simpson walked out of the prince george's county courthouse last night a free woman, after a jury cleared her of all seven charges related to the stabbing death of her former roommate dominique frazier. on these calls you can hear simpson explaining herself to people who are standing by. >> reporter: frazier and simpson had an argument in their apartment over loud music coming from an ipod that resulted in a fist fight and ended with simpson stabbing frazier. simpson said she grabbed a knife to scare frazier and her friends away. she said she was being jumped by the girls, but did not mean to kill frazier. frazier stumbled into a hallway and collapsed. that's when additional calls began.

>> reporter: the medical examiner testified that the cuts frazier suffered could have killed her in minutes, if not seconds. >> reporter: now, the jury had a number of options for convicting simpson, anything from first-degree murder to involuntary manslaughter. butagain, they found her not guilty on all charges. coming up at 6:00, we talked with students at bowie state university about that and get their reaction. tracee wilkins, news4. we have a developing story in fairfax county. a former teacher arrested and accused of sexually assaulting students decades ago. this afternoon police in mclean, virginia, arrested chris ton kloman. a woman says she ran into him at the washington episcopal school in bethesda last year while he was working as a substitute

teacher there, teaching young kids. and that's why she came forward 43 years after the alleged incident. she said she was 12 at the time. this investigation revealed additional female victims and investigators think there could be even more. right now, route 97 in montgomery county is still closed because of a school bus flipped onto its side after being clipped by a car around 1:30 this afternoon near rolling hills drive near the howard and montgomery county line. police say the car was trying to turn when it collided with the bus. one student onboard at the time wasn't hurt. both drivers did suffer some minor injuries. tonight a death investigation in whoeton about 1:30 this afternoon, police got a call that a man fell out of a tree and died. when they showed up to a home on randolph road here, that tree also collapsed. detectives don't know how the man died. former cia director david petraeus went to capitol hill today to tell lawmakers what he has learned about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi.

keith rsell is at the live desk with details on what lawmakers are saying about his testimony. >> wendy, general david petraeus told lawmakers he consistently told congress there were terrorist elements involved in the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. petraeus said there were extremists in the group that killed u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three others, describing them as affiliates of al qaeda. following closed-door sessions with the tej committees, the big question became did petraeus alter his stance from a previous briefing. he said on september 14th his story was different from his presentation today. democrats say it's been the same the whole time. general petraeus was not asked about his affair with paula broadwell, but did take it upon himself to apologize for his actions. live in the newsroom, keith russell, news4. the white house said president obama had a constructive meeting with congressional leaders on the

looming fiscal cliff. the president met with top house and senate leaders for more than an hour this morning. they began talks into ways they can avert the cliff of automatic tax increases, and spending cuts that are set to take effect on january 1st. >> our challenge is to make sure that, you know, we are able to cooperate together, work together, find some common ground, make some tough compromises, build some consensus to do the people's business. and what folks are looking for, and i think all of us agree on this, is action. they want to see that we are focused on them, not focused on our politics here in washington. >> congressional leaders expressed confidence they can reach a deal that would cut the deficit before christmas. turning to the weather, is there any warm-up in sight for our weekend? chief meteorologist doug kammerer is here. how about it, doug? >> maybe a little warm-up. we're talking a very small one. today, a high of 54 degrees.

not too bad out there, with some sunshine. right now, sitting at 49 across the area with winds out of the north at about 8 miles per hour. what are we going to be seeing over the next couple of days? well, it is going to stay cool. you can expect more numbers like this right on through next week. 46 right now at gaithersburg, 48 leesburg, right now 53 degrees down towards fredericksburg. the rest of the evening into tomorrow morning, 45 degrees at 9:00. you will need a jacket if you're heading out to dinner or a movie tonight. by the time you wake up tomorrow, most areas around the district in the metro area into the mid-30s. but many of you outside the beltway will once again be in the upper 20s to start your saturday. i'll talk about the rest of the weekend and your thanksgiving week coming up in a minute. >> thank you, doug. well, it was sunny today. so santa ditched the reindeer for a convertible. and became the first person to use the brand-new 495 express lanes in virginia. >> he was heading to his day job at tysons corner center.

the new slick road, tells you what you need to know before you head out to it. >> reporter: literally just hours to go now until you can start using the brand-new express lanes here on the virginia side of the beltway, and this close to opening still questions. sorting out all the details of this new transportation option can be tough. so let's cover the basics first. two new express lanes in each direction. now in place between just north of the dulles toll road and the springfield interchange. if you want to use the all-electronic lanes and do not have a car pool of three or more people, you'll have to pay an ez-pass toll that rises and falls based on the amount of traffic in the lane. you're promised at least 45 miles per hour even during rush hours. if you have a car pool of three people you can ride in the lanes for free but you must have the new ez-pass flex. that allows you to switch to car pool mode. you can get that flex in both virginia and maryland.

so how will project leaders make sure drivers are hov 3? >> when they enter the lanes, if they have their ez-pass flex in car pool mode, that will communicate to us that they have three people in the car. we'll have alerts on the toll entries and other means to be able to notify the virginia state police that will be out there enforcing the hov free. they'll visually check they're following the rules. >> reporter: violations can range from $50 to $1,000. now, if this is also a limited access highway, meaning you can't get on and off at all of the points of the regular beltway. kind of like 395. >> the best advice that we can give drivers on the beltway, all drivers whether they believe they'll use the express lanes or not is to study. >> coming up at 6:00, we'll tell you more about the enforcement aspect of these lanes and the hefty fines that go along with it. along the beltway, in tysons corner, adam tuss, news4. >> for a list of frequently asked questions about the new

express lanes in virginia, just go to nbcwashington.com and search express lanes. a d.c. principal is out of jail tonight, coolidge high school principal thelma jarrett pled not guilty to simple assault in court today. she was released on her own recognizance. a former employee said she and two other women attacked her during a november 2nd football game. she said she was kicked and punched in the school parking lot. jarrett will remain on administrative leave during the investigation. a child is now back with social services. police found the 1-year-old girl in prince george's county this morning. her parents took the child instead of turning her over to social services in halifax county, virginia, yesterday. eric black and jennifer carlisle are now in custody. we're just getting started on news4 at 5:00 tonight. parents in loudoun county getting fired up over potential school redistricting. aroma therapy, acupressure,

and tibetan singing bulls. we'll tell you how local doctors are using these alternative treatments to help children cope with chronic pain. forget about that financial cliff. tonight, trouble for the twinkies. i'm pat collins. i'll have the story coming up. news4.

aroma therapy. you might find it at the spa, or use it to make your home smell good. but could it help cure kids' pain. it's being used at local hospitals. >> the answer to that question surprised me. aroma therapy is just one type of alternative medicine used at major medical centers. doctors say these kind of treatments can help calm down nervous kids, and that can help them to start healing. >> it's like the throbbing and aching, and sometimes stabbing. >> reporter: 14-year-old hannah miller is describing the mysterious pain on her side that's plagued her for more than a year. >> i've been through test after test. lab work repeatedly. with an ultrasound, cat scans, x-rays. >> reporter: but no one could figure out what was causing her pain. when she finally visited the

complex pain medicine clinic at children's national medical center, doctors diagnosed hannah has having chronic pain, and suggested an unusual course of treatment. >> go ahead and put your other hand on top. >> reporter: it didn't involve drugs, just smelling scented oils, rerks iki and tibetan ringing bowls. >> it's better than medication i could have given her at time. >> reporter: this is the clinical director. she said alternative medicine is becoming mainstream, as more and more studies back up their use. and while they don't always know exactly why these treatments work, the doctor said they seem to help kids relax and that can spark healin >> so if they think that this is part of play and relaxation, and they're having things that are pleasant for them, they're also going to be -- feel like they can get better. we just have to figure out which works for which patient. >> reporter: registered nurse

marion is the hospital's expert on these techniques. she is the one doctors call on when they've run out of treatment options. her regimen includes aroma therapy which has young patients smell different oils depending on their problems. also, tibetan singing bowls and ancient instrument that's supposed to shift energy. and this. >> they're great. they won't hurt me. >> reporter: the emotional freedom technique, or eft, is when patients tap their fingers on acupressure points around their body while talking out loud about whatever is bothering them. >> a lot of times people think i'm crazy. especially the doctors. they say, oh, you're doing that tapping thing. when they see it work, they're the first ones to call me to ask me to do some tappy thing with some kid. >> reporter: she said she's not sure how it helps, but it does. hannah miller says her pain is now diminished. >> it just makes me, like, calm

down. >> reporter: hannah said the pain is still there, but now it's tolerable. both she and her mother believe she's finally on the right path toward healing. >> i hope it all goes away. i hope she lives a normal life. >> hannah miller's treatment isn't completely drug-free. she still takes one medication and undergoes physical therapy. right now children's national medical center is using alternative medicine in their pain clinic as well as kids dealing with a lot of fear and anxiety about just being in the hospital. but they're testing aroma therapy for nausea, especially for people who get sick coming out of anesthesia. people have been skeptical about these things. i don't think they can always say exactly how they work, or why they work, but i think that the mainstream medical community is becoming more open because of --y're integrating it

all. and it works. it's not always meant to replace traditional medicine, but to augment it. >> exactly. >> fascinating. >> nice to see they're breaking out of the borders for all of these different philosophies. >> and it's working. >> thanks, doreen. doug joins us now. come on, you're working for us, as we say. >> for storm team 4. we're working for you. and we are working for you. of course, the weekend, we've been talking about this weekend, of course, into next week for the holiday, as that coastal storm was looming. but it looks like now, better weather is out there. we've been talking about it the last couple of days, how we think the coastal storm will miss our region. that is very good news for us. we're not going to have to deal with the rain and the wind associated with that. although if you're heading down towards ocean city, places like that, you'll see wind and tidal rises down there. winds out of north about 8 miles per hour.

a little bit of a windchill. so it's still quite chilly for this time of year. 45 in winchester, 48 in leesburg, 53 in fredericksburg. gaithersburg coming in at 5 degrees. you'll need the jackets and coats as you step outside tonight. it is friday night, a friday evening and looking pretty nice for you as long as you're bundled up for it. should be great. nothing as far as the rain is concerned. we did see a few showers early this morning mostly in southern maryland. that's with the first coastal system moving offshore. the clear skies will allow temperatures to cool once again overnight tonight. high pressure dominating. that's why we saw all the sunshine today. tomorrow, the high will move off towards the east a little bit. still going to be cool. i still think we'll see a lot of sun. tomorrow will be very similar to what we saw during the day today. sunday, area of high pressure slides farther to the north and east. as a result, our northeasterly winds begin to pick up. we'll see the winds pick up, we'll see a few more clouds late in the day on sunday as the

coastal storm develops down to the south. monday, the storm itself, you don't see too much down there, but what you will see is some cloud cover during the day on monday. so expect clouds, expect cool temperatures. monday not a bad day, but you'll see a lot of clouds. how about the meteor showers. that's going to be happening overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning. these will be the low temperature numbers. 37 in washington. and if you're in a clearing, and maybe away from some light pollution, this should be a nice night to see the leonids. look off towards the east between midnight and dawn, face to the east and look straight up for the most part. on average you'll see about ten per hour in those unlit areas. so if you want to get out and enjoy that, make sure you bring a blanket along with you, because you'll need it. clear skies tomorrow. starting 26 in the coldest suburbs to about 37 inside the

d.c. metro area. we are going to be looking at a pretty good saturday, i think. not bad at all. mostly sunny. still cool. but a nice afternoon. high temperatures 51 to 55 degrees. then the all-important must-win game against the eagles. of course, dan hellie last night said it isn't a must-win, it's a can't-lose. low 50s at 1:00. clouds and sun mix, cool. you will need your jacket out there if you're going to the game. just know that if you're going out towards fedex field. i think i'm going to the game. i think i got tickets. not sure. four-day forecast, 54 on your saturday. 53 on sunday. i do expect a lot more cloud cover on monday. and then i think we start to break out of the clouds as we move towards thanksgiving. thanksgiving right now looking pretty good. maybe a little breezy. but high temperatures around 60 degrees both thursday and on friday. so not bad for the holiday.

and that should make people happy. i'm excited. i'm going to the game. >> hellie is on the phone, he's not feeling so hot. you may have to come in. you could do it from the game perhaps. thank you, doug. we have breaking news right now. there is a large industrial fire in garland, texas, near dallas. take a look at this. witnesses heard several explosions. firefighters are standing back and waiting, which is common with fires at chemical facilities. investigators have not said what is in these containers, but as you can see, the valvoline logo is out among them. >> no reports of injuries on this just yet. but it's massive. >> it just started about 45 minutes ago. we will keep you up to date on this breaking story. still ahead on news4 at 5:00, food critic digs into a new pizza place. the dash to grab up all the twinkies, the ho hos, and

wendy's favorite, snowballs. >> yeah, baby. >> how this impacts our local economy. in sports, time for the high school football play-offs. we'll go live to chantilly.

high school football, cross-town rivals, huh? >> it's a busy weekend for

football. we turn our attention to one of the few undefeated teams in the area. the westfield bulldogs, ranked fourth. they have their work cut out for them against chantilly. these two faced off earlier this season in a nail-biter, with the bulldogs squeaking out a three-point victory. zachary joins us live from westfield. loving this rematch, zachary. >> i don't know if there is any bigger event in town than this, carol, during the regular season westfield took the victory 24-21. this time, chantilly just down the road from home with an opportunity to knock off the bulldogs in the all-important play-offs. but it won't be easy. the bulldogs have something in common with many of the other highly successful teams we've seen this year, and that is, they all have a head coach who possesses the unique ability to connect with these young players. and the bulldogs head coach kyle simmons is not the exception. hip-hop music is blasting from the speakers.

typical game practice, and kyle simmons has his guys living on the edge, just where he wants them. you've got to be crazy to play dn. >> you've got to be crazy to wear your hair like this, too. i told the team if we went undefeated, we all dye our hair for the play-offs. i did something extra, i've got the black tips. >> reporter: there are coaches and players' coaches. it's clear simmons is the latter, but being a bulldog isn't outlandish behavior, or even a cheap slogan, it's earned. >> being a bulldog means that you have the utmost respect for your teammates, and that you work hard. and that's how you get respect is working hard every single day. that's about the culture that is here. it's about the guys that were here before them and they're carrying on that legacy of pride, and the traditions that we have here. and the kids really bought into that. >> this game is about business.

we've got to work to achieve things that we want to achieve. >> you've got two minutes. >> reporter: when 40 guys graduated from last season's team, this is supposed to be a rebuilding unit. >> i explained to them we're going to have young kids playing, that there were some sophomores, freshmen at the time sitting in the meetings that were going to be on the field. mentally and emotionally i tried to prepare them for that six months out. and although we were young and inexperienced to begin the season, i don't feel that's the case any longer. >> reporter: for the upper classmen, all those little question marks turn into one big chip on the shoulder. >> first, it was motivation that people were doubting us. a lot of people, we call them haters, so we had a lot of haters out there. we showed them up early in the season. late in the season we want to keep the streak alive. we haven't beaten chantilly, centerville or oakland in the play-offs ever. we want to make that a first this week.

>> my initial goal was to get a home field game the first round. now the goal is state championship. >> reporter: coach kyle simmons said the vibe this week at practice, hoping the beat rolls on for them tonight in the play-offs. you know, carol, it is a beautiful facility out here. i had an opportunity to talk to a couple of the folks running around here. this is all they're talking about. but do you think i could get away with one of those mohawks? >> you would look good. a fohawk. we'll find out if the blonds have more fun. >> don't do it, zach. >> these guys say don't do it. we'll have highlights for this game coming up at 11:00 tonight. >> highlights of the game, no highlights of the hair. >> thank you, carol. coming up next on news4 at 5:30, a worker strike causes a massive shutdown of hostess

factories. could this be the end of the twinkie and ho ho? how long could the thanksgiving leftovers last in the fridge? letters written decades ago wash ashore during hurricane sandy.

have a good night. here you go. you, too. i'm going to dream about that steak. i'm going to dream about that tiramisu. what a night, huh? but, um, can the test drive be over now? head back to the dealership? [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. but we still need your signature. volkswagen sign then drive is back. and it's never been easier to get a passat. tt's the power of german engineering. get $0 down, $0 due at signing, $0 deposit, and $0 first month's payment on any new volkswagen. visit vwdealer.com today.

fast forward through the headlines. evidence was released today from the murder trial of alexis simpson, the former bowie state university student was cleared on all charges in the stabbing death of her roommate dominique frazier. in 911 tapes from the night of the stabbing, simpson can be heard in the background screaming, i'm sorry, and why did you all jump me. the much anticipated 495 express lanes are set to open at 2:00 tomorrow morning. the 14-mile stretch of toll lanes run along the virginia side of the beltway from the dulles toll road to the springfield interchange. drivers will be able to go at least 45 miles an hour, even during rush hour. you can avoid the toll by getting the new ez-pass flex and car pooling with three or more people. fast foreward to the weather. >> so excited about that. traffic over there was horrible during the day yesterday. so good thing they're going to

open those up. i want to show you what's happening right now across the eastern half of the nation. we saw a few showers across portions of our area this morning. all the way from denver, through washington, raleigh, up to boston, not a single drop of rain during the afternoon today. temperaturewise, it has been cool over that same period. 49 in cincinnati. look at jacksonville, florida, right now a temperature of 54 degrees. boston at 41 degrees. we're seeing very cool air for this part of november. all the way down toward the south. it's going to continue to stay here right on through the next couple of days and into the weekend. i'll show you what to expect for that thanksgiving holiday coming up. well, tonight the twinkie, the ho ho, the snowball and classic cupcake, all american snack foods of that classic company could be in jeopardy. hostess, the company that created the tasty treats, announces it's closing its doors because of a labor dispute with its workers.

pat collins tells us about the impact this could have on our area. >> reporter: i remember as a boy the old wonder bread bakery. it was near griffith stadium when the senators played. and you could smell that bread baking. you knew it was time to play ball. and after the game, if you were really, really good, maybe a twinkie. >> they taste good. they're really yummy inside. a lot of good yumminess inside. >> reporter: now we hear because of a labor dispute, wonder bread, hostess, and the iconic twinkie may be going the way of the stud ebaker. >> what's a stud ebaker? >> know what i mean? >> reporter: that's joe. he's been delivering twinkies for 28 years. are you going to miss the twinkie? >> yes. my father did it for 25 years. >> reporter: show me your twinkies.

how many boxes? >> i have ten. six here and four in the front. >> reporter: your husband sent you? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: your husband made you do it? >> yes, he did. >> reporter: he's been eating twinkies how long? >> his whole life. >> reporter: people stocking up on twinkies for all sorts of reasons. the twinkie collector. >> a souvenir. i don't like them. >> reporter: but you bought them anyhow. >> yeah. for a souvenir. >> reporter: the twinkie historian. >> my children have never had a twinkie before. >> reporter: and you don't want them to go through life without that experience? >> they have to have that cultural experience. >> reporter: twinkie connoisseurs. show me your twinkie. >> i've got the chocolates, and i've got the traditional. >> reporter: you were 6 years old when you had your first twinkie? >> that's correct. >> reporter: and you've been eating them ever since? >> can't you tell? >> reporter: it's one of those nostalgic things. they've been around for a good while. so you buy them.

>> reporter: now, if you stock up on twinkies, you don't have to eat them all at once. there may be a sell-by date, but we all know twinkies never get old. i'm pat collins, news4, washington. loaded with preservatives. >> they don't care. road trip trips make up the bulk of thanksgiving travel. aaa tells us it's about the same as last year, it's also cheaper to drive in virginia. the average price of gas is $3.25 a gallon. that's 4 cents less than a year ago this time. air travel during thanksgiving is expected to drop by 3% this year. but aaa says those who do fly this thanksgiving will find lower fares. a virginia family's 20-year effort to correct a historical error is paying off. this weekend, a country lane in

loudoun county will be renamed. leesburg resident christina has been pushing for this road to be named after the one-room schoolhouse she attended as a child in the 1930s. tonight parents in loudoun county are outraged over proposed changes in elementary school attendance zones. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey talked to parents who feel they're being picked on. >> reporter: in loudoun county, the signs have been made, the petitions are being signed and social media is on fire. parents across the ash burn and dulles north areas are up in arms over a proposed boundary change for elementary schools. two new elementaries open next fall. seven existing buildings are overcrowded. in one of the fastest growing areas in the country, drawing new school attendance bound vis a frequent and necessary growing pain. >> we have 2,500 new students every year on average, opened 37 schools since 2000.

we've more than doubled our student population since then. so inevitably somebody has to move. >> reporter: this is the original boundary change map proposed by the administration known as a base lane, but more proposals have been added. in fact, there are now seven under consideration. now meet the parents of dn 29 on the boundary map. their kids, about 135 who live here, go to sanders corner elementary now. but two of the proposals move into a different school. cedar lane. trouble is, the same community moved from cedar lane to sanders in 2008. they feel picked on. >> whether or not that was the intention, it feels discriminatory, that the townhouses and condos are singled out to move, when we moved only four years ago. >> reporter: for mom alex, it comes down to something even more basic, her second-graders happiness. >> we've been making friends. all our friends are there.

we like it there. we would love to stay there. >> reporter: yarbrough and dozens of other parents are expected to turn out december 3rd for a public hearing. but the school board vote will be december 7th. >> it's all open, a blank slate. we welcome ideas. but people have to realize that eventually at the end of the day, somebody has to move. >> reporter: julie carey, news4. coming up at 6:00 tonight, concerns from a school neighborhood that fears being split in two. but still straight ahead on news4 at 5:00, a new pizza place that opened in northeast d.c. and tom gives us his take on it. drinking booze really adds

mary gonzales had a cold, she also has asthma. so she sees her allergist who has a receptionist susan, who sees that she's due for a mammogram. mary has one that day. that's when she finds out she has a tumor. she has a successful surgery

and because her health provider has an amazing connected system, she has her life. i don't know what you have but i have kaiser permanente. kaiser permanente. thrive the owners of a new pizzeria in the district packed up everything they own and drove across the country to set up shop in the brookland neighborhood. >> tonight "washington post" food critic tom sietsema joins us. >> pizza maker used their own hands and turned this storefront into a sunny pizza parlor. rolled out in may, they have fewer than 30 seats in two cramped rooms. but therein is a lot of pleasure. the front room basically a

hallway dominated by a 6,000-pound oven is the chef's domain. turn the corner and you find a slip of a bar, a photograph of a bay of naples at night and a chalkboard that reveals leland's sudsy passion. ten beers on tap, ten by the bottle, plus well cocktails. a little of what i've sampled is worth taking space away from the chef's typically thin, lightly blistered and pleasantly yeasty pizzas. there are more than a dozen, including a zippy pizza scattered with sliced salami. you're missing half the fun if you don't imbibe, or at least listen to him expound on his favorite subject. pizza and beer nuts outside the borders feel good about this slice of bliss. >> wow.

>> how did we go from twinkies to that. >> i want some of that. >> i'm so hungry. coming up, did breaking dawn break records. and love letters written decades ago washed ashore from sandy. and a family in virginia gets a phone call they didn't expect. i'm liz crenshaw. should you think about starting to defrost that thanksgiving turkey this weekend? that's the question. the answer is coming up on "ask liz" on news4 at 5:00. liz is already talking about thanksgiving. it's only less than a week away now. right now we're dealing with cold temperatures. i'll show you what to expect for the weekend. yes, thanksgiving is in the next seven-day forecast.

we now want to go back to garland, texas. all the employees inside this industrial complex did get out. but that is one heck of a fire burning there. an industrial fire in garland, texas, near dallas. several explosions occurred there. the smoke plume is going up 7,000 feet. and they've had to evacuate residents in the nearby area for obvious reasons. so that is what they are tackling on this friday evening in garland, texas. you can see the firefighters have already arrived, and you can see they're starting to use water. but good luck with that. fortunately, again, it looks like no one was left inside. all the employees did get out. well, in "news4 your health," you may want to avoid

drinking a lot of alcohol if you're trying to lose weight. you get as much empty calories from booze as soft drinks. they account for 6% of calories adults consume, alcohol about 5%. researchers at the centers for disease control and prevention point out that like soda, alcohol has few nutrients. except on thanksgiving. then all that stuff is out the window, okay? any warm-up for the weekend? how about it, doug? >> a warm-up for the weekend. we can say maybe a smidgen. tomorrow will be maybe a degree warmer than it was today. but it may actually feel a little warmer as we'll see a little more sunshine and little less wind tomorrow. take a look out there right now. this is down to national harbor, where, of course, they've got ice that kicks off tonight. they've also got the tree lighting at the gaylord hotel. a nice night down there for them. as far as the rest of us are concerned, a little on the cool side. as far as the temperatures go. right now, currently sitting into the 40s. 48 degrees out at the airport.

what are we seeing right now? take a look at my graphic, because i think i'm on the wrong thing here. i'll just click this guy and click this guy and click this guy. it gives me -- this guy. which is the moon. look at that shot. a beautiful shot of the moon tonight. a crescent moon off in the distance. just gorgeous with temperatures sitting right now at 49 degrees. winds out of the north at 8 miles an hour. we're under clear skies right now. as far as the temperatures around the rest of the region, 48 in rockville, 43 already in gaithersburg. a little chilly there. 52 in manassas. we are going to see a cool night tonight. and a very cool start to your day tomorrow. don't expect any rain. and don't expect any rain this weekend. and probably for the next seven days. i have the next seven days dry for the most part. the only chae could be on monday as that coastal low off the coast could give us a little bit of moisture trying to get in here monday. right now i'm keeping the forecast dry. lows tonight, 27 in martinsburg, 27 in culpepper, 37 in

washington. going to be a cold night if you're thinking about looking at the leonid meteor shower taking place later tonight and into tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon, highs in the 50s. maybe 55 in la plata, 52 in gaithersburg. once again, there should be abundant sunshine. we take on the eagles at fedex field. temperatures will be in the low 50s around 1:00. if you get out there, it will be cool out there. cool, but nice football weather for this time of year. i think we're looking okay there. over the next couple of days, 53 on your sunday, 52 on monday. more clouds on monday, breaking back out into the sunshine on tuesday, wednesday, thursday, all looking pretty good. and the temperatures hopefully getting back up to close to 60 by thursday afternoon. happy thanksgiving, everyone. >> all right. well, so, how long does it take to defrost a frozen turkey, and how long should you cook it? we have a question about the turkey leftovers.

a thanksgiving of "ask liz" on this friday. >> how about that. >> we were just talking about this one. your first question about frozen turkeys. how long does it take a frozen turkey to defrost? >> a long time. no one wants to wake up on thanksgiving with a frozen bird. the usda helped us with tips. they said the safest way is in the refrigerator. it does take 24 hours of defrosting time in the fridge for every four to five pounds of turkey. that means 12 to 16-pound turkey is going to take three to four days in the fridge to defrost. go check your frozen bird now and see if he needs to get in the fridge this weekend. for faster defrosting, usda said you can cover your turkey in cold water by putting it in a plastic bag or large bowl. it takes 30 minutes per pound. but 12 to 16-pound bird will take six to eight hours. but you have to change that water every 30 minutes, and keep that water cold. a much more dangerous way to defrost.

something new this year. usda said it is safe to cook a frozen turkey from the frozen state. however, the frozen cooking time is going to take 50% longer. keep that in mind as we move to our next question. >> what about a tofurkey? now on to cooking that turkey. assuming you choose to thaw your turkey, how long do you have to cook it? >> forget about your grandmother's recipe. today's turkey cook at a different rate than the old birds. the usda recommends setting your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit, and 1 1/2 to 5 hours depending on the turkey size. the most factor is the internal temperature. make sure it reaches a minimum of 165 degrees. you check that temperature with a thermometer in the inner most part of the thigh and wing. and in the thickest part of the breast as well. don't guess, don't look, don't ask granny. get a thermometer. >> what about leftovers, how

long can you keep the turkey leftovers in the refrigerator? >> well, if you have any leftovers, if jim handly is not coming over, as you're putting away the turkey, keep the usda rules in mind. cut the turkey up into small pieces, not a big chunk in the fridge and refrigerate the stuffing and turkey separately in shallow containers within two hours of pulling the stuff out of the oven. also, they want you to eat your leftover turkey and stuffing within about four days. for more thanksgiving and cooking safety tips, go to nbcwashington.com, and search turkey tips. >> all right. so we hope you have a safe cooking thanksgiving this year. >> i'm going to have a pizza the day after thanksgiving. handly? >> i'll drink to that. there's a new landmark in south d.c. canal park opened to the public today. the outdoor space has water features and sculptures. but many people think the best part is the ice skating rink that also opened for business today. canal park is located at second

and m street southeast near the navy yard metro station. and that's not far from nats park. we are told a restaurant with outdoor seating will open at the park in the next few weeks. here's what's trending today online. the redskins won't have to face michael vick on sunday when the eagles come to town. the quarterback was ruled out for the game. so a rookie qb will start against the skins. the final installment in the "twilight" series brought in more than $30 million for the midnight showings in the sufficient. breaking dawn part two came in higher than any other "twilight" movie, but not as much as midnight showings for harry potter. love letters written decades ago are found after they wash ashore from hurricane sandy. coming up on news4 at 6:00, a cease-fire fails. israel and palestinian militants are trading air strikes yet again. a report from gaza city

falls church, virginia, is reaching out in the wake of superstorm sandy. a volunteer fire department is donating this 2002 ambulance to island park, new york. flooding destroyed the fire trucks and ambulances this crews there relied on to provide emergency services. firefighters from falls church will leave monday morning to drive that vehicle up to its new

home. good for them. a new jersey woman and her son found dozens of love letters in the sand from decades ago. >> nbc's mara explains how they tracked down the owner. >> reporter: in atlantic heights, new jersey, amidst the destruction from hurricane sandy, a message in a bundle. washed up during the storm, a neat pile of letters tied with a pink bow. the day after sandy struck, kathleen cheney was surveying damage near the beach when her 14-year-old son, patrick, spotted the stack. you knew what they were? >> i watched enough romantic movies, yeah. i just knew. >> reporter: the letters seemed to be in bad shape. >> they were pretty wet and really sandy. i had to kind of dust them off. >> reporter: but after drying by the fireplace, cheney was finally able to read them. 56 handwritten love letters addressed to a darling lynn, signed by your loving doc.

the letters didn't just withstand sandy, but time. they were written 70 years ago, postmarked in the '40s, some penned during world war ii. >> my love, i miss you more than words can say. my darling lynn, guess this is about the third letter i've written to you today. >> reporter: touched by the love story, cheney began looking for dottie and lynn online. this week, 200 miles away in virginia, shelley farnham got her message on a genealogy site and immediately knew it was the story of her aunt dottie and uncle lynn. >> lynn and dottie were very affectionate with each other. she had a habit in the morning as she got out of bed, to reach down and wiggle his toes a little bit, kind of like, okay, time to wake up. >> reporter: dottie was just 18 when she fell in love with lynn in 1941. they were apart for seven years while she was in nursing school in new jersey and he was in the

army. they finally got married in 1948, had two children, and were together 44 years, until lynn died of cancer in 1992. >> that last morning he didn't wake up. >> reporter: dottie, now 88 years old, lives in a nursing home, and remembers little of her darling lynn. >> really, lynn, it doesn't to me where we live as long as we call it a home of our own. >> reporter: rediscovering the long-forgotten words of a young girl swept off her feet, now swept ashore. right now, the middle east is on the brink of an all-out ground war. >> former cia director david petraeus reveals why the terror connection to the libyan attack was kept secret. the beltway express lane set to open. but it comes with a warning for anybody trying to cheat the system. we start with breaking news out of the middle east. the u.s. navy is ready to help americans