state police major crime detectives have been working 24 hours a day since this tragedy occurred and we'll continue to do so indefinitely. >> new information this morning from police in connecticut who are prosing to leave no stone unturned. and today the first two of the 20 small victims of the elementary school shooting will be buried. what we know about when and where classes will resume. good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm keith russell. it is monday, december 17th, 2012. police are asking for privacy for the families of two young victims. from sandy hook elementary school who will be laid to rest today. police held a briefing a little over an hour ago promising to learn everything they could about the gunman and the guns used in the quiet town of

newtown that left 20 children and six adults dead. >> reporter: four days after this shooting the school and shooter's home remain a crime scene. police say they have recovered a significant amount of everybody from both locations that could help them piece together a motive. police are also now confirming that there was actually a second victim who survived that shooting and is recovering. l police saying if not for the first responders, this shooting could have been so much worse. >> i can tell you that the faculty and staff in that school did everything that they possibly could to protect those children. i can tell you that the first responders that got to that sceneh shooter team, entered that school and saved many human lives. i can tell you it broke our hearts when we couldn't save them all. >> reporter: later this afternoon the first two funerals for those victims who did in the survive will be held. the first is for noah pozner. also jack pinto, a 6-year-old

who was a big new york giants fan. later today school district employees here in newtown will be meeting discussing how best to handle this tragedy moving forward. as tomorrow children begin returning to class. officials say students who attended sandy hook elementary will be excused indefinitely. live in newtown, connecticut, i'm danielle lee. now back to you. friday's shooting has caused schools all over the country to increase security. in prince george's county police have stepped up patrols around area schools. tony? >> reporter: good morning. prince george's county police have stepped up their patrols as you just mentioned. they actually said they're going to be on campuses throughout the week. now earlier this morning at 10:00 all prince george's county schools observed a moment of silence. >> at this time we are going to have a moment of silence in honor of our students in connecticut. >> reporter: three days after the tragic events took place in newtown, connecticut, schools in

our region prepared to go in session and here in prince george's county police and security officers showed increased presence, a presence that officials hope will bring normalcy back to a rattled school system. >> it's very important that we have some age appropriate discussions as the students bring this -- their concerns forward so that we can return to a sense of normal operations as quickly as we can. >> reporter: it's just a precaution but school board officials want to ensure that parents, teachers, faculty and students feel safe at school today. >> there have been no threats against the school in this area or in this region that we're aware of. so for a parent bringing your child to school i think it will be like any other day. >> reporter: angela wiggins says she's talk to her 10-year-old son and did not feel the need to keep him out of school today. >> i wanted him to have a good day and be safe, of course. he was kind of concerned when he saw cameras and police officers. he wanted to come to school to support his other students. >> reporter: in 1999 our nation

dealt with another tragedy at columbine high school. since that day prince george's county police have annually trained in active shooter situations, training they hope to never utilize but are prepared should the situation arise. >> we've taken a three-pronged approach that involves training and education of our officers, a coordination and collaboration with the schools, as well as prevention techniques. >> reporter: alongside the increased police presence school officials have brought in additional services, all in an effort to ease the transition of what will be a tough day for many. >> teachers and the faculty, guidance counselors, principals, they'll be looking out for any behavior that indicates that the students may be having some difficulty. >> reporter: barbara, speaking with major nader this morning, he said that it starts at home. if you notice any strange behavior from your child or any of your child's friends to please seek out the necessary services. they don't want to go and have to respond to a crisis. that's the latest from prince george's county. back to you. it's now four minutes after

11:00. coming up, a look at what fairfax county schools are doing in response to the shooting and information about the tragedy's first victim. the clock is still ticking on a budget deal. house speaker john boehner is offering a deal that includes higher taxes for the wealthiest americans. the higher taxes would affect people who earn more than $1 million a year. president obama has insisted that higher taxes apply to households who make $250,000 a year. boehner also wants major cuts to entitlement programs and reforms to social security. turning to the weather now, rain and fog this morning. mild temperatures coming. let's find out from storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein. hey, tom, welcome back. >> thank you. and there is the view over washington now. visibilities have improved at least around the metro area, though it is still a rather thick fog around annapolis and parts of the bay. a little overcast in that live picture there. there's reagan national to the right where visibility is now

about three miles. let's take a look at what has been happening since about 5:00 this morning. you had those morning sprinkles move off to the south and east. cloud cover will be with us throughout the rest of the afternoon. these are the latest visibilities. reagan national up to four-mile visibility. annapolis still as zero visibility. quarter-mile at bwy. these are visibilities in tenths of a mile. looks a bit better to our west. but the general trend is that the visibilities are improving. right now still a chill in the air. we're just generally in the 40s to right around 50 degrees. reagan national now is at 51. cold change coming later this week. we'll take a look at that. the seven-day outlook is coming up in just a couple of minutes. back to you. let's check the midday traffic now. >> roadways are looking a lot better but still seeing some problems in our area.

volume is very light but westbound for rest glen road at georgia avenue two left lanes are blocked by a crash in the area. the beltway on the inner loop at 7, an accident was block being the center lane but seeing your volume get by really, really lightly in this area makes me think that accident has been moved to the shoulder lanes. traveling on 66 as you head to the beltway eastbound, had report of an accident in this area and i am still seeing delays. looks like at least one of your lanes is blocked. westbound though on 66, no issues there. this morning, the washington redskins are in first place. they won five games in a row after beating the cleveland browns soundly 38-21. kirk cousins got his first career start as quarterback in place of the injured robert griffin iii. he didn't disappoint skins fans either. he threw for 329 yards and two touchdowns. cousins knows he may not start again next week if rg3 is

healthy enough to play, but he says he just wanted to make the most of this opportunity. >> i told coach shanahan on the sidelines near the end of the game, i said this experience today was invaluable, much like the reps i got in practice this week, much like training camp reps, preseason games. any time i can get a chance to go out and learn from mistakes, learn from success, i become a better quarterback and today was no different. >> the redskins are now 8-6 on the season. they take on the eagles next sunday in philadelphia. the skins' regular season finale against the cowboys could decide who wins the nfc east. both teams, as well as the giants, have the same record, 8-6. however the burgundy and gold are technically in first place because they have a better record within the division than the giants and they beat the cowboys in their one meeting this year. if the redskins and cowboys both win next week, their game december 30th at fedex field could be for a division title. >> you know what? i wouldn't play rg3 next week either. the eagles are a bad team.

they have nothing to play for. you just saw what kirk cousins can do. give him a little more rest. two good quarterbacks and a bright future. a game against dallas will be huge. 11:09 right here on "news4 midday." we'll help you get ready for inauguration day. what goes on sale today. 12 days of giving continues on "news4 midday." call our volunteers right now the at 202-885-4949 if you can help the group baromeo housing. the group helps single mothers. more on the organization in a few minutes. stay with us, we'll be right back.

right now, train tickets for inauguration day are on sale. each round trip ticket costs $25. marc trains will run on a special schedule that monday

which is also martin luther king day. trains will only run on the penn and brunswick lines. later this afternoon the senate will debate a $60 billion aid bill to help those affected by hurricane sandy. some republicans are opposed to the bill saying they don't want to approve such large amounts of spending so qukly. around $47 billion of the aid would go to rebuilding damaged areas and helping aid the recovery efforts. the rest would help protect cities against future storms. day eight of our 12 days of giving here on "news4 midday." during these 12 days we're profiling non-profits working to change lives in our area. we invite you to help these great causes. >> keith, it's called boromeo housing. it is a lifeline literally for homeless mothers in washington county around around the washington area. they provide education and housing and critical life skills. you can help this group by calling 202-885-4949. joining me now is darlene bacci

and andrea reyes and her little girl. tell us more about this. i understand you're celebrating 25 years. >> yes. this is our 25th anniversary. our mission has not changed in 25 years. we are still an education first, transitional housing program for young single mothers age 16 to 22 and their child. to participate in our program they must be enrolled in school full time, either high school, college or certificate training program. >> you're providing housing but also teaching them life skills. >> exactly. it is a two-year program. following their two years with us they will have completed an education and we teach them life skills such as financial, counseling, how to parent properly, child care development. >> okay. andrea, you are one of the residents. tell us how long you've been there. >> i've been in the program

since september. since school started. >> and tell me the most significant theing you've learnd since being there. >> how to manage my time being a student and mother. >> how old is your daughter? >> she's going to be 5 months tomorrow. >> what kinds of lessons have you learned? >> how to be patient. it's hard sometimes. >> yes, i can imagine it is. there's a cost, too that the teenagers -- how much do they have to pay? >> they pay $100 a month rent. we subsidize all other expenses to live in the home. 90% of our money comes from individual donors in the community. >> so how can our viewers help you today? i understand you need funds but you need other things, too. >> we always need funds to keep the house open. we love volunteers. we have a guest chef program at the home. life skill training programs that come help the young mothers. we also just need supplies.

we have an infant supply care center where we actually take donations from the community, then distribute it right back to the community. we serve over 150 families a month in our infant care supply center. >> that's a lot. you need diapers? >> diapers -- >> baby supplies. >> diapers, wipes, gently used clothing, toys, any infant care -- bottles, formula. we'll take anything. >> volunteers and dollars. >> yes. volunteers, dollars and supplies. >> the program is boromeo housing in arlington county. if you can help them in any way this morning, please call our volunteers at 202-885-4949. we'll have more about the program had we come back. >> thank you, pat. storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us now. hopefully with some good news about the weather. hopefully? >> it's been pretty foggy this morning and kind of damp and cool and -- >> that's not good. >> it is gradually improving though. we've had the fog gradually lifting this morning and we had clear skies for the geminid

meteor shower last week. we got a wonderful photos from a viewer in fredericksburg, virginia. there at the battlefield. he captured one of the geminid meet yors the meteors there. this was late thursday into early friday morning. this was just around sunset friday, we had the brand-new thin crescent mon shmoon just pt sunset on friday evening. send your weather and nature photos to nbcwashington.com. reagan national, visible has improved. now 51 degrees. win the gently out of the eve at 3 to 5 miles an hour. these are the latest visibilities. they're generally three to four miles right around the metro area. here at the bay, annapolis only zero visibility.

still quarter-mile visibility in manassas. bwi has a quarter mile visibility. it is improving. this is what's been happening over the last 12 hours. we had some overnight sprinkles. a lot of cloudiness now. a few sprinkles in western pennsylvania and some showers now moving into southern and southwestern virginia moving in but probably not until after sunset today. it is generally around 50 in the metro area. the areas in light blue still in the 40s off to our west and north. richmond now at 59. going forward over the next 36 hours these areas in green are zones of potential showers. this is as of 3:00 p.m. looks like that will begin to move into the mountains and pass north of us. then the greater chance of rain around the metro area is not going to be perhaps until 9:00 this evening until around midnight. after that a lot of that rain moves off to the north and east as of 7:00 tuesday morning. still mostly cloudy, maybe some fog around. might have a lingering quick

sprinkle tomorrow morning but then after that we'll dry out during the rest of the day tomorrow and we'll get a blustery wind, too. that's going to settle down on wednesday. for the rest of the afternoon, a lot of clouds around but probably no rain. we'll just have it in the low to mid 50s for highs by mid afternoon and we'll have a light southeasterly breeze. then this evening is when we'll likely get some showers coming through. sunset is at 4:48. some rain likely moving in looks like mid to late evening and perhaps right around dawn tomorrow. a lot of that will be ended and we may have some patchy fog down to near 50 by midnight. mid 40s by dawn tomorrow. then partly cloudy tomorrow, maybe slight chance of a sprinkle in the morning tomorrow. otherwise we'll clear out during the afternoon with a gusty northwest wind. wind diminishes on tuesday night. then on wednesday, highs into the mid 50s again just like tomorrow as well as on thursday but then maybe some more rain. we do need it. we've been running a deficit this year. that may come in late thursday night into friday. then much colder over the

weekend. it will feel like december again. 20s in the morning, afternoon highs low to mid 40s on saturday and sunday. that's the way it looks. >> okay. thank you, tom. let's check on the traffic, see if that's looking any better in some of the places that have not looked good in the last few hours. >> well, still seeing some problems but it is not as bad. we're seeing a few lanes taken away earlier this morning. we had complete roads shut down. westbound for rest glen road at georgia avenue still two left lanes blocked. the good news, not a lot of traffic on forest glen road so volume is light. can you work around that accident. randolph road at kemp mill road. this accident is causing some delays. as you travel along randolph road two left lanes were blocked, looks now just one left lane is blocked on randolph road in this area so please use caution. give yourself extra time. still seeing a lot of slick roadways.

11:20 now. still ahead on "news4 midday," yoga moves to help people relieve stress. a lot of people can use that. plus, a christmas eve tradition that will warm your heart and your stomach. lot of colleagues with their knives and forks. >> smells so good. but first here's a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. [ male announcer ] there are plenty of reasons to be jolly

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it's a christmas eve tradition for italians. a pasta dish called secrets of the sea. joining us with the secrets of the dish is chef vitorrio. >> thank you. nice to invit me again. >> we so excited about this because the studio smells so good right now. everybody's been sticking their noses in the door. >> i do everything i can for you. >> we want to learn how to make this. first, tell us about the tradition. >> christmas eve we unite all the family in italy, get together and we start around 7:00. and even before people go to church at midnight. and we start with seafood.

>> you say you start with fish. this is the secrets -- >> this is secrets of the sea. >> what's in this? >> baby clams in the shell. >> it's got olives in it. >> olives, capers. >> the secret sauce -- >> just a touch tomatoes, garlic, white wine. that's it. >> when we talk about seven fishes, you've got fish coming all night in italy. you begin when people first walk in with these wonderful oysters. >> oysters, clams, whatever shellfish we have we put them on the table. >> let's have a look at this. this is fresh fish that you've been marinating. >> fish and shell dish. longostino, yellow tuna, whiting, these are called eel. >> you take all of that beautiful fresh fish and you put it in -- what are we sauteing? >> when you put this in the pans, saute little bit, olive

oil, mix breadcrumb, white wine, capers, oregano. >> you also brought some pasta. can you lift that over here? >> this is tradition ravioli for christmas day. >> does this you say you can have meat on christmas day. let's have a look at this. what kind of pasta is that? >> these are meat ravioli made yesterday fresh. >> you made the ravioli yourself. >> yes. all fresh. >> this wonderful seven fishes have been sauteed in your special olive oil. >> this is bit of pasta so you can taste. >> oh, i see. that goes in this dish. it looks unbelievable. i'm going to hold this out so folks can see how you do it. i'm planning to eat this. and i think everybody's going to

want some of it, including keith. this looks fabulous. and i know in italy, you don't wait for everybody else to start. right? is. >> no. >> its mine when it hits the table. you don't put cheese -- >> never. >> in italy they do not put these on their pasta that has fish in it. >> never. >> you want me to taste it. it's hot but -- mmm. oh. wow. >> you need shell and everything because you need to spend the time. >> i have to taste it all. while i'm doing it, tell everybody about the desserts that you brought. of course there is a traditional -- >> christmas cookies. >> how do you say merry christmas, happy new year?

>> bon itali. ♪ ♪ >> that's so beautiful. ♪ ♪ >> bring me a barber. >> thank you. >> barb got serenaded. can i just get a plate? it is 11:28 here on "news4 midday." school security. what fair fox county is doing today in response to the connecticut school shooting. plus, is there more rain in this week's forecast? tom kierein is back with an update. and our 12 days of giving continues on "news4 midday." call our volunteers right now at 202-885-4949 if you can help the group boromeo housing.

the group is helping single mothers. more on that group in a few minutes. st [ female announcer ] here's to a whole world of happier holidays. time to enchant, delight and amaze. safeway will help you gather everyone round. a smoked, shank half ham is only 99 cents a pound.

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the faculty and staff in that school did everything that they possibly could to protect those children.

i could tell you that the first responders that got to the scene with the active shooter team, entered that school and saved many human lives and i can tell you it broke our hearts that we couldn't save them all. >> right now police in connecticut remain very tight lipped about the investigation into last week's shooting at sandy hook elementary school. state police briefed the media this morning with very little new information. they did reveal though that the school could be closed for months calling the investigation process painstaking and thorough. also right now, people are outside the white house protesting for stricter gun laws at last friday's shooting. they're begging lawmakers to look at training, weapons and processing when it comes to getting a hold of weapons claiming pro-gun interest groups have too much control in the government. >> i've been reflecting on this the last few days and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. we're not doing enough. and we will have to change. president obama did not use the words "gun control" during

his speech last night but his comments are leading some to wonder if a fight -- a major fight is on the horizon. in northern virginia police are stepping up patrols all around fairfax county schools to present a similar tragedy from happening. police say there is no specific threat but better safe than sorry. news4's angie goff at baileys elementary. >> reporter: here security measures have always been in place. you have the limited front door acce access, the crisis management plan, personnel on guard but despite a bigger police presence will be evident at all fair fakes county public schools following that tragic shooting in connecticut. for students and parents, mondays are hard enough but today things are tougher. it's the first day back to school following the massacre at a connecticut elementary school. emotions still raw, anxiety is high. >> it's a little bit scary but

we all need to be strong. >> reporter: to help ease concerns, fairfax police stepped up patrols this week at all fairfax county public schools. focus -- elementaries like this one. >> we wanted to make sure that the community knew that we were here and we do care about our children. >> reporter: school officials say it is not in response to any specific threat but rather a way to help those returning to class feel safe. >> people need it. people are feeling vulnerable right now and people are feeling scared right now. >> reporter: while some feel secure, others see heightened security as a short-term answer. >> it gives a certain sense of security to the people, to the parents. but that's it. >> reporter: on an average day, all elementaries are guarded by fair fakes security personnel while all middle and high schools have an assigned police officer on site. but for the next week students will see more officers around the beginning and dismissal of each day. all to keep the focus here as a place of learning while giving everyone a little more peace of

mind. >> well, anything that can prevent this happening would be great idea. >> reporter: and here at bailey elementary, the flag flies at half-staff. remembering the victims of that sandy hook shooting. now in addition to the stepped up patrols we are seeing more counselors here on school grounds to give support to the students and the staff who may need it. reporting live in falls church, virginia, angie goff, news4. >> angie, really quick question. did school officials inform you of any drop-off in attendance today. >> reporter: well, just from being here this morning, we saw a steady flow of parents and students making their way into this school. nothing that seemed out of the ordinary but i did speak with the fair fakes county public school spokesperson who tells me the and accidentee repo ee ee e report numbers won't be available until later. this just in to the news4 newsroom. virginia governor bob mcdonald

announced he's ordering his secretary of public safety to do a state wide safety audit in the wake of the newtown shooting. based on what they find he'll decide if add safety measures need to be taken. this morning we're learning more about the first victim of friday's massacre. the gunman's own mother. all four of the guns that adam lanza took with him to the school belonged to his mother, nancy. people who knew nancy lanza say that they didn't find it unusual for the divorced mother to have several guns, mainly for protection. adding she sometimes enjoyed shooting with her sons. this morning on the "today" show, friends said she had mentioned several times that her son suffered from asperger's syndrome adding that she was a very caring mother and friend. >> she always made herself available to adam and his needs. he came first clearly with her. >> nancy was very caring friend. she was extremely kind and very, very generous. >> some friends have commented that lanza felt her son's

condition was worsening. others say that if she was struggling, she didn't give any indication. the supreme court may soon decide whether people have the right to be armed in public. earlier this month the federal appeals court struck down the only state wide ban on carrying concealed weapons in illinois. the supreme court could take up that case. just four years ago the court voted to strike down washington's ban on handguns. its ruling was focused mostly on the right to defend one's home. it never ruled on whether the second amendment should allow people o have guns for self-defense. breaking political news at this hour. south carolina governor nikki haley will hold a president conference at noon, and at that time expected to pick jim scott to replace outgoing senator jim demint. scott represents most of the coastline from charleston to myrtle beach. the first african-american

congressman elected. nasa says a spacecraft will crash into the moon. the two vehicles have been circling the moon for more than a year and their fuel is running low. before you set up your telescopes though, nasa says the crashes will be too dark at the time that they crash and really too far for to you see from here. here to tell us if we're going to have any crash landings with raindrops, tom kierein with the latest on our storm team 4 weather deck. >> we can't see too far out here either. visibility has improved though but it is generally couple of mile visibility in northwest washington. a gray overcast, calm wind, the air is cool and damp on this monday morning. the 17th day of december. let's take a look at what's been going on here for the last couple of hours or so. visibility is improving there. live view from the nbc 4 city

camera. we've had some sprinkles this morning that have dissipated. just a lot of cloudiness and the fog is really lifting except right around the bay. it is still rather thick. visibility in annapolis still a little bit below an eighth of a mile. it is pretty thick there. elsewhere it is improving in the 40s to near 50 degrees. later today into the mid and upper 50s. by later this evening after sunset into the evening and perhaps around dawn tomorrow we might have some sprinkles of rain, some passing showers and then sun back by tomorrow afternoon with a blustery wind. highs mid 50s and getting colder wednesday morning, the 30s. afternoon highs with sunshine, mid 50s. 30s again thursday morning, increasing clouds thursday. might get some rain thursday evening into friday. then much colder for the weekend. 20s in the mornings, afternoon highs only the 40s. that's the way it looks. barbara and keith? >> tom, thank you. we're going to check again on the midday traffic now. >> what's the latest? >> starting with metro.

friendship heights causing sing tracking on the red line. if you're taking the red line expect delays in both direction. over to the roadways, good news. randolph road at kemp mill. you still see some delays as you make your way eastbound on randolph road. the earlier crash at the intersection of kemp mill completely out of the roadway but still seeing just a little bit of delay in that area. and heading over to this time as you make your way southbound, connecticut avenue right at vanness. road work just having the left lane get by. if you're traveling in that area expect a bit of a delay as you make your way past the intersection. we've all heard that milk does a body good. but too much milk can apparently be bad for children. a new study finds too much cow's milk can block a child's ability to absorb iron. researchers say two cups of milk a day is just enough for kids to get their vitamin d and other nutrients without harming their iron levels. our 12 days of giving continues today. here's pat. >> keith, we are focusing on the

non-profit borromeo housing this morning based in arlington. the group is providing housing and a whole lot more to single mothers, teenage mothers in our area. can you help borromeo housing by calling 20 2-885-4949. joining me now, danny seltzer, the board chair. and dani, you told me that you teach the girls, the mothers, how to fend for themselves. tell us more specifically about what they learn when they're staying at borromeo housing. >> yes. with our goal being self-sufficiency at the end of that two-year period there is a lot more than just the education and the housing component. there are life skills that every mother needs, every adult needs. we focus a lot of time on group nights on that. the parenting counseling portion of it, parenting skills, how you

deal with the stages that your child is growing through. finance and budgeting so that they are prepared to put together a monthly budget so that they know what they can afford and what they can't afford. and then just general life skills preparing for interviews, preparing for job professional issues, things like that. so we spend a lot of time on the life skills. >> andrea, you told me that you're learning two things at the house. number one, you're learning how to live as a family unit with the other mothers. but you're also learning how to stand on your own two feet. tell us more about that. >> we try not to rely too much on each other so that after the two years we can be independent and be a good mom. >> but do you help each other for example with the children? >> yeah. if we need to go cook something, you can't have the baby in the kitchen so we look after the babies. >> dani, you help them find daycare. you don't provide it -- >> we don't provide it while they're at school. we do provide it during our group counseling evenings. we provide it in house.

but for example, andrea's part of the program where daycare is provided. but if she wasn't we would work with our resources in the county to find adequate child care that works within her budget or meets her needs financially. >> in addition to the house you have an infant care supply center. what happens there? >> we do. we have an infant care supply center that families throughout greater washington area can visit and get supplies that they need for children. we provide diapers and formula as well as baby wipes and clothes from newborn all the way up to size 6 or 7. we do coats, toys, books, all of this is a volunteer outreach service. it is 100% donation based. all of the goods new or gently used come in to us. we catalog and we sort them and make sure that they're ready. once a week we open up to the families in need and provide those same items back to the community. >> and you need donations for that center as well as for borromeo housing this morning. >> we absolutely do.

>> we're asking our viewers to help you, as well as volunteers and dollars to buy all of those supplies. >> absolutely. we need your -- we need to you open your wallets and your hearts and help us in all of those days. >> dani seltzer, andrea and elliana. thank you. it's 11:44 now. still ahead on "news4 midday," how to use yoga to relieve stress. and holiday travelers in luck. where you can find the cheape

[ boy 1 ] hey! that's the last crescent. oh, did you want it? yea we'll split it. [ female announcer ] made fresh, so light, buttery and flakey. that's half that's not half! guys, i have more! thanks mom [ female announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin just unroll it, fill, top, bake, and present. that must have taken you forever! it was really tough. [ female announcer ] pillsbury pie crust. let the making begin ♪

[ children laughing ] ♪ [ female announcer ] sometimes, if you wish hard enough, you get exactly what you want for christmas. welcome to christmas town: a busch gardens celebration. discover the wonder at christmastown.com. this is expected to be the busiest christmas travel season in six years and drivers will be paying less to fill up their tanks. the national average sits at $3.25 a gallon, 9 cents cheaper than a week ago. d.c. drivers pay about a penny less than a week ago. virginia is the cheap ness our

area at $3.12 a gallon which is a drop of 7 cents. maryland is a 6-cent cheaper -- 6 cents. $3.27 is how much they pay on average. west virginia drivers paying 10 cents less than a week ago at $3.37 a gallon. at the new york stock exchange this morning, a moment of silence for the victims of the connecticut school shooting. with the rest of the day's business headlines now, let's check in with cnbc's diana oldic. >> stocks are higher today so far on signs of the progress in the fiscal cliff talks. the dow is up 90 to 13,225. the s&p is up 12 to 1,426. with just 14 days to go before going over the fiscal cliff of automatic tax hikes and spending cuts, house speaker john boehner offered a proposal to raise taxes for people making $1 million or more a year if the white house will commit to bigger cuts in entitlement programs.

tax hikes will generate $1 trillion in revenue over ten years. wall street watching this crucial week for fiscal cliff talks. bank and technology stocks among the early performers. sprint announced terms after buyout deal for the wireless internet access company. modest growth predicted next year led by rising demand for housing. housing starts and existing home sales will come out later in the week. next friday a bigger read on consumer spending during this holiday season. now back to you. for some, yoga is the ultimate stress reliever. this time of year a lot of us could use a little stress relief. kim weeks have balanced yoga is here to show us how with the pose of the week. >> this is michael. he's been my student for several years. and he's going to do a series of three poses. >> so michael, why don't you start with the first pose and what are we going to call this pose. >> he's going to come on his

hands and knees. is really basic, easy for anybody to do. it is called cat cow. it is a mini pose. he exhails -- >> this is relieving stress. just in the breathing mechanism? >> yeah. that's a great question. he comes into cat pose. his inhale opens the front body, his exale opens the back body. it's breathing and opening up back muscles and front chest muscles and belly muscles. >> what kind of percentage would you say of your students say i just need to take the stress off? >> everybody. especially this time of year. when people are thinking about everything else they've got to do, it is hard to think about fitting in a yoga class. and i'd say everybody. >> what's this -- >> face the camera. this is called reclining heroes pose. it is a tough pose but it is wonderful for opening the front of the body and just relaxing

away from that hunched over. he's come all the way back but you can just lean back a little bit and that opens your quadriceps and your belly. >> there's no way can you have any kind of tension and do this pose. >> that's right. >> when people say, hey, i have stress -- the best way i know how to relieve stress is go home, sit on the couch, be with my significant other. i don't want to be bothered. why would you want people in a group setting? >> yoga and stress are inversely correlated. right? stress is a vicious cycle. yoga is a virtuous cycle. when you go to a yoga class, your yoga teacher if he or she is really good is taking care of that stress, letting you release it and helping you become even better and more intimate and more connected to your partner because you let the stress go and then can go home and just have a good time. this is one of the best poses for stress. it changes the nervous system and the breath. it's called wide legged forward

fold. i just keep think people should go to your website, look for yoga, press play and do these three poses to decrease holiday stress. >> i don't know if i can simulate it but i can press play and look at it. >> you can go half-way down. >> get out and take a yoga class. the time is now 11:52 right here on "news4 midday." coming up, what exercise takes off weight the best? plus, meteorologist tom kierein back with another check of our mild forecast. stay with us. you know how much grandma

wanted to be here for your fist christmas? you see grandma lives waaaay down here, and you live way up here. brian, your cousin, he's a little bit older than you, he lives here, in chicago. and your aunt lisa lives here, in baltimore. uncle earnie? waaay out in hawaii. but don't you worry, we will always be together for christmas. [ male announcer ] being together is the best part of the holidays and cheerios is happy to be part of the family. you just ate dallas!

this morning, a new study says babies born via c-section are more likely to become obese as they grow older. a study finds people were 33% more likely to be overweight or obese if they were born by

c-section. researchers aren't sure why there is a link but one possibility relates to the bacteria babies are exposed to when they are not delivered but c-section which might affect the way they process and store food. if you're looking to shed a few extra pounds, try running and aerobic workouts. they burn fat better than lifting weights and they also found a workout that combines running and lifting is no better at burning fat than running alone. now each person should of course do their own workout routine. older adults may want to include lifting weights to prevent muscle loss. for young, healthy adults who just want to lose weight -- they may just want to do aerobic exercise alone. that's a switch. let's take a look now at some of the stories we're following on news4 this afternoon. pat is in the newsroom with a preview. >> coming up this afternoon on news4 at 4:00 -- big changes to diet pepsi. we'll tell you about the new sweetener in that soft drink. also at 4:00 today, you've

watched deidra hall on "days of our lives" for many years but now she has a new project that combines her love of art with her support for wounded warriors. get high-tech help for your holiday party from the invitations to the music. you can get it all done if you know where to click. we'll have all the latest news of this day starting on news4 at 4:00. see you then. let's get a final check on our forecast. >> still damp and cool around the region. a lot of cloudiness and the clouds will be with us through the rest of the afternoon. then looks like rain will begin to move our way perhaps this evening and into tomorrow morning. by then we will have some fog around, too. but then sun back tomorrow with a gusty wind. have a good afternoon. that's "news4 midday." thanks for joining us. tune in to news4 at 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 later today for all of the day's news. >> we'll be back at 11:00 a.m.

tomorrow morning. we leave you with the new york children's chorus. they delivered one of the most touching tributes to the victims of that school shooting when they opened "saturday night live" with a song this weekend. enjoy your day and this beautiful music. ♪