely young lady that says she wants to be a basketball player some day, and she is a terrific student. at a spoiled and rotten spa and salon for kids, it was a big day. she got her nails done in pink, some in blue and some in sparkles. yvonne says while she likes pretty things, she would rather use her hands to play basketball. >> can these hands handle a basketball? >> yes. >> she wants to do a lot of different things, and i am trying to find somebody that will allow her to try all the

things she wants to do. >> they are looking for an adoptive family to support all her goals in life. >> this is a leslie. she is going to style you today. >> leslie aurnel chose looks for her, and she warmed up to the idea of strutting herself on the run way, with her second outfit. by the time we fwaut to outfit number three, yvonne was getting more comfortable with the idea of being center stage. we even got her to smile a little bit with the idea of showing off. she is not sure what she wants to be some day, she says not a model, but she would like a permanent family to help support her hopes and dreams. >> why do kids need families? >> for people to take care of them and love them and treat them nice. >> i am looking for a family that can be consistent and supportive and loving all at the

same time, because she has not had that consistency in her life. >> we have a surprise for you. which one of these looks do you want? >> she was invited to keep one of the outfits she modelled, and she knew exactly which one she wanted. >> do you have this cd? >> no. >> do you, now. >> all that was enough to bring out yvonne's beautiful smile. if you have room in your home and heart for yvonne or another child waiting for a permanent loving family, please call the special adoption line. you can log on to our home page at nbcwashington.com. 11:48 is the time now. coming up, we make a king's cake. it smells good in here. plus, meteorologist, tom kierein will be back with a look at the state farm. this is jessica.

hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

the yule log and the king's cake are french holiday baking pr traditions. maxine holder joins us this morning with the secrets of the king's cake. welcome. >> thank you.

>> you showed us baked bread a few months ago. nice to have you with us. tell us about the king's cake. what is the history of that? >> it has been made a long, long time ago. i don't even remember the date it was created. it was made in onof the king's jesus christ. we are going to do the same thing in france, and it's a very good time when we can share a gift with our friends. so this is the tradition of the king's cake. >> you will show me how to do it. the viewers can make it, too. a fourth cup of almond paste, and a quarter cup of white sugar, and three tablespoons of softened butter, an egg, and a quarter cup of almond extract, and one pinch of salt, and frozen puff pastry, and one egg, and you will beat that before

you begin, and a tiny ceramic toy. >> that's right. this is the secret of my family, and we have very good butter in it, and it needs to be cold. what we will do, you know just with my knife, it's to put the almond on the circle. >> so this is a puff pastry that has been rolled out -- it comes like this, right? >> exactly. >> do you have to cut the circle? >> you can choose the size you want. it's easy to do with a knife. i have chosen that size. i would like you to help me to take one out. >> all right. once you cut a circle, you take out the rest of the pastry. >> that's why you need it to be cold, otherwise it will be sticky. and then after that, you take

the almond cream -- >> where do you buy this? >> we do it at -- >> how much do i put on it? >> it's in the middle of it, and then you can take the spoon, and then you will put the almond like this, if you want. so i need more almond cream. i need some space to put -- >> i see. okay. >> you can do that for me. and it's quite important. the secret as well of a good professional is to add water in order to have that closed, but don't put too many water. if you want you can use the sprung. it's the secret of the good chef. >> i love almond paste. i will put a whole lot on mine. then what do we do? >> we put the other on the top of it. before that, which is quite important, is to take the

porcelain toy and put it wherever you want, because this is -- >> okay, just one toy perfect cake? >> of course. one toy per cake. it's supposed to be cold -- e you can lift it if it's cold? >> exactly. you can put it on the top of your cake. after that, it's quite easy to do with the knife. you can draw the design that you want. >> can we see what it looks like? i know it's warm. >> you see that. this is what it looks like. >> you pinch the edges together. >> exactly. and then you can draw, and you know what you want with the knife. in french, you can do that with almond, but put apple as well or choose the flavor you want. >> inside? >> inside. the most famous king's cake is the one with almond. >> you bake that? >> the secret is you need to put it in the fridge for one hour,

and don't put it directly like this in the oven, and then you bake it. >> oh, okay. egg on top? that's beautiful. and then i have to quickly jump over and show them after it bakes for how long, tell me? >> it's at least one hour of cooking. >> and the thing is that i love to share the secret with you, we need to add water and sugar -- >> oh, on top? >> yes, a few minutes before the end of the baking, and then the water and sugar on the top. and then we have this color. >> unbelievable! unbelievable. happy holidays. this will be fantastic. we have some to eat. fabulous. i got it. it means that you are the queen

of the day. and you have a big -- >> i have to tell people what is coming up while i am the queen. and you will be my king. >> thank you very much. coming up this afternoon on news4, traffic could pose a problem downtown because of the lighting of the christmas tree. and a meteorologist joins us live. find out why one school is denying admission because he is fighting the disease. and then at 5:00, say good by to polishing silver. we have all kinds of tricks of the trade for the perfect holiday place setting. we have time for a final check on the quk. here is tom kierein. >> a gorgeous royal blue sky. temperatures around the region are in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees. right now 49 at reagan national. and later this afternoon we will climb into the mid-and low 50s with a clear sky and pressure giving us a delightful day. it will be just a chilly

afternoon. and then a cold night tonight under a clear sky. freezing as we start off friday morning. and then friday night, it should be down into the 30s again, and starting off saturday morning near freezing. saturday afternoon, around 50 and lots of sun. sunday, partly cloudy and afternoon highs in the low 50s. starting off next week, milder, and a lot of clouds could get rain on tuesday and again on wednesday. that's the way it looks right now, barbara. >> you better get over here and get king's cake. it will taste good. that's "news4 midday" thank you for joining us. we will be back tomorrow morning, and we hope you will join us then.

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