precip down with it. so, outside we go, a mostly cloudy start. we did actually see just a little peek or two of sunshine early, early, early this morning, but now the clouds are winning out. temperatures are already in the upper 30s to near 40 from washington southbound. a little colder into maryland, 32 frederick, 33 hagerstown, 32 martinsburg. your day planner, slivers of sunshine are all but essentially gone now. but with temperatures off to a mild start, we'll climb into the low and mid-40s today. that's also trouble for snow lovers, as you can well imagine, with temperatures that far above freezing. winter weather advisories don't pick up until you get all the way down to culpeper and charlottesville and harrisonburg, and winter storm warnings down into far southwestern virginia. so, travel along i-81 is discouraged, especially south of the harrisonburg area. it's already snowing from roanoke to blacksburg and virginia tech. they're on track to get several inches of snow. for us, light snow possible by the late afternoon-evening time frame. i think the one-inch line of

snow stays away from washington, some chances west of the shenandoah valley. so, a 60% chance around the metropolitan area of just flakes, 30% chance of about an inch and if you want more than an inch, less than 10% chances happening here, but more reasonable snow south and west. >> thank you, chuck. >> you're welcome. new this morning, prince george's county police are investigating multiple shootings. police say the shootings stem from an argument between the suspect and one of the victims. it happened this morning in the 5500 block of marlboro pike in district heights. police say four people were taken to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. the suspect led police on a car chase before being caught and arrested near the beltway and telegraph road. a charlottesville jury will decide the fate of a former university of virginia lacrosse player on trial for murder. deliberations will begin wednesday after the holiday

weekend. they must decide unanimously if george huguely had the intent to kill his ex-girlfriend or if yeardley love's death was an accident. in closing arguments, the prosecution said huguely banged down the bedroom door to love's apartment and beat her. prosecutors urged jurors to return a verdict of first-degree or second-degree murder. huguely's defense attorney acknowledged his client contributed to love's death but says involuntary manslaughter is the most jurors should consider. well, the fbi says it could be making more arrests in connection with that foiled bomb plot at the u.s. capitol. federal authorities arrested amine el khalifi on friday. investigators say undercover agents gave el khalifi an inoperable bomb and a gun. prosecutors say he was headed to the capitol to blow himself up inside. officials at a mosque in fairfax county say el khalifi prayed there shortly before his arrest. now, that's the same mosque

where anwar al awlaki once served as imam and then became an al qaeda leader in yemen. later this morning, whitney houston will be laid to rest in her home state of new jersey. she'll be buried next to her father not far from where she grew up. the burial comes after an emotional homecoming service yesterday. family and friends filled the church and shared warm memories of houston's life, her work and her faith. nbc's mark barger has their emotional good-bye. ♪ >> we celebrate the life of whitney houston. >> reporter: and for almost four gospel-infused hours -- ♪ -- nearly 1,000 invited family and friends did just that. >> such a beautiful human being. >> reporter: some speakers talked about houston's talent. >> you wait for a voice like

that for a lifetime. >> reporter: others focused on her faith. >> and this is more important than anything she's ever done in her life, whitney houston loved the lord. ♪ >> reporter: but everyone was united in their affection for the late singer. >> and people didn't just like you, whitney, they loved you. ♪ >> reporter: but after a chorus of voices celebrating whitney houston's life -- ♪ please, don't cry >> reporter: -- it was her voice that provided the day's most powerful moment. ♪ and i will always love you >> reporter: in newark, new jersey, mark barger, nbc news. >> seeing your faces, i can't even explain how that feels. >> whitney houston's ex-husband, bobby brown, perform ed just

hours after leaving the funeral early. brown said in a statement, security repeatedly asked him and his children to move seats, so he left to avoid causing a scene. he walked to the casket, touched it and walked out of the church before the service started. later saturday night, brown performed in connecticut with his old r&b group, new edition. he appears energetic and thanked the crowd for keeping his spirits up. houston and brown divorced in 2007 after a 15-year marriage. well, maryland's state senate is expected to vote on and pass a bill legalizing gay marriage in the coming week. on friday, the house of delegates approved the bill with 72 votes, just one above the minimum number needed to pass it. last year, the bill passed in the senate but failed in the house by a slim margin. opponents of same-sex marriage say they will try to gather signatures for a petition which would turn the issue over to the voters in the upcoming election.

>> it could very well go to referendum, and we understand that. so, we're going to watch and see what the senate does, but at the same time, we are very prepared to be in the place of taking this to the voice of the people. >> if it does go to referendum, we're going to be talking to people about why marriage equality is important for the state of maryland and why two people who love each other should be able to go to city hall and get a marriage license. >> if the bill becomes law, maryland would be the eighth state, plus d.c., to legalize gay marriages. same-sex couples would have to wait until january 2013 to get legally married. well, get ready for more pain at the pump. gas prices are on the rise and it looks like they're not slowing down any time soon. news 4's derrick ward joins us live from fairfax county with more. hi, derrick. >> reporter: hi, chris, how are you? good morning. we are in the midst of a three-day weekend. typically, this time of year, that doesn't mean more driving. you're not going to see an exodus to the beach with the weather we're having and snow in

the forecast, but it could indeed be, the increases that we see could indeed be a harbinger of things to come. now, if you drive or you just walk around, you've probably already seen it, and if you drive, you've probably paid it, an average of a 25-cent increase in the gas price over the last month. and they are, indeed, higher than they've ever been at this time of year. the most dire of predictions say gasoline could go as high as $4.25 by april. now, as expected, increases in the price of oil are to blame and higher demand in europe and china are driving that, and there's also the uncertainty about the situation in iran. threats to block the all-important strait of hormuz now driving some consumer jitteriness and supply jitteriness as well. consumer demand in the u.s. is actually down with americans spending about 8% of their household income on gasoline. and trends show that american drivers start to change their driving habits when gas gets

near $4 a gallon. i want to show you what some of the increases are in our area since january. as you can see, they are hovering around 25 cents a gallon. but the most alarming possibility is that a sustained 25-cent increase over a year or so costs the economy about $35 billion, and that's what has analysts really worried, because although we have seen a slight upturn in the economy, things aren't necessarily stable. so, we're in sort of a state of flux right now, and of course, gas prices usually go up later in the year, around april, when they switch over from their winter blends to the summer blend. so, that could mean a definite increase. if we see a sustained 25% increase, the economy could indeed take a hit. so could your pocketbook. live in fairfax county, back to you. >> derrick, thank you very much. well, zip car will soon have some competition in our area. wtop radio reports that hertz is

expanding on its on demand car rental services to d.c. area customers with locations at union station, dupont circle and georgetown, among others. hertz has hourly and daily rates for drivers with no membership or annual fees. the program even allows renters to take one-way trips and drop off their cars at on demand locations throughout the northeast. >> very cool! well, the time right now 9:09. a longtime virginia politician is entering the race for the white house. we're going to tell you who, when we come back. and also ahead, are you in jeopardy of losing your home to foreclosure? there's free help out there for you. how you can spot the genuine help and the scams that will only cost you even more money, ahead.

in "decision 2012" this morning, a scandal involving a

high-profile sheriff in arizona has now rocked mitt romney's presidential campaign. county sheriff paul babeau resigned as co-chairman of romney's campaign after a newspaper revealed he is gay. babeau is also disputing misconduct claims. the newspaper reported babeau threatened to deport a man if the mexican immigrant revealed the two ever had a relationship. babeau believes his ex hacked into his social networking site. >> when that relationship ended, he then at a later point, as other people were brought into the campaign, not in a volunteer status, but in a paid status, he then took control of those items, the social media and the website, and started posting information on there that was not complimentary. one, that's illegal on several levels, and also claimed and purported to be me, which is

identity theft. >> babeau is also running for a state congressional seat and says he'll continue his own campaign. republican presidential candidate ron paul says the u.s. is slipping into a fascist system. he said the country is dominated by government and businesses. he made the comment at a rally last night in kansas city. he upstaged other events in the area, including one with virginia governor bob mcdonell as the keynote speaker. thank you, angie. with no clear-cut leader right now, the race for the republican nomination could be down to the wire. "meet the press" moderator david gregory joined us here on set earlier and said this could be harmful for the gop when it comes to the general election. >> what i think is most harmful is the rule change, which means delegates are only allocated proportionally, which by design makes it a longer contest. and that's troublesome for the party because you don't have the

opportunity to coalesce around one candidate. and in this year, in this cycle, you have so many republican primary voters who are simply dissatisfied with the choices. so, if romney were to lose michigan, as we were talking about a minute ago here, you could really have the party freaking out, because there would be a question of, all right, well, who is capable of getting that magic number, 1,144 delegates. >> tune in to "meet the press" today at 10:30. david has on budget committee chairman paul ryan and member of the house budget committee maryland's own chris van hollen, from bethesda. but he'll actually be in florida today, so he'll be via satellite. well, as president obama gears up for his re-election campaign, he's looking for a new slogan. the president has reportedly been testing different slogans while speaking to crowds, slogans including "winning the future" and "we don't quit." advisers say the new slogan will reflect the idea that the president still has lots of work to finish to help the country. senior adviser david axelrod says the real actie re-election

keep the slogan under wraps until they know who their republican opponent is. there is a new candidate in the race for the white house, and many virginians know his name pretty well. he's birdsall gude jr. and served six terms in congress representing virginia. now gude is running as a constitution party candidate. he says his platform consists of four tenants -- limited government, border security, balancing the budget and enacting term limits. gude was elected to his first term in congress as a democrat and he later ran and won as an independent and, eventually, as a republican. >> he doesn't think he's necessarily going to win, but he wants to get his agenda out there and be part of the dialogue. >> throw his name in the hat. >> it's a free speech kind of country. >> speaking of conversation. >> yeah, this speech, the forecast will also be free, to you, at least. and don't expect an awful lot from mother nature today. we'll talk about how much snow we should be expecting, coming up on the other side of this break.

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♪ and oh, baby, give me one more chance ♪ >> oh! >> that's maryland's own erin willette, who sung her way into the competition on season two of "the voice." big tigger and i, we're keeping close tabs on the season, and we're going to look ahead to the new episode monday night on news 4 at 4:00 p.m. we're also going to be chatting live with yo monday night during the show, starting at 8:00 p.m. all you have to do is logon to nbcwashington.com, and of course, i'm going to post a link where you can join our chat on my facebook page as well. chris? >> give me one more chance, okay. donald trump is finally talking about his plans to turn the old post office building into a luxury hotel downtown. trump organization announced earlier this month that it will spend about $200 million on the

development. well, construction is scheduled to start in 2014. trump, though, has not commented on the venture until now. the donald will talk about it on "news 4 at 11:00" tonight right after the premiere of "celebrity apprentice." he's liable to say something along the lines -- there's pennsylvania avenue, the post office, what a regal building -- he's liable to say, "fabulous!" "fabulous!" >> no doubt. and that's one of the best views of the city from the roof up there, from the spot. >> fabulous view! >> and that view will now only cost you $3,000 a night! or whatever he's going to -- >> well, we'll see. >> well, it won't be cheap if it's a trump hotel. plus that view outside of the window. outside our window, just clouds over the bay. >> things will change. >> we change things all the time. yesterday i thought we might get a couple inches of snow, then last night i changed it to maybe an inch, now maybe not quite an inch. i know. that's the best i can do,

everybody. if i could make it snow, believe you me, every winter would look a little bit more like the 2009-2010 winter. maybe not record-breaking every year, but nonetheless, a little more than just these passing glances from mother nature. outside right now, cloudy skies will greet you on your sunday morning. temperatures in the upper 30s to near the 40-degree mark. already that's not a terribly scary number for snow concerns. winds out of the northeast at 10 miles per hour. and there's relatively mild air, above freezing at least, all the way down into southern maryland. 40 in fredericksburg, 38 charlottesville, a little colder across northern maryland, low 30s now. but you folks, the closer you get to the pennsylvania line, almost no chance of snow at all today. your "sunday planner" filled with cloud cover, but precipitation, rain or snow, holds off until very late this afternoon into the evening time frame. winter weather advisory way down to our south and west. here's culpeper, warrenton, dale

city. nonetheless, it's all going to be focusing down to the south. so, where we are, not even under the advisory. winter storm warnings are in place across far southwestern virginia, where it's already snowing from roanoke down to blacksburg, virginia tech, hokies fans getting snow today, and more moisture across deeper parts of tennessee and western north carolina. the main area of low pressure we've been tracking since back when it was in the desert southwest is now aiming for the southeastern coast of north carolina. and on that track, it's just not going to come far enough north to throw the moisture in far enough to get us much in the way of accumulations. so, i do think we'll have light rain drops to start changing with, mixing over to some snowflakes by later on this evening, but nonetheless, i think all that heavier snow will stay well down to our south, eastern north carolina, or western north carolina, eastern tennessee, southwestern virginia. then by early-morning hours tomorrow, that storm racing off the north carolina coastline, pulls the clouds out with it, high pressure builds in, and voila, sunshine returns in time

for your presidents' day holiday. so, today, increasing clouds, light rain and light snow, possible starting late this afternoon into the evening time frame. biggest chance for snowflakes between 5:00 p.m. and about 10:00 p.m. this evening. highs today low and mid-40s. not all that scary. then tomorrow, becoming sunny, breezy, a little on the cool side, but not too bad, highs in the 40s. and if you want the mild weather like yesterday to come back, you're not going to have to wait long. 46 today, 48 tomorrow, 51 tuesday with the clouds. back to near 60 degrees by wednesday, even with rain chances i think we'll be flirting with 60. then mild weather for thursday, unsettled into next weekend. stay in touch with me on the forecast by following me on twitter, @chuckbell4. i'll be tweeting out my up gate daited graphics and forecast-related items throughout the course of the day. i've had a lot of people ask me twit questions, if there is such a thing, and i've been responding. >> this is the twitissqueen --

>> they're called twestions. >> i sound like i have a speech impediment like that. the number of foreclosed homes jumped in january. >> homeowners struggling to stay above water often are confused about how to save their homes. our liz crenshaw has a way that struggling homeowners can find free help and avoid scams that could cost them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. >> i just could not rest. there was no peace. >> reporter: cheryl spann made mortgage payments on this house in northeast washington for ten years. then she lost her job. she asked help from her lender, thought she was enrolled in a program to save her house, but then -- >> i'm making payments, i have statements. they don't have the records. they're telling me my house is in foreclosure. >> reporter: a horrible situation, making payments, house values dropping, fears of foreclosure. it's happening to millions of

americans, and every day, it seems there's another program announced to help distressed homeowners. but how do homeowners know which program will really help them and how to apply? >> there is several programs out there that could potentially help people. it's very specific in terms of their situations. >> reporter: ronald clarkson is the program director for housing counseling services in washington, d.c. >> you are a homeowner currently behind on your mortgage? okay, well, we can do two things. >> reporter: housing counseling services is a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive housing counseling to the d.c. metro area. there are hundreds of these agencies all over the country. they are approved by hud, housing and urban development. and remember this, their help is absolutely free. >> we have experience in dealing with that, and helping people understand their documents, understand their regulations and then getting to the right organization and putting those pieces together. >> reporter: but beware, scammers know homeowners are in trouble. the pitches include help from a

group supposedly affiliated with a government program or a fraudulent ploy promising to reduce your monthly payments. >> the pitch sounds like, are you behind on your mortgage? afraid of losing your home? have you not been able to work with your lender? have you not gotten results? we can get those results for you. >> reporter: yolanda mcgill, an attorney for the lawyers' committee for civil rights, says more than $50 million have been lost by struggling homeowners to foreclosure scams. >> for instance, we'll help you prepare your documents to send to your lender, or we will take the money and work with your lender and we will pay your mortgage payment for you. >> reporter: again, none of this -- >> again, none of this is true. it's just a way to separate that homeowner from their money. >> reporter: the truth is, there is help for many homeowners. the key, find a hud-approved counselor, get good, free advice, and maybe you'll feel just like cheryl spann. since her loan modification,

she's saving $200 to $300 a month. >> it worked out in the end, and, whoo, yeah. >> and that was liz crenshaw reporting. to find a hud-approved counselor or free counseling from fannie mae, go to our website, nbcwashington.com, and search "foreclosure help." remember, though, not every homeowner will end up keeping his or her home. sometimes the advice means facing the fact that some mortgages are not worth saving. >> but it's important to get an accurate picture before you make any important decisions. 9:28 right now. there is much more ahead on "news 4 today." up next, new allegations against the captain of the "costa concordia." what prosecutors say he might have been doing before the ship ran aground last month.

good morning once again. i'm chris gordon. >> and i'm angie goff. welcome to "news 4 today." taking a look at the morning's top stories. memorial services for whitney houston continue this morning in new jersey with her burial. yesterday, family and friends honored the singer's life at the funeral. it was held at the same church houston attended as a child. jury deliberations will begin on wednesday in the murder trial of a former university of virginia lacrosse player. george huguely is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, yeardley love, in may of 2010. the 24-year-old from chevy chase, maryland, faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted of the most serious count of first-degree murder. prince george's county police have one person in custody after they say he shot four people and led officers on a car chase from maryland to

virginia. it happened in district heights this morning. all four victims have nonlife-threatening injuries. if people have been sleeping in and just joining us, they want to know about the weather. >> the clouds are in place after a break or two of sunshine early this morning, but clouds are coming in with temperatures already well above freezing, so that is strike number one for snow lovers, no doubt about it. temperature right now 39 degrees at national airport, 37 waldorf and la leta, 39 culpeper and rappahannock and the blue ridge, 37 degrees, 34 in winchester. sunday planner, temperatures inching into the low and mid-40s for a brief time. so, the beginning of the precipitation late this afternoon, this evening, is likely to be at least a little light rain before we can mix in some snowflakes. it is snowing right now in southwestern virginia and the snowflakes and rain drops are going to try to sneak up here through the rest of the day. what to expect, light rain gradually changing to light snow by late afternoon into the evening time frame. i think the one-inch line of

snow stays well south of the d.c. metro area, so be ready for a little bit of a snow disappointment, snoppression. >> new word. thank you, chuck. >> you're welcome. relatives are trying to cope with the loss of a young mother killed in a crash in prince george's county. 18-year-old tiesha williams was thrown from a car when it hit a tree and leaves behind a little boy. news 4's darcy spencer talked with williams' family about the crash. >> i lost my sister. >> reporter: relatives are grieving the loss of tiesha williams. she was 18 years old, the mother of a little boy about to turn 2. she died in a car crash in prince george's county early saturday morning. police say the driver left the scene. >> i just want to say, if anybody knows the whereabouts of who the driver was, please come forward and alert the authorities. >> reporter: the single-car crash happened here at suitland

road and hilmar drive in suitland about 1:30 in the morning. relatives say four people were in the car. tiesha, who was one of the passengers, was ejected. >> she was up here at the grandmother's house of my grandson, and her and her daughter -- i mean, a friend of hers left out with somebody and i get a call that says she's been in an accident. so, i came out here to find out and get some answers of what happened to her. >> reporter: relatives say it appears the car hydroplaned on standing water, went airborne and struck a tree. they say there have been other crashes here and they want the county to investigate and correct the problems with this road. >> if you look over there now, you can see there was an accident over there recently. so, i don't know how many accidents in the same zone, but we do know that it has caused tiesha williams' death and we need to deal with that, and the county should deal with fixing in area so no one has to deal with this again. >> reporter: prince george's county police say they have identified that driver but are

not releasing his name. once in custody, he will face some very serious charges. in suitland, darcy spencer, "news 4 today." we're working to learn the identity of a woman's body pulled from the potomac river. d.c. police found the remains near the entrance to rock creek parkway and georgetown yesterday. at this time, detectives do not know how the woman died. well, another massive fire in honduras, this time at a street market in the capital. police say 11 people were injured in the blaze which ripped through several blocks of the market. luckily, no one was killed and authorities are still looking into what caused the blaze. this fire comes days after a fire at a prison that killed more than 350 people. prosecutors have ordered drug tests on the captain of a capsized cruise after traces of cocaine were found. italian authorities say captain francesco schettino deliberately steered the "costa concordia" into shallow waters to impress tourists. the boat hit a reef and capsized

last month, killing 32 people. lawyers representing survivors of the disaster say lab tests show cocaine near a hair sample but not in the hair strands or in a urine sample. the captain faces manslaughter charges and accusations of abandoning his ship before all the passengers evacuated. and the time right now, 9:37. it's been nearly six months since last summer's east coast earthquake, and our region is still feeling some aftershocks. now, details of another quake that shook the ground while you were asleep last night. and espn issues an apology to jeremy lin. why the major sports network is backtracking from one of its headlines. let's debate one more time. a new nbc poll in michigan and arizona, and mitt romney tries to go home again. on wednesday, a new nbc ne

news/marist poll of michigan and arizona will be released. the race in michigan, the state where mitt romney grew up and his father was governor, has become contentious. in arizona, the republican candidates debate for the 20th time. it will be the last debate before arizona and michigan. republicans will vote then on february 28th. on thursday, vice president joe bidden hits the road, raising money in massachusetts, new hampshire and rhode island for the president's re-election campaign. on friday, romney delivers a speech on the economy at the detroit economic club. because interest in the speech was so high it was moved to the 70,000-feet ford field, home to the detroit lions. that's it for me.

this morning's "wednesday's

child" is a young man you've met before. johntay was featured just a few months ago but continues to wait for a permanent, loving adoptive family. >> we always like to make sure that every child has a chance to find their forever family, so we decided to give you a second look at johntay's story. barbara harrison visited with him at his school not too long ago. >> it's so great to see you! hi. the staff at pediatric center were happy to know that jontaye was going to be a wednesday's child. he's lived at the center most of his life, and at almost 8 years old now, they're hoping he may soon find a permanent family to love him and help him to grow and develop. so glad to meet you. somebody looks like they're a bit tired. did they wake you up to come and meet me? we started early for both of us, but the staff here says jontaye is used to getting up early to

go to school each day. >> and he participates in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy at school daily. >> she says he loves school and looks forward to going every day. the horse makes a funny noise, huh? >> he likes to communicate everything through his facial expressions and some sounds. he can be very happy and jovial, and he can have his off days, like any other child. he loves for you to hold his hand or talk to him and rub his back. >> are you a happy boy today? i'm so glad to meet you. i'm happy to be here. staff members say they're happy to think that maybe through "wednesday's child," jontaye will have a chance at a loving family, everything every child deserves. >> the one on one time he could get from having parents or single parent take care of him would be really great for him. >> i'm looking for a family that's able to incorporate those needs into just a loving

household that can give him laughter and a lot of one-on-one attention. >> so glad i got to see you. you enjoy the rest of your day, okay? and i look forward to seeing you again. barbara harrison, news 4, for "wednesday's child." >> if you have room in your home and your heart for jontaye or another child who is waiting, please call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me, or you can visit nbcwashington.com. chuck, what's on your forecast, what's on your radar? >> kids that have been, you know, getting the sleds ready to go for that big dive down the hill. you're going to need your helmet, for sure, because i suspect there's going to be a lot of rocks involved in your downhill slide. a complete check of your

while most of us were

sleeping, the earth moved again in mineral, virginia. that was the epicenter of the 2.7 earthquake overnight. it happened at exactly 2:12 in the morning. mineral, virginia, in louisa county, was also the epicenter of the quake that rocked much of the east coast in august. >> they just can't get things settled down there in louisa county, can they? >> no, they can't. talking about our area, doesn't look like things will get too unsettled. >> no. >> but there are some changes ahead and we are going to see some snow, not anything you're too excited about. >> some, emphasis on some with a small "s," for some. don't expect a huge blow from mother nature this presidents' day weekend, unlike those in the past, 1979 and 2003, for example. this presidents' day snow event will be a non event, i'm afraid. outside we go. a cloudy sky awaits you. we did see a little break or two of sunshine very early this morning, but the clouds are

clearly winning the war at this point in time above our heads. thin spots in the overcast will gradually be replaced by lowering and thickening clouds as we go later into your afternoon. and light rain drops and even a few light snowflakes a real possibility by late this afternoon into this evening, but accumulations? i don't think we need to be worrying about an accumulations map at all. 39 now in washington. winds have come around to the northeast at 10 miles per hour. but with temperatures comfortably above the freezing mark now and several more hours before the precipitation gets here means that i think that these temperatures in the upper 30s now will climb into the low and mid-40s before the rain drops start to move in and gradually shift over to some snowflakes probably around the time the sun goes down this evening. weather advisories and winter storm warnings are all way down to our south and west. that's where the accumulating snow is already starting to come now in far southwestern virginia. the main area of low pressure is now in northern alabama, but again, its direction and track and speed is all going to take it off the carolina coastline,

almost in a hurry by late tonight into early tomorrow morning. and as a result, it's not going to make the hook and come up the coastline. no nor'easter, no snowstorm for us. cloudy and dry start to the day today. the heavier, steadier snows here on our future weather forecast all stay just down to our south and southwest. snowflakes moving into the area, for sure, but no real serious threat of accumulation. sunshine returns for your monday. so, today, clouds increasing, light rain, light snow possible by late this afternoon into this evening. highs today upper 30s and low 40s. here's "chuck's chances." 60% chance of just flakes in the washington area. a 30% chance of about an inch and only a 10% chance of getting an inch or more. better snow totals southern and central shenandoah valley. all-important seven-day forecast. breezy sunshine returns tomorrow, milder weather, near 60 again as we head towards the middle of the week. i'll be tweeting out updates on the forecast on my twitter

handle, @chuckbell4. my handle. >> all right, on your handle. we got your handle. >> okay. >> thanks, chuck. the time is ten minutes away from the 10:00 hour. still ahead -- she thought her dog was being put to sleep, only to find out that she was still alive and living with another family. how the mix-up happened and where the dog is now. , any luck? not yet. i want to buy used but how do you know what you're really getting. check out carmax. all their used cars are guaranteed. that's where henderson found the one for him. way to go, henderson. finding the perfect car is easy at carmax because each car is carefully selected, inspected, thoroughly reconditioned and backed with a five-day money back guarantee so come find the one for you today, at carmax. way to go, neil.

welcome back. espn has apologized for a controversial headline about knicks star point guard jeremy lin. the headline ran early saturday morning on espn's mobile website after the knicks lost to the hornets friday night. an anti-asian slur was part of that headline. the sports network said disciplinary action would be taken and have launched a full investigation. an albuquerque woman who thought she was putting her dog to sleep had to say good-bye to her pooch twice. she took her chihuahua named

lola to the vet after it was attacked by another dog. the vet told her lola would probably die if not euthanized first. four months later, an animal clinic contacted the owner about changing information recorded in lola's microchip. turns out, lola went to a second-chance clinic, and veterinarians there saved her. >> if they would have come to you and said, "we saved your dog, it's going to be $1,500," what would you have done? >> i would have said, okay, put on my card. >> lisa gossett says she's going to let the dog stay at her new home because she's happy there. >> and that employee that made the decision to send little lola to the shelter was fired. well, let's get a look at the big political conversations ahead this morning. we're going to start with chris matthews. >> good morning, washington. coming up at 10:00 on "the chris matthews show," republicans are scared stiff. the guy who was supposed to be inevitable, mitt romney, is having real trouble talking and

looking real to voters, and the only alternative is rick santorum, whose very conservative views on the social issues are a turn-off to many women and independents. but santorum may beat romney next week in the michigan primary, which could be curtains for romney. what would those scared stiff party leaders do then? plus, 50 years ago tomorrow, john glenn orbited the earth and lifted this country. glenn was a huge american hero at a time when this country could have used such a lift-off. join me for a great roundtable. now for a look at what's coming up on "meet the press," here's david gregory. david? >> thank you, chris. good morning, angie and chris. coming up, the republican race for the white house rolls into michigan now, a must-win contest for mitt romney. so, what will it mean if he loses? this morning, we're going to break down the race with our political roundtable. plus, a preview of the fall campaign and a debate about what government can and should do to spur economic recovery. a lot of talk about

manufacturin this weekend with the auto bailouts and the president saying they've been working. that's coming up with house budget chairman paul ryan and congressman chris van hollen, coming up this morning on "meet the press." stay tuned after the program for a special "press pass" conversation. we ta talk to tony award-winning performer brian stokes mitchell, only here on nbc 4. >> thank you, david. he actually gets him to sing. "press pass" is going to be good. >> nice. >> that's going to do it for this edition of "news 4 today." thank you so much for joining us, everybody. >> and wake up tomorrow morning with "news 4 this morning" at [ male announcer ] the draw of the past is a powerful thing. but we couldn't simply repeat history. 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.

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