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tv   News 4 Midday  NBC  January 9, 2012 11:00am-12:00pm EST

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good morning, everyone, and welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. it's monday, january 9, 2012. today a montgomery county officer is being honored by congress for bravery. he played a key role in the hostage situation at the discovery channel headquarters in september of 2010. news4's tracee wilkins joins us live at the montgomery county police department with more on this distinguished honor. tell us what's happening. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. every time that these public servicemen are honored, they're always very humbled by it and
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saying i'm not the only person that were involved, there were lots of people there that day, and of course that's true. but when an officer receives an award like this one, it is because his bravery and his decision making stood out. on seth 1st, 2010, lives were saved inside of the discovery building in silver spring. there were a lot of people who contributed to the outcome of that day, and today one of them was honored. >> not just for his bravery but his instincts, what he did. that reflects the character and quality of the individual but also the training of the institution here in montgomery county. >> reporter: the officer was actually off duty when the call came for a suicide bomber entering the discovery building. he says that he quickly went back on duty and then his instincts kicked in. >> being able to gain access to the building by some of the other employees that recognized me. i was able to get a tactical
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advantage coming up to the rear and seeing the subject with his apparatus and gear and being able to relay that vital information. >> today officer payton was presented the congressional medal of bravery acknowledging his good advice and quick thinking. he credits that to his training. >> surprising enough something tim lar to this our department had trained for a week prior. >> reporter: as the standoff stretched on for hours, there were hundreds of armed law enforcement outside of discovery. but it was the man inside who narrated who was happening and eventually told sharpshooters who to aim for that changed the outcome of that day. >> everybody worked as a team. i think that was the big word throughout that -- the whole event. >> reporter: a true hero. he joins 20 other officers across the nation who also are receiving this honor.
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tracee wilkins live this morning, back to you. today a fire at state department under investigation this morning. firefighters were called to the building off 23rd and d streets in northwest washington. around 6:45 this morning. there were reports that smoke was coming from the roof. investigators say a small trash fire was the cause. rescuers treated five people for smoke inhalation and transported one person to the hospital. there were no reports of any major damage. turning to the weather and a cloudy, cold start to this day. tom kierein joins us with our first forecast for midday. >> after all, january is a winter month. it didn't seem like it over the weekend, that's for sure but it certainly is acting like it now. cloudy and cold now and the radar showing some precipitation trying to reach the ground, although much of this in the form of some snow flurries is not reaching the ground. the bright white area tho he in montgomery county, into loudoun county, there is probably some snow beginning to reach the
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ground there but it is moving quickly and temperatures are all above freezing so we shouldn't have any problems other than just some damp streets and roads. right now in the mid and upper 30s all around the region. it is above freezing. reagan national, 39. montgomery, arlington, fairfax counties now mid and upper 30s. upper 30s near the chesapeake way. over to the west, low to mid 30s. freezing from the mountains to the chesapeake bay to the eastern shore. for the rest of the afternoon though we might have sprinkles of rain later this afternoon and temperatures only reaching the low 40s. a very light southeasterly breeze. there may be a little more rain tonight. we'll talk about that. then some changes on the ahere for the rest of the week. all of that coming up in a couple of minutes. we'll look at the weekend, too. checking midday traffic now, see how things are moving out there. >> good morning. couple accidents for you. first start at route 2. shut down in both directions heene harwood drive and harwood
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road. the accident here involves a tanker. please avoid the area if possible. traveling bw parkway, traffic seems to be flowing nicely in the area. beltway jammed early your but right now no problems for you on the outer loop or inner loop. clear, no major delays, definitely no accidents. back to you. >> thank you. politics is usually every man for himself. but with the new hampshire primary just a day away, some candidates seem to be adopting a group strategy. the main target -- front-runner mitt romney. nbc's tracy potts has more this morning from manchester, new hampshire. >> if his record was so great as governor of massachusetts, why didn't you run for re-election? >> for me, politics is not a career. >> can we drop a little bit of the pious baloney? >> reporter: ron paul fed up with the tone of sunday's debate tried to refocus on foreign policy. >> we can't stayed in 130
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countries, get involved in nation building. we cannot have 9 h00 bases overseas. >> romney and gingrich clashed over negative ads. >> i think the rhetoric was a little over ot top. >> you think my rhetoric was over the top but your ads were totally reasonable. >> reporter: gingrich says today he'll release a youtube video listing all of romney's tax hikes as governor. >> i am prepared to say i am a reagan conservative. he is a massachusetts moderate. that seems to actually hurt as much as his ads. >> reporter: jon huntsman confronted romney's criticism that he sevrved as china ambassador under president obama. >> let's just be honest about it. i put my country first. apparently mitt romney doesn't believe in putting country first. >> mitt romney's the hope for america's future. >> reporter: romney's fighting back with help from knowledge knowledge governor chris christie and former rival tim pawlenty. but new hampshire is a tough crowd and not everyone here is backing him. >>ly not vote for mitt romney. i think the fact that he just won't show his tax returns, i
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think he has something to hide. >> the next two debates are in south carolina. if in fact romney wins here in new hampshire, the other campaigns admit he could be hard to stop there. tracy potts, nbc news, manchester, new hampshire. romney is taking the heat as he rides a double-digit lead into the final day of campaigning. but as iowa proved, the picture is constantly changing for the gop candidates and could again be something different by the close of the polls tomorrow night. a closer look now at where the candidates stand. >> good morning. a new poll out this morning by nbc affiliate 7news and suffolk journalist gives the hopefuls their last snapshot of what voters are thinking. it also shows just how much has changed in a matter of a month. mitt romney still sits on top of the poll at 35%, but that is down just 3% from a month ago. and meanwhile, ron paul has seen a huge rise now in second place after sitting in fourth for the last month. now jon huntsman who is banking
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his whole campaign on new hampshire sits in third at 11%. but perhaps the biggest surprise may be the fall of newt gingrich. at one point the former speaker was polling second behind romney but has now fallen to fourth and only has support of 9% of the voters. gingrich spoke to matt lauer on the "today" show this morning. >> this is his third best state after utah and massachusetts. if he were not to win here or if it is very, very close, which it could be because he's been sliding now for four days, i think it is a defeat for him. think his position is more precarious this morning, based at least from a suffolk poll. he's clearly not moving towards a decisive win and he may be moving towards a really surprisingly weak -- >> of course all of this could change again before voters even head to the polls tomorrow. 15% of voters in new hampshire say they are still undecided. >> all right, thank you. this morning, police still need your help finding those
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responsible for shooting and killing a 19 yearly man for his nikes. the deadly shooting happened early yesterday morning in the 5700 block of foote street in northeast washington. he was robbed at gunpoint for his sneakers, police report. the mayor made the announcement last night at a candlelight vigil to prevent gun violence. >> circumstances are not only tragic, they are incredibly, incredibly disquieting. he was robbed by the perpetrator who was not apprehended as yet, but he was robbed for his nike tennis shoes. >> the audience gasped when the mayor announced the news. d.c. police are offering a $25,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest and conviction. this is the third homicide of the new year in the district. maryland police have charged four men with illegal hunting after one of their friends was
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accidentally shot in prince george's county. it happened saturday afternoon in a wooded area near route 210 and old fort road in fort washington. police say one of the hunters accidentally shot his friend in the stomach and knee, he is expected to be okay though. the shooter is charged with negligent hunting and hunting without written permission, while the other three also face charges. ten minutes after 11:00 is our time right now. a rare public appearance for representative gabrielle giffords and the trooil communi community trying to heal one year after the shooting that left her injured.
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four new congressional seats an american man has received a death sentence in iran for allegedly spying. an iranian court says the former u.s. marine received special training from military forces in
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iraq and afghanistan before heading to iran for his alleged mission. he and his parents deny the charges and the u.s. state department wants him released immediately. he now has 20 days to file an appeal in iran. congresswoman gabrielle giffords led a candlelight vigil one year after the tragic shooting that killed six people and left her and 12 others injured. >> -- to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> last night thousands of people turned out to honor the victims in tucson. giffords was in the middle of a meet-and-greet event at a grocery store when the alleged gunman jared loughner filed that shot hitting her in the head. over the past year she had to relearn how to walk and talk. maryland lawmakers kick off another legislative session this
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wednesday and two potentially controversial topics will be front and center. a bill legalizing same-sex marriage is to be reintroduced. last year it passed in the senate but died in the house. but this year governor martin o'malley is expected to put his name on the bill. also there could be a major gas tax hike to pay for transportation projects. it is currently at 23.5 cents a gallon and to jump to 38.5 cents a gallon. virginia's legislative session also starts on wednesday. it is a budget writing year and governor bob mcdonnell has plans to put education at the top of the list. what's likely to get most of the attention is a controversial personhood bill defining conception as the beginning of life. opponents say this bill is an effort to outlaw abortion in the state of virginia. a controversial book out tomorrow describes first lady michelle obama's relationship with white house staff. it's called "the obamas" by jodi
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kantor. "the new york times" writers says it was her goal to write the book from the first lady's perspective. >> the tension was not the kind of spectacular tension we see, you know, on tv shows and in television. it was very muffled. they had a kind of distanced relationship and the truth about those two figures is that they were philosophical foils. they had two different visions of the presidency. a wife and a chief of staff are in some sense the president's two spouses. >> did she ever -- meaning mrs. obama -- communicate her displeasure or dissatisfaction directly with rahm emanuel or were these things that were spoken in back corridors? >> my impression from my reporting is much more back corridors. >> kantor says the book is based on interviews with 30 current and former staffers. president obama and the first
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lady declined to be interviewed. the white house called the book an overdramatization of old news. we are enjoying a revisit from winter out there this morning after spring joined us for the weekend. it was kind of nice to see that. >> for about 36 hours, did feel like spring over the weekend. got to 68 on saturday. incredible. that brought a lot of people out. i was out biking and i was joined by many others who were out, too, on saturday. it started getting chillier yesterday, then last evening looking off in the eastern sky, maybe you saw something like this -- the full moon was rising. i took this shot just after sunset. that gorgeous full moon came up. before we had a lot of clouds that did come in. if you do have an interesting weather shot, send it to weather@nbcwashington.com. right now we have a cloudy sky over capitol hill. that's a live view from the sky watcher camera. a lot of clouds around. 39 right now at reagan national. we've got the humanity coming up
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just a little bit and on the radar we do have some of this precipitation trying to reach the ground, although many locations, this is aloft. and it is just drying up as it is coming down. right now there is a little light snow from near wheaton, kensington, bethesda, cross the potomac river. that area very, very light snow is drifting off to the south and east. maybe some sprinkles trying to reach the ground, this area in blue. across charles county and points south and west into virginia, southern prince william getting a few sprinkles. this will continue to drift off to the east and pull away. lot of clouds around. it is certainly chilly compared to the weekend. we're still in the 30s much of the region but it is above freezing montgomery, fairfax, arlington, prince george's county now in the upper 30s most areas, near 40 near the
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chesapeake bay. we had a few breaks in the clouds earlier this morning but now it is all cloudy around most of the region and it is going to stay that way the rest of the afternoon. going forward over the next 48 hours this area of color moving through here, these are zones of mostly light rain coming in this afternoon, this evening. then by midnight it should be all pretty much gone. then the clouds break up. by dawn tomorrow we'll be off to a sunny start and we'll have a beautiful day on tuesday and it will be a bit warmer than today. afternoon highs tuesday up around 50. then on wednesday, an area of low pressure coming in bringing in clouds, this whole area of green is rain. does look like later in the morning, rain across virginia, west virginia, then into maryland and the district by late morning. that's going to continue, advancing on through the region through the day on wednesday. little bit of light rain, cloudy this afternoon. temperatures only reaching the low 40s. we'll have a southeasterly breeze around 5 miles per hour. then this evening, sunset 5:04. cloudy. any rain will be ending by midnight and we'll fall from near 40 early evening down to
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the mid 30s by midnight. as we clear out, near 30 by dawn on tuesday. then tomorrow should be bright and sunny and a bit milder. upper 40s to near 50 degrees during the afternoon. then that rain coming in on wednesday, we could pick up an inch of rain but i don't think that's enough for any flooding. certainly quite a bit of a wet day on wednesday from the late morning into the evening. highs just in the upper 40s or so on wednesday. then that rain should quickly end by dawn thursday and some sun coming back by thursday afternoon. a bit milder again, up into the low, maybe mid 50s on thursday. then after that, it is going to be turning much colder for friday into saturday and sunday. down into the 20s on friday morning, frye afternoon partly cloudy near 40. then on saturday, only the low 20s in the morning. afternoon highs upper 30s with quite a bit of sunshine. on sunday, cold again, low 20s in the morning. afternoon highs in the upper 30s. throughout the day you can follow me on twitter. i have all the latest weather,
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science, technology and nature news. january acting like a winter month again. >> it almost felt like snow could come this morning. >> it is trying to reach the ground. we're getting a few flurries on radar now. let's head out to the roads again. what's going on out there? >> we still have a couple problems in maryland. first route 2 still shut down in both directions between harwood drive and harwood road. avoid the area if possible. traveling 295 northbound this time at i-195, still seeing an accident there but also seeing a lot of green which means not seeing any delays as of right now which is really good so that accident has probably moved over to the roadway. let's head over to a live look at i-95. no issues north or southbound in virginia. travel speeds at 61 miles per hour. if you're crossing over the 14th street bridge and making your way into the city, so far you are nice and clear. no issues to report at this
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time. 11:21 is the time. still ahead on "news4 midday," we'll tell you about a place that's providing help for parents with children with intellectual disabilities. plus, what happens when this bowler just doesn't have a bowling ball that doesn't want to cooperate. but first, here's what's hot on nbcwashington.com. one woman, one powerful savings tool, one chance to hunt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name your price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today.
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that's how not to win a pro bowling world championship. this was rookie pba bowler josh blanchard's first world championship qualifier. it is perhaps a moment he'd rather forget. he did manage to get up and finish the frame. you might say that instead of throwing a gutter ball, this time he threw a gutter man. a new baby girl for beyonce and husband jay-z has created a buzz on social media sites. according to e news, the couple rented out an entire floor of lennox hill hospital in new york and delivered by c-section on saturday night. they named their daughter blue ivy carter. the name became a trending topic on twitter most of sunday. one person even created a fake account under the baby's name. blue ivy. the duchess of cambridge is
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turning 30 years old today. she spent last night, sunday night, attending the london premier of steven spielberg's movie "war horse" with her husband prince william. palace officials say she'll celebrate with a low-key private affair. 11:26 the time now. coming up in the next half-hour of "news4 midday," we have new information on the murder mystery on the property of the royal family. plus, drug shortages. why parents are struggling to find adhd medication for their children. tom kierein is back with how long these cloudy, cold temperatures are going to stick
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right now on "news4 midday," montgomery county police officer edward payton has received a congressional honor for his role in the discovery channel hostage situation. payton was off duty when he went back into the building and helped other officers take out the suspect. payton was awarded the congressional badge of bravery. with less than 24 hours until the new hampshire primary, candidates are taking aim at front-runner mitt romney. he leads most polls by double digits over ron paul and jon huntsman. but with 15% of voters still undecided, things could change quickly between now and tomorrow night. today virginia governor bob mcwill lay out his goals for the commonwealth public schools.
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he is scheduled to discuss his k through 12 agenda at 12:00 this afternoon. the governor said the state funding for schools would increase slightly. he also told the virginia board of education schools should continue to focus on science, technology, engineering, math, business and health care so students can lay the groundwork for pursuing jobs in mooi high-d fields. getting your prescription drugs could get a little more challenging because of a drug shortage. doctors and pharmacists are sounding the alarms now. medications for a.d.d. and adhd may become harder to get. >> reporter: for parents like linda whose two sons have adhd, the past few months have been rough. >> we have not been able to get my son's adhd medication. we were told it was on back order and they had no idea when it was going to come available. >> reporter: she's not alone. there is a nationwide shortage forcing parents like linda to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy.
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she even rations pills to her sons on weekends. the demand for these medications is higher than ever with more than 51.5 million prescriptions written in 2010. that's up 11% from the year before. why is this happening? there are more patients, fewer companies making pills, and production glitches. and there's a growing underground market for these drugs with college students using them as performance boosters. >> somehow i think the government has to get involved and monitor this medication more closely so that the people who really immediate it and have prescriptions for it can get it. >> reporter: complicating the issue, the drug enforcement administration, which regulates these drugs because they can be addictive. critics say the drugs are too tightly controlled by production quotas that determine how many pills can be made per year. >> i think that the dea needs to loosen their production quotas recognizing that they don't serve the purpose that they tend to and recognizing they are really just creating these kinds of shortages. >> reporter: last month the dea
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responded raising quotas hoping to improve the situation. then saying, an adequate supply of quota currently exists and any current shortages are a result of manufacturing and distribution decisions may by industry." the dea points to hundreds of other drugs that it doesn't regulate that are also in short supply, including drugs for heart disease, cancer, even anesthesia. the pharmaceutical industry says it has long worked to prevent drug shortages in advance and will continue to work closely with the fda to prevent manufacturing disruptions. but for linda, none of this agency squabbling helps her at all. >> it's disheartening. it's not fair to the children. it's not fair to the parents. >> reporter: but fair or not, linda and thousands of other parents and patients are stuck in a medication waiting game. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. a drug that builds muscle in mice may also one day prevent a heat stroke from happening.
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researchers at baylor found the so-called couch potato pill also protects mice against malignant hyperthermia. the condition can be deadly when there is a rise in body temperature that could cause a heat stroke. the finding may eventually lead to a prevent drug for athletes trying to play in extreme heat or soldiers in the desert who must wear heavy gear. we're going to check in again now with tom kierein with the latest on our forecast. we don't have to worry about heat strooek stro stroke around here right now. >> really got cold overnight. under this cloud cover, this gray january day pick up here by this live view, there's the national cathedral there in the distance, off to the right in the distance is the washington monument. the potomac river under this cloudy sky. it is cold. most locations are still in the 30s and the radar showing some precipitation trying to reach the ground. that bright white area there in northern prince george's county
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out of southern montgomery may be producing a few flurries reaching the ground. farther to the south area of green, that's a zone of some light rain trying to reach the ground in southern prince william county. charles, calvert, northern st. mary's and across the potomac to the south there is some light rain around fredericksburg, farther east, too, that extends across the bay. few other flurries across the shenandoah valley, in the mountains. any other flurry activities is melting when it hits the ground because it is above freezing. but a rather raw and cold day and highs only low 40s. sprinkles of light rain maybe this afternoon and evening. sunshine back tomorrow. rain likely wednesday. sun returns again thursday and then cold and dry friday into the weekend, highs only 30s. morning lows the 20s. >> tom, thank you. recent weeks of falling gas
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prices appear to be over. according to aaa, prices are holding steady at $3.50 a gallon in the district. virginia's average also went up about a penny to $3.28 a gallon. the average is currently at $3.48 a gallon in west virginia. people are driving new government facilities could get paid to ease the traffic. according to invite the northern virginia regional commission partnered with a company under which participating drivers would get $25 worth of gas a month. passengers would get to car pool five times for free. then pay drivers $1 per pick-up and 20 cents per mile. officials hope to recruit 1,000 riders and 500 drivers for a six-month pilot program. let's see how the cars are moving around out there right
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now. let's see what's happening. good morning. >> good morning. nice commute on the wilson bridge. inner loop or outer loop, not seeing any issues for you. if you're taking the wilson bridge, inner loop and outer look in virginia, you're at 55 miles per hour. still seeing all of your lanes blocked. route 2, solomon's island. this is the scene earlier. tanker had an accident and this is route 2, north and southbound, still shut down at this moment between harwood drive and harwood road. that's route 2 solomon eye rand road. back over to you. drivers getting out of downtown washington the ride just got a little easier. the 11th street bridge project will allow drivers to connect to interstate 295 from the freeway without a need to merge. inbound bridge opened last
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month. later this year ddot will also include pathways for pedestrians and for bicycles as well. some bad news for those waiting for wireless internet on the vre. officials say they no longer have firm plans to bring wi-fi to the commuter trains. originally there was a plan to bring limited wi-fi to trains last spring, but now it is not considered a high priority item. vre's ceo says he's surveyed riders and discovered they wouldn't use the wi-fi if it wasn't free. he added that uninterrupted service on the trains might not even be possible. montgomery county police are asking for your help in finding a missing woman who functions at the level of an 11-year-old. this 19-year-old woman disappeared on saturday. she was seen in the afternoon walking in gaithersburg. she was wearing a a pink hooded jacket and jeans. police don't suspect foul play
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but they say it is unusual for her not to call her family. if you have any information, please call montgomery county police at 301-279-8000. police in england identify the human remains that were found on queen elizabeth's estate, they belong to a 17-year-old female who vanished from a nearby town back in august. police say they still don't know how the remains got there or exactly how the girl died. new video is out today showing a woman's daredevil stunt that almost turned tragic. she tried to bungee jump over victoria falls bridge in zimbabwe in africa but her bungee cord broke. the woman leaped off the span about 360 feet high and went down to about 65 feet under water. she said landing on the water felt like her body had been slapped. >> it went black.
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straight away. i felt like i had been slapped all over. i actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught into. >> the woman was able to swim to safety. rescuers later flew her to a hospital to be treated. the company separating the bungee jump said it is investigating the accident. the hype surrounding tim tebow seemed to be fading as the regular season ended but some magic happened yesterday. the controversial quarterback head of t had the broncos going to the next round. >> it's thomas at the 50! to the 30! to the 20! thomas to the 10! denver's going on to new england! >> tim tebow hit his wide receiver with a pass on the first play of overtime for an 80 yd-yard touchdown. the broncos actually led by 14
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at the half but the steelers came back to force overtime. denver now heads to new england to play the patriots next saturday. the wizards are still looking for their first win of the season after the 93-72 loss to the timberwolves last night. they've now dropped to 0-8. the worst start to a season in franchise history. half of those games the team has lost by 18 points or more. they'll try again for their first win tomorrow against the toronto raptors. our time is now 11:40. still ahead on "news4 midday," help for parents with children with disabilities. plus, a glimpse into the future of this year's detroit auto show. what is noticeably absent this year. stay with us, we're coming right back. here's a friendly reminder. it's your last chance to get verizon's reliable high speed internet and phone for small business for only $84.99 a month. call 1.866.solutions now or visit verizon.com/solutions. only $84.99 for high-speed internet and phone.
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plus your choice of either no annual contract or a two year price guarantee. call 1.866.solutions or visit verizon.com/solutions today. hurry -- this offer won't last long. contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 1-800-974-6006
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job seekers need to act quickly. target is hiring 200 employees for its new store in krof ton. the retailer is having a jobs fair at the comfort inn in the 4500 block of crain highway in bowie, maryland. onsite interviews. the fair runs through thursday. new target opens in march. car enthusiasts are revving their engines as the detroit auto show kicks off today. this year good fuel mileage is the name of the game as nbc's janelle klein reports. >> reporter: small cars, big
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expectations. that's the focus at this year's detroit auto show where 40 new models are making their debut. >> the first thing everybody will notice is a very upbeat spirit because the year ended on a very high note for auto sales and especially the big three. >> reporter: what they're show region practical cars, mid size sedans and small suvs that are affordable both to buy and to drive. with gas prices still high, auto makers are pushing hybrid cars and those that get good mileage. >> fuel economy that the really big issue here. everything is all about fuel economy. >> reporter: americans are buying with car sales at their best in three years. many are tempted by incentives and cheap loans. millions of others have aging cars they need to replace. >> people are driving really old cars. the average age is almost 11 years old. an age we've never seen. so we think there's pent-up demand that just is absolutely going to force people to buy new cars. >> reporter: one thing missing at this year's show -- trucks
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and full-size suvs. shoppers aren't buying either so automakers are counting on smaller cars to give them big sales. not only is this year's auto show important for u.s. automakers, in an election year it is also key for u.s. politicians. more than a dozen lawmakers are here, including four governors. in detroit, janelle klein, nbc news. stock prices are down this morning. we'll check in with cnbc's courtney reagan live with more on that. she has the rest of the day's business headlines, too. >> good morning. stocks actually little changed at this point in the trading day, down but just slightly. that's ahead of the unofficial earnings season kickoff that happens after the bell today when alcoa reports their quarterly earnings. and as has been the case, europe is still on investors' minds. french president sarkozy and german chancellor angela merkel are meeting in berlin today trying to come to plans to resolve europe's debt crisis. so far the talk is fairly
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positive. walmart wants to help you with your taxes. the retail giant is opening in-store kree yofks with h&r block and jackson hewitt offering preparation for simple 1040-e tax forms. how do you like your chicken nuggets? how about grilled? chick-fil-a will announce today it is adding grilled chicken nuggets to its kids's menu as fast food chains scramble to show parents they can offer healthier food alternatives. a four-pack has 80 calories. fruit cups and a new option apple sauce will be available as side dishes. i would take chick-fil-a in any form. we only have one in all of new york city and it is at the nyu student union. >> you found your way there, i guess. huh? >> i have! i have found it. >> they do make wonderful chicken sandwiches. >> have a great day. >> thank you. you, too. it's become a safe haven for
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children with with intellectual disabilities and for their families as well. it's called jill's house, and parents of disabled children can take advantage of the services at jill's house when they need a rest. jill's house's co-founder joins us along with the mother of a special needs child to talk about this very unique place that a lot of people are celebrating the -- i just lost an earrings. it seems to happen at least once a day. welcome, good to have you both with us. >> thank you. >> i want to know, brenda, i know that you and your husband came up with this idea but a lot of other people sort of fed into it and it made it happen. how did you come up with the idea? >> well, really it came out of our life with jill. when jill was born i had no idea what -- >> this is your daughter. >> our daughter, jill. she was born in 1992. i had no idea what families what were raising children with disabilities was going through. just never crossed my mind. >> tell us a little bit about jill. what was her -- >> well, she looked fine at
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birth but at 3 months she started having seizures in her hands. then they grew to grand mal seizures and then multiple seizures every day and it just did damage because of the seizures. >> you knew it was a 24/7 job to take care of a child who has needs. >> oh, my gosh. i understand the sleepless nights. the trips to the er several times a week. the stays in the hospital. i mean i had no idea. no idea before then. but i understand now. i understand the exhaustion that sets in when you can see no light at the end of the tunnel. >> sonya, you've had a similar experience with a daughter as well, is that right? >> i have. i have a daughter wenl emily, w had no inkling at birth that there was anything amiss. but shortly after birth and in the ensuing years it became clear how severe her cognitive and neurological and
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intellectual disabilities would be. >> but as mothers, you gave them all your love and gave them all your time and attention, but you know what it means to need to get away. >> oh, my gosh. >> jill's house came to be. you just said, hey, let's make this happen for other parents? >> well, i realized someone -- a group of friends stepped in, helped us to get a break. after 2 1/2 years i came to the end of myself. i just couldn't do anymore physically, emotionally. i don't know how parents do it without help. i just knew i wanted to help something to help these communities and the parents and these children. these children are near and dear to the heart of god and we won'ted to do this to show the love of god to these families and these children i wanted it more than the parents getting a break. i wanted it to and fun, special place for these kids to come to. >> sonya, tell us about how your daughter's experience has been there. what is it like? >> well, the way i would
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describe it is, it's a cross between the love and the warmth of going to grandma's house and the look of ecstasy that i saw in my son's eyes the first time woe went to disney world. literally it is that level of joy for these children that don't have any other place that's built especially and exclusively for them. they think of every detail and for a daughter like mine, my daughter can't communicate. she never cried as a baby. ever. so she never developed any form of communication. she has no sign language. she can't walk or talk or feed herself. she's 16 now. she's not potty trained. but when she -- we have seen in the last year a joy in her, an anticipation of going to jill's house that she understands that there's something new in her life. something to look forward to.
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>> so many activities that you provide. this has to be an expensive operation. who is funding this? >> well, jill's house was created and maintained by individual donors and foundation grants. we get no real funds from the state or federal money or anything like that. >> i understand you don't turn anyone away. >> no one. no one. all children between 6 and 17 with an intellectual disability are welcome and encouraged to use the facility. >> how can parents get more information? >> go to jillshouse.org. it gives you all the contact information, brings up new things happening at jill's house, recent stories from parents and i think that would be the best way. >> do you need volunteers? >> we need lots of volunteers. we have 600 active volunteers as well as 65 full and part-time employees at jill's house. >> we are so happy that you brought this story of jill's house to us. i know working with wednesday's child there are a lot of
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families, even foster families, who need this kind of help. so congratulations. on it being such a success and hopefully lots of good luck in the future. thank you for coming. 11:52. still ahead, information on restaurant week in d.c. plus, meteorologist tom kierein will be back with another check of the chance of rain today. and stay with us all afternoon long. at 3:00, ellen salutes the deputy that caught the l.a. arsonist
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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
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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.
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foodies, get your knives and forks ready because d.c. restaurant week starts today. participating restaurants will offer a three-course meal for $20.12 for lunch and $35.12 for dinner. dozens of local eateries are taking part but you better make a reservation quickly as many restaurants are already reporting that they're booked for the entire week. restaurant weekends on sunday. it could be life changing, even life saving. nbc 4's health and fitness expo is just around the corner now. this year's event is being held january 14th and 15th at the walter e. washington convention center in northwest washington. admission is free. doors will open from 9:00 a.m.,
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close at 5:00 p.m. both days. today, a search and rescue dog is getting a break after going missing for a few days. this is vito, the german shepherd. he went missing on thursday while chasing a fox at white marsh fox in bowie. a man working nearby found the dog and called police after seeing a news report. saturday night the man met veto's handlers at a gas station to return him. veto is still in training and he's got big paws to fill. he's set to replace his dad, zarro, on fairfax county's urban search and rescue dog team so he's in training for that. taking a look now at some of the stories we're following on news4 this afternoon. pat lawson joins us from the newsroom with a preview of things to come. welcome back. >> thank you. good to be back. come being up at 4:00, access hollywood's billy bush joins us live with hollywood reaction to beyonce's baby's name. the fda has a warning today after one company's pill mix-up
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with popular painkillers. you'll want to hear about that. then at 5:00, a popular local store announces it is shutting down and the gift cards that have been sold are now worthless. what are your rights as a consumer? those stories, plus the latest from new hampshire where the candidates spent the day stumping for votes in tomorrow's republican primary. back to you, barbara. >> thank you, pat. it is time for a final check on our forecast. tom's right here. >> we've got a variety of weather going on right now. it is cloudy and cold and radar showing those areas in white, a few flurries in the district of columbia and northern prince george's county, southern loudoun county, northern pins wi prince william and farther west. spri sprinkles of light rain and it is all above freezing so any snow falling is quickly melting.
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now 40 at reagan national. later today only the low 40s with some more sprinkles of rain that may be off and on into this evening. then sun back tomorrow. more rain on wednesday. probably a lot more, maybe over an inch. then sun back thursday and mile but cold and dry friday into the weekend. see you tomorrow morning. have a good day. >> we will see you tomorrow morning. that's "news4 midday" for today. we thank you for being with us and invite you to tune in for news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, then tonight at 11:00. we'll be back tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. until then have a terrific day and we'll see you in the morning.
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