good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 midday." i am barbara harrison. it's wednesday, january 4th, 2012. we begin with a photo finish in the first test for republican hopefuls in the division 2012. one of the slimmest margins in the state's history, mitt romney

came ahead by seven votes. now, santorum looks to build momentum in the state. >> just a few weeks ago we were behind in the polls and we were able to do well last night, and i want to make sure it's not a one-state send off, and hopefully we can get the delegates where we can get the nomination. >> if we can appeal to the voters that have been left behind by democratic voters, we will win this election! >> and any minute now we expect to hear from minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann about the future of her campaign. several reports say she will announce she is suspending her

bid for nomination. she finished sixth in the iowa caucuses with 5% of the vote. she told supporters she planned to stay in the race despite the performance, and her campaign strategy had been to focus on south carolina, thought to be a better fit for her brand of conservatism. meanwhile, rick perry is reconsidering his bid. he is going home to texas to decide whether or not to continue his campaign. newt gingrich tries to move past his fourth place finish. gingrich is planning ads in new hampshire and south carolina and florida contrasting his record with romney's. the first jab will be a full

page ad that labels gingrich as an old reagan moderate. he wants it to be a comparison of records and not a negative campaign. meanwhile, new hampshire is the next big battleground for the candidates. the battleground there takes place on tuesday, january 10th, and then come primaries. d.c. leaders will try to seize on the new hampshire height by making their case the district should become the 51st state. district leaders plan to testify to support that resolution. they have been asking other state legislators to pass similar measures. right now, president obama is on his way to the swing state of ohio. he left joint base andrews about an hour ago, and he is headed to

cleveland to talk to voters. in a live video conference from washington, the president outlined his progress during his first term and asked party activist for help during the campaign. and then the d.c. council is meeting for the first time this year and there's word there could be a shake-up in the works. negotiations are under way for a plea deal for council member, harry thomas. there are accusations he diverted city money and spent it on himself. darcy spencer joins us live. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. i was able to talk to several council members as they entered the wilson building for the meeting going on at this hour. they tell me they are aware of the reports and a possible resignati resignation, and they are waiting to see what council member thomas will be. >> and they sat down for a

breakfast meeting this morning, and missing from the table is member thomas. he is in negotiations for a possible plea agreement that could result in criminal charges. sources say thomas offered to resign as part of the negotiations, but the sticking point is prison time. sources say thomas does not want to go to jail, but federal authorities want him to serve up to three years behind bars. >> reporter: i guess you heard the rumors he may resign? >> they are rumors and we will have to wait and see how things play out, but either way as i told him and folks, i am praying for he and his family. >> reporter: he did reach an agreement with the d.c. attorney general to repay the $300,000 in city grant funds he diverted for a lavish live style including golfing trips, but he failed to make the payment on tuesday. the attorney general is considering taking legal action to get the money.

>> they did call for the resignation earlier. i don't know how he came to find himself in this position, but all i can say is it's tragic for him and his family and for the district of columbia, really. >> reporter: the fbi and irs raided his home taking away expensive vehicles and other items. today the council is expected to pass a ethics bill stemming from allegations of corruption. >> folks look to it as a silver bullet and much of what has garnered criticism is behavior that appears or is alleged to be that which is criminal, and no ethics bill will fix that. >> reporter: members of the council told me today they do believe the ethics bill will pass. it includes setting up an independent ethics commission, and at last check, council member thomas has still not shown up for the first meeting of the year. reporting live from the wilson building, daughter sen spencer,

news4. meanwhile the council has business to attend to today. council members will vote on a new bill today, you allowing soo be ticketed if they do not clear the snow. homeowners would face $25 in fines, and businesses could fines of up to $250 or more. if the bill passes it won't take affect until after this winter. taking a look outside right now, no snow to shovel around here, not at least for now, but lots of frost to clear off car windows this morning. tom kierein has the first forecast for "news4 midday." >> it was our coldest morning in almost a year since last january the 24th. here are cold facts. the temperature at reagan national airport bottomed out at 17 degrees this morning, but that was nowhere near the record low for this date which was set back in 1877 of 3 below zero.

yes, it can get very cold in january and february. so we have not really has as cold a morning in almost a year and we have not had below zero temperatures in a while. let's take a look at the temperatures. we are climbing into the 20s. it's 24 at reagan national, and most locations that started out in the single digits, they are now in the mid and upper 20s in many locations. southern maryland, northern neck and eastern shore, they bottomed out in the low and mid-teens. temperatures are in the mid and upper 20s as well. as we look at what has been happening in the last 12 hours, we had sun this morning but clouds closed in and they will passover us here as we get in the afternoon hours and there may be a few flurries coming through as well later in the afternoon with the cloud cover. we will have a light wind with temperatures climbing into the low 30s in the next couple hours. a warmup on the way, and we will talk about the weekend in just a couple minutes. >> we could use a warmup, tom. thanks.

see you in a few minutes. thank you. the winter blast is causing cracks on some metro rail tracks this morning, and that's delaying riders. right now metro is single tracking on the yellow line between pentagon city and the plaza while repairs are under way. that's causing 20 to 30 minute delays out there. metro tells news4 the tracks contract in the cold weather that we are having and given the extreme drop in the weather, the tracks contracted faster and left gaps. on the roadways, we have a couple issues for you. first northbound in the 3rd street tunnel, we have a crash taking away two of the lanes. better to take 9th or 12th street if you are traveling in that area. maryland, we have a gas main break on finwick lane, and the

closure is between georgia avenue and 2nd avenue, and 66 eastbound at nutley, construction takes away the left lane and left shoulder lane and that continues as you make your way towards cedar. not seeing any accidents on 66 east or west inside and outside of the beltway. prince georges county police issued a silver alert for 76-year-old john holiday hawkins. he was last seen around 6:40 yesterday evening at the metro station where he dropped off a family member. he has diabetes and dementia and needs medication. he lives in temple hills. he was driving a green chrysler 300. if you have seen hawkins or his car, you are asked to call prince georges police. our time is 10 after 11:00, and coming up, the latest piece

of space junk to threaten the earth. and his behavior on american i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me.

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we have breaking news now on decision 2012. an adviser for michele bachmann confirms the presidential hopeful will end her white house bid. the republican candidate finished in sixth place last night in iowa and her campaign

peaked early for a first summer straw poll in iowa, but now bachmann is in single digits. again, michele bachmann has decided to end her campaign for president. and new information out today on russia's failed marches probe. russia launched the probe in november on a two-year mission to one of the moons, but the probe got stuck in the earth's orbit, and now it's slowly deteriorating and will crash into earth on january 15th. it contains highly toxic fuel that could explode during reeven tree if it doesn't freeze on re-entry. tomorrow the pentagon will unveil its plan for budget cuts. a preview of the plan includes $450 billion in cuts over the

next decade, and it includes cuts in personnel and weapon production and health care. leon pennetta is expected to outline the proposals tomorrow at the pentagon. and then inside nova is reporting that robert marshall is thinking of running for senate. he has served in the virginia house of delegates for more than 20 years. he could be another challenge for allen who is the frontrunner for the gop candidates. tim kaine is the democratic frontrunner. the choice will be made in june. a school's president doesn't live in a home anymore, and it is not considered suitable as a home or venue for university

events. it has not been renovated since 1991 and does not meet certain safety codes. the college plans on using its own money to build a house next to that home. and the winter blast is taking its toll on some d.c. protesters. back in october hundreds camped out, but now the emcampments have started to dwindle. maybe that's because of the cold weather that we have been going through out there, tom, and you don't see any relief -- too much relief in sight? >> not today. but by tomorrow we will be warming up and into the weekend, even warmer weather will be coming our way, so the cold blast is short lived, thankfully, this is certainly been a very cold morning, and now we're still struggling to get out of the 20s. at reagan national, we have a cloudy sky. that's a live view from the city

camera. just 24 degrees there, and it was very dry this morning. we had our dew point below zero but now it's getting more humid. still dry, and we have had the winds beginning to shift a little to the south, and that's going to be bringing in milder air by later tonight. right now on radar, we are getting a few flurries trying to reach the ground here in the patch of gray in frederick county and washington county and that's heading north and east and passing by the district, and a lot is evaporating before it hits the surface if that and a lot of areas around the region are covering from the very cold temperatures this morning. and now it's into the 20s. montgomery county in low 20s. and low to mid-20s in northern virginia as southern maryland and the northern neck and eastern shore. as we look at what has been happening over the last 12 hours, we had sun but now clouds moved back in, and they will be

with us for the rest of the evening and into the evening hours and might have a passing quick snow shower or perhaps a few flurries, and then we will clear out tomorrow morning and get sunshine back on thursday. this is what it looks like by noontime, and we will have sunshine tomorrow. as we get into friday, just a few clouds coming through and we will have milder air moving in. and we will tap in mild air, but for the rest of the afternoon we will have the gray sky and cloudy and cold and a few flurries, and we don't anticipate what we had yesterday with the vigorous snow showers but we will make it briefly into the low 30s probably over the next couple hours, and we will have gentler winds too, thankfully. and then we will be in the upper 20s by midnight, and we have a chance for a quick-moving snow shower this evening. by dawn tomorrow, we will be down in the mid-20s as we clear out, and we will get sunshine

back on thursday, and then thankfully we will be warming into the mid-40s during the afternoon, which is about the average high this time of year, and the average high is 43 now. as we get into tomorrow night and into friday, it will be even warmer friday morning. the upper 20s, afternoon highs on friday near 50 degrees, and partly cloudy. and then into the weekend, maybe milder weather coming our way for saturday. morning lows, mid-30s and highs mi mi mid-50s. it's going to be an area of low pressure passing to the south on sunday and monday and it could bring clouds and a small chance of a few sprinkles of rain if that does happen, otherwise no more cold air after today. >> that's good news. >> yeah. >> thank you, tom. see you again shortly. we will check on the midday traffic now. here is danella. >> good news on the roadways, if you are traveling on d.c. we had an accident in the 3rd street tunnel and that's clear and you have your lanes back.

if you are in silver spring, still seeing the thinwick lane closed. use caution in that area. along 66 eastbound, still watching crews work. it's taking away the left lane and left shoulder lane. this is at nutley, and that will continue as you make your way towards cedar. westbound, not seeing any issues as delays or accidents. i-95 in virginia, this is a look at fairfax county parkway, and you are clear, and as you make your way on to 395, no issues for you. 11:20 is the time. still ahead, italian cooking made simple. the cookbook is helping people in our area. we'll tell you how. plus, are drugs like ritalin safe. we look at the results of the latest studies. first, here

we have more now on breaking news on decision 2012. michele bachmann is announcing she is ending her campaign for president. the republican candidate finished in sixth place last night in iowa. let's listen in. >> because i believe firmly that what the congress had done and what president obama had done in

passing obama karen dangered the very survival of the united states of america, and i knew it was my obligation to insure that president obama's program was stopped before it became fully implemented. the necessity for the complete repeal of obamacare, because obamacare represents the largest expansion of entitlement spending in our country's history and it now has become the playground of left wing social engineering where the right will always lose every battle and the left already has been given the formula for passing their agenda. it must be stopped. and its repeal is more than just a clich'e for me, it's essential to my core of conviction, because it violates our fundamental liberties as americans, including for the first time of our country,

taxpayer funded abortion, and deeply troubled by the state of our country i ran for the presidency foremost as an american citizen who believes in the greatness of our american principles, and their meaning come from the founder's believes which were rooted in the truths of the holy scripture, the bible. and while congresswoman by title, a politician i never have been nor will i ever hope to be, because i am not motivated in this quest by glory or the promise of political power. i served one purpose in washington, d.c., to lead an effort that was begun by the people of this country. i ran as the next steppingstone of passing on and protecting that torch of liberty, and repealing both obamacare and dodd frank, which means insuring

the election of 13 additional republican senators to guarantee that legislation's demise. these words are a warning, the implementation of obama care will represent a turning point for our country and economy, and i worried what a future painting in christy's vein might depict if it's placed into effect. would future generations ask of us gathered here today, what did we do? what did we give? what did we sacrifice to insure the survival of this incomparable republic? i ran because i realized 2012 is our last chance, and our only chance to repeal obama care and dodd frank, and i knew how to get rid of both of them. i ran not only for me, but i also ran to elect 13 more republican united states senators who helped me to repeal that legislation.

i ran because i believed that since day one, barack obama's policies based on socialism are destructive to the very foundation of the republic, and i ran because i wanted my children and all of the children of this country to live free and have better opportunities than our parents gave to us. and i ran to secure the promise of our children's future, and so i decided to stand up, stand up and fight for our freedom, and stand up for the survival of the nation and i will continue to fight the president's plan for socialism, and i will fight for you, to stop the over spending in washington and to keep our country free, safe and sovereign, and to fight against crony capitalism, and fight the tax code that is absolutely unfair and killing american competitiveness, and i will

fight to legalize the american families and fight to protect life from conception until natural death, to protect traditional marriage, and i will fight to secure our borders, and i will fight to protect religious liberty, and i will fight for the country, and for the american people every day in a way that god allows me to. so i came here to this wonderful state of iowa where i was born and raised and that i have come to trust and love and i had just one message to tell you, that i mean what i say, and i say what i mean, and i have told you the truth that our country is in very serious trouble, and that this might be the last election to turn the nation around before we go down the road to socialism, to a burden of debt too heavy for our children to bear. i did not tell you what the polls said you wanted to hear. i didn't tell you what i knew to be false. i did not try to spin you, i listened to the people of iowa and all across america, and they

agree that president obama and his socialists policies must be stopped. i sought the nomination of the party of reagan, the party of lincoln that believes in the strength and the goodness of the american people and that america is and and remain the greatest force for good that the world has ever known, because we don't believe that government has the answers, the people do. the government should respect the rights and opportunities of the people to whom we are accountable, because we believe that government should do its job, enumerated by the constitution, and not our job. it should do it without spending more than what it takes in. >> we have been listening to michele bachmann speaking live from iowa after a poor showing in the caucuses last night. she is withdrawing from the race for the republican nomination for 2012. in other news today, an arlington family is out with a new cookbook with recipes from

southern italy. good morning and welcome. >> good morning, barbara. >> good to have you with us. >> thank you. >> tell us about the cookbook? >> the origin of the cookbook began two years ago when my father passed away. in doing so we talked to several family members, and to relatives and decided to just documenting recipes that had never been written before. >> your grandfather was a chef? >> no, my dad and mom owned restaurants in new york. they brought a lot of recipes from south of naples. >> it's a beautiful cover. tell us what kinds of foods are in this book? >> very quick italian cooking -- >> quick? >> very quick. you can make these meals in 15 to 20 minutes, most of them. there are one or two a little longer. >> there's something more special about this, and that's it's helping people. can you tell us. >> we did not realize we could sell the book, and we did it

originally for the family, and we are raising money for the american cancer society, and so all proceeds are going to two organizations. >> now tell us a little bit about some of the recipes in the book. you brought us one, and this looks like meatballs in a marinara sauce. >> it's typical and a staple in any italian kitchen or refrigerator and freezer. this recipe is part of the simple cooking, and that's to have a couple things ready all the time in your refrigerator, and you can whip up a gourmet meal. every recipe can be made quickly. >> what goes into these meatballs. ground beef? >> yes, cheese, eggs, and some breadcrumb. very little breadcrumb. >> this sauce looks fantastic. >> it's good to taste because it's lunchtime. >> oh, that is good. tastes like fresh tomatoes. >> is it.

>> are most of the ingredients fresh ingredients. >> some are, you have to do seasonal cooking, and in the summer you prepare them and put them in the freezer for the winter. >> there are a couple of quick tips to get things done quickly, and you learn unusual things from the cooks that are 70 or 80 years old. >> how do you get the book? >> the bus boys and poets in shirlington, or buy it online. >> good luck with the cookbook, and it certainly has a good cause. >> thank you, and we appreciate it. our time is 11:32, and coming up, extreme makeovers for three montgomery county schools. we will take a look at the upgrades students are returning to today. plus more problems for actor alec baldwin after his trouble aboard an american airlines flight. how long is the extreme cold

going to last? i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing! i was just in a trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] and here's a special bonus: sign up now and get $300 back with a two-year contract. fios internet -- the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] start saving now. move up to fios for our best price online -- $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years and get $300 back with a two-year contract.

or ask us about the option of no annual contract. is change good? in this case, change is very good. [ male announcer ] visit verizon.com/greatprice. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities that's verizon.com/greatprice. at 800-974-6006 tty/v. fios. a network ahead.

right now on "news4 midday," news4 learned that lawyers are negotiating a plea deal that could result in criminal charges against d.c. councilmember harry thomas. he is accused of diverting county funds and spent it on

himself, we're told. thomas was not present for breakfast before today's d.c. council meeting. mitt romney is celebrating the first win of the election season after an eight-vote victory in iowa over santorum. it's one of the slimmest margins in the state's history. ron paul finished third, and after a sixth place finish, michele bachmann decided to end her campaign. rick perry said he will stay in the race through the south carolina primary. donald trump has been extremely vocal during this political season. the mogul has said that he may enter the presidential race as an independent if he doesn't like who is chosen as the republican nominee. so this morning on the "today" show, matt lauer asked trump to weigh in on the results of the iowa caucuses and asked if the right candidate is among the top contenders. >> i was impressed with certain things.

santorum, it was amazing and he was at 1% and all of a sudden he does so well, and mitt romney won it and got 25%. he has to go higher and start to break the 25% level. and then ron paul, i just don't think that's going to happen. i would like to see somebody break away from the pack. nobody is breaking away from the pack. >> would you throw your support behind mitt romney or santorum? >> i will make that statement over the next couple weeks. >> even if he wants to, trump is not allowed to enter the race until may because of his show, "celebrity apprentice," and it will be on the air through then. for kids at three montgomery county schools a new year means new facilities. melissa has more. >> reporter: take a look around. everything you see construction wise is either new or updated. they added this entire second floor where i am standing and

look behind me here, every grade level now has its own hall. on a brutally cold morning, kids shuffle into their new school and see that almost nothing looks the same. >> it's awesome. >> reporter: they are excited about a new building and new year. the projects here at canyon park and two others costs $18 million and took many months to complete. >> it's all new supplies and everything, and everything is, like, new. >> reporter: the schools are considered state of the art and environmentally friendly, and all three use a geocooling and heating. and no more sharing space with the gym, and plus a new computer lab and library. one mom who attended garrett

park years ago says what she sees was worth the wait. >> this is a beautiful school. we're very lucky. >> teachers spent much of the morning making last minute tweaks to their classrooms, and 1,300 students in all will be expecting their new digs. >> the little ones are excited about having lockers for the first time. we had an assembly and all they did was asked about the lockers. >> and this dad misses the old garrett park. >> it's nice that it's all new, and, well, so it's a whole new experience for the kids. >> reporter: while renovations were under way, students were taught in temporary facilities, the same facilities where bradley hill and glenn road will now go as their schools will have a similar type of

renovation. d.c. councilman is proposing that all kids take the sats. if the measure is approved the district would have one of the most aggressive requirements in the country for pushing students to pursue college. and we will check in again with tom kierein with the latest on our forecast. >> good morning, and in addition to the heaviest and warmest winter gear, we need your sunglasses. it's a very luminous and bright sky even though there's a lot of bright clouds drifting over now, and those clouds are thicker, and getting a few flurries in the north central blue ridge region, as well as in frederick county and north montgomery county, and temperatures are still very cold. we're just in the 20s now after morning lows that were in the low teens and single digits, and now into the mid and upper 20s.

it will climb another five degrees or so by the afternoon. and, a few flurries are possible this afternoon and evening and then the sun back tomorrow after we bottom out in the mid-20s, and then we will climb to the mid-40s during the afternoon tomorrow, and then on friday, upper 20s in the morning and upper 50s for the high. sunday, monday, tuesday, highs in the 40s and clouds. maybe a few sprinkles sunday night and monday. that's the way it looks right now, barbara. >> thank you, tom. we will take a look at how things are looking on the roads out there. here is danella sealock. >> if you are traveling 50 westbound from 301 to the beltway, you are at 62 miles per hour. i-95 in virginia from prince william parkway to the beltway, you are at 61 miles per hour. and if you are traveling 66 eastbound, you are at 59 miles per hour. the beltway in maryland, i am not seeing any problems here, and same thing in virginia, you

are in the clear, inner loop and outer loop, no issues at this time. back to you. >> thank you. d.c. police are trying to figure out who shot and killed a man inside his home. the deadly shooting happened last night in the 1500 block of 54th street northeast, and that's near the d.c./maryland line. no details have been released about a possible suspect or motive in the murder. it's the second murder in the district this year. prosecutors in germany now say a man accused of a arson spree in los angeles may have caused a arson spree in that country. he is being investigated for a house fire there. police arrested him on monday in l.a. investigators say he set some 52 fires in houses and cars in southern california this past weekend. nobody was hurt. burkhart's mother says her son

is mentally ill. the discarded ashes blamed for killing five people in connecticut were removed from the fireplace so the children would not worry about santa claus coming down from the chimney. the smoldering ambers started the fire that killed the 7-year-old lily, and twins and their grandparents. lomer and pauline were the grandparents killed. a funeral service will be held tomorrow in new york city for the girls. police in montgomery county need your help finding a robber who they call the bandage bandit. they held up a cvs, and he was not after money but wanted prescription drugs. the robber went to the farmly counter and told the farmpharma he had a gun. nobody was hurt.

our time is 11:43. still ahead, are drugs that treat adhd

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and now my favorite old jeans...fit. okay is there a woman i can talk to? [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. get ready to shell out more money for drinks at starbucks. the coffee chain is raising prices about 1% in a number of

markets including the washington region. that arages out to 10 cents for the tall drinks. it adjusts prices on individual markets and factors such as distributions and ingredients and the price to us. stock prices are lower in early trading. let's check in with cnbc's hampton pearson. >> after we had that big first 2012 opening day rally yesterday, we have got the major averages and mildly negative territory for most of the morning, and then in the last minute, we see the do you down seven points and the s&p off two points. banks and technology companies have been the biggest losers including american express company and bank of america. and kodak has seen its stock fall below a dollar per share and could be delisted for the stock exchange. yahoo stock falling 2% after naming the president of ebay's

bay pal division, staut thompson is the new ceo. yahoo has been without a permanent chief executive since september. the internet company has struggled for the last 2 1/2 years to compete with google and facebook. and retail sales were up 5.3%, due to after christmas shopping. they are raising the sales growth estimates for december. and ford motor company saying sales jumped 11% because of strong demand for trucks and suvs. >> have a great day today. >> you, too. >> stay warm. >> yes. more than 1 million adults and 3 million children are prescribed medications to treat

adhd. we have the results of several new studies -- i am not sure what they say. you are going to tell us. >> these are important studies. there has been concern and confusion over the years as to whether we need to worry about using need medications in both adults and kids. about eight years ago or so canada pulled add recall from the market because of concerns that that medication was causing sudden death in kids, and it since has been found not to be the case. >> there are a lot of kids out there who are on those -- >> millions of kids taking these medications. and so what this -- what these studies try to address is is there really a cardiovascular risk. they looked at 150,000 adults taking these medications and compared the likelihood of them having sudden cardiac death or a

heart attack or stroke compared to those that did not take the medication, and there's no increased risk. that's very important for people to be aware of. no risk when you take these medications from a card cardioperspective. >> well, are there side effects? >> the most common side affect really is decreased appetite. there's also some concerns that the medications can slow down growth for kids by about a quarter of an inch per year, but it's felt to be a slowing of growth and not a stunning of growth, so if you are meant to be six feet tall, you are going to be six feet tall but it may take longer to get to that height. >> explain why there are so many children taking them right now? >> well, about 5% to 8% of kids are diagnosed to have adhd, and 50% of them will go on to be

adults to have the problem. so it's a common problem, and that's why so many people are taking these medications. >> because people think the children, they have been diagnosed of being hyperactive and unable to concentrate in school? >> yes, you are either hyperactive or have problems with attentiveness. >> what happened to all of those hyperactive kids in our generation who are out there and working and doing okay now, who didn't have these drugs? >> this is a common argument, right? my hear this one all the time. my answer is that 50% of people do out grow it, so they end up doing okay. there are people that not going on to college or having problems professionally because they continue to experience the symptoms of adhd. it's important to get treatment for this disorder. it's one of the most rewarding things i do in my practice is treating this problem, and if done right it's one of the easiest things to do. you are doing yourself and your

child a disservice if you don't strongly consider going on medication if you have adhd. >> and what would cause you to prescribe that? >> if parents are noticing that homework is a real struggle and their kids are having trouble in school, and talk to the pedestrian trishen and try to get help. >> see you next wednesday. our time is 11:52, and coming up, how to put a python on a diet. plus, storm 4 meteorologist, tom kierein, will be back and look at when we will get relief from the cold. and stay with nbc 4 all afternoon long, bec

a supermarket chain is apologizing to actor alec baldwin. it pulled tv ads featuring the "30 rock" actor after he was kicked off an american airlines flight last month. he was removed from the plane for refusing to turn off his cell phone. baldwin was hired for the ads because his mother who lives in the syracuse area is a loyal custom customer. the commercials will go back on

the air after customers showed an outpouring of support for bau baldwin. and an ad is part of a campaign for a proposed ballot initiative to raise taxes on the wealthiest californians. the ad notes that kardashian made $12 million in 2010, but paid 1% more in california income taxes than somebody making $43,000. well, we're going to take a little more at some of the stories we're following at 4:00 this afternoon. coming up, we're hearing from the newest "celebrity apprentice" members. and then at 5:00, what is your workout. trampolines are not just for kids, as it helps some to slim

down as they bounce around. it's time for a final check of the forecast. >> that gets your blood flowing and you need that today. still in the upper freezing, and a lot of clouds around, and maybe a few flurries later and then the sun back tomorrow and highs warmer, thankfully, up in the low and mid-40s on thursday. near 50 on friday afternoon, and saturday mid-50s, and sunday in the 40s. highs are the 40s on sunday and monday, and maybe a few rain sprinkles. that's how it looks. stay warm. apparently snakes have new year's resolutions, too. this python's goal, lose a little weight. she weighs 302 pounds. it took six people a half hour to carry betty from her enclosure to her annual weigh in. how do you get a snake to shed a few pounds like this?

you feed her fewer goats, we understand. she used to eat ten goats a year, and this year zoo keepers will give her three or four goats to eat. betty can eat an entire goat in half an hour, but takes a week to digests everything. thanks for joining us today. be sure and tune in to news4 at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and tonight at 11:00. all of us will be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m., and i just had it with cable. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. a lot of times, the picture would break up. for the amount of money that i am paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. move up to verizon fios tv, internet and phone for our best price online -- just $89.99 a month guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing!

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