good morning. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm eun yang. in for barbara harrison. we begin with a vigil for a maryland man detained in cuba. in just about an hour judy gross will hold a demonstration for her husband along with friends, family and other activists. it comes after he was passed over a mass prisoner release in cuba this weekend. erica, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it is since november the vigils have been held here at the cuban of northwest d.c. for alan gross

every monday. today marks the 753rd day of gross' captivity in cuba. it was in 2009 that gross was in cuba on business as a contractor for the u.s. agency for international development. he was later arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to bring satellite phones and computer equipment to people without a legal permit. gross maintains he was only trying to take the internet to cuba's jewish community. after numerous failed attempts or pleas by the u.s. to try and regain the maryland man's freedom, a glimmer of hope last friday. the cuban president would give amnesty to 29 other prisoners. those 60 year of age or older or ill. the flickering light went out when she found out her husband was not on the list. it will be the site for gross' family, friends and activists to once again to try to draw

attention to what they say is a wrongly convicted man. >> we just need to mauck people aware that alan is in cuba incarcerated. and to write to their senators and congressmen, president castro, hillary clinton, president obama, and ask them to do whatever they can to get alan released. >> reporter: the vigil is from 12:00 to 1:00 today. we spoke with gross' wife who tells us that this hanukkah season has been unlike any other. she says she spoke with her husband friday and says that his emotional, mental and physical health are all deteriorating. we are live in northwest d.c. >> thanks so much. 11:02. taking a look outside. it is a dewittful december day. 46 degrees out there. mild for this time of the year. storm 4 moot meet veronica johnson joins us with the first forecast now. she's in for tom kierein. we cannot complain about this

kind of weather. we loift. >> not at all. you have kids. i have kids. they stayed inside all day yesterday. now we have nice weather for them to get out. they need exercise, those kids. the bundle of energy. this is a great for getting them outdoors. we have sunshine overhead. just a few scattered high clouds. the temperatures 46 degrees right now. here's the thing. it is breezy and that will take just a few degrees off the current temperature. chilled out there, northwest wind at 24 miles per hour. we have had some higher gusts through outthe area today, too. especially early this morning. currently we are at 46 degrees in adams morgan. 46 in hyattsville. good afternoon to you folks. in indianapolis, maryland, you are currently at 48 degrees. and it is 47 to-to-the south. 50 degrees in warrenton. you are likely going to see higher temperatures down to the south and to the east today. you are looking at the current

wind gusts. gusting up to 30 miles per hour right now. that's about as high as i have seen it really throughout the area today. well off to the west. slightly higher gusts earlier today. weak weather system that came through the area. high clouds, scattered to the north. we have that break down through virginia. down through north carolina. even south carolina, bit of a break in the clouds. plenty of them down to the south and that's the next weather system that will move in. area of low pressure will bring us gray tomorrow. details on that coming up. first here is a look at your highs today. getting up to, again, 50 degrees, slightly higher temps. more on the 7-day forecast. >> hope it lasts. thanks so much. we will see you soon. right now richmond police are resuming their hunt for a double murder suspect. they believe a man shot and killed two people and abduct ad 2-year-old and sparked a statewide amber alert. police are looking for 27-year-old jamal clemens who is suspected of killing a man and woman inside of a richmond home christmas eve.

they say he stole an suv that happened to have a 2-year-old boy sitting in the back. the boy was found unharmed still inside that suv seven hours later. the police don't believe clemens was aware the child was in the suv. they are urging people to call 911 if they see him. he is considered armed and dangerous. prince george's county police are looking for clues in a christmas day shooting. this happened yesterday near the intersection of southern avenue. the struck times suffered from a fatal gunshot wound. a k-9 unit and police helicopter were called to the scene to search for clues. police have not released the man's identity. the decision 2012 primary season is fast approaching. this morning gop candidates are back in campaign mode in iowa after a short christmas break. rick santorum is hunting this morning and mitt romney is spending the day calling supporters. they are all starting bus tours

this week. iowa will hold their caucuses that lead off the primary season a week from tomorrow. despite the proximity of the caucus the race is constantly shifting. the outcome could make or break the campaign of presidential hopefuls of howard fineman joined savannah guth troy talk about who he thought has a ticket out of iowa and on to the next round of primaries. >> probably got his ticket out and you have a four-way race for the non-mitt/non-ron paul candidate. newt gingrich, rick perry, michele bachmann or rick santorum. we are looking at a substantially weakened newt gingrich getting out of iowa. >> with a race that has seen nearly every candidate becoming front-runner, ron paul could be the next hopeful carry momentum. paul may have more staying power, however, because of his grassroots support. newt gingrich is speaking for the first time this morning

about his campaign's failure to make the primary ballot in virginia. virginia's republican party announced gingrich failed to submit the 10,000 signatures required to make the ballot. his campaign director blamed it the state's cumbersome process. when we caught up with gingrich where his wife was singing he took the blame. good disappointed but it was our fault. we hope to launch a write-in campaign and getting an amazing number of people who want us to believe -- who believe virginians ought to have the right to choose and shouldn't be restricted to just two people. we will launch a write-in campai campaign. >> it is time for them to change it. if something is wrong they ought to fix. >> it texas governor rick perry also failed to get enough signatures to appear on the ballot. that means mitt romney and ron paul will be the only republican options for voters when they head to the polls on march 6. calendar might say december 26 but dozens still lined up outside for their christmas

presents. this was the scene early this morning outside of the mall at prince george's. shoe fanatics lined up to get new shoes. the shoe lovers say staying up and dealing with the cold temperatures is worth it to be the only one in their neighborhood with these brand-new shoes. huge day for shoppers. thousands are returning gifts today but there are plenty of options and great deals to shoppers can get exactly what they want. news4's megan mcgrath has the story. >> it may the day after christmas but there's an awful lot of shopping going on. the retailers are offering deep discounts. people have gift cards they want to spend. it is very, very busy at area malls. another busy day at the mall. shoppers return and exchange those not-so-perfect christmas gifts. >> got to exchange it. return it and get something you want. >> reporter: 20% of people questioned in a consumer survey say that they got a lousy gift.

they were most often given by in-laws. >> good sales. everything is 75% off at least. extra 10%. that's really a good deal. >> 60% to 75% which is nice. then they always have extra coupons at macy's. that's fun. >> reporter: and there are those gift cards. eight out of ten shoppers bought at least one gift card this year. if you are out spending money it is not a bad time to do it with so many sales, your buck will go farther. >> everything that people didn't want before christmas is still here. and you get the extra benefit of the sale prices. and you get like twice as much as you do beforehand and it is fun. >> it is definitely worth going out the day after. we plan this every year. >> reporter: many stores continued with the special hours. they opened early and staying late. but tomorrow things are going to get back to normal. from tysons corner, megan

mcgrath, news4. >> if you are one of the thousand of shoppers returning gifts soon here are some helpful tips. hopefully you received a gift receipt which makes things a lot easier. if not, that's okay. be sure to keep everything in the box with all of the tags on. otherwise the store does not have to accept the return. most stores have a 90-day return policy but beware of what's called slicing and dicing. stores might have different return policies online versus brick and mortar stores. bring your i.d. stores are now scanning those to make sure that you are not a chronic returner. 11:10. 47 degrees. the conflicting reasons why yemen's president would want to visit the u.s. two dhur church essay taxed christmas day. the group taking responsibility for the bombings. your last chance to improve your tags return in this last

welcome back. 7 people, including 5 police officers, are dead this morning after yet another car bombing in iraq. officials say that the explosion happened at the checkpoint to tin tearer ministry in baghdad during the morning rush. at least 36 people were injured. follows a wave of explosions thursday that killed 72 people in baghdad. u.s. and iraqi officials have warned of violence in the wake of the u.s. troops leaving the country this month. pope benedict has denounced the

terrorist who bombed nigerian churches christmas day. inviting everyone to pray for the victims. a radical muslim sect claimed responsibility for the explosions. this is the second year in a row the group staged attacks on christmas. most died on the steps of the church celebrating christmas mass. the white house also condemned the attacks and calls it senseless. the endorsement gives him power over political matters in the country. just a few days ago reporters referred to him it is a supreme leader of north korea's armed forces. north korea's top military leaders also pledge their loyalty to kim saying they will do whatever it takes to protect him. encouraging gesture by the south koreans. crossing into north korea to pay condolences to kim jong-il. private delegation met with kim jong-un. the widow of former south korean

president kim jong, was one of the group's leaders. the obama administration is considering whether or not to allow yemen's outgoing president into the u.s. for medical treatment. he announced a few day days ago he was leaving for the states to help ease tensions his country -- in his country while a new wave of violence. there are conflicting reports saying he wants to come to the u.s. to get medical treatment. he suffered severe injuries during an attack on his compound back in june. president obama celebrated christmas in hawaii. first family spent a quiet morning at their beach house and then went to a nearby marine corps base to attend church services. everyone dressed casually for the occasion. the obamas spent the holiday with a number of friends and family. no public events are planned during his vacation. it is not often you get to see the human side of a president but kids have a way of bringing out some cute moments in all of us.

president obama's visiting troops in hawaii yesterday for christmas. when an 8-month-old decided to put his hand right in the president's mouth. if you missed it there it is again. boom. the president showed his experience as a dad and played it off pretty well. he was just picking up the little boy. he told reporters right before then that the room was a bit too quiet. cute baby. he knew what he was doing. he had two babies. that's what babies do. >> he looks like he's great with kids. happy day after christmas to you. hope you had a great holiday. >> had a fabulous holiday. mentioned earlier the kids need to get out. >> they do. >> mine need to -- >> great weather, too. send them outdoors. >> we were at dupont circle earlier. our crews. get something video for you. folks getting out and doing just that. walking around and getting exercise. some folks having to go to work. there we are. kids in the park.

you know, so that they don't just hang over the video game. >> oh, yeah. watching tv. >> cooped up all day. fabulous thing for my son, helicopters that always crash. >> remote controlled one. >> it is our fault. we can never fly them the right way. found a cool helium balloon that's remote control. bumps into anything, keep on going. >> love it. i have to check that out. >> right. and how about a day to go up in a balloon? i don't know. it is too windy. certainly sunny. we have 46 degrees right now. probably get to blow all the way off to the east there with that northwest wind. 24 miles per hour right now. humidity just hit 46%. look at areas even north of us. up in frederick county, maryland, howard county, maryland, 45 degrees already. then we have upper 40s down to the south from culpeper, virginia, to fredericksburg and around stafford. even pax river. upper 40s, 49 degrees. i think these areas down to the

south and off to the east will see slightly higher readings today topping out in the low 50s. now, we had that wind around since early this morning, weak weather system came through. picked up the wind. i have seen winds gusting as high as 30 right near the bay. but those subsided a bit. up to 30, though. right now inside the beltway for d.c. 29 miles per hour gusts being reported in hagerstown. breezy day for us. winds subsided. later on, during the evening hours we will drop down to 46 degrees by 5:00. sunset at 4:52. we will be look at scattered clouds and picking up more clouds as we get -- to the midnight hour. 38 degrees, though, i think by around 11:00 p.m. or midnight. it will not be all terribly cold, you know, tonight with the wind still stirring atmosphere around. you can see the white. those are the clouds. those are the high clouds. lot of spots down to the south around charles county and st. mary's county in the clear. radar is quiet.

but hey, folks, we are not going to get any snow. we are going to get rain. here is a look at the current snow cover through the rockies, a lot of snow on the ground. including western texas. and storm system that delivered the snow in western texas and rain throughout mississippi, throughout arkansas, and that system will make its way on up to the north and northeast. right into the ohio sail. we are going to watch this low track that way and so overnight clouds increase. tomorrow morning start out dry. 11:00 a.m. here is first drops of rain right before the midday hour. right before noon. and the yellow and orange, that's your moderate and your heavy rain. that's where it is going to hit us by late afternoon and through the evening hours. i have the storm system moving faster now. i think the rain will be out of here now by midnight, tuesday, and early wednesday morning, we should start to see more clearing. areas west throughout west virginia, though, high spots of west virginia, beckley, you a round charleston. could pick up between one and three inches of snow. that's west of the mount fans.

here is a look at the rainfall that we could see here. good swath right through the area. half to an inch. that's everywhere shaded in blue. higher amounts just off to the north and east. afternoon forecast, jacket weather. 46 to 50. keep in mind it is going to be breezy throughout the day. 44 to 38 will be falling off. and by tomorrow, just mid 40s for a high. cloud cover galore. rain is likely again to pick up a quick half to inch of rain out of the system. for wednesday, 45 degrees. clearing with partly sunny sky. we are going to round out the week at 50 degrees. we are going to round out the month with highs around 50. it has been such a very, very mild month. coming up a little later i will talk a little bit more what i think the rest of the winter should be like. >> very good. i know. we have to think about we have a couple more months left. it is now 11:20. what would you do with $10,000? wait until you hear how a man

put a stranger's needs before his own. what you can do right now to improve your chances of getting a refund on that tax return. first, here is a look at

it is las vegas with money in your pocket. but it is even more unusual for

someone to give that money back. that's exactly what a colorado man did after finding $10,000 at the las vegas airport. nbc's will ripley has more on the man's would-week journey to return the loot. >> of all crazy things i won money in vegas that weekend. >> reporter: nobody expects to become a saint in sin city. >> i felt like a million bucks. >> reporter: mitch came close. gilbert found something at a airport before his flight home to colorado. >> there are two caesar's palace envelopes. >> reporter: both unmarked. >> i just about fell over. kuehne believe it. >> reporter: hay opened white he got home. >> $5,000 in each envelope. >> reporter: some may have thought they hit the jackpot. not gilbert. >> i wanted to show my kids the right thing to do. >> reporter: he called the airport in las vegas. >> i said somebody has to be missing this. >> reporter: they would not even

take his name. >> they do that. waits against the rules. >> reporter: he kept calling for more than would weeks. >> this is breaking the rules but you know, you are trying to do the right thing. >> reporter: the operator told him a man in el paso, texas, reported losing two caesars palace envelopes full of cash. >> i knew right then that that was the guy. >> i will always thank mitch for doing this roup he won the money gambling and dropped it as he was running to catch a flight. >> very difficult to get back. >> reporter: marcus knew the odds of someone returning ten grand were pretty slim. >> i think he was in shock. i don't know if he believed it. >> reporter: even though gilbert's real estate business is slow. >> you think about all the bills you can pay. >> reporter: it was never even a question. >> it felt so good to be able to get it back to the guy. >> good for him. great story. you or maybe a family member could be $125 million richer and not know it. somebody has the winning power

asks ball ticket but has not come forward. they bought it in maryland near the delaware border. the drawing was friday night. here are the winning numbers. 14, 16, 30, 51, 52, powerball was 19. good luck. with just a week left until the new year there is still plenty to be done. but as you were rushing around there are a few things you can do to save a bundle on your taxes this year and help those in need at the same time. nbc's chris clackum has details. >> sure fire way to reduce your income tax bill next april, donate to a charity by the end of this week. >> charities will be happy to accept your cash, checks, appreciated securities, even your used items providing they are in good or better condition. >> reporter: there is no doubt charities need the help. food banks, like the one in l.a., are ending another year where shortages were frequent. >> it is a much more difficult year for the food bank, agencies we served, and for many people

seeking food assistance. >> reporter: good dls had a record year put something 3 million americans to work. while the salvation army provided assistance in one form or another to around 30 million people. including long lines of recipients for this year's paper angel christmas gift drive. ♪ i could do more >> reporter: country singer jimmy wayne, former foster child, who was a paper angel recipient himself at age 8 wrote a song about it. ♪ paper angels ♪ you are in my thoughts and prayers ♪ >> reporter: his novel of the same name was just released to encourage others to help the salvation army. >> it is not just about christmas time we should be helping. we should be helping all year round. >> reporter: so the help you want to be tax deductible this year must be donated by saturday. chris clackum, nbc news. >> 11:27. 48 degrees out there.

ride a bike. now find out how the novel idea of the capital bike share program may get bigger. a christmas day tragedy. how a holiday gathering turned heartbreaking in a matter of minutes for a family in connecticut. and the device that's letting more people put down the phone and drive. also ahead, wind, rain, sunshine. meteorologist veronica johnson meteorologist veronica johnson is back to tell white house we

i sweated the details. all the phone calls, the emails, the lost weekends. and then after twenty-two years, just like that, i was laid off. today there are so many americans like matthew. he worked hard and played by the rules. suddenly, he's out of a job. it's been a struggle not being able to find a job. but it's been our faith and family and friends that have helped us get through this. citizens energy was created to help the forgotten ones keep warm.

we asked the big oil companies and oil producing nations to help. only citgo and the people of venezuela answered the call. and this year, in spite of soaring prices, washington actually cut fuel assistance for families in need. so if you need help staying warm this winter give me a call. because in times like these, no one should be left out in the cold.

welcome back. it is another big shopping day as consumers return billions of dollars worth of merchandise as well as look for great after-christmas deals. there's plenty good chance that many of those shoppers will pay with a gift card. eight out of ten shoppers say they bought at least one gift card this year. the wife after maryland man detained in cuba is organizing a vigil in support of her husband. alan gross has been in prison since 2009 on espionage charges. cuba released 2900 prisoners this weekend but not gross. his wife is holding a vigil for him at noon outside of the cuban intrasection on 16th street in northwest washington. a holiday tragedy in connecticut. five members of one family, including three young sisters, died when their house caught on fire christmas morning. a cell phone video of the fire in stamford, connecticut. flames shot up as high as the trees. firefighters tried several times to rescue the children but the intense flames and heat kept them back.

craig melvin has more. it is still smoldering christmas nightmare. just before 5:00 sunday morning flames shot from the five-bedroom house. in minutes it was engulfed, screams woke up neighbors. >> i heard somebody yelling help, help, help me. i started sprinting up my driveway. >> reporter: those that rushed to the house were helpless. >> came up to see if there was anything i could do. there was nothing i could do. >> reporter: five people were dead, three of them children. >> my heart is broken for those children and the whole family. tragedy. >> reporter: madonna and a male friend made it out. but the fire took her three daughters, 10-year-old lily and 7-year-old twins, sarah and grace. also killed, her parents. lomer and paula johnson. he was works christmas eve as santa. the long white beard was real. >> it is never easy. that's for sure. i have been on this job 38 years. not an easy day.

>> reporter: badger is a prominent new york city fashion design executive. she was behind the famous calvin klein marks. in 1996 "forbes" magazine named badger one of her 40 under 40. according to property records, she bought the house at a swayne can i stamford neighborhood for about $1.7 million in december last year. she was renovating it. >> it probably has not been a worse christmas day in the city of stamford. >> that was craig melvin reporting. investigators say it could be several days until they are able to figure out what started that fire. a deadly christmas day shooting at an apartment near dallas, texas, leaves seven people dead. police received a 911 call from inside the apartment but the caller did not speak. when they entered the apartment they found four females and three males shot to death. the victims range in age from 18 to 60 years old. neighbors say they are shocked and have never heard any problems coming from the

apartment. >> it really concerns me in -- i feel very, very sorry for -- i don't know who was involved but i -- i can't -- i can't even fathom that. >> police say that it appears the family had just exchanged christmas presents before the shooting. they also believe the shooter is among the dead. a motive remains unclear as police try to cpiece together what happened. the maker of infamil show no traces of contamination. johnson conducted the test after a rare bacteria was linked to a newborn's death. federal health officials have yet to determine the source of the bacteria but say it can be found in powdered formula. retailers, including walmart and walgreens and safeway fuld batches from store shelves. now 11 lon 34. let's check in with veronica johnson. she has today's forecast and the forecast for the rest of winter

which i hope looks like it has for december. >> well, we are peeking forward just a little bit. i don't have anything sketched out but because there has been so much interest, a lot of folks said where is winter? you know, it has been so mild. not even really much snow around here. we had that little bit of snow in early october. it is right now we are running where -- three-way tie for the second warmest december ever on record. when i think we are going -- temperatures are going to start turning colder by the time we get to the second week of january. so january, february, yes, colder but what we are going to have to watch is as we take that turn to cold, a lot of systems may be right in the middle where we get instead of all snow, we get maybe a combination of snow and ice or icy type of weather systems for us. we are going to be -- i think, right on the line. that's what i think we have to deal with for the latter part of the winter. turning cold but going to have to watch out. that could be problematic. 46 is our temperature now. we are talking about some rain that's going to be moving in.

that's not going to be until tomorrow. so enjoy today. we have scattered high clouds out there right now. we are at 45 degrees in gaithersburg. already at 47. and ft. belvoir down to areas like arlington, 46 right now in camp spring. 46 also in college park. few clouds drifting through. but all in all we are still hanging on with a mostly clear sky. big batch of clouds down to the south. that's an area of low pressure developing down around arkansas and areas of the deep south. it is going to make its way this way by tomorrow. so clouds will be on the increase tonight. throughout the area today, though, sunshine. up to a high of 47 in frederick. high of about 52, maybe 53 in pax river. 51 degrees in fredericksburg today. here is a look at your good night forecast. we are going to drop to 40 degrees by 9:00. 48 by 11:00. cloud cover chickening. sunset today at 4:52. here is a look at your 4-day forecast. tomorrow and wednesday, high temperature just 45 to 46

degrees. that's still really seasonable for this time of year. the rain develops about noontime. and it should be moving out now. i think by midnight on tuesday. but still a quick half to inch of rain out of that weather system tomorrow. back to you. >> we had a nice stretch of unusually mild weather. right, veronica? >> yes, we have. >> thank you for that. a traffic alert right now on the roads. take a look at this. this is traffic backed up. it is a slow going right now heading towards potomac mills and prince william county. and likely all these people are probably trying to get bargain prices at the mall out there. i-95 southbound near the occoquan bridge. traffic is backed up for at least eight miles to interstate 395. wow. this is a slow week for many workers unless you work for the aaa. organization expects to assist about 800,000 motorists during the final week of the year and will include retrieving more than 100,000 sets of keys locked

in the car. aaa says towing is a service it provides most often and not followed by jump starts or replacing dead batteries. what if you can make sure your teen never texted while driving again. one company has an idea that would make it impossible for you or your teen to use your phone in the car. bob hanson has the story. >> when chuck cox gets in his car he puts on his seat seat belt and gets ready to hit the road. one thing he won't use is use his cell phone. >> you get a blocking screen. >> reporter: chuck is talking about a system called cell control. his company is hoping to sell i to companies with big fleets of cars, of course, to parents. you get into your car while talking on the phone. >> it will drop the call or it will put up a blocking screen that says you can no longer text, no longer read your e-mails or your texts. >> reporter: the trick here, device that plugs into your

car's diagnostic plug and works with software installed on selected phones. the blocking program only works when the car is moving. >> plug it in and sends a blue tooth signal into the car that signals motion. not just power on but when the car is moving. >> reporter: the little device that plugs into your car sells for $25. after that, you have to pay a monthly fee to keep blocking your phone. >> i think it is a problem. hard enough to drink a cup of coffee let alone text a message it scares me if i'm in the car with somebody and they are texting. >> reporter: people i talk to agree distracted drivers from cell phones is a problem. but should those phones be blocked inside a car? >> it is not safe but -- i don't know whether they should limit it. >> reporter: cell control system lets you choose what to block. for instance, no texting but music orion line maps can be okay. it also notifies parents if their children are trying to pam tamper with the system. people are doing more and more with their phones these days and still getting behind the wheel.

>> people get into their cars and use their phones. they do text and e-mail and surf and play -- you know, words with friends and angry birds and the whole bit. all while driving. that's dangerous. >> already popular capital bike share program could soon be heading to montgomery county. according to "the washington post." county officials are looking to bring the bike sharing program to their residents. county officials applied for a $1 million grant from the state's transportation department. and if the grant goes through 29 stations would open in bethesda, silver spring, takoma park, other parts of the county. capital bike share sets to open next year in rockville and shady grove. d.c. is calling on an outside firm to investigate cheating on standardized tests in its classrooms. a spokesman for the superintendent told "the washington post" that the firm reviewed questionable scores from 2011. they will look for i regularities including large numbers of answers erased and changed from wrong to right. in may, city officials

invalidated scores from three classrooms due to cheating and back in march "usa today" reported that more than 100 d.c. schools had unusually high rates of erasures. baltimore county has the dubious distinction of having the miest school suspension rates in the state of maryland. according to "the baltimore sun," 10,000 students were suspended last school year. that's one in every ten students. the county school superintendent told the newspaper officials have lowered the suspension rate but remains an ongoing concern. later today washington wizards will kick off their 2011/2012 season. wizards opened their season at the verizon center gets the new jersey nets. washington is looking to improve on a dismal season last year where had won only 23 games. john wall willtri to build on a strong rookie season where he led the team in assists, steals, was third in points and tip-off nut is at 7:00. the capitals look to get revenge against the buffalo sabres tonight. a month ago buffalo destroyed

washington 5-1 and turned out to be the last game for coach bruce boudreau who would coach for the caps as a team fired him a couple days later. capitals are looking to rebound from the tough shoot-out loss against new jersey friday night. puck drops at 7:00 p.m. today marks the first day of kwanzaa. the 7-day celebration encourages african-american families and other families to focus on a different principle each day. those include unity, self determination, collective work, and family and society purpose, creativity and faith. the word kwanzaa means first fruits in swahili. coming up on "news4 midday," we are helping you spot post-christmas day deals. first, wishing for a royal recovery for prince philip.

welcome back. 11:45. london shoppers are struggling to get around due to a strike by subway drivers. several lines on london's underground have been suspended and there's limited service on the entire network. the one-day strike is to demand extra pay for members working over the holidays. today is boxing day in britain and national holiday during which there are traditionally major sales in stores across the

country. the drivers union is planning three more strikes in the coming months if the dispute isn't settled. christmas is usually the time the royal family is able to gather in its entirety. this year one member was noticeably absent. prince philip remains in the hospital this morning after a heart scare. stephanie gosk has more on his condition. >> reporter: every christmas they come to catch a glimpse of the royal family. but this year the crowd outside the church broke a record. 3,000 people. the star attraction, as she has been all year, the duchess of cambridge. simply but elegantly dressed for the day, this was her first christmas as a royal. after the service kate lingered with the eager crowd taking special time to talk to the children. >> she said she liked your coat, didn't she? and she wishes us merry christmas. >> reporter: prince william was a cloud pleaser as well delighting everyone with a kiss for one of his well-wishers.

[ applause ] the day was not all festive. the royal entourage was notably minus one. the queen's husband, prince philip, is still in the hospital after emergency treatment for a clogged artery. the duke of edinboro was airlifted to the emergency room friday nature after suffering chest pains. following christmas lunch, the family, including all of the grandchildren, paid him a visit. prince charms says his father is resilient and very determined to make a full recovery. >> prince philip is actually a very fit individual. he's 90 years old. obviously will have some medical complaints. he has had actually a heart condition for many, many years and takes medication for it. ♪ >> reporter: in her christmas address recorded days before the duke was rushed to the hospital, the queen emphasized the importance of family, especially during challenging times. >> the importance of family is,

of course, has come home to prince fill sxip me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren. each in their own way a celebration of the god-given love that binds a family together. >> reporter: traditionley christmas has always been the one time each year the royal family can gather in its entirety. >> actually it is at christmas where the royals can switch off. just be themselves like any other family on christmas day. >> reporter: any other family who regularly draws a crowd of thousands, that is. >> that was stephanie gosk reporting. there is still no firm for prince philip's release although the royal family says he had a good night in the hospital and hopes to be leaving soon. there are plenty of christmas traditions, singing carols, decorating the tree, more than 1,000 people participated in a very special tradition that gave back to the community. it was the annual christmas day of service at the d.c. jewish community center. this was the 25th year of the event and participants helped

out in a variety of ways, including serving meals to senior citizens, preparing food for the homeless and even donating blood. >> christmas spirit, holiday theme of giving, charity, that sort of thing. and really want to give something back to the community and those people that are less fortunate. >> participants in the christmas day of service say this annual then also increases understanding and cooperation between people of different religions in our area. very nice. 11:49. 49 degrees. this time of year, it is easy to blame winter blues on not working out. up next, how you can jump start your exercise routine before the new year. met meet veronica johnson is back in a moment with a check on your forecast as well.

welcome back. 11:52. we haven't seen anyone catch santa on tape but one familiarfully utah may have caught one of its deer. check this out. a deer came crashing into a home in bountiful, utah, christmas eve. the family spent two hours pick peeking through the door and taking pictures of the five-foot deer with hugeantlers. wildlife officers were ultimately able to get the deer out without having to put him to

sleep. wow. all right. meet kamar, iraq's youngest professional photographer. the 8-year-old has already held a number of exhibitions in baghdad. he likes to capture images of people and life as they happen. he has become somewhat of a celebrity in his hometown. his father says he showed an interest in his work from an early age and he's hoping to make it in the record books as the word's youngest professional photographer. wow. very cool. news 4 your health this morning. winter workouts. this is the time of the year when many of us resolve to exercise more. studies show that next month, january is the month when people work out the least. experts say this is largely because of the weather. erica edwards reports on ways you can get your body moving and even when everything around you is freezing. >> reporter: trudging through the snow on a sub-zero arctic day is not how most people want to burn their holiday calories

away. the good news is that there are a lot of exercises you can do without leaving your heated home. >> empty bleach ball shlg water or sand in it. do light weights. >> reporter: you can add new meaning to the word work while at the office. >> every office building in the world has a great exercise facility known as -- no one ever used and they are called stairs. >> reporter: the doctor is no stranger to the cold. he works at the mayo clinic in snowy rochester, minnesota. he says vigorous exercise for ten minutes at least three times a week will significantly lower your risk for heart attack. that adds up to only 30 minutes a week. the doctor says that half hour isn't meant to be a walk in the park. >> that means like intervals where you go hard for a couple of minutes, hard enough that you say wow, cane do this more than a couple of minutes, i will give out. back off, get your breath back, do it again.

>> reporter: if you choose to brave the winter weather and exercise outdoors, experts recommend wearing lots of layers. shield your extremities with heavy socks, gloves, and caps and stay hydrated. or you can do a combination of both. work up a sweat clearing snow off your car so you can drive it to the gym. erica edwards, nbc news. >> experts say eating a small snack a half hour to an hour before your workout can generate a little more heat while you exercise since your body is also working on digestion. who knows, this winter you may have plenty of time to be outside. advertisers have given news today after giving christmas another promotional name. it is mega-monday. it is another chance to cash in on sales as people come to make returns and exchanges on holiday gifts. if you have some money to spare, if you are lucky like that, experts say you will likely find deals on the following items. champagne and fine wines for new year's eve. and baking ingredients, cookie time is over now that santa is

gone. look for our bargains on home too decor and seasonal items including ornaments and almost everything that's shiny, red, gold and silver, of course. when else do you use that? clothes are marked down along with electronics and that may be a gk time to buy a car since many dealerships are trying to roll out older models to make room for the new ones. there you go. bargains for all that stuff. this is the best time to get your christmas cards, all your ornaments, everything. all your christmas stuff. >> actually looking for an artificial tree. i'm hoping i can find a bargain. >> than online, i bet you. i don't know. somebody spent a lot of time outside today. it is so nice. 49 is where we are right now. we do have a little bit of a breeze still. it is going out of the northwest at 20 miles per hour. throughout the area all we have seen today is a few scattered high clouds. that's it. that's the white streaks that you see to the north, frederick to d.c. area. south still in much more sunshine. that's where the temperatures are. higher right now.

drifting to the area, some cloud cover. increasing clouds tonight. you are looking at your future weather and a snapshot of 10:30 tomorrow morning. that rain will just be getting here. light showers at first. all that yellow and orange, that's the moderate to heavy rain that will be moving through. late afternoon tomorrow into the early evening hours by mid might it is all gone. the system moving faster. white off to the west, west of cumberland, petersburg, that's snow. there will be some accumulating snow in the high spots of west virginia. i think as much as one to three inches by the time things end wednesday afternoon. but for us today, just breezy, jacket weather required. we will get up to a high of 50 right in d.c. little higher just out to the south. then for the evening i think that wind will start to subside. 44 to 38. but again, cloud cover will start moving in. so we are dry throughout the entire day today. then tomorrow overcast, gray, droopy, lot of folks having to go back to work.

that's okay today is really nice. 46 with rain, it is going to be wet and that rain will be out of here again by wednesday morning. then the days that follow especially new year's eve we will be dry, new year's day, dry as well. >> this weather has been so nice, veronica. >> yes, definitely on our side. >> all right. thanks so much, veronica. and that does it for us on "news4 midday." tune in to "news4 at 4:00" for all the day's news and i will be back tomorrow morning at 4:30. hope you will join us then. until then have a great day. we will see you tomorrow.