good morning, everybody. welcome to "news4 midday." it's thursday, december 15th, 2011. today the fbi is launching a new campaign to solve a 20-year-old cold case and find out if washington's most notorious rapist can be found. authorities believe he is responsible for a dozen assaults in our area. >> it's a new day when it comes to solving cold cases, and they

are using all resources to catch the serial rapist and killer, and that's including technology and digital billboards, one like this one that will soon be popping up all around our area. this is the picture released of the man who could be the potomac river rapist. here is what they believe he looks like today. his last known victim was a 29-year-old. she was assaulted and struck multiple times in the head with a boulder and left for dead. it happened near the white hurst freeway. >> there is no excuse for the violent string of attacks and the person responsible has to be taken off the street. >> dna and criminal patterns link the same suspect to that case and eight other rapes in that county that happened between may of 1991, and 1998.

police believe this man may still be living among us. he was believed to have been in his late 20s or 30s then, so he is most likely in his 40s or 50s now. >> although these attacks occurred some 20 years ago, the public's help in solving this case can bring some solace to the victims and their families and prevent a vie lupt presidol again. the efforts will include a website and social media alerts, and podcast and radio spots. what police say they need now is the public's help.

>> search your heart and memory, and come forward if you have information whatsoever. this is a great partnership coming together to take this serial actor off the street. >> reporter: investigators are asking if anybody has information that they think can assist in this case to contact authorities. they are saying that even if you are wrong about your suspicions, that somebody may be responsible for these crimes, they have dna evidence that can eliminate people who are not the suspect they are looking for. in northwest, i am tracee wilkins, news4. later d.c. protesters will get into the spirit. demonstrators will gather where a party for the republican national committee will be going on. according to the d.c. website, protesters are bringing santa, scrooge, and lights. lawmakers may be closer to

reaching an agreement that would alert a government shutdown and keep thousands of workers from being furloughed right before the holidays. some are optimistic a resolution can be reached soon. as for the federal workers, some are already being informed of what could come next and they are being told to prepare for the worst. and megan mcgrath is live on capitol hill. what is the general feeling about the potential shutdown? >> reporter: barbara, as you would imagine, federal employees are not happy about the prospect of being furloughed, especially right around the holidays. they are hoping that some sort of an agreement, either a long term or short term measure will be agreed upon by lawmakers so a partial shutdown of the government can be averted, but right now all of that is unclear so agencies are making plans and identifying the people that would be impacted if this did happen, and the people that

would have to be furloughed, they would have to stay home and lose pay. on capitol hill the clock is ticking. lawmakers have until midnight friday to pass either a long or short term spending plan. if they don't, thousands of federal workers face furloughs. the prospect of losing a paycheck especially around the holidays is not going over well with employees. >> i mean, we would have some cash on hand, but we would have to make some changes, put some purchases off where we could get a house and be on hold for a while. >> it's not unexpected because that's the way they operate. >> reporter: it's a political dance that has become unpleasantly familiar in the last coming months. not everybody has been so lucky to be spared. faa workers were sent home for two weeks last summer and they could get hit again. federal workers say they are

tired of being pawns in what they say is a political game. >> every year it's politics. and they run people into the ground, and politicians don't care. >> it's pretty pathetic, i think. they're not going to get furlough furloughed. we are. >> they are all playing games. the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. that's all it is. >> reporter: if this does happen it would be a partial shutdown of the federal government. there's a number of agencies fully funded through the end of the year thanks to a measure passed back in november. those employees would not be furloughed. those agencies include agriculture, housing and urban development and the justice department and state department and the department of transportation. those folks would not be furloughed if a partial shutdown occurs. everybody else, those deemed nonessential, they are looking at the prospect of a furlough, so a lot of folks keeping a

close eye on what happens here on capitol hill and have their fingers crossed. a mild start to the day, and tom kierein joins us with the first forecast. >> we have had mild mornings comparatively for this time of year and day. right now around the region, a little bit of sun showing through the overcast, temperatures are climb into the 50s. and further south, fredericksburg at 57, and in statten, virginia, 63 degrees. and a little sunshine, and a lot of sun across virginia and a little sun breaking through the nearby suburbs in northern virginia and much of northern virginia getting sprinkles in

the green. there's rain further west and that should move in later this afternoon as we have a front moving in. before then, up and around 60 degrees, and that rain may linger into tonight. >> thank you, tom. and let's see how the roads are looking. a really terrible commute this morning. >> it was terrible this morning. a couple problems facing you right now, 66 east at the beltway, disabled vehicle blocks the right lane. you are slow just around 123, and it's aslow approach making your way towards the beltway on 66. and downed power lines and route 2 still shut down, and alternate road for you is to jump on 468 here and continue your commute either north or south. also, this was a mess today. outer loop of the beltway crossing the american legion bridge had an earlier accident on the dulles toll road and tied up traffic for hours, and it's out of the roadway and things

look normal. back to you. >> thank you. d.c. police are investigating an overnight stabbing in northeast. it happened just after 3:00 along clay terrace. a woman was taken to the hospital with several stab wounds. her name and condition are not being released at this time, and police tell news4 the suspect and victim know each other and so far no arrests have been made. police are now in the area of the 5500 block of b street hoping to find a missing 10-year-old. he was last seen around 7:30 last night. the missing 10-year-old is an african-american boy. he is described at four feet tall, and had blue pants and a blue sweater.

the group here is working with children and poverty and with disabilities, and put on one of the world's largest events for children's homeless children. we have volunteers standing by to take your phone calls. call if you can help the center to grow and continue to make a grow. we will hear more about them when we come back in just a few minutes. it's now ten minutes after 11:00. coming up, the u.s. military formally shuts down the war in iraq. what that means for the future of that country. and the television viewing

today the u.s. mission in iraq officially ended with a military ceremony. the last u.s. flags are now down. u.s. secretary of defense, leon pennetta, flew to iraq for the ceremony. he met with the few thousand troops that are prepared to leave that country by the end of the year. >> this is a time for iraq to look forward. this is an opportunity for iraq to forge ahead on the path to security and prosperity. we undertake this transition today, reminding iraq that it has in the united states a committed friend and a committed

partner. >> less than 200 soldiers will remain in iraq as part of the diplomatic mission next year. air force commanders are investigating a photo of an air man posing around an open casket with another airman pretending to be dead. this may be bothoffensive to so. air force commanders are trying to figure out if the photo violates any rules or if it's just in poor taste. rescue crews freed 20 miners trapped underground in northern idaho. a spokeswoman says the miners were trapped after a mild under burst last night. earlier this year two people died in separate incidents at

the same mine. it's currently undergoing a $200 million project to deepen the mine. tom is with us to talk about the weather. unusually warmer, isn't it? >> how does 80 degrees feel? >> it's not going to be that high. >> it's going to feel that way by later this afternoon. right now we're heading towards 60. we're in the 50s throughout much of the region, at reagan national. 52, and a little sun breaking through. we have a southerly wind up the river that is gusting up to 20 miles per hour. reagan national is one of the cooler spots because of the wind off of the potomac river. right now in central virginia, temperatures in upper 50s, and southern maryland now in the mid-50s, and annapolis now at 58, so pushing 60 degrees there. further west where there has been more sun out of the mountains, and petersburg up in the highlands of west virginia

is at 63 degrees. over the last 12 hours, we have had some rain begin to move into maryland, right now getting a few sprinkles up in the pennsylvania border, and this is along the main front. that will be arriving into the metro area later this afternoon, and right now getting right through the sunshine. and to the north, quite a bit of cloudiness in the panhandle of west virginia and much of maryland, and we have a few sprinkles in maryland drifting off to the east. here is the rainfall potential. i don't think we will have much rain from the front as it comes through. maybe one-tenths to a quarter inch. not much rain, but just enough to dampen things around here.

just a few showers coming through, this area of green is potential precipitation, and then we will clear out on friday with sun in the morning, and then a weak low pressure system will be traveling to the south, and after midnight on friday night, there may be a few sprinkles and maybe cold enough of perhaps wet snowflakes maybe as far north as fredericksburg and over towards maryland, and then sun back saturday afternoon. and we will have the temperatures up around 60 degrees in the next couple hours, and then with the rain it will drop back around 50, and then the rain will be ending mid evening, and by midnight we will be down in the upper 40s, and then winds gusting to around 20 miles per hour. and then during the day tomorrow, partly sunny in the morning and cloudy in the afternoon, and near 50 midday on friday, and then friday night some of the colder air moving in, and with that area of low

pressure passing to the south, there's a small chance of wet snow in northern virginia, and on saturday, predawn and then after sunrise on saturday, get sun back with afternoon highs in the upper 40s, and sunday mostly sunny and cold. 20s in the morning, and afternoon highs in the mid-40s. chilly into next week, and maybe rain on wednesday. that's the way it looks right now. we will be back in a couple minutes with another update. let's go to danella and check on the traffic. what is going on? >> right now we have canal road shut down for maintenance until 2:00 p.m. the closures are between fronts hall and arizona avenue. they are trying to trim the trees. your closure is until 2:00 p.m. and i-270, this is the view at montgomery avenue, no issues north or south on i-270. and making your way on the spur and connecting to the beltway is a freeze. barbara, back to you. >> thank you. today we continue our 12

days of giving. during these 12 days, we will introduce you to different nonprofit groups in our area and tell you how they are all making a difference. pat lawson tells us more about a group called dreams for kids. >> dreams for kids is making a difference for kids living in poverty or who live with a disability, and today we are asking you to make a difference for these children. joining us is the executive director. welcome to both of you. glenda, tell us more about what dreams for kids does for these children. >> basically, we're a local nonprofit organization that we have about one to two sports clinics a month and a holiday coming up called holiday for

hope, and the kids get a feeling of empowerment that makes them want to pursue their dreams and give back to the community. >> many come from around the area, and you see the children. what is the first thing you have to do for them when they come to the show? >> provide a safe and secure environment for families. under the community partnership, they operate the d.c. family shelter, and it's with the district of columbia department of of human services contract. our job is to help the family with life skills and identify affordable housing and give them resources and tools so once they go out into the community and identify affordable housing they can maintain it. >> how many children are you serving now? >> currently over 300. our current capacity is 153, which includes 300 children. >> glenda, these children need housing and they need a whole

lot, especially with the holidays here. >> that's what we want to provide in the holiday time. we want to give them a positive experience that they can build on to through the rest of their lives. there's the holiday of hope event this sunday where we will give them not only a great experience, but a day of hope and presents and a meal. >> what do you need from viewers? >> donations to make it possible every year. go to the website and learn more about it. we need volunteers that can build that connection with the children on that day. >> we're talking presents and dollars. >> yes, dollars and volunteers. >> glenda and ms. brooks, we thank you. our time is 11:21. still ahead, we will introduce you to a young local musician

getting national attention. plus, we will take you to a body sculpting class. can any fit level handle this? first, a look at what is hot on nbcwashington.com. [ screaming ] [ zapping ] 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.

each week our fit guru, steve hayes has been taking ugs

to a different fit class in our area, and this waeek we visit a sculpting class. >> you brought your instructor with you. >> yes, cheryl hicks. >> how long you have been teaching this class? >> 28 years. >> wow, body sculpting? >> 20 years for body sculpting. >> what is that? >> builds up the muscles. >> how long is the class? >> an hour. >> what ages? >> all ages can take it. >> what are the benefits? >> when you strengthen the muscles up, you burn fat anyway, and with the cardiovascular exercises and cardioexercises, then you get a full package.

>> looks like people are using weights in the class? do they use different equipment or is it different hand weights? >> well, we are using body bands. you can do deltoid raises -- >> these are the free weights. >> yes, we exercise standing up and then we go to the lower body. >> tell us what it does for you? >> tones up all the muscles, and it gets you more fit looking than with just regular cardioexercises. >> how often do people need to take this class to be beneficial? >> at least three times a week. >> besides weight management, what else does it do for you? >> makes you look good. the more toned up, the better you look in your clothes.

>> sounds like a good reason to take that class. and you have a nutrition tip for us today? >> yes, dealing with the holiday eating of the sweets. when you make pumpkin pie, leave off the crust. and sweet potatoes, leave off the marshmallows. >> you don't have to put sugar in those things, because they taste good without them. >> good to see you. we are learning about all kinds of classes in the last few weeks, and we have a good one coming up next week. >> yes, kickboxing. and in the next half hour of "news4 midday," the latest debate among the presidential hopefuls. and then the word romney used to describe newt gingrich is getting a lot of attention this morning. and we will have the movie leading the way this year

[ terri ] my husband, hank, was always fun. never took life too seriously. 'til our son was born... that day, he bought life insurance. now, there's no way i could send our boy to college without it. if there was one thing i could say to hank, it'd be "thank you." you're welcome. hey, hank. [ male announcer ] life insurance you can use while you're still living. you are one lucky lady. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] learn more from your state farm agent today.

right now on "news4 midday," the fbi is launching a new campaign in its search for a serial rapist. they are calling him the potomac river vapist and they believe he is responsible for a dozen attacks in the area. the assaults are linked to a

graduate student in 1998. leon pennetta shut down the u.s. mission in iraq formerly this morning. he met with the troops preparing to leave the country by the end of the year. less than 200 soldiers will remain in iraq as part of a diplomatic effort next year. and now the candidates are preparing for their final scheduled debate before the iowa caucuses. the iowa caucuses are on january 3rd. republican presidential candidate, mitt romney, is stepping up his attack on frontrunner, newt gingrich. he attacks his character. >> zany is not what we need in a president. zany is great in a campaign and it's great a talk radio and it's great in the print, and it reads -- makes for fun reading, but in terms of a president, we need a leader.

>> romney said he would exhibit sobriety, stability and patience as a leader. and marion barry is in hot water for failing to file taxes. there was a tax lien filed against his home in southeast washington. he says thousands of americans have serious federal tax challenges, i too have them, and everybody knows that. he says he is taking care of the situation. he owes more than $3,200 for the tax season 2010. the irs is garnishing his paycheck to pay back that money and he owes the district tax money and is in a payment plan for the d.c. taxes. there's one less thing d.c. councilman, harry thomas, will have to worry about now.

his student loans. he made an agreement to pay $16,000 on the loans he took out in the '80s. federal investigators are looking into whether he diverted more than $300,000 in city funds for his personal use. new today, a new president at george mason university will now head the fairfax college. he has been the president of the global management since 2004. he was a professor and dean at a school in spain before that. cabrera succeeds dr. allen burkeman that announced his retirement earlier this year. the first family likes to sit down and watch tv some nights, just like everything else. they say their favorite television show "modern family,"

and the family says despite all the white house's technological marvels, they only recently got a dvr. we will check in with tom right now on the forecast again. hey, tom. >> we do have sun around the metro area and as a result our temperatures are continuing to climb, and in addition to a southerly breeze, it's warming things up. that's a live view from the skywatcher camera and breaks in the clouds along the sun to heat us into the 50s, and near 60 about 30 or 40 miles south of washington, as well as in the mountains right now. and a view from space showing rain. and towards the top of your screen, that's light rain into pennsylvania, and down through west virginia, a front drifting in later this afternoon. we will get an increased chance of rain moving in. the nearest rain is in northern

loudoun county. and further to the west out in western maryland. we will have the clouds thickening up. for now, highs around 60, and in the middle of the evening we may have passing showers, and then sun back tomorrow morning and chillier weather moving in friday afternoon with clouds. might get a few wet snowflakes predawn saturday mainly in virginia. there's a small chance of that, otherwise clouds saturday morning and sun back sunday afternoon, and a cold start with highs in the mid-40s. chilly next week and maybe some rain on wednesday. barbara? >> thank you, tom. a new study shows drivers that use hands free phones are just as distracted as those using handheld devices. it says it doesn't matter if your hands are free if your mind is still distracted from focusing on the road. they suggested banning cell phone use completely when in any kind of a moving car or truck.

40% don't consider it unsafe for drivers to use a hands free device while driving. what do you say about that, danella? >> have to do it. it gets tricky sometimes, but it is very important, has to be hands free. you are looking at the beltway at route 1 on the right side of the screen, and that's the inner loop of the beltway, and low issues there, and outer loop on the outside of the screen. as you make your way, new hampshire avenue and georgia avenue, your commute looks good, not seeing anything in the roadways for you there. taking the beltway in virginia, this is the view from van dorn street, and the inner loop and outer loop, you are in the clear. it was a mess but right now you are looking good. from the wilson bridge to van dorn street, your travel on the inner loop is 57 miles per hour, and that trip will only take you six minutes. back to you. >> thank you. our next guest is getting a lot of national attention for

his musical talents. he joins us now, and he will tell me about his special performance. how do y >> tell us about yourself? we know you are a violinist playing across the country. >> right now i live in virginia, and i come from malaysia. i have been playing the violin for 13 years. >> how old are you now? >> 17 years old. >> you are still in high school, and studying at julia art school. >> did you go to high school here? >> yes. >> where? >> northern virginia christian academy. >> were you playing the violin when you were there? well, obviously you were. >> yes. >> and you studying at a community college as well.

tell us what you are doing this weekend. you will be performing where? >> a radio show where they feature young classical musicians, and it will air at 6:00 on sunday evening. >> will we get a little taste of your music? >> yes. >> all right. let's hear it. >>what are you going to play? >> the fourt movement from bau.

♪ wow, fantastic, and beautiful. congratulations on the honor of being able to play on the radio. when was that? >> sunday, 6:00. >> what are you planning to do in the future? >> i plan to do a double major in music and neuro science and bring the two field together to treat people. >> and neuroscience? >> yes. >> wow. that's a difference from what you are doing here? >> yes.

>> and congratulations as i said, and good luck in the future and we are so happy you stopped by to see us today and to play for us. >> i am sure we will be hearing your name a lot in the near future. it's now 11:40, and still ahead on "news4 midday," investors are hoping to break the losing streak on wall street. plus, the phone bank is open if you want to learn about or contribute to dreams for kids. [ 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.

plans for a new development project in prince georges county are on hold, and that means the county will have to wait a little longer for the first whole foods market. developers have proposed to build a town center that includes a whole foods along route 1 in riverdale park. but those developers asked the zoning board to delay the meeting today until next month. the developers want to hammer out a deal over environmental and traffic concerns before a deal is struck. we will check in with courtney reagan right now with the business headlines. >> stocks are higher right now. this is the first that we have seen this situation or at least

that we held for this entire week. it's been a rough week. the dow was up in the first hours of trade, and oil prices continue to slide down. and it's good for prices at the pump, it's not good to a global economic level. now, there's a lot of other economic data today so i want to run through some of the highlights. we have seen a glimmer of hope for the labor department. jobless claims dropped to 366,000, however wholesale prices picked up. so that's the producer price index, and that measures price changes before they reach consumers. and for the 12 months ending in november, prices are up 5.7%. and then the measure of manufacturing in new york cista

and that's up. the insurance institute for highway safety. every major carmaker had at least one vehicle that got the top grade. one reason for the top marks this year, manufacturers redesign roofs to make cars able to withstand roleovl over crash. all of the stores for toys "r" us will stay open every hour next week. they will not close until 10:00 p.m. on christmas eve. the retailer is planning to offer special sales during some of the days. hopefully that should give us plenty of time, barbara, to do what we have to do. >> that's for people like us. >> exactly, just for us. >> maybe this weekend we'll get started? >> it will have to be, because

we're running out of time. and today's wednesday child, we meet two kids with big dreams that recently got the chance to meet some washington greats. there are brothers hoping to have a loving family real soon. >> washington redskins wide receiver anthony armstrong got up early to show the boys around the facility in virginia. they tossed the ball around a little bit, and the toys told their host a little about themselves. >> what do you want to grow up to be? >> a football player. >> what about you? >> policeman. >> a policeman? >> and a lawyer and what else? >> and a preacher. >> what kind of grades are you making? >> as, bs, and one c. >> i made the honor roll. >> congratulations.

the boys want and need a loving home to grow up in. >> nick slus a handsome and quiet and sensitive young man. >> it didn't take long for nicholas to warm up to coach mike shanahan to start making suggestions. >> i could say that, they are kind of slippin up. >> the coach said nicholas had good ideas. >> he is a tall athletic young boy to aspires to be a football player. >> he told the coach he would like to play football some day. >> what position? >> receiver. >> they got a photo-op with the coach and then to the locker room. >> we have a couple gifts here for you. a couple gift bags. >> wow! >> those are for you guys. and then we are also going to give you six tickets to the

christmas eve game. >> they were thrilled, and trying on the uniforms was like getting a taste of what the future could hold. most of all for now, they hope that the future will come in a forever family. if you have room in your home or heart for these two or another child waiting for a family. call 1-88-to-adopt-me. and we have more now on the 12 days of giving. here is pat lawson. >> our 12 days of giving focus today is a nonprofit group making a big difference in our community. today we're hoping you can help the group dreams for kids. the number to call is 202-885-4949. you mentioned you have a big party coming up. >> it's called holiday for hope. we have about 700 children

registered to come out and we give them two gifts each and a boston market meal. and we need more volunteers all the time to build the bond with these children and to pass out the gifts. >> and most of your children, the ones coming from the d.c. shelter are going to the party? >> yes, they are. we have about 300 children that are scheduled to participate, so hopefully, you know, on sunday they enjoy themselves, and really enjoy this holiday season. >> it's the first year that your shelter has partnered with dreams for kids? >> yes. >> and you mentioned presents. i assume those presents are toys? >> yes, they are toys. we are looking for toys for ages from 5 to 15, so that would satisfy all of the children coming out that day, and a lot of our supporters have been doing toy drives for us, but we're always in need of more and

would like to give two to each child this year. >> i would imagine it will make a difference for your clientele. >> yes, they will enjoy the holiday season. >> how tough is it, you know, when christmas is coming and your shelter is full of not just children but families? >> well, through efforts of volunteers and donors we are able to provide multiple celebrations to the families, and partnering with dreams for kids will be awesome this year for our families. >> how old is your organization and how much you have grown over the years? >> our d.c. location is only about three years old, and holiday for hope has grown by the hundreds each year. we only had 500 children last year and now we have 700, and a few years ago we started with 200 or 300. >> there's no fee for your services? >> that's the best part, and that's why we are looking for donations and not just now but through the year because we provide programs that are life changing for these children.

>> you need toys for the presents and volunteers. what would the volunteers do? >> during the day, besides building a bond with the child, they will be partnering them in doing activities, we have sports related activities and arts and crafts and serve food for lunch, and basically making sure they have a great connection, and showing that community spirit for the holidays. >> and the party takes place where? >> at howard university's blackburn center. the mayor will be coming so we are all excited. >> sounds exciting. you need toy, gifts and volunteers for sunday. all right. thanks again. if you can help, folks, make it a marry christmas for these children. call our phone bank. our time is 11:51. coming up, the nominees are -- and then tom kierein will be back with our forecast.

at 3:00, ellen sits down with [ 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.

well, if you want to sound smart today, try slipping in the word pragmatic into your conversations with your friends and co-workers. maram webster just named pragmatic word of the year.

it means relating to matters of fact or practical affairs, often to the exclusion of artistic matters, practical as opposed to idealistic. the word was looked up so often the company decided to be pragmatic with its choice of the year. it was used in conversations about politics and the economy. and this morning, the golden globe nominees were out. woody harrelson announced the nominees for best drama, but not before adding a plug of his own. >> "rampart" opens january 27th. i don't see it on the list here. there's a lot of things left off today, i just want to say.

okay, the descendants, "the help," hugo, "the ides of march," "money ball" and "war horse." ricky gervais will host the golden globes. let's look at some of the stories we will be following on news4 in the afternoon. pat lawson has a preview of things to come. >> coming up this afternoon, the latest on the possible federal government shutdown. a lot of folks worried about that. and vehicles are put to the test when it comes to crashes. which 2012 trucks and cars got the highest grades? we'll tell you. and we will try out some of the hottest new gadgets this holiday season. that's starting at 4:00 this

afternoon. >> pat, thanks a lot. it's time for a final check of the forecast. >> as we approach the noon hour, we have temperatures approaching 60 degrees now around the region with quite a bit of cloudiness. we are getting sun through the breaks in the clouds. right now temperatures are near 60 in washington, the area to the south, and fredericksburg at 61, and shenandoah valley now 63 degrees, and we will hold steady here in the upper 50s and around 60 degrees for another couple hours, but then we will get rain moving in, and right now getting a few showers north of washington across north central maryland from washington and frederick counties into carroll county moving off to the east and south of there, there is more sun and later today that rain in the metro area by midafternoon to the middle of the evening, and then we will drop down to mid evening, and then near 40 by dawn on friday. and then friday, during the morning, some sun, and during the afternoon clouds and predawn on saturday might have a few wet

snowflakes south of the metro area otherwise it's a small chance, and otherwise a few clouds around on saturday morning and sun back saturday morning and chilly, and sunny and chilly into next week and rain maybe on wednesday. have a great afternoon. we'll see you tomorrow morning. that's new"news4 midday" fo today, and we thank you for joining us and invade you to tune in for the news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00 and 11. we will be back tomorrow for more news, and until then have a terrific day.