good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. it is monday, december 12, 2011. starting today, drivers in virginia will have a better idea of how long their commutes will take. seven new electronic signs displaying travel times went live this morning. the signs are on i-95 wouldn't the pentagon and fredericksburg. megan mcgrath along i-95 with more on this. what's the consensus? folks like this or what? >> reporter: i think a lot of people like it. they want more information. especially along this corridor which can get so congested. 95 can be just horrible during rush hour.

there are skeptics, however. the problem is that pokes who travel along 95 during the rush hour period, a lot of times you don't know how bad the traffic is until you are caught up in it and it is too late to jump off and go a different way. that's what these signs are all about. they will be giving real-time information about what the traffic situation is several miles ahead while you can still change your route. the sign says it all. route 234, 16 miles, 17 minutes. it is critical information for drivers looking to avoid traffic. no need to bail out and take an alternate route today. the sign predicts smooth sailing. >> i think it is really going to be helpful. it will help to, you know, help you be able to maneuver around some of the traffic that's out there. and give you a chance to get off the road and take some of the back ways and make it to work on time. >> reporter: this morning vdot activated seven new electronic mage boards along the 95 corridor. they are between fredericksburg

and the district with four southbound and three along northbound 95. the signs give real-time information about the traffic conditions and deliver the news while there's still time to switch gears and choose a different route. >> i mean if you are going back and forth and try to take a detour i think the best to know especially when you are trying to get to work on time, best to know if you are going to get there on time. what other route you can take. >> i think it is a good idea. yeah. i hate sitting in traffic. >> reporter: while the fans have their signs there are skeptics, too. some drivers doubt they will make a difference because the back roads are just as jammed as 95. others think the signs will actually slow traffic. >> people can't drive their car and read the sign over their head. every time they come to a sign they slow down and read it and backs up traffic even more. >> reporter: vdot says they have had good success with similar sign boards up along 66. those were activated back in august. as for the signs on 95, they will be updated seven day as

week from 5:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. weekdays and 8:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on the weekends. barbara, back to you? >> megan, thank you. this afternoon, family and friends will say their final good-byes to a virginia tech campus police officer killed in the line of duty. thousands of people turned out for a vigil this weekend for officer deriek crouse. he was shot and killed by ross ashley during a routine traffic stop. ashley killed himself a short time later. a funeral service will be held at 2:00 at virginia tech cassell coliseum. we will have live coverage of the service on nbc washington nonstop. the gunman's family is offering its condolences and prayers to officer crouse's loved one of u ones. in a signed statement they ask their their privacy be respected and said there would be no additional statements. virginia state police investigators are attempting to

determine a motive for thursday's shooting. today protesters from the occupy movement are planning to shut down all of the ports on the west coast. they are planningself rl blockades in port cities. blockades are set to be the most dramatic protests since police shut down several camps. a spokesman for the california truckers association says that it is the 99% who will feel the pain of the day's blockades. turning to the weather now, very cold start to the day. we had out there. any changes coming? warm up a little bit? >> yeah. it is better. it was a cold start this morning. temperatures in many locations were down into the teens and many spots. it was the coldest morning of the early winter season so far. now with the sunshine and the morning clouds beginning to drift away, temperatures are beginning to warm up right now at reagan national at 40 degrees. and over the last hour we are getting above freezing throughout most of the area and a very light wind thankfully. so that was not quite as certainly cold as it would have

felt otherwise with the wind blowing. right now we are above freezing. much of the region, parts of the northern shenandoah valley, western maryland, still at or below freezing there. but around the bay, it is below 40s now and it is in the upper 30s to near 40. prince jorm's, arlington, fairfax, montgomery counties, last 12 hours, a few of the high clouds drifting over us from the south and a few sprinkles in the north carolina/virginia border. for the rest of the afternoon, we will have these high clouds in and out, part will you sunny but rather cold. highs climbing about another five degrees for the highs for a few hours early to mid afternoon. another cold night tonight. we will look at that and changes on the way for the rest of the weekend and into the weekend. that will be coming up in a couple of minutes. barbara? >> tom, thank you. let's head out to the roads and check in with danella to see how things are moving now. >> good morning. a couple of issues. if you are traveling on 395, southbound 395 duke street, an accident on the right lane.

taking the beltway around georgetown pike, they are doing construction on the sound wall there. this is on the inner loop and should block possibly the right side of the roadway. be aware of that as well while crews are working. taking the beltway in maryland, not seeing any issues traveling there. here is a look now at route 1. you can see traveling the inner loop making your way towards greenbelt you are in the clear. outer loop as well. no issues here. as you make your way towards the beltway, georgia avenue, connecticut avenue, you are in the clear. no major delays and accidents to report at this time. barbara, back to you. >> that sounds good. thank you. we will see you again shortly. a man is s in police custody today after a tense stand-off in northwest washington. police say he barricaded himself in a house near north capitol street. it started with a traffic stop a few blocks away. police say the driver of a lincoln town car took off and led police on a chase. a u.s. park police officer crashed into the car and police say the driver got out and ran into a house with children

inside. police and a s.w.a.t. team surrounded that area and stand-off ended peacefully five hours with the police officers escorting the man out of the house. d.c. police are investigating a shooting in northeast washington that left one man in critical condition. this happened around midnight near the intersection of 15th street and w streets. investigators say that a man in his 40s was shot in the head. he was immediately taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries. right now police don't have any information on a suspect in this shooting. you can make a difference today in the lice of young people part of our 12 days of giving. the latin america youth center helped thousands of teens in the area to help them get their first job, ged and get into college. before the teens can take the life-changing steps, the center makes sure they are in safe, caring and stable housing. we have volunteers now standing by to take your phone calls.

202- 855-4949. we are going to hear more about what they can do and what they -- or you can do to help them and what they do and what -- stick around for that. > box after box being wrapped, labeled and shipped out today. we are going to tell you how to survive the shipping rush and get the packages to their destinations on time. he's apparently a betting man. why mitt romney's critics say that bet is proof he's out of touch. stay with us. that [ 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

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today at the white house president obama is meeting with iraqi's prime minister al maliki. they are scheduled to discuss the next phase for that country including security issues, energy, commerce and education. all u.s. troops will leave iraq at the end of the month marking the end of a nearly nine-year war. 130 virginia national guardsmen are returning home from iraq today. soldiers from the 183rd cavalry, company d, based in fredericksburg, was scheduled to pull into armory headquarters an hour ago. they are among 1100 national guards and returning from iraq this month. while overseas the soldiers served security escorts for convoys and hauled supplies to that country. they were faced with 22 enemy attacks and had no soldiers killed in action.

now to decision 2012. republican presidential candidate mitt romney is paying for a joke that his competitor say is out of touch with americans. it comes at the worst possible time, 22 days before the iowa caucuses. this morning he offer nod apology. during a republican debate in iowa, romney defended his health care mandate and signed into law in massachusetts when he was governor. but it is how the multimillionaire did it that raised eyebrows over the weekend. >> i'm hearing you say all the right things but i read your first book and it said in there that your mandate in massachusetts which should be the model for the country. i know it came out of the reprint of the book but, you know -- >> it was true then. it is true now. >> rick, i'll tell you what, 10,000 bucks, $10,000 bet. >> i'm not in the betting business. >> okay, okay. >> this morning, romney told fox

news that the $10 thousand bet was an outrageous number for an outrageous charge and offered no apology for his support of a health care mandate and said his offer was meaningless hyperbole. romney remains well behind front-runner newt gingrich in two more battleground states. an nbc news poll found gingrich in the lead in south carolina with 42 prz of likely primary voters. that's a 35 point jump since august. romney is in second with 23 3erz of the votes. south carolina has its primary on january 21. in florida, the nbc news poll found gingrich in the lead with 44% of likely voters followed by romney. 29% of the vote. florida holds its primary january 31. just moments ago, the u.s. supreme court agreed to take on an arizona law intended the curb illegal immigration. the state wants justices to lift the block by lower courts and it won't allow plis plis to question the person's immigration stat white house they are enforcing other laws.

similar provisions in alabama, utah also are facing losses by the obama administration. the justice department says that regulating immigration is the job of the federal government, not of the states. tom is here with us now to talk a little bit about our weather. lot of people socked with the cold air this morning. >> it was rude awakening when -- you step outside it was the coldest morning throughout much of the region this morning and we had so far this early winter season. and it certainly is feeling like winter time here on this 12th day of december. right now reagan national we have the sunshine becoming a little bit brighter now and illuminating the monument. that's a live picture from the city camera. just downriver to the right is reagan national airport. right now 40 degrees there but it is dry. dew point only at 26. and definitely need to keep the skin lotion handy. it is a very light breeze coming in out of the north and east. and temperatures, still at or below freezing. northern shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia,

western maryland, from the blue ridge east, most locations are above freezing and right now on the upper 30s in montgomery and prince george's county, mid to upper 30s in fairfax and arlington. near 40 in washington and right by the chesapeake bay, northern neck and on the eastern shore. and we have high pressure over our region now that is keeping it dry. we have some high clouds drifting from the south. there is a little bit of light rain activity in the carolinas and just now across to roanoke. it is going to be moving off to the north and east and staying to our south today. we will have the high clouds drifting over from time to time as we get into the afternoon hours. the closer view of the last 12 hours, showing this cloud deck is thinning quite a bit now and we are getting more sunshine in southern maryland and over near fredericksburg, charlottesville, culpeper, farther to the north cloud deck is thicker but moving out as we get into the afternoon hours and should have increasing sunshine. now going forward over the next 48 hours, we will have the clouds clearing out tonight and perhaps a few of those sprinkles making it to the eastern shore

late tonight. during the day tuesday clear start tomorrow morning, by noontime tomorrow we will be bright and sunny and the sunny afternoon, clear night tomorrow night and on into wednesday morning but then wednesday afternoon, we will have the clouds on the increase and coming in from the west. and it will be ahead of a cool front that will begin to move in here by late wednesday night and through the day on thursday. and bringing clouds and as well as bringing a possibility of rain. so for the rest of the monday afternoon, partly sunny but still rather cold. highs of the low and mid 40s by mid afternoon. light wind thankfully. and then overnight tonight we will be clearing and cold this evening. early evening temperatures near 40. then by midnight down to the mid 30s with a northwesterly breeze and then during the day tomorrow we will have temperatures by dawn into the upper 20s so not quite as cold as this morning, afternoon highs, low 50s with sunshine and increasing clouds on wednesday afternoon highs low 50s. and cloudy thursday and highs mid 50s. then that front coming in may bring some passing rain showers.

midday thursday into thursday evening and sun returns friday. much colder for the weekend. sunshine back. highs only into the mid fourth. saturday and sunday. and a lot of wood smoke in the air. people have their fireplaces going. >> smells good. we will see you again shortly. a check on the midday traffic again. danella. >> good morning, good morning. traveling on 395, accident southbound 395, duke street, it was taking away the right lane but now you can see it is in the right shoulder lane which is really good. if you are traveling i-95 in virginia, i'm not seeing any issues there at all. here is a view at fairfax county parkway. you are in the clear as you make your way north and south on i-95. traveling i-270 in maryland no issues. this is a live view at falls road. 270 north and south, no accidents to report at this time. barbara, back to you. >> okay, thanks. today we continue our 12 days of giving. during those 12 days, introduce you to different nontopic groups

in our area that need help and support. pat lawson muse joins thus morning to tell us about the latin america center. >> every young person needs support. latin america youth center has grown from small grassroots recreation center to a nationally recognized multicultural, multiagency. the number to call if you can help this morning is 202-885-4949. and joining us with more on what the center does and who helps is lori, executive director and elmer diaz, former client and right now he is a staff member. >> that's wonderful. >> yeah. >> thank you both for coming. i mentioned recreation center. you started out that way. grassroots, rec center years ago but you evolved. >> that was over 40 years ago. and it is a very long journey.

today we are regional. we are in montgomery, prince george's and washington, d.c. it has been a 40-year effort and thousands of volunteers and staff people and young people. we do tutoring and housing for homeless kids and social services, job training and we have grown and grown as well as we have charter schools, too. >> tell us about the young people you are serving and where they come from. >> the young people primarily come from d.c., montgomery, prince george's county. they are all low-income. latino, african-american, asian, it is kind of like a united nations over there. but they all come looking for support, for services, for opportunities. and that's what we are all about. >> tell us about your story. you went to the center when? >> i went to the center early 2000 as a high school student. i grew up in the same community with latin america youth service is. nowadays, like you said i wo

for latin america youth center. i'm an advocate and mentor. i work with kids at risk. these are kids that don't have holmes, don't have any medical insurance. high school dropouts and -- i try to -- i do my best to connect them to the communities, resources, and nowadays we have -- so many young people that -- my ex-erties is to find them a place to live. >> tell us what kind of help you need this morning. >> we can use volunteers, we can use financial support. we need holiday gifts. we always need tutors and mentors. there are so many ways to get involved. please call us all right. that's right. the number is 202-885-4949. we will have more about the latin america youth center coming up later in our news. >> thank you, pat. still ahead on "news4 midday," unique gift ideas.

are you still looking for the perfect hostess gift or present perhaps for your child's teacher? some reasonable picks from the thaiing tables. we will tell [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry that's been wrapped in a flaky crust

stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. mom, we're dying. no you're not, you're just hungry. make some totino's pizza rolls. we don't have any! front... left, totino's. [ male announcer ] well done mom! less drama, more fun! totino's pizza rolls.

less than two weeks before

christmas. time is running out to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list from the kids' teachers to hostesses at holiday party you are going to. erin hardigan joins us with unique and thoughtful gift ideas. they are reasonable considering it is, i guess, $50 we are going to look at. $50 and sunday we have one special bonus gift. everything else is in the $20 to $30 range. >> good to see you. what's tastingtable.com? >> it's your daily e-mail to what should be eating or cooking with around washington, d.c. >> localized to our area. >> absolutely. we taste everything we write about i it. you know i approved everything. >> sit mostly food. >> it is. restaurants and recipes. >> let's get started. you have some unique ideas for us. let's start with the coasters. >> absolutely. these beautiful coasters, i mean, with sustainable linens, it is -- these are such a great

gift for somebody who is traveling because you can pack this and never think twice. it is not bulky and have all different types of place settings, napkins, dish towels. it is available for $32 for beautiful coasters. >> four for $32. >> they are washable. >> they are. >> you have a unique wine thermometer to show us. >> this is the coolest gift. i mean, it looks like a piece of jewelry. you snap it on the bottle. it gives you an instant readout of the temperature of the wine inside. it is a great gift for the person who decan't every bod and pairs every course. >> how much is that? >> this is just $30. >> that would be a good gift for somebody that really loves the white wine especially. next on your list, you have something -- a cheese spread. >> why you just wouldn't give another gift basket. one of my favorite gift finds, they do wine and meat and chocolate and beer and -- also fun items.

this is their little stinker, $32, link of sausage, cheese, crackers, and sparkling cider. you can customize it and go all the way newspaper price and choose your favorite cheeses. >> something about that size would be about how much. >> $32. they are opening a new store in shirlington which makes it even easier. >> how does one order that? >> they have -- available online. you can call them and customize it or stop in their shop which is on mt. vernon. >> cheesetique. >> how about something sweet? >> yes. the lovely ladies started this bakery at the farmers' market at 14th and u this summer. you can order it online or this saturday at the downtown holiday market. >> is that a brownie. >> in is a delicious brownie, gingerbread bars. this is my favorite, crackerjack bar, grant ol' a chocolate chip cookie bar. >> how do you buy those?

>> you can buy this at the whiskeddc. you can order cakes, pumpkin loefs, all sorts of festive things. >> all right. tell us about this. >> you know, some of the greatest finds of champagne decided to see what they could do here in virginia. this is their sparkle were you wine. last thing you do is you don't want to it get lost in the shuffle. this will stand apart. >> quickly tell me about this. >> pyou can hook it up and tell it what temperature you want your meat to be and ping your iphone when it is ready. >> wow. how much is that? >> this is $99. it is the must-have for the tech griller in your life. lots of grade ideas you have for us. all of these can be found on your website. thanks so much.

good to have you with us. it is 11:27. coming up the next half hour, last-minute rush under way now. shipping companies working around the clock. important information you need to know so your gifts arrive on time. another close one with the redskins saying about their narrow defeat to the patriots. after a very cold morning, how much of a warmup can we expect? [ 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. fios. a network ahead.

today family and friends will say their final good-byes to a virginia tech campus police officer killed in the line of duty. officer derek crouse was shot and killed by 22-year-old ross ashley during a routine traffic stop on thursday. ashley killed himself a short time later. a funeral service for officer crouse will be held at 2:00 this afternoon at virginia tech's coliseum. starting today drivers in virginia now have a better idea of how long their commute will be. vdot activated seven electronic signs along i-95 showing time. most drivers are happy with the signs but some feel it won't make a difference because the back roads are just as jammed as i-95. delivery companies have no time to waste today. this is supposed to be the biggest shipping day of the year. tracee wilkins shows us how early morning operations went at

fedex facility at northeast washington. >> if you are not a procrastinator and you already have your package in the mail, chances are it could be right here at the fedex hub in northeast washington. take one look at the workers that you can tell why they call this the busiest shipping day of the year. the rush is on to get packages shipped in time for the holidays. and gift gives aren't the only ones feeling the pressure. >> a little intense because we have a higher volume of packages but we make sure that we balance things out with the -- we insert another route to help us out so we can make sure we gets the customers their packages on time. >> reporter: fedex is expecting to ship 17 million packages today alone. that's a 10% increase from last year's shipt. fruit that more consumers are buying and mailing gifts this year. management with fedex say that they are prepared. >> we brought in extra folks. we have extra folks available and extra trucks available.

have you the challenges of the additional volume, making sure folks are doing it safely and making sure that we are getting on the road and doing the right things. >> reporter: in addition to getting your package to the mailing center on time, there are a few other things you can do to make sure that your package arrives. >> make sure that the addresses are clear, crisp, concise, and if it is a suite number it has the proper suite number on the -- or apartment number. so we can make sure that we get it to them. >> reporter: the point of all of this is to make sure your packages arrive on time so that there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. if you are shipping using fedex ground you need to have that package in the mail by this friday. if you are going to use express you have another two weeks up until the 23rd to get it shipped. northeast, tracee wilkins, news4. >> some of you saw it. another does appointing loss for the burgundy and gold. the offense is clicking but the defense just couldn't stop the new england patriots. redskins were winning in the

second quarter thanks to a trick play. a touchdown pass to moss put the skins up by three. skins were trailing in the fourth quarter when they scored the game's touchdown. it was called back because of a pentity. groeszman interce penalty. the patriots win. >> i don't know what a moral victory is, you know. give you -- do those count? you won or lost at the end of the day, you know. 4-9. that's a moral victory. >> the loss puts the skins at 4-9 in seoul possession of last place in the nfc east. next week, they are on the road against their division rivals, new york giants. right now joe paterno is back in the hospital after reinjuring his pelvis. the former penn state football coach fell at his home this weekend. paterno was taken to the hospital but will not need surgery.

he is also being treated for lung cancer. paterno first injured his pelvis earlier this year when a player accidentally collided with him during a preseason practice. jerry sandusky is preparing for first court appearance tomorrow. the assistant coach will most likely face some of his accusers as they plan to testify at the preliminary trial. meanwhile, sandusky's lawyers spoke to a court and said new information with sandusky leads him to believe the accusers could be work together. >> there s it possible that all of them have reacted the same way to the abuse by staying in touch with jerry and maintaining contact with him? i find that highly strange. some sort of collusion. >> the attorney for one of the victims said the claims of collusion are, quote, just a smoke screen. meanwhile, there are new questions today about the assistant coach mcyear kwe mcqu story. he said he saw sandusky abusing

a young boy. he was asked multiple times if he saw anything sexual and said no each time. mcqueary is expected to testify in tomorrow's hearing as well. d.c. police are asking for your help to find a missing woman. 68-year-old florence ann dylan was last seen saturday along cane place in northeast washington. she's about 5'5" tall, weighs 155 pounds and has a mole on the -- right side of her nose. dylan was last seen wearing a black hat, black coat, and blue pants. if you see her you are asked to call police. and right now d.c. mayor gray is announcing a new place for d.c. residents can sign up to find a job. d.c. department of employment services launching the second phase of a campaign called one city one hire. the campaign encourages businesses in the district to hire qualified unemployed d.c. residents in all eight wards. the agency just announced a new

mobile unit where residents can apply at d.c. libraries and community events. let's bring you back with -- attention to the were. tom will tell us what we can expect the next of the day and look at it the rest of the week. >> after a cold start now, we are finally warming up. not really much warmer but at least it is above freezing throughout most of the region now. and we thank the sun for that as the cloud cover is thinning out. more shine. live view from our sky watcher camera looking towards the west. quite a bit of blue showing through now after it was certainly gray throughout much of the morning. and temperatures are now well above freezing from the blue ridge east and upper 30s to near 40 degrees and most locations. however, blue ridge west, there are still quite a few spots still at or below freezing. and as we lack at what has been happening over the last 12 hours, the cloud cover came and went. right now it is beginning to thin out to our south as well as around the metro area. lot of sun out of the mountains and much of west virginia. and there's quite a bit of cloudiness, richmond to roanoke, carolinas, getting a few

sprinkles, that activity will head off to the north and east today and stay well to the south. we will have highs to the mid 40s and tomorrow and wednesday into the low 50s. increasing clouds on wednesday. and might get rain thursday, afternoon highs in the mid 50s. then dryrom you and highs again in the 50s. colder for the weekend with shine. that's the way it looks. barbara? >> thank you. and right now public works crews in frederick, maryland, are trying to clean up a raw sewage leak. sewage leaking into carroll creek. the waste water treatment plant on gas house pike is run on a generatedor until it can be fixed. county officials say the drinking water is still safe. a traffic alert . expect delays on the inner loop. right now crews have the right lane closed between telegraph road and the eisenhower avenue connector. it is part of the woodrow wilson bridge project. workers are installing overhead signs and work will run until

2:each day through thursday. more work scheduled overnight this week. let's see how things are moving right now on the roads around here. here is danella. >> good morning. taking american legion bridge, you are going to see some construction as well. this time on the inner loop, right side you will see this construction. just stick to the left and be careful as you are traveling. no problems on the inner loop as you are crossing american legion bridge. if you are on 395 earlier we had an accident on the right side of the roadway at duke street. it looks to be completely gone. traveling 395 north as well as southbound. no issues for you. if you are traveling i-66 in virginia, check the cameras in that area. 66 east, no issues there as well as west. you are in the clear. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. other news this morning, police at the university of maryland are putting out warning after an armed robbery near campus. the addition of crime alert, students, faculty, surrounding neighborhoods, a student told police two guys approached him

with a gun near his apartment on rowalt drive. the student was not hurt. an escort service is available to anyone walking at night who might feel unsafe. today maryland lawmakers are proposing a bill to stop groups of teens and young adults from stealing in so-called flash mob theft. the move comes after several shoplifting incidents like this one at a 7-eleven in germantown. teens walked in, grabbed food and drinks and walked out without paying. maryland delegate jeffrey walsh says he will introduce a bill next year called the theft by mob act. it would create one crime that could increase the charges from a misdemeanor to a felony instead of individual shoplifting charges for those involved. a military service member faces several charges for a cab ride that police say turned into a series of crimes. investigators say that

23-year-old andrew jair old and a companion got into a cab on wednesday. at one point police say roberts and his companion asked the driver to pull over and robbers pushed the driver into the passenger side of the car, front seat, and drove the taxi himself. police say roberts hit another car and left the scene. they drove to target in rockville. police say surveillance video from the store helped them to find roberts. he's now charged with cab carjacking and kidnapping and theft of a vehicle. he will also be charged in connection with a hit-and-run. roberts is out of jail after he posted a $3500 bond. still ahead on "news4 midday," who wants to boycott the home improvement store lowe's because a advertising controversy. our phone bank is open now. 202-885-4949 if you want to learn about or contribute to the latin america youth center. pat lawson muse will be back in a few minutes more on how you [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

a california state senator is pushing for a boycott of home improvement store lowe's because of an advertising controversy. lowe's pulled its ads from the tlc show "all american muslim" an an evangelical group called it is propaganda. the home improvement company apologized for pulling the ad but did not state whether it

would reinstate the ad during the show. the show disappointed they pulled the ad. the movies this weekend's box office was nothing to celebrate. the star filled holiday theme romance debuted at number one with a weak $13.7 million. overall domes particular revenues tumbled to a 2011 low of $77 million over the weekend. it is the worst weekend in more than three years. to give you an idea of how bad it is, according to ticket sales, 2.5 million more went to the movies after the two weeks after september 11 terrorist attacks than they did for the last two weekends. stock prices areing the week lower. we will check in with mary thompson. she joins us live with more.

good morning. >> good morning to you, barbara. investors' euphoria is short-lived. doesn't go far enough in addressing the current debt crisis. it is putting pressure on stocks today. along with a warning from the chip giant intel. right now the dow jones industrial average is down 140 points. s&p is down 20. nasdaq down about 46. intel taking the decline on the nasdaq after warning its sales for the current quarter would fall below previous forecast. the reason, flooding in thailand cut into the production of computer hard drives. shortages prompting companies to draw oun on pc inventories and dial back on new purchases until hard drive production gets back on track. with 13 days to go until christmas today is the busiest day of the year for shippers fedex and ups. federal expect expects to ship 17 million packages today. that's double its average daily volume. and 9% increase from last year's big day. surge in online shopping this christmas behind the increase in

shipping. barbara, back to you. >> they didn't go to the movies, they shopped this weekend. >> it looks like it. they were online. >> yeah. >> they were online. >> thank you, mary. >> sure thing. more now on our 12 days of giving. here's pat lawson muse. >> since the 1960s the latin america youth center has grown to help more and more young people. but for that to continue they need your help this morning. the number to call, 202-885-4949. joining us is lori, executive director and elmer diaz, former client and a current staff member. elmer, i understand that you just bought your first house. >> yes. i did. i'm so excited about it. and, you know, i started going to the center as a teenager and before that, i was not -- my life was not going in the right direction. the latin america youth center helped me get on the right track. also helped me build a better relationship with my family.

i owe a lot to the latin america youth center and helped me with the resources. i have gotten a chance go back to college and won a scholarship with them and also they gave me a job. and that -- all ties up to me being a homeowner and -- now that i am a homeowner, i'm successful, i enjoy what i do, give back to the community. >> that's a wonderful story. success story. lori, there are many young people like elmer who have come to the center. and many of them you are servicing now. pell us about the specific needs for the holidays here. >> with the holidays one of the things we do is serve meals to thousands of people. our kitchen could use new appliances. that's one thing specifically that we could use during the holidays we also give gifts to many, many of our young people. we are always looking for gifts for teenagers and for children. and there are so many ways that we support our young people. we have a gym in the youth

center for kids that can't afford to join a health club. the gym equipment can be upgraded. there's so much going on at the center and so many ways specifically people can help. >> all right. during the year, you tutor students. >> mm-hmm. >> during the year we are always looking for mentors and tutors and volunteers to do activity was the kids. we run residential holmes. so often we need people on the weekends to come and do activities with the young people who live in our houses. >> tell us a little more about how you came -- you came to buy your house and to -- really get back on track. >> yes. >> what was going on with you before you got there? >> before i got there, it was -- i was hanging out with the wrong people. i was not -- i let drug and alcohol get in my way.

when i came to the latin america youth center find people that cared about me and that made me want to do well for myself. >> you have done well. >> yes, i have. >> are you proud of yourself? >> i am very proud. >> okay. you have good reason to be proud. elmer diaz, lori of the latin america youth center, you can help and i know that you can. call our number. 202- 85-4949. make it a merry christmas and happy holiday for a lot of young people in the area. >> thank you so much, pat. time right now is 11:50. coming up he has been called god's quarterback, why tim tebow is catching the attention of so many. tom kierein will be back with when we can expect milder weather. and stay with news4 all afternoon. at 3:00 there is a snow place. >> looks like snow. >> snow

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one of the most talked about quarterbacks in the nfl has another amazing comeback this weekend. tim tebow seems to be unbeatable in his second season in the league. but his beliefs are getting nearly as much attention as his plays. peter alexander reports. >> tebow fires. >> for tim tebow's denver

broncos sunday facing imminent defeat, another improbable come-from-behind win. >> to the end zone. touchdown! >> just as they have done four times in previous weeks. but during sunday's winning kick, tebow didn't watch. he prayed. >> for the win, the catch is good. >> i figured at a time like that it is more important to be talking to the man upstairs and my relationship with jesus christ, most important thing to me. it is not baiter time to talk to him than there. >> reporter: in his second season as a pro, the quarterback has become one of the sports most captivating figures. as much from his evangelical faith as for his football. this is how he began sunday's postgame press conference. >> first first and foremost i would like to thank my jord savior jesus christ. >> reporter: noting the 6'3" son of a pastor defied his critics and revealed the deep-seated

ain't zities in america about the intersection of religion and sports. >> polarizing because people don't understand what he stands for. he believes in his christian faith and he is not afraid in today's times to come out and tell people what he believes in. >> many americans were first introduced to tebow during this controversial anti-abortion act that aired during the 2010 super bowl p. >> sorry about that. >> reporter: while many christians embrace his proclamation of faith former broncos quarterback jake plummer said he wished tebow would, quote, just shut up. still tebow has inspired an international audience. they have come up with name for his signature pose on a knee, his fist to his forehead in prayer, calling it tebow'ing. lindsay vonn tebow'ed for the camera. whether it is skills, luck, or

perhaps divine intervention. >> all right. have a blessed day. >> peter alexander reporting. let's take a look at the stories we are going to be to be following on news4 this afternoon. pat lawson muse joins us with a preview of things to come. >> coming up this afternoon on "news4 at 4:00," billy bush joins us live with all of the hollywood headlines on this monday. plus, outrage today after a virginia woman faked for years she had cancer. on "news4 at 5:00" this afternoon, the secret behind your favorite holiday treats. the experts open their kitchens to liz crenshaw for the tricks of the trade. i love that segment. joining us for "news4 at 4:00" this afternoon. barbara. >> i like that, too. thank you, patted. it is time now for a final check on your forecast. here is tom. >> good morning for a very cold start, things are warming up a little bit. it is not warm by any means. there is the high cloud cover drifting over us right now. live view from the sky watcher camera looking into virginia from upper north west.

temperatures right now, approach the noon hour, are in the upper 30s to 40 degrees from the blue ridge east of the day and around the eastern shore. farther west, though, just not beginning to get above freezing most locations, mountains as well as the had an dough a valley. view from space showing the high cloud cover drifting over generally from the southwest, heading northeast. and with us off and on into the afternoon. clearing out later tonight and by dawn tomorrow clear and during the day tuesday, lots of sun, bit warmer tomorrow. still chilly. chilly again wednesday. mid 50s thursday with clouds around. it could get a passing shower thursday midday into the evening. then drying out on friday and cold weekend to follow with sunshine. that's the way it looks. we will see you tomorrow. have a good afternoon. >> just better get used to the cold weather. >> it is december. >> all right. thank you, tom. watch this. traffic cop in the philippines is spreading holiday cheer with his thriller-like moves. look at him go. look at that. yes. he traded in his official uniform for a santa suit and he is getting a little influence

from the king of pop. you may notice that, too. directing traffic in a a christmas performance. the officer said he came up with the idea when he noticed several drivers ignoring his commands. look at him go. wow. i haven't seen the moonwalk yet. i guess he has a whole lot of moves on him. thank you for joining us. i invite to you tune in for news at 4:00,5, 1996 and 11:00. i will be back tomorrow morning at 11:00. we

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