very long at all. don't get too excited you kids about seeing any snow around here that's going to allow you to make a snowman. we are going to have a big problem tomorrow with freezing rain and icy conditions covering the area. we have this big winter weather advisory posted for tonight through saturday morning. in fact up until about 1:00 p.m. on saturday there will be snow covered roads, definitely some icy spots. the areas i'm worried about the most are just up to the north. northern loudoun county, montgomery county, western howard county and on up further toward frederick and washington county. so here is a look at your good night wakeup forecast. flurries at 9:00. snow for 11:00. freezing rain for 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. as a matter of fact, i think we could see some of the worst conditions around 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00 a.m. because freezing rain will already have a chance to have fallen for a while and really accumulate on area roads before they get a chance to get treated with those chemicals. 34 to 33 degrees early tomorrow

morning. so definitely icy. we'll talk more about this storm and what we can expect for saturday afternoon in a few. >> looks nasty. thanks, veronica. local road crews are getting ready for the wintry mix that is expected to fall tonight. crews in northern virginia and maryland have pretreated the roads with a salty brine solution that prevents the first layer of snow from sticking. the salt domes are stocked and ready to go. v dot says once the wintry mix starts they'll focus on trouble spots like bridges and on and off ramps. maryland officials say crews are at the ready whenever the weather moves in. >> our crews are going to stay in through the evening and overnight hours. not going to go home tonight. mother nature is tricky even though they said 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 tonight is when it is supposed to start. it'll start around 6:00. we don't want to be caught, you know, having to come back in. we want to be ready. several school districts have already canceled weekend activities. prince george's county has canceled all morning, athletic and extracurricular activities

and charles county has canceled all school activities for tomorrow. there's ban remarkable turn-around in the republican presidential race. one day before the south carolina primary. mitt romney is struggling and newt gingrich is surging despite some shocking allegations from his ex-wife. steve handelsman joins us live now from columbia, south carolina, with the latest. steve? >> reporter: hi, pat. thanks. good evening from columbia. here in south carolina today, asked about his taxes, pressed for proof of what he paid and who he paid it to, mitt romney promised again to release some returns by april. but we should know after tomorrow whether this once strong front-runner will be a mere after thought and also run by then. 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. and as lizard's thicket cafe in lexington today where there is liver pudding with the eggs and grits the guys in the corner are switching to the former speaker. >> i'm going to go from gingrich. >> i believe that newt has found forgiveness and the past is past. >> but you like that he's tough. >> i do. >> 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 callista 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 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 my goodness. >> reporter: while some can't wait for the contest here to end. adding to the pressure today south carolina, popular gop senator jim demint declared whoever wins here tomorrow will be the republican nominee. live from columbia, south carolina, i'm steve handelsman, news 4. pat? back to you. >> all right. thank you, steve. mitt romney picked up an important endorsement today from virginia governor bob mcdonald. julie carey joins us with a look at what convinced mcdonald to make a move now. >> all along governor mcdonald said he believes a governor or former governor should be the party nominee but with both rick perry and jon huntsman leaving the race this week mcdonald was free to make his choice, mitt romney. romney was in need of a little

help. governor bob mcdonald's endorsement gives former massachusetts governor mitt romney's campaign a boost when it's most needed. it's been a rough week for romney. pressure to release his taxes took a toll. then came a rough debate performance. mcdonald decided today was the day to step off the sidelines and make an endorsement. he explained the timing on cnbc. >> that's why it's time now for me to get involved. it's a southern primary. i'm a southern governor. i thought i could help the governor by coming out today. >> reporter: mcdonald's endorsement also comes a day after texas governor rick perry dropped out of the contest. mcdonald is also close with perry and with him out, mcdonald was free to back romney. mcdonald headed straight to south carolina to campaign alongside the republican front-runner. >> my message would be if you want to win the race in november, vote for mitt romney. he's the best candidate that we've got to beat president obama. >> reporter: political observers say mcdonald's decision to endorse could also help him politically if he hopes to be strongly considered as romney's

runningmate. but mcdonald also risks alienating tea partiers and other conservatives by picking sides so early. >> a lot of conservatives were not happy with the likelihood of mitt romney as the republican party nominee and there is this anybody but romney faction in the republican party right now. i think the governor of virginia is going to feel the wrath a little bit. >> reporter: this northern virginia voter questions mcdonald's move. >> i think he'll kind of regret that he has come out so early. i think he should have waited at least until the votes tomorrow i guess it is. isn't it? and see how that came out. >> reporter: but other mcdonald supporters say he's made the right choice. >> i have no problem with it. i think he's probably the guy to endorse. of the crowd that's left. >> i am definitely a fan of governor mcdonald. helped work on his campaign. i certainly support mitt romney. so i think that's great. >> and of course the mcdonald endorsement will also help romney in virginia's march 6th gop primary but in that contest

there were only two names on the ballot. only two qualified. ron paul and mitt romney. back to you. >> julie carey, thank you. d.c. council member and former mayor marion barry is in sibley hospital tonight. his office says barry is having a minor surgical procedure involving his urinary tract. he is expected to stay overnight at sibley. barry will be 76 in march. he underwent prostate cancer surgery at john hopkins hospital in 1995. the former mayor suffers from adult onset diabetes and underwent a kidney transplant in 2009. one of the marines killed in a helicopter crash in afghanistan yesterday has ties to virginia. six marines were killed when the nato chopper went down in helmand province. the cause of the crash is not clear. military officials say there was no immediate evidence of any enemy activity in the area. one of the fallen marines is master sergeant travis riddick. his wife is from the goredonsville area. they met when he was stationed at the marine base in quantico.

family members say master sergeant riddick served in the marines for 21 years and passed up a chance to retire. several supporters of the occupy wall street movement were arrested today outside the u.s. supreme court. demonstrators gathered on the courthouse steps around noon. they were protesting the high court ruling that removed limits on the amount of money corporations can spend in federal elections. this weekend marks the two-year anniversary of that ruling. police soon moved in to break things up. about a dozen protesters were arrested here. there were similar protests and arrests outside federal courthouses in more than a hundred cities nationwide. it's a huge victory for internet companies and search engines. senate majority leader harry reid postponed next week's vote on anti-piracy legislation. there were two bills. they looked like a sure thing. the effort was backed by the titans of the entertainment industry including nbc universal. but house and senate support evaporated after a week of online protesting.

wikipedia, google, and other online giants blacked out their pages on wednesday in protest. >> we had 15 people a second trying to call their members of congress. 5,000 people a minute signing petitions opposing the legislation. about 3.9 million tweets. >> obviously this was a loss. there is no way else to describe that but the problem doesn't go away. >> reporter: neither side believes this is the end of the fight. it's more like a cease fire as lawmakers work to come up with a compromise. the search is on for two men behind a home invasion in new carrollton this morning. it happened in the 8400 block of carrollton parkway. police say three suspects entered the home and started attacking the people inside when the residents resisted the suspects fled. police caught up with one man after a chase. now they're looking for two others involved. police believe they are armed. up next progress as crews near reno, nevada fight a

massive wildfire but a new threat could make matters worse. >> hope is fading as rescuers search for victims in the cruise ship disaster off the coast of italy. >> also a war over alexandria's water front. a vote tomorrow could dramatically change the city landscape. >> a close encounter at a safari park becomes a hit on youtube. >> and what's going on in sports? >> whoa. >> whoa is right. >> that's kradscrazy. one raven has fond memories of new england. the wizards try to build on memories of wednesday's win. plus one national sticking around d.c. for a little longer. beast mode. news

rescue crews are starting to lose hope they'll be able to find any of the 21 people still missing after the cruise ship disaster in italy. crews resumed their search today but are running out of time as the massive ship continues to slip off an under water ledge keeping it afloat. duncan golistani has more. >> reporter: the big question here today on giglio is the costa concordia slipping further under water? overnight movement was detected and it was enough to stop them from letting divers go beneath the surface to search the decks. 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. and 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 remainder of it 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 they hope tomorrow 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. also today the ceo of the company that owns the costa concordia says the captain of the ship was not honest with the coast guard or with company officials about the severity of the accident after it happened. he told the italian tv that those actions may have delayed the emergency response. pat? >> tonight firefighters are battling a wildfire near reno,

nevada that's caused thousands of evacuations. it's also being blamed in at least one death. let's take a look at the area that is burning out there in nevada. it's a seven-mile area right around 395 in reno and at one point yesterday the flames got within about a hundred yards of a school where vice president biden was speaking. as a matter of fact, he had to cut his speech short. >> 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. >> at the height of the blaze, more than 10,000 people were told to evacuate. firefighters were struggling against unpredictable 40-foot flames driven by 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts. right now investigators are still trying to figure out just what started this wild fire. and here is where things stand right now. the fire is about 50% contained. it has destroyed nearly 30 homes. firefighters are expecting rain

and snow to move into the area but that's a mixed blessing. the weather could help douse flames but it could also lead to serious flooding on the charred land. let's hope not. >> let's hope not. they've got problems out there and we've got issues of our own. >> right. our potential problems, serious problems for tomorrow morning especially. we could see some snow around here in the next couple hours. just some flurries. light at first. i don't think it's going to be too problematic driving late like around midnight but by the time we get -- >> not the big issue is it? >> no it is not. we're talking about many more hours of freezing rain and this ice that is going to set up after about 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. in the morning that is going to take us now it looks like past sunrise and probably up until about late morning tomorrow. not good for us. i know you ask for the snow but we're getting freezing rain and ice instead. we are not the only ones having to deal with this weather system. i'm posting the advisories here for you. the winter weather vied is in

purple and it covers our area maryland through d.c. and virginia up into pennsylvania. the white, the winter storm warning. so for franklin county, for garrett county in maryland, and for those areas just shy of cincinnati, ohio, that's where there will be some more accumulation of just plain old snow but for philadelphia, for d.c., for new york, for detroit, for cincinnati, for a lot of areas we'll be affected by this fast moving storm system. we got up to 40 degrees today. flurries soon. sleet, not far behind for us as temperatures start falling. we're at 34 degrees currently. a little bit of a light wind at 5 miles per hour. it's out of the southeast. all through the weekend we're going to have this easterly fetch. all right? and moisture coming oust tt of south. we'll stay overcast through the weekend with precip moving through. 30 degrees in frederick. already 27 in hagerstown. 28 in martinsburg still holding just above freezing. la plata around waldorf and through stafford just above freezing there. but the white tells the story on storm 4 doppler where there is some snow falling, some

flurries, very, very light. it's going to take a while before we start to see more of that reach the ground. most of it up to the north. these are the same areas up to the north where i think we'll have the bigger problems by tomorrow morning up i-70, i-81. areas around i-795 over around baltimore county. expanded out you can see down to the south a lot more moisture. that's just -- this storm system is going to get fed all through the night and tomorrow morning with that colder air that will be rushing in until we start warming up. so it's snow for 11:00 p.m. there are your flurries at 9:00. freezing rain takes over about 2:00 a.m. and it is freezing rain for five, six, seven a.m. if you have to be somewhere tomorrow morning you definitely have to leave early and when you're on the road make sure you leave a lot of distance between you and the car in front of you. friday evening, there's the pink. the stuff we do not like to see as a meteorologist, the freezing rain. easier to drive on snow of course than ice. the snow is out of here.

a few short hours, compared to 7 to 11 hours of freezing rain. the storm system continues through. it pushes off to the east and the rain starts to end about 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 tomorrow but anything left lingering which there might be some, there's 2:00 a.m., i think will be falling in the form of freezing drizzle and fog. in fact on sunday we might see the same thing during the evening so maybe some airport delays for d.c. and for philadelphia and maybe down south for heavier rain. chance for more freezing rain, pockets coming through sunday. so here is a look at the map. 1 to 2 inches of snow. i'm thinking more like 1 inch of snow here before changing over to a quarter inch of ice. winchester, frederick, maryland as well as around areas of westminster. la ray over toward aberdeen an inch of snow to 0.1 inch of ice. your forecast, let's look at the four-day forecast. morning, freezing rain. for saturdays. high temperature just shy of 40 degrees. we are going to be warming up.

just shy of 42 on sunday but more pockets of freezing rain. then monday we're back up to 57. we'll take a look at the extended forecast next week in a couple minutes. the real concern is for tomorrow morning. >> like to head home early and sleep in in the morning. >> definitely. very good advice. take it. please. >> thanks. >> we will. thanks. and still ahead tonight, should liquor stores be allowed to sell marijuana? the idea is getting a lot of attention in virginia. >> metro is considering an alternative to help regular riders save money on their commute. >> honk for the ravens. honk for the redskins. guess who is making all the football noise here in laurel? and some of it's coming from former skins fans. i'm pat collins.

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learn more and apply today at pnc.com/cashbuilder. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. ♪ at last my love has come along ♪ >> legendary blues and jazz singer etta james died today after a battle with leukemia. james began her career in the 1950s and is best known for her jazzie rendition of the song "at

last." she won six grammys and was inducted into the rock 'n roll hall of fame. etta james was 73 years old. a northern virginia woman is about to do something that no american has done before. she's joined a world renowned ballet in russia. keenan campa has been asked to join the marinsky ballet the same company notables such as anna pavlova have been part of. she started dancing at a small studio in reston, virginia and says this was an opportunity too good to pass up. >> i can't even describe how honored i am to have this opportunity. and that's why when it came up i -- the only thing i could do was say yes. it's been a dream. it's -- i'm thrilled. >> campa has been dancing since she was 4 years old. >> wow. metro officials are now considering offering regular riders the option of buying a monthly pass. the metro general manager has

proposed a new wave of fare hikes but board members are concerned riders will not pay more for the system without incentives. yesterday arlington board member mary hines proposed the creation of monthly fare cards that offer unlimited travel for a set price. there is no final decision but board members are interested in the idea. up next at 6:00 a special tribute for tuskegee airmen buried at arlington national cemetery. >> controversy over plans to redevelop alexandria's water front could all come to a head tomorrow. taking a bite out of business. why finding a food truck in the district could soon get a lot tougher. coming up in sports a national slugger is rewarded. the ravens welcome redskins fans to the band wagon plus ray rice remembers his big time playoff moment as news 4 a

just hours to go until the south carolina primary and there's been a last-minute shuffle in the leader board. mitt romney had a strong lead coming into this week but some of the latest polls suggest that he may now be trailing newt gingrich. romney hoped a win in south carolina would allow him to sew up the nomination. romney is getting a boost in virginia from governor mcdonald. the governor endorsed romney today. mcdonald said he believes the nomination should go to someone who has served as a governor.

political observers say this early endorsement could help mcdonald if he hopes to be considered as a runningmate should romney get the nomination. a dozen occupiers were arrested today on the steps of the u.s. supreme court where they were protesting a high court ruling on campaign spending. two years ago the justices removed limits on the amount of money corporations can spend in federal elections. there were similar protests and arrests outside federal courthouses in more than a hundred cities nationwide. now to alexandria where the future of the city's waterfront could be determined tomorrow. >> the redevelopment of the area has kept community leaders, residents, and business owners at odds for years. news 4's erika gonzalez has our report. >> reporter: alexandria city officials have spent years planning the redevelopment of the alexandria water front. tomorrow it will come down to one vote. the proposed design calls for new parks, hotels, and commercial development among other things. this city resident says

commercial viability is much more historic than grass lands. >> the thing hotels do is bring people with no cars who spend money that i don't have to spend on taxes. i really can't wrap my head around how that's a bad thing. >> reporter: however, bert eli with the citizens for an alternative water prep plan says the proposal would add density to the area and submitted this minority report to the city. >> it would add traffic congestion, make parking even less available than it is today, and it could lead to the development of for instance a number of hotels and other uses along the water front that would not be consistent with the historic nature of old town ail ek andrya. >> reporter: in a letter to the city attorney andrew mcdonald who is also against the plan asks vice mayor kerry donnelly to recuse himself from tomorrow's vote citing the bank donnelly works for has vested interests with local businesses that would be affected by the proposed plan. donnelly tells news 4 he does

not plan to recuse himself. >> there is a cozy relationship with the development community. >> reporter: mcdonald says he also has concerns alexandria's city mayor bill yule has a conflict of interest because he's invested in a restaurant near the water front. 200 residents have petitioned seeking a super majority vote tomorrow. the mayor tells me it won't happen and has no problem being transparent with the community. >> i will do a public disclosure to make certain that folks understand that i do not have a conflict of interest. >> reporter: if approved, city officials say the redevelopment would take place over the next 15 years. tomorrow's meeting begins at 9:30 and there are 105 people expected to speak. in alexandria, erika gonzalez, news 4. a virginia lawmaker is igniting a new debate about something else. he wants the state to find out how much money could be generated by legalizing marijuana.

he says legalized pot could be sold through the state liquor stores and is sponsoring a resolution to study the idea. it's a long shot. the delegate doesn't have high expectations for changes in state marijuana laws this session. there could soon be big changes when it comes to the popular d.c. food trucks. the trucks serve everything from pizza to cupcakes but now they're facing a possible total overhaul in where they can serve their food. current laws are 30 years old and geared toward traditional hot dog and ice cream trucks but officials want new rules to include the establishment of special food truck zones where the location and number of trucks can be regulated. there will also be new rules regarding how long the trucks can stay in one place. right now food trucks have to move if they don't have any customers for ten minutes. the proposal will undergo a 30-day public comment period and then go before the d.c. council for a vote. >> luke weathers jr. shot down two german fighter planes during world war ii and now lies in

arlington national cemetery after being buried with special honors. weathers was a member of the famous tuskegee airmen the first black aviators in u.s. military history. his burial comes as hollywood documents the airmen's flights and struggles on the big screen. ♪ >> reporter: he lived till the age of 90, a long and productive life highlighted by his service to his country. >> no one has more deserved bona fides for served their country and having to fight for their country to represent their country. >> reporter: such was the plight and the triumph of the pioneers who are the tuskegee airmen. laid to rest with full military honors at arlington national cemetery today, of late he and his comrades in a feature film. >> all the facts are true. the movie is a story bringing a lot of history together in a short period of time. >> reporter: men like lieutenant colonel weathers and colonel

charles mcgee lived the experience. >> he was the one who was supposed to develop the camaraderie we had in the unit. i'm proud of my father. we called him big luke. >> luke weathers iii knew him as a son knows the father but while he hasn't seen the movie yet he has heard the stories first hand. they were part of his childhood. >> not only what happened during the war but after is important as well. >> reporter: weathers would continue his life in aviation working for the faa and becoming the first african-american air traffic control inner memphis. while he paved the way for many his wife of two decades knew him for heroics of a personal nature. >> the man, the man. he was compassionate. he was loving. and he was kind to children. >> reporter: like rashon who now has quite the story to relate about his great grandfather. >> he is in movies and he flies airplanes. >> he's famous.

>> my grand dad. coming up, we go behind the scenes of the world's longest running game show. we sit down with legendary host mac mcgar bry on his most memorable moments. >> pat collins meets redskins fans who have jumped ship to cheer on the ravens in their quest for the super bowl.

our weather system that's going to bring a mixture of weather is already moving into the area. welcome back everybody to news 4 at 6:00. let's take a look around the area at those temperatures because those have been falling fast, too. we're already at 34. shah antrin dad. 34 in college park. and under freezing montgomery county, fairfax county, colesville, wheaton, rockville, vienna and herndon now all at freezing. that means when the precip starts it will be starting as snow. a little sleet, too, as we see the switchover taking place. there is a look at storm 4 doppler. the moisture moving quickly through. and after midnight is when we'll really see the moisture start to pick up a bit. after midnight for about two more hours it's still snow but then that pink you see covering much of the area is freezing rain and the reason we've got that winter weather advisory. so we can be looking at 0.1 to 0.25 inch of ice by tomorrow morning as the freezing rain continues and may hold out until late morning tomorrow and then

it's rain for tomorrow afternoon especially across southern maryland. some of the areas down through the northern neck, a high temperature tomorrow with just under 40 degrees. i'll have a look at that four-day forecast. actually the seven-day forecast for you coming up in just a couple minutes. doreen? >> thanks, veronica. the baltimore ravens are just one win away from going to the super bowl and now some redskins fans are turning in their burgundy and gold for purple. pat collins is in laurel, maryland with more on the team's new fan base. >> i'm a ravens fan. >> did you used to be a redskin fan? >> once upon a time. >> reporter: are you a ravens fan? >> absolutely. >> reporter: did you used to be a redskin fan? >> once upon a time. >> reporter: welcome to the city of laurel. you might think of it as middle town. you see, it's 20.8 miles from downtown washington. it's 20.6 miles from downtown baltimore. but when it comes to football fan loyalty these days, it seems less than 50/50.

in our unscientific survey along route 1, honk for the ravens. honk for the redskins. we got three times as many honks and beeps for the ravens than we did for our poor old skins. >> this is all about the ravens. i did right. >> reporter: it doesn't stop there. a number of redskin fans here are crossing that purple ravens line. and they're doing it with gusto. are awe front-runner? >> yeah. >> are you a front-runner? >> you better believe it. >> reporter: at duncan, team pride donuts. the sprinkles are not burgundy and gold but baltimore ravens purple. and they're selling like hotcakes. full disclosure. you know who else crossed the purple line? this man. this man's my son. ever since he was a little boy he's been a redskin fan.

he knows about sonny and billy, john riggins and thiseman. but you know what he did last sunday? you know where he was? he was in baltimore rooting for the ravens. why? >> to watch my ravens win. >> what about the redskins? >> got sick of wasting my time and money on the redskins organization. >> reporter: i should have been a better father. here. have a purple donut. >> so good. >> reporter: i'm pat collins. news 4, laurel. >> i want the donut. >> we wonder how pat gets those people on the street to cooperate with him. and now we have to wonder how he persuaded his own son to be part of his report. here as look at what we're working on next in sports. >> yes, ladies. you heard what the fans have to

say. we'll tell you how the ravens players feel about the burgundy and gold faithful coming over to their side plus how the wizards plan to have wednesday's win lead to bigger and better things. >> also coming up a big surprise at a texas safari park. we'll hear from the woman

so you're serving purple donuts in the sports department? >> i'm going to get some. i was up in owings mills yesterday talking to the team. you know i'm a browns fan. i grew up in ohio. >> yes. >> so this is really difficult. this is kind of difficult for

me. this is really kind of difficult for me to pick the ravens but i am picking the ravens to beat the patriots. >> oh, my. >> against all odds. that's my pick. i'm sticking with it. >> okay. >> i'm going with the upset. >> toledo is on the phone for you right now. >> thanks. well, guess what? the ravens are not the favorites in foxboro. in fact, baltimore is a nine-point underdog but it's really no surprise the ravens are just 1 and 6 all time against the patriots. however, that one win came just two years ago on the road in foxboro in the playoffs. dejavu would be nice. and here is the play that defined the game. the first play of the game, rice takes the handoff and goes 83 yards for the touchdown. it was the longest run new england had given up all season. the ravens punched the patriots in the mouth building a 24-point first quarter lead. baltimore went on to win the game, 33-14. as for ray rice, it was a signature moment. >> if you wanted to ask me if that was my fondest moment, you

know, in my nfl career, yes, it was. when you can do something that special in a playoff game and another team's stadium, you know, that was huge. and that's something that, you know, i'll cherish for the rest of my life. playoffs separate you -- separates everybody. there is a reason why there are only four teams and one true champion at the end of the year. when you can do something special in the playoffs it's definitely remembered. >> we've been spoiled around here but that's because we're a good football team. you say, you know, teams aren't in this position a lot. you know, young guys don't get used to this. you always hear that. shoot. we should get used to it. we're a good football team. why shouldn't we be here every year? there is definitely on my part, yeah. right now as far as this season goes, there's a we better get the job done because this is all we got. >> yes they do. you liked that beard, right? >> i don't care for that. i don't like that look. >> it's medicine. >> is that the idea? >> medicine.

>> okay. i'm trying to understand. >> it's a playoff beard. >> how guys go for that look. >> a playoff beard. >> you liked it because it's menacing. >> don't mess with me. >> an aggressive sports thing. >> yeah. don't mess around. hall of fame orioles short shop cal ripken jr. jumping on the baltimore band wagon and will serve as the honorary captain for sunday's championship game and also take part in the pregame coin toss. if you are a redskins fan rooting for the ravens may not be easy but for the maryland terp and rookie receiver has a message for you. jump onboard. >> you know, especially being a maryland terpin a lot of folks are redskins fans and might as well support the local team. >> come on over. plenty of room. and we appreciate support. i don't think there are a lot of people nationally that are picking us or jumping on our band wagon so plenty of room and seats for you.

>> i mean, it's not a bad train to hop on. the ravens, they're a tough team. and it means a lot to play like a raven. and those guys are not playing for the ravens. they're redskins and they take pride in their team but i would say jump onboard. >> kick off for the afc championship game set for sunday at 3:00. developing news out of college park. maryland men's basketball assistant delonte hill has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. head coach mark turgin said today hill will not be on the bench for tomorrow's game against temple or next week's home game against duke pending further investigation. nba now the wizards host the denver nuggets night in washington will be going for two wins in a row. wizards are coming off a thrilling victory on wednesday against oklahoma city one of the best teams in the league. john wahl had another impressive game leading the team with 25 points. he also had eight assists and seven rebounds. wahl was one of four wizards in

double figures and tonight against a very good denver team the wizards will need another strong team effort. >> not only delivering the message but they set the bar. they've proven how they can play. and so now that, you know, as one of our players said there can't be an excuse for not playing up to that level. playing hard is part of the talent. hopefully what you do is go out and sustain that hard work and hard play. >> something we definitely have to build on. you know, coming in being the best team in the league is something we can use and have a swagger or confidence wise. this whole season the possibility to turn it around for us. this is all about us all having confidence in one another and just having that type of swagger. >> you can see tonight's wizards-nuggets game on csn plus. hometown hockey the capitals are on the road tonight in carolina where tomas vokoun will start in net for washington. the caps are 3-0 against the

hurricanes this season. baseball news. the nationals did not sign first baseman prince fielder today but the team did make a deal with michael moore signing him to a multi-year contract extension. the 29-year-old had a breakout season last year. you can say he was in beast mode. he finished with a 0.303 batting average, 95 rbis, leading the nats in all three categories. morris is just the fourth player in nationals history to hit .300 in one season. the team didn't release any details of the contract but the "washington times" is reporting a two-year deal. back to football there is a big game in san francisco on sunday. the 49ers play the giants for the nfc championship. now if you saw a guy who was 6'4" and weighed 264 pounds you probably wouldn't call him soft. well that's exactly what hall of fame 49ers receiver jerry rice had to say about giants running back brandon jacobs. here is his response. >> i grew up with san francisco 49ers fans.

i have nothing negative to say about jay. you know, if he feels that way he feels that way. i bet you he won't tackle me. >> i don't think he will be tackling jacobs. he is a big dude didn't say that in person either i'm guessing. >> just called him a little soft. couldn't get away from the defender. a couple years ago in 2008 brandon jacobs rolled over him. >> thanks. after the break we'll go one-on-one with mack mcgarry as the tv legend retires as host of the world's longest running quiz show. >> d.c. mayor vincent gray will join philadelphia mayor michael nutter on nbc's "meet the press" with david gregory this sunday and the two players explain why they think congress is to blame for struggling urban economies. "press

after more than 20,000 contestants and 200,000 questions, mac mcgarry is moving on retiring as the host of "it's academic" after a career that spanned decades. jim handly caught up with him to talk about how the show has changed over the years and some of his most memorable moments. >> reporter: he has walked these halls for more than 50 years. mac mcgarry is an institution at nbc. the man armed with the envelopes filled with the questions he's posed to thousands of students

over the years. >> the oldest students on the show would now be in their late 60s. and i remember them as 18. >> reporter: he's called out some famous faces and names to come on down over the decades. good evening and welcome to "it's academic." >> i'm mac mcgarry. thanks, parents and teachers. come on up here. >> we've had astronauts on the program. john glenn, perry mason on the program. >> reporter: and hillary clinton, she was -- >> she was on from chicago. >> reporter: the questions mac and altman productions come up with every week can stump students in ways we don't always get to see or hear. >> you can see the distress when they go -- sometimes you can hear a four-letter word that has to be excised. >> reporter: technology has changed the way students learn and communicate and the questions always have to keep up with the times. >> reporter: the major difference is that the

information technology is not available 50 years ago. >> reporter: mac's 85 now and getting over a stubborn sinus infection but like a fine wine his sense of humor gets better with age. his favorite answer? >> the question was, who napole >> reporter: okay. >> this kid very eagerly said duke ellington. >> reporter: and with confidence. >> yes. >> reporter: among his favorite days with wrc, radio, a drive time announcer in the big band era interviewing some big names. >> i would select them and go up and interview them. ♪ >> reporter: he still comes back to nbc 4 every week with former colleagues to listen to favorites. ♪ hey there you with the stars in your eyes ♪ >> reporter: and on "it's academic" it's the good old days that make for his favorite kinds of questions. >> i like it when they do broadway show questions.

i grew up in new york city and was able to go to the shows and i saw the premiere run of "oklahoma" for instance. >> reporter: whoa. his memory is still legendary. he can rattle off baseball stats and names of world leaders who grace studio a. while most of us were always just waking up on saturday mornings to watch, mac was always spot on. never missing a beat. >> reporter: you've got cheerleaders, fans, bleachers filled, parents, students. there is so much electricity in here. there is a lot of nervous energy, too. but what's it like for you? it must be a rush on saturday mornings. >> well, yeah. i must say now that i'm retired i miss it. it is. it makes you forget your troubles. i'll tell you that. i'm c mcgarry. thank you very much, everybody. >> reporter: in washington, jim handly, news 4. >> mac mcgarry is one of a kind. hillary howard is taking over as host. mac will make his final

appearance on "it's academic" tomorrow morning at 10:00 right here on nbc 4. think how many local high school students and their families he has interacted with over the years. >> many. love that show. >> you can't count them. >> does a great job. well coming up tonight at 11:00 why a church in fairfax county has decided to give girl scout troops the boot and it has nothing to boo with the scouts themselves. also, the result of a federal investigation of chevy volts and whether or not there is a fire danger there. plus, the divorce settlement is reportedly in and we are learning just how much kobe bryant will be paying his soon-to-be ex tonight at 11:00. >> oh, my. one more check on the messy weather forecast. >> we could see some snow falling around here very soon. it's going to start picking up. then we'll have ice on top of that so it's freezing rain after 2:00 a.m. because of that university of northern virginia canceling classes for saturday. we've already seen a handful of cancellations. you can get the latest at nbc washington.com and of course i'll have the very latest at

11:00. >> okay. we'll tune in. thanks, veronica. cameras were rolling when a hungry zebra took a safari visitor by surprise and bit her on the neck. megan sweetman got a little too close to a zebra at the exotic ranch in texas and says she was feeding it but when she turned her back little did she know he was still hungry. sweetman described the encounter on the "today" show this morning. >> just trying to get a picture with the zebra. before that he had stuck his head in and like got in the bag. and so then 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. >> whoa. she is going to be just fine. she initially posted the video to give friends and family a good laugh but it's gone viral now and has been viewed more than 250,000 times. >> wow. >> ouch. never turn your back on a hungry zebra. >> i guess s