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tv   News 4 Today  NBC  February 12, 2012 6:00am-8:00am EST

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good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm chris gordon. >> and i'm angie goff. it's sunday, february 12th. this morning, the music world is mourning a major loss. >> superstar and pop diva whitney houston died. her bodyguard found houston unconscious in her hotel room in beverly hills yesterday afternoon. paramedics couldn't revive her. she was in town for the grammys. singer jennifer hudson is expected to perform a musical tribute to houston at the grammy awards ceremony tonight.
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jinah kim has the latest now on the investigation. ♪ hear me now ♪ >> reporter: she was the undisputed queen of the charts through the '80s and '90s. she then reigned over the big screen in blockbuster hits like "the bodyguard." saturday afternoon, it was her bodyguard who found whitney houston dead in her beverly hills hotel room. >> they found ms. houston unresponsive in her hotel room. they attempted to start resuscitation measures. they were not successful, unfortunately. >> reporter: detectives who continued their investigation through the night say there are no indications it was a crime and say there are no obvious signs of drugs. it was drugs, alcohol and a turbulent relationship with former husband bobby brown that turned her skyrocketing career
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into a downward spiral. but recently, she was attempting to revive her stardom with a new movie and album. >> it did seem like whitney houston was trying to make a comeback of sorts. she had a very big movie role in "sparkle" and she was campaigning actively to get a seat on "the x-factor" judges table. >> reporter: but in photos taken earlier this week, houston again appeared disheveled and drowsy. overnight, tributes sprang up across the country in her honor. >> there will never be another whitney. >> reporter: and at the beverly hilton, where houston was to attend a star-studded, pregrammy gala hosted by her mentor, clive davis, fellow artists mourned her loss. >> that voice, oh, my god. no one has ever come close to that voice. >> the voice, you know, her voice. it just, it's, it's -- we're very sad. >> i am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me through so
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many years. >> reporter: grammy awards, which gets under way later today here in los angeles is already the music industry's biggest night, but now it's expected to prove even more popular, as millions around the world tune in to see how whitney houston is memorialized. in beverly hills, jinah kim, nbc news. >> houston's music and her story touched millions. radio stations in our region are playing her music as fans react to the news. >> so raw emotionally, trying to figure out what happened, how this happened, because she was 48 years old, you know? that's so young and she had so much more to give. it's a real tragedy. >> rick chill, a deejay, has been taking calls from listeners. houston's fans say she touched their lives through her music. >> she inspired a lot of people with her music. i lost my husband a year ago, and the music really lifted me.
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and the deepest sentiment goes out from her fans. >> local deejays say they will celebrate houston's life by playing her music. >> houston's friends and peers are sharing their condolences. singer lionel ritchie says "i am devastated by the loss of whitney. we have lost a true angel. my prayers, my heart goes out to her family. we have lost an extraordinary voice to the world." bishop t.d. jakes says "at the apex of her career, whitney had no peer with a voice that shaped a generation. she has left behind a musical and film legacy that will endure. she will be sorely missed by us all." singer mariah carey posted this message on twitter -- "heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend. the incomparable ms. whitney houston. she will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to
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ever grace the earth." >> stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com for continuing coverage on the death of whitney houston. we're going to have a live report from los angeles on the passing of the 48-year-old music icon coming up at 9:00 a.m. and be sure to tune in for a special edition of "dateline" looking back at whitney houston's life and career, tonight at 7:00 p.m. right here on nbc 4. >> and of course, our other big story this sunday morning is the weather, the wind, the chill. >> oh, my goodness! >> i know. we've been so spoiled this winter. we have not really had to deal with this kind of slap in the face from mother nature, and man, oh, man! >> yesterday it was snowing s e sidewa sideways. >> yep, and last night on my drive home from work at about 11:30 last night, wow! crazy, crazy wind and snow out there. it actually started sticking to the roads, which was a problem we didn't have earlier in the day because the roads were still relatively warm.
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but boy, once the temperatures got down into the mid-20s, the road beds started to freeze up, and a lot of people started slipping and a sliding a little bit. so, as you're getting out the door early this sunday morning, be ready for a seriously cold, windy start and be real careful out there on the roads this morning because there are a lot of spots now that have frozen back up, especially on the side streets and the lesser traveled roads where they haven't really had a chance to get any salting or plowing equipment -- well, i shouldn't say plowing. we only had half an inch of snow, but no road treatment on some of the back streets. so, just be careful this morning. if you're already up, you've probably already got a head start on your sunday, so just leave a little bit early for your planned destination this morning. once we get the sun up, that will start to help things out a bit, but it's never really going to get all that warm today, so don't count on that. 23 now here in washington, dew points in the single digits. the winds are still up quite a bit, northwest at 8 but gusting to 30 miles an hour still out at national airport. current temperatures around the
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immediate metro area. 22 now in brandywine and camp springs, 22 degrees also in port belvoir, 21 restin and fairfax this morning. northern maryland, upper teens and low 20s. 21 in hagerstown, 19 in gaithersburg, winchester and charlottesville. factoring in the winds, gusting in the 20 to 30-mile-per-hour range, we have windchills this morning single digits and low teens out there. so, that heavy winter jacket that you got over the holiday season, this is one of those rare occasions this winter to wear it. your "sunday planner." not much of a budge in temperatures today. we'll be lucky if we get a degree or two above the freezing mark for a high temperature this afternoon. the wind advisory has officially been dropped, but we could still see winds gusting between 35 and about 40 miles per hour. here it is on live radar. nothing left of all the snow that we had yesterday. just to set your mind at ease, some lake-effect streamers up here in northeastern ohio, but no big storms coming our way any time soon. looks like our next chance for rain will likely be during the
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day on tuesday, probably more like tuesday afternoon, tuesday evening time frame. so, here's our future weather forecast. cold and windy. those are the two words that will best describe your sunday, even with the sunshine back, it's not going to warm up much. overnight tonight, a cold night. overnight lows teens and low 20s again. and then as we get into the day monday, bright and sunny, clouds come back tuesday. so, today, a mix of clouds and sunshine, staying windy and cold, gusts of wind near 40 miles per hour. we'll keep windchills in the 5 to 15-degree range, so that will be a cold one. then tomorrow, morning sunshine, high clouds late in the day, but on the whole, just chilly, not too terribly cold. chance of rain comes in on tuesday, mainly late in the day tuesday nighttimeframe. wednesday kind of cloudy, then another little chance for rain, which may have a little opportunity for some snow thursday night, but that might be more of a southern pennsylvania thing than around here. you can always stay in touch with me and in touch with the forecast on twitter @chuckbell4, or through our website right
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here at nbc washington. >> thank you, chuck. >> you're welcome. right now it is 6:08 early on this sunday. up next, a big win for mitt romney this weekend. and we're not just talking about the maine caucus. why his victory in virginia mock election is so important. well, guess what? halftime's over. we're in the third quarter now -- >> and "saturday night live" takes a shot at that controversial clint eastwood chrysler commercial. we'll show you the hilarious parody when we return. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum,
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we can empower more people to innovate, create jobs, and put momentum behind our economy. and a spectrum auction could raise as much as 30 billion dollars to help fund the payroll tax cut. it's simple. more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone.
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in the republican race for president, mitt romney won the maine caucus last night, taking home 39% of the vote. ron paul was a close second at
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36%. romney's win helps him take back a little bit of momentum after losing in colorado, minnesota and missouri to rick santorum. the former massachusetts governor now has 124 delegates. that's almost four times as many as second-place newt gingrich. up next for the gop candidates are primaries in arizona and michigan. well, romney also won an important symbolic competition right here in washington, d.c., the cpac straw poll. romney took home 38% of the poll among conservative activists that came here. rick santorum came in second at 31%. but most of the attention went to sarah palin. the former vice presidential candidate fired up the crowd, saying republicans need to ban together to defeat president obama. >> it's about one country united under god. we aren't red americans, we're
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not blue americans, we're red, white and blue, and president obama, we are through with you! >> some republicans at the conference said that they're upset that palin is not running for the nomination. they feel that she'd be a great leader and would have a chance to defeat president obama. angie? thanks, chris. romney won another election that won't give him any delegates but should get him excited about the rest of the race. washington and lee university selected romney as the winner in its mock republican convention. this is the lexington, virginia's 25th mock presidential election, which always selects the nominee of the party out of power, and they've got a pretty good track record. students have only been wrong twice in selecting the nominee. another interest selection is the vice presidential candidate. students picked virginia governor bob mcdonell as romney's running mate. well, clint eastwood's super bowl commercial got a lot of attention earlier this week as some felt that it was a campaign
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ad for president obama. well, "snl," "saturday night live" tackled the issue head on. >> guess what? halftime's over. we're in the third quarter now, america, and we're way behind. so, i don't care if obama runs the ball or romney throws a touchdown or ron paul kicks a field goal with his tiny, little chicken legs. i'll tell you right now, though, i ain't putting santorum in the game. he can stand on the sideline doing cheers in his little sweater vests. >> well, bill hadar played the iconic actor mocking the "halftime in america" ad from last week. throughout the show, hadar's rants became more and more insane, at one point saying the ad was actually for a pizza chain, herman cain's pizza chain, perhaps. >> that was awesome. they say lighting is everything? lighting was everything in that commercial. >> he's an excellent actor. >> from afar he looked just like
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him. >> exactly right. up next, "reporter's notebook," a look at stories affecting our community. >> and of course, we're going to be back in 15 minutes with the morning's top stories, and chuck has your sunday forecast. it's cold. but for now, here's jim handly. good morning, and welcome to "reporter's notebook." i'm jim handly. virginia democrat, former governor tim kaine breaks with the president over a birth control policy. surplus in the city and a clash over how to spend the excess funds. and double dipping in d.c. some city employees receiving unemployment benefits. a lot to get to. let's start, gentlemen, with this controversy which is now turned -- it's a national controversy, certainly, among some religious groups over this policy over birth control. tim kaine we saw this week distancing himself from it and from the president, and certainly, he's going to be in a heated senate campaign. >> well, kaine is a catholic, but he does believe that the white house, whom he once served, is correct in requiring religious institutions to cover
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contraception, but he thinks that the conscience clause loophole -- not a loophole -- some people would say it's a loophole, others would say it's something to make this thing work. it should be broadened, but he hasn't said how, and the white house says it wants to work with catholics and protestants and any jewish people, muslims, anyone who has a problem with this, that they want to make an accommodation, but they haven't said how. and it's a huge -- i was on the hill yesterday, and right after speaker boehner had a fiery speech on the floor, denouncing what the president, promising legislative action. immediately, democrats and republicans mobilized with their press conferences, democrats saying that republicans are making an issue out of women's right to have contraception and republicans saying that this is a conscience issue and we have to fight it. >> and some democrats are saying that as well, within the catholic church. >> there are some in both parties which split with what the party's leadership is saying. >> there is quite a split here, but tim kaine has to be careful.
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he has political future in his mind, so he's trying to be very careful, distancing himself from the president, but there's one thing about this whole controversy, and that is women's rights. and you can dance around all of the other issues, but women's rights will, i think, take priority in the outcome of this whole thing. i'm not saying -- >> we saw that with planned parenthood, the komen foundation. >> we saw that with planned parenthood. but i'm saying there's going to be a compromise with tim kaine, barack obama and everybody else when it comes to women's rights. >> it's not just the issue that we've been talking about, but there's also the distancing with the keystone xcel pipeline. >> right. >> he thinks the president should have studied that. and he also believes that the president should have gone to congress before taking military action in libya. and then, of course, the offshore drilling in virginia. he, you know, was disappointed.
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so, clearly, these are virginia issues. >> right, not d&c issues. >> right, these are virginia issues. and even though kaine has a political future, he's first got to take care of getting collected in the commonwealth. >> and that's just -- >> this is the latest in a series of attempts by republicans to tag him with the administration -- >> right. >> -- make him an administration -- just like republicans didn't want -- got mad at huntsman, jon huntsman, because he was ambassador to china. they said he was too close to obama there. and so, anyone who's ever worked for an administration has to be very careful that they make the case, if they're going to survive, that they served at the president's will. when the president asks you to do something, you don't turn them down. that doesn't mean you support the president in everything. >> let's move on to the district now and a scandal unfolding among some employees, double-dipping employees who were working and also collecting some unemployment benefits. some have been suspended. this is to the tune of about
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$800,000, according to city officials. how did this happen? >> well, it happened because they were taking unemployment insurance, then gained employment with the dc government, and a number of them didn't tell the people who were sending them jobless checks to stop those checks. they kept taking them. they were, in effect, double-dippers. it's clearly against the law. it's a violation of d.c. employment code. you know, the people who are concerned about this say that it doesn't help the city's image, it doesn't help the government's image. here you are, people, in a tough economic time, double-dipping. it's a bad-news story for the district of columbia and they're trying to do damage control and get back. >> unemployment office not communicating with human resources. >> yeah. >> that's the real problem. >> which is another one. >> it's the real problem. but as you say, you know, the problem is with people who just cheat. let's put it, as my grandfather said, where the goats can get
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it. the problem is people just cheat. >> right. >> and then of course, they're taking advantage of the fact that they know human resources probably isn't talking to unemployment and it's easy to get away with. >> and the sad thing here, again, dave, you touched on it, and that is the image that we find in the district of columbia right now, behind the investigations. one of the persons in question here from the accusation is out of brown's office, the chairman's office, who is under investigation also. so, this whole image of the district government right now, i would be concerned about how the congress is going to play with this, because this image is not good for the district. >> let's talk about image. and of course, the mayor giving his state of the city address. your impressions on that. we've got a surplus now in the city, and you mentioned kwame brown. apparently, there's some clash over who should have say in how some of the surplus money is spent. >> well, the mayor had an interesting state of the state speech. he emphasized economic issues, how the city has a surplus, how
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the city is moving ahead, governing well. and unlike last year, he did touch upon the stumbles in the beginning of his administration, when there were these investigations into were people in his campaign helping somebody, helping suleman brown, who showed up to castigate ex-mayor fenty and helped the campaign of mayor gray, that whole issue. then of course, there were members of the council under investigation for alleged wrongdoing. and so, he admitted that, yeah, we got off to a bad start, in effect, but now we're doing good things. >> well, i think the mayor was very positive under the cloud, the albatross that's been flying over the district. we just talked about it the last topic, the image as well as the investigations and all of this coming down. it must have been tough for the mayor to stand up and now say we're going to talk about the positive side of the district. well, he did. he had some good stuff to talk about. one, we do have a surplus. also, he talked about how the
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district partnered with people like china to bring a larger technological hub here. the one thing i like, though, that mayor gray pointed out in his district state of the state speech was that he's recognizing the change of population in the district of columbia, and i think that's very important. gentrification, call it what you want, but the fact is that the mayor's on top of that, and there should be provisions that's going to address the issue of changes of the district and the changing face of d.c. >> in conversations that i've had with mayor gray, one of the things that he is very proud of, and you heard it in the state of the d.c. speech, is the fact that they had this surplus. >> right. >> the economic house is in order. now, what do you do with that surplus? do you keep it for a rainy day fund? do you invest it in various pet projects that council members have? the other thing that i find interesting, and maybe -- i'm not trying to say i have a deaf
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ear to it. but you know, we don't hear a lot of complaints about how the city runs. now, we hear complaints about metro -- >> right. >> but remember, we used to hear complaints about the trash not being picked up, the streets not being cleaned -- >> haven't had any snow removal yet, but you're right, we haven't heard a lot of complaints at all. >> it isn't really a major issue. so, i think those are the two things that i know when i speak to him he's very proud of, that the city's operating okay. >> which gave -- >> what the problem is, though -- pardon me, jerry -- there is the shadow hanging over the mayor and the council of the scandals. >> right. >> the alleged scandals. and that's pretty well taken the place of people, for the moment, at least in the press, about complaining about city services. >> right. >> but you're right, you make a good point, and you could argue the mayor really ought to emphasize and the council ought to emphasize, look, we may have our problems ethically, but, like chicago, the city's working. >> it's working.
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it's moving. okay, we've got to take a quick break. we'll move into maryland right after this on "reporter's notebook," so stay with us.
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and welcome back to "reporter's notebook." in maryland now, the reverend al sharpton, the latest same-sex marriage supporter to campaign for gay marriage in the state of maryland. your thoughts on this. it did not go through last year, but some are sensing that the dynamic may have shifted with huge support from the governor now. >> well -- >> go ahead. >> they think they've got the momentum. they've got the labor unions behind them. they didn't have that last year. but as jerry and i and joe have all said a number of times on this program, a lot of ministers, catholic church, a lot of protestant ministers, african-american ministers, are dead set against this. they think it's the wrong way to go, and they prevailed the last time. and taking the political reading that i am, i'm, you know, from what people tell me, they wonder if it will really, really make it this time, despite some
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recent developments. >> al sharpton coming out with a video like this, could it make a difference, something like this? >> well, al sharpton, reverend sharpton is a civil rights person and he looks at this as a civil rights issue, and he's supporting the same-sex marriage act. how this is going to turn the minds in maryland, i don't know. washington state this past week passed theirs, same-sex marriage thing. but how this is going to play in maryland, i don't know, because we still have to go back to, what you said, what we said on this program last week, and that is joe's favorite statement i love, which is more people in pews than there are in -- >> union halls. >> -- union halls. >> well, i, look, i don't think that the reverend al sharpton, who's a good friend, whose show i appear on frequently, is going to make any difference with the religious community. >> right. >> as a matter of fact, they're probably going to dismiss him because -- and they're going to dismiss him by saying you're not part of our community, this has
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nothing to do with you, you're an interloper, you know, go back to new york. i can hear it now because that's going to be the attitude coming from his fellow clergymen and women. so, he's really trying to speak to an indifferent group of people. i don't know which way this will go now. i mean, it's a full court press. there's no if, ands, buts about it. >> staying in maryland and in prince george's county. we've seen it in the district, we've seen it in montgomery county. we're talking about a nickelback tax. the council for it. stalling in the legislature a bit, though. >> yeah. maryland, a committee, apparently, is having second thoughts about it. they're not ready to give their stamp of approval. it's passed in the district. it's part of the income source for the anacostia cleanup. people would like to deal with environmental issues, clean up the rivers and things of that nature. you know, a lot of people
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grudgi grudgingly give in, it's only a nickel, they say, and yet, it is a nickel, it is a charge. somebody's counting their pennies, it might be close, but most people seem to be willing to do it. yet, people who are against it, i think they just don't want to raise any kind of taxes. >> yeah, right. you're charging a person a nickel when they go to the store. a lot of people object to it. nowadays in the district, at least, you have your own bag. you take your bag to the store and buy with the nickel. the point is there has not been an adequate tracking system as to how this money is really being spent on cleaning up the potomac river. because -- >> anacostia. >> the anacostia. it's part of the tributary. but if you go to the anacostia river today, i will bet you a ne nickel that you will still find tables and chairs in the anacostia river. yes, they do have a good cleanup, i admit that, but the point is, how much of this is really changing the anacostia river.
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>> oh, i think it's changing it a great deal. again, there has been some tracking done, and what they've said in the district of columbia, it has made a difference. what's so interesting is, the district of columbia can do it, montgomery county can do it. then if prince george's county, which is the source of where the rivers start from, don't do it and then virginia doesn't do it, it almost defeats itself. >> it defeats itself. >> the river and the potomac, less than a minute, going to court now in rezoning in alexandria. where does this stand now? >> i go back to what we said on this show a long time ago and i'll stand by it -- they can go to court. big money is behind the waterfront in alexandria. big money is going to talk. >> it talks. >> it could be that the argument's for redevelopment, as the plan sets out, will make their case that there's enough recreation space, enough clean space, and it should go through. >> just don't block off the
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river from the public. >> exactly. >> don't do it. let the public get there. >> the word is compromise. >> that's our takeaway. we'll have to leave it there. we like that. that's a good word to remember all sunday long. folks, thanks for having us in for "reporter's notebook." now back to "news 4 today." enjoy the rest of your weekend, everybody, and stay warm out there. good morning, everybody. i'm angie goff. >> and i'm chris gordon. welcome to "news 4 today." this morning, family, friends and fans are mourning the loss of singer whitney houston. >> her bodyguard found houston unconscious in her hotel room in beverly hills yesterday afternoon. paramedics tried to revive her but she died at the scene. houston had a history of drug abuse, but investigators are still looking into how she died. she was in town for the grammys.
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singer jennifer hudson is expected to perform a musical tribute to houston at tonight's awards ceremony. houston was 48 years old. and of course, besides this story, we focus on the weather today, and just how cold is it? >> oh, it's very chilly outside this morning, no doubt about it. nowhere near record low temperatures. don't get your hopes up that we've set any kind of a record low, but temperatures are in the teens and 20s this morning, and that's, of course, only about half the story. windchills are down into the single digits this morning. winds are still gusting now 20 to 30 miles per hour across most of the area. that has the windchills, ooh, it's a bundle up morning -- 4 in hagerstown this morning, 13 at the inner harbor in baltimore, 9 for the windchill way down in st. mary's county. so, even southern maryland did not escape the chill. the wind advisories have officially been dropped, but nonetheless, we could still see winds gusting this afternoon between 30 and 40 miles per
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hour, so be on the lookout for that. good news is, there's the radar, zippo falling on the radar for now. so no more accumulating snows today. the nearest snowflakes to us are now across parts of northern pennsylvania. so, for today, partly sunny, windy and cold, gusts of wind up near 40 miles per hour will keep windchills in the 5 to 15-degree range through most of your sunday afternoon. actual air temperatures today will only climb into the upper 20s and low 30s. so, a very cold day coming today. a little improvement coming our way for your monday. back to work and school, everybody. morning sunshine, a few high clouds coming in tomorrow afternoon, but staying on the dry side. highs tomorrow all the way back up into the low 40s! could be about a ten-degree improvement over today. >> and you do not see another big winter event this week? >> no. no, i don't see anything else for us snow lovers to get too terribly worked up about. >> all right. thanks, chuck. this morning, vdot says it
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will inspect highway signs similar to the one that fell and landed on a pickup truck. it happened yesterday afternoon along i-66 and monument drive in fairfax county. the sign was more than 30 feet tall with a 28-foot arm that extended over the interstate. the driver of the truck was not injured and vdot is still trying to determine what went wrong. police arrested a man accused of opening fire after a high school basketball game. a bullet grazed a woman in the head. police say johnnie kamara was part of a large fight at gar-field high school in woodbridge friday night. police say he began shooting at people in the old triangle and siegel court area. the woman who was hit is expected to survive. a prince william county elementary school is hoping to reopen on monday after a norovirus outbreak. right now, crews are disinfecting henderson elementary school in montclair. on friday, the health department
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confirmed the presence of the virus after several students and teachers were suffering from severe vomiting and diarrhea. school officials sent out a letter to parents asking that anyone with symptoms stay home for at least a day. family, friends and complete strangers gathered to honor two little boys killed by their own father who burned their house down. last night, people in utah held a candlelight vigil. earlier, more than 1,000 people gathered to say a final good-bye to 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old brandon in washington state. the brothers shared a single casket. their grandparents spoke at the funeral service. >> we thank you for your support. we know that they're with their mother. >> one week ago today, the boys died when their father, josh, set their house on fire. it happened during a supervised visit with a social worker. paul had been fighting for
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custody of the boys but lost days before the double murder-suicide. police named powell a person of interest in his wife's death. defense lawyers for reality television show producer are pushing to get his murder charges thrown out. former "survivor" producer bruce beersford redman remains in jail in cancun, mexico, accused of killing his wife monica in cancun in april of 2010. he denies any wrongdoing and a judge is deciding if there's enough evidence to support the charges and whether the trial will move forward. well, the biggest superstar in new york sports right now is not derek jeter or eli manning, but a 23-year-old point guard from harvard. jeremy lin once again shined for the knicks, helping new york defeat minnesota 100-98. lin was all over the place, chipping in 20 points, six rebounds and eight assists. the knicks have won five straight games and hope to keep the streak alive on tuesday
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against toronto. well, it appears lin-sanity has reached a fever pitch. his jersey is sold out at madison square garden, and he set a record for points in his first three games as a starter. all this from an undrafted 23-year-old who played only 29 games last season, but it appears lin-sanity is here to stay. >> the guy's electric and the team's playing with excitement. >> it's kind of like the disney story, because he wasn't even given a chance. >> the garden is rocking every time he touches the ball, you feel the energy, because he's going to do something exciting with the basketball. >> lin has also made history in another way. he's the first chinese-american player to ever play in the nba. and i walked in the newsroom this morning and i declared i was going to get a lin jersey, but i guess i'm not going to be able to do that. they're sold out! >> oh, they're sold out. >> didn't you hear the story? >> no, well -- >> shop online.
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>> i know. i'm going to pay a pretty penny. i'm sure it's on ebay already. >> his rookie card signed went on ebay for $1,900. >> really? >> yeah, rookie card. >> holy cow. >> number 17. >> have to wait on that jersey. the time is 6:38, everybody. up next, david gregory, moderator of "meet the press," will join us live to recap cpac and break down the race for the republican presidential nomination. also ahead, enjoy watching redskins game on tv? well, you may have former president richard nixon to thank for that. we'll explain why. and a real dogfight. the westminster kennel club cuts ties with one of its biggest sponsors, and it's all because of a commercial. details st people really love snapshot from progressive, but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. i was worried it would be hard to install. but it's really easy. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool.
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are you still sleeping? just wanted to check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers. another victory for mitt romney. he just won maine's caucus.
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>> yes. there won't be another primary for more than two weeks, but the candidates won't be using this down time to rest. joining us now to break down the race is the moderator of "meet the press," david gregory. and welcome, david. >> good morning. >> this race is just driving me crazy, because last week we were sitting here and i was asking, oh, is there anything behind closed doors to push santorum out, then he sweeps three races and then i guess the win last night was something romney badly needed after this. >> if you're romney and you're trying to recapture that front-runner spirit, you're looking for momentum-builders all the time and winning has a way of doing that, especially when there's not a lot of contes contests, but that's what helped santorum last week. this is a hunt for delegates. it's not going to be a coronation. this will go on for a while. romney is still viewed as the favorite to get the nomination as every path available to him to secure it, and gingrich and santorum are much, much longer shots. but as long as mitt romney has a hard time connecting with conservatives -- and he does --
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although i should point out that he won this straw poll at cpac here in town, which is a gathering of conservatives. he's trying to make that pivot. he's trying to make the connection with conservatives, but as long as he has that difficulty, there are going to be questions about him in the party. >> last night, "nbc nightly news" led with the possibility of a brokered convention. and yet, every analyst you talk to says, well, not in my lifetime or i haven't seen that or that would be odd. >> it would be odd. and you know, you have to wait to see it. it's easy to say at this point, look, you've got candidates who don't want to get out, they're going to keep moving forward. i'll talk to rick santorum on the program today, who doesn't have a lot of money or organization but has a path to keep going, and there's no real apparent reason for him to get out yet. of course, we're not to super tuesday yet. you could have some element of the party trying to contest the nomination for romney, but we'll see how it goes. we still have a ways to go. and you know, as you get deeper and deeper into the primary
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process, look, you know, bill clinton in '92 or even barack obama as senator in 2008 lost a big contest to hillary clinton. >> you didn't mention newt gingrich. is he still in it? >> well, i think he's had a tough week or so. yes. you know, i'm not going to write gingrich's political obituary after the fact that he's come back twice now, but he's had a couple of rough weeks and he seems to be, you know, staggering a little bit, but we've seen this, you know? the ups and downs of the campaign. i still think most of the focus is going to be on romney. >> and you're going to be speaking with santorum today. and is he really going to be able to lay out how he plans to convince voters that he is the anti-romney alternative? >> well, i think he's going to talk about a conservative record that he thinks is a lot cleaner, a lot purer than that of governor romney, and he's been able to take the fight to him on issues like health care pretty effectively so far. and the question is, does he have broader appeal to independent voters? >> so, let's go through "meet the press" and "press pass," your programs coming up here on
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nbc. >> well, on the program this morning, jack lew, the new white house chief of staff, dealing with hot topics on birth control and tony perkins, noted social conserve, president of the family research council. we talk about the reaction at cpac to romney, we talk about the birth control decision. a very interesting view of how conservative voters are looking at this primary fight. >> a lot of hard-hitting issues. thank you, david. >> okay. you bet. take care. >> thank you. recently unearthed tapes reveal that former president richard nixon was a big fan of football, but not a big fan of then commissioner pete rozelle. nixon was recorded in 1972 saying that he was furious with the nfl's blackout policy, which blocked any game from being televised in the city where it was played. nixon told his attorney general he would do whatever it took to make sure that games were televised. eventually, congress passed the law in 1973 banning the league from blacking out any game that
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was sold out three days before kickoff. and the redskins have not had a blackout in hundreds of games. >> yeah. let's not go there. >> well, like most of the nfl teams have no trouble selling out their stadiums now, and that's a very good thing. it's good for fans to go and it's good to have it on tv if you goeg like going in the rain. >> except for jacksonville. >> except jacksonville, exactly right. well, for us, we have of all things winter! >> what's that? >> right here in the middle of february! i don't know what's gone wrong, but we'll talk about your sunday forecast and the possibility of a warm-up. brad and jill in accounting? crazy! coffee and chocolate. mocha. ooh! who's mocha?
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for the perfect blend of coffee and chocolate, try a mocha coffee or latte today. anything not moving forward is moving backward. [ tires screech ] [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] introducing the 2013 gs. with the lexus enform app suite, the most connected information and communication technology available in an automobile. [ tires screeching ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back.
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i'm drinkin' dunkin'. definitely dunkin'. you know, i need to get that jolt in the morning, but i want something good to do that. you can't mistake the flavor. i run on dunkin'. tell us what you're drinkin' for a chance to be famous. america runs on dunkin' coffee. okay, driving in this morning i saw people working away very early, still salting the roads. >> and there's a local washingtonian who i pass on my drive into work every saturday and sunday morning. he's running up the avenue, up the hill towards the vice president's house, and i pass
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him about 4:30, 4:35, and i mean every saturday and sunday morning. >> wow. >> this guy is hard core. he was out there this morning. >> more power to him. >> all in his -- you know, he's more hard core than me as running goes, because there are times when i don't run, and 4:30 in the morning is one of those times. >> well, and you saw the flags when we came in, whipping in the wind, so i can't each imagine. >> howling. ugly cold windchills out this morning. you really need to be ready for it on your way out the door. it actually feels like winter for a real change around here. temperatures are going to be generally in the teens and 20s to get your day started, but if you've been listening to the wind rattle the windows all night, you know that the windchills are going to be just as big a part of your weather story on sunday. so, outside let's take a peek and see how things are coming along. the skies are starting to clear and we'll be in and out of the sunshine for much of the day. the further south and east you go, the more sunshine you're going to get. further north and west, you'll be closer to the mountains, and as a result, you'll have a little bit more cloud cover. but for now, off to a quiet
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enough start here in washington, 23 degrees outside. windchills, though, are down in the single digits and teens, courtesy of a northwest wind averaging only 8 miles per hour but still gusting between 25 and 35 miles an hour across much of the area. so, it's 19 now in gaithersburg, 21 in rockville and silver spring, 23 downtown, 22 at camp springs, 22 degrees in huntingtown and chesapeake beach. out across northern virginia, loudoun county, fairfax county, generally upper teens and low 20s. and going out a little bit further, not a whole lot colder as you get out towards the blue ridge in northern maryland, but the other real part of the day is the winds. look at the current wind gusts in miles per hour. 36-mile-an-hour wind gusts in hague youerstow hagerstown. 38-mile-per-hour wind gusts at patuxent river naval air station and as a result, single digits and teens everywhere for
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windchills. your sunday planner, temperatures will inch above freezing by 2:00, 3:00 this afternoon and then immediately drop below freezing by about 7:00 this evening. the wind advisory had been allowed to expire across northern maryland, but wind advisory now southern pennsylvania and far southern maryland. storm system coming our way for today. quiet weather expands back towards texas. as a result, we've got about 48 hours of precipitation-free weather in our future. so, cold and windy for today. the cold sticks around tonight. the winds will finally ease up about lunchtime on monday as high pressure finally moves offshore. so, today, a mix of clouds and sunshine. imagine that. windy and cold. highs today upper 20s to low 30s. then tomorrow, highs into the upper 30s and low 40s. the winds will really start to ease up by about lunchtime on your monday. and then the clouds come back for tuesday. a little chance of some light rain. looks like it's going to be rain, not snow. that's late tuesday, tuesday evening time frame.
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wednesday kind of cloudy, another chance for a few showers as we get towards thursday night and friday. you can always stay in touch with the forecast by following me on twitter @chuckbell4. >> and we do! >> you do? >> i do follow you! >> oh, that's so nice. >> yes. >> and i tweet you every time we're on the show. i say join chuckbell 4. >> the new guy. here's a story we've all been waiting for. animal lovers rejoice! it's that time, the westminster kennel club dog show starts next week, but there's one thing that will be missing. according to "the new york times," the show cut ties with longtime sponsor pedigree, this after 24 years. according to the report, it's because of pedigree's commercials featuring sad-eyed dogs up for adoption. the westminster kennel club issued a statement saying "the show is a celebration of the dogs in our lives." the show starts tomorrow. now let's get a sneak peek at what's ahead in this week's
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"kidspost." >> here's eun yang. >> good morning. this week on "kidspost" on tv, activities in the zoo that won't make you freeze, a special birthday for our favorite trees, and an historical cabin that everyone sees. joining us once again is tracy grant of "washington post's" "kidspost." >> nice to see you, eun. >> great activities at the national zoo, even though it's winter. >> it's winter and it's really cold this weekend, but it's a great time to go to the zoo! >> really? >> because there are fewer people there. >> yes. >> so, you can see the animals better. there's less foliage, so you can see the animals better. >> good point. >> and here's a really good reason. you know, our beloved lion family -- >> yes. >> -- is about to get separated. the three boys are getting big and rambunctious, so they're going to be separated from the rest of the family, the mom and dad and their sisters. you can also see great things like flamingos. flamingos go outside because the
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water is heated, so there are lots of animals that are more active, more energetic. >> red panda. >> this adorable red panda was out just the other day. >> so cute. >> so really, you don't necessarily think about it, and you can also warm up in amazonia. >> i imagine they do that, boys get rambunctious and separate from the rest of the family. next, a birthday for the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin. >> that's right. this is the 100th anniversary of the cherry blossoms. we want to get kids involved and engaged. so, in today's "kidspost," we are announcing a drawing contest. we want kids, they can get the template from "kidspost" today or from kidspost.com. fill out a square, 3 1/2 by 3 1/2-inch square, just like this. >> okay. >> it's in the paper today. draw their vifgts chsion of the blossoms, whether it's a single bloss blossom, a bunch of trees, painted, colored, crayoned.
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send them in to us, and at the beginning of the cherry blossom, we'll stitch them all together in a wonderful quilt and will publish them. >> can't wait to see that. finally, an opportunity to see one of the country's most historical and most important cabins right here in our area. >> that's right. josiah henson is a name that many people may not know. he was as a child a slave in montgomery county. and when he grew to adulthood, he and his family walked to freedom in canada. the house that his slave owner owned is in north bethesda. it's open for tours each saturday during black history month. and josiah henson was actually the inspiration for harriet beecher stowe's "uncle tom's cabin." >> wow. >> his actual life. and kids can get a sense -- imagine being a kid this age being a slave right here in montgomery county. it's really thought-provoking. >> mm-hmm. good lessons for the children
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and all families. >> right, and we have josiah henson's story in wednesday's "kidspost." >> terrific. all right, looking forward to that tracy, thanks so much, as always. for fun family activities, visit nbcwashington.com or washingtonpost.com and click on "kidspost." and that is "kidspost" on tv this week. i'm eun yang. >> so much fun, just seeing that video of the cherry blossoms. i mean, i can't believe it's already here! >> will they be here sooner because of the weather? >> i think they will be. i put a cherry chart together a few years ago and february temperatures are usually the best predictor, and so far, february has been warm. this morning notwithstanding. >> all right, well, there's still more "news 4 today" after the break. and also,
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whatcha lookin' for hon? ah, these new jeans i want. i've been looking everywhere. new blue jeans? oh, don't be crazy, i've got tons of blue jeans. frank! frank! get my jean bin, susie wants my jeans. no she doesn't. here we go. nice and loose. ohhh. those are loose, but i actually just ordered three pairs of this kind. ooooohhhh. oh. when it's on your mind, it's on ebay.
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welcome to "news 4 today." i'm chris gordon. >> and i'm angie goff. the day is sunday, february 12th. this morning, family and friends and fans are mourning the loss of singer whitney houston. her bodyguard found houston unconscious in her hotel room in beverly hills yesterday afternoon. she died at the scene. investigators are still looking into how she died. houston was 48 years old. after a bit of a losing streak, mitt romney won maine's caucus last night with 39% of the vote. ron paul was a close second at
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36%. romney also won the cpac straw poll with 38% of the voters at the conference voting for the former massachusetts governor. vdot says it will inspect highway signs that are similar to the one that fell and landed on a pickup truck. it happened yesterday afternoon along i-66 and monument drive in fairfax county. the driver of the truck was not injured. >> they're still trying to figure out if it was blown over, if it was the wind, you know, why that went over. so, they're investigating that. >> scary stuff! those signs are big. >> we went out for a walk, i don't know why, yesterday. and literally, my husband pointed out, he goes, look, that license plate has, like, fallen off and there was a license plate on car just rattling. >> those signs, a lot of times you don't get a perspective of how big those signs are because you're whizzing by at 50, 60 miles per hour, but those things are huge! >> you're going to notice it now. >> no doubt. that poor driver, how scary that would be to see that coming down in front of you. for us, it's windy and cold so
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far this morning. the winds won't be as ferocious today as they were yesterday, but boy, it isn't going to be much of an improvement. a little bit of clearing outside on our eastern horizon. still a little bit more cloud cover to the north and west, folks in virginia. temperatures are in the upper teens and low 20s. winds are still gusting between 20 and 30 miles per hour, pretty much areawide. so, as a result, windchill temperatures are single digits and teens on your way out the door. the wind advisories may be gone, but the winds will still be gusting between 30 and 40 miles per hour for much of the day today. so bundle up, get that extra layer on today. long underwear required if you're going to be spending any length of time outside today. no more snow coming our way for today. we'll be snow-free on your sunday, partly sunny, but it will be windy and cold, feeling like winter right here in the middle of february. temperatures today 28 to 35 degrees. and with the winds gusting so strong, it's time for the usual recommendation, hold on to your hats, hairpieces and kids under
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40 pounds will need rocks in the pockets. >> and extra hair spray. i don't know if this will help. i really don't know. >> or a hat or a bonnet. >> or a beanie beard, as we discussed yesterday. okay, thank you, chuck. >> you're welcome. well, next is nbc 4's "viewpoint." >> we'll be back in a few minutes with an update on news. here's "viewpoint." >> good morning. welcome to "viewpoint." i'm pat lawson muse. our guest this morning is chair of the d.c. council's committee on health. he is also serving his fourth full term as an at-large member. "the washington post" called him one of the most influential men in city government. our guest is council member david kattcatania. welcome to "viewpoint." >> thank you for having me back. >> thank you for coming. the "post" not only knows your influence, colbert king says they don't come in any more smarter, any more dedicated or gutsier than you. >> that's high praise from mr. king. but happy to be here. >> all right, let's start with
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the mayor's statement, the district report. he delivered it this week. he challenged the city to set an ambitious agenda, to seize the future, not focus on the past, and he set out an agenda to create a new economy. what is your assessment of the state of the district? >> well, there's no question, the last few years have been difficult for the city and for the country, generally. and we have the foreclosure rates and the unemployment rates that will reflect that. the good news is, though, that we have not suffered as badly as the rest of the country. and while, you know, our budgets have been somewhat constrained, we have not seen the wholesale reductions in eligibility, for instance, for medicaid, we have not seen the layoff of law enforcement or firefighters or teachers, et cetera, as a result of budget constraints. we've been able to hold our own, but i really do welcome the mayor's approach to, you know, not simply maintaining the status quo but looking at ways in which we can lift the fortunes of the less fortunate among us. and his focus on job creation and economic development, especially in those areas that
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have long demanded it i think is really welcome. and so, i look forward to working with him on that. >> the council, the city is facing a surprise surplus this year, $240 million. where did that money come from? >> well, i don't know how much of it is a surprise for some of us who have been skeptical of our chief operating officer's revenue projections. it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look at the past and see that in years past, you expect a certain percentage increase in your revenue, and he's been very, very conservative about it. here's another illustration of that. the problem with that is it dprivz us -- the absence of authentic, legitimate revenue projections deprives the council the ability to make choices and spend money accordingly and it also causes us to do things like last year unnecessarily raise taxes. i welcome this surplus. i think we'll have more in the future. i think we need to spend a good part of it paying down some debt as well as building our ready reserve. but there's no question that we're in a better financial shape than most cities and states in this country, and it's
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reason to be grateful. >> how are you going to use the surplus? >> i think by law, most of it, by council act, most will go to the reserve fund. the mayor may wish to have a supplemental. that will change the law and spend some of these funds, but i think the most prudent course is put the money in the reserve fund and, candidly, to repeal some of the tax increases we did, for instance on municipal bonds and on high wage-earners. i don't think it's legitimate for us to ask for more resources than we need. i certainly am in favor of always looking at our tax policy for greater progressivity and fairness, but we raised taxes when we didn't need to and we should put a stop to that. >> should you sunset that -- would you like to see the tax increase sunset? >> absolutely. >> it was originally slated to be sunseted in four years. >> i'd like to see it sunseted, but i'd also like to look at the larger fees in taxes we have imposed generally over the last few years, in an effort to make these budgets work. we have increased fees on everything from tickets to sanitation issues, you name it, and i think it's time to revisit some of these fees and licensing
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costs. they have become opripressive a they discourage people from moving into the city and certainly impose on people's good feelings living in the city. >> you've criticized the cfo. >> yeah. >> do you think that should be taken further? would you like to see him replaced? >> absolutely. it's not just revenue projections, it's the fact that under his watch, tens of millions of dollars have walked out the door under his nose. fact that, you know, in the most recent budget meeting, we discovered that he is moving money around in an extralegal way. the lottery contract, after the council approved the contract in 2009, you know, three months later he inserted a material change in the contract which exposed the city to possible risks and introduced i-gaming without the council ever knowing it. there's simply one action after another that i don't find consistent with his continued service. >> i'd like to ask you about internet gambling. the council has repealed that. you opposed it. why? >> i opposed it. well, because for one, we didn't have a fair opportunity to discuss it, as i mentioned. the council approved the lottery
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contract in december of '09, and a few months later, the cfo on his own volition changed, modified the contract, which was not legal, and it was a material change, as our inspector general has determined. and all of a sudden, we now have i-gaming. i don't object to the conversation, but i think it should follow a process. we should have a bill introduced. we should have all sides represented. it should follow our process and then a majority vote at the council would decide whether we go forward. i'm not inclined to rely on games and chance to make ends meet. i think this is a regressive way to raise money, it's not an appropriate way, in my mind, and you know, we always have these seductive promises, that if you just let us do this, the money will go for what you want. but it never really works out that way. >> so, you obviously did not and do not buy council member michael brown's assertion that repeal means the city is giving up a budget bonanza. >> no, i don't, and not only am i not in favor of being in the business of games of chance, i really don't want to welcome the kinds of entities that are involved in i-gaming.
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i mean, i think we already have a lottery. we've seen what a disaster, frankly, that has been from a pro perspective, how the money interests have come and upset a lawful, honest, transparent process because there's so much money at stake. when you get into i-gaming and all that comes after that, i just think we'll have a lot of outside interests with a lot of money. let's face it, this is a small government. i mean, you have 13 people and a mayor, and these enormous financial interests can come and they can spend any amounts of money to influence future bodies to go beyond a simple i-gaming, and i fear we wake up and we have a casino on pennsylvania avenue. now, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but i want to keep these interests out of the city. that's just me. >> will there be i-gaming in the district, prediction, eventually? >> you know, it's hard to -- i can't see myself voting in favor of it, but i have an open mind. but i also just don't think that it's a business we should be in the business in. i don't think those who are
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associated with it are people i want associated with the district government. and i just see such an opportunity for mischief with that kind of money and such a small government, and the ability to influence my colleagues, you just don't know where it is. >> david c
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welcome back. we're talking with council member david catania this morning. in march of 2010, a beef over a missing bracelet led to one of the most -- the most, in fact -- deadly mass shootings in the city's history. happened on south capitol street southeast, left four young people dead, several others injured. that incident has led to the south capitol street tragedy memorial act of 2011. tell us what that is. >> well, this is a measure that is very close to my heart, frankly. i mean, this was something that happened, as you mentioned, nearly two years ago. and you know, it began a journey
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that i couldn't have anticipated would take this long. i had wished it would have happened sooner, but nonetheless, i think it's going to be a significant, you know, a significant effort here in the district, a significant benefit for our residents. in march of 2010, when these four young people were murdered, you know, we had the stereo typical response -- politicians show up and they mourn the loss and we say it's never going to happen again, and then everyone disappears. that's the way it happens everywhere in this country. i met nardine jefferies, whose daughter was one of those killed -- >> rochelle jones. >> rochelle jones. and the pain and suffering from nardine was so raw that there was no way i could simply let this go. so we started at that point, i engaged a law firm in the city that worked with my office and we started weekly meetings and nardine sat through the meetings and we looked at what we were going to do, and everyone sort of rocked back and said this
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touches the department of health, school system, department of health rehabilitation services, so on, and it all became so overwhelming. at times, we thought this is just too big. nardine was there the entire time saying we have to do this. and it resulted two years later -- i mean, this has been consistent work not only with the law firm i mentioned, but with other advocates, surveying the nation to find the best mental health infrastructure that we could copy, and we, frankly, didn't find much. so, what we're creating out of whole cloth will be the most comprehensive system in the country that will talk about epidemiology, improved services in schools, improved truancy, improved mental health services and improved services for the department of the youth rehabilitation services and child and family services. individuals who want to know more about the bill, obviously, ke can't go into all the details here, you can go to my website, davidcatania.com, and learn about it. but i think this will have a profound beneficial effect on our city. >> one of the more significant
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aspects of your legislation would target truancy -- >> that's right. >> and you mentioned mental health. tell us more about this and why truancy is such a factor here. >> well, believe it or not, the number one issue that affects truancy is behavioral health. so, to the extent you don't address the behavioral health issue, you're never going to address the truancy issue. and so, we are taking a bit of a stronger approach towards truancy. for too long in the city, adults generally, and parents in particular, have been too permissive when it comes to the subject. on any given year, we will have about 20% of our kids who miss 15 or more days of school, unexcused, per year, with no consequenc consequences. the research shows that if a ninth grader misses 15 days or more of school, he or she has only a 41% chance of graduating from high school. so, we're going to change that, and this bill will say that after five unexcused absences, there will be a student support group in the school that will identify and is required to identify the root causes of that particular child's absence. and as we discussed, it could be bullying on the way to school,
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lack of transportation, it could be unsettled home life. whatever the issue is, there needs to be a roadmap out. and we're also looking at red e reducing the number of days it takes between the time a parent or guardian is referred to court services from 25 days to 15. and there's some resistance in the city. no one wants to say, well, no one wants to burden the parent. i think that's the wrong approach. i think allowing a child to go 25 days without school, more than a month without there being any consequences is sentencing that child to a diminished life and a diminished future. >> are there penalties for parents? >> there are. there will be penalties at the referral process, but the referral process doesn't mean jail. it means an escalation of the seriousness of the situation. and it has worked in other areas. i don't particularly favor, you know, jail for parents whose children aren't in school. i think there are other ways. i think that is a failure of the system to respond to what the underlying problem is. but it's time that we take an
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evidence-based, methodical, serious approach to the subject. and you know, we have stigma in the city, generally, and in this country generally, about behavioral health issues. it's time for us to lay this aside. it's time to build our mental health infrastructures in our schools, which this does, by putting more professionals in the schools. it builds more aggressive, more violence reduction programs within our schools. it gets greater resources to parents. it also requires that our teachers and our daycare workers be trained in identifying behavioral health issues for purposes of referral. so, the bill, as i mentioned, is very comprehensive. i encourage people to go to my website and see it but the idea is, we have to get past the talking. these young people are killed not because of any one issue. it was collection of issues, but the perpetrators had been themselves, you know. in our department of youth rehabilitation services had never received any behavioral health services themselves. and as a result, they wind up killing four people over a bracelet. >> all right, we've got to take
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a break, but we'll be back brad, where we going? just a second. just, just one second. ♪ what are you looking at? don't look up there. why are you looking up? ♪ get outta the car. get outta the car. ♪ are you ok? the... get in the car. get in the car! [ male announcer ] the epa estimated 42 mpg highway chevy cruze eco. from spending time together, to spending your lives together, chevy runs deep.
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good morning. i'm angie goff. here are some of the stories we're following this sunday morning. the music world mourns the loss of singer whitney houston. her bodyguard found houston unconscious in her hotel room in beverly hills yesterday afternoon. she died at the scene. investigators are still looking into how she died. houston was 48 years old. after a bit of a losing streak, mitt romney won maine's caucus last night with 39% of the vote. ron paul was a close second at 36%. romney also won the cpac straw poll with 38% of voters at the conference voting for the former massachusetts governor. and vdot says it will inspect highway signs similar to the one that fell and landed on a pickup truck. it happened yesterday afternoon along i-66 and monument drive. the driver of the truck was not injured. we'll have more headlines still to come, plus your sunday
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forecast in about 15 minutes. now back to "viewpoint." welcome back. we're talking with at-large council member david catania this morning. mr. catania, we were talking about the south capitol street tragedy memorial act, which will target truancy and address the mental health needs in the district. the department of youth services has been criticized for its inability to get control over the problems that we're seeing and unable -- its inability to properly treat the youngsters who are going through the department. would you favor an overhaul of that department? and how would you overhaul it. >> one of the things i think we need to do is add to the services, not subtract. i think it's about using our resources smarter. let me give you an example. what my bill will do, which currently doesn't exist, requires that when a child is in the system, that they actually be subjected to a behavioral health screening and assessment. and so, if a child is acting up and getting in trouble, there could be underlying behavioral health issues that are contributing to and are the
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cause of the acting up, but if you never screen the child, if you never treat their behavioral health issues, you can't really expect them to change their behavior simply by a stick alone. you have to understand them in order to treat them. it's not excusing their behavior. i'm not claiming that they are themselves victims, but what we have now is a non evidence-based, non scientific way of addressing these children who are in harm's way. and the same is true for our department of child and family services. right now we're under court order to do screening, but there's no underlying law in our city that requires that when a child is in the custody of the state, which is a traumatic event if you've been taken from your family, that you receive any behavioral health screening or treatment. and so, all i'm proposing is that we be more sensitive, not just -- and i've spent a good part of my career on the physical health -- but that we also be sensitive to the mental health of our young people, especially those in harm's way. because this is a tough enough economy and environment for adults, those of us who have the ability to negotiate this world, but for young people, especially those in harm's way, without the skill sets to do it, without the treatment to do it, it's a very
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difficult place. >> your program is very ambitious. >> very ambitious. >> how does it compare to the way neighboring jurisdictions approach this issue and jurisdictions across the country? >> well, you know, this is an issue -- truancy is an issue that is one that tracks with poverty. greater the poverty, the greater the truancy. and so, when we have intense pockets -- i mean, this is a big issue, for instance in baltimore, too. it's one of the top issues of their public health commissioner and superintendent of baltimore schools. so, many jurisdictions do it different tlaey. what i like about the way we approach this here is we actually engaged our stakeholders, our parents, our communities, our experts about what we think would work here. this is meant to be a supportive approach, not a stick approach, but there ought to be consequences when adults fail children, and that's what this bill does. but it's trying to broaden the net and broaden the responsibility. one of the things i like about the bill is training, as i mentioned, daycare providers and teachers, the department of health will train licensed daycare providers and licensed teachers on how to identify a child in need and how to refer
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the child. right now, it's, you know, see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil, right? the child might be in harm's way, but the teacher doesn't have the capability to identify or to refer, and so people look the other way. >> how much is it going to cost? and where's the money going to come from? >> and i'll tell you how much is it going to save? that's my reaction. because right now, we have a pretty robust mental health program in some of our schools. the bill would require it to be nuferl a universal in all of our schools. in the schools where i have a mental health professional, those are better places for children than where they don't have them. the real cost of the bill would run in the millions, much covered by medicaid because much of the children are medicaid-eligible and these services are covered that way. i think what is it going to save us, in terms of salvaged lives, learning opportunities and contributing citizens. i think it is penny wise and pound foolish for us to cheat these children because we're living with the consequences. >> and the projected timeline?
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>> well, you know, what's interesting about the bill is we have a lot of timelines that roll around march 30th, as a constant reminder. so, it's a measured rollout. we don't require 100% of our schools to have mental health professionals until the 2016-2017 school year, and it's all graduated, all sensible, so we roll it out in a way that's in a measured way affordable, but also sustainable. >> we'll take a break but we'll
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welcome back. we're continuing our talk this morning with council member david catania. i want to ask you about the bill that council approved to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in the district, to get divorced. tell us how the law would work and why it was important to pass this. >> we have a residency requirement for divorce and a lot of people around the country would get married here but
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wouldn't live here, so they would have to move back, sustain the residency requirement and then divorce. so, if their marriage was lawfully recognized in their respective states, they would simply follow their respective state's rules for divorce. so, it's simply a concession to the fact that many states that acknowledge same-sex marriage and don't acknowledge divorce of same-sex couples, and it's a way for us to assist them in the event that their union does not work. >> many of washington's residents were expecting and hoping for snow last week. of course, we haven't gotten very much at all this winter. >> that's a great thing. it's a great thing for our residen residents. >> except for the sidewalks need to be shoveled, and that's a big problem. >> that's right. >> why did the council table the bill to enforce the shoveling law? >> we've had this law on the book for, you know, 90 years, that it's part of your civic responsibility. in fact, you're lawfully required to clear the sidewalks within eight daylight hours of
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the snowfall. and what the council members attempted to do was rather than change the enforcement mechanism -- the enforcement mechanism under the existing law is that we would take you to superior court. they were hoping to have that changed and simply make it a fine. and there were some members who resisted the notion of a fine. they think, as i believe, that we are often overfined and overpenalized. i happen to disagree with the majority on this and voted with the members on the fine because it is oyer civic responsibility to shovel our snow. there is an amendment that mr. rand moved that said, if we don't plow your street, then you don't have to shovel your sidewalk and there's something seductive about it, but it knrikz me as two wrongs don't make a right. fact that the city doesn't have the capacity to plow an entire city overnight should not relieve me of my obligations to make it easier for my neighbors to get to and from where they need to be. >> regarding the council and this past year, which has been very tumultuous for the mayor, for council leaders, for many
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council members, would you say the era has passed, are we past the corruption and all of the problems that have hindered the council's ability to do its work? >> well, you know, we have one matter involving the chairman that's been referred to the u.s. attorney's office from the board of elections. chairman brown maintains his innocence and there's certainly no indication that the u.s. attorney's office has picked that issue up. then there are issues surrounding mayor gray and the hiring of suleman brown that continue to haunt us. i think moving past council member thomas is important. i think everyone is presumed innocent, although we have to hold ourselves to higher standards when we're in public life. i think it's been a really rough time for the council and for the city. and to be honest, i don't think it's all behind us, and i think it's regrettable, because we had spent the last decade trying to rebuild our image and rebrand our city, and the actions of a few have really damaged and diminished the institution, and that's really tragic. >> does this council get along, mr. catania? >> absolutely.
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absolutely. i mean, look, at the end of the day, there are now 12 of us, and soon 13 following the special election. it does get along, but there was something poisonous about what mr. thomas did, the affront to the public trust. and what really offended me, when individuals try to excuse away or explain away stealing from children to support your lifestyle. >> but that's not the only issue regarding your getting along. there are reports of, you know, members lashing out at each other about various issues, like online gambling -- >> that's right. well, recently, mr. brown and i, michael brown and i got into a very spirited debate over i-gaming. he, of course, is a proponent, and me as an opponent. but you know, within ten minutes, that had all been forgotten, we were working on something else. look, these things -- any time you involve public officials, elected officials, i mean, we have a certain vanity and a certain intensity that comes with the job, you know. you don't stand for office and put yourself out there if you are a weak personality. and so, those personalities, when you bring them together, sometimes there's clashing, but by and large, every one of us
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took the same oath of office, and that's to deliver for the citizens of the city. so, yes, we will clash, and yes, that's okay, but at the end of the day, we respect one another and we try to move on and try to find common ground and move the city forward. doesn't mean we always like each other or go out after work. some of us do, some of us don't. what's most important is we be a body of integrity, not necessarily best buddies. >> council member david catania, thank you for being with us this morning. >> thank you, i appreciate it. >> thank you for being with us. that's "viewpoint," i'm pat lawson muse. stay with us now for more "nbc 4 today." welcome to "news 4 today." i'm angie goff. >> and i'm chris gordon. this morning, the music world is mourning the loss of an iconic singer. >> superstar and pop diva whitney houston died.
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her bodyguard found houston unconscious in her hotel room in beverly hills yesterday afternoon. paramedics couldn't revive her. she was in town for the grammys, and singer jennifer hudson is expected to perform a musical tribute to houston at the awards ceremony. jinah kim reports on houston's career, including all the ups and downs. ♪ >> reporter: she was the undisputed queen of the charts through the '80s and '90s. she then reigned over the big screen in blockbuster hits like "the bodyguard." on saturday afternoon, it was her bodyguard who found whitney houston dead in her beverly hills hotel room. >> they found ms. houston unresponsive in her hotel room. they attempted to start resuscitation measures. they were not successful, unfortunately. >> reporter: detectives who continued their investigation through the night say there are no indications it was a crime and say there are no obvious signs of drugs.
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it was drugs, alcohol and a turbulent relationship with former husband bobby brown that turned her skyrocketing career into a downward spiral. but recently, she was attempting to revive her stardom with a new movie and album. >> it did seem like whitney houston was trying to make a comeback of sorts. she had a very big movie role in "sparkle" and she was campaigning actively to get a seat on "the x-factor" judges table. >> reporter: but in photos taken earlier this week, houston again appeared disheveled and drowsy. overnight, tributes sprang up across the country in her honor. >> there will never be another whitney. >> reporter: and at the beverly hilton, where houston was to attend a star-studded, pre grammy gala hosted by her mentor, clive davis, fellow artists mourned her loss. >> that voice, oh, my god. no one has ever come close to that voice. >> the voice, you know, her voice. it just, it's, it's -- we're
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very sad. >> i am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me through so many years. >> reporter: now, the grammy awards, which gets under way later today here in los angeles, is already the music industry's biggest night, but now it's expected to prove even more popular as millions around the world tune in to see how whitney houston is memorialized. in beverly hills, jinah kim, nbc news. >> radio stations in our area are playing whitney houston music as fans react to the news. >> so raw emotionally, trying to figure out what happened, how this happened, because she was 48 years old, you know? that's so young and she had so much more to give. it's a real tragedy. >> rick chill, a deejay at magic 102.3, has been taking calls from listeners. houston's fans say she touched their lives through her music.
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>> she inspired a lot of people with her music. i'm enjoying it, because i lost my husband a year ago, and the music she plays sometimes, oh, it really lifted me. and the deepest sentiment goes out to her fans. >> local deejays say they will celebrate houston's life by playing her music. >> fans are remembering houston on the social networks. sue francis writes on our facebook page -- "her poor daughter, my thoughts and prayers are with her." donna mcpherson writes, "when she sang the star spangled banner in 1991, so moving and inspirational in so many ways." meanwhile, singer barbra streisand sent this message on twitter -- "she had everything -- beauty, a magnificent voice. how sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us." stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com for continuing coverage on the death of whitney houston. we'll have a live report from los angeles on the passing of the 48-year-old music icon
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coming up at 9:00 a.m. and then tune in for a special edition of "dateline nbc," looking back at whitney houston's life and career. it airs tonight at 7:00 p.m. right here on nbc 4. >> well, i have six of her songs on my ipad -- >> yeah. >> ipod. well, actually, my phone. >> one of those places. >> then that becomes your ipod. "the greatest love of all" is my favorite. >> yes. >> very well spoken by barbra streisand, as well, you know? she brought so much happiness to so many other people, why couldn't she have enjoyed that for herself? sad story. >> so unbelievable. >> i agree. that's a bummer, no doubt about it. for us, winter is here. >> talking about winter, another big story. >> it looks and feels like winter outside. when i left work at 11:30 last night, the snow was flying in every direction and -- >> it was still on some cars this morning coming in. >> absolutely, yes. if you went to bed early last night, you missed the last of the shots of snow we got yesterday, three in total, then you missed out on all the fun
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because that's when it looked the winteriest, if i dare make up a word. outside right now, bright sauan sunny, but it's a cold way to get your sunday morning started this morning. even with the sunshine out there, temperatures only in the upper teens and low 20s. 23 now at national airport, 22 in falls church, 21 degrees in rosalind this morning, low 20s buoy and brandywine, southern maryland, mid-20s towards solomons island and st. mary's city. 23 in fredericksburg, virginia. winds are still gusting. these are the wind gusts out there right now, generally between 20 and 30 miles per hour. and as a result, windchills, as advertised, single digits and teens early this morning. they're going to stay that way for much of the late morning into the early afternoon hours. the wind advisories have been dropped around our immediate area, but the tan shading there, southern pennsylvania and far southern -- the southern parts of maryland, out on the eastern shore there, those are the wind advisories.
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so, winds around here more in the 30 to 40-mile-per-hour range for today. set your mind at ease on the radar, no more snow streamers coming in our direction today. we'll be mixing clouds with a little bit of sunshine. windy and cold. windchills later this afternoon hovering in the upper single digits to mid-teens for most of the day. actual air temperatures this afternoon climbing only into the upper 20s and low 30s with a howling northwesterly wind. rocks in the pockets of kids under 40 pounds, that is my recommendation. >> it is fierce! >> it is. it's a very wintry scene out there. >> all right, thank you, chuck. >> you're welcome. well, we have another twist in the republican race for president. mitt romney won the maine caucus last night, taking home 39% of the vote with ron paul a close second. romney's win helps him take back a bit of the momentum after losing in colorado, minnesota and missouri last week. the former massachusetts governor now has 124 delegates.
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that's almost four times as many as second-place newt gingrich. next up for the gop candidates are primaries in arizona and michigan at the end of the month. well, romney also claimed victory in the cpac straw poll here in washington, d.c., this weekend. romney took home 38% of the poll among conservative activists. rick santorum came in second at 31%, but most of the attention went to someone who is not running for president, sarah palin. the former vice presidential candidate fired up the crowd, saying republicans need to ban together to defeat president obama. >> it's about one country united under god. we aren't red americans. we're not blue americans. we're red, white and blue. and president obama, we are through with you! >> well, some republicans at the conference said that they're upset that palin is not running for the nomination. they feel that she'd be a great leader and would have a chance
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to defeat president obama. with mitt romney's win in maine, what does this mean for the rest of the race? "meet the press" moderator david gregory joined us earlier today and says don't expect the end any time soon in this republican battle for president. >> we're in a situation here where this is a hunt for delegates, there's not going to be a coronation, this is going to go on for a while. romney is still viewed as the favorite to get this nomination, has every path available to him to secure it, and gingrich and santorum are much, much longer shots. but as long as mitt romney has a hard time connecting with conservatives -- and he does -- there are going to be questions about him in the party. >> gregory added that while there still is a possibility that there could be a brokered convention in august, the upcoming super tuesday primary should help clear things up when it comes to a nominee. romney also won an election that did not net him many delegates but bodes well for him when it comes to the nomination. washington and lee university selected romney as the winner in
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its mock republican convention. this is the lexington, virginia's 25th mock presidential election, which always selects the nominee of the party out of power, and they've done a pretty good job with their track record. students have only been wrong twice in selecting the nominee. another interesting selection is the vice presidential candidate. students picked virginia governor bob mcdonell as romney's running mate. well, clint eastwood's super bowl commercial "halftime in america" was one of the most talked about ads this year, as some felt it was a campaign ad for president obama. well, "saturday night live" decided to put their spin on the commercial. >> guess what? halftime's over. we're in the third quarter now, america, and we're way behind. so, i don't care if obama runs the ball or romney throws a touchdown or ron paul kicks a field goal with his tiny little chicken legs. i'll tell you right now, though,
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i ain't putting santorum in the game. he can stand on the sideline doing cheers in his little sweater vests. >> bill hadar played the iconic actor, mocking the "halftime in america" ad from last week, although the show and throughout the show, hadar's rants became more and more absurd, at one point saying the commercial is actually for a pizza chain. well, it is 7:42 right now, and ahead on "news 4 today," a giant sign falls on to i-66 in broad daylight. we'll tell you what caused the accident and what vdot is doing to make sure this doesn't happen again. and you've heard about tebowing, but what about zaching? how one local college student is inspiring complete strangers around the world.
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good morning, welcome back. the "today" show is next on nbc 4. it starts at 8:00. >> let's get a preview. lester holt joins us live from new york. hi, lester. >> hi, angie and chris. coming up on "today," the death of singer whitney houston. this morning as the world mourns her loss, we'll look back on her career and impact on music. as one singer said, whitney houston set the standard for what it is to be a great female artist. we'll talk to people who knew her well and get reaction on her death from some of the biggest names in show business. she died before the biggest night in music, the grammy awards. we'll talk to chaka khan about how her and jennifer hudson will honor houston at the grammys and we'll look at an interview where houston talked about her
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marriage, personal struggles and problems with the media. that's coming up when jenna and i sooi see you a bit later on "today." back to you in washington. >> we saw you during "saturday night live" talking about the "dateline" special. >> we have two hours of "dateline," kicking off at 7:00 eastern with a special look at the life of whitney houston and reaction, and also kind of trace her last 24 hours in los angeles. >> thanks, lester. >> thank you. this morning, vdot says it will inspect highway signs that are similar to the one that fell and landed on a pickup truck. it happened yesterday afternoon along i-66 and monument drive in fairfax county. the sign was more than 30 feet tall with a 28-foot arm and extended over the interstate. the driver of the truck was not injured. vdot is still trying to determine what went wrong. police arrested a man accused of opening fire after a high school basketball game. a bullet grazed a woman in the head. police say johnnie kamara was
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part of a large fight at gar-field high school in woodbridge friday night. police say he began shooting at people in the old triangle and sigel court area. the woman who is hit is expected to survive. a prince william county elementary school is hoping to reopen on monday after a norovirus outbreak. right now, crews are disinfecting henderson elementary school in montclair. on friday, the health department confirmed the presence of the virus after several students and teachers were suffering from severe vomiting and diarrhea. school officials sent out a letter to parents asking that anyone with symptoms stay home for at least a day. family, friends and complete strangers gathered to honor two little boys killed by their own father, who burned down their house. last night, people in utah held a candlelight vigil. earlier, more than 1,000 people gathered to say a final good-bye to 7-year-old charlie and 5-year-old brandon in washington
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state. the brothers shared a single casket. their grandparents spoke at the funeral service. >> we thank you for your support. we know that they're with their mother. >> one week ago today, the boys died when their father, josh powell, set their house on fire. it happened during a supervised visit with a social worker. powell had been fighting for custody of the boys but lost days before the double murder and suicide. police named powell as a person of interest in his wife's death. well, this morning, at least one person is waking up more than $300 million richer. >> oh, these people are so lucky. the winning powerball ticket was sold in rhode island. the winning numbers are 1, 10, 37, 52, 57, and the powerball 11. the grand prize grew to $325 million. that's the third largest jackpot
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in the game's history. gosh! well, you know, it makes me feel better when it doesn't happen nearby. last time, i mean, a couple lottery wins back, it was in herndon. i'm like, hometown herndon? >> i know. >> i was hoping you would win. >> yeah. >> and we could all go -- >> i would take you out to lunch. >> i was hoping i would win! nothing against angie, but i could do miracles with that money! >> did you buy a ticket? >> i did not. >> there you go. >> can't win if you didn't buy. and we can't buy any warm weather this weekend. long-shot, right? >> no, and it's even colder in rhode island, so they can have their $300 million and still be cold, no doubt about it. all the money in the world won't make it warmer today. your forecast is next. [ male announcer ] the draw of the past is a powerful thing. but we couldn't simply repeat history.
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we had to create it. introducing the 2013 lexus gs, with leading-edge safety technology, like available blind spot monitor... [ tires screech ] ...night view... and heads-up display. [ engine revving ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back.
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rocks in the pockets! >> yes, indeed, that's right. it's a hairpiece and hat alert day. it's going to be taken right off the top of your head if you don't hold on to it pretty tight today. winds are still pretty strong out there. they're coming down a smidgen. i think the worst of the wind was probably from sundown last night to sunrise this morning. that being said, it's still not going to be anything considered other than cold and windy for your sunday, so be ready for it, everybody. i was reading one of the tweets from my colleague, tom kierein, who stated that february has gotten its dignity back as a winter month thanks to this snap of cold. well said, tom. out there we go. bright and sunny for now, so we have at least regained the sunshine out there, but boy, it's going to be a tough struggle to get above the freezing mark by later on this afternoon. arguably going to be one of our coldest days of the winter in this winter without a whole lot of cold days, that is. outside we go. partly to mostly sunny in and around the washington area, a few more clouds the further north you go. you folks up into northern
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maryland, out near smithsburg, maryland, partly cloudy skies. mostly sunny here in washington, but it's cold. 23 degrees right now. winds out of the northwest at 10 but gusting still at more than 20 miles per hour, and i think the gustiness is going to stay with us for much of the day. 20 now in hagerstown, martinsburg, 21 in winchester and front royal this morning, 19 down in charlottesville, 21 waldorf, la plata and charlotte hall, solomons island 25 degrees this morning. eastin maryland down to 23. the winds are still up. wind gusts, though, which were in the 40 to 50-mile-an-hour range late last night are now in the 25 to 35-mile-an-hour range. but boy, you factor that in with the temperatures out there and look at these windchills. single digits in many spots this morning. 12 now in washington, 4 in montgomery county, 8 the windchill in prince william and fairfax counties this morning. air temperatures will climb into the upper 20s and low 30s. might be above freezing for a
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few hours this afternoon in the washington area under mix of clouds and sunshine, but windchills in the teens and 20s much of the day. winds will gust between 30 and 40 miles per hour for much of the day, but without anything showing up on radar, we'll at least not have to worry about anymore in the way of snow. really, our next rain chance is still way down here across parts of south texas. next chance for rain here, and it will be rain, not snow, looks to be tuesday afternoon, tuesday evening time frame. so, windy and cold. those are the two words for today and for tonight as well. then as you get back to work and school tomorrow, sunshine's back, the wind eases off through the day and then the clouds come into place into the day on tuesday. today, partly sunny, windy and cold, no doubt about that. wind gusts near 40 miles per hour at times, so bundle up if you're going to be outside for any length of time. highs today 28 to 35. then for tomorrow, morning sunshine, a few clouds coming in late tomorrow afternoon, but on the whole, not a bad-looking february day. temperatures into the upper 30s and low 40s. tuesday, a slight chance of
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light rain showers. and like i said, it looks like they'll be rain and not snow. another little chance late thursday into early friday. probably going to be mostly rain around the washington area, but can't rule out a snowflake or two maybe northern maryland or southern pennsylvania, but that's a long ways away. don't get your hopes up on that one just yet. it will not be the big one. >> mm-hmm. don't -- yeah, don't get your hopes up. i just like to see that the temperatures are going up a little. >> a little bit. >> a little bit. all right, thanks, chuck. well, there is a new king of new york, and his name is jeremy lin. the 23-year-old point guard once again helped lead the new york knicks to victory, defeating minnesota 100-98. lin chipped in all over the court, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing eight assists. the knicks have won five straight since he's been playing and hope to keep the streak alive on tuesday against toronto. well, it appears lin-sanity has reached a fever pitch. his jersey is sold out at
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madison square garden. and he set a record for points in his first three games as a starter. all this from an undrafted 23-year-old who only played 29 games last season, but it appears lin-sanity is here to stay. >> this guy's electric and the team's playing with excitement. >> it's kind of like the disney story, because he wasn't even given a chance. >> the garden is rocking. every time he touches the ball, you feel the energy because he's going to do something exciting with the basketball. >> lin has also made history in another way. he is the first chinese-american player to ever play in the nba. well, it's become the symbol in the fight against cancer for a young man in our area, and angie got to talk to him. zach lederer is the basketball manager at the university of maryland, and he's battling brain cancer. >> very inspirational story, chris. on a recent trip to the
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hospital, he did his best strongman pose, and now "zaching" is everywhere. at the university of maryland, zach lederer is a big man on campus, not for his size, but his heart. the 18-year-old student from ellicott city first beat cancer at age 11. seven years later, it returned. >> when you hear cancer, obviously, first thing that runs through your mind is, you know, death, you know, chemo, obviously hospitals, terrible things. but dr. carson, you know, put it in a good way. he said "another opportunity," and i thought, you know, what a great way to put it. >> reporter: two weeks ago, surgeons at johns hopkins remove ad a cancerous tumor from zach's brain. >> i'm drugged up. i don't remember too well. i make the muscles and said, "dad, take a picture." my main thought was i don't want anybody worrying about me. you know, you have your problems, he has his problems. don't worry about me. >> reporter: his father posted the picture on facebook. his cousins saw it, struck the same pose and declared tebowing out and zaching in.
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before they knew it, zach's strongman pose went viral. online, everyone from marines in california to police in howard county were zaching. then there were sushi chefs, fraternity guys, animals, zach's grandma, maryland coach turgeon, darryl from "the office" and even the naked cowboy in times square. governor martin o'malley got word and made a call. did you get the governor to do any zaching? >> no, maybe i will. maybe i'll get him to zach. but yeah, we just talked about how the hospital stay went, how i'm feeling. i told him, you know, i'm feeling as good as ever. >> reporter: offline, the support just as strong. >> whoo! >> reporter: with fund-raisers like this one at a restaurant in ellicott city to support zach and others with cancer. >> everybody coming together to show their support just makes this ordeal a little bit more palatable. >> reporter: after surgery, zach, a student manager for the basketball team, is back on court but knows chemo is just a few weeks away. this time, he's more motivated
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than ever, with constant reminders to stay tough. >> it means the world to me. zaching in my mind represents, is that, you know, we're strong, we're together and we're going to make it through. >> that's a wonderful story. now, when we do report, sometimes we can't get anything in. >> yeah. >> is there something you left out? >> i just can't emphasize enough how much support he is surrounded by and how much he knows it and he hopes this really serves as inspiration to a lot of those cancer patients out there that perhaps doesn't have so many people rallying around them. >> and so well spoken. >> oh, yeah. broadcast major! come on over, let's intern. >> i'm glad he's not going into meteorologist. >> as we say good-bye, let

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