>> i believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. it's my personal belief. i recognize other people have other views and so i'm also going to work to cut off debate so that people can have an opportunity to vote on this bill. we'll try to have the issue decided this afternoon. >> reporter: maryland governor martin o'malley says he'll sign the gay marriage bill as soon as it reaches his desk. opponents say they're going to gather signatures on petitions to take the question directly to voters for referendum. in annapolis, darcy spencer, news 4. and senate president mike miller says he hopes that this vote will happen by 6:00 p.m. we will of course let you know the results when it happens. the norovirus could be making the rounds at another local university. howard university says it has a number of students with that stomach bug. the school is now working with the d.c. department of health to determine exactly what is causing this. and in the meantime, the school has asked its students, faculty, and staff to take precautions so that other people don't get sick.

tonight a teenager is behind bars accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl. deputies in prince george's county arrested him earlier this week. he was 17 years old when he allegedly assaulted the girl last december. according to a warrant he knew the girl through a family friend. he is in jail tonight on a $250,000 bond. the personhood bill is now on hold in the virginia commonwealth for at least another year after a raucous committee debate the state senate voted to send the bill back to committee and carry it over into 2013. the personhood bill defines life as starting at conception. the motion to table it was made by republican leader tommy normit of james city. it passed, 24-14. the senate action followed a rowdy committee hearing where the chairman threatened to have police remove observers opposing the bill who were speaking out during the debate. the charlottesville community is reacting to the

verdict and the sentencing of george huguely. huguely was found guilty in the beating death of his former girlfriend at uva. yardley love. as julie carey reports one of the jurors who delivered that verdict said the jury did its job. >> reporter: george huguely left the courthouse near midnight knowing he could now be in prison until he is 50. in the pouring rain a weary prosecutor told reporters there are no winners in this high profile tragedy. he hopes the family of yardley love draws some consolation from the second-degree murder conviction and a 26-year recommended sentence. >> what we do in court is a very rough approximation of justice in any given case. we hope that they feel some solace from the outcome that's been achieved here today. >> reporter: george huguely's lawyers were already setting the stage for an appeal. >> we look forward to some

corrections in what happened here tonight. >> reporter: most jurors declined to comment as they left the courthouse. today juror ian glomsky a u va micro biologist told news 4 i feel the jury did its job and that justice was served. we did the job the best we could. he says he plans to talk more at a later date about the jury's decision making process. on the university of virginia campus some students say the case cast a negative spotlight on the school and its top ranked la crosse teams. both convicted killer george huguely and victim yardley love played the sport there. students we spoke with say the verdict and sentence fit the crime. >> i think the verdict was very good. i think it was well thought out. i just hope everything can go back to normal and the la crosse players aren't too distracted since they're number one in the country and defending champs. >> i think a lot of lives got ruined through that whole process. i think his punishment was just but, again, it's really

unfortunate for everyone involved. >> reporter: george huguely's final sentence will come from the judge. that date has not yet been set but attorneys will return to the courthouse on april 16th to set that date. in charlottesville, julie carey, news 4. the army private accused of spilling classified u.s. secrets to wikileaks appeared before a judge to answer the charges for the first time today. in fort mead private first class bradley manning declined to enter his plea and also didn't make a decision on whether he wanted to be tried by a military jury or judge alone. manning is charged with aiding the enemy which carries a life sentence. his attorneys say manning was troubled and shouldn't have had access to the information. a trial date hasn't been set yet. seven u.s. marines were killed last night when their helicopters collided at the yuma training range near the arizona/california border. the military says the choppers were conducting a routine training exercise at the time, crashing in mid air over a

remote section of the so-called chocolate mountains. again, seven u.s. marines killed. no survivors. right now a man is in jail accused of robbing a bb & t bank in fredericksburg this morning. using this suspect's description from the bank staff, police identified the suspect as he got into a cab at a nearby hotel. police pulled the cab over during a traffic stop and arrested justin mccain. they also found a gun, cash, and the clothing he was wearing during the robbery. mccain has outstanding warrants in pennsylvania for a bank robbery last year. firefighters are trying to figure out what sparked a car fire in prince george's county. this was the scene about an hour ago. this is the outer loop just before kenilworth avenue. a white sedan became fully engulfed on the shoulder. fire officials say the driver was not hurt but traffic as you can imagine is moving slow. what a day to spend outside today. it's gorgeous. >> couldn't be better for

february. chief meteorologist doug kammerer knew to be outdoors. he couldn't stand being inside with us so we sent him out to reston town center and he found an ice rink. you just have to be cold in february, right? >> that's the thing. you have your winter sports obviously in the month of february but the temperatures got up to the mid to upper 60s today. some areas near that 70-degree mark. so a lot of people out here today doing a little bit of ice skating. there will be more people as we move on through the evening. apparently a fundraiser going on this evening. it is going to be a very nice night. take a look at the numbers out there right now. currently sitting at the airport with some sunshine starting to come back out. temperature right now at 64 degrees with the dew point of 37. winds right now out of the north-northeast at 6 miles per hour. around the region la plata coming in at 67 degrees. fredericksburg at 68. patuxent river still on the cool side with the water temperature down there. you're only sitting right now at 56 degrees. annapolis at 58. what do we see across the region? we do have some clouds making their way on through. that is actually a warm front that came on through.

so temperatures are not going to fall off all that much tonight. as a matter of fact, an extremely warm night tonight. temperatures will only fall into the low 50s overnight. could be a couple showers as we move on through the night tonight. maybe through early tomorrow morning a few showers. best chance would be to the north of the d.c. area. more showers tomorrow and tomorrow the big story. it's not going to be the temperatures. we'll talk about the big weather factor tomorrow plus the amazing weather out here today. talk about that coming up in just a minute. >> have some fun for us. we'll check back in a bit. doug, thanks. president obama is confronting the growing anxiety all over the country over the rising cost of gas. the president spoke out today about his energy policies at an event in miami. mr. obama stressed the need for investment in a greater mix of energy sources. to reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil. the president admitted that doing this won't bring any short-term relief but stressed the need to stop putting off big decisions. >> there is no silver bullet.

there never has been. and part of the problem is when politicians pretend that there is then we put off making the tough choices to develop new energy sources and become more energy efficient. we got to stop doing that. according to triple-a the national average for a gallon of regular gas today, $3.61. that's up 40 cents from a year ago. the republicans were debating and the republican gop presidential candidates were debating in arizona last night. this was rick santorum's first debate in the spotlight as a front-runner. and he quickly found himself on the defensive. in one instance he said he regretted supporting president bush's no child left behind law. >> when i supported no child left behind it was against the principles i believed in but, you know, when you're part of team sometimes you take one for the team for the leader and i made a mistake. >> i wonder which team he was taking it for. all right? my team is the american people. not the insiders in washington.

and i'll fight for the people of america not special interests. >> this debate the last time those candidates will be meeting before tuesday's primaries in arizona and michigan. well, it feels like the season. baseball spring training is just starting but the competition is already heating up between fans of the nats and the philadelphia phillies. the nationals are trying to keep those phillies fans from buying up all of the tickets to a three-game series coming up in may. tom sherwood has our story. >> reporter: the nats are still developing their fan base here but there is no doubt when the phillies come to town. philly fans can outnumber nats fans more than 5-1. even people like david umansky the spokesman for the d.c. chief finance office has divided loyalties. >> i root for the nationals except when the phillies are here. >> reporter: but now the nats preparing for opening day are mounting a take back our park campaign selling tickets to the may 4th phillies series only to

d.c. area addresses. the tactic riled up pennsylvania senator bob casey who wrote that the gamut unfairly denied access for philly fans. the nats responded this week saying they're just building fan loyalty. and mayor gray weighed in thursday. >> we want nationals fans in those stands. >> reporter: but downtown at the sign of the whale a popular philadelphia fan meeting place they were xoscoffing at the new campaign. >> we organize a bus trip over to nats stadium every phillies game. >> yell a lot and say obnoxious things. >> yeah. it's phillies fans and you either love them or hate them. >> reporter: we did find one nats fan at the bar. >> david johnson is very excited. strasburg is back. ramos got off his kidnapping. it's a team effort and the team is really pulling together and everyone is excited and the front office is doing its job. >> reporter: outside the stadium one local fan who was supposed to be at work took the long view. >> and they love to come down and flood this stadium.

>> they like to antagonize us but that'll turn over one of these days. >> reporter: and despite the ticket rivalry, d.c. does see an upside to the philly invasion. >> they come down here. they stay in hotels. they drink lots of beer at the stadium. they buy food, park illegally and we can ticket their cars. >> now you know who will win that ticket battle. at 5:45 more baseball. dan hellie will have his first live report from spring training in florida. we were not too jealous of him, jim, because it's great up here. >> oh, yeah. they could be training in d.c., tom, with this great weather. all right. thanks a lot. >> we just don't have palm trees. >> the only difference. news 4 at 5:00, we are just getting started. coming up next a major breakthrough in the battle to get a weight loss drug on the market. >> plus an 82-year-old woman in fairfax county is attacked right in her home and that's not all. i'm liz crenshaw. buying insurance? how much do you need and what can you live without?

a prescription weight loss drug has moved one step closer to hitting your pharmacy shelves. >> federal advisers gave the

green light today and recommended quenexa. nbc's erica edwards has more. >> reporter: losing weight is hard work requiring exercise, healthy eating, often major lifestyle changes. >> how is your diet going? >> reporter: while there is no magic weight loss pill, a drug called quenexa now has the potential to help millions of overweight americans shed pounds. >> the average person who takes quenexa can lose about 10% body weight and maintain that weight loss for up to two years. >> reporter: an advisory panel to the food and drug administration has voted to recommend approval for quenexa, the first new prescription weight loss drug in more than a decade. it's a combination of two appetite suppressants including one called phentermine. it is considered safe but was part of notorious fen-phen taken off the market years ago after it was linked to heart valve problems. the fda advisers scrutinized the latest safety data on quenexa

not once but twice originally voting to reject the drug in 2010. but many doctors say they have been using the medications that comprise quenexa off label in patients for more than a decade safely and successfully. >> when we use these types of treatments, people are able to stick with a lo-calorie diet program. they're more enthusiastic about exercising because they see success. >> reporter: the potential for further success is significant. more than two-thirds of americans are considered overweight or obese. erica edwards, nbc news. now the food and drug administration is expected to make a final decision on the drug later this spring. speaking of spring, spring fever is now upon us. the pollen, even the pollen can't wait to get out. >> it's dancing. >> doug is in fairfax county tonight enjoying the nice weather at the reston town center which has a lot going on out there. >> oh, a lot going on out here but you're right about the pollen, guys. jim, i know you suffer from pollen. wendy i think you mentioned it

as well. pollen very high for this time of the year. about double the normal average and way above where it was last year. just because we've seen temperatures so warm out here. speaking of being so warm a lot of people actually enjoying the day on the ice skating rink. i just met some friends here. i met lilly and elle and you guys are doing pretty good. some of the best ice skating i've ever seen in my life. yeah. see she is speechless because i gave her that great compliment. what do you think about the warm weather? >> it's good. >> it is good. you were saying lilly you were hoping for? >> snow. >> hoping for snow but you would settle for ice instead. i'm sorry about that. no snow in the forecast buchlt it is going to get colder. not a whole lot. we'll take a look and show you what's happening right now. it is nice and it is warm out there. temperatures of 64 right now with those winds out of the north-northeast at 6 miles per hour. here's what's happening across our area. temperatures 59 degrees at gaithersburg right now with

cloud cover up that way. 63 down in manassas and right now 68 degrees down toward fredericksburg. as far as the cloud cover and the rain are concerned, no rain right now around the region. notice up towards frederick and hagerstown looks like shower activity but most of that not reaching the ground as a result of a warm front that is actually moving to the north as we speak. here is the warm front. you can see the wider shot showing you the warm front moving to the north and behind it some cold air moving down. some winter storm warnings back around the chicagoland area. chicago could pick up more than just a couple inches of snow. high today in washington 66 degrees. 74 in raleigh. 79 back toward memphis and some 80s for the first time in the last couple days down toward the south. we'll see our area of low pressure come through the area tomorrow. so we're still going to be nice and warm tomorrow morning and that could actually lead to some thunderstorms by tomorrow afternoon. we're going to watch out for a chance of some thunder and then it turns windy. i'm not talking about just windy guys but really windy with winds gusting to 50 miles per hour

across parts of the area. there is a high wind watch actually well to the west of washington. that does include loudoun county, windy conditions will continue through that day tomorrow and probably right on in through the day on your saturday. tomorrow mostly cloudy. isolated showers. windy and warm. 44 to 53 degrees. tomorrow afternoon mostly cloudy skies once again, showers and thunderstorms possible. not a big chance of those storms happening but if you do see a chance of a rain shower it may include some thunder. very windy with winds gusting to that 50-mile-per-hour mark at some locations. 48 on your saturday. continued on the windy side. we'll see those winds on saturday. about 30 miles an hour. then on sunday and monday the winds calm down. temperatures go back up. 52 on sunday. 56 on monday. so i tell you what, guys. the weather really looking nice. even though there's going to be cooler this weekend we're still talking about temperatures that are going to be above average. pretty good forecast. what do you think? how did we do? am i as good as forecasting the weather as you are at skating?

>> i don't know. >> yeah. you see she said no. she said not even close. >> you know, we know you can skate. get on the other side of the rails at 6:00. show us what you can do. >> i'm getting on there. oh, yeah. >> all right. we've heard it. >> we'll have emts standing by. >> coming up next on news 4 at 5:00 tonight the do's and don'ts about buying different types of insurance. liz crenshaw is in the house and points you in the right direction tonight. a housing boom at prince george's county. it is shrinking the home for wildlife. our i-team tags along with animal control. plus new developments three months after college students

we're talking about insurance. >> a common question, how much insurance do we need? what can we live without? liz crenshaw is here to break it all down for you. >> wendy and jim, viewers have been asking us what they need and what they don't need when it comes to buying insurance. you can buy a policy for life insurance, cancer insurance, identity theft insurance. the pitches make it sound like you shouldn't live without any of these policies but the money spent might be better saved. >> i think people have a strange combination of fear and boredom when it comes to insurance. >> reporter: bob hunter director of insurance at the consumer

federation of america says some consumers spend too much money on insurance they never need and others don't have enough. >> they know they need it but don't want to spend the time. >> hunter estimates they spend about 16% of disposable income on all types of insurance. does everyone need life insurance? hunter says typically only parents with a dependent child need it. life insurance is needed for covering the economic consequence of a premature death of the major income earner. to take care of a child or a spouse who is not working. when buying life insurance, hunter says do consider term insurance. it's a fixed rate of insurance for a limited time. as your child gets older you needless life insurance and eventually when your dependents are independent you can let the policy expire. so what about juvenile life insurance. >> that is a very bad idea.

a child is not an earner. >> reporter: what about something called cancer and critical illness insurance? hunter says don't waste your money. >> it just covers cancer. you might be hit by a truck. you might have a heart attack. a lot of things besides cancer. you want to cover yourself comprehensively. >> reporter: hunter says do get disability insurance in case you get sick for a long period of time. it will provide a portion of your income. many people are worried about identity theft but do you need identity theft insurance? hunter says it's more of a convenience to have someone make the calls if your identity is stolen. >> if you're a very busy person, maybe it's worth it because maybe you're making so much money that your time is much more valuable doing your job than running around doing that. but if you're a normal person i think you do it on the weekends. >> reporter: hunter says consumers should consider what is called a liability umbrella insurance policy. it provides liability coverage above what is offered in your auto or homeowners policy.

a million dollar umbrella for example covers you for lawsuits up to a million dollars. you can reduce your liability coverage on your other policies if you have an umbrella. and finally, there is something called divorce insurance just in case it doesn't work out. >> no, i wouldn't buy it. if i was mayor toyed somebody and they came and said let's buy this policy i don't know if i'd go through with it. >> you got to have a sense of humor when talking about insurance. when it comes to flood and earthquake insurance bob hunter says buy it only if you live in a high risk zone. i know we saw a recent earthquake but this is not considered a high risk area so probably not worth it. flood insurance though some folks around here do need it. it depends again on where you live and if you need it you should buy it because your regular policy will not cover it. you know what? spending money that you don't need to spend on insurance is silly but getting the stuff you do need is important. >> it's good. i didn't realize all the insurances out there. >> fear and boredom my favorite line of the story. we approach insurance with fear

and boredom. oh, well. >> i like that. >> interesting. coming up next, at 5:30, women tied up, robbed, and the crook stole a lot of cash from this home. >> an 82-year-old woman is attacked in her bedroom in fairfax county. plus -- >> there was a lot of gun fire. it was loud and close like a war going on. a mother describes her son's murder. i'm pat

a fast forward through the headlines. the maryland state senate scheduled to vote tonight on whether to legalize same sex marriage. the bill is expected to pass. the governor is ready to sign it. >> the military family and friends are mourning the deaths of seven u.s. marines killed last night in a helicopter crash. two choppers collided in mid air during a training exercise near yuma, arizona. there were no survivors. the personhood bill is on hold in virginia for this year. a 24-14 vote and the state senate sent the bill back to committee killing it this session. the senate vote followed a rowdy committee hearing. the chairman threatened to have police remove observers who were disrupting that session. let's fast forward to doug out in fairfax. >> a lot of people here in reston town center really enjoying a great afternoon. obviously the ice skating rink is here all winter long but sothing you don't normally see a lot of people actually having

a nice little dinner or nice little snack outdoors right now outside panera here at reston town center. temperatures on the warm side. 64 degrees at the airport right now but near 70 down to the south and even in the 70s. we'll get warm one more day tomorrow but tomorrow is not going to be a day we're talking about temperatures. we'll be talking about something completely different once again and i'll show you what that means for the weekend coming up. all right. we'll see you in a bit, doug. thank you. residents who live in a quiet fairfax county neighborhood say tonight they are on edge after their elderly neighbor came face to face with an intruder who broke into her home. this crime happened sunday night on russell road in the alexandria section of fairfax county. the crook then took off in the victim's car. jane watrel is live in fairfax county. we understand police have recovered that victim's car now. is that right? >> reporter: that's right, jim. the car had been missing for several days and turned up here late last night in a shopping center parking lot along route 1. just a couple miles from the victim's home.

a close knit community in shock. people living along russell road in fairfax county learned their 82-year-old neighbor and friend was a target of a home invasion sunday night. >> it's making me angry. this is an old woman. like myself. i'm home here by myself. we don't have freedom to do nothing. you know, we work hard for somebody to come and do this to us. it's not fair. >> reporter: fairfax county police say the victim was in bed when she heard a loud crash. she went to investigate and found the suspect had broken out a window. >> the man immediately went to the woman. he grabbed her and forced her into another part of the home. he demanded money from her and she did comply with that demand. he went through the home. he disabled the home telephone, took a cell phone from the home. >> reporter: the man stole her car as well. police found the 1989 fire bird wednesday night in this beacon hill parking lot. neighbors say they plan to tighten up security around their homes. >> i have two kids.

you know? definitely. as a matter of fact, i usually keep like a -- i have a camera in my garage because we have some stuff stolen out of the garage a few years ago. >> i'm not scared because i keep a baseball bat in my house but, hey, it could happen to anybody but this is ridiculous. this is a good neighborhood. we never had -- i've been here over 28 years and we never had nothing like this. >> reporter: now we spoke to the victim today and she says after getting the fright of her life she is now working with investigators to try and catch the brazen robber. reporting live at fairfax county, i'm jane watrel, news 4. >> thank you. police in prince george's county say two men broke into a home in bowie, stole a lot of money and one of the victim's cars. this was henderson chapel lane around 6:00 this morning. the men broke into the home, had a gun, tied up a man and two women inside. police are looking for the car. it's a 1999 gold jaguar sedan and there are two suspects.

officers say the suspects knew at least one of the victims. emotional testimony in the d.c. mass shooting trial today when the victim's mother's day took the stand. diane howe's son jordan was the first victim in what became one of the most violent attacks in d.c. history. news 4's pat collins is live at d.c. superior court. pat? >> reporter: they were buddies. sankwan played sports with jordan. sankwan stayed at jordan's house. but now sankwan is charged in jordan's murder. the victim, 20-year-old jordan howe, an aspiring pro boxer. on trial, in his murder, sankwan bootsy carter, a chooildhood friend. on the stand and under oath jordan howe's mom. people have a hard time trying to understand this. jordan and his accused killer

sankwan were friends. >> yes. >> reporter: sankwan stayed at your house. >> yes. >> reporter: you were his team mother. >> yes. >> reporter: two days before the murder he came to your apartment and gave you a big hug and kissed you. >> yes he did. >> reporter: now this. >> yes. that's a snake for you. i'm glad i got it off my chest to testify today and let the jury know what really happened that day, that night they killed my son. >> reporter: diane howe has been waiting for more than two years to tell this story and fighting back tears she took the stand and recounted what happened the night her son jordan was killed. there were a lot of gunshots, she said. it was loud like a war going on. i went to the car where jordan was. he looked incoherent. i was telling jordan, don't leave me, jordan. promise you won't leave me,

jordan. the killing of jordan howe. the first in a string of murders during that bloody march, 2010. five dead, nine wounded in eight days. all over a cheap piece of costume jewelry. at the trial today councilman marion barry. >> innocent people being gunned down. you got to feel that and because they're my constituents i feel it even more. i feel i have to do as much as i can to stop that from happening again. >> reporter: diane howe says she plans to follow this case to the finish. she says jordan was her only child. live in superior court, pat collins, news 4. >> thank you, pat. some local catholic school students will have to find a new school to go to next year, st. michael the arc angel catholic

school in silver spring is closing at the end of this academic year. school officials tell us they are forced to close the school because of declining enrollment and rising costs. about 150 students are currently enrolled at st. michael. school officials say they'll work with students and their families to help them transition to other schools. >> when we come back we have new developments in the john edwards sex tape scandal. also, it was quite a mess on a maryland road today after problems with this tractor-trailer. >> and as more houses go up it takes away land from wildlife. animal control is now dealing with this on an every day

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the former mistress of john edwards will now get the alleged sex tape back that she made with the former presidential candidate. today in a court settlement former edwards aide andrew young and his wife agreed to give up their claim to that tape. rielle hunter sued the youngs over the tape and other personal items. the couple claims she abandoned those items. hunter lived with the youngs in 2007 while pregnant with edwards' baby. the youngs agreed not to talk publicly about the tape. >> quince orchard road back open in gaithersburg after this tractor-trailer tipped on its side and spilled its load around noon here at the intersection of clopper road. the truck was hauling scrap metal and trash.

several lanes of quince orchard road were closed for hours today while the trash and truck were removed. the driver had some minor injuries. writer j.k. rowling announced today she'll release her first book for adults. the title, release date, and subject matter still a secret. the publisher says the book will be available in both print and electronic format. she is the author of the wildly popular "harry potter" series. some 450 million copies of the seven potter books are in print. that franchise also spawned movies that raked in over a billion dollars. coming up on news 4 at 5:00 our i-team goes on a ride with animal control to look at how new homes are kicking animals out of their habitat. time to play ball. dan is down in florida for the

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when someone moves into a new home, someone else usually has to move out. right? but not when you're talking about animals. >> this is a major problem in our area. the i-team's tisha thompson is here to explain. >> wendy when you think about animal control you probably think about dogs, cats, and other typical pets. but we're going to take you where the wild things are for a real look at what officers face on a daily basis. we do want to warn you some of the pictures might be tough to watch. if it's furry, angry, or hurt, officer tanya roberts will answer the call. she's taking us on a trip to the wild side of prince george's county. >> i'm terrified. >> reporter: our first call a home under construction with a problem that keeps coming back. >> this one is bigger. >> okay. >> i'm getting out of the way. >> where is he at?

you have him in the shower? >> reporter: that's right. there is a raccoon in the bathroom. roberts carefully wrangles her opponent into a catch. >> stop that. >> reporter: only to walk back outside and release the raccoon into the trees behind the house. >> this is where he used to live, so he doesn't know any better. >> i feel so sorry for wildlife because they're being displaced. >> animal control chief rodney taylor says prince george's county housing boom has produced a showdown between new residents and the animals who lived here first. >> it is a very interesting problem that everybody is facing now with all the building that's going on. >> will this be like a small snake? >> the chief says requests like this one to find a potentially poisonous snake inside a kitchen used to make up about 2% of calls. now wild animals account for almost half of all calls to animal control. >> she was laying down right

there. >> one of the biggest problems? deer hit by cars. using a sheet to calm the doe roberts and a technician sedate the deer to take away the pain and to keep her from kicking them. then they euthanize her. but if the animal is healthy -- >> hi. >> roberts will try to return the animal back to the wild, which is proving a bit of a challenge with this critter. >> the only thing i can think of is pulling my van up. >> this home owner called animal control after realizing the fox somehow got up the tree but couldn't figure out a way to get back down more than six hours later. roberts gives a gentle push. and another until this wild thing runs back into his natural habitat. >> now he's happy and at home. see that's the best. >> reporter: which seems to be getting smaller and smaller every day. >> as the animal control officers respond to more and more wildlife calls they're also

juggling a growing pet population along with a shrinking budget. we're going to show you why prince george's county's people problem is causing so many pets to be euthanized and what the county says it's doing to fix it. that story is coming up in the next half hour on news 4 at 6:00. jim? wendy? >> an important story to tell. thank you, tisha. let's get the latest on this spectacular weather. doug is out in the elements roughing it in short sleeves. >> it's tough. really tough, guys. i got a fantastic burger. take a look at this. this is brb and this burger has a wasabe, mayo, and sauteed onions. i'm not going to try it live for you because frankly my mother told me never to talk with my mouth full. let's show you what's happening across our area. you know it's nice and warm. so many people having a good time here in reston town center on the ice. right now interfaith here in reston having a little bit of a fundraiser.

take a look at the numbers. 64 in reston and in fairfax county. 64 in manassas. back there toward leesburg and loudoun county current temperature of 59 degrees. in fredericksburg coming in at 66. overnight tonight first up take a look at the cloud cover. we are going to see more clouds come through overnight. could even be a few showers toward the morning hours and many locations. that's ahead of a frontal boundary that is going to bring through a chance for some thunderstorms and some showers during the day tomorrow. i don't anticipate a lot of them. we're only going 30%, 40% chance of storms but what i do think we're going to see and what i know we're going to see is very strong winds tomorrow. winds could gust upwards of 50 miles per hour and that's why there is a high wind watch in effect to our west as close as loudoun county. let's show you what's happening overnight tonight. temperatures dipping down a little bit but still very warm. we have 46 right there in washington but it's going to be more like 53 overnight in washington, d.c. we will not get below the 50-degree mark. it is going to be gorgeous. tomorrow how about 72 degrees?

67 at gaithersburg. 71 in manassas. that's before we start to see that cool air come in. i do expect to see temperatures falling during the aftnoon but 72 tomorrow ahead of that storm. now again, about 80% chance of rain but really not going to be a lot of rain. don't expect a lot of rain. just expect some showers. wind continues on saturday with winds upwards of 30 miles an hour and right now monday, tuesday, wednesday temperatures move back into the mid to upper 50s. so i have to tell you guys, i'm having a great time out here but i think you already be that. they're playing a little music for us right now too. >> oh, boy. get out there and skate off that burger. >> the song is "i'm sexy and i know it" but i don't think you can do that when you're holding a burger like that. >> no you cannot. >> oh, boy. he's working it. >> thank you for refraining. >> for all our sake. okay. all this weather we've got baseball on the brain tonight. a first look today at your 2012 washington nationals team.

all the players reporting for duty today. >> dan hellie is down in vieira, florida. how is the weather down there? >> reporter: hey guys, pretty good. sunny, about 82. i know the weather is good there too. the nationals obviously thrilled to be here. there's never been this much excitement surrounding this team. after an 80-81 finish last year these guys are ready to win some games this year. a lot of people not just picking them to make the playoffs. major league baseball network picking them as a dark horse to make the world series. one reason why is the man to my left. we're talking to michael morris the breakout star who led this team in nearly every offensive category last year. michael, we just talking a moment ago about how different it is coming into this spring training for you knowing you'll be here and not necessarily having to fight to make the roster like you have for so many years. >> yeah. this is the first year that i hope i'm on the team. you know? but besides this, every year i,

you know, i'm out there fighting and grinding, playing every day. this year i think, i hope again that i'll be able to get ready for the season. not necessarily get ready for spring training. but, you know, i work so hard in the off-season and now i can actually play, fine tune my skills and actually get ready for that first opening day. >> what is it like to hear the expectations for this team? this is something we in the media have never been through. you on the team have never been through. they're talking playoffs after this off-season for you guys. >> that's great. that's what we play for. you know, we have a good team. i think that once spring training starts, the game starts, we'll start to gel and mold together. and, you know, a lot of the great teams, that's what it takes. it takes 25 guys to know each other, to know how each other plays, play like one, and then, you know, you go out there and win.

and i think the team that we have is dying to win. >> big off-season for you. you get a new contract. two years, 10.5 million. some security for you. something you haven't had in the past. you get engaged. you're in photo spreads and magazi magazines. you have your own t-shirt line. nothing is going to slow you down. >> why not? embrace it, right? you know, i'm getting an opportunity right now and i'm just trying to stay humble and do as much as possible because like i told the young guys, when that little kid over there wants an autograph and he's yelling your name and you walk right by him just remember in a couple years when you're not playing any more, you know, you're not going to hear that kid yelling your name so you might as well just embrace it when it's all going on and keep going at it. >> before we have to let you go i remember last year, bryce hopper came to camp and you were one of the names he told his dad about. he said these guys are monsters. michael morris. these guys are huge. what advice do you give to a kid

like bryce harper who so desperately wants to make the team out of camp and is going to be a star at some point? >> like you just said he is going to be a star at some point. a guy like me, you know, i don't need to say anything to him. he knows what's going on. he has a good head on his shoulders. i think the biggest thing that a guy like me, guy like zimmerman can do is lead by example. bryce, you know, he's got kind of the, you know, looking around watching what we do and i think the way we act in the club house, we act professionally on the field and everything. i think that he'll start to, you know, realize how things go but just, you know, that way. >> just watching the experts. michael morris, big numbers. 31 home runs. 95 rbi one of the big guns for the nationals this year. guys, we'll be back with more from vieira at 6:00. >> all right. we'll see you then. he has a great grounded outlook. >> very cool. i like him a lot. >> what do you have on news 4 at 6:00? the republican hopefuls are

keeping up their attacks on each other. as new poll numbers show just how close things are. all of this of course ahead of next week's primaries in arizona and michigan. gas prices are really fueling frustration for a lot of drivers. we'll tell you what's behind the price hikes and why it could get even worse in the very near future. researchers say that the drug viagra actually might have some benefits for kids with a deadly disorder. children we're talking about. those stories and more at 6:00. >> that's interesting. >> see you then. thank you. still ahead in this broadcast, hear from some of the college students pepper sprayed

students who were pepper sprayed at uc-davis have filed a federal lawsuit against the university, its president, and the campus police department. >> reporter chris riva spoke with the playoffs in the case and has the story. >> reporter: the heart of the campus has returned to relative calm compared to the chaos three months ago. david is one of the students pepper sprayed. >> there was so much pepper spray on my face and body that i couldn't breathe. >> reporter: so was this student. >> i just could not believe this was happening to us. >> reporter: they say the lawsuit is necessary to bring change to the university. >> the institution needs to re-evaluate itself now and figure out what are the proper

procedures for demonstrations. >> i want some answers as to what happened so that looking forward there can be some really meaningful policy changes. >> i want the university to be a place where activism is encouraged, not just tolerated. >> reporter: uc davis declined an interview request but the spokesman released a statement saying attorneys for the university and the plaintiffs have been talking. we hope those conversations continue. the results of the independent investigation are due march 6th. police chief annette spikuza along with two other officers remain on paid administrative leave. the occupy movement is much smaller now but those that were here in november say the message is very much alive. >> even though there are fewer times it's still that symbol of what happened and that it won't be forgotten even though there are fewer tents. >> and the lawsuit is seeking punitive and compensatory damages. >> the students say any money

from the suit would be used for damages and a scholarship fund. that's it for news 4 at 5:00 tonight. >> news 4 at 6:00 starts right now. the verdict is in now. there is more fallout after a former university of virginia la crosse player was convicted in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend. >> the debate continues but the fight over same sex marriage in maryland could come to a head tonight. >> it's fueling frustration for drivers tonight. what's driving up gas prices and why things could get even worse in the days ahead. >> good evening. i'm jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler. our top story tonight the race for the white house. mitt romney followed up his aggressive performance in last night's debate with new attacks against rick santorum today. it was santorum's first time in the front-runner spotlight and he repeatedly found himself on the defensive. meanwhile the president took on all of his republican rivals on the issue of gas prices. steve handelsman's on cap