to reopen. police have taken down the tape that was surrounding this store. they did have irving street shut down for some time. let me show you what it looked like just a few minutes ago. we know one person was transported to the hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries. we don't know exactly what sent that person to the hospital at this point, but d.c. police have a lookout for a man and a woman who were seen leaving the restaurant earlier today when all of this happened. now, this was around 6:30 this morning when something happened inside of this restaurant that caused this person injuries. bad enough for this person to be transported to the hospital. there were multiple reports for the possibility of a stabbing or shooting inside of the restaurant. police are still investigating. and when there's more information available, we will bring that information back to you. but again, it looks like the ihop is preparing to go ahead and open for business soon. irvin street is now reopened. in northwest, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >> tracee, thank you for that report. and next, another story that

we're following is this nice weather that we're loving here in the washington area. >> love it, love it, love it, love it. didn't have much of a winter this year at all, and now march, we're just about ready to not just get through march, we're ready to throw march completely out the window. >> we're ready to jump into the pool. >> jump right in, you know, 85 and sunny from here forward. no, not quite that warm, but boy, it's going to be nice. >> yeah, but a few degrees just shy of that, actually. >> oh, yeah. it's going to be nice and warm around here. temperatures today are going to feel a lot more like early april, but by the time we get into the middle of the week, it's going to feel like the middle of may around here! tree pollen sufferers, be on high alert. it's going to be a tough week for allergy sufferers with all the warm air coming our way. temperatures this morning nice and cold. 27 in manassas, 37, though, in gaithersburg, 40 degrees in washington, 36 in waldorf and la plata. nothing showing up on doppler right now. here's your hometown 4-cast. fredericksburg, virginia, zooming up to 62 degrees for a high temperature this afternoon. and then clear skies for most of

the overnight hours and a 39-degree start coming up on your monday. today, though, for everybody, mostly sunny, warmer than yesterday, about a 10-degree jump over yesterday. highs today upper 50s and low 60s. and there's a little peek at the first four days of the seven-day forecast. mild, mild and mild around here. chance of some showers from about sundown tomorrow to about sunrise on tuesday. doesn't look like a lot of rain. just a couple little passing showers as the warm air moves back into the mid-atlantic. >> enough to mess up the car wash. thanks, chuck. >> yes, indeed. >> thank you, chuck bell. all right. today marks one year since a woman brutally killed a co-worker at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. jayna murray died inside the yoga apparel store on bethesda row. today her co-workers will have an open house to share memories about murray. her brother and his wife are expected to be there beginning at 10:00 this morning. a jury convicted brittany norwood for murray's murder. norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the

possibility of parole. this morning a popular restaurant in northwest washington remains closed following a stabbing. we brought you this story as breaking news yesterday morning. since then, we learned d.c. police chief cathy lanier shut down the island cafe on upshur street in the petworth neighborhood. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside that restaurant. he is in the hospital with serious injuries. the restaurant is expected to reopen wednesday night at the earliest. federal officials are investigating more letters with white powder discovered in d.c. two letters with the substance were found at the blt steak restaurant on i street northwest yesterday afternoon. like the previous letters, hazmat crews determined the powder was harmless. the fbi is trying to figure out if these cases are connected to other suspicious letters found in the past year. meanwhile, an oregon man will appear in court tomorrow accused of sending similar

suspicious letters to members of congress. police arrested christopher lee carlson friday in the pacific northwest. over the past month, several lawmakers received threatening letters that had a nontoxic white powder. maryland senator barbara mikulski was one of those recipients. these letters are not connected with those that arrived at d.c. schools and restaurants this week. both mitt romney and rick santorum gained momentum ahead of two crucial primaries on tuesday. yesterday, santorum won kansas's caucuses, capturing at least 2069 state's 40 delegates. romney took home some smaller victories, winning the u.s. bettterritories as well as wyoms caucus, which voted last week. santorum is currently third in polling in alabama, behind romney and newt gingrich. he is also third in mississippi with gingrich holding a slight lead over romney before tuesday's caucuses. santorum and romney's victories, though, do little to the

delegate standings. look for yourself. romney has a commanding lead, 377 delegates for him, more than the other three candidates combined. santorum has 146 delegates. gingrich at 112 and ron paul at just 31. the challengers need 1,144 delegates to secure the republican nomination. with just a couple days until alabama and mississippi, each candidate is hoping to capture those southern states. nbc's david gregory joined us earlier today and says for romney, santorum and gingrich, a win for them on tuesday would mean very different things. >> it's a different threshold. i think for gingrich, if he's going to remain as something of a southern candidate, then he's got to actually do well in the south beyond georgia, and he hasn't shown that he's able to do that. romney has a big test. he'd like to show that he's got some ability to compete in the south. he hasn't demonstrated that yet. momentum in the south is really with rick santorum. he won the kansas caucus yesterday.

so, he's got some of the momentum over the count over the next ten days. >> be sure to tune in to "meet the press" at 10:30. david sits down with rick santorum as well as maryland and virginia governors martin o'malley and bob mcdonnell. all right, we've got a traffic alert for you before you head out the door. drivers may want to avoid downtown washington this morning, and that's because there's going to be a rolling road closure for the st. patrick's day 8k race. right now, people are gathering at freedom plaza. the race starts and ends on pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 13th streets in northwest. rolling road closures began at 5:00 this morning and will continue through 1:00 this afternoon. best of luck to all the runners out there. and there's also a parade happening today. this year's parade theme is feed the soul and nourish the palate. police are closing constitution avenue from 7th street to 17th street for the parade that begins at noon.

the road closures began at 9:00 this morning and will run until 3:00 this afternoon. >> in addition to the road closures this morning, because of the st. patrick's day race, there are also closures and delays all around the metro. on the red line, both the woodley park and cleveland park metro stations are closed. free shuttle buses are running between the dupont circle and van ness stations to get you around those closures, and there's also single tracking on parts of the blue, orange and yellow lines. all work should be finished before tomorrow morning's commute. all right, well, in case you are just waking up, the time right now is 9:07. no, you didn't take a look at that clock and see wrong. daylight saving time, people. >> it is here. how you can get a little bit of jolt when we talk about your energy after losing that hour of sleep. >> yeah, we're all feeling it this morning. and caught on camera, a close-up view as a powerful tornado touched down. plus, disaster recovery. a look at how life has changed

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welcome back. hawaii has been anything but paradise the past two days with major storms ripping across the island. >> that's right, angie. it's been so bad that the state's governor has declared a state of emergency. earlier this week, hail the size of golf balls pelted residents. they also had to deal with waterspouts that transformed into a massive tornado. and if that wasn't enough, heavy rains caused flooding in certain areas, sweeping away vehicles. the red cross is going door to door to make sure that people are okay. amazingly, there have been no reports of any injuries or deaths. absolutely miraculous story there. and today marks one year since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake

hit, causing a tsunami in japan. >> and while you were sleeping, japanese leaders held a moment of silence in tokyo. 19,000 people died in the disaster. some are still searching for the remains of their loved ones. nbc's ian williams reports. >> reporter: good morning to you. all along this battered coast, communities devastated by last year's tsunami are remembering that terrible day with sadness but also with a determination to rebuild their lives. entire towns were obliterated when the raging waters swept in following a 9.0 earthquake. 15,000 people are dead with 4,000 still missing. one year later, much of the mangled wreckage that littered the coast has been cleared, and former towns have become baron wastelands. most has been piled into vast mountains of debris, some of it

toxic. that's equivalent to 19 years' worth of trash in the worst affected area. more than 500,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged. there is still no real idea how to get rid of it all, nor how long that will take. and while there's been plenty of talk, there's still no real blueprint for rebuilding. thousands still live in temporary homes. there are signs of hope, though. we filmed with a group of seaweed farmers out harvesting for the first time since the disaster wiped out most of the region's fishing fleet. they've been supported by the u.s. charity mercy corps. what there is no shortage of here is spirit. the people are resilient, and that is, perhaps, the most important asset as they look to the future. back to you. then, take a look at this incredible video of a tornado as it ripped through northern kentucky last week. security cameras caught this

ef-3 twister roll by a pharmacy, tossing debris everywhere. the tornado killed six people and left more than 600 displaced as part of last week's deadly round of storms. the outbreak of tornadoes displaced nearly two dozen pets. the humane society of indianapolis is hoping to find new homes for the animals. some pet owners gave up their pets because they no longer have homes of their own. very terrible situation. >> but on the upside, at least, you know, they took them there and they said, you know, we're looking for a good family. and somebody is going to take those loveable guys home, and they won't be there for long. >> no doubt about it. it's going to be a good week around here for anything you want to do, dog walking included, no doubt about it. if you adopt a puppy today, this will be a great week to take them out for a walk. feeling a lot more like spring than winter. forecast next. ♪

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republicans vote in the deep south. president obama heads to ohio. vice president biden kicks off his campaign efforts. on tuesday, another 119 delegates are up for grabs in hawaii, american samoa and key primaries in alabama and mississippi. newt gingrich's campaign says he has to win in the south, but santorum hopes for a knockout punch with wins there. romney and his super pac are advertising in alabama, but he considers himself the underdog, saying on alabama radio that playing in the south is a bit of an away game. president obama heads to ohio, a general election swing state. on thursday, vice president joe biden heads to ohio to deliver his first major campaign address. on friday, trying to pick up delegates before the state convention in missouri, ron paul campaigns in the show me state. santorum won last month's nonbinding presidential vote. that's it for me. i'm domenico montanaro and has your look at "the week ahead."

good morning, everyone. the time right now is 9:19. have you remembered to spring forward? a small change could have a big effect on your safety on the roads monday morning. aaa says one in six crashes involved a drowsy driver. so, be sure and grab some extra zs tonight. you're going to need it, folks. and then i'll make the excuse that throughout the entire week i still have not caught up or that the one hour has affected my entire week. >> we will all be saying that. >> right. well, daylight saving is what we're talking about. it's also a great opportunity to make sure that your family stays safe. >> fire departments recommend you change out those batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors today. prince george's county fire chief marc bashoor was with us yesterday morning, and he says families should also agree on a plan in case of an emergency. >> home escape plans are

critical. you know, everybody thinks they can handle it, but when that situation hits, your mind is going in a million different directions. so, not only come up with a plan, but practice it at the first of the month when you check your alarm. practice your escape plan as well. >> bashoor says 900 people would be saved every year from house fires if they replaced their batteries on time. a good way to stay alert tomorrow, a nice cup of coffee. mm-mmm. and tomorrow, ikea is giving it away for free! nothing better than a free cup of coffee. as part of their national random acts of life improvement campaign, you can get your free cup of coffee tomorrow at the college park station from 6:30 to 8:00 in the morning and also at the boston metro station from 6:30 to 8:30. so, you want some free java, you've got to get up early in order to get it. all right. >> not too bad. >> and the java flowing here this morning. lots of it. >> well, and the other thing, i was going to sort of segue on from your, you know, drowsy drivers and stuff like that. >> yeah.

>> with the sunrise now back after 7:00 in the morning. >> right. >> a lot of kiddos will be out at some relatively dark bus stops again. >> oh, be careful. >> be real careful for that. >> it was odd to see around 7:00 this morning, look outside and it was completely dark. >> sun was up at 7:25, and a lot of the early kids who go out to school are at their bus stops at about 7:15 in the morning. so, be real careful now that it's going to be a little darker. also, that means we'll be right back into the sunshine delays because it won't be long and the sun will be right back in your eye. you know how annoying that is! outside we go, then, on your sunday morning. bright sunshine out there for now on at 9:21 on your sunday morning. good looking day today. no doubt about it. about a 10-degree improvement from a high temperature standpoint over what we saw yesterday. a very nice change of wind direction is what's responsible for our change in the forecast. winds out of the southwest averaging only 9 miles an hour this morning. yesterday we had that

north-to-northwesterly wind. that's why our high temperature stayed at 50. today with the south and southwesterly wind, we're 40 now at national airport, but i think we'll be up about 20 or 22 degrees from this point to our high temperature later on this afternoon. it's already 41 in annapolis, 40 degrees at solomons island, 43 in stafford this morning, 39 culpeper. head towards amissville, temperatures in the upper 30s. your sunday planner is filled with sunshine today. perfect day to get outside and take it easy in the sunshine. 43 this morning, 60 this afternoon. back into the upper 50s by 6:00 p.m. this evening. hometown 4-cast in gaithersburg, full sunshine, temperatures up into the upper 50s to near 60 in gaithersburg today. then overnight tonight, clear to partly cloudy skies and start-off temperatures tomorrow morning upper 30s to near 40 degrees. nothing showing up on doppler. our next chance for some rain around here comes in around the time the sun goes down tomorrow. a little shower chance monday late in the day into the front half of the day on tuesday. doesn't look like a lot of rain. this is the system that's going to be bringing it to us and the

main area of low pressure is going a whole lot more north than it is to the east. and as a result, most of that moisture is also going to follow the low up into the western part of the great lakes, leaving us with just really a couple of scattered showers around here late in the day tomorrow. so, sunny and mild today. let the warming begin. a ten-degree jump today. another ten-degree jump in afternoon temperatures coming up tomorrow. but clouds sneaking back in. here we are at 8:00 tomorrow morning, so a dry and sunny start tomorrow, but clouds sneaking on in. and by 5:00, 6:00, 7:00 tomorrow, chances for some showers. but again, most of the energy and moisture is headed up into the great lakes. so, anything we're going to get, a tenth of an inch or less for most anybody who even gets the rain. so, today, sunny and dry, delightful. no problems at all. highs today upper 50s and low 60s with a south wind 5 to 15, maybe a little breezier in the higher elevations. then tomorrow, starting off sunny and dry, picking up some clouds during the afternoon and a chance of a few light showers, but probably not until late in

the day. most likely around sunset tomorrow. could see a few breakaway showers before then, but you know, we're talking about such a small amount of rain, it isn't really going to make a huge difference. then, man, oh, man, how about three or four days in a row with temperatures running about 20? did we say 20 degrees? warmer t average. that is crazy! i can't wait for the bonus check to be showing up in my mail. you guys are just raving about how happy you are -- >> really some. >> so, i'm anxious to see what the amount looks like. >> well -- >> it's like you win the lottery. let's put it that way. >> how about some gift cards? >> i can have a free cup of coffee. >> see, there you go. >> thank you, chuck. all right, bosses, the productivity in your office is about to crash this week as selection sunday tonight kicks off the ncaa tournament. >> march madness almost upon us. today we're going to find out where the georgetown men and women, as well as the maryland women's teams rank ahead of the

big dance. one team that most likely won't be dancing, though, is the howard university women's team. the bison had a chance for an automatic bid last night in the meac championship but fell to hampton by just one point. >> devastating. as quarterback peyton manning prepares to select his new team, his old team is saying thanks. the indianapolis colts added a poster of manning on to the wall of lucas oil stadium, thanking him for his years with the team. manning helped lead the colts to a super bowl title in 2006 and leads the team in almost every offensive category. he was released earlier this week after 14 seasons in indianapolis and is currently a free agent. all right, some of the area's strongest men and women gathered to push, pull, flex and show off their muscles. angie and i didn't go because we didn't want to embarrass anybody. >> oh, yeah, right.

definitely some gun shows going on, though, here. it was part of the second annual capitol classic strongman challenge in arlington. the competitors took part in different events, lifting items as heavy as 700 pounds. >> we have over 50 competitors from as far as upstate new york and new england to richmond. we have women, men, all shapes, sizes, 160 pounds to 427 pounds. >> the winners in each class qualified for the north american strongman competition which will happen later this year. >> pretty impressive. all right, and coming up next, how government spies almost got private information through a facebook account. plus, it's the end of an era for the u.s. navy. and we are heading into yet another pivotal week in politics. a look at the push to win over votes in the south, coming up next. hi, i'm eun yang. wake up with "news4 today" on monday morning. we'll get you ready for all the

madness that comes with march. we'll break down the ncaa tournament brackets and tell you who your favorite team is playing and where. plus, the news to get you ready for the day along with weather and traffic together on the 1s. we're on from 4:28 to 7:00 a.m. see you then. hey guys, breakfast!

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good morning, everyone. i'm erika gonzalez. >> and i'm angie goff. welcome to "news4 today" on this sunday, march 11th, 2012. >> here's a look at this morning's top stories. police are looking for those responsible who shot and man at a restaurant in the district. it happened this morning at the ihop on irvin street northwest in columbia heights. the man was sent to the hospital with a gunshot wound but is expected to survive, though. police have a lookout for a man and a woman who were seen leaving the scene. today marks one year since a co-worker brutally killed jayna murray at the lululemon athletic store in bethesda. family and friends will share memories about murray during an open house this morning. brittany norwood is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murray's murder. the island cafe in the petworth neighborhood is shut down following a stabbing. d.c. police chief cathy lanier used her emergency powers to shut down the restaurant until

at least wednesday night. someone stabbed a man early yesterday morning inside the restaurant. he's in the hospital with serious injuries. okay, are we breaking records here? >> no. >> no, no! but it feels like it, doesn't it? >> no, but we may be -- >> isn't it 20 degrees warmer? >> we may be flirting with records towards the middle of the week. today's record high is 78 degrees, for example. >> okay. >> and my warmest day, i think wednesday or thursday will be the warmest and we will be close to 76, 77, 78 degrees, so. >> and i'm not going to complain with a forecast like that, but yesterday we started out in the low 30s? gosh it was freezing yesterday! >> a lot of spots well below freezing early this morning, so off to a cold start again, but this is really the last gasp of any kind of a chill around here. >> whoo-hoo! >> that we'll have to worry about, for better or for worse. wait until you're taking allergy medicine before st. patrick's day. >> i'm already taking it. >> that's what this warm weather will do for you. pollen sufferers, be alert, it's going to get bad around here and fast. temperatures are right now climbing into the upper 30s to near 40 degrees.

so still a little sunday morning chill left for you. nothing on radar. going to be 100% dry today. our hometown 4-cast in fredericksburg, climbing up to about 60 for a high this afternoon, a couple clouds moving in overnight and the temperature tomorrow morning 39, 40 degrees. no complaints at all there in fredericksburg. our forecast then for today, sunny, warmer than yesterday, breezy at times. highs today upper 50s and low 60s and a nice little mild stretch of weather coming our way at least into the front half of the week. another check of the seven-day in a few more minutes. >> thank you, chuck. the republican candidates are preparing for a tuesday where contests in alabama and mississippi might help swing momentum one way or the other. right now, mitt romney holds a commanding lead in the delegate count, amassing more than the other three candidates combined. but the upcoming primaries could change things a bit. nbc's brian mooar explains.

>> we've had a very, very good day. >> reporter: with a strong showing in the kansas caucuses, gop presidential hopeful rick santorum notched another victory, and he is making the case he is the conservative choice. >> and we have to have candidates, a candidate, a nominee who can get up there and draw a clear contrast with the president of the united states. >> reporter: for santorum, newt gingrich and ron paul, the saturday caucuses in kansas and wyoming were another chance to play delegate catch-up. but the contest this next week in alabama and mississippi are about survival. gingrich has to win one or both to keep moving forward. >> it's a big deal. if we win alabama and mississippi next tuesday, by next wednesday, this totally wild roller coaster race will be reset one more time and we will be on the way. >> morning, y'all. >> reporter: for mitt romney, a strong showing in the south is critical to show conservatives he can win. >> this president has not

succeeded. this president has failed, and that's the reason we're going to get rid of him in 2012. >> reporter: before the saturday caucuses, romney held a 3-1 delegate count over gingrich and santorum, a healthy lead for a front-runner still showing signs of weakness. brian mooar, nbc news, washington. >> meanwhile, virginia lawmakers will need a special session to agree on a state budget because yesterday ended the regular session without a deal. democrats are pushing for an extra $450 million in spending. a chunk of that would go towards education and transportation projects. they're also pushing for money to cover the state's controversial ultrasound bill for women wanting to get abortions. the special session is expected to start march 21st. lawmakers will have until july 1st to agree on a deal or face a partial government shutdown. syrian troops launched a new assault on its people in the

region that's been the center of the uprising against the syrian president. amateur video posted online showed smoke billowing across the skyline. families left the town while dozens of tanks fired at neighborhoods, causing explosions. while the fighting raged, u.n. envoy kofi annan met with the syrian president in damascus, but the talks ended with no agreement. family and friends of an american journalist killed in syria are remembering her today. a wake for maria colvin will happen tonig followed by her funeral service and private burial tomorrow in new york. colvin worked with the british newspaper "the sunday times" for 25 years. she was a war correspondent and she lost an eye while covering the war in sri lanka. but she didn't survive the crisis in syria. a rocket hit a make-shift media center, killing colvin and a french photojournalist. colvin was 56 years old. israeli air strikes have reportedly killed at least 17

palestinians in the graz strip. the attacks began on friday as israeli forces killed a militant commander behind the abduction of an israeli soldier. palestinian militants responded by firing nearly 100 rockets into israel, killing a 12-year-old boy in the process. these attacks are the worst between israel and the palestinians in more than a year, and efforts from egypt to achieve a cease-fire have failed. a bogus facebook account may have led senior british defense officials to give out personal information. investigators say spies opened a fake account for a nato supreme allied commander, admiral james stavrid stavridis. they then tricked the officers into friending him, allowing access to e-mail addresses, phone numbers and pictures. st stavridis was in charge of ending moammar gadhafi's reign in libya. they say while no classified

information was stolen, the incident is embarrassing. the "uss enterprise" will set sail on its final voyage. the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was made famous in the film "top gun." and for the past 50 years, it's been involved in several wars and played a role in the cuban missile crisis. following its final mission, the navy will decommission the vessel following 51 years of service. it's very neat. >> it is. i love that story. >> and when they made "top gun," the movie makers gave them some fuzzy dice to put in there. they're still in there. >> really? i didn't know that one. see, you learn something new every day. d.c. drivers, you may have to change up your commute tomorrow morning. the traffic alert, that's straight ahead. >> that's right. and why you may see lots of green at the national mall today, and we are not talking about the grass. you're watching "news4 today." i was shocked to find out how many couples don't sleep in the same bedroom. but in the sleep number store, we hear it all the time.

yeah, nine out of ten couples disagree on the firmness they want in a mattress. i sleep on the couch. with our bed, the sleep number setting represents the firmness that you like on your half of the mattress. don't mess with my side because i'm comfortable. i can adjust mine to my liking and she can do the same. go ahead and switch sides so you can feel what the other side feels like. you're on his side. how does that feel? it's hard. i like my side i like my better, too. side better. this is this is too soft. too hard. why don't we switch back to where you were. i am so glad to be back. oh, yeah. you can have comfort and you can be in the same bed. there's no debate because you can have it your way and i'll have it mine. so we save a lot of marriages. discover the amazing sleep number bed, only at a sleep number store... where during our semi-annual sleep sale, save $400 to $700 on our most popular bed sets. plus, free standard shipping but only through march 18th! there are 400 sleep number stores nationwide, where queen mattresses start at just $699.

good morning, everyone. this weekend, we want to reintroduce you to a lovely young lady who was our wednesday's child a few months ago. rhonda is still waiting and hoping for a loving adoptive family. news4's barbara harrison took her out for a very special day. >> reporter: here at the aveda institute, the world of beauty is taught in beautiful surroundings that echo the

emphasis on the environment and enhancing what is natural. anna took us to meet one of the trainers of the school. >> rhonda, i'd like to introduce you to aliah alazar. >> reporter: aaliyah gave rhonda an idea of some of the things she would learn here if she decides to become a stylist some day. >> so, what we want to do is show you how to determine if your customer wants hair color. >> reporter: right now at 16, rhonda is enjoying high school, and in spite of some challenges, she says she's really doing well. what kind of grades are you making? >> all as. >> really? >> yeah. >> that must mean you're working hard. >> yeah. >> awesome. >> rhonda has been in the foster care system since 2 years old. her social worker says rhonda has been moved around quite a bit in her 14 years as a foster child. she's now in a group home. >> i don't want to be there. >> what would you like? >> i want to get adopt ed.

>> she needs someone who will have patience with her, will take a bit of time. even though she is 16, she needs a future, she needs hope. >> reporter: barbara harrison, news4 for "wednesday's child." >> if you have room in your home and your heart for rhonda or one of our teenagers waiting for a forever home, please call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me. or you can also logon to our home page at nbcwashington.com. a beauty queen in alaska has done what many of us would never dare. she shaved all of her hair off and for a very good cause. debbie evans' platform is to fight childhood cancer. so, after reaching her fund-raising goal, she had her head shaved to show kids with cancer that bald is beautiful. she even let one little girl whose leukemia is in remission get in on the act and grab the

razor. evin will compete in the miss alaska pageant in june, and she says she won't wear a wig. and she looks absolutely beautiful. >> i love that. i think it's a wonderful example for young girls that are going through a really difficult time to maybe even aspire to go that route. >> absolutely right. and if you want to shave your head, this is a good week for it, because it's going to be nice and warm, so -- >> you always have a way. >> thank you, chuck! >> your seven-day forecast is coming up next.

forget spring. >> i know. >> summer has moved right in. >> this is really going to be one of those weeks, you know, so early on in the spring season. i wouldn't be surprised if the park service didn't have to adjust their peak blossom estimate down along the tidal basin, because it's going to be really warm around here this week. and you put a couple of four, five, six, seven 70-degree days

on top of those blossoms, and oh, my goodness, they may be out a little earlier than expected. already springtime is busting out all over the place around the area. winds have turned back out of the south this morning and you're going to notice, and i suspect, at some level, anyway, appreciate the change in the wind direction. today's highs 10 or 12 degrees warmer than yesterday. i think we add another 10 coming up for tomorrow. here's a live view from our city camera this morning. here is the u.s. capitol building in the middle of downtown washington. there's the library of congress roof right there. sunshine a plenty out there. 40 degrees now at reagan national airport, winds out of the southwest averaging only 9 miles an hour. not much of a breeze today, 5 to 15-mile-per-hour south winds for much of the day, so not quite the kite-flying day that yesterday was, but south winds means things are going to warm up around here. 39 now waldorf and la plata. manassas hasn't moved their temperature up in a few hours, so i expect they're warmer than 27. culpepper up to 43, same in fredericksburg.

this guy on the potomac has the right idea, going out on the boat for some fishing time today. don't forget your sun block now. we're close to the spring equinox and that's the point where we need to watch out for sun safety as well. your hometown 4-cast, la plata, temperature today climbing into the low 60s with full sunshine. overnight tonight, a couple passing clouds around, temperatures back down only in the low 40s for early tomorrow morning with a milder start coming up. be ready for 70-degree weather around here for tomorrow. nothing on radar for now. we've got a nice, dry sunday coming, good day to wash the car. you might even have to start thinking about mowing the lawn. that's what all this warm air's going to do around here. rain drops across parts of the mid-south and southern plain states today. most of that's headed up into the western part of the great lakes, chicagoland, milwaukee, those places. but for us, high pressure in charge. as it works off the eastern seaboard, that gathering storm, which again, is going to be mainly going north and west of us, is going to throw a little bit of moisture in our direction. clouds will increase tomorrow afternoon.

we might have some spotty showers around here between about sundown tomorrow and sunrise on tuesday morning. it doesn't look like a lot of rain, just enough to get a little bit of a rain drop here and there. so, today no problems at all. mostly sunny, warmer, breezy at times. highs today upper 50s and low 60s. here's the all-important seven-day forecast. a 63 today, a 70 coming up for tomorrow, and then it's all 70s after that. 74 on tuesday, and again, our little chance for some showers late monday, monday night, early tuesday. not going to add up to much. you can actually use a nice little spring soaker around here. not any signs of that in the forecast there. if you want to stay ahead of the weather, you can come to our website or follow me on twitter @chuckbell4. march right now seven degrees warmer than average. the way things are going, we're probably going to have a top five warmest march. >> wow. looking forward to it. >> okay. >> thanks, chuck. and a winter wonderland is getting a little bit bigger. >> the work going on in the offseason. that's next. oh dear...

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nbc 4 is the place for politics on this sunday morning. >> coming up next is "the chris matthews show" followed by "meet the press." here's a look at what they're working on. >> good morning, washington. coming up at 10:00 on "the chris

matthews show," he's up in the polls, and this week, president obama essentially told mitt romney, bring it on. the president's going to run on his record, not duck it. it was no-drama obama last time, and this time, it's no-apologies obama. and for his part, romney is still fighting the last battles for the nomination that eventually he's still likely to win. republican leaders see obama already off to the races with their guy weakened. plus, it's just four years since hillary clinton and sarah palin were players, but now republicans are acting like it's the days when the men had cigars after dinner and made the decisions while the women retired to the parlor. how'd this happen? join me and nia-malika henderson for a gat roundtable. now, a look at what's coming up on "meet the press" with david gregory. >> thanks, chris. good morning, erika and angie. coming up, rick santorum crushed his competition in kansas yesterday, but mitt romney also picked up some wins of his own, maintaining his delegate lead.

the question now is can santorum ultimately do the delegate math to beat romney? he'll join me exclusively from the campaign trail this morning. then, a preview of the fall campaign. will social issues trump talk of the economy? we'll have a special debate between two top governors who are also local voices, romney supporter and governor of virginia bob mcdonnell and maryland mayor martin o'malley. and the question of civility and politics. it's all this morning on "meet the press." and be sure to stay tuned after the program for my special "press pass" conversation after last night's big hbo problemier "game change" on the '08 c campaign. i talk with the authors of the book only here on nbc 4. >> david, thank you. traffic alert for you. drivers who go through upper northeast washington, you may need to tack on some extra time to your commute. road crews are preparing to shut down the ramp from eastbound riggs road to southbound south

dakota avenue. the closure will be permanent. crews will add another lane so drivers can make a right turn from riggs on to south dakota. a popular ice skating rink in pentagon city will soon get a little bigger. the arlington county board approved a plan to expand the rink by 40 feet at the pentagon row shops. they also agreed to add another month to the rink's operating season. the measure calls for new landscaping, seating and even a fire pit. all the upgrades should be completed by the fall of next year. i am certain they will have many new visitors. i think i will add myself to the list already. sounds like fun. well, st. patrick's day may be next saturday, but that's not stopping people from celebrating today. there's the st. patrick's day 8k race and parade. right now, people are gathering at freedom plaza and the race starts and ends on pennsylvania avenue between 12th and 13th streets northwest.

rolling road closures began at 5:00 this morning and they are going to continue into the afternoon. >> and this year's parade theme is feed the soul and nourish the palate. police will close constitution avenue from 7th street to 17th street for the parade that begins at noon. the road closures started about an hour ago and will run through about 3:00 this afternoon. ♪ ooh, baby, give me one more chance ♪ and a reminder, don't forget to tune in to nbc's "the voice" tomorrow night. erin willett from gaithersburg is among the contestants competing in the duet rounds, where they battle it out with another singer. erin will join me and big tigger on news4 at 4:00 tomorrow. she's coming in the studio, and we might get her to sing a little. you can see "the voice" tomorrow at 8:00 right here on nbc 4. and during the show, join big tigger and myself.

we will be co-hosting a live web chat on nbcwashington.com. and while you're in there, say hello to erin, because she along with the shields brothers, who are also local guys that are competing, will be in the chat to give us a little bit of an idea of what went on behind the scenes and how their coaches cee lo and blake shelton are. >> i would think they would be tough coaches, i would think. that's just me. >> but they're also very encouraging and inspiring. >> that's the way coaches are, tough and encouraging. >> all right, chuck. thank you, everybody, for joining us. that's going to do it for this edition of "news4 today.today.. >> join us monday morning at 4:30 a.m.

♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i?