happy new year! what a smooch. partygoers across the world welcomed 2012. with the new year, though, comes new laws. we'll break down what you need to know. good morning and welcome, everyone, to news 4 today. i'm erika gonzalez. it is sunday, january 1st, 2012. new overnight, at least two people are dead after a car accident in bethesda. montgomery county police say the

suv with five young adults lost control on jones bridge road at lancaster drive, slamming into a tree. this is just before 3:00 a.m. we were there as emergency crews worked to get the victims out of the vehicle. two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. at this time police do not know if alcohol or speed played a role in this crash. all right. and let's get our first forecast of this new year from storm 4 meteorologist kim martucci, who is here for chuck bell. >> yes. >> so we have had gorgeous weather. i was telling but we came on air my family and i had been out at the national harbor. it was windy there. temperatures were beautifully. but we're taking a turn for the worst, i should say. >> we'll give everyone a few more hours of mild weather. this evening and overnight, things will go downhill in a fast hurry. boy, when you see the numbers on any seven-day, you'll know what i'm talking about.

>> let's light the fireplace. >> yes. good morning and happy new year. maybe you're still awake from being up last night. we understand that. we have partly cloudy skies. temperatures have eased back down into the 40s and 30s. a few spots in the 20s. other than that, not too shabby. 40 degrees is the number. winds south-southwest at 7. 40 for an overnight low in january, that's pretty warm for here. no problems with any rain this morning. off to the west we have a batch brewing across eastern kentucky. but that will stay out of sight at least for most of the day. 34 in cumberland. 30, leesburg. 32 across the bay. fredericksburg, you're at 32. day planner shows 44 by 8:00. by 1:00, 56. i think between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. we will sneak in a high close to 606789 after 6:00, temperatures will drop in a hurry and clouds will increase. the the other thing on the increase, erica, will be the winds. wind gusts as we pick up tomorrow and into the week. pretty strong windchills.

and skiers, this is going to be a great week to head west into western maryland, for example. really good skiing going on. i'll tell you all about that too. >> sounds good. kim martucci, thanks so much. >> you bet. well, even as the sun comes up this morning, parties are still rocking around our region to ring in the new year. one of the most popular family-friendly bashes in our area marked the the new year with a new tradition. the fireworks were missing from first night alexandria. they were replaced instead with ping pong balls. more than 6,000 ping pong balls were launched into the air at midnight, followed by a laser light show at the ma sonic temple. even without the big bang, families enjoyed the night. >> it's cool. i like it. >> i'm looking forward to midnight. it's a big end of the year and we're just looking for new beginnings this new year. >> was that a pirate or something?

alexandria decided not to do the traditional fireworks after several accidents at fireworks displays and a new law that requires more space between the pyrotechnics and the spectators. no shortage in new york city, though. take a look at that. more than a million people packed times square. they counted out to midnight as mayor michael bloomberg and lady gaga counted down. it of course meant plenty of kisses to go around. smooch, smooch. meanwhile, iraq celebrated two holidays with a coming of the new year. nuri alma leaky declared december 31st a national holiday to end the u.s. military presence. he called it a new dawn for iraq and called out iraqis to preserve the country's unity and

sovereignty as they continue to rebuild the country. the last u.s. combat troops withdrew from iraq in mid-december. make sure you have a little extra change with you if you are using the dulles toll road. with the new year comes new expenses for drivers. starting today it will cost an extra 25 cents to travel the dulles toll road. tolls on the main road will be $1.50. on and off-ramp tolls will remain unchanged at 75 cents. the new revenue will help fund the dulles rail project. starting today, you'll have to pay extra to bag your own groceries in montgomery county. a 5 cent bag tax is now in effect. the tax will apply to both paper and classic bags. but you can avoid the charge by shopping with reusable bags. and finally, long-term parking rates are also going up for drivers in silver spring. starting monday, you'll have to payan extra 10 cents an hour to

feed meters that run more than four hours that. brings the the cost of long-term park to go a total of 60 cents an hour. well, the final campaign blitz is on in iowa. as republican presidential hopefuls try to woo voters. candidates are campaigning hard across the state just two days before the state's caucuses. it comes as polls show mitt romney and ron paul are running neck and neck with 24% and 22% respectively. however, rick santorum is right behind both of them with 15% and closing hard. it means iowa is being hit hard from all ends by candidates trying to secure their vote. >> we are getting constantly bombarded with candidates's phone calls, mailers, everything you can imagine. >> while san tore skpupl romney seem to have the momentum, either can be too confident just yet. the poll implies a lot of votes

are not solid. a full 41% of likely caucusgoers say they could still be convinced to change their minds. four more presidential candidates are joining texas governor rick perry in a lawsuit against virginia's board of elections. newt gingrich, michele bachmann, john huntsman, and rick santorum filed a joint motion asking they be included on the state's primary ballot. as of now, all are excluded because they did not submit the 10,000 signatures required by the state. perry's suit, however, claims those requirements violate free speech. well, we had a very mild night, but the weather is about to change. we're going to be able to enjoy it at least for today, right, kim? >> yes. one more day and then downhill we go. maybe you're going down the slopes. i have a skiing forecast for you and a fresh look at the brand-new year. it is 6:07. we will be right back.

good morning, everyone. storm 4 meteorologist kim martucci is here in place of chuck bell, who has some time off. >> one more left, and then we finally have to get in touch with winter. it is january, after all. we just haven't had much of that around here. we figure we could start on the new year, maybe a day late. great to have you with us as we get started at 6:11. are some of you just waking up or are you still awake from last night? thanks for facebooking me. temperatures are cooler than yesterday morning but not bad for a january low. we are waking up with 40 degrees at reagan national airport with winds south-southwest at 7:00. so far the winds aren't too bad. but tonight and tomorrow into tuesday that's when really gusty winds will be here sending windchills way down into the teens and maybe single digits a little later into next week.

30 at leesburg. 40 as i mentioned right here. 32 to the south in fredericksburg. highs today down there just like yesterday in the lower 60s. we will get close to 60 in d.c. north and west from cumberland, hagerstown, in the 50s. i have rain showers for you early in the afternoon across northern maryland. i don't think folks over d.c. and points south have the best chances for rainment north and west we definitely have a shot at that. just over my shoulder, this is a winter storm warning in effect. off to the west where we would like to go skiing. if you're heading out to deep creek lake, look at this forecast. winter storm warning in effect from 1:00 a.m. monday, 4:00 p.m. tuesday. 8 to 12 issues. winds gusting to 40 miles per hour. you might want to drive out there today. driving tomorrow on 68 or the 219 will not be good. the front will change all our weather around. gusty winds. 35 degrees by 8:00 a.m. monday.

by 8:00 p.m. monday, it will feel like 22. and look what happens come tuesday morning. it will feel like 11 with lows around the middle 20s. by then tuesday late the snow will be winding down off to the west. we're mild with early sun today. afternoon clouds and temperatures flirting with the 60. coming tonight, everything changes. partly cloudy, breezy, much colder. into the 20s and 30s. tomorrow a windy day and reality check. back to winter with highs here locally in the low 40s. extending that forecast the highs will stay trapped in the 30s on tuesday and wednesday. it's just going to be a cold week until we get close to the weekend again. by next weekend, back up to 50. boy, this is going to be a long, cold week. you're going to have to dig out that winter parka again if you thought you could put it away for a little while because it's going to be needed. >> luckily, mine is not too far off into the distance. thanks, kim martucci.

>> good morning, everyone. and happy new year. i'm amber theo-harris. your sports minute against with the virginia cavaliers taking on auburn in the chick-fil-a bowl. first quarter, cavs start first. rocco to byrd. 27 yard touchdown. uva up 7-0. the two would also hook up to give uva a 14-7 lead. but back comes auburn. on third and goal, they run the statue of liberty play. they would lead 28-17 at the half. in the third quarter, more from auburn. trey mason goes up the middle for the 22 yard touchdown. tigers go on to defeat virginia, 43-24 your final. let's go to hockey. alex ovechkin and the caps on the road in columbus. they're down 2-0 in the third period, but they catch fire in the final frame. caps get goals from ovechkin, similar monday, and ovechkin in

a span of 4:34. ov's second two-goal game in as many nights. caps win 4-2. it's theur third straight victory. college basketball, 12th ranked georgetown facing providence. jason clark's three capping an 18-6 georgetown run. hoyas up 8 at the break. second half tied at 35. henry misses. clark with the tough offensive rebound and lays it in for two of his game-high 16. check it out again. clark tips it, saves the ball from going out of bounds and puts georgetown ahead for good. georgetown wins its 10th straight, 49-40. in college park, stanford first half. nice moves. splits the defender. gets a tough hoop to go. a game high 24 points. maryland wins, 75-63, their

sixth straight victory. that's your morning sports. i'm amber theo-harris. have a gate day and happy new year, everyone. >> happy new year to you too. up next is reporter's notebook, a look at stories affecting your community. for now here's pat lawson muse. >> good morning, welcome to reporter's notebook. i'm pat lawson muse. happy new year to you. 2011 is now gone and it's on to 2012. we'll talk about some of the biggest stories of 2011 and some of the biggest lessons of the year that has passed. what do you all think was the biggest local story of the year? dave, you're smiling. got an idea? >> there was a lot of bad news. i guess we have to say the economy, the recession. the area jurisdiction struggling to make ends meet. cutting costs. it's been tough in all the area jurisdictions. nobody sees really any good news coming in the new year, at least

at this point. there have been things within that. we talk about corruption in d.c., the metrorail, dulles rail, virginia. there are other things in maryland, the governor looking at various aspects of his new budget. over skwraurblgs the economy is still the number one store. >> jerry? >> i think the economy is the number one story. but i think that the corruption story was it. because not only happened in prince george's county, it got a county executive arrested or jailed or got sentenced. his wife. it also happened in the district of columbia. and a number of people on city council, plus the mayor is being investigated. this is a very, very, very big story in the whole region. >> ethics, yeah. >> i would add, too i'll go with the weather. earthquake. >> yeah.

>> the cancellation of the martin luther king dedication, we paring the washington monument, the national cathedral. it caused some major damage that is in the millions. and i guess near the end of the year if i had any other story it would be the occupy d.c. crowd, which i think is going to get bigger as we get into this 234u year. >> election year. >> and particularly this new year. >> do you guys agree with that? where do you go with the occupy d.c. protests? mayor gray understands and empathizes but clearly is running out of patience with them. >> well, that's true. and there is a move to limit the occupiers, which the city has been fairly lenient with. and congress is certainly getting itchy. very powerful committee chairman is investigating whether or not there's a link between president obama's white house and the extension of their being able to

demonstrate, whether he's really for -- it's known that he supports their general goals. is he putting the pressure on the park service and other people to extend their permit to demonstrate? they say no. the white house denies it. but, you know, you can see that in congress, at least in some parts of congress, has concern about the whole occupy movement. >> well, they should be. because it's directed at them. and this stuff about the obama administration is behind it as far as i'm concerned. it's nothing but talking points. quite honestly, they have demonstrated at the white house. >> sure. >> many of them have been arrested. they're not necessarily pleased. >> they're not on anybody's side. >> they won't let labor organize them. so i just think this is republican members of congress just using talking points, though. >> just briefly, that said, what i'm also picking up is their image is still not doing them as

much of -- not doing as much good as it should be. they still look like lefty, college, hippie folks who have the money to demonstrate. and they're a little bit too left that the average american will support them. but they've got to make that jump out of that image problem. this is what some people are telling me. >> i want to move on to mayor gray. he had quite a year. what were his biggest accomplishments and what will be his biggest challenge in 2012? >> being able to live through all the corruption and all of the accusations against his administration, as well as the total district government. i don't know. i've talked to a lot of people who were at first supportive of gray, then disappointed. but now they seem to say he seems to rebound a little bit. >> dave? >> the fact that he survived as much as he has his supporters could be pleased with. the fact is, though, he has a big cloud hanging over him.

he is still being investigated. several members of the council are being investigated. people are innocent until proven guilty. but it's a distraction and it gets in the way of his policy decisions. he moves into the new year not with any bold initiatives going well for him or bold assumptions being made by him but fighting off these charges. >> i think he has done, pleasure accomplishments, a good job in terms of the budget. i know i saw him on "viewpoint" here discussing that. those are issues that aren't very sexy. dave and jerry are absolutely right. what hangs over all of city hall are these investigation, these ethical issues. and it just overshadows any major accomplishments. >> let's segue to prince george's county. after the conviction of jack johnson and his wife leslie

johnson for kickbacks and evidence tampering, political corruption. where does prince george's county go? >> well, there was a lot of promises right after the sentencing, not only after the sentencing but after the arrests that we have to change prince george's county. we have to get corruption out of the government. we have to do something about this. then baker won the election. that was his big promise. i'm going to clean it up and we will have a very ethical government from now on. at least they set some type of road map, some type of pacing as to where they want to go in the county. >> and i don't mean this to be disparaging against all prince george's county elected officials, but any prince george's county elected official that engages in the kind of corruption that the johnsons engaged in have to be the dumbest people on the face of the earth. and i'll tell you why. the judge sent a very clear message. you can be unethical if you want to. but if you come before me you're

going to jail. and he did not hesitate to give them relatively lengthy terms, particularly jack johnson. a lot of people thought leslie johnson might get house arrest or be let off, but he -- i think that would be -- i think that's where prince george's county needs to head. >> well, dave? >> certainly the johnsons's demise is just shocking, astounding and demoralizing for a lot of people. yet my reporting and the people i talk to the concern is people who judge good government, good government types. if the voters in prince george's county are really serious then we won't have this happen again. but these people tell me that all too often the idea of corruption, pay for play, yeah, it bothered a lot of people but it wasn't the top item on their agenda. they were worried about economics, getting a job. if the government wasn't too great, well. >> they didn't like it but nobody was rising up to demand,

quote, good government. it will be interesting to see what happens in the year ahead. >> we have to take a break.

welcome back. after decades in the building, the icc finally opened connecting montgomery and prince george's counties. question is now some many weeks after its opening and the ribbon cutting, will it succeed? how can any highway that opens and relieves any measure of congestion in this area fail? joe? >> well, i'm no one to talk. >> you don't drive a lot? >> i don't drive a lot. but i have to tell you, i think what's going to have to happen with the interconnection highway -- intercounty. they're going to have to advertise more. i think that's really what's going to have to happen. i don't know if it's public service announcements.

i don't know if it's going to be paid advertisement. most people still aren't used to it. and it's supposed to not only help with congestion but getting the delivery trucks from county to county and off these main thoroughfares. so my argument or my contribution would be they need to advertise or keep advertising that it's open and it's there for you. >> will that do the trick, jerry? >> i think promotion of the project is very important. because it's, number one, in the far northern part of the city. and people don't know that. but when you think about the guy trying to get from rockville to marshall airport, then, hey, that's a big thing. maybe the airport should start advertising for their benefit. but in addition to that i think it's going to be successful because of the fact, like you said in the beginning, it does relieve some of the grid lock.

that is a very, very big grid lock area where we talk around up around 270, i-270 over into baltimore, washington parkway, marshall airport. that's a big area that we need to cover. and i think this icc will work. >> but a day of the $4 cost from entrance to exit apparently is a deterrent. >> it seems to be. forring over that money in a tough economic time, well, do i want to rustle along and be slow, or do i for, over this dollar amount each day. i was coming in the 270 area the other day, my wife looked up and noticed on the icc coming over us, nothing. she didn't see much of any traffic at all. obviously that was one moment in time. but from what i can tell from my reporting is that ultimately there are two issues here. will people use it? once they do, do we do it in time that the traffic is so bad it will become

part of the pattern and find still there's grid lock all over the area. >> i think the location that it is put -- >> it is designed to end grid lock. >> i go back to the point i made earlier. people tend to be like sheep when they commute. they only know one way. and they follow that way no matter what happens. and like when i was doing 95, all of a sudden i looked up and there's, oh, gee, that's the new intercounty connector. >> i think it's going to work. >> in virginia, the dulles metrorail project is under way. it's still controversial. it's still costly. and the outcome of the debate over who is going to finish paying it is still up in the air. >> yeah. one county, because at loudon i believe, wants to -- was thinking at least if they're waiting on opting in. they haven't opted out. but with a whole bunch of new council people, legislators,

yeah, they save a lot of money but they spend a lot of that money in rapid bus service. is it better to go one way or the other? but the fact remains there really isn't a good funding mechanism for metro. and it's showing itself in this project too. >> when you think of all the controversy over this system, over the past five years, whether it's above ground, underground, all of that, loudon county has really slapped them in the face with the latest stand which is to say i think a bus system is cheaper. that's what loudon county is saying as to why they might pull out. >> joe? >> i'm a big fan of it. i think people are too short-sighted on this one. this is the future. and it will benefit dulles, it will benefit the tax base. folks are being too short-sighted. >> tea party.

the impact on virginia politics and the fact that newt gingrich failed to make it on the ballot on the primary there? >> high embarrassing. how embarrassing to live in a state that you can't even get on the ballot and you're running for president of the united states. i'll tell you, president obama has to be the luckiest presidential candidate that ever existed if he runs against him. i mean, it is embarrassing. but it shows you he doesn't have a ground game. and he didn't even realize he couldn't do a write-in. >> it's going to be interesting, i think. i think it's going to be very interesting how the tea party and this whole conservative element will come out and unfold in virginia politics next year with northern virginia at the forefront. >> and how it will impact the senate race? dave? >> werblg everyone is waiting

fort impact. right now it looks like there's there's an everyone steven kind of thing with kaine. he served as party chairman. kaine is firing back about allen's previous record. and they're just rushing ahead. and we'll see which side gives, if any side gives, in the new year. >> thanks, guys. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> thank you for being with us. that's reporter's notebook. i'm pat lawson muse. stay with us. news 4 continues. wow! what an event. across the country and across the world. revelers ring in the new year. good morning.

welcome, everyone, to this sunday edition of news 4 today. it is sunday, january 1st, 2012. new from overnight, at least two people are dead after a car accident in bethesda. montgomery county police say the suv with five young adults in it lost control on jones bridge road at lancaster drive, slamming into a tree. this is just before 3:00 this morning. we were there as emergency crews worked to get the victims out of the vehicle. right now, though, police are not saying if alcohol or speed played a role in the crash. this morning d.c. police are trying to identify a man found dead in northeast. the man's body was discovered 8:00 yesterday morning under a pathway in the 4200 block of hunt place. that's near a creek near the anacostia river. police have not released a cause of death but say it is being investigated as a homicide. people in japan are on edge after a powerful earthquake struck just offshore. the 7.0 magnitude quake's

epicenter was several hundred miles south of tokyo and centered 230 miles below the ocean surface. there are no reports of damage or injuries and emergency teams say there's no danger of a tsunami. so that's good news. this comes less than a year after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated northeastern japan. and meanwhile here for us in washington, d.c., mild temperatures. >> oh, yeah. >> not a drop of rain. not a snowflake in sight. >> sing it, sister. >> but it looks like that might change. meteorologist kim martucci joins us. good morning. happy new year to you. >> yes, very mild this morning. we'll keep it that way a few more hours. the big change tonight. as we look around right now, skies mainly clear. temperatures pretty comfortable. 40 degrees. we'll take it. southwest winds are light. pushing you you along. temperatures mostly in the 40s and 30s as we round out the beltway. the goal today to be around the middle 50s at lunch.

we'll flirt with 60 probably around 2:00, 3:00. by 6:00, back down to 55. i will tell you how cold we go, where the snow is going to be, and how cold that windchill is going to blow when i see you guys coming up in just a little bit. >> all right. thank you, ma'am. see you in just a few. >> you got it. >> meanwhile, the new year may still be fresh in our minds but the celebrations started more than 24 hours ago as people around the globe welcomed the new year. and everybody got a fresh start to this 2012 new beginnings. bidding farewell to a lot of things. nbc's wendy gillette looks at how revelers rang in 2012 around the world. >> reporter: the celebrations around the world started in new zealand. fireworks burst from auckland's 1,076 foot tall sky tower. fireworks also lit up the night sky over sydney's famed harbor

bridge as australians welcomed 2012. in japan, it marked the end of a difficult year after the earthquake and tsunami in march. thousands of people gathered at one of the oldest buddhist temples in tokyo to release balloons with hand-written wishes. and south korea, a 20-ton copper bell was running 33 times at midnight, as trish dictates. as midnight reached the middle east, fireworks thrilled those gathered at the world's tallest building in dubai. in russia, moscow's red square erupted in revelry. berlin basked in a huge celebration as more than a million gathered at the famous gate. and the city of light, paris, truly sparkled. londoners welcomed a new year that will bring them the summer olympics. and south america ran rang in the new year rio style.

more than a million people enjoyed the unseasonable mild temperatures. the pop singer helped the city's mayor hit the button to lower the iconic ball. as the world said hello to 2012. in times square, wendy gillette, nbc news. meanwhile, a controversial new defense bill is now law after getting president obama's signature. the wide-ranging bill includes a provision that includes military custody for suspected terror suspects with ties to al qaeda or who are involved in plotting or carrying out attacks in the u.s. the president signed the bill yesterday in hawaii despite the fact that he has quote, unquote serious reservations about these terrorism measures. a long-time military detention center in virginia is now closed. . the marie core shut down the brig at quantico as part of the cost-cutting measure. prisoners awaiting trial will be held in chesapeake, virginia.

the brig was built in 1972. past prisoners includes army private first class bradley manning, the soldier suspected of giving classified documents to wiki leaks and john hinkley jr. who tried to as nate president reagan. redskins fans are pretty happy to see 2011 go after a disappointing season from the burgundy and gold. but the'skins can get 2012 off to a good start with their final game of the season today. let's hope things change. they travel to philadelphia to take on the rival eagles. the'skins are looking for their sixth win, while the eagles are looking to end on a positive note after underachieving with a record of 7 and 8. the game starts at 1:00 this afternoon. good morning, everyone. the time is 6:37. coming up on news 4 today, from the snowstorm to the hurricane, we are taking a look back at the top stories of 2011. you remember that one, right? [ female announcer ] help i need a holiday party idea.

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good morning, everyone and happy new year to you. this morning we are looking back at the top stories of 2011. and our facebook friends on nbc washington help us pick the top local story which we'll share with you in just a little bit. meanwhile, news 4's eun yang reports. >> reporter: the year 2011 started with a bang. and that january 26th snowstorm. the fast moving storm moved into the washington region right as rush hour began. drivers trying to get home got stuck in the snow creating a nightmare commute that losted overnight and into the next morning. karmageddon left people stranded in their vehicles more than 12 hours. a maryland's woman vacation to aruba ended in mystery.

robin traveled to the island with gary gee or dano in august and she has not been seen since. he claimed she disappeared when they went snorkeling. prosecutors could not find enough evidence to charge hip. the case remains unsolved. another shooting tragedy struck virginia tech university in 2011. a 22-year-old man shot and killed a university police officer on the blacksburg campus december 8th. police are not sure why ross ashley killed officer krouse and then turned the gun on himself. the shooting triggered a campus-wide alert and brought back fears and memories of the 2007 memory on campus that left 32 people dead. corruption in prince george's county in december. a judge sentenced jack johnson and his wife, former councilwoman leslie johnson, to prison as part of a widespread corruption investigation.

jack johnson was sentenced to 7 years, 3 months after he pled guilty to a pay to play scheme with county contractors. his wife received one year and a day after she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering. they found $80,000 in cash stuffed in her bra when they arrested her. the occupy movement set up camp in the nation's capital at mcpherson square. the group is protesting economic disparity across the country. >> without dr. king's glorious words we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have. >> reporter: president obama dedicated the martin luther king jr. national memorial on the tidal basin. a murder stunned a quiet bethesda community. employees of lulu lemon found the body of their co-worker in the store and norwood told police two masked men attacked

them after they closed the store but they charged her a few days later and a jury convicted her of murder. she will be sentenced later this month. >> bring your snorkel, scuba gear because the potomac river is beginning to intensify. >> we will see about 12 inches of rain. even more significant factor will be the flooding. >> reporter: a hurricane in august. irene was the first major hurricane to hit the u.s. in three years, leaving five people dead in our region. thousands were left without power in the district, maryland and virginia. but through all the rain, news 4's pat collins stood out for his reporting. >> i feel like the gorton fisherman. what do you think? >> yes, you do. >> that is beginning to shift side to side. that's when i knew i've got to get out of here.

>> reporter: and our top story of 2011 is the rare earthquake that shook the east coast. it struck mineral, virginia, dues, august 23rd, 1:51 in the afternoon. it september shock waves across the region and beyond, causing damage to area schools, the washington monument, the national cathedral and many other buildings. despite the widespread rumble, no one was seriously injured from the earthquake. and those are your top stories for 2011. happy new year. eun yang, news 4. lots of memorable moments in 2011. >> we'll never forget that earthquake. that shook us meteorologists to the core. >> temperatures right now, nothing is shaking anybody to the core. it's really mild. >> it's very mild, erica. we are going nowhere but up this afternoon. then we will crash on the other side of the roller coaster. i have your weather

coming up at 6:49. good morning and happy new year to you. perhaps you're joining the likes of kim whip. thanks for hanging out with erica and me. it is mild outside at least for a january start. temperatures in the 40s in some spots. we have pockets of 30s and a gorgeous sunrise over our fair city. it will be a nice first half of the day. not too much in the way of clouds. we are going to have temperatures warming up just like we did yesterday. south to southwest winds at 7 miles per hour. as we take a look at what's going to be happening, we're not talking about snow. we're talking about some temperatures here. we're 40 degrees right now. 34 in leesburg. 32, winchester. and the weather is only going to get better this morning as we move along. we're going to be seeing high temperatures work their way up

once again into the upper 50s and lower six. fredericksburg, 62. winchester, you'll put on the brakes at 52. north and west a shot for a few rain drops. a front comes through. other than that, the rest of us should be staying dry and the winds picking up. we'll be saving that for later tonight. we have to talk about some snow, but it's the good kind of snow. out in the ski resorts, 8 to 12 inches with a winter storm warning in effect. garrett county, western allegheny county. this morning from 1:00 in the morning later tonight until 4:00 tuesday. and on top on of the heavy snow, gusty winds to 40 miles per hour making the windchills feel like zero. if you're going skiing out there, it's going to be pretty bad driving on 68 starting tomorrow. all right. speaking of tomorrow, that is 35. that's a reality check. 34 by the evening with windchills of 22. looking ahead to tuesday morning it's going to feel like 11. uh-huh, yes. let's not dwell on that.

let's get back to today. high near 60 with afternoon clouds, temperatures dropping quickly overnight with clouds around. a few showers up to the north. extending your weather, here we go, that's 32 on wednesday for the high. lows will be in the 20s, down to the teens and looking ahead it isn't until next weekend, erica, that we get any weather back in our picture. >> did you say it feels like 11? >> it will be feeling like 11 tuesday morning. two lonely ones together. enough said. meanwhile, let's switch gears and amber theo-harris has your sports highlights. it's been the capitals million dollar question, where is alex ovechkin? comeing into this week, the caps's star winger was ranked 72nd in points scored. he consistently hovered in the top 10.

friday night he finally answered the question by scoring two goals against the sabres. last night the captain rang in the new year with an encore performance against the bl bluejackets. hoping to keep the momentum going in columbus. third period, down 2-0. peppering steve mason with shots. he puts the caps on the board. see it again. a beautiful one-timer from ovechkin. his 14th of the year. caps down just one. and here they come. less than two minutes later, four on four. wideman with the puck, set be up simmo simmons. his 10th of the year. just like that we are tied at two. 30 seconds later, more four-on-four. caps racing up the ice. scores his sixth of the season. and third point in three minutes. caps up 3-the 2. same score later in the period. caps on the power play.

orlov to ovechkin who fires the laser. back-to-back games for ove. caps win 4-2, their third straight victory. well, what a difference one year can make in college football. last year when the ball dropped on times square they were coming off a 4-8 season. auburn was riding cam newton to a national championship. the two schools find themselves in the exact same position this year. the chick-fil-a bowl. looking to bring uva its fitter postseason year in six years. michael rocco. he's helping the cause. rocco fakes the handoff. drops back. and finds chris byrd in the end zone. 27 yards for the score. up 7-0. to the second. we're tied at seven on third and

goal. this looks familiar. rocco to byrd. six yard touchdown. uva up 14-7. auburn would score on its next possession. look at this. they go for it on the on-side kick. it's the kicker cody parkey who recovers it. and five plays later, auburn would cash in on third and goal. they run the stash chew of liberty play. they would lead 28-17 at the half. tigers fans getting ready for a big new year's eve party. more from the tigers. they give it to trey mason. 22 yards for the score. auburn goes on to defeat virginia, 43-24. uva finishes the season at 8-5. now to college hoops. the number 12 georgetown hoyas with a nine-game win streak into yesterday's matchup against providence. fresh off a huge win over number 4 louisville on wednesday. we're looking at what could be a top 10 ranking come monday.

but first they would have to stave off an unranked providence team. looking to make it six straight over the fryers. up eight at the break. second half, tied at 35. simms shoots, misses. jason clark with a tough offensive rebound. he lays it in for two. clark tips it. saves the ball from going out of bounds. gets the hoop. game high 16 points. later, under 6:00 to go. hoyas up for simms. drives. shoots. pheusdz. but stays with it. gets the putback. simms just two of 13. but he gets a big hustle play and crunch time. hoyas shoot 30% but they hang on to win, 49-406789 georgetown improves to 12-1 and wins its 10th straight. >> the things that make you win isn't just putting the ball in the basket. it's a deflection. it's the rebound.

the communication on be defense. the intentiveness when we need to be attentive. i think we have done a decent job of that this year. as you get into conference play, that determines what wins and loses. >> in college park, mark turgin and the terps taking on sanford. in the first half, howard pushing it up in transition. the no-look pass to alex. he finishes with the slam. 13 points in his second game with the terps. later in the half, maryland up four. terrell, nice moves. slits the "d." drives the lane. 15 of his 24 points in the first. terps up 13 at the break. second half now, michael parker, steal and save. terps are headed the other way. howard to foust who steps up, drains the three. freshman had 13 points. maryland wins 75-63. their sixth straight victory.

terps are now 9-3 on the season. that's your morning sports. i'm amber theo-harris. enjoy the hole derrick everybody. >> thank you, amber. there's still news 4 after the break and also news 4's "viewpoint". so stay with us.

good morning, everyone. welcome to news 4 today. i'm erika gonzalez. it's sunday, january 1st, 2012. your top stories right now. at least two people are dead after a car accident in bethesda. montgomery county police say the suv with five young adults in it lost control on jones bridge road at lancaster drive, slamming into a tree, this just before 3:00 a.m. at this time police do not know if alcohol or speed played a role in the crash. well, despite his senators reservations, president obama has signed a controversial new defense bill into law. the wide-ranging bill includes a

provision that requires military custody for suspected terror suspect witness stand ties to al qaeda or who are involved in plotting or carrying out attacks in the u.s. >> driving on the dulles toll road is going to cost you a lot more. starting today, fares on the roadways have gone up 25 cents to $1.50. on and off-ramps will remain unchanged at 75 cents. it will help fund the dulles rail project. good morning, everyone, on this first day of 20126789 it's going to take a while to get used to that. >> yes, it is. on your checks too, writing the date. >> you have to scratch a lot of things out. meteorologist kim martucci joining us for a beautiful forecast and then a down turn. >> the sun subpoena. it's so nice outside. always a pleasure to have you with us. our weather today is looking beautiful. lots of blue skies and warm weather will be the rule as we

work towards having temperatures today up into, what, the 50s and 60s? yeah. that's a look at the high today. 59 in d.c. 62 to the south in fredericksburg. and we will have some middle 50s up to the north and west. hagerstown down to winchester. we'll have a few rain drops up there north and west and on over towards the northern suburbs of frederick and baltimore later today. locally it looks like we're going to be staying right here with the sunshine. it's not until later tonight and into tomorrow that we have a big cold blast of air coming our way. erika, that is my weather scoop. more on the forecast in just a little while. >> you said earlier, it is january. we are due for winter weather. >> the motherlode unfortunately at one time. >> next is nbc's "viewpoint". we'll be back with another

update. good morning and happy new year. i'm pat lawson muse. 2011 was a roller coaster of a year. this morning we're going to take a look how the washington area has fared, the economic roller coaster, and look at some of the issues they're looking forward to facing in the new year. my guests are david robertson, executive director of the metropolitan washington council of governments. valerie irvin, who is a member of the montgomery county council and former president. and jay walters tejada, board of supervisors and former board chair. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> nice to have you start your new year on "viewpoint" this morning. if not recession proof, the washington area had long been considered recession resistant. so i ask each of you how did this region fare overall in

2011? >> the region did very well. it is much more resilient than others around the country. unemployment is lower. our job growth has been higher. but local and state governments, the public sectors had some shaky elements to it. we've seen cutbacks in local governments in our area. some state cutbacks. we're watching that. we're very concerned looking into 2012 and 2013 what will happen with further cutbacks and federal spending and federal employment. that's something we have to be very careful to watch and be proactive to anticipate the thing that's worked to our advantage for many years, a stable federal government. could be an area of weakness in the future. >> interesting. valerie, you've had your own challenges. >> yes. >> dealing with those budget erbs in the mont tpwoplry county council. congratulations on a year as president. >> thank you very much. we started the year with $350

million budget deficit. and i think it's true that we've been buffered in this area because of the federal government. our federal contractors and all the people who work for the government. but we're also seeing it's a double-edged sword now. we have been put on a negative watch in maryland and also in virginia. and i think the reason is because of the fact that so many of our residents are tied to the federal government in terms of how they make their money. so it's going to be a tough challenge moving forward. >> walter, same question for you. >> well, sure, we have done pretty well in 2011 but it doesn't mean we're immune. we have threats hanging over our heads. closures. potentially many jobs leaving the area or going to other places. the federal government didn't plan for infrastructure or the

needs required. but the way we look at it in arlington, we want to focus on the development so as we come with new tkpwrogt that will come to the area and when the federal government perhaps as a major factor for us we have to reinvent ourselves. for example, the eastern region headquarters for boeing. that's the thing we're going to have to continue to do in order to benefit the region. >> since you brought up brac, can we go there, dave? >> sure. >> it's already impacting the region. but it will be felt for years to come. >> that's right. >> and we have seen a major bottleneck in alexandria along the highway at the mark center. the region wasn't really ready for brac but didn't have a choice. >> well, i think a lot of folks knew this might not work out well. unfortunately i think the federal issues oftentimes trump some of the local

considerations. we did a pretty good job moving the jobs. we didn't do so well in accommodating the growth and the transportation needs around those new jobs. and so the challenge for our region in 2012 is how do we make the best of some not so great decisions perhaps and finding the transportation resources, particularly transit. we're not going to be able to build new road capacity around these new job centers. but we have to use the capacity that we have and use transit to try to move people around some of these potential bottlenecks. it will take a little while to have it started out. they have been tracking that very carefully. >> we talk about the counsel's approach to this. >> we had a bottleneck right in bethesda for walter reed has now relocated. >> rockville pike. >> rockville pike. i see it as an opportunity because all of us have been talking about transient oriented

development and what we need for transportation. so the roadways are all clogged up. what are our alternatives? we have to look at transit. we're looking at bus rapid transit, the purple line. the transit way. so we have a lot of things on the drawing board. now we just need to find the money to fund it. >> walter? >> we have had number two and number one ranking on grid lock around the country. that's not a ranking to have. the studies have been done. we have grid lock in virginia and the washington region. so we need to focus on how to move more people rather than getting more cars. we're trying to do a street car in arlington where we will be moving more folks in an area that has a lot of pedestrians and a lot of passengers through buses. so we need to accommodate and think about the next wave of public transit, just as folks were doing in the '60s when they thought about the metro. the next wave of public transite

will be a street car. and alexandria connecting with fairfax. so perhaps there will be an explanation and the district discussing that and other areas as well. we need to be thinking of those ways how we're going to move folks. >> all right. we have to take a break. we'll continue our discussion in just a second. stay with us.

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when you talk about better transit, we're all hooked on our cars like people get hook odd things.

getting people out of their cars is very, very difficult because so many of us live nowhere close to where we work. >> we're a good doctor of transit. we're one of the highest transit in the country. new york tops us, of course. a lot of good transit use. but you're right, a lot of folks are getting from point a to point b by automobile. another piece is developing more affordable housing close to these job centers. washington area is one of the top regions in the country for importing workers. they live in baltimore, southern maryland, and even further out in west virginia. they plow the roads to get here. but the other hidden issue is when they go back at night, we're actually losing billions of dollars of income if folks could live and work here we would reduce transportation

congestion and add to the economy of the national capital region. >> they have addressed this in very specific ways. >> i think it's the major issue of our day. that is to try to create opportunities to build housing, affordable housing near centers of work. and so i represent the east side of montgomery county where for many years there have been no real jobs created. so what you will see is people are traveling west, north and south of that area. so what we're doing now around a master plan where the fda has relocated and has consolidated where there are 10,000 employees based there is this new master plan will create new jobs in a hospital and the life sciences and we have to really work hard to figure out how we're going to build public/private partnership toss build the kind of affordable housing that the employees will need. right now people are traveling

from montgomery county which is so expansive to live in. they're traveling to west virginia, close to pennsylvania. they're traveling all over the region. and there is a very specific desire at this juncture to focus a lot of our attention on affordable housing. and we haven't done that. we haven't done a good job of it. >> there isn't a lot of it in this region. do you have a lot in arlington? >> there's never enough given the challenges that we have. but this is one of those regional issues that we're tackling through the metropolitan washington council of government. if folks are going to be coming by the thousands to the region, and they are because we seem to be a successful area to come in and set up shop and grow a family, we need to think about accommodating them in a transportation network. we need to focus on creating

affordable units. folks in arlington county, sometimes people get tired of hearing affordable housing, affordable housing but wii with he need to do that to alleviate some of the grid lock. folks cannot find a place near the job centers, the whole area. we have this region forward effort where we work collaboratively, making sure what's happening could affect arlington. what happened in prince george's can affect prince william. all those things are important. affordable housing is significant. and the answer is it's sufficient. there isn't enough affordable housing. we have a tremendous need. >> do you agree with critics of all the gated communities and condos we see popping up all over the place. they were concerned about the inadequate infrastructure being built around them. >> it's a little bit cognizant, this is the more local heavy. what i do know from a planning

background is because public budgets have been so strained oftentimes they look to home owners association or developments where they are planning development toss help pay the cost of storm water, parking and other amenities. and i think it puts challenges on the skphaoupbts they're serving. it's a way to slice up the pie a little differently to make sure the services and amenities to service these newer communities. >> you have a fair number of those in montgomery. >> not in the district i represent. i don't think it's as big of a problem in montgomery county as it is in other jurisdictions. we're pretty much running out of greenfields. so what we're doing is more transit oriented, condominiums townhouses and units near metro. so i'm not seeing that as a huge rob in my county right now. >> okay. let's take a break.

we'll be back and continue our discussion after this.

good morning, everyone. i'm erika gonzalez. new overnight, at least two people are dead after an suv drives off the road hitting a tree in bethesda. the vehicle with five young adults in it lost control on jones bridge road at lancaster drive. at this time police do not know if alcohol or speed played a role in the crash. . a man dead in northeast under a pathway in the 4200 block of hunt place. police have not released cause of death but it is being investigated as a homicide. truck driver in maryland can expect higher tolls this new year. big rig drivers will see a $6 to $12 jump. and we will have more news

coming up. stay with us here on news 4 today. welcome back to "viewpoint". i want to talk to you about store closings we're seeing. last week sears and kmart announced they are closing more than 200 stores across the countriment and we know several of them are here in the washington area. filene's basement is closing up shop in this area. next year payless shoes will be closing stores in this area. what do these closings mean for this area's retail industry? and aren't the indicators mixed about this? >> i think there's a couple of factors that play. one is the effects of a recession that has been hard on wages. wages have been fairly flat nationally in the washington area. so you don't have as much disposable income to purchase goods and services. the other piece is so many of these businesses, particularly

smaller businesses, are really operating at the margin. so if you have a sustained period of down time or down economy, really it's really hard for those same businesses to bounce back. perhaps a third element is we're seeing so much online shopping. the good news is you can stay at home and buy just about anything. >> it's so convenient, isn't it? >> just a click of the mouse. you're not supporting local businesses. i know not too long ago there was a support your local small business day throughout the nation. and i think we really need to think about how we support businesses at the local level more. and i know that's an issue for all of our communities. because they are big job generators and strengthen our economy. i think it would be a pretty sad community if we all stayed home and bought everything and we didn't have stores serving communities. >> valerie, i'm sure you agree with that? >> this is a big topic for me because i am sponsoring legislation on big box stores.

i know when i look at the kmart and sears situation, what really worries me is how much competition there is at that level in the country. so when you're bringing in major big box retailers into i know the strict of columbia is bringing walmart, six of them. two are coming into montgomery county, the competition for those dollars is fierce. and i know kmart and sears cannot compete at that level with a giant retailer that's the largest in the world. and so i think it also has very big implications for local small business, which i'm a very big proponent of. so i think this is a very complex issue and a complex set of things that i think in my community right now is right in the middle of debating, how big and how many. so what we're seeing here is what i believe moving forward is

going to be a very serious concern at all levels. >> any predictions about how that debate might turn out? >> i think that people are wide open to talking about big box stores coming into the area. we can't prevent them from coming. but if they come i think there has to be a conversation in the community about what are the eupl indications for closing down local small businesses on the corners and mom and pops that have been there for years and years and years. i'm very concerned about what this bodes for the future. >> of course there are sessions that the community should be allowed to approve these stores. and there's a lot of controversy about how the process would work. >> i have a bill on the table. it says there should be a community benefits agreement wherever a large big box retailer comes into the community. that could be a lot of different things about how green is the

building. does the building look a certain way. how much should they be paying their employees? so there are a whole lot of issues connected to big box retailers. and i know that kmart have been very concerned about kmart because they're having to operate like across the street sometimes from some of these. and these are tax-paying citizens that will lose their jobs at payless, at kmart, whatever these stores are that we're talking about. these are well-paid jobs for people who live in our community and who pay taxes and who need to be employed. >> walter? >> well, it's never good news when a large employer will be closing and folks may lose their job. and it affects the region. in our case in arlington, i think we have had a number of fortunate circumstances.

we have a retail center with parking. most recently actually this year we had a trader joe's that opened. we have had a number of stores that opened throughout the county and walmart knocking on the door. >> walmart is knocking on everybody's door. >> but it's not automatic. the public needs to weigh in indeed. they need to net in on the process and participate. it is a serious conversation we need to have. because if someone wants to set up shot that's already congested, we need to talk about the traffic impacts to the neighborhood. it's not an automatic thing. we make a decision that affects not only the locale but the region. >> all right. we have to take another break but we'll be right back. stay with us

welcome back. last week emergency responders conducted a drill on the campus of northern virginia community college to test the response to a gunman, a situation involving

someone with a gun. what did we learn would you say from the shootings at georgia tech and most ream the killing of a campus police officer? let me ask you, walter, since you represent a virginia jurisdiction. >> sure. and it was horrible what occurred. once again, at virginia tech having to go through this terrible tragedy. i think we have made great strides in improving our emergency preparedness. but you can never be prepared for every emergency and every detail. we are tested with natural occurrences. we had a snowfall, a few inches or a major rainstorm and how do we handle trees being knocked out. we probably have led the nation collectively as a region preparing for responses. we have entered an era where the chief of police may not necessarily be the one in command of emergency situations. maybe a front line transition

the best to call there and so on. so i think we will continue to do what we can. we recognize that we are a target because of the nation's capital. the the pentagon, for example, is not in the district of columbia. sit in my county, arlington county. there are a number of federal targets throughout the washington metro region. our main goal is to continue to prepare. we have folks who are emergency responders will need to improve on those steps to prepare. >> you brought up snow. let me throw that question at the two of you. opm has revised its alert system to include stag erred early departures and final departure time. so do you think we're now ready for another major snowstorm? valerie? >> i think we're very ready for another major snowstorm. i'm going to talk directly about pepco right now. i know they have done a lot to get themselves prepared by a lot

of tree trimming. people kept their lights on. so we're very hopeful that we're preparing with colleagues in the region. what i think is so great about cog, we understand a snowstorm hits the region and doesn't just hit d.c. or arlington county. it's a regional situation. so i think we're prepared and i think we've been getting prepared. >> i would agree cop was involved with opm. so many private sector and local governments mimic the federal policy. a strong federal policy will have ripple effects around the recently. one thing walter mentioned is communication. regionally we have done a lot better job communicating among emergency managers and public officials to help get a common message out to the public. but then we have to make sure that the public is staying engaged. all of our jurisdictions have alert systems, a citizen that wants on get new, as we had

earlier accident on rockville pike just the other day. so they can know there's a problem on rockville pike and what are the routes around it? government can help and help a lot, but the public really has to be engaged and work in championship with local, state, and federal authorities. >> can i ask you a question that requires a yes or no answer? because we're running out of time. have the times for the occupy -- has your patience run out with the occupy d.c. protesters? i'm sorry, you can't expound. yes or no? you can say maybe. >> i would say they made their point. i think the effort will continue in a variety of ways. some of us are very supportive of the issues we stand for. i will have to see how things progress. they have their moment. >> hurting business, valerie? yes or no? >> no. >> hurting business? >> no. >>. all right. dave robertson, valerie irvin and roberta that da, thank you.

and happy 2012. and thank you for being with us. that's "viewpoint". i'm pat lawson muse. stay with us for news 4 which continues. from vegas to seattle to new york, people from across the country and the washington area welcomed the new year at the stroke of midnight. good morning. happy 2012. did you ever think we would say that? welcome to news 4 today. i'm erika gonzalez. it is sunday, january 1st of 2012. new overnight, two people are dead after a car accident in bethesda. montgomery county police say the suv with five young adults in it lost control on jones bridge road at lancaster drive slamming into a tree. this just before 3:00 a.m. the victims, one man and one

woman, were both passengers in the suv. at this time police do not know if alcohol or speed played a role in the crash. this morning d.c. police are trying to identify a man found dead in northeast. the man's body was discovered around 8:00 yesterday morning under a pathway in the 4200 block of hunt place. that's near the creek near anacostia river. police have not released the cause of death but say it is being investigated as a homicide. also new overnight a scare for people in japan after a powerful earthquake. we'll talk about that in a minute. meteorologist kim martucci joins us for a beautiful forecast for one more day. >> and then we have to send your texas-like weather back home. >> back it goes. >> yeah. >> i'm ready. i have gotten a smooth transition into d.c. >> we wanted to ease you in.

go find the parka in the boxes. good morning, everybody. it's great to see you. grab your coffee. i have your forecast ready to go. as maybe you think about waking up. maybe you just roll over and say, what was i thinking? it is 7:33 new year's day. it's always a pleasure to have you with us. we have dropped a degree since i last saw you. it is 39. southwest winds at 35 miles per hour. a couple of 20s snuck in for culpepper. 28. it is 40, though, right now at annapolis by the bay. and you will be up to 55, annapolis. we will work on 60 for la plata. and in the dorf, we will work on 61 for you. showers in winchester. sneak peek at what's happening off to the west. this is a sneak peek. skiers, deep creek, 8 to 12 inches. i have the timing for you. ahh, gosh.

>> 8 to 12 inches. >> yeah. more scoop on the skiing forecast and more coming up. >> we haven't had any. then all of a sudden 8 to 12 inches. >> i'm here. >> i'm confused for the ski resorts. all right. thank you, ma'am. see you in a bit. >> even as the sun comes up this morning, parties are still rocking around the region to ring in the new year. one of the most popular family-friendly areas is, of course, being marked with this any transition. let's talk about the fireworks that were missing in alexandria. but take a look at that. they were replaced with ping pong balls. they were replaced with laysers and lights. the balls were dropped at midnight. families still enjoyed a great night. >> it's cool. i like it. >> i'm looking forward to midnight. i mean, it's a big end of the year. we're just looking for new

beginnings this new year. >> alexandria decided not to do the traditional fireworks after several accidents at fireworks displays and a new law that requires more space between the pyrotechnics and spectators. >> there was no shortage of fireworks in new york city, baby where more than a million people packed times square. the enormous crowd counted down together as mayor michael bloomberg and who else, of course, lady gaga pressed the button to lower the famous ball. the mild temperatures made for one of the biggest crowds ever at the iconic annual street party which of course meant plenty of, there, go, a lot of that action going around. and a long time military detention center, meanwhile, in virginia has shut its doors. marine corps. brig at quantico closed yesterday as part of cost-cutting measures. prisoners awaiting trial will now be held at a regional

military facility in chesapeake, virginia. it was built in 1972. past prisoners including army private first class bradley manning, the soldier suspected of giving classified documents to wikileaks, and john hinkley jr. who tried to assassinate president reagan. the president signed the bill yesterday in hawaii despite the fact that he has quote, unquote serious reservations about these terrorism measures. the wide-ranging bill includes a provision that requires military custody for suspected terror suspect witness stand ties to al qaeda or who are involved in plotting or carrying out attacks in the u.s. >> candidates are campaigning hard two days before the state's caucus us. it comes as a poll by the des moines register shows mitt romney and ron paul are running

neck and neck with 24% and 22% respectively. however, rick santorum is right behind both of them with 15% and closing hard. it means iowa is being hit hard from all ends by candidates trying to secure their vote. >> we are getting constantly bombarded with candidates's phone calls, mailers, everything you can imagine. >> while santorum and romney seem to have the momentum, either can be too confident just yet. the poll implies a lot of votes are not solid. a full 41% of likely caucusgoers say they could still be convinced to change their minds. four more presidential candidates are joining texas governor rick perry in a lawsuit against virginia's board of elections. newt gingrich, michele bachmann, john huntsman, and rick santorum filed a joint motion asking they be included on the state's primary ballot. as of now, all are excluded because they did not submit the 10,000 signatures required by

the state. perry's suit, however, claims those requirements violate free speech. >> well, you're going to need a little extra change with you this morning if you are using the dulles toll road. starting today it will cost an extra 25 cents to travel the dulles toll road. tolls on the main road will be $1.50. on and off-ramp tolls will remain unchanged at 75 cents. the new revenue will help fund the dulles rail project. it's going to be a more expensive new year's for truckers who use maryland highways as well. starting today drivers of big rigs will see a $6 to $12 jump on the toll booths and state bridges, tunnels and highways. tractor trailers will pay $24 to cross the bay bridge and $36 to take the toll portion i-95 north of baltimore. tolls for cars went up in

november and will go up again in 2013. it's an effort to raise $225 million by 2014 so the state doesn't default on bond payments. good morning, everyone. it is the first day of 2012. time is 7:38. coming up on news 4 today, from the snowstorm to the hurricane, we are taking a look back at all the top stories of 2011.

good morning, everyone. did you get some sleep or have you not gone to bed at all? this morning we are looking back at the top stories of 2011 on this first day of 2012. our facebook friends on nbc washington helped us pick the top local story, which we will share with you at the end.

news 4's eun yang reports. >> reporter: the year 2011 started with a bang. and that january 26th snowstorm. the fast moving storm moved into the washington region right as rush hour began. drivers trying to get home got stuck in the snow creating a nightmare commute that lasted overnight and into the next morning. carmageddon left people stranded in their vehicles more than 12 hours. a maryland's woman vacation to aruba ended in mystery. robin gardner traveled to the island with gary giordano in august and she has not been seen since. he claimed she disappeared when they went snorkeling. prosecutors could not find enough evidence to charge him. the case remains unsolved. another shooting tragedy struck virginia tech university in 2011. a 22-year-old man shot and killed a university police

officer on the blacksburg campus december 8th. police are not sure why ross ashley killed officer krouse and then turned the gun on himself. the shooting triggered a campus-wide alert and brought back fears and memories of the 2007 shooting on campus that left 32 people dead. corruption in prince george's county in december. a judge sentenced jack johnson and his wife, former councilwoman leslie johnson, to prison as part of a widespread corruption investigation. jack johnson was sentenced to 7 years, 3 months after he pled guilty to a pay to play scheme with county contractors and developers. his wife received one year and a day after she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering. they found $80,000 in cash stuffed in her bra when they arrested her. both will begin their sentences this year. the occupy movement set up camp in the nation's capital at mcpherson square.

the group is protesting economic disparity across the country. >> without dr. king's glorious words we might not have had the courage to come as far as we have. >> reporter: president obama dedicated the martin luther king jr. national memorial on the tidal basin on october 16. a murder stunned a quiet bethesda community. employees of lulu lemon found the body of their co-worker in the store and norwood told police two masked men attacked them after they closed the store but they charged her a few days later and a jury convicted her of murder. she will be sentenced later this month. >> bring your snorkel, scuba gear because the potomac river is beginning to intensify. >> we will see about 12 inches of rain. wind will be an issue here. even more significant factor will be the flooding. >> reporter: a hurricane in august.

irene was the first major hurricane to hit the u.s. in three years, leaving five people dead in our region. thousands were left without power in the district, maryland and virginia. but through all the rain, news 4's pat collins stood out for his reporting. >> i feel like the gorton fisherman. what do you think? >> yes, you do. >> that is beginning to shift side to side. that's when i knew i've got to get out of here. >> reporter: and our top story of 2011 is the rare earthquake that shook the east coast. it struck mineral, virginia, tuesday, august 23rd, 1:51 in the afternoon. it sent shock waves across the region and beyond, causing damage to area schools, the washington monument, the national cathedral and many other buildings. despite the widespread rumble, no one was seriously injured from the earthquake. and those are your top stories for 2011. happy new year.

eun yang, news 4. >> all right. lots of memorable moments. and i think it will be pretty memorable this year or this last month of 2011 that we had no snow in december. not even cold temperatures with that. >> that's right. you know, we have not seen snow since the last time i worked, which was back in october. we had that freak snowstorm. now it looks like we are going to be not getting snow here but the ski resorts will be getting some. we will be getting the cold, windy weatherment i'll tell you when that happens. it is 7:46 and 44 degrees. blue skies. we're so happy you joined us. we'll be right back with your fu

gorgeous weather this morning. last night was absolutely beautiful as well. and then all of a sudden, whoom. >> yes.

good sound effect. >> whoom! big changes in store for us. >> we will have one more day to enjoy this mild weather and then the -- >> whoom! >> remember that when you're shaking in your boats. it is time to get up or roll over. not saying you have to. i hope you're feeling okay. let's talk about what's going to be happening. mild weather. we have a gorgeous start for you. is your new year's resolution to start exercising more? you have no excuses this morning. you can get outside and do that run because it's not that cold out there. we do have some pockets of 30s and a couple upper 20s. for january standards we're in good shape. 39. south to southwest winds blowing at 5 miles per hour. la plata, 33. across the bay, easton, 32. meanwhile, annapolis, you are sitting pretty at 40 this new year's morning. and you'll be working on a high of 55.

points south will work on 60. fredericksburg will steal the prize with 62. even north and west, hagerstown, beautiful cumberland, low to middle 50s before rain showers come through midday. and they will probably skirt across carroll and frederick counties this afternoon as well. around the district we will stay dry. an increase in clouds later this afternoon. and then we'll be talking about major changes to this weather forecast. the view from 22,500 miles above the ground looks like this. just a handful of showers approaching west virginia right now. we have this batch of clear skies and beautiful warm weather. enjoy this today, as i mentioned. the jet stream is pumping up the southerly winds. and this is what happens early next week. starting tomorrow it gives south. when this happens it takes all the cold air from canada and drags it down across the great lakes where they will get lake-effect snow. some of that moisture will be pushed up against our western mountains.

and that means they're going to be getting a lot of snow out in ski country. around here, probably not so much. although i wouldn't be surprised up to the north again, frederick, hagerstown. if you get a few bursts of flurries later tonight and especially tomorrow. around the district our big story will be the clouds and the gusty windows and the cold. let me tell you what i mean. monday, 8:00, the temperature, 34. it will feel like 22. tomorrow night at 8:00. then by tuesday morning, we're looking at temperatures around 25 and feeling like 11. so we're going to go from a high of 60 today to feeling like 11 tuesday morning. that's why we need to find where all the parkas and extra sweaters went. you are going to be using it. and they are going to be skiing and enjoying it off to the west. winter storm warning in effect from 1:00 a.m. tonight, 4:00 p.m. tuesday for garrett county, maryland, western allegheny. 8 to 12 inches. winds gusting 15 to 25, up to 40. that will mean windchills of

zero. so i don't know how skiers enjoy skiing when it feels like zero. however you do it, may the force be with you. keep in mind, if you're driving out this way, you might want to leave today. i think driving tomorrow and tuesday will be bad. 68, blowing snow and 219 will not be a good drive. please be safe. a nice one for you today. 56 to 62. tomorrow, windy and colder. that's a high of 43. not including the wind chill. looking ahead the next seven, oh, it only gets worse. tuesday and wednesday, highs in the 30s. finally we'll come up the roller coaster again. by next week, back in the middle 50s i hope by the end of the week. keep in mind you can always stay connected to me on facebook and twitter. @weath @weatherkim. come join us. we like to interact >> translator: girls have been hanging out this morning having a good time. right, kim? >> that's right. >> thank you for joining us. also, let's talk about sports

highlights. news 4's amber theo-harris has your sports highlights. it's been the capitals million dollar question, where is alex ovechkin? coming into this week, the caps's star winger was ranked 72nd in points scored. he consistently hovered in the top 10. friday night he finally answered the question by scoring two goals against the sabres. last night the captain rang in the new year with an encore performance against the bluejackets. hoping to keep the momentum going in columbus. third period, down 2-0. peppering steve mason with shots. he puts the caps on the board. see it again. a beautiful one-timer from ovechkin. his 14th of the year. caps down just one. and here they come. less than two minutes later,

four on four. wideman with the puck, set be up simmons. his 10th of the year. just like that we are tied at two. 30 seconds later, more four-on-four. caps racing up the ice. scores his sixth of the season. and third point in three minutes. caps up 3-2. same score later in the period. caps on the power play. orlov to ovechkin who fires the laser. back-to-back games for ove. caps win 4-2, their third straight victory. well, what a difference one year can make in college football. last year when the ball dropped on times square they were coming off a 4-8 season. auburn was riding cam newton to a national championship. the two schools find themselves in the exact same position this year. the chick-fil-a bowl.

looking to bring uva its fitter postseason year in six years. michael rocco. he's helping the cause. rocco fakes the handoff. drops back. and finds chris byrd in the end zone. 27 yards for the score. up 7-0. to the second. we're tied at seven on third and goal. this looks familiar. rocco to byrd. six yard touchdown. uva up 14-7. auburn would score on its next possession. look at this. they go for it on the on-side kick. it's the kicker cody parkey who recovers it. and five plays later, auburn would cash in on third and goal. they run the statue of liberty play. they would lead 28-17 at the half. tigers fans getting ready for a big new year's eve party. more from the tigers. they give it to trey mason. he goes up the gut. 22 yards for the score. auburn goes on to defeat

virginia, 43-24. uva finishes the season at 8-5. now to college hoops. the number 12 georgetown hoyas with a nine-game win streak into yesterday's matchup against providence. fresh off a huge win over number 4 louisville on wednesday. we're looking at what could be a top 10 ranking come monday. but first they would have to stave off an unranked providence team. hoyas looking to make it six straight over the fryers. up eight at the break. second half, tied at 35. simms shoots, misses. jason clark with a tough offensive rebound. he lays it in for two. clark tips it.

saves the ball from going out of bounds. gets the hoop. game high 16 points. later, under 6:00 to go. hoyas up for simms. drives. shoots. but stays with it. gets the putback. simms just two of 13. but he gets a big hustle play and crunch time. hoyas shoot 30% but they hang on to win, 49-40. georgetown improves to 12-1 and wins its 10th straight. >> the things that make you win isn't just putting the ball in the basket. it's a deflection. it's the rebound. the communication on be defense. the attentiveness when we need to be attentive. i think we have done a decent job of that this year. as you get into conference play, that determines what wins and loses. >> in college park, mark turgin and the terps taking on sanford. in the first half, howard pushing it up in transition. the no-look pass to alex. he finishes with the slam. 13 points in his second game with the terps. later in the half, maryland up

four. terrell, nice moves. slits the "d." drives the lane. 15 of his 24 points in the first. terps up 13 at the break. second half now, michael parker, steal and save. terps are headed the other way. howard to foust who steps up, drains the three. freshman had 13 points. maryland wins 75-63. their sixth straight victory. terps are now 9-3 on the season. that's your morning sports. i'm amber theo-harris. enjoy the holiday, everybody. one of the elaborate floats will be donated to organ donors. among those pictured, christina taylor green, a young girl killed in the shooting rampage in tucson that injured congresswoman gabrielle giffords.

don't forget you can watch the tournament of roses parade right here on news 4 tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. so stay tuned for that. and how wonderful those people live on by the kind act that they did when they donated. >> i love it. >> so january 1, let me hear it. new year's resolution? >> just enjoy every second with my little boy, who is 15 months old. i just love him to pieces. >> rhyme really bad about that. i just want to enjoy 2012, have a great time, be blessed, live life. that's it for news 4 today. we'll be back in 25 minutes. we'll see you then.