santorum surged and opened up a 15-point lead. in the past week this race has tightened up considerably. steve handelsman joins us from capitol hill with the latest. >> thanks. this is a huge opportunity for rick santorum. one, he couldn't have dreamed, doug, just two months ago but over the past couple days or so the former pennsylvania senator has been revealing beliefs that using language that some see as out of the main stream and that may be hurting him in michigan. >> did rick santorum peek too early? >> will you help us? >> reporter: he still could win the michigan primary next tuesday but santorum's lead in the polls there is narrowing. he is reminding voters of his strict catholic conservativism, blasting public education, birth control, and what he called over the weekend barack obama's theology on the issue of drilling for more u.s. oil. >> they elevate earth. >> reporter: today he called it

ideology. >> look at this ideology of the earth if you will and rise it above the interests of man. >> reporter: santorum says god gave man dominion over earth. >> i refer to global warming as not climate science but political science. >> reporter: here is some political science. mitt romney has to win michigan, his home state. like santorum, romney's pointing to rising gas prices and pointing a finger at the president. but romney style. >> i will also get that keystone pipeline. one of the first no brainer decisions the president has ever had to make is should we bring in oil from canada? the answer is so obviously yes. how he could say no is remarkable to me. >> reporter: donald trump said today he might get back in the race if romney does poorly. aides to new jersey governor chris christie said republicans are begging him to get in. aides to indiana governor mitch daniels say the same.

republican insiders figure rick santorum cannot beat barack obama so all eyes are on mitt romney. can he beat santorum? a lot of political pros in this town still figure the answer is yes. because they point out romney and romney's super pac are now unleashing the kind of ad campaign in michigan that santorum cannot afford. doreen, back to you. >> steve handelsman on capitol hill, thank you. >> welcome. there is breaking news from anne arundel county tonight. one person has been taken to a hospital after an apparent road rage incident about 4:30 this afternoon in the 700 block of route 3 near the honda power sports store in crofton. police say a 22-year-old man has been taken from the scene to the shock trauma after he was stabbed. police in anne arundel county are still investigating this. a local airman is among four american service members killed in africa.

senior airman julian shoelton of upper marlboro was killed saturday after his aircraft crashed. he and his team were in djibouti at the time. investigators say they don't know what caused the crash but initial reports indicate it was not because of any hostile fire. sholton was a member of the 25th intelligence squadron based in florida supporting what they call operation enduring freedom in africa. he was 26 years old. police are keeping a close watch on a mosque in falls church to protect it from potential hate crimes. federal investigators learned that amin khalifi the man accused of trying to bomb the capitol on friday prayed at the islamic center before his arrest. however, the fbi says he was not a regular worshiper there. dead al qaeda leader anwar awlaki was an imam at this mosque before taking a radical turn and leading the terrorist organization in yemen. >> in takoma park, maryland a

grandmother fell asleep with a cigarette and it lit a fire inside her apartment. it happened early this morning in the 7600 block of mapleavenu. the victim's grandmother tried desperately to save the woman's life. chris gordon is on the scene with more. it's the granddaughter trying to save her grandmother, jim. maryland law requires that stores sell fire safe cigarettes. officials tell me that the victim here, the grandmother, was smoking a fire safe cigarette but was smoking in bed. which shows that fire safe cigarettes are not fire proof. the montgomery county fire and rescue station is just a short distance from the apartment building where the fire was reported, but in that short time the fire had burned itself out but not before leaving charlotte wilson with injuries that would be fatal. she leaves a large and loving family. >> she'll be missed so much. you know, she has eight grand

kids and, you know, they loved her dearly. >> she will be missed for her support she provided me on the days i would call her and just talk to her and she was very loving and understanding and always had an open ear for me and my times that i needed to speak with her. >> charlotte wilson suffered severe burns from the flames that spread among clothes on the floor of her bedroom. a smoke detector awoke her 18-year-old granddaughter who called 911 and rushed to help her grandmother. the fire occurred in a bedroom area and it appears that it started as a result of an improperly discarded or smoking materials from smoking in bed. >> charlotte wilson was transported by ambulance to the washington hospital burn center but died shortly after. a close family friend who lives next door in an apartment on maple avenue was shocked to hear the news. >> i called the daughter to wish her a happy birthday and come find out she told me that her mom died today.

which was really shocking. >> a takoma park police detective is investigating. >> at this point we pretty much show it's probably accidental by smoking. but at the same time we have to wait for the autopsy to give us the confirmation. >> montgomery county firefighters returned to this apartment building this afternoon and went from unit to unit making sure that every tenant had a working smoke detector. we're live tonight in takoma park. i'm chris gordon, news 4. >> thanks, chris. a 2-year-old child, a girl, critically injured in a fire last week in district heights, maryland, has died. mariah hood passed away yesterday despite all the efforts to save her. investigators say the fire started in a kitchen. it was caused by food that was left unattended on a stove. damage is estimated at $50,000. three adults and a 9-year-old boy were also inside that house on hillmore drive at the time of the fire but they were able to

escape. after two weeks of testimony a jury in charlottesville, virginia will begin deciding the fate of george huguely this week. the former uva la crosse player is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in a jealous rage. news 4's jane watrel is here with more on this high profile murder case. well, the case went to the jury late saturday. they will begin their deliberations on wednesday after the long holiday weekend. it's been a gut wrenching trial for the family and friends of both the victim and the accused. now a jury must decide the fate of george huguely charged with killing ex-girlfriend yardley love. in his closing argument, prosecutor dave chapman became tearful. disputing the defendant's claim that he went to love's apartment the night she died to talk things over. pointing to the hole huguely kicked in her bedroom door when she wouldn't let him in. what kind of conversation starter is that he asked? saying that's the beginning of terror. chapman also reminded jurors of an e-mail huguely sent to love

after learning she had been with another man. it read in part, quote, i should have killed you. just days later chapman charged, huguely went to love's apartment to beat her and left her to die face down in her bed. during the two-week trial experts testified that love died of blunt force trauma to the head. the final defense witness? a neuro surgeon who told jurors he did not think a blow to the head killed love. could you explain why you did not think she died of trauma? >> i thought she died of oxygen deprivation. >> reporter: the defense called love's death a tragic accident, a combination of injuries inflicted by huguely she drank earlier that night. francis lawrence dismissed the threatening e-mail as hyperbole and portrayed his client as incapable of planning and carrying out love's murder calling him stupid, drunk, and not calculating. a boy athlete. he suggested to jurors that they consider a lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter instead of premeditated murder.

legal experts say huguely's drunkenness the night of love's death may bolster that case. >> well, legally, if george huguely was so drunk that he couldn't form a coherent thought, then he can't be guilty under virginia law of first-degree murder. >> reporter: huguely is facing from one year to life in prison. in all, george huguely faces 6 charges ranging from murder to robbery to burglary. >> thanks, jane. a setback for supporters of virginia's gps tracking bill. that measure would have made it illegal to secretly use an electronic device to track a person's movements. but today a senate committee killed the bill by a vote of 9-6. the bill was introduced after a man who lived in loudoun county complained that a private investigator hired by his estranged wife had placed a gps device on his car and at the time it was not against the law. there were several big events in our area today to

celebrate presidents' day. the annual presidents' day parade rolled through old town alexandria this afternoon, the 100th year for this parade and the largest one in the nation that celebrates george washington's birthday. others spent the day honoring george washington at his mount vernon estate. admission at mount vernon was free today in honor of presidents' day. some people decided to use the day off from school and work to learn a history lesson. >> we're looking at differences between the way they lived back in the 1700s and the way w the e now. a difference in the furniture. we're learning how they prepared food. >> reporter: this year marks what would have been our first president's 280th birthday. coming up a deadly avalanche in washington state. three experienced skiers killed. tonight we'll hear from the one woman who survived. help! help! >> there were frantic calls for help as a couple was trapped in a fire.

how neighbors risked their lives to rescue them. a week or so ago that highway sign came crashing down on 66. it's raising serious questions now about the safety of our roads. >> doug, how is our weather? >> areas to the south saw good winter weather during the day tomorrow but everybody is going to be feeling like spring coming up over the next couple days. i'll show you the temperatures in just a minute. dan? hey, doug. clinton portis is talking comeback. it's the truth. we'll hear from him coming up and in oklahoma city a local nba star fabulous at 50 and then some. kevin

senior nuclear inspectors for the united nations are in iran trying to get more information about that country's nuclear program. some experts say they do not expect anything to come from those meetings. iran's foreign minister said today the inspectors would not be granted access to any nuclear sites. in the meantime, u.s. officials are pressuring israel not to follow through on threats to attack iran's nuclear facilities. national security adviser tom donnellin has just concluded a three-day visit with top israeli leaders. white house officials say the

prime minister benjamin netanyahu will meet with president obama at the white house march 5th. >> it was sudden and deadly and tonight one of the survivors of an avalanche is speaking out about the terrifying experience that ended with three of her friends dead. it happened yesterday in washington state when a group of skiers went on a run in an out of bounds area. >> reporter: the avalanche near stevens pass, washington sunday was preceded by a foot and a half of freshly fallen snow and brought out skiers of all skills. including pro skier alyse saukstad who was seen with about a dozen others heading to a ski at your own risk area called 7th heaven. >> we felt comfortable and safe being there. all of us were experienced back country skiers. >> reporter: but then the avalanche came which she told the "today" show didn't think would reach her. >> it's amazing how quickly an avalanche happens and it progresses very rapidly into something really major. >> reporter: this one progressed

into something deadly. three in her group were killed. jim jack, chris ofl, and john brennan. >> we lost three amazing people, two who were my very good friends. >> joel hammond was part of that group too but not as much peril as saukstad who infladed her avalanche air bag like this one which is essentially intended to keep victims riding the top of an avalanche as opposed to being buried in it. >> don't get me wrong. it is not like you're taking an inner tube ride down some snowy field. you definitely are in the avalanche and it feels like you're in like a washing machine and being flipped and tumbled and it's white the entire way. it is very scary. an avalanche warning had been posted for the area just hours prior to sunday's tragedy. closer to home it was a dangerous night on the roads. virginia state police say they responded to more than 800 traffic accidents as snow

covered pavement all across the commonwealth. the snow was mostly mixed with rain in springfield but the farther south you went the worse the weather was. 6 to 8 inches of snow fell on blacksburg, virginia giving students plenty of ammo for the annual corps of cadets versus civilians snowball fight. >> we are never going to be able to do that this year, doug. >> i don't think so. i do not think so. most of the state of virginia saw some pretty good snow out of this except for extreme northern virginia and a lot of people saying hey, when is our chance? watch out for march. i don't think so. it may not happen this year. it's been too warm. today is another nice warm day. plenty of sunshine and high temperature near 50 degrees. let's look outside right now. a beautiful evening but it is cooling off and is going to continue to cool off quickly as we make our way through the rest of the evening here. temperatures today did get up to the 50-degree mark with that sunshine across the area and a low temperature of 34. so far this year, only 2 inches

of snow for the entire winter at the airport. no snow from the latest event. 2 inches normally by this time of year. we have about 13, 14 inches. so we are way below average but you already knew that. you combine that with what we saw in 2009, 2010, and then even last year's carmageddon, hey. i think we can deal with this for one year. now we did see a clear sky across the area. 47 degrees. winds out of the northwest at 9 miles per hour. here's the current temperatures. 39 in winchester. 39 in culpepper. 41 down toward charlottesville. picking up about 6 inches of snow. the current snow cover just around the charlottesville area down through richmond. 41 degrees there. 47 in washington. cooler in richmond because of the snow cover there. then back toward roanoke and charleston. also into the lower to middle 40s. take a look at this. i love this picture from orange, virginia down in orange county. snow from this weekend. look at this beautiful shot here, beautiful back yard. the mountains off in the distance picking up 4 to 5 inches down to that area and

we'll see most of that melt over the next couple days. let's just say all of that melt over the next couple days because we'll see plenty of that sunshine. during the day tomorrow a warm front will come in. partly cloudy skies on our tuesday. temperatures a little bit warmer than they were today. then here comes a cold front. it's called a cold front but this is not bringing in cold air. we'll see much warmer air during the day on wednesday. we'll see partly cloudy skies. a chance of a sprinkle or two to the north of washington for the most part but temperatures into the low 60s in many locations on wednesday and everybody getting into the 60s during the day on thursday. this evening clear skies. a light breeze. rather chilly. 38 to 43 degrees with the northwest winds 10 to 15 miles an hour. tomorrow morning mostly clear and chilly. sun vooiz 6:52. 23 in some of the colder suburbs to about 33 in the city but then with the sunshine we'll warm up quite nicely. partly cloudy or partly sunny. milder. breezy. 50 to 54 degrees.

could be an increase in clouds during the afternoon as the warm front passes by and that will help with the breezy conditions. then 60 on wednesday. 67 on your thursday. nice and mild there. a chance of a sprinkle thursday, too. but then rain on friday. and right now it looks like the potential is there for some pretty good rain on friday. high temperatures around 62 degrees. and that next storm could bring in some cool air on saturday and sunday. once again this winter. we haven't seen much cold air. it's all been cool air and that is exactly what i expect to see this weekend. >> the winter that wasn't. thank you, doug. coming up tonight, cheaper than a visit to a doctor and you can do it from the privacy of your own home. we'll have details behind a new fertility test for men. >> gas prices have already hit historic highs for february and analysts say

involuntary manslaughter charges for his role in a deadly tour bus accident outside richmond last may. the 40-year-old driver from greensboro, north carolina was arrested friday. the freelance star newspaper reports. investigators say the driver of sky express tour bus told the dispatcher he was too tired to drive but chen ordered him to drive anyway. the driver fell asleep at the wheel during a trip to new york city. the bus hit an embankment and overturned and four passengers were killed that day.

if you drive you cannot help but have noticed that gasoline prices are getting ridiculous. and word is that the worst is yet to come. michelle franzen reports now that we could be paying $4 a gallon in the near future. >> reporter: if you're feeling the pinch on your wallet every time you fill up the tank -- >> it's definitely hurting me in the pocket. >> reporter: you're not alone. >> just like almost can't afford it but it's hard because you have to buy gas to get around. >> reporter: gas prices are at an all time high for this time of year. the average price for a gallon of regular is $3.56. it's eating into monthly budgets. >> pretty high. it takes $120 to fill up my truck. >> reporter: what is behind the spike? experts say growing global demand, supply issues due to refinery problems on the east coast, and ongoing conflicts in oil rich countries. >> the geo politics in the middle east causing a psychology of fear about future supply has

probably never been greater and we just don't know from week to week how bad it could get. >> reporter: iran doesn't sell oil to the u.s. iran's move to cut off supplies to france and britain this summer could cause the european countries to turn to u.s. suppliers. and that could drive prices up to $4 and beyond by memorial day. >> americans feel sick to their stomach when they see that and it impacts their purchases that they make. so if gas prices go up further it is likely we'll see a dent in the economy. >> reporter: some consumers are already maybing adjustments. >> i think you think twice about making a round trip to the grocery store. >> reporter: thinking twice and cutting back where they can. michelle franzen, nbc news. new york. >> locally gasoline prices are about 50 cents more than they were this time last year. according to triple-a drivers in the district are paying $3.76 for a gallon of regular. that's on average.

in maryland it's $3.61. the cheapest gas in the area is in virginia where the state average is about $3.54. next on news 4 at 6:00 a highway sign fell on to a truck on i-66. some think the problem may be even bigger than we first thought. >> this is prince george's county 911. >> hurry up. i got fire in my house. i got an invalid in here and the upstairs is on fire. help me! >> the couple rescued from their burning home thanks to the help from some quick-thinking neighbors. >> also a look back at john glenn's historic flight into space half a century ago. coming up in sports maryland and georgetown at odds once again. terps head coach mark turgeon weighs in. kevin durant, more than okay in okc. also we catch up with clinton portis who is talking comeback. ♪

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the countdown to michigan is on. the battleground state hold its primary election next tuesday and the latest polls show rick santorum is losing some of his momentum against mitt romney. his lead has been whittled down from 15 points to just four now. >> a woman killed in an early morning fire in takoma park. 56-year-old charlotte wilson was in her bedroom when her unit caught fire. investigators believe she fell

asleep while smoking a cigarette. they say she suffered severe burns and died after being taken to a hospital. >> jury deliberations will begin wednesday in charlottesville in the murder trial of a former university of virginia la crosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend. george huguely says he went to yardley love's apartment the night she died to talk things over and that her death was a tragic accident. prosecutors charge a busted door and a threatening letter prove otherwise. now here is doug with our forecast. >> right now the sun making its way down about a half hour ago but take a look at a fantastic shot right now of dusk across our area as we look toward the skies of northern virginia. that is just simply beautiful as we make our way through the night tonight. we'll cool off fairly quickly and already are doing so in some areas down to 39 in winchester. 39 in culpepper. 43 in gaithersburg. 47 in washington. what we're going to be seeing over the next couple days is the warmer temperatures making their way on in here. i expect temperatures to climb

by about 20 degrees from where they are right now by the time we get to the day on thursday. that followed by a storm. we'll talk about that storm one more time coming up in a couple minutes. this one though all rain. nothing to worry about. just a rainy day coming up. >> thanks, doug. the family rescued from their burning home in temple hills, maryland over the weekend. >> they wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for the heroic efforts of their neighbors. >> reporter: when the fire broke out at donna musser's house she made a frantic 911 call to save her bedridden 79-year-old husband. >> this is prince george's county 911. >> hurry up. i got fire in my house. i got an invalid in here and i have stairs on fire. help me. >> can you get out of the house? >> i can't get my invalid husband out. >> it wasn't the firefighters but neighbors who did the life saving in this one. darlene townsend knows this all too well. she's a medic and friend of the fire victim. >> he's unable to get around on

his own. and it took about eight people to get him out. these people just went in with no thought of their own life. i mean, the smoke was unreal. the smoke got me to the point where i had to have treatment. >> reporter: in the light of day it looks bad. really bad. but not as threatening as it looked like last night. look at this ball of flame that burst out of the second floor of the duplex home. it lit up the street. vanessa ward lives next door. through the wall she heard the cries for help. >> it was a scary thing but it was like a unity because once everyone realized and saw what was going on it was like everybody just chipped in. >> reporter: vanessa's father jumped the fence between the homes, kicked down the musser's front door and fought off the flames to save his friend. you saved his life. >> yeah. he's my friend. he's a good friend, good neighbor. he's like a dad almost to me.

>> reporter: by the time it was over, a number of neighbors teamed up to make sure jim and donna were safe and sound. why, in fact, one of the neighbors even rescued the pet cat, bibs. i'm pat collins, news 4, prince george's county. >> that fire caused about $55,000 in damages. there is no word on what caused the blaze. more breaking news from anne arundel county. fire and rescue workers are responding to a call for a water rescue on maple avenue in severna park. one person has just been rescued from sullivan cove there. it's not clear how that man ended up in the water. we'll have an update on the story as soon as we get more information. a large group gathered outside the home of pamela butler today, a d.c. woman whose disappearance is still a mystery. butler went missing more than three years ago after she did

not turn up for a planned dinner with her mother. she was 47 years old at the time, worked as a computer expert with the environmental protection agency. the family members are hoping tonight's vigil will generate new leads and help bring closure in this case. a man from arlington is dead after a freak accident involving a deer. it happened saturday night on route 9 in loudoun county west of leesburg. the victim, 26-year-old villatolo was a passenger in a vehicle heading west. investigators say a deer struck by an eastbound driver went airborne and crashed through the windshield killing the victim. the driver and another passenger were seriously injured. no one in the first vehicle that hit the deer was hurt. an energy drink may have played a role in the death of a teenager near baltimore over the weekend. 13-year-old michael turloc was struck and killed by a car on saturday. his family says the middle schooler opened the passenger door of the car to vomit after drinking a caffeinated, high

alcohol drink called 4 loco. investigators say he fell out of the car and was hit by a passing vehicle. police say charges will not be filed against the driver who hit turloc. there are more concerns tonight about overhead highway signs in virginia. inspection crews took down three signs over the weekend after they found cracks in the anchor bolts. all of this comes after an overhead sign came crashing down on to a pickup truck on i-66 recently. darcy spencer has our report. >> reporter: virginia department of transportation officials say they are stepping up the speed of inspections on hundreds of highway signs after a 30-foot sign and structure collapsed on the hood of a pickup truck on i-66 in fairfax county nine days ago. do you think they're reacting appropriately with the inspections of all the signs? >> of course. it's good to have them inspected. everything should be inspected. but it is all coming down to cost. >> if they're doing the

inspections. hopefully they'll take care of the problem. >> reporter: virginia department of transportation officials say they discovered some cracked anchor bolts like these on the structure. that triggered inspections of similar signs in northern virginia, all 261 of them. inspectors found cracked bolts on three more signs on i-95 at the prince william parkway and the ramp. they were taken down friday and saturday. >> rusted poles. you know, or peeled, paint peeled off. >> reporter: this may come down to a maintenance issue. >> they need to spend the money to replace them. >> reporter: v dot officials are investigating the cause including whether the anchor bolts are faulty. there was a similar collapse on i-95 in the richmond area. >> we want to look at erosion, collision damage, weather damage, any types of issues that there may have been with sign and compare that to other signs. >> reporter: some leaders argue it's the price the state is paying for not putting enough money into highway maintenance. >> no punut this is a

sign of the lack of funding that the v dot has and the state really needs to step up to the plate and properly fund highway maintenance and construction. >> reporter: those inspections will begin once again tomorrow. v dot says an additional inspection crew is being brought in. they're also looking at hiring some contractors to help with this work. all of those inspections are expected to wrap up by the end of march. in springfield, darcy spencer, news 4. still ahead on news 4 hundreds of women lock arms and rally together in silence over controversial legislation in virginia. virginia. >> we'll tell you about awheeee! whee! whee! wheeeeeeeee! ah heads up. wheeeeeeeeeeee!

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good afternoon everybody. i'm meteorologist doug kammerer right here in storm center 4. a beautiful day out on our monday and i think great weather is going to continue. we saw high pressure today with plenty of sunshine. we do have a warm front that is going to come through during the day tomorrow. might see a sprinkle as the warm front moves by most likely to the north and east but the air is dry enough that most of us should see cloud cover during the day. we'll watch a cold front move through on wednesday and by wednesday afternoon temperatures will rebound to near 60 degrees across the area but that's not it. we get even warmer toward the

end of the week plus a pretty potent storm could move in. we'll talk about that too in my full forecast in a little bit. >> thank you, doug. there were no words but a protest against anti-abortion bills carried a powerful message in richmond today. more than a thousand people most of them women gathered for the silent protest outside the virginia state capitol today. they stood arm in arm forming a human chain that legislators had to walk through. the women are protesting bills that would define embryos as persons and require ultra sounds for women before they can have abortions. the bills are currently making their way through the general assembly. the home fertility test for men is expected to be on local store shelves within a month. sperm check is approved by the fda and the makers say it is 98% accurate. that test measures a man's sperm count and the results are known within ten minutes. the cost is about $40. currently it's available online. similar tests at a doctor's

office can cost about a hundred dollars. in about 40% to 50% of fertility cases the male is the problem with low sperm count the culprit. when you pay a bill most of us don't expect to be charged a fee. you may remember back in december verizon wireless wanted to charge $2 to make a payment online or over the phone using a credit card or debit card but consumers' feedback forced the company to retract the extra fee. tonight at 11:00 a warning about paying to pay. liz crenshaw discloses the fees consumers pay every day when paying their bills and the free ways around it at 11:00. one of the best players in the nba if not the best player right here in our own back yard. >> really. oh, the nba. kevin. >> yeah. kevin durant. career night for kevin durant. we'll show you what happened there. clinton portis talking nfl comeback plus some drama brewing between georgetown and maryland.

this has been going on for a while. mark turgeon talks about it.

we were talking about -- he wants to come back and play. >> why? >> because, man, clinton at denver and for the first couple years here, a fine running back. you know? credible and wonderful. i just feel sorry when these guys can't let it go. >> he's only 30. right? >> he's a baby. >> a running back in the nfl at 30 is an ancient.

he's like a tree that is about to fall down. >> you don't want to see -- it was very entertaining. >> but he can't play football anymore. not at the level he used to play. why should he come back at any level less than that? >> maybe he'll be a backup. first it was randy moss. now clinton portis who says he wants to play again. not as crazy as it sounds if portis wants to actually put in the work. he is still only 30 years old and could make a good backup in a place like new york but portis has to be realistic. he spent seven seasons in washington before being let go by shanahan. when portis was healthy he was one of the better backs in the nfl but he battled injuries the last couple years. and he only played 13 games over his last two seasons with the skins. portis is the 27th leading rush erp in nfl history. he's just 77 yards away from reaching that 10,000 yard plateau. that's very important to him. now after a year off, portis says he's changed just a bit. >> i have more spirituality now.

i think just having the clarity and the time to put things in perspective. growing up really. that was the best thing. growing up, becoming a man, becoming a responsible person understanding and ready to have fun again. i feel like it's a lot of unfinished business and i don't want to go out on those terms of not being around the last three years, you know. i took a year off to really get things in perspective and i want to continue to play football. it's that simple. i want to continue to play and i'm ready. >> it was a great line. i hope it's okay if i share it. being spiritual doesn't make you faster or help your ability. portis in town working as a celebrity server for a charity event benefiting rocky mcintosh's a grand foundation. several current and former redskins there to help rocky raise some money to help some kids. >> just trying to get the

community involved and put forth the effort to help kids out there and in terms of mentoring, healthy lifestyles, exercising. and things of that nature. so we're just out there trying to help these kids be better in life and close the gap of some of the privileges other people receive. just trying to make them a little better. >> great event at the palm last night. hard to believe the way we've been covering new york knicks phenomenon jeremy lin there are other players in the nba who have been doing some amazing things too. one of them our local guy kevin durant. the mantra's christian grad went for a career high 51 points last night. durant already has two nba scoring titles but has never had a 50-point game. he had 20 points at the break. third quarter how about this alley-oop from russell westbrook part of a 20-0 thunder run to the fourth. durant doing it from distance. he buries the three-pointer to make it a three-point game. and how about the aforementioned russell westbrook.

he ties it at 106. westbrook had 40 points in this one. seconds remaining. thunder down by two. check out cady taking it to the 10. he had 45 in regulation and we're going to overtime. durant was still on fire in the extra frame. he finishes with the career high 51 points. durant and westbrook the first teammates since jordan pippen in '96 to score at least 40 each. thunder win at 124-118 and of course a big hug from mama on his career night. >> look at that. meanwhile lin sanity continues in new york city yesterday. jeremy lin of the knicks hosting the defending champion dallas mavericks. lin helping lead a third quarter comeback driving a lane, hanging and hitting here. he had 22 points after three quarters. in the fourth, dirk nowitzki maybe not believing the hype. look at the room he gives him here. jeremy makes him pay. shoots it right over the seven footer. lin finishes with 28 points and

14 assists. that 14 assists a career high. knicks win it, 104-97. spike lee with the throwback. hard for jeremy lin jersey as a throwback. only about 2 years old. knicks back action tonight against the nets. maryland and georgetown. haven't scheduled a regular season basketball game for a while. it is ridiculous that these two schools don't play every single season. maryland athletic director kevin anderson is so fed up with the stalemate that he won't schedule athletic events of any kind with georgetown until the men's basketball teams are playing again. here's what maryland head coach marge turgeon had to say about the issue today. >> jt and i will handle that differently than it is handled right now. but i hope there is a game between us in the future when we get a little bit better. and i think it would be great for everybody but john thompson and i got to be on the same page for that to happen. that's really what's most important. and our boss wants it this way and so that's the way it's going

to be, you know. with all our other sports as we go forward. >> all right. finally all nationals pitchers and catchers are in the area for spring training. bryce harper wants to make this roster. just 19 years old. he says you know what? i'm going to work hard, keep my mouth shut, and just going to play. >> that would be cool. >> yeah. >> winter is over then right? >> well, yeah. >> the sure sign. >> thank you, dan. coming up next, a look at how first lady michelle obama and her daughters are enjoying the presidents' day holiday weekend. >> and a major milestone in space

an update now on the breaking news from the top of the hour. three people injured in a confrontation in crofton, maryland. anne arundel county police say two people were stabbed or cut including the stabber who may have been injured during the struggle. the third person was hurt in the crash. police believe both parties were involved in an argument in a parking lot and then took the argument on the road. the stabbing suspect will be charged after he is treated for his wounds. police say they're not calling this a case of road rage yet. they are still investigating. president obama spent the holiday weekend in washington while his wife and daughters went skiing in colorado. first lady michelle obama and their two daughters sasha and

malia flew to aspen, colorado for the long weekend. the first lady's office says it was a private family trip and the obamas are paying their own personal expenses. the aspen daily news reports mrs. obama and her girls are staying with friends from chicago who own a home in aspen as well as several ski resorts. we are marking the 50th anniversary today of an historic moment in american space history. john glenn became the first american to orbit in space and the capsule he used, 50 years ago today, is on display right here at the national air and space museum. tom sherwood has our report. >> reporter: into outer space and into the history books john glenn in 1961, 50 years ago. and right inside the national air and space museum on the mall, the tiny capsule that carried glenn for the historic three hoshts orbits is on displ >> three times in this little thing.

>> yeah. really -- >> what did you think when you see it? >> i think he wouldn't have been comfortable in there. >> how could he be? >> all those buttons. >> the andrew emerson family from bethesda was part of a big crowd of the smithsonian's most visited museum. all sorts of languages could be heard as tourists relive the american achievement and how it affected them. so you're looking in here. what are you thinking 50 years ago? >> i was in first grade at the time in ohio so john glenn was my hero and i became a b-52 navigator and went to the air force because of john glenn and 50 years ago today. >> reporter: while the tourists took in the sights, john glenn this week was warning again that america is foolish to turn away from the space travel and exploration. this family from san francisco and others agreed with glenn. >> space is the next frontier and you really ought to explore it and experience it to figure out what else is out there. >> reporter: not only that but it creates a lot of jobs and interest among young people to

pursue not just space but any kind of scientific field. >> you can see the history of aviation right here. >> i think if we quit we're not going to see any more progress. >> in washington, tom sherwood, news 4. john glenn is now 90 years old. in 1998 when he was 77 he became the oldest person ever to travel in space. coming up tonight on news 4 at 11:00 breaking news in prince george's county where a car has crashed into a kfc restaurant and we're hearing someone may have been killed. plus the stations are quickly being built along the silver line to dulles. what are the new names going to be? news 4 has a preview of the choices you'll get to select. >> final word? >> looking pretty good across the area today but some areas and really most of the area did see at least some snow. if you live in parts of virginia you were the big winners out of this storm and southern maryland also seeing some snow but around washington to the north just a few flurries at best if that was all you saw. dusting to an inch down in

places like southern fairfax county, prince william county over toward faucier county and then around an inch in portions of charles and st. mary's, up to 2 inches, 1 to 3 around culpepper and big areas. 4 to 10 inches down to the south and west including around the orange county area. isn't that a beautiful shot? waking up to that this morning would have been fantastic. 5 inches of snow down around orange, virginia from the storm yesterday. right now 46 degrees. i say it's sunny but that's just our disposition today. wind out of the north-northwest at 8 miles per hour. storm 4 radar nothing to show you there but watch what happens when we zoom on out here. we'll see a big storm off to the west producing some of snows back toward minneapolis. that storm will actually blow through our area during the day on wednesday and bring in some very warm air. not going to happen tonight, though. a little on the chilly side. 23 in manassas. 26 in gaithersburg right now looking at a temperature tomorrow morning of 33 in the washington, d.c. area and then tomorrow afternoon beautiful. 53 in washington. 52 in manassas. 55 down in fredericksburg.

i think we'll see more clouds during the day tomorrow as the warm front passes by and the warm front hoping to warm us up to 60 on wednesday. 67 on thursday. yes we make some areas hit 70 and then temperatures on friday around 62 degrees before cooling off. hey, just in time for the weekend. >> all that virginia snow gone. >> it'll be gone in two days. it really will. >> thank you. a good time was had by all as they say. as news 4 today hosted the winners of our recent fandemonium contest. the winners are from alexandria and have been best friends since they were 9 years old. they've grown up on news 4. they got a chance to sit down and eat with doug and van and doreen. they let me come too. afterwards they got a tour of our studio where they got to try out the weather set and our anchor desk right here. they say it was an honor to be here. we say the honor was all ours.