handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. the snow could be falling in just a few hours in parts of our area. >> storm 4 meteorologist veronica johnson is monitoring. what are we expecting later tonight? >> thanks, guys. the start time on this very important because a lot of folks have plans tonight. the way it looks right now is we take a look at storm 4 doppler with moisture sitting down to the south. we've got moisture off to the north and west. of course off to the north and west it's white and cold enough for some snow there. a lot of the moisture with this storm system that we're going to have starting tonight and running through a good part of saturday is going to be coming up from the south. you can see it there around raleigh, charlotte, atlanta, georgia. and it is mild down there. there will be some milder air coming into the system. but not at first. at first it's the cold air that will be winning out. right now the way it looks is after about 10:00, 11:00 p.m. tonight we'll start to see some snow fall around the area. probably in our western suburbs first. areas off to areas like rap

hannic and culpepper county but by morning everything from snow to sleet and freezing rain. because of that the national weather service has issued a winter weather advisory starting tonight and running through saturday. pretty much for the entire area. so again what we're going to get first is the snow starting late tonight. a little bit of sleet mixing in. then freezing rain is going to be taking over by the time we get to about 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning. that's what's going to have some problems on area roadways all throughout this area and up to the north. so if you've got travel plans for spots into pennsylvania, off to the west and into west virginia it's likely it is going to be slick on area roads tomorrow morning especially the secondary roads that aren't going to get a chance to get treated. use caution. we're at 35 degrees right now. mostly cloudy skies. a little light wind out there now. it's out of the northeast throughout the weekend an easterly wind. a general easterly wind that's going to continue to allow us to

stay very moist throughout the area. so saturday is not the only day that we have to worry about. here's a look at your good night forecast. we're down to 33 by 7:00. flurries by 9:00 with a temperature of 32 degrees. and then snow for 11:00 p.m. and again that snow is going to continue coming up in a couple minutes we'll talk amounts and what else we could see on sunday. back to you guys in the studio. >> thanks, veronica. road crews are going to be ready for winter weather we do get. the city of fairfax tells us the primary roads and some residential areas will be pretreated tonight. that same goes for prince george's county. now to the republican race for president with just a day to go before the south carolina primary. a race that seems certain is now in flux. mitt romney had hoped to wrap up the nomination tomorrow. now he is struggling and newt gingrich appears to be on a roll. steve handelsman is in columbia, south carolina, with the latest.

>> reporter: mitt romney has to lower expectations. >> i love this country. i love you for being out here in the rain. let's go out there and win. >> reporter: the day before the south carolina primary romney is no longer polling like a sure winner. >> right now it looks like it's neck and neck. that's a pretty good spot to be in. >> reporter: in fact, if newt gingrich wins, it shakes up the gop race. at lizard's thicket cafe in lexington today where there's liver pudding with the eggs and grits the guys in the corner are switching to the former speaker. >> i think i'm going to go for gingrich. >> i believe newt has found forgiveness and the past is past. >> reporter: but you like that he's tough. >> i do. >> reporter: past is past. that's what some say about last night's allegations. >> let me be quite clear. the story is false. >> reporter: gingrich's second wife claimed he asked her to accept his affair with calista who is now mrs. gingrich. do south carolina voters care? >> i'm more interested in getting obama out of office than

i am anything else right now. >> reporter: rick santorum charged gingrich is radioactive because he's erratic. >> we can't have a president every day coming up with a brand new idea of looking at things completely differently than you were for the day before. >> reporter: in charleston, where former candidate herman cain and faux candidate steven colbert having fun in south carolina. >> here comes the rain. oh, my goodness. >> reporter: while some can't wait for the contest here to end. adding to the pressure, popular south carolina gop senator jim demint declared today whoever wins here tomorrow will be the republican nominee. i'm steve handelsman, news 4, columbia. stocks ended the day mixed. investors weighed positive economic news at home while waiting for a resolution on that -- on those debt talks in greece. at last check the dow was up 93 points, lifted in part by ibm. the nasdaq was down three points and the s&p 500 up about half a point.

google and general electric stock fell short of expectations. ge is a part owner of nbc. a huge victory for internet companies and search engines. senate majority leader harry reid postponed next week's vote on that controversial anti-piracy bill. this comes after a week of online protests. wikipedia and other major websites voluntarily blocked access to their content in protest of that bill. the stop online piracy act or sopa would give the government authority to monitor and shut down websites accused of distributing pirated content and stop illegal downloads. now at least a half dozen senators who initially sponsored the measure say they oppose it. hundreds of firefighters are working around the clock to hold back a raging wildfire in reno, nevada. the fire started yesterday and fueled by high winds it's destroyed dozens of homes and buildings. it's forced thousands to evacuate their homes and it

interrupted a speech by vice president joe biden who was in town for an event. jay gray has the latest from reno. >> reporter: pushed by winds gusting over 80 miles an hour, flames continued swallowing everything in their path outside of reno, nevada. >> those are hurricane force winds. it was extremely difficult working conditions, you know, visibility was next to nothing. >> reporter: and what firefighters can see through the smoke is not good. >> in excess of 20 homes that were damaged and destroyed. over 3700 acres that were impacted. >> reporter: janice still isn't sure if her home survived. >> the fire was moving faster than i expected and all of a sudden it was by my house. it was over the ridge and then the lady came by and the fire truck said you have to leave now. >> reporter: at least one death is blamed on the blaze that started just after noon thursday and quickly raged out of control. initially at least 10,000 people were evacuated including vice president joe biden who could

smell the smoke as he spoke at a local high school. >> they have just told me, if i don't let you guys get out of here relatively soon, they're going to make you get out of here. >> reporter: the school gym was converted to a command center for firefighters. more than 700 continued to work the front lines today fighting to control the flames and forecasters say they could get some help. the winds have leveled off and there's a good chance of snow and rain in the area. but many are concerned the hardest work is still to come. >> the biggest worry pushing on forward is really getting residents back in their houses and trying to get the community back to normal. it's going to take quite a bit of time. there is a lot of damage here. >> reporter: and a very real possibility of even more damage before the fire is out. jay gray, nbc news. some have described her as one of the greatest singers of all time. legendary blues and jazz singer etta james died today after a

long battle with leukemia at the age of 73. ♪ oh, some got a hold on me child and don't want to let go ♪ ♪ you know he want my love you know he talk like love ♪ ♪ at last my love has come and gone ♪ >> etta james began her career in the 1950s and is best known for her jazzie rendition of that song "at last." through the years, she won six grammys and she was the -- one of the first women voted into the rock 'n roll hall of fame. close friends say james died at a california hospital this morning with her husband and her sons by her side. rescue operations resumed this afternoon onboard the capsized

cruise ship off the coast of italy. operations have been on and off all day as crews look for the 21 people who are still missing. rescuers are racing against the clock as the ship continues to slip off an under water ledge keeping it afloat. duncan golistani has an update from italy. >> reporter: the big question here today is the costa concordia slipping further under water? overnight more movement was detected and it was enough to stop the divers from going beneath the surface to search the decks. of course that means a longer wait for the families of the 21 passengers who are still missing. >> during the night the ship moved a little bit so we decided to suspend the operation just for the safety of the rescue team. >> reporter: the ship is resting in two parts but the rest is unsupported so using robots and sonar experts are trying to establish whether it's just vibrations or if the ship is

physically moving. that would be incredibly dangerous because it's only about four feet away from a steep ledge down. coast guards here tell us tomorrow they hope divers can go back beneath the surface and they want to look at deck three, an important area because that's where the life boats were. duncan golistani, nbc news, giglio, italy. in news 4 your health this afternoon doctors are redefining what it means to be autistic. that change could mean less aid for people with the condition. experts at the american psychiatric association are trying to create just one category for autism. they want it to be autism spectrum disorder. the change would eliminate other types such as asperger's syndrome a high functioning form of autism. it would also make it tougher to be diagnosed with autism. opponents fear the change could eliminate government support for some patients but some experts say the current definition has led to an exaggerated amount of autism cases. >> when news 4 at 4:00 continues this afternoon, a hungry zebra

nibbles on the neck of a tourist on safari. and the video is gone viral. we'll hear from the woman. ♪ so in love with you president obama knocks 'em dead as he channels al greene at the apollo. plus last night's "30 rock" episode mocks one of its actors and it's a real-life and it's a real-life controversy.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. we can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.

cameras were rolling when a hungry zebra took a safari visitor by surprise and bit her neck. >> i have like crumbs. ow! he bit my shoulder. oh, my god! >> megan sweetman just got a tad too close to the zebra at the exotic ranch in texas. she said she was feeding the animals at first and turned her back. she described the zebra encounter on the "today" show this morning. >> i was trying to get a picture with the zebra before that. he had stuck his head in and got in the bag so i thought it was a good idea to get a picture with him. and i turned my back and he was hungry. >> lo and behold. >> sweetman didn't have any

problems. the safari gave her some ointment. she says she initially posted the video to give friends and family a good laugh but it's been viewed some 250,000 times. president obama had his own personal night at the apollo last night. he attended a fundraiser at the historic theater in harlem and noted one of his favorite a & b singers was in the audience, reverend al green. then he sang a line from green's classic "let's stay together." ♪ i-i so in love with you [ cheering ] >> those guys didn't think i would do it. i told you i was going to do it. >> well, don't count on any one of the gop candidates for president singing that to him.

but that audience clearly loved it. ♪ he can already see him holding that trophy taking that ♪ >> it's a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n roll. carrie underwood and steven tyler teaming up for a tv special. tyler the lead singer of aero smith and underwood a country music star. they also joined forces last year during the academy of country music awards. the awards keep rolling in for the silent black and white movie "the artist" scooping up three big prizes at the london film critics circle last night including best director and actor and best film. the movie had already won three golden globes last weekend and received the most nominations for britain's bafta awards the british equivalent of the oscars. no one is beyond the mocking of nbc's "30 rock" including its own cast members. >> our community is mobilized

now and we're not leaving until we're heard! >> actor trace morgan who found himself in hot water last year over anti-gay remarks was the object of ridicule on the show for making gay-oriented jokes. tina fey's character publicly admonished morgan as being an idiot incapable of hate. that sparked morgan to lead a protest of his own on the show. in real life morgan apologized for his anti-gay remarks during a comedy routine. and now it's time to talk love with ellen mccarthy of "the washington post." always good to see you. >> you, too, pat. >> always nice to talk about love and weddings. our wedding couple this week didn't get together for love but that all changed? >> yeah. in fact, they said they're a really interesting pair. kit and benn met each other at a bar where they were becoming

regulars and kept hanging out and became sort of on again off again companions. one day she sort of realized we could share health care which would make sense for both of them. they both had problems with mental illness in the past and were on some medication. and so they ended up sort of getting married and having a civil ceremony. they later became occupiers and set up camp in occupy d.c. and got heavily involved in that. they took a break to focus on wedding planning recently over the holidays. i have to tell you if you look at this dress she made that dress out of curtains by hand. curtains she bought at j.c. penn penney's so the wedding was an interesting mix of family and friends and their friends from the occupy movement. they say they'll stay involved with them. >> good for them. now on to date lab where of course "the washington post" sets up two single people hoping that there will be a love connection. >> yes. gosh, we're always hoping. our brave guy this week is will.

he's 26. he's a hotel manager. really a social guy. he told us he wants a woman who is blonde, blue-eyed, and who is well-spoken and can kind of, you know, keep his attention. so we had that in mind and set him up with shaw, who is 24. she manages her own record label so is clearly a go getter. she loves sports and music and, you know, she told us she was looking for a really tall guy over 6'2" she said and somebody who is a little bit nerdy but had a career going on. so we sent them out actually to the national zoo during their holiday zoolights event. they walked around and sort of had a pretty good time, kind of warming up to each other but things sort of really sparked once they sat down for dinner. >> ooh. >> you can see how much it smarkd. it sparked. they found they had a lot of stuff in common. their favorite band is led zeplin. they had the same sort of adventurous taste in food. they ended up going out later that night to not one but two bars kind of shut down the

place. >> a lot of smooching going on there. >> i know. they just ended up finding each other attractive and interesting. so we definitely felt good about this one as the date ended but you'll have to read on sunday to find out whether they got to date number two. sometimes they seemed to like each other and it doesn't work out so you got to read for the ending. >> sometimes date number one is good and all there is. >> okay. >> well we'll find out on sunday. and to read more about dating and love, logon to washington post.com/onlove and you can always find more on nbc washington.com. thanks, ellen. >> thanks, pat. still ahead on news 4 at 4:00, first it was a fedex driver. now a mailman is caught tossing a package over a fence. veronica is tracking tonight's winter storm. how much snow are we going to get? and then tonight at 9:00 on nbc washington nonstop bacon lollipops just one of the dishes chuck bell samples at a popular d.c. restaurant now expanded to the suburbs. don't miss foodies. then on nonstop seeing d.c. at

9:30 no skates, no puck, no problem. we're sliding into a local rink and checking out d.c.'s only and checking out d.c.'s only broom ball club. never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause that you just keep going. (man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee.

because everyone deserves a lifetime.

well we've just gotten word that all activities in charles

county schools have been canceled tomorrow and in prince georges delayed until noon so we have wacky winter weather coming in. >> that's right. my advice is to stay off area roads for early tomorrow morning but if you do have to be out it's going to require extra time to get from point a to point b and if you're on roads of course you want to leave that extra distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. we are talking about a system that's going to be moving in. take a look as we get closer to sunset. clouds moved in already and will start producing some of the first flurries around here around 9:00 p.m. the bulk of the snow comes after midnight. there's our advisories. the winter weather advisory covers the entire viewing area, so you can see even down to the south charles county, prince george's county, not out of it at all. and a winter storm warning for extreme western maryland around oakland where they expect more of the snow. but snow-covered roads and icy spots for tomorrow morning. we've got 35 the temperature. a little bit of a wind chill, just 32 with the easterly flow. very, very light.

28 in hagerstown. 36 in fredericksburg, virginia. everywhere i think it's going to be cold enough to see snow in here later tonight. down to the south we got the moisture. charleston and roanoke in the form of some rain showers now. snow to the north but as you can see by the loop it's the moisture that's coming up to meet that cold air. that's what's going to give us several hours of wintry precip tonight into tomorrow morning. so flurries at 9:00. 32 the temperature. then switching over to snow with a temperature of 30. by tomorrow morning it's freezing rain at 5:00 a.m. and rain for i think 7:00 a.m. a lot of rain is going to start to move into the storm or mix with that freezing rain. here is a look at your future weather. slick roads for the morning everywhere in the pink. that's the freezing rain and some rain. there's the storm system. it'll be coming from west and southwest and moving right through the area by 5:00. in fact, i think by around 2:00 or 3:00 tomorrow most of our just regular rain should be finished but the freezing rain chances now could last as long as up until about late morning.

here's the way it's looking throughout the area. 1 to 2 inches of snow before a quarter inch of ice in the dark blue. westminster, frederick, areas just north of gaithersburg, maryland. winchester, front royal 1 to 2 inches of snow before switching over to freezing rain where most of the ice will be. then right there this strip from la ray into areas just shy north of gaithersburg that will include fairfax county, northern prince george's county, as well as howard county about 1 inch of snow to 0.1 inch of ice. for d.c. and down to the south just a very light coating of freezing rain and ice. we'll go ahead and back oust t the way. the evening forecast cloudy, snow and sleet developing around midnight. by tomorrow morning the freezing rain takes over and that's where we'll have the big mess on area roads. 28 to 32 degrees for tomorrow morning. i think all throughout the area with the exception of areas all the way down through the northern neck could be pretty slick on area roads. we'll hit a high tomorrow just shy of 40 degrees with rain

posted sunday. there could be more pockets setting up sunday evening or late afternoon and evening so we won't be completely out of the woods once we get past saturday. >> all right. thanks, veronica. still to come on news 4 at 4:00, where does d.c. rank on the list of rudeest cities in the country? >> oh, my. new information on those students at the same school who were diagnosed with a bizarre illness. and caught in the act. a delivery diver heaves a fragile pack

and welcome back. i'm wendy rieger in for jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. here's what's happening in the news at this hour. a day before the presidential primary in south carolina and once again there is some last-minute drama. not long ago mitt romney looked like a sure winner and he was hoping to wrap up the nomination with a decisive victory tomorrow. but an upset could be in the works. at least one closely watched poll in south carolina shows newt gingrich now has a five-point lead. firefighters are working around the clock to hold back a raging wildfire in reno, nevada. the fire has forced thousands to evacuate their homes and has destroyed dozens of build iings. the fire started yesterday and

spread quickly thanks to strong, gusty winlds. >> rescue work has resumed on the capsized costa concordia in italy. crews are only looking on parts of the ship that are above water and they say a decision will be made tomorrow about whether to resume under water searching. 21 people are still missing after the boat slammed into the rocks off the coast of giglio island last week. 11 people are dead. >> stocks ended the day mixed at the closing bell the dow up 97 points the nasdaq down about two points and the s&p up about one point. despite the lack luster day all three major indices had a strong finish for the week with each adding about 2%. now to details about the mystery illness affecting 12 girls at one school in new york. doctors are speaking out with more about what they believe has happened to the teens. amy robach has the latest on this bizarre condition. >> reporter: since october sarah sanches and at least 11 other

girls at le roy high school have been suffering from severe tics and verbal outbursts. now a doctor treating some of the teens says the diagnosis is a rare condition called mass psychogenic illness. >> it's happened before all around the world in different parts of the world. it's a rare phenomena. physicians are intrigued about it. >> the doctor says the illness is a physiological problem that can happen in groups like female teenagers. sarah sanches has had the symptoms for months and says she's missing out on important moments of her senior year. >> go out with my friends, do whatever. i used to work and i used to love going to school every day. now i'm not in school. i start home tutoring soon. i'm very behind. i feel very behind. now i -- >> reporter: on tuesday sarah

told ann she's frustrated by the lack of answers on how she contracted the illness in the first place. >> i want an answer, a straight answer. i've had psychological treatment. they say this is stress induced. >> that frustration is shared by her friend katie who also has been suffering from the same type of outbursts. >> i can't explain it. they told us it was traumatic, but i really don't think any of us had that traumatic of a life before and that it would randomly happen. >> reporter: the state health department conducted a three-month investigation and ruled out environmental factors or infection as a cause. the le roy school district did their own private testing and came up with the same conclusion. still, parents want answers. >> we're not getting anywhere.

we're not, you know, it's a couple months into this, three months now. and you have no conclusion. they say there's a diagnosis and a cause. we don't know this. is there a treatment plan? is there an end date to this? and the frustration of not having these is too much to bear. >> that was amy robach reporting. the school district says the high school building is safe and students are not at risk. some of the affected girls have improved. well, our mothers have always told us we need our rest. turns out the city that never sleeps is also the grum pleaseiest city. >> travel and leisure magazine surveyed readers who say new york city is the rudeest city i the country. miami came in second followed by oh, dear washington. los angeles and then boston. next comes dallas, ft. worth, atlanta, phoenix/scottsdale, baltimore, and orlando. but going head to head in all

categories new york city versus washington readers gave new york the win for better night life, culture, and shopping. washington wins for quality of life and visitor experience. well, a mailman is under fire and the postal service offers an apology over a rough delivery caught on surveillance video. california home owner michael oreb had just installed a security camera on his property over fears about the hollywood arsonist. the camera happened to catch the delivery of an antique cuckoo clock he had been waiting for. >> i looked and oh, he pulled up, threw it over the fence, got in the van and drove off. the chains no longer work. i guess they're jammed up in the back. one of them is off the rails. and the second hand is off. >> the postal service will pay the bill to repair the clock. oreb doesn't think the driver should lose his job just be

reprimanded and given more training. >> didn't he see the fedex story several weeks ago? >> wow. there is more to come on news 4 at 4:00 including our app of the day. >> taco bell is about to make over its menu. i'm liz crenshaw. why do gas prices end in 0.9 of a cent? that is the question and the answer is

sometimes getting around in a cab is just the easiest thing to do because parking in the city can be such a hassle and it's just easier. so now there's an app for that. it's called taxi magic. it is free and it is so cool. it has -- loads up all the taxies in the area so if say you want a d.c. yellow cab, you just press book. you type in where you want to be picked up. and next you load up your credit card. you start an account with them. or if you don't want to do that just pay in the taxi. then you want to be picked up now or i'm not going to be ready yet. i won't be ready until 6:15. so i select that. and then you do it and it will actually track where your taxi is, how soon it's going to be there, how cool is that? and you can just pay for it. if you do pay for it through

your account, you will get an e-receipt. you can put the tip in. it is really cool. this is for your iphone and your droid and it is great to have it on right there with you so if you need a cab somewhere you don't have to get to the phone, what's their phone number again, call them, go through all that. you just have this. taxi magic. and it is like magic. i love the part where you can actually track where the taxi is because sometimes they'll say, yeah. we're on our way and 45 minutes go by and you go oh, my gosh i could have walked by now. there you go. you can track all of that. this works for all jurisdictions and all cities. wherever you are. so give it a try. taxi magic. pat? >> all right. thanks, wendy. when news 4 at 4:00 continues, get ready for some snow and sleet. veronica has the update on the forecast. also a mother takes a lie detector test to clear her name after her toddler disappeared. i'm liz crenshaw. why are metro customers now seeing separate fund categories

in their smart trip accounts? that's the question. the answer is coming up on ask liz on news 4 at 4:00.

veronica is here now with the timeline for this wintry mix. >> right. for a start, stop, and mix times. if you don't have anything in the refrigerator for breakfast you might want to get it tonight. >> uh-oh. >> yeah. who wants to be out on area roads when they're icy and slick? that's what we're looking at tomorrow morning.

we have 34 degrees the current temperature. gray skies indeed. here's a look at the breakdown. i'm looking for snow and sleet between 11:00 p.m. so starting around 10:00 or 11:00 we'll probably have flurries first but most of the snow between 11:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. then it's freezing rain between 2:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. just past sunrise i'm thinking and could go even a little later. of course the longer that freezing rain lasts the more issues we have on area roads. rain for 7:00 a.m. up until about 3:00 p.m. so it tapers at 3:00 p.m. but anything that comes back for saturday night will be in the form of freezing drizzle and fog. maybe airport delays too for tomorrow. frostburg and petersburg already seeing light snow. morgantown, clarksburg, a bigger area of snow to the west. a lot of moisture that's down to the south. that's the bulk that's going to be running over the area for late tonight and early tomorrow morning. all that moisture that's going to be coming up from the south. so here's the way it's looking. snow at 11:00. 33 degrees with freezing rain for 5:00 a.m. then probably some rain that's going to start mixing in with

that freezing rain at 7:00 a.m. got another way to look at it here. the pink, the freezing rain. the white is the snow. we'll really have more hours of freezing rain than we will have snow. that's the reason we're looking for icy conditions throughout the area. same thing for 4:00 a.m. and could last just past sunrise tomorrow morning. by tomorrow afternoon you could see most is out of here but for tomorrow night a little bit of precip hanging around the area which i do not like because that means then that even saturday night may be looking a little dicey for many of us. an inch of snow to 0.1 inch of ice right through d.c. up the i-95 corridor into baltimore areas north and west for frederick, maryland, columbia, olney, about a quarter inch of ice after about an inch of snow. so we'll be getting a little something of everything coming our way. let's take a look at your four-day forecast very quickly. it's a weekend that'll be just shy of 40 degrees but very cold mornings and the kind of precip that we don't like. 57 on monday. we get a little bit of wind with

rain that will be moving out. >> all right. thanks, veronica. hey, you have a smart trip card? if you notice metro is now separating the fund categories for your account. how come? why do gas prices end in 0.9 of a cent? how do you make sure your space heater is heating your home safely? hey t. hey, it is friday. we are asking liz. let's start with question number one about a change in the smart trip metro cards that come through e-mail. rachel says smart trip metro card has separated her funds from parking, transit, and personal funds on her card and she wants to know why. >> we turn to the washington metropolitan area transit authority for the answer. it says, beginning january 1st metro parking and transit benefits are stored in what's called separate purses on the same smart trip account.

that's because of new irs requirements that restrict parking and transit benefits from being used interchangeably. metro riders can view the balances of each purse online at smart trip.com. if you get smart benefits from your employer you can also add a personal purse to be used in the event the smart trips benefits from your employer can't cover your parking or travel expenses. so a bunch of different purses. one you can put money from the employer, your money but you do have to keep your parking separate from travel expenses. >> i'm a little confused but if you get it, good for you. the next question comes from two viewers, teresa in middleton, maryland and an e-mail from pete. they both are asking, because everyone is really looking at the gas prices these days wondering why are they going up so much? they always end in 0.9 cent. why is that? >> sort of silly. the u.s. energy administration helped us with this answer. basically it says ending a gasoline price with 0.9 cent simply is a marketing practice. it's similar to other stores listing a product that 1999

instead of 20 bucks or 29.99 instead of $30 so it gives the appearance the product is simply less expensive. nothing about measurement or laws or taxes just marketing. >> and nothing about gas right now is less expensive at this point. >> no. all right. as the temperature drops some viewers are using space heaters to heat their homes and what are the dos and don'ts for safety? >> space heaters do cause problems every year. we checked with the consumer product safety commission for this answer. it says to simply only use space heaters that have been tested to the latest safety standards and make sure the heater is certified by a known testing laboratory like underwriters labs. older heaters may not meet newer safety standards and could potentially spark a home fire so new is always better. cpsc also says to put heaters on a hard, nonflammable surface. that means not rugs, not carpets. you're supposed to turn the space heater off before you go to sleep. heat up the room, turn it off, and go to sleep. also keep children and pets away from space heaters. lastly, make sure you have a working smoke detector and a

carbon monoxide detector in your home for added protection. if you have a question you'd like us to consider, go to ask liz at nbc washington.com and also connect with me on twitter. just search liz crenshaw and on facebook by searching liz crenshaw's consumer watch. coming up on news 4 at 5:00 tonight why do you need to show your i.d. when purchasing computer screen cleaner? how are televisions recycled? how do you replace a lost birth certificate? we'll have the answers at 5:00. computer screen cleaners, sometimes they're asking you for your i.d. >> all right. we'll get to the bottom of that in an hour. see you then. pat? all right. thanks. coming up on news 4 a dolphin rushed in for surgery after swallowing a ball. taco bell is known for its fourth meal of the day but now get ready for the first meal. the new menu is coming up next. coming up on news 4 at 5:00 an amazing opportunity for a

local dancer headed to russia to do something no american has done before. the ravens are just one win away from the super bowl. now some washington fans are turning in their burgundy and gold for purple. pat collins has a live report. tonight on news 4 at 6:00 should liquor stores be allowed to sell marijuana? it's an idea that's getting a 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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china is recovering after having surgery to remove a ball from his stomach. the 5-year-old apparently became a little too excited while playing during a recent performance in shanghai on wednesday. swallowed the ball, about a foot in diameter. trainers tried to reach in his mouth and pull it out but couldn't do it. the aquarium hopes that their star dolphin will be feeling well enough to perform again soon. taco bell is getting into the breakfast business. fast food chain famous for its late night fourth meal is now planning an 11-item breakfast menu. it will initially debut in 750 restaurants and offerings will include four types of breakfast burritos along with oatmeal, yogurt, and hash browns and coffee. still ahead on news 4 a mother whose toddler is missing

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it's been more than a month since a toddler disappeared in maine. both parents were given lie detector tests but the mother didn't finish hers. she explains why in an exclusive interview with nbc. >> reporter: one month to the day ayla reynolds disappeared, a candlelight vigil tuesday for a little girl who is still missing but not forgotten. police suspect foul play but there are still no major breaks in this mystery. both parents say they've taken

polygraph tests. ayla's mother trista reynolds, says she took hers on wednesday answering hours worth of questions about ayla's disappearance. >> just, you know, like if i had taken ayla or if i know who could have gone and taken ayla and obviously no. i have no idea who took her or where she is or anything like -- i never took her. like i have no reason to hide any of that, like, i would never do that. >> reporter: she says she had to stop in the middle of the test because of a medical condition. she won't disclose the condition. ayla's father justin dipietro who was at tuesday's vigil denies any wrongdoing. his polygraph results have not been released. dipietro declined an interview on camera but when asked by nbc news if he will take another lie detector test he responded how i'm dealing with this deserves no explanation. dipietro says he put ayla to bed december 16th. the next morning he says she was

gone. he had been caring for ayla because reynolds had been in rehab. police say both parents are cooperating with yinvestigators and they are not naming any suspects. authorities have combed the area, even using dive teams to go into the water last week. while dipietro has gone door to door handing out flyers. >> people want to get involved. >> reporter: a friend of the dipietro family who organized tuesday's vigil says they're just trying to keep the public focused on ayla. this is a national, nationwide search for ayla reynolds. >> a conviction shared by reynolds, who still is holding on to hope. >> i think she's alive and she's holding on and is being a strong little girl right now. i love her so much and i want her home. >> that was news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now.

no snow yet but the clouds are rolling in and they're bringing wintry weather with them. road crews are getting ready for what's sure to be a long night ahead. and good evening. welcome to news 4 at 5:00. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm doreen gentzler sitting in for jim handly tonight. a winter weather advisory is issued for the entire metro area. snow, sleet, freezing rain. we're likely to see it all. >> veronica johnson live in storm center 4. what's heading our way? >> the whole bag. everything for wintry precip, right? here's the deal. roads are going to be a little snow covered tonight but they'll be more icy spots and more problematic tomorrow morning. take a look at the radar. i've been tracking it here on storm 4 doppler our weather system. we have snow off to the west. that's the white you see across western maryland. indeed, i do think we could see some flurries starting a little later in the next couple hours, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00. just some flurries. but the bigger batch of snow is going to come and moisture is going to come when all that stuff that you