you're watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now live in hd this is news 4 today. hi, everyone. thanks for starting your weekend with us, i'm angie goff. i'm chris gordon. welcome to news 4 today december 17th. the senate is set to vote today on a budget that will run through september of next year. >> the last minute vote helps avoid a government shutdown. the proposed plan is a trillion dollar bill nicknamed the megabus. it increases pentagon spending and health care by 1 purnt, but cuts homeland security spending by 5%. lawmakers commended their

ability to reach across the aisle in such an important issue. >> it is important that we celebrate the bipartisan nature of this bill. >> it is absolutely essential that we not see the government shut down. >> the deal ensures thousands of federal employees will receive a salary. they were set to be put on unpaid furlough days before christmas. many public facilities including national parks and museums are going to stay open. despite the deal not everyone is pleased. d.c.'s congressional delegate el nor holmes norton released a statement on her website saying quote, we will never be satisfied as long as there's a single prohibition on d.c.'s use of its funds. holmes is upset the bill came with a rider stopping d.c. funding abortions for low income women. >> the spending bill includes language that would limit the number of parking spots at the mark center in alexandria.

5,000 employees are consolidating their offices at the army's new complex there. now only 2,000 spaces are open in an effort to ease congestion near the mark center. center mark warner said the cap would force the army to find creative solutions like telework and staggering shifts. some people who live nearby support the limit. >> we're elated. i know my neighbors and i have been pushing for this parking cap for over two years now. it's just fantastic that it's finally been put into place. >> the parking space limit would stay in effect until major road improvements could be built or congestion improves significantly. now that congress has come to an agreement on the budget, they're work on an extension for the payroll tax cut. lawmakers say they've come to a tentative deal to extend the cut for at least two months. the extension would also help those out of work as it would keep unemployment benefits at 99

weeks. however, republicans have added a ride tore the bill pushing development of a controversial oil pipeline. president obama said he will veto any bill that comes to his desk with a pipeline deal attached to it. chuck bell makes his first appearance on this saturday morning. >> yes. >> a lot of people working the senate, the wizards. >> good. they should be working they're $14 trillion in the hole. they've got to do something. great looking day outside for today. but it's going to feel a little bit like winter. be ready for that. there's a live picture over washington national airport. a very chilly start this morning. not too bad in the city limits and right alongside the chesapeake bay. everywhere else back down into the chilly 30s this morning. nobody's below freezing, stanton and charlottesville are just below. most everybody in northern virginia mid 30s. no rain or snow on the radar.

too close to us just yet. a little area of snow near shig that's part of an alberta clipper that might bring a few flurries to the blue ridge. no accumulating snow around washington for the weekend. a mix of clouds and sunshine today and tomorrow. a cold weekend, breezy as well. northwest winds 12 to 24 miles per hour. we'll keep windchills this afternoon in the 30s. another chilly day tomorrow. we'll be sunshine challenged for the weekend. start with some sun early today and end with sun late tomorrow. we'll have a lot of clouds to deal with through the course of the weekend. going to need your scarf and mittens. going to feel a lot like winter. >> ear muffs. >> yes. >> thanks, chuck. today prosecutors will begin presenting their case in the court-martial against the soldier accused of leaking information to wee key leaks. he faces life in prison if convicted. manning's defense team is likely to argue that much of the

classified information he leaked posed no risk. manning appeared in court yesterday for a pretile hearing. it was his first public appearance in more than a juror and a half. a george washington university graduate student has died from a case of meningitis. school officials have not identified the student, but say he lived off campus. they've gotten in touch with about 35 people that came in contact with the student before the death. meningitis is a rare but con stay jous disease that can be deadly if spread, but it can be treated with antibiotics. a plea deal will keep five virginia college students accused of hazing out of prison. radford university student was found dead of alcohol poisoning last year. investigators say he was forced to drink while pledging to get into a fraternity. five members of the fraternity pleaded guilty of providing alcohol to a moi nor.

a d.c. council candidate says he plans to fight the charges that he was soliciting a prosecutor. kevin chavens was arrested in northeast d.c. police say he offered an undercover officer money for a sex act. but his campaign manager says the candidate wasn't soliciting in any way and was targeted by police. the son of a former councilmember with the same name, he is trying to unseat ward seven uncouple bentee vet alexander. u.s. park police are mourning the loss of an officer who died during a rescue attempt at the key bridge. officials say officer michael bayne responded to the tow path under the bridge for reports of a critically injured person. he had a heart attack and collapsed. rescuers already on the scene rushed him to a nearby hospital where bayne died. >> mike -- mike was a friend of

mine. i've known him for his entire career. i've known mike to be a very dedicated and bold officer. dedicated family member. >> sources tell news 4 that the critically hurt man jumped from the bridge and also died. officer bayne was a 19-year veteran and leaves behind a wife and son. metro riders expect delays on four of the five lines this weekend. now check out the red line here. shady grove trains they're going to be end at dupont and the same goes for glenmont trains they're going to end at union station. taking a look at orange line riders they're going to be sharing the track from east and west falls church. as we take a look at the blue line here riders are sharing a track from stadium armory toed ason road and reagan national airport and braddock road. for those of you taking the

yellow line, we're only seeing service from huntington over to mount vernon square. you can use that green line right there to finish up your trip and to make the transfe there. everything should be wrapped up for your monday morning commute. some good news there. switching over to our roads on 66 we have some new relief to tell you about for virginia commuters. if you take eastbound i-66 all the way up to the interloop, we have this new flyover ramp who's going to dump you off to the right side of 495 this is really going to ease up traffic and make it easier for you to merge on to oncoming traffic. if you're trying to make it to route 7 in tyson's corner you no longer have to cross all lanes of traffic on the beltway to get to route 7 in tyson's corner. you won't have to be able cross-over all that to get there. and that's the latest at your traffic this weekend and everything to be air ware of. let's send it over to chris. >> thank you, very much, angie.

well done. expects lots of company as you map out your holiday travel plans throughout the area. according to aaa more than two million washingtonians alone will travel by plane, train and automobile in the next two weeks. that's 40% of the me from region's population and the highest volume in a decade. analysts say that most people traveling long distances say the nation's economy will have little impact on their plans. instead they're cutting back on spending to cover costs for their trip. washington dulles international airport is one of the most expensive airports in the country. according to a survey by the transportation department researchers looked at the price of airline tickets, taxes and fees on domestic round trip fares at 100 of the nation's largest airports. airports in memphis and cincinnati were the most expensive with average fares of $476. dulles was third with $474 per ticket. reagan national was 38th. vwi marshal was one of the

cheapest airports to fly out of. it was 80th on the list with an average fare of $334. >> that must be because of southwest and airtran out of there. >> perhaps. making the impact. >> 6:10 right now. still ahead this morning, a popular rapper shot and killed. we'll tell you who it was and what police say led to the murder. >> it may not have hurt as much to be robbed by a stranger. and a dibbled veteran ripped off by a man promising to help him out.

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[ female announcer ] get 0 percent apr financing on select models for thirty-six months and we'll donate two-hundred and fifty dollars to your choice of five charities. now through january 3rd. you're watching news 4 today. authorities in loudoun county are searching for a purse snatcher robbing local churches. police have gotten report of ten pockets taken. police believe a woman is a culprit here trying to exploit the sense of security people feel in churches. a disabled marine corp. veteran is out over $200,000 after getting scammed by his

financial advisor. he met the man at his church. while he says he was working hard to forgive, it's impossible to forget. news 4's derek ward has the story. >> reporter: christopher watson had a dream and a plan. the former marine wanted to build a wheelchair accessible home. the plan was to invest money he'd been compensated for his injuries to pay for it. >> i decided to hire someone to help me invest it. >> reporter: it seems like a god send when this man came to his church introduced by the preacher, leslie home taught some classes in personal finance and offered to help chris manage his investments through his company, christian financial investment. he convinced him to move his money to several accounts. he came to count the man among his friends. >> as well as a brother in christ, i felt comfortable with him. >> reporter: when the time came for watson to start drawing down his investments to build that

home, the friend revealed himself for what he really was. >> as a wolf in sheep's clothing. >> reporter: there was stalling about the money. while watson had been putting money into the investment accounts, what he thought, police say holmes was keeping it as watson found out when he checked with the banks. >> there was no record of my name, account or anything. >> reporter: what sealed it for investigators was a visit to this office complex that was supposed to be the headquarters of christian financial services. the doors were locked and holmes wasn't here. >> he accepted about $200,000 in cash deposits he was supposed to invest that money. rather he put nit a business account of his and then spent that munch. >> reporter: that's month they arrested leslie holmes. >> we don't believe that the victim in this case is the only one. >> reporter: as for chris watson this hasn't eliminated his faith in his fellow man. >> it may not have been hurt as much to be robbed by a stranger. >> watson may not be able to

recover his lost savings. a charles county sheriff's office wants to hear from anyone else who feels they may have fallen victim to this scam. atlanta police are investigating the murder of a rapper nicknamed slim dunken. fans describe the detroit native as an up and coming artist. he was shot and killed last night at a music studio as he was getting ready to record a video. police say he got into an argument with someone else just before the shooting. officers are interviewing possible witnesses. ate appears that kobe bryant will soon be flying solo. his wife, vanessa filed for divorce citing irreconcilable difference. the couple was married ten years ago. the two went through some hardships in 2003 when the lakers' star was then accused of sexually assaulting a woman. both sides asked for joint custody of their two daughters and they're requesting privacy during this process. we are nearing it be end of 2011 and we are taking a look

back at some of the biggest local stories of the year. >> in fact, we're picking the ten biggest local stories of the year and we need your help picking number one. go to our facebook page, tell us your pick for 2011. we'll tally the votes and present the results on the air and online on new year's. >> our big story, chuck bell this morning. that's the big story? vote me number one. >> on the weekends everybody wants to know about the weather. >> they certainly do. this weekend will be look and feeling a lot like wintertime across the area. we'll talk about whether or not you're going to see any [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices...

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we'll following a developing story out of the philippines where a tropical storm has killed more than 200 people and dozens of others are missing. many people were asleep when floodwaters tore through their homes. some of the dead were even swept

out to sea. right now rescuers are searching for more victims. we're keeping close tabs on this story. we're going to bring you more details as they become available. the so-called barefoot bandit is headed to prison for the next seven years. a judge sentenced colton harris moore for 33 felony charges stemming from his two-year crime spree. the 20-year-old was convicted of evading police across the country in stolen cars, boats and even planes mostly while barefoot. the seven-year sentence consolidates cases in washington state. harris moore will be snnsd for federal charges early next year. he was sentenced yesterday, barry bonds will avoid jail time. the former san francisco giants slugger received 30 days of home confinement, two years of probation and a $4,000 fine. he was convicted of lying to a grand jury about using performance enhancing drugs. prosecutors wanted 15 months in prison for bonds. his lawyers say they will appeal

the conviction so the judge delayed the sentence for now. lawyers for ousted illinois governor rod blagojevich are calling for a new trial on the grounds of jury misconduct. attorneys say the foreman violated court rules by making public appearances to discuss the retrial. lawyers also claim the foreman kept a questionnaire from the case and used nit a public presentation. blagojevich was convicted on 18 counts of corruption including trying to sell the senate seat vacated by president obama. he was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to begin serving his sentence in madge. first lady michelle obama and her daughters are in hawaii this morning for their holiday vacation. now before leaving first lady stopped by joint base bowling. there she donated more than 800 toys to the marine corp. toys for tots program. the gift will go to needy families across the country. after the donation, first lady headed to hawaii with daughters

maliyah and sasha. the president will remain here in washington while the congress works to pass his spending bill. >> he drew the short end of that straw. would you rather start your vacation in hawaii early or stay here and deal with congress. >> he works. >> no doubt about it. >> what we don't have is the hawaii weather. >> wouldn't that be nice? a tropical breeze coming in, palm trees swaying. >> is the smell of coco butter. >> that would be a nice smell around washington. we're not going to get that for today. in fact, a bit of a northwesterly breeze is going to have this weekend feeling so much like wintertime. might see some snowflakes for you folks out west of the blue ridge along the mountains of west virginia. i don't think we're going to have much of a snowflake threat in metro d.c. we're keeping an eye on things. outside right now some clouds still hanging over washington early this morning where temperature is not so cold. we're at 40 degrees down at

ronald reagan washington national airport. the north breeze at 12 miles per hour. windchills will stay in the mid up toer 30s all afternoon. it will feel very much like winter. current temperatures though, again, not so bitterly cold. mid to upper 30s across much of montgomery and frederick county, maryland. a little bit colder where the skies have cleared towards charlottesville and stanton. for us, we're going to have an in and out chance for sunshine today. i think we'll have sun in the front half of the day. clouds will gradually fill back in late this afternoon and later on today. no rain or snow threat for today. temperatures courtesy of that north breeze will hold in the mid 40s this afternoon. nothing showing up on doppler now. there is an alberta clipper bringing some light snow showers to chicagoland. as it zips on through, plenty of clouds coming back our way late tonight and western facing parts of the mountain might see the best chance for some light snow

accumulations. little weak weather front off to our east will keep the cold air coming on in. that quick clipper zipping on by here late tonight into the early morning hours tomorrow morning. by tomorrow afternoon time, plain old cold air settling in. most of the snow showers dying away very quickly after the sun comes up tomorrow. probably not more than muff to barely whiten the ground. that cold, dry pattern sticks around into early next week. for today a mix of clouds and sunshine. partly sunny the further north and west you go the more cloud cover. the further south a little bit more sunshine. highs today upper 30s to low 40s. windchills in the 30s all day. for tomorrow plenty of clouds maybe a flurry out to the west of d.c. early on in the day tomorrow, then the sunshine comes back tomorrow afternoon staying pretty much on the chilly side around here all week weekend with highs many the low to mid 40s. down through the next seven days back up to near 50 on monday and

tuesday. that's plus five for this time of the year. a little chance for what looks to be rain drops coming in on wednesday. and that may linger. that rain chance may linger into the week as well. that looks like all rain chances not much in the way of snow chances later on in the week. we'll have to start concerning ourselves with white christmas chances. so far our chances are less than 1%. >> oh, gosh. >> less than 1%. but you never know. we might move it to 2% by the end of the day tomorrow. >> we will see. thank you, chuck. >> angie and i were checking you out on our smart phones. we were smart on. you can have the new news 4 wherever you go news 4's launched a new and improved iphone app. it it has an easy to navigate top stories list. all our videos will play out on your phone, weather. users can also find ten-day weather forecast to help you

prepare for the day and the week. your trip if you're going to take one. you'll be able to receive breaking news alerts. check in out at the ie tunes store. we have a link on our website nbcwashington.com. as miley cyrus says pretty cool. >> there's a more button here. you have an opportunity to get entertainment, your games for the capitals, the scene, popcorn business, your traffic, it has everything you need. >> and it's free. >> and it's free. the best part of all. >> i downlloyded it in about five seconds. it is 6:27 right now. still ahead at this hour, the holidays can take a dangerous and tragic turn in a matter of seconds. what you can do to prevent this from happening at your home. >> you don't talk to people like that and you don't say those kind of things to people. allegations of racism at a popular store. the racial slur a local woman claims she had aimed at her by

one of the store's employees. and they say that good things come to those who wait. why procrastinating on your turns to winter and brings in the cold. because of our economy, millions more will feel that chill than ever before. they're the forgotten ones. the big boys have abused the system to enrich only themselves, while workers are still hurting. it could be a layoff after 22 years of working

for the same company. or choosing between food and heat for a sick child. or after working your whole life, you don't have what you need to stay warm. you played by the rules, but who changed them? even though oil prices are soaring to record levels, in washington, fuel aid for the poor was cut in half. citizens energy asked big oil companies and oil producing nations to help. they all said 'no,' expect for citgo and the people of venezuela. for the last 7 years, citgo has helped struggling families in the united states in good times and in bad. so if you need help staying warm this winter, give me a call. because no one should be left out in the cold.

you're watching nbc 4 washington's news leader. now live in hd, this is news 4 today. good morning, everyone. i'm chris gordon. >> i'm angie goff. today is saturday, december 17th. if you're just joining us here are the top stories. congress has averted a government shutdown. the senate is expected to vote today on a trillion dollar budget that will run through the end of next september. it includes a 1% increase in pentagon spending, but a 5% cut in homeland security. next up for congress a tentative deal to extend the payroll tax cut for two months. the deal would also keep unemployment benefits at 99 weeks. but there is some controversy as

the republicans attach a rider pushing development of the keystone pipeline. president obama has threatened to veto any bill with the pipeline attached to it. now holiday decorating is a family tradition for so many in our area. but are you keeping your family safe in last year 13,000 people ended up in emergency rooms as a result of holiday decorating accidents and more than 100 people die each year in fires. news 4 ease liz crenshaw was there and as the consumer product safety commission demonstrated how dangerous this time of year can be. >> we're trying to be as vigilant as possible, to protect the public. >> reporter: at the testing center in rockville, maryland, the chairman and her team showed us the reality of holiday hazards. how a live, dried out tree like this one can go up in flames in just seconds. >> a dried out christmas tree

can burn faster than newspaper. always have a person in your family who is the designated waterer. make sure that tree is watered every single day. >> reporter: if you buy an artificial tree make sure it's fire resistant. holiday lights can be hazardous if they're not working properly. >> please don't use a string of lights where some work and some don't. >> reporter: avoid lights that have a broken socket or damaged cord. >> look for frayed wires when you bring them out of storage. throw the decorations away. >> reporter: the safety director for underwriters laboratories tests products such as holiday lights for fire and mechanical hazards. the government warns against buying counterfeit lights. >> if you buy lights without a safety seal, you're asking for trouble. >> reporter: safety seals signify the lights meet u.s. standards. for example the ul logo. you want to make sure you know the difference between indoor

and outdoor strands. the red label signifies it's safe to be used outside. testers say products appear to be getting safer. >> the products are getting better we see a lot of l.e.d. lighting. it takes much less energy, the chance of overloading extension cords is much reduced. >> reporter: can candles can be deadly. 130 deaths each year from fires started by candles. they remind people to keep candles away from furniture, decoration, and trees. >> if you're aware that they pose a hazard can keep you and your family safe. >> that was liz crenshaw reporting. another warning, do not use metal nails or staples when hang hanging lights outside. you can damage the wiring which can cause a shock and pose a fire hazard. now to decision 2012 where newt gingrich is spending his

weekend here in the washington area. while other candidates are trying to grab votes before the iowa caucuses, the republican front runner is spending three full days off the campaign trail. he's watching his wife perform at a christmas concert in virginia today and will also attend a book signing. meanwhile, mitt romney is in south carolina today with his newest supporter governor nick key haley. haley officially endorsed romney yesterday at a rally saying he has the best chance of defeating president obama next year. winning the south carolina primary is essential as every republican to win the presidential nomination since 1980 has won the state. be sure to tune in tomorrow to "meet the press" at 10:30 as haley will join david gregory to discuss her endorsement of romney. yet another republican candidate made their way to jay leno's couch. ron paul chatted with the host. the texas congressman talked about what he would do as

president including legalizing marijuana and cutting all foreign aid. he also took the opportunity to take some not so subtle shots at his competitors. >> how about mitt romney? >> he used to be governor of massachusetts. >> right. very that's like a rick perry answer. that was good. >> maybe that's what he should stay. he's a nice guy. >> how about newt gingrich? >> he should run for speaker of the house again. >> paul also joked if he won the entire "tonight show" audience would be invited to his inauguration. chris? now to a news 4 exclusive. the company that owns victoria's secret tells news 4 it is investigating claims of racial harrisment. yolanda lee said she was shopping at the westfield annapolis store. she says she was humiliated by a

female employee as she got ready to leave. >> bye, good night, something to that nature, thank you guys for not stealing my underwear. i informed her that my liz cussens didn't steal, sorry, why would you make that comment. she turned around and looked and said all black people steal. >> to be a customer that loves victoria's secret, i was appalled. >> lee and family says the employee then told the security guard they've been disruptive and they were ordered to leave the mall. westfield annapolis has not responded to our request for a comment. the limited brands which owns victoria's secret told news 4 it is investigating the situation and will take appropriate action. well this could be a great day to finish up your holiday shopping this is super saturday. the final major shopping saturday before christmas. historically last minute shoppers buy their christmas gifts the last saturday before christmas. this year super saturday comes a

bit early and that means stores could offer good deals this weekend and beyond. and that means next week could be a procrastinator's paradise if stores lower their prices again. >> next week is desperation saturday. 6:38 right now. apple may be at it again, the new ipad that's in the works and why tech experts say it could be the next must-have gadget. >> let me get this straight, you're saying i can't breast-feed here? and i said to her, i'm repeating this i want to make sure i understand exactly what you're saying. and this mother was told she could not breast-feed in public even though the law is on her side. what she's doing to protect other mothers from what she went through. >> i'm specialist roslyn faulk in germany. i want to give a shout to my sister and mother in maryland.

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.

you're watching news 4 today. it's a story that's infuriated mothers everywhere and sparked a debate about where and when it's appropriate to breast-feed a baby. a d.c. lawyer says she was shocked when she was told to stop nursing her baby inside a d.c. building. >> she shared her story with me. security guards told her she was breaking the law by nursing in public. it turns out the guards got it all wrong. she was shocked and then embarrassed and humiliated while breastfeeding her 4 and a half-month-old son. it happened in the hallway of d.c. motor vehicle. the mom was there to contest a ticket when her son got hungry. she went into the hallway to feed him. >> i reached into my diaper bag and grabbed this cloth diaper and was nursing the baby. you can imagine if you're down nursing like this and you're told to get up.

i have to child in my arms. i'm struggling to get up. i leaned against the wall braced my foot on the stroller. still holding the child and then was nursing like this. >> that's when a security security guard got involved. >> and told me that i wasn't allowed to breast-feed in the public corridor of a government building. >> i whipped out a piece of paper and wrote down what she was saying. she says, yes, this is indecent exposure. so which shocked me even more. >> it shocks councilmember jim graham, too, because he wrote the d.c. law that allows public breastfeeding. >> we need more training in terms of people knowing what the law is. this lady was entirely within her rights under d.c. law to do what she did. >> we asked people who came here to the department of motor vehicles what they think about what happened here? >> it shouldn't matter where she breast-feed at a government building or not. she should have been able to feed her baby.

>> and a security guard saying it was indecent exposure? >> no. i don't think so. >> if it's the law, then yeah, i believe that she should get an apology. >> well the department of motor vehicles made it clear to us that the security guards in the building are not employed by the dmv. they work for a private security firm under a contract with the district. we are told that the matter is being investigated and that the guards have been told that the d.c. code allows a mother to nurse her child in public, but so far no apology. all right. "the today" show is next on nbc 4. we're going to find out what they're working on. >> amy robach joins us from new york city. >> coming unon a saturday morning on "today" ark judge orders two penn state officials to stand trial for perjury after explosive and graphic testimony from an assistant coach who says he saw jerry sandusky molest a young boy. we're live in pennsylvania bah

with the latest. also ahead the tragic hazing death of florida a&m university has been ruled a homicide. this as the state begins a criminal investigation. we will hear from the victim's parents. plus do you know what day it is in it's super saturday. that's what retailers are calling today hoping to cash in on the last full weekend before christmas, but are you buying it? and talk about one lucky dog. this pooch was struck by a car. he was left for dead, but miraculously came back to life. you will hear what happened and get to meet him when we get started on a saturday morning right here on "today." back to you. >> so sweet. he looked like a guinea pig. >> he was so cute. >> looking forward to it, thank you. 40 degrees currently. >> right. >> yesterday i was out shopping. you cannot find a parking place. >> really? >> that's why you need a hybrid car. they have their own parking spots at tyson's corner. >> now i have to put a hybrid on the list from santa claus as

opposed to a snowstorm which i had asked for weeks ago which is probably not

you're watching news 4 today. >> have you done all your holiday shopping? >> no. i'll be partaking in super saturday. i'll be hitting the pavement after the show. kbl get the elbows going. >> get out there and shop while you can. >> we're going to shop local as well to support small businesses. >> that's important. very important stuff. go out to downtown middleburg they have cute stores with christmas lights on there. that story is repeated in nearly every cute small hamlet around the area. if you can support your mom and pop businesses a good idea. they live right next door to you. outside right now a beautiful way to get your weekend started. some clouds out there. but no rain and no snow to deal with early on your saturday morning. other than to the chance for a few conversational snowflakes west of washington late tonight into early tomorrow, don't think much of a snow threat into the weekend. now we look over downtown

washington. they turned the lights out on top of the washington monument. there's the top of it 555 feet. but no light on it early this morning. out at national airport even with the cloud cover out there 40 degrees our current temperature. the north to northwesterly winds that is going to be a little bit of a factor as you make your plans to get outside and enjoy your weekend. windchill temperatures will stay in the 30s. with some cloud cover it's going to feel december like. 34 right now. 37 at reston town center. 37 degrees in mana sas. 40 degrees at the naval academy in annapolis. no real industrial strength cold yet. there are more shots of cold coming our way. temperatures aren't going to climb much. only into the low and mid 40s. nothing showing up on doppler too close to us. there is an alberta clipper moving through the chicago area early this morning. what is going to be our next weather maker.

it will come zipping through here early tonight and tomorrow. it could bring some snowflakes to the mountains of west virginia. western facing slopes of the mountains. east of the blue ridge i don't think too much in the way of a snow threat. cold air coming on down. here comes a clipper zipping by late tonight into the early morning hours of your sunday morning. as it pulls on out the sunshine returns again. we'll have a little sun at the beginning of your weekend and a little sun at the end. we'll call it a mix of clouds and sunshine today. cold and breezy today. actual air temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s. windchills will stay in the 40s. passing clouds primarily up in the mountains of west virginia. it might be enough to whiten the ground to the west of intertate 81. nothing to worry about around washington. low to mid 40s today and tomorrow with plenty of clouds in and out. not much of a threat for accumulating snow so that is good muse. the nutcracker there i was in my holiday garb last weekend with my victorian thing on. we had a great time down there

at the nutcracker as well. >> what was the comment last week? we didn't put it on tv, privately we said he looked like the money guy from monopoly. >> i look just like my dad with the mustache. >> it's a good look for you? >> it's one of my favorite time periods. >> still ahead at 6:52 a baby jesus statue is home again. >> up next, the woman police say stole the statue from a local

you're watching news 4 today. a facebook picture has led to police returning a baby jesus statue to its rightful place. it was stolen from a nativity scene in fredericksburg, virginia, earlier this week. we have more on this christmas caper. >> they found the little baby jes jesus. >> oh praise god. that's wonder zblfl. >> that's great news. >> reporter: it's not exactly how the story's told in the bible, but nonetheless baby jesus returned to his proper place in the manger in the arms of sergeant bill. you've been on the police force for how many years? >> 23. >> reporter: i bet you you've

recovered a lot of stolen property? >> i have. >> reporter: have you ever recovered anything quite like this? >> no. no, i vice president. >> reporter: the little baby jesus stolen from the nativity scene at the central park shopping center tuesday night. he weighed 80 pounds. you see he had been stolen before some years ago so they filled him with concrete to keep it from happening again. that proved to be something less than a wise idea. now they say little baby jesus weighs about 60 pounds that he lost 20 pounds after he was taken from here. they found the little baby jesus. >> oh thank you, lord. >> reporter: so who stole little baby jesus? police say it's a woman a 25-year-old woman who works at this walmart in the same shopping center. they say she lives in spotsylvania county that show posted a picture of the baby

jesus on her facebook page. someone asked her is that baby jesus stolen. she replied it's so stolen. >> we have no idea how many people actually saw that picture on facebook, but a great number of them made comments indicating that they knew that that was a stolen item and these people were talking about it. out of all those people only one individual came forward and contacted us. we're certainly glad that he did. >> reporter: the nativity scene is complete. but this case is far from closed. the common we'll attorney studying the evidence to determine what if any charges will be brought here. i'm pat collins news 4, fredericksburg. >> pat tells us investigators believe because the statue weighed 80 pounds a second person may have helped steal it. the ta chew was filled with that concrete after being stolen once before in 2005. apple fans get your wallets ready for the next possible creation, the mini ipad. there are rumors that apple is

developing an eight inch ipad. the normal sized tablet is ten inches, it also costs $500. apple is hoping a smaller ipad can compete with the kindle fire which runs about $200. the mini ipad is rumored to be released late next year and that's in addition to the ipad 3 which could come out at the end of the first quarter. well, you can call this a homecoming weekend for a former cast mate on "saturday night live." jimmy fallon is returning for tonight's christmas episode. the comedian was a cast member on "s.n.l." for six years before nbc named him host of "late night." fallon says having his own show is great, he's already fulfilled his childhood dream. >> that's all i wanted to do my whole life. i wanted to be on "saturday night live." i never thought i would host. >> fallon was known for his impressions, musical sketches, and hosting the weekend updates

portion of "s.n.l." he'll join michael buble when the show returns tonight with him. you can see it here right after news 4 at 11:00. >> i could watch him all morning long. he's a funny guy. >> after the a great cast. kristin wig, i think she's so talented. >> loved her in "bridesmaids." >> a blind man in romania can do what many thought was impossible. >> he had a chance to drive. the 36-year-old took the wheel of a bmw on an open track. he lost his sight at 14 years old and learned to drive despite his disabilities. he usually drives on unfinished roads with very little rafk. yesterday he had a chance to drive about 85 miles per hour thanks to his friends. they founded a group that brings together people with disabilities and able bodied new friends. that is wonderful. 85 and i'v