good morning. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. friday, february 24, 2012. maryland is one step closer to becoming the eighth state along with d.c. to legalize same-sex marriage. cheers erupted in a senate chamber as the result of last night's vote were announced. senate voted 25-2 in favor of the civil marriage proceed act in maryland. the maryland house approved the measure last week. governor o'malley said he hopes to sign it into law next week but opponents say they hope to get enough signatures to allow voters to decide in a referendum

in november. this morning the newly passed gay marriage bill was a hot topic as governor o'malley met with virginia governor bob mcdonnell for a forum about state government. aaron gilchrist joins us from northwest washington where the forum was held and more on what was said there. >> reporter: good morning. the conversation focused mostly on the economy. they talked about job sea sxags about balancing budgets. they agreed that those are core issues for the states right now. they also talked about gay marriage and on that issue these two above could not be further apart. virginia's bob mcdonnel and maryland's martin o'malley spent an hour going back and forth on topics ranging from president obama's policies to the differences in that your workup routines in a conversation sponsored by politico. they dedicated at least 15 points the social issue of gay marriage. >> this bill protects religious liberty and protects the rights

of individuals equally in the context of civil marriage. >> reporter: o'malley championed the gay marriage bill that passed in the state legislature with thursday's senate vote. he says his view is was informed by the progressive's opinions of a younger generation of tolerant law makers and citizens. >> my own evolution, i think good leaders who are progressive leaders always try to be a force for building consensus that moves us forward in the direction of greater respect for the equal rights of all. >> reporter: governor mcdonnell says virginia isn't looking to follow d.c. and maryland's lead in legalizing same-sex marriage. pointing to nearly 60% of voters approving a constitutional amendment banning it back in 2006. >> our voters decided in virginia and we think that's the right policy. it is in line with several hundred years of not -- the typical positions of the

churches and reflect it is collective opinions of virginians for many years. >> reporter: the voters will make a final decision in a november referendum vote but he believes signing a bill into law would be the right thing to do. >> it is not just the children of gay parents should have holmes that are protected in a lesser way under the law than other children. >> reporter: now, the open suggestion to the gay marriage bill becoming law has to gather a petition, gather signatures to get this on the ballot in move for a referendum vote. they need close to 56,000 signatures by the first of july. in northwest d.c., aaron gilchrist, news4. >> thank you, aaron, for that report. meanwhile, virginia yeah's so-called parent law is tabled for this year. only after heated moments after a debate on that controversial measure. tate senate committee chairman threatened to have police escort out some spectators who were interrupting the session. the committee passed the legislation but full senate

later voted it back to committee and carried over to 2013. the legislation would make it illegal to destroy embryos and would outlaw almost all abortions. critics say some forms of contraception would be banned as well. it would only take effect, though, if the u.s. supreme court's ruling that legalized abortions is overturned. turning to the weather. windy day we have out there. at least that's what's coming. there's also the possibility of some severe weather today. is that right? >> thwart, barbara. for the first time this year we are entering severe storm season early and as we look at the radar now we have a line of did he havement thunderstorms now in far southern west virginia. that one is just now beginning to show thunder and lightning with it and just now about to move into the southern shenandoah valley. closer to washington we are getting sunshine breaking out. we also have a risk of severe weather in this yellow zone just to the south and east of washington. and there is a moderate risk

that means a higher risk right around southeastern virginia for strong storms and damaging winds. maybe even tornadoes later. we have tornado watches out all these areas in red that stretch from areas just south of charlottesville down into north and south carolina, georgia, and parts of alabama and as well as -- far southeastern and west virginia. and we also have strong winds expected in this high wind warning zone in pink. that's off to our west and north. that's going to be after any storms come on through. later this afternoon, and through the night tonight, we are going to have really strong winds. look at the temperatures now. richmond, 75 degrees while washington is at 51. some of that warm air is coming our way here in the next few hours. then we will have some of those storms and details on that to look at big changes for the weekend in just a couple of minutes. >> thank you, tom. let's head out to the roads now and see if there are any problems we should know about if you are traveling. here is danella sealock. >> i-95 northbound, taking the ramp to the outer loop of the beltway, we have an accident

there and right now you are only able to pass in the left shoulder lane. use caution. if you are continuing your commute on 395, not seeing issues there 37 in fact, as you cross over the 14th street bridge into the city nice and clear. your travel speed looks really good at 53 miles per hour. only taking 12 minutes to get from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. and if you are traveling on i-270, no issues in this area. back to you. >> all right, danella. thank you. orlando footlocker store cancelled the mid might release after new nike sneaker after this chaotic scene. hundreds lined up outside on malls to be one of the few to get a limited pair of basketball shoes. riot police were called in when a crowd got unruly and no one was hurt. here's the shoe that caused that scene. it is the new galaxy phone i from nike.

one pair costs $220. people are preparing to may more than a thousand dollars for those shoes. we have seen similar crowds in maryland and d.c. overnight. many shoe fanatics walked away empty-handed. tracee wilkins has more from northeast washington. >> reporter: nike air costs $220. some people are buying them just to collect them. others wear them. some take them to ebay. that's what we have been watching all morning long. the shoes have been going to be more than $1,000 by folks that already claim to have a pair. sheer a pay for $1325. 30 people are bidding on it. we have been seeing these high numbers all over the internet. but here in our immediate area, there is a lot of does appointment. because it does not look like any will be sold today. some of these sneaker lovers got in line as early as yesterday morning at the mall in prince george's hoping to leave walking on air.

air galaxy foamposite by nike. >> crazy! >> i didn't shave. >> reporter: highly anticipated galaxy foamposite glow in the dark. people were very excited. but as the hours wore on, the rumors started. is it true that this footlocker will not be opening early and releasing the highly sought-after shoe today? >> i'm waiting for the fo foamposite. i'm just hoping to see it. >> reporter: it became such a hot topic that pg plaza was trending nationally on twitter. police and emergency services stood by in case the crowds decided to turn but there were no incidents. after several official announcements that no shoes would be sold, some gave up and walked away while others still hoped when the mall opened for regular business, they could somehow get a pair. meanwhile, minnesota avenue in northeast d.c., another crowd

had formed outside where folks from as far away as philadelphia were waiting for foamposites. >> i got here at 10:00 last night. yeah. what time is it now? >> reporter: when the announcement was made here no foamposites today, some people left. others stuck around since the kevin dur and and lebron james sneakers were going to be released. lebrons also glow in the dark. that was just as good for some customers. like this guy. >> kind of disappointed. at the same time i plan to get more than one shoe anyway so it gives me a better chance to strategize for my next car. >> reporter: what will you do for -- with your foamposites? >> put them on the shelf for a couple of days and watch them gain avenue. >> reporter: the managers are telling us they are going to be releasing their foamposites tomorrow morning. when they do it, it will be lottery style. folks have to line up for tickets. northeast, i'm tracee wilkins,

news4. d.c. residents worried about increase in street robberies taking their concerns to straight to the top. armed robberies are up 106% through the first month compared to last year. last night ward 3 residents met with cathy lanier to discuss the issue. some went as far do consider getting a gun to fight back. d.c. police are doing everything they can to help stop these robberies from happening. >> we have a problem from every side. i mean, we attacked it from uniform presence to undercovers from decoy operations and beta operations and -- going after -- we attacked it from every side. >> chief lanier added d.c. police officers are working with montgomery county police because there is evidence that -- to indicate a connection to recent armed robberies in the bethesda area. a maryland man could spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to two federal charges. the murder of a handyman at a fairfax county mansion.

prosecutors say that reynard prader was involved in the shooting death of cordono in the home in may of 2010. they believe they plan order robbing the home's owner but e found before they could rob him. 11:11. outrage abroad and at home. who is slamming president obama for offering an apology to afghan? plus, jailhouse meetings. latest on a maryland man being held in cuba for spying. lawmaker allowed to see him. stay with us. we will be

senior defense department officials will issue a formal apology today to the american muslim community for the burning of copies of the koran by american soldiers. the muslim holy books were destroyed earlier this week. president obama sent a letter of apology to afghan president karzai yesterday saying that the incident was not intentional. but that it is not stopping the anti-american anger and deadly riots across afghanistan. two u.s. soldiers were killed yesterday during rioting and afghan officials say at least seven people have been killed in protests around the country. meanwhile, republican

presidential candidate newt gingrich is criticizing president obama for apologizing. he says that afghan president karzai owe it is u.s. an apology for the death of two u.s. soldiers. gingrich went on to say that if hamid karzai, president of afghanistan, does not feel like apologizing, he should say good-bye and good luck. gingrich also said we don't need to be here risking our lives and wasting our money on somebody who doesn't care. al qaeda is claiming responsibility for the coordinated attack to kill dozens of people in iraq. yesterday multiple attacks occurred in 12 different cities. most of them targeting police officers. al qaeda officials say the bombings and shootings were in response to what they felt was unfair treatment to sunni men and women. john edwards sex tape may never go public after all. under a lawsuit settlement between edwards' former mistress, rheal hunter, edward young, copies of the tape must

be destroyed within 30 days. hunter lived with young and his wife while she was pregnant with edwards' baby. she sued the youngs over the tape and other personal items the couple claims she abandoned in a box of trash. storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein is with us now to talk about severe weather. we may see later today. >> first time this season. virtually hitting earlier than usual. here we are late february. talking about maybe some tornadoes and maybe? thunderstorms with damaging winds. right now all is calm. we have still some clouds over capitol hill. live view from city camera. but the sun is beginning to shine through those clouds weekly, a little bit here. there's a lot of sun in virginia now. right now breaks in the clouds and 51 at reagan national. we have a light breeze coming in out of the northeast. and as we look at the radar, there is a developing line of thunderstorms here in southern west virginia. this is just bo b to cross into the southern shenandoah valley. may make its way towards fredericksburg perhaps and n a couple of hours and past south of washington. this zone in yellow is the zone

for the poe ten hal for severe weather later today. it would be from mid afternoon into the early evening hours. southern maryland and areas from right near pair fax county, right down 59 towards fredericksburg, slight risk zone. this brighter yellow zone is a moderate risk zone, higher risk. that includes the northern neck and tide water of virginia. and this is for 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. we have a tornado watch out. all these areas in red, there is a potential for tornadoes to develop. no tornadoes have been sighted yet but potential here. areas south of charlottesville and all the way down into north carolina and south carolina, georgia, and into alabama. and that's in effect until 4:00 this afternoon. that may be extended farther north. after ann any storms today strong gust winds coming in from the west-northwest, 60 miles an hour maybe in the pink zone. beige zone, gusts up to around 50 miles an hour. that would be later this evening so if you are planning on getting out on this friday night, you may be dealing with

some very strong winds and these may be causing scattered power outages as well. stay tuned. right now temperatures around the region in the 40s to 50 in washington, fredericksburg up to 60 degrees. as is charlottesville. look at richmond. they are at 75. and that warmer air should be making its way farther north here over the next couple of hours. we have a dra mat wrik change and we do have breaks in the clouds. look at this. all this dark area, sunshine. and we will have this sun -- eventually moving right over the metro area, too. right now sunny in western fairfax county and throughout much of virginia and we will have that sunshine into the afternoon hours. then maybe some storms developing. this is the way it may look around 3:30, 4:00, area in yellow and orange and up the zone of potential strong storms developing. after that quickly move off to the east and overnight tonight much colder air beginning to come in as we leer out and we will have maybe this zone here in lavender. some snow showers. it will feel like february again in western maryland. much of west virginia. and as the cold air surges in

tonight and into is the day morning and it is going to be in place through the day saturday and into saturday night and sunday. we will have a clear sky. for the rest of this afternoon, expect breaks in the clouds and sunshine breaking out. then thunderstorms coming in between 3:00 and 7:00. and between now and about 2:00, 3:00, lit likely climb into the low and mid 70s. rapid warmup this evening we will be getting colder rapidly. down to near 50 by midnight. any storms ending and those winds gusting to 50 to 60 miles an hour tonight and perhaps into saturday morning, the winds settled on saturday afternoon. in the 30s tomorrow morning. 40-degree drop in temperature. highs 40s saturday afternoon. sunny on sunday and monday. sunday should be a cold day. 20s in the morning and 40s in the afternoon. then as we get into first part of next week warming up. wild day. stay tuned to your thunder, get signed and turn on news4. we will let you know. >> okay. we will get ready for it. we are going on check on the midday traffic.

here's danella sealock with the latest. >> good morning, barbara. if you are taking i-66 look really nice right now. eastbound, no issues there or westbound. travel speed making your way eastbound from fairfax county parkway to the capital beltway, at 55 miles per hour. that trip only taking 11 minutes. in fact, on 66 inside and outside of the beltway, i'm not seeing any accidents or issues to report at this time. now traveling the beltway in prince george's county, live look at the beltway at route 1. travel speed for you making your way from i-95 to route 50. you are at 60 miles per hour and that trip only giving you nine minutes. barbara, back to you. >> all right, danella. thank you. it is 11:20. harsh warning from sasha baron cohen. a look at fashions being shown in d.c.'s as if week.

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d.c. fashion week. this weekend an emerging designer showcase will be held along with a show of international couture collections in washington. ian williams, executive director of the event, joins us now to look at some of the fashions being shown in the city. tell us how long has there been a d.c. things week? we know about new york and

paris. >> well, we follow after new york fashion week, this is our 16th season we are celebrating in washington. >> wow. a lot of people think d.c. really isn't interested in high fashion. we are conservative and don't look at those -- >> yeah. we dress for work. we dress for purpose. that's what the focus is. our business is politics and government and tourism. however, after 5:00, that's where fashion really comes alive. all over in washington. lincoln theater, warner theater, kennedy center, smithsonian, fashion is everywhere. vibrant color life as well. >> what's -- what's the reason for fashion -- fashion week anywhere? >> designers are looking for ways to really expose what the current trends are and what they are predicting will be hot on the red carpet. introduce it to the fashion industry. everyone from buyers to celebrities come out to look at the new trends. >> you are a designer and will be showing us -- show us the things you brought along with you. i'm curious to see what the colors you think will be hot and

what the hemlines will be for 2012. let's have a look at the first model who is in red. beautiful, beautiful. >> jessica. she's wearing chiffon dress with a lot of button rouging. the skirt hemline adjustable. you can also do it tied -- either side or in the center. adjustable dress. >> everyone would like to see the back of the dress. very pretty as well. cut very high on the side. do you think this will go well for those in washington for the evening? >> absolutely. depending on the age group, you can show leg. more formal, at the white house, adjust it below the knee. >> thank you, jessica. very nice looking dress. red hot color for this fall? >> absolutely. we are taking lead from many of the designers from around the world. including the thin neck. katarina, classic coat dress. elevated exaggerated sleeves

with or began did a. aga again, the red will be very popular and all the fashion weeks around in hollywood. >> okay. fantastic. thank you so much. what a beautiful dress that is. sleeves are certainly are going to stand out at the white house. see that on -- michelle obama perhaps. >> hope flu. here we have clay wearing one of our featured ukraine designers. winter white, sweater for the guy that wants to be casual on the go and fashionable. pleated slacks are coming back. we saw the disappearance of pleats for pants for a number of years. now we are seeing a return of them from designers around the world. >> let's have a look at the next outfit that comes from the ukrainian designers. looks like a tuxedo to me. i guess it is a tuxedo. >> yes. this is -- wearing a bear classic. interpretation of the tuckied

owe embellishment on the sleeve. a gentleman that wants to stand out and get away from the classic tuxedo. you know, lot of focus on the women and men want to dress. >> let's see. these are two of the designers. they are from the ukraine and thank you so much. beautiful and very inning and different tuxedo. more fitted. men will have to be in good shape this coming season. >> absolutely. >> thank you so much. >> from the ukraine. you came all the way here to d.c. for fashion week. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> again, thanks. our time is 11:27. coming up in the next half hour of "news4 midday" a positive development for a maryland man being held in cuba. how a advice it from the u.s. lawmaker was arranged today. plus, it may not feel much like winter around here but the midwest is being hit hard today by a winter storm. bogey to look at the problems it is causing. tom kierein is back with an update on our weather and

possibility of some severe storms later today. stay with us

[ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus: $300 back. unlike cable, fios delivers a 100% fiber-optic network to your home. get america's fastest, most consistent, most reliable internet, plus the best tv picture quality, and more hd. why keep paying so much for cable? switch to fios for just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement.

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gay marriage is a hot topic for maryland governor martin o'malley after the state's senate passed the historic bill last night. discussed the reason for supporting same-sex marriage with virginia governor mcdonnell at the newseum this morning. mcdonnell says his state won't follow d.c. and maryland's lead. 60% of virginia voters supported the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in 2006. sneaker fans who waited overnight to get a pair of nike's new galaxy foamposite shoe are walking away empty-handed this morning. thousands lined up only to be told the footlocker store would not release the shoe today. same thing at the d.c. lr store in northeast washington. the store said it would use a lottery system to distribute the new sneakers at 11:00 a.m.

tomorrow morning. new today it appears a maryland man will remain in a cuban prison. senator lahey said he tried to get his release from cuba but castro denied it. lahey says he met with gross earlier this week and spoke with castro for 2 1/2 hours. he says the meeting was cordial but, quote, we have a long way to go. the windy city is now the snowy city today. chicago has plummeted with snow this morning. causing major problems on the roads at both airports as well. o'hare international canceled more than 350 flights and midway international canceled more than 100. despite this snowstorm it has been a relatively mild winter in chicago. at this time of the year they normally got about 28 inches of snow but this year have only seen 16 inches of winter weather so far. despite this mild weather we have been having in our area, the state of maryland says that almost all of its snow removal

budget is gone. the state highway administration reports using 30 million of the $36 million budget and where the has all the money bon? baltimore radio station reports highway crews have gone out 14 times this winter. western maryland has seen about seven feet of snow so far this winter. let's talk about severe weather we could be seeing, not snow. here's tom kierein. >> right now we don't have any problems weatherwise. we have sunshine breaking out but the radar is showing a line of some developing thunderstorms now coming out of west virginia just now moving into the southern shenandoah valley. that's over 100 miles away from washington. this area in yellow is a zone of potential severe storms this afternoon. that's right along i-95 south of washington. south and east of southern maryland. yellow zone, there a potential for storms producing damaging winds, hail and maybe even isolated tornado. look at the temperatures. richmond, 75 degrees right now. that warm air is advancing to the north.

right now around the metro area, it is near 50. it may actually jump about 20 degrees or so here over the next two, three hours. we have breaks in the clouds, lot of sunshine across much of virginia now. later today, some of those storms coming in this afternoon, might produce severe weather. if you hear thunder get inside and turn on news4 and we will let you know what's going on. much colder weather moves in tonight. gusty winds, 50 to 60 miles an hour through the night tonight and into saturday morning. plummet from the 70s today, 30s tomorrow morning. blustery and chilly day on saturday with highs only in the 40s. sunny and cold on sunday. diminished winds. warming up next week. that's the way it looks now. barbara? >> tom, thank you. there is a wroun side to our recent pringlike weather. could mean early invasion of pretty pesky animals, beetles, ants, bees, mosquitoes. pest control technicians say we see an uptick of bugs in march, not february. on the flip side, however, a

late winter cold snap could kill off the insects that wake up before their food is in bloom. the louisiana county high school will receive millions dollars from the federal government to help rebuild from last summer's earthquake. fema is giving the school $19 million to help rebuild. that's a little less than half the $43 million needed to complete construction and insurance money. insurance money as well as local and state funding will help pay the remaining balance. fema recently awarded millions of dollars to help rebuild the elementary school in louisa county. now they will give money to the high school. we will check on our traffic now. here is danella sealock. >> good morning. if you are taking the beltway, really good at van dorn street. no issues on the inner loop or outer loop in this area. in fact, from the wilson bridge, crossing over the bridge and making your way to van dorn, 60 miles per hour. that trip only taking you six minutes at this time. and the beltway, montgomery county, no issues. very smooth sailing.

if you are heading out on the outer loop from i-95 to i-270, that trip will only take you ten minutes as you travel 57 miles per hour. no accidents to report at this time. barbara, back to you. >> all right. thank you. another local school is trying to contain a norovirus outbreak. howard university says a number of students report having severe stomach pain. the university is asking students and staff to take extra precaution so they also don't get sick. earlier this month, george washington university dealt with an outbreak last week the virus forced an elementary school in west virginia to close. michael jackson's form personal physician says he needs to be released from jail. today dr. conrad murray will ask a judge to let him out of jail while he works on his appeal. murray's lawyer says his client needs to find a job to help support his seven children. in november, murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star singer's death. he was sentenced to four years

in prison. breast augmentation was the top cosmetic surgery of 2011. the surgery that's been performed since the 1960s but not without problems. in fact, in europe today, there are questions about safety. joining us to talk about those concerns, dr. hopping. always great to see you here. it is still very popular, obviously. lot of people are still doing it. let's talk about silicone versus saline. are they both safe? is one better than the other? >> no. they are both safe. the fda approved them. saline has been around longer. the silicone was part of that moratorium where they were taken off the market a while but have been back since 2006. saline are a little less expensive. some people feel that the silicone are more natural feeling but they are more expensive. both are -- 60% of the implants used in the country today are silicone. >> when people come in now for a

breast augmentation, they are generally asking for the silicone. >> 60%. >> 60%. the government recommended in december that the -- 30,000 french women with implants made by a certain company be removed. what's the problem with those? are those used in the u.s.? >> this is a major disaster that's happening in europe. french company called p.i.p. implants. they are -- they have a high rupture rate. and the worst problem is the silicone inside of them is inferior. some people thought that toxic. so that's why the french government removed 30,000 women in france have them removed. this implants have been put in 400,000 people across the world. they approved them in the united states, no. they did tray to get approved by the fda and they were denied. no. in the united states, these implants are not used. >> i'm hearing this about the

french obviously -- breast augmentation is not an american phenomenon. it is -- big all the way across the country. people in california. >> bigger in texas than california. >> is that right? >> bigger size, bigger incidents, yes. >> we will talk about this before that -- geography seems to play a part. women like smaller breast sizes for augmentation on the east coast than they do on the west coast. >> absolutely. in europe, they tend to be a smaller size. >> let's talk about suzanne somers who recently told the public she had breast augmentation surgery using stem cells. explain that procedure and is that effective? >> well, this is a really revolutionary, you know, cutting edge treatment now. now she had cancer. she had a lumpectomy and high dose radiation. she had a lot of scarring from the radiation. it is hard to put an implant in that kind of tissue. but you can use the patient's own fat that is enhanced with

their stem cells to increase survival of the fat. it really helps the tissues look healthier and kit give you augmentation without the use of an implant. implant might be dangerous in that high radiation setting. it worked for her. >> if it works for cancer patients where you have scar tissue, why not use the same thing for healthy breasts for women who want to have augmentation done n. >> well, it is being done but being done very cautiously. let's remember, barbara, one out of every seven women gets breast cancer. and right now, if you are injecting fat into the breast you can create micro calcifications when you get your mammogram they don't know if this is cancer or from the fat injections. this is the problem. there is the rub with fat injections. into the breast tissue at this point. the implant is under the breasts, under the muscle. doesn't create a problem with the mammograms. fat transfer is -- may. >> i see. that's not something you think we will see. >> no. it is coming because we are learning how to tell the difference between kals if i

kags from fat versus calcifications from cancer. as we learn technology we will hear more and more about it. right now the fda just wants you to -- stem cell, it is almost experimental but has great hope. >> obviously people are going to continue wanting to have augmentation. thank you. >> breasts are back. >> explaining some of the problems. we will see you in a couple of weeks. >> absolutely. >> thank you. 11:41. still ahead -- look at this weekend's new movies. plus we take a little listen to plus we ta[ clanking ]listen to think we should have bought pre-assembled furniture? [ telephone ringing ] wait. [ male announcer ] some business decisions are better than others. the best decision is switching to verizon. you are good to go. thanks. that was easy! [ male announcer ] speed, reliability, and now with our worry free guarantee there's no better time to switch. get your choice of terms.

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no financial help in sight the postal services are about to make unprecedented cuts. starting in may the postal service will begin closing more than 260 mail processing centers around the country. about 30 35,000 postal workers are expected to lose their jobs as part of the move. four centers in maryland and four in virginia will be part of

the consolidation. the closest center in gaithersburg. the postal service hopes this move will save them about $3 billion but it will also slow down delivery time for first class mail. one of baltimore's most prominent attorneys and owner of the baltimore orioles filed lawsuit against facebook. peter angelos, along with another california based law firm, filed a suit. arguing that social network has violated privacy laws. it claims facebook used online tracking technology to monitor users even when they aren't on facebook. angelos is representing a baltimore man and north carolina woman in this suit. facebook said in a statement that they believe that the case is without merit. small gains this morning on wall street. going to check in with courtney reagan. she joins us live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. >> hi there. i just glanced over to see the dow is trading above 13,000 by just three points. we are up about 18. at least right now in the

trading session. we haven't closed above 13,000 since may 19 of wait. let's see if today is going to be the day. new home sales fallen 0.9% for january breaking a four-month streak of gains. however, consumer sentiment shows they are more upbeat in february than january. higher prices at the pump do have some economists and households concerned. higher price of gasoline could eat into discretionary income. crude oil, main component of gasoline is trading above $108 a barrel at multimonth highs. pepsi's next move is pepsi next. nation's number two coal maker is hopeful to win backdrinkers with mid calorie drink. it is pepsi's biggest product launch in years and more people are moving away from sugary drinks to water to lower calorie drinks over health concerns.

set to hit store shelves by the end of march. new details at the washington auto show. the sticker gives potential owners more information about the vehicle they are thinking of purchasing. details how the car is made. it is potential -- fuel efficiency and ecological benefits. states what percentage of the vehicle can be recycled after the car's life span. sonic will be the first vehicle to get the new ecological window sticker. followed by the rest of chevrolet's lineup in 2013. very green of them. barbara. >> okay. have a great weekend. >> thank you, you, too. >> northern virginia man has a million reasons to smile today. jeffrey jones won the virginia lottery's cash blast. he bought the scratchoff ticket from a store on richmond highway. the truck driver told lottery officials he just stared at the ticket when he realized he had won. jones opted for a lump sum payment of $628,000.

the virginia lottery says four more cash blast scratchoff particular receipts still out there unclaimed. wash's power players face tough questions. whether from the media or lawmakers on capitol hill. some influential figures will soon be answering questions from another source, alex trebek. jeopardy is coming to washington for its power players week. the show will be taped before a live audience at d.a.r. constitution hall and will happen in april. jeopardy will announce the contestants a few days before the taping. the show is scheduled to air in may. a different kind of action movie as active duty navy s.e.a.l.s star in "act of valor." they must recover a cia operative but learn of a bigger terrorist threat. it features fictionalized versions of real-life s.e.a.l.

operations. "act of valor" is rated r. amanda stars in the thriller "gone." she play as woman who discovers her sister has been kidnapped a year after she was kidnapped but escaped. she fears it is the same serial killer coming after her and her sister who she must go after the killer without the police to find her. "gone" is rated pg-13. paul rudd and jennifer aniston star in the comedy with the wanderlust." they play a stressed-out couple forced to move in with his brother but on their way to his house, the couple finds a seemingly perfect community populated with colorful characters. is this their opportunity for a fresh start? "wanderlust" is rated r. time is now 11:49. coming up, a look ahead to the oscars. plus meteorologist tom kierein will be back with another check of the forecast. and stay with news4 all afternoon. 3:00, ellen also has a preview of the oscars for us.

of the oscars for us. she will also welcome

man: we need a good night's sleep. woman: which means a little heat to keep us warm.

and a good dose of support for my back. some over-the-top comfort couldn't hurt. and our perfect dream factory's been built. you're feeling sleepy already? nighty-night. [giggling] oscars will be handed out this sunday and to help us get ready for the big show tommy mcfly from 94.7 fresh f.m. joins with us his pick important the best picture. you have a lot more to tell us about today. let's get started with the

movies. quickly run through the list. ones nominated, "the artist." "the descendants." "extremely loud & incredibly close." "the help." what's your pick? >> my pick is "money ball." >> yeah? >> i think it is so good to see hill in a different kind of light and brad pitt was awesome. >> here is a little bit of it. what is it you like so much about this one? >> i thought it was great. cool story. baseball, american story. just -- kind of has the grit you would get from an oscar movie. now, will tell you that i hope "the artist" does not win because -- >> didn't like it. not going to like it. it is a silent film. it does not work so well on the radio. monday morning rough. >> let me just say -- this -- pick that you think they will pick or that is your pick. >> that is my pick. >> never guessed the academy. "the artist" or "the help" will take that picture. rooting for "money ball."

>> let's move on. sasha baron cohen. we have been talking about this, reportedly had his oscar tickets revoke. >> yes. guy that played borat. remember that movie? >> yes. >> other characters. that's his whole shtick. he comes up with super shocking characters and puts real people in random positions. latest character is admiral general something or other, dictator from a fake country. they are like we don't want to have that in the oscars. >> he will come as that person -- >> of course he will. he comes in character and does his thing. >> on the "today" show. >> general is will you or will you not be walking the red carpet at the academy awards on sunday? >> normally i would be impressed by by an act of a cowardice at the face of the regime but this is personal. you know, i have issued them an ultimatum. they have until midday on sunday to give me my tickets back.

if they do not they will face unforeseen and unimaginable consequences. >> uh-oh. all right. what do you say to that? >> i can't believe he gets away with this stuff. we know his shtick now. he still gets penalized. >> let's move to chris brown. apparently has more trouble. he was the one that -- that unfortunately had an altercation with his girlfriend, not so  little. she was beat up rihanna in 2009. he won a grammy. the report from that incident was released and now he may be in trouble for burglary. he was coming out of a club. all alleged, of course. out of a club in miami where club-goer claims he tried to take a picture of chris brown on his phone and brown from his black escalade grabbed the phone and said you are not going to put me on any website and and sped away. it is important because if it did happen and the miami-dade prosecutors are looking into it if he did steal this guy's property that violates his probation so, therefore, he goes to the slammer. >> i guess we will have wait to

see what happens. okay. paris hilton, your favorite. >> she is the best. she has a new song. ♪ >> sending out a text message are you playing this song? >> no. it is funny. i can probably tell you that we will not be playing this song ever. >> this may the last time we hear. >> it entire video. >> tommy mcfly, thank you. >> good to see you. we will see you next friday. >> some stories we are following for. >> narrator: this afternoon. jim handly joins us from the newsroom with a preview of things to come. >> we are all just dancing to that paris hilton song in the newsroom. we are hooked and it is going to be in our brains all day today. >> yeah, right. >> hey, stay tuned, barbara. 4:00 we are watching the skies for any potential storms. we have blustery winds as you

know from doug and veronica. they will be tracking it for us. also, how will this unseasonably warm winter weather affect our cherry blossoms? we will find out and ask liz at 4:00. coming up tonight on "news4 at 5:00," celebrity chefs dish about what they are serving up for hollywood's best at the oscars. these stories and all the day's news when we join you right here first on 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. have a great weekend. >> it is all oscars talk now. we will be watching. time now for our final check on the forecast. here is tom. >> sunshine now breaking out around the metro area. we also have some lines of rain with thunder and lightning associated with it now just coming out of west virginia into the southern shenandoah valley. and that may get closer to the metro area by later this afternoon around maybe 3:00, 4:00. and then all the way into the -- eastern shore by later in the day, perhaps around 7:00, 8:00, exiting the atlantic beaches, yell zone, zone where we could get storms that may produce damaging winds and maybe some

hail. look at richmond, up to 78 now. reagan national 53. some of that mild air coming in later today along with the threat for passing thunderstorms and then strong, gusty winds tonight into tomorrow morning, bringing in much colder weather. we may get into the low and mid 70s over the next couple of hours or so 37 then 30s tomorrow morning. big change for the weekend. barbara. >> all right, thank you, tom. that's "news4 midday" for today and this week. we invite you to join us for our news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, tonight at 11:00. all through the weekend. we will see you monday morning at [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an amazing deal, but it's for a limited time only. so don't wait. want to save even more? call right now and we'll add a special bonus:

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