south africa, where nelson mandela is in the hospital. the former south african president is being treated for a stomach ailment. no word on his condition or if doctors know what is causing the issue. the 93 yld m-year-old mandela s several days in the hospital with respiratory problems. >> our other breaking news is where police are looking for a driver that killed a pedestrian and took off. the victim was struck just before 3:30 this morning at nor beck road on aspen hill. police are not saying much about the accident. the victim is a 24-year-old man. they aren't saying if they know what kind of car they're looking for at this point. we will bring you updates on both of these stories as more details become available. our other big story this morning is the wind! strong gusts left thousands of people without power last night and blew over a trail on route

123 in maclean. fortunately, most lights are back on in most homes in the affected areas. the picture behind me was totally different. snow blowing sideways. >> it was great. we had a five minute snowstorm, one of the biggest we've had unfortunately. came roaring into town, snowflakes, sideways, every direction, had a lot of people calling the station, sending me e-mails and quiterizing me and sending me pictures. machine wa blew skies have return. none of this would stick to the ground, well above the freezing mark. windchills and boy is there going to be a windchill today. windchills in the upper 20s to around 30 degrees. as you're making your plans to get outside, bundle up, even though temperatures in the 40s, windchills in this 30s. wind advisory until 6:00 this

evening. that little blip headed to the southside of annapolis, that's all that's left of it. you folks there, be ready for fast moving knock e ing snowfla your way and bright sunshine on the heels. winds out of the west, 20-30 miles an hour sustaustained, g s gusts:30 gust s, 30 to 50 miles an hour, be prepared for that and isolated power outages. don't mess around too much. good news, wind gone for tomorrow. >> we'll look for an update in a little bit. two families in northern virginia are dealing with a lot of marines killed in a helicopter crash, a 37 new zealand and 28-year-old both graduated from any naval academy and went on to become pilots. they were 2 of 7 marines killed in a helicopter crash wednesday in yuma, arizona, while training

for deployment to afghanistan. a wife and a son, he was proud to serve his country. >> if there's one thing he would want to be remembered for, it's his humility. he was just a humble guy. >> tom was very much a family man, too, he loved his family. his brothers and sisters, just a lot of fun, a real fun guy. >> captain quinn graduated from loudoun valley high school in percyville, virginia and just gotten engaged last month. his funeral will take place at arlington cemetery. and the major will be laid to rest at a fam ply plot in connecticut. >> crews are spending the week thoroughly disinfecting a fairfax county elementary school possibly contaminated with the noro virus. more than 100 students and staff

were out sick from willow springs emlementary from stomac and nausea pain. a number of students in the area had noro virus out-breaks in recent weeks. cases tend to spike when people spend most time inside in close quarters. the pass soage of the maryl same sex marriage bill will be capped off with a signing ceremony next week. governor o'malley will sign the ball thursday. it faces challenges from opponents. they can force the measure to referendum on november's ballot allowing maryland residents to decide. if it goes to a referendum and passes, the law would go into effect next january. virginia governor, bob mcdonnell says possible legal challenges led him to change course on a controversial proposed abortion bill. democrats and various women's groups criticized the initial legislation that would have required women to get a vaginal

ultrasound before an abortion and mcdonnell asked for amendment that would require a less invasive ultra sound. he is now pushing for the amendments after consulting with doctors and lawyers. >> there were many other amendments made including a very important clarification women not just be provided a still picture but also be provided a video ultrasound. that's very important for people that believe in the sanctity of human life an ultrasound video be provided. >> if passed, virginia would join seven states with laws mandating some form of pre-abortion ultrasound exam. >> governor mcdonnell is expected to sign a bill that would give virginia more influence on the bill overseeing construction of metro silver line. according to the "washington post," the house of delegates and senate both fassed bills to seat two new board members on the washington airport's authority. federal legislation recently increased the size from 13

members to 17. virginia gained two of the four additions. the district and maryland both got one. each jurisdiction has to vote on changing the governing rules before the members can be seated. from falls church to rust ston expected to be finished next year and expected to take contracting bids on phase 2 soon. another day for shoe lovers for competitive shopping. a new nike basketball shoe will be released at malls in our area by a lottery system and people have already been waiting an extra day. these are pictures outside northeast d.c. about 100 people are wait ing fr the nike galaxy that sells for 220 bucks and already going for 10 times that amount on ebay and other auction sites. some people aren't happy with

this practice. one man says his son bought a special pair of nikes only to have them stolen a short time later. >> he saved up hips money and bought them himself. i don't think he had them a week. nike can make as many shoes as they want. if they make enough for community to buy them, it will cut down on the crime. >> mr. hop kibbles said kins sa a letter of apology but considering a class action lawsuit against the company. >> 9:07 right now. the news anchor button byitten on live tv speaks out. six months later, six months later, stonemasons still hard a

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geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. national cathedral. now to a developing story from prince george's county. seven firefighters injured in a house fire last night. it happened on 57th avenue in riverdale. derrick joins us with more. >> reporter: this is a consequence of the high winds we've been having in this area. we tend to think about downed power lines and power issues. it's a real danger to

firefighters as we found out late last night. a little bit after 9:00 p.m. last night. this house appears to be abandoned in the 5700 block of 57th avenue appears to be on fire. more than 60 firefighters responded from riverdale and pl blatensburg. they had to do an internal attack. as they did that, strong winds whipped up trapping seven firefighters inside. the wind over came from a door blown open or broken through or wind window but fueled a massive fireball. >> we believe the group of firefighters were inside that one story single family home on both levels of the structure. a sudden gust of air, which fire burns air, came into that struck aided by high winds. that sudden gust of air created

a fireball type condition. untenable condition for our firefighters and all they could do to get out of that burning structure. >> reporter: the investigation is still going on but believed those firefighters may have fallen from the first floor to the basement of the structure. once they were rescued from the building, others regrouped outside and continued to fight this fire and managed to put it out. the cause remains under investigation. of the seven hospitalized, two remain hospitalized with serious conditions of burns and third in good condition and the remaining have been released now from the hospital. we hope to have more on this as it becomes available. a massive fire and good for tune it wasn't a lot worse. in riverdale, derrick, news4. a news anchor is recovering after being bitten by a dog on live television. earlier this week, she gave her first interview since the

incident. a quick warning, some people might find this video a little graphic. >> happy valentine's day. >> oh! >> she received 70 stitches and a skin graft to her lips after that attack two weeks ago. she was interviewing the firefighter who saved the dog the day before after he had fallen through a patch of ice. dyer spoke to her co-anchor about the incident and said she's recovering just fine. >> it was an accident. and it just kind of all snowballed and perfect stormed into the bite and then all what followed, i'm doing fine, time to move on. >> no word when dyer will return to tv. she says letters and well wishes from viewers have helped her recover. a man is behind bars this morning and could compete for the title of dumbest criminal. you see, he tried to steal a car that belonged to the secret

service and was actually marked as a secret service cruiser. the car was parked outside sidwell's friends school is washington and sasha and malia obama attend it. the man was rested for carjacking and the attempt had nothing to do with the president or the school. federal agents are investigating a suspicious letter spent to former vice president al gore. it arrived at his office in nashville and contained white powder inside. hazmat left the office hours later and mr. gore was not in the office at the time. there have been a number of suspicious powders recently sent including one at the rotunda of the u.s. capitol and offices of some u.s. senators. now to decision 2012, where

mitt romney unveiled his economic plan. the michigan native received lots of attention for his speech, although not all of it >> i guess we had a hard time finding a large enough place to meet and this certainly is. romney held an event at detroit's ford field, a stadium that seats 65,000 people but only about 1200 people attended the event. romney's campaign says they were planning to hold the event in the stadium's atrium but the secret service moved it because of stuart concerns. the presidential candidate also took flak for a comment he made about the cars he drives listing off six different cars between himself and his wife. >> outside the event, dozens of united auto workers protested romney, who famously wrote column says detroit should be allowed to go bankrupt. the workers say thanks to esident obama's bailout, thousands were able to keep their jobs and that the american auto industry is stronger than ever.

rick santorum is also capitalizing on the outrage featuring michigan workers in his new ad. attacking romney. michigan goes to the polls on tuesday. former d.c. mayor, marion barry is running for re-election as ward 8 council member and says he's trying to help lift his residents' spirits and aspirations. yesterday, another issue took center stage, whether or not the former mayor actually tweets. >> i'd like to see you tweet right now. i don't believe you can do it. >> most of my tweets are done by somebody i talk to. >> udiyou dictate it. >> that's right. >> the secret comes out. >> it's no secret, i said that all along. i said that all along. i set up my tweet account. didn't say i was a master tweeter. >> barry was so determined to show our tom sherwood he could handle the social media network, he sent out a tweet right as the show was ending. the tweet said, tom sherwood.

the two word tweet sent off a flurry of responses and retweets. conditi condition. >> i wouldn't want him asking me all the tough questions, i don't think you can do it. i can do it, i swear. >> chuck does all my tweets. you can direct it towards him. >> not true. not true at all. we will be tweeting about the wind for

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rumors are swirling about the iphone 5 including possibly huge chance to the design of the phone. the site, venture beat.com says they may shrink the dock connector on the phone, the reason is to increase the size of the battery, a major complaint of the iphone 4s. there is no release date for the iphone 45, which hasn't even been announced by apple. a network built on friends on facebook seems to be getting a little less friendly. users are getting more selective by deleting comments, photo tags and even friends at a record rate. 63% of users have unfriended people from their friends' list and 44% have deleted comments

made by others on their profile page. pugh calls it the pruning of social networks and much of it may be based on regret. pugh found 11% of facebook users posted something they wished they hadn't said on facebook. >> that's not you, right? >> he unfriended me just yesterday. >> but saying the patriots won the super bowl was a mistake. >> but you took it back. that's what's important. >> thank goodness for the delete button. >> absolutely right. >> i know the social networks are just buzzing about these flurries that just blasted few washington. >> i had a lot of people sending me tweets and facebook pictures about the crazy snow that came down this morning. this winter without a winter was one of the craziest we had and lasted almost five whole minutes and the sun is back out again. we see a beautiful saturday

morning, beautiful to look at. it's chilly out there. not terribly cold but winds are up and they will stay there for the remainder of your saturday. as you make your plans, don't wear a lot of loose fitting clothing, you might blow away. winds out of the west at only 15 miles an hour at national airport. winds are gusting at 39 miles an hour and cost gust at 59 miles an hour. 44 down the road in fredericksburg. these are the current wind gusts, 44 miles an hour in martinsbu martinsburg, 44 miles an hour and has the winds down in the 20s and 30s, a real bundle up factor, plenty of sunshine, in and out with passing clouds. really windy the story. temperatures in the highs, upper 40s to near 50. it won't feel that warm with the

howling wind. the wind advisory for all the highlighted counties to 6:00 this evening. there's other new york racing towards the chesapeake bay. just south of downtown anal lis on the immediate coastline you can see these snow streamers, 99% won't make it over the mountains. there's always a 1% chance, don't want to totally disagree with that. wind whipped sunshine. winds diminishing late tonight and high back in the area. a bit of a chill and sunshine and without the howling wind tomorrow, feels like a much nicer day. partly sunny, windy and chilly, gusty winds very strong much of the day. don't throw cigarette butts outside the car windows. they will be throwing sparks around and we don't want ignition source with this much

wind. be extra careful today. there's your 7-day forecast near 50. near 60 degrees monday. near 50s tuesday, next chance for rain includes a chance for thunderstorms rolls in on wednesday. we'll be keeping an eye on that. stay in touch with me on nbcwashington.com or switer me at chuck bell4 and i will be sending tweets and retweeter photographs to let everybody knows all the know we have. shannon says her snowstorm lasted 30 seconds. >> it was almost five whole minutes at the station. we got lucky. >> it's been a little more than six months since the magnitude earthquake rattled the east coast and nerves with it and caused hundreds of minion mill dollars in damage. >> and they're now involved in a

costly repair process at the cathedral. a look at the painstaking process. >> reporter: in this tiny workshop on the grounds of the national cathedral, skilled carvers have begun the intricate and tedious task of restoration. >> there's a lot to do. it can be daunting. >> reporter: shawn callahan is one of two carvers restoring and recreating the pieces tajjed by last fall's earthquake. it's a daunting task. >> if we break it down to one stone at a time and just hope we can get there. >> reporter: workers have spent much of the past six months stabilizing the structure, removing loose and dangerous pieces and assessing the overall damage estimated in the tens of million, erecting scaffolding around the towers was a big part of the job.

now, it's down to the details of repairing and replacing the beautiful and ornate stone work like these fennials. they will carve three new ones. each one will take months to years to we're also involved in assessin. we're still trying to put our arms around the size of this project. >> reporter: it will take many years to put back the pieces of this cathedral. for the masons and carvers doing the work, each piece is personal. joe is the head mason. he and two stone carvers worked on it back in the '80s. >> it's definitely a labor of love for us. we, shawn, andy and i, we have been here since the 1980s. we helped construct part of the cathedral. our blood, sweat is in this building. >> reporter: despite the extent of the damage done by the earthquake, joe says he feels

lucky it wasn't worse. >> if the earthquake had lasted two more seconds, we would have lost probably 50% more stone. >> reporter: pat lawson, news for washington. >> the cathedral did have an insurance plan but it did not include earthquakes. >> a sure sign of spring is rolling into the nation's capitol. the annual easter egg roll will be monday, the 9th. the event will feature live music and a bunch of games. all kids 13 years and older are welcome to join in the fun. tickets distributed through an online lottery system beginning next thursday, march 1st. that's always so much fun! a lot of people head out for that. the time now, 9:27. imagine being towed for parking in your home's own parking spot? it's happening in one local community and it's perfectly legal what residents are doing about it. >> more deadly riots in the wake

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destruction of the holy books. hello, everybody. welcome to "news4 today." i'm angie goff. >> i'm chris gordon. here's a look at your "news4 today." seven firefighters recovering

after battling a house fire in riverdale, maryland, one firefighter in critical condition, another in serious condition with major burns. a third firefighter has breauxen ribs, while the other 4 have been treated and released from the hospital. families mourn two marine officers killed in a crash. they were two of seven service members who died in a training exercise. both attended the naval academy. captain quinn will be buried in arlington cemetery and the major will be buried in connecticut. maryland's governor will sign the same sex marriage bill into law next week. opponents are already planning a petition drive that would force the measure to a referendum on november's ballot. in our area, parking comes at a premium. many of us pay for parking outside of our very own homes,

but say suddenly someone starts towing your car legally from your parking space? it's a nightmare district heights residents are living everyday and lesson to anyone with a homeowners association, l lindy reports. >> i hope this is over with soon. i'm a little bit tired now, and stressed. >> reporter: katherine allison is a grandmother who cannot walk without help and she can no longer park in front of her house. >> i'm so blessed it's not snowing right now. >> reporter: she's one of 16 homeowners informed that the park parking lot that came with their homes years ago wag recently purchased by someone who doesn't want people parking there. >> no one would purchased a home where they could not park. >> reporter: these signs went up telling residents to move it or lose it and then the tow trucks

arrived. >> on april 11th, we woke up at 4:00 in the morning, begging them not to take our cars away. >> reporter: these residents have a homeowners association that is charging them almost $600 a year to maintain this parking lot even after the lot was sold. >> i'm paying money in the wind and the wind is taking it and doing what it wants to do with it. en dealing with the new owner,as trying to come up with a price to purchase that parking lot. the owner is asking almost $700,000 and purchased it for $100,000. in a letter, the attorney representing the homeowners association says this is a snafu that originated with the developer who did not transfer all the land with the royal plaza when it was developed. >> now, we have to park on the street and take this long walk in fare spfears for our lives. >> reporter: prince george's county. new this morning, yemen's

qaeda is claiming responsibility for a blast that killed 26 people. the blast rocked the presidential palace. it came in the same day as the new president was sworn in. he was the only candidate to replace al abdullah sal law. he had rule yemen for three decades and he was his vice president. he had just returned to be treated for injuries suffered in a rocket attack. at least 50 more people were killed friday in syria. at least 22 killed in homs, bombarded by shells for three weeks. at least 60 met in tunisia to ask the united nations to plan a peacekeeping mission after the violence ended. secretary hillary clinton atened

and had harsh words for russia and china who refused to move against the syrian government. >> if the assad regime refuses to allow this life saving aid to reach people in need, it will have even more blood on its hands. and so too will those nations that continue to protect and arm the regime. >> the u.n. estimates more than 5400 people were killed in the th ther the anti-american demonstration started again after midday prayers on friday despite apologies from president obama. at least 20 people including two u.s. soldiers have been killed

since the unrest began five days ago. the top u.s. command err in afghanistan called on troops to resist the urge to avenge the deaths of those two americans. an investigation into the burning of the korans is expected to be completed in the coming days. >> we at the dartment of defense regret and apologize for this incident. we are fully investigating it and learning from it and committing to ensuring such an incident will never happen again. >> washington area muslims received a personal apology from a senior pentagon official yesterday. after the koran burning. peter la voy and acting assistant secretary of defense apologized to hundreds of worshippers at the all dulles muslim society one of the largest mosques in the nation. the mosque imam called the visit feel better. effortfé3 tob>s

here and shows how much they tried and muslims practices in this country peacefully. >> pentagon officials met privately with local muslim leaders in an effort to diffuse the controversy. >> this morning, hugo chavez is in cuba where he will have emergency surgery to remove a tumor. crowds gave the 57-year-old an emotional farewell as his suv traveled to the airport. he arrived inconvenience w-- in venezuela overnight. today, he will meet with doctors, the same doctors who removed a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball from his pelvic region last summer. he did not revealed details but said it is probably malignant. his surgery is scheduled next week. is working to reimburse a ays group of passengers robbed at a stop in mexico. 22 people got off a carnival trip to take a nature trail tour

when they were held up. mexican authorities say masked gunmen took their money and valuables such as jewelry and cameras. no one was hurt. carnival sponsored the stop and says it suspended the nature tour trail for now. well, 9:37 right now, coming up on 9:38. members of the kennedy family. one member under arrest. we'll tell you who and what he's accused of doing when we return. also, trips to hawaii, one of a kind jewelry, some of the items celebrities are getting for free during oscar week just for being famous. next, a look at some of the other high end swag being given away this year. i'm liz crenshaw. consumers charged a fee to pay their bill. it happens everyday. how to avoid paying to pay, coming up. this is the take on the week that was. the final weekxtg0ngá before >> crucial republican presidential primary

in michigan as well as another primary in arizona, mark. >> a new nbc poll showed the race in a virtual tie with mitt romney at 37%, rick santorum at 35%. we also saw mitt romney delivering a very important economic speech in detroit at ford field. >> we also saw a debate in arizona, the 20th of the cycle, where romney and ron paul but santorum on the defensive. >> the stakes are so high in this michigan contest. a win for mitt romney would be good news but a loss could be devastating. >> he really needs to win there

candidates and president obama addressing those in. welcome back. a sovereign the late senator,

robert f. kennedy, is facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly fighting with nurses at a new york hospital where his son was born. surveillance videotaped by our sister station in new york shows douglas kennedy attempting to take his 3 day old son, bo, on a walk at westchester hospital back in january. the nurses tried to stop him saying he was not allowed to take his newborn off the maternity ward floor. that's when things escalated with one nurse claiming he twisted her arm and the other that she was kicked and knocked to the ground. kennedy said it was the nurses being aggressive. >> mr. kennedy was acting very quietly, politely, calmly. the only reason why anything happened here was the misconduct of the two nurses. >> a doctor present says the nurses were the only aggressors. kennedy, a fox news reporter and

his wife also issued a statement and called the charges sickening and say the incident was quote warped. president obama is receiving some big-time support from a man who makes his living making fun of the political process. political satirist, bill maher, donated a million dollar to a super pac that supports president obama. mayer announced the donation was made to priorities usa action and announced it on yahoo. the super pac also received a $2 million donation from dreamworks animation executive jeffrey katsenburg and the service employees international union. more than 470 students from chesapeake, virginia w will vote in the general election. there is controversy how the students were registered to vote. the group organizing for america registered the students. the group was reated to support

president obama. the registrar says the group collected information under false pretenses saying they were with the registrar's office. the woman clekti incollecting t information said they're trying to get kids registered to vote. >> you know why that's a big concern for me? we are sworn by law to be totally nonpartisan. >> somebody might have had one by mistake. we were going in representing no candidate. all we were doing was trying to register, help the students register to vote. that's it. >> anderson says she never claimed to be from the registrar's office and it would be foolish for her to try to misrepresent herself and the organization. >> moving on, stars and hollywood for the oscars tomorrow, getting access to lots of swag. >> swag is right. celebrities pulling out the truck, rolling up the duffle bag and free stuff.

and the hotel is full of companies with free stuff. invited guests walking away with everything from jewelry to makeup and free trips from maui worth $2500 and in exchange, they pose with the freebies and put them on their website or put them on magazines and tabloids. actresses say it's a win-win deal. >> this is my first time doing these gifting suites. it's like trick or treat but times a million. >> 20% of the proceeds goes to charity. >> all that for being famous. don't they get enough free stuff as it is. >> dow don't have swag bags, around here. i got an umbrella, appropriate for a weatherman, i guess. you don't need before you step

your door. next. maybe we don't get a swag bag around here, but when it comes to swag, you've got it. >> we have things swinging and swagging all over the place. >> the weatherman. >> this is a good thing. >> you're swagalicious. >> i know you are making that up. >> something didn't agree. >> it must have been something

falling off the desk. >> the wind will be whipping around all day today. make your plans to enjoy the front half of your weekend, snail do nail down whatever you don't want blown across the street. these winds will be there for the remainder of your saturday. good kite flying but hold on tight because mother nature will be putting on a good tug. f sunny skies returning after the early snowstorm that lasted 10 minutes in washington. it didn't even whiten the ground but did so across some western suburbs. winds at only 15 miles an hour for now but gusting higher than that. temperatures in upper 30s and low 40s. we won't see a rise in afternoon temperatures because of the

winds. 25 miles an hour gusts in washington, 33 in fredericksburg, a 44 miles an hour in martinsburg, west virginia and they will be common place the rest of the day. windchills as a result, upper 20s and low 30s. even though the temperatures will climb into the upper 40s, all the wind will keep the windchills down most of the day. the wind advisory goes until 6:00 this evening when it goes up. it is about 6:00, the winds will ease up. there's an early morning head of snow across the lower part of the eastern shore and as a result, all our knocks a, allno now gone. 99% of that will be drying up before it goes into the washington area. windy and wind whip sunshine around the area today. the wind eases up as high pressure comes in, bright and

sunny. a pit bit of a chill and temperatures everywhere and nice day tomorrow afternoon. today, a mix of clouds and sunshine. a lot more clouds for you folks in the shenandoah valley and panhandle and west virginia and more sunshine in town. highs in the 40s and windchills in the 30s thanks to that ferocious wind. still on the cool side. it is february. 50 degrees is an average high temperature. as we go to the early parts of the week, mild air comments back again. mid to upper 50s tuesday and we are starting to need a little bit in the rainfall department, and that will come with a chance for thunderstorms. stay in touch with us if you get pictures for a random snowflake or two, tweet them to me. >> if somebody told you to go

fly a kite, you wouldn't take it personally? >> i think it's an excellent idea. kids of all am ins love it. >> thank you, chuck. we have seen what happens when consumers get angry over new fees. last year, there was an uproar when bank of america and verizon implemented new fees. we call it paying to pay your phone bill and cable bill and power bill. there are dozens of ways to pay for free but many pay a fee to pay their bill. >> shame on them, that's all i have to say. >> reporter: verizon's wireless's plan to impose a fee back in december did not go over well. >> crazy. >> reporter: the fee would have charged consumers $2 if they chose to make a single payment online or over the phone using a debit or credit card. the company said the fee was designed to improve the efficiency of those transacti

transactions. >> you shouldn't have to pay a fee to pay your bill. it doesn't make any sense. >> reporter: verizon wireless said in december it reversed its fee in response to customer feedback. the uproar prompted united states to look at i tilt bills to see if other companies make you pay to pay? here's what we found. making a single payment online or over the phone. with pepco, you pay a fee of $4.95 with a credit card and $1.95 with a debit card. washington gas, $4.55 extra if you pay using power debit or credit card. virginiainion dominion power, $3.95. northern virginia, $2.45, debit or credit. all these fees for the same bill payment method verizon wirms decided to retract. >> paying your bill is the price you pay but paying a fee to pay your bill is a price too high. >> reporter: you think some of

those fees are high? take a look at these. to pay cox bill by phone live with a person, charges a $10 fee. in person at the counter, $5. pay rcn over the phone and speak with a live agent, $6.95. comcast, owner of nbc yununiver, fee of $5.99. they say customers have free options and when they charge fees it is to offset the cost of labor and third parties to process charges but arguing these charges should not be passed onto the consumer. >> it's not a valid reasons, a cost of doing business. >> one feels you have little recourse and i don't think it's right. >> reporter: one recourse every consumer has, find a free option

for paying your bill and use it. liz crenshaw, "news4 today." in our survey of 15 utilities and companies, all hat numerous ways to pay for free. with verizon wireless every bill pay option is free. bottom line is don't pay to play. let's play. >> that's what we're about this saturday morning. thank you. learning has never been so much fun. the cork or rcoron gallery of a having family day and everything is free. now, sarah is here. thank you for joining us p. >> thank you for having us. >> the theme is up up up and away. what can we expect? >> you can expect more art shops than we had before, many themes around space and space travel.

we love to have workshops that will get families being country ative together so you can come in and expect the unexpected. >> i readability the gravity inspiring performances. harvard hard to imagine. >> we want them to see it's a fun place to come together and enjoy the inspiration of the artwork and heaave fun together. >> who can go to this? ids of all ages. how expensive is it? >> the best part, it is free. for kids of all ages. 10:00 to 4:00 next saturday. >> what are some highlights? >> we have miss amy and the big kid band who you will be seeing a sneak preview in a few moments as well as a number of workshops around, face painting and all kinds of exciting things.

>> march 3rd. mark your calendar, 10:00 to 4 p.m. we heavy a special treat in the hou house. you might have noticed a couple heads behind chris. miss amy a xwramgrammy winning t at the white house for the easter egg roll. >> we'll see you next stat day. come out and bring your imagination. ♪ on a cozy little island in the middle of the ocean way out in the blue ♪ ♪ there's a party just getting started and you are invited, too ♪ ♪ it's a crazy scene wit purpose li le and green and they really love to dance ♪ ♪ you can join the celebration, ♪ ♪ they fly like a bird and

wiggle like a bee and hop like a kangaroo, swing like a pumpkin and swim like a fish ♪ ♪ shake your tail feather, too ♪ let's go, imagination imaginati imagination, come on along ♪ ♪ sometimes it goes this way instead. you go way up there in your imaginati imagination, it's time to set it free. bubble like an octopus, start like a chicken and walk like

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be right back. i see our camera is getting a little bit of workout thanks to that wind outside. i'm angie goff. >> i am chris gordon, saturday, february 25th. checking our top stories at this hour. former south african president, nelson mandela is in the

hospital. the 93-year-old is being treated for a stomach ailment. no word on his condition other than that. he was hospitalized a year ago with respiratory infections. >> two virginia families are mourning the loss of two marines killed in a helicopter crash in arizona. they were two of 7 service members who died in a training exercise. both attended the training academy and had tied to the d.c. area. one will be buried in the article cemetery and the major at a family plot in connecticut. governor o'malley will sign the same sex marriage law next week. opponents are already planning a petition drive that would force the measure to a referendum on november's ballot. seven prince george's firefighters are recovering this morning after being injured while battling a house fire. it happened on the 57th avenue

in riverdale last night. derrick ward joins us with more on this story. >> reporter: good morning. what happened here illustrates the down side of wind events. we have downed power lines and li limbs. firefighters know it adds another element of danger to an already dangerous job. it was shortly after 9:00, when firefighters responded to the 5700 block of 57th avenue, by all appearances abandoned. nevertheless, firefighters had to do a massive attack because of the fear of spreading to either side and the other side of the street. there were 65 firefighters here.

what we were told, at some point during their interior attack attacks there was a massive fireball and they may have possibly fallen from the first floor to the second. those firefighters were trapped and once taken out of the fire and regrouped outside and continued their massive attack and all resulted in scary moments for neighbors. >> in my neighborhood, they knocked the door, i see a lot of fire coming through this house, i have to go down. >> i guess you were worried, too, with the wind? >> i was worried it would get in my house. >> reporter: of the seven firefighters hospitalized initially, three remained hospitalized. the most seriously injured has been identified as kevin o'toole, suffered second and third degree burns to 40% of his body and 21-year-old ethan sur rel suffered burnsz to his

airway, in critical condition and michael mclarry, 19 years old recovering from bruised ribs and may be released today. the others have been released today and the cause remains under investigation. derrick ward, news4. >> thanks. we know the wind was a big factor in that story. >> it will continue to be a big factor. be careful. if you were thinking of doing outdoor burps, don't do it. high winds will fan the flames that could spread hot embers long distance. be careful. i wouldn't even recommend flicking your cigarette butts outside your car because it's relatively dry and could turn a small problem into a big problem quickly. we have a picture of washington, can't say how it's doing but the flag is in full furl.

temperatures in the 30s for most. 42 at national airport. 44 degrees, st. mary's county. fredericksburg, 44 degrees, vienna and burke and chen silly and leesburg. this will be a factor, windchills in upper 40s and 30s and maintaining 30s much of the afternoon. wind advisory until 6:00 this evening and winds could gust over 50 miles an hour at times. earlier this morning, five seconds of snow, now in the great state of delaware towards ocean city. if you have friends at the beach, be on the lookout for a fast moveing snowflake. some people tweeted to me it would be called snow-a-second sounds just about right.

>> snow is snow. we're following a developing story in afghanistan intertwo americans have been shot --where two americans have been shot and killed inside kabul. nato denies reports the gunman was another westerner. the attack comes as tensions between the u.s. and afghanistan are high following the burning of copies of the koran on a u.s. military base earlier this week. right now, a desperate effort in syria to evacuate people from the city in homs as the violence intensifies. the latest from the turkish syrian border. >> reporter: efforts are continuing today by the red cross and syrian red crescent to evacuate more people from the besiege city of homs. this is a very limited operation being carried out in homgs and

small scale. the red cross says overnight, it was only able to take out fewer than 30 women and children and critics are dismissi ining this pr movement by the syrian government to buy more time and crack down on the opposition. the opposition says at least 20 people have been killed in the ongoing violence. richard engle on the turkish syrian border. wildlife in urban areas. some of the critters you won't believe may be living in your neighborhood. >> on news4 at 11:00, could you

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could be giving employeers the wrong picture about you. hollywood's biggest night is just a night away. the 84th academy awards is the culmination of the awards season and this year, could pay homage to hollywood of old. look at the best picture nominee. nine in all. the top of the pack and favorite to win is "thartist," about a silent film actor trying to weather talking pictures is taking the country by storm. the descendants and "hugo" also

good winners and if it does not win, it could get a best actor nod by george clooney, who finds out his now comatose wife cheated on him and could give a first oscar. and two veteran leading ladies, glenn close and meryl streep for her take on british prime minister margaret thatcher. heading into the big night, comedian, not a nominee the talk of the town. sasha baron cohen will be dressing as the character of his upcoming film the dictator. the academied a originally banned him from dressing as his fictional character but decided he could walk the red carpet. he's known for promotional stunts. the academy awards are tomorrow night with arrival at 7:00. thank you. when you think about animal

control, you probably think about dogs and cats and other typical pets. we will take you where the wild things are, with a look at what officers face on a daily basis. we want to warn you some of these pictures must tures mighto watch. for >> reporter: if it's fury, 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. our first call, a home under construction with a problem that keeps coming back. >> this one's bigger. i'm getting out your way. >> where is he? in the shower? >> reporter: that's right. there's a raccoon in the bathroom. roberts carefully wrangles mer opponent into a cage. >> 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. he doesn't know any better. >> i feel so sorry for wildlife because they're being displaced. >> reporter: prince george's county's housing boom has produced a rivalry between residents and animals who lived here first. >> it's interesting with all the building going on. 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. >> reporter: one of the biggest problems,deers hit by cars and

using sedation to end the pain and then euthanize her. >> we want to end the suffering as quick as possible. >> reporter: robinson explained they put them down because the car does so much in terribterna damage, they have no way to rehabilitate the creatures. >> she's been here since 3:00 this morning. clearly, it won't be a quick death. >> reporter: but if the animal is healthy, 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 and climbing on the van. >> reporter: this owner called animal control after realizing the fox 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 at home. that's the best.

>> reporter: which seems to be getting smaller and smaller everyday. >> that's a great shot, that last shot. that was tisha thompson reporting. as animal control officers are responding to more and more wildlife calls, they're juggling a pet population along with a shrinking budget. >> nice reporting. some great camera handiwork there. there. that fox

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]

complete check of your forecast. welcome back. you will want to hold on to your hats and put rocks in your pocket. kids under 40 pounds, rocks required in your pockets. these winds aren't going anywhe anywhere until the sun goes down. there will be a lot of wind. the sunshine is back until a quick snowstorm early this morning, lasted almost five whole minutes in northwest washington. some folks had a little bit more, some had a little bit less. nobody has much in the way of snow to report. 42 is our current temperature. winds out of the northwest at 25, gusting to 40 miles an hour at national airport. that will be very common.

area wide pretty much the remainder of the day. mid-to upper 40s in northern maryland and fredericksburg and spots spotsylvania. at andrews air force base, st. mary's county and near 40 miles an hour gusts along the blue ridge keeping windchills in the upper twen upper 20s and 30s. you will have a bundle up factor on the way out the door. not a big rise in temperatures because of all the wind. winds gusting over 50 miles an hour at times today, will make for a very tricky day if you're driving high profile vehicles, hold on toe the wheel tight. our snowstorm is racing towards ocean city and oh shcean pine s your friends at the beach are getting snow showers. and they went make it over the mountains. in the panhandle of west virginia, you might have a pa

passing. >> shower today but mostly sunshine. after the sun goes down this evening, high pressure builds back into the evening, a cold start and chill in the air, temperatures near 50 degrees. but the wi-- without the wind, will feel warmer tomorrow. enjoy your saturday. tomorrow, mostly sunny, a lot less wind and feels like a much nicer day and temperatures back to near 60 degrees or better as we get to the monday, tuesday, wednesday time frame, a chance of showers. and if you want to talk about the storm we had this morning, send it to me on chuck bell4. >> thanks. the time now, 10:22. he has his very own workout video. he's just 11 years old, how this pint-sized personal trainer is trying to get his classmates and

trying to get his classmates and friends in today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities.

siemens. answers. that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a delicious design? a toaster strudel. pillsbury toaster strudel. so delicious...so fun. here's a better idea... pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits. in just 15 minutes, the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands! dinner ideas made easy.

anything not moving forward is moving backward. [ tires screech ] [ engine turns over, tires squeal ] introducing the 2013 gs. with the lexus enform app suite, the most connected information and communication technology available in an automobile. [ tires screeching ] the all-new 2013 lexus gs. there's no going back. him when we return. an all new district matters

airs right here on nbc4 tonight at 7:30. this episode takes place in our jim vance's barber shop. the host, zachary and jim, discuss jobs. >> i know what you do today. i know you didn't start there. what was your first job? >> my first job? >> yeah. >> ever? >> i was a plumber. i was a plumber because my daddy was a plumber and his daddy was a plumber. we had a united nations in my neighborhood of laborering men. >> you can watch the full episode of "district matters" at 7:30, right here on nbc4. all right. an 11-year-old in georgia with 6-pack abs is inspiring a workout revolution. >> put your arms slightly in front of you and do a nice tight roll. rea ready? >> that's c.j. and he has his own line of fitness dvds. he actually goes by the name the

workout kid. he is often the leader in his physical education classes and requests are rolling in from around the world. schools in japan, canada, great shot there, and australia are asking for a copy of his routine. c.j. says he actually got his new nickname from his friends and i didn't know they still had monkey bars out there. a new jersey teen battling cancer who fogot turned down foa date with country music star taylor swift got a way batte

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