they told me i couldn't. >> do you have family or friends or anybody you tried to get in touch with? >> my phone is dead. why really talk to nobody. i have family down there. >> worried about them? >> yeah. but i don't think maybe nothing really happened to them. >> thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> we'll be on the scene and keep you updated throughout the morning. melissa mollet. more breaking news in prince george's county. police are on the scene of a home invasion and shooting. four men walked into a house and shot the homeowner when he confronted the robbers. the man who was schahot is exped to be okay. we'll bring you more information as soon as we learn it. classes will resume today for hundreds of children in newtown, connecticut. all schools will reopen except sandy hook elementary. police are holding it as a crime scene possibly for months. the shooting spree that left 26

people dead, 20 of them children. the apparent gunman, adam lanza practiced firing at shooting ranges. they don't have clues of why he snapped and or why he targeted the school. they lay to rest more victims. at least two more funerals will be held today. 6-year-olds noah pozner and jack pinto's funerals were yesterday. noahs sister escaped safely. jack's family said the little boy loved sports. this card was given to loved ones at his funeral. even people who never heard of newtown are coming to offer their support to a community coping with an unthinkable tragedy. >> just felt like we needed to do something to help out somehow and just being here i feel like it's helping us to help other people. >> the overwhelming support from the community and seeing the town come together like this is

amazing. >> flower shops in newtown are taking orders from around the world as complete strangers order arrangements for the victims' families. they've taken so many orders, there's a shortage of flowers in that area. it is 4:32 right now. want to turn to tom kierein. get our first look at the forecast this morning. we have had overnight fog that has dissipated this morning. you shouldn't have any travel problems weatherwise. unlike yesterday morning's thick fog. we have a front getting closer to our region. we do have our front that is now moving into kentucky and west virginia picking up a few sprinkles. those areas in green. as we look at our sky now, it's still mostly cloudy. temperatures in the green area are hovering around 50 degrees around the metro area. south and east of washington on the eastern shore. generally in the low to mid 50s. areas in blue dipped into the mid 40s.

shenandoah valley, far west and north of washington and into the mountains this morning. as we look at the nearby temperatures, montgomery, prince george's, fairfax, arlington, around 50 degrees. district of columbia, the low 50s. hour by hour today, a lot of cloudiness three 6:00 a.m. wind out o of the west at 5 to 15. there's a chance of a few sprinkles late morning and early afternoon. otherwise, clouds breaking up with some sunshine. we'll climb into the mid and upper 50s. the winds will be gusting to 30 miles an hour this afternoon. i'll be back in ten minutes with the hometown forecast. first 4 traffic with danella now. >> thank, tom. checking on a few things in our area. overall, very, very quiet. not seeing any delays at all. not seeing anything in the roadway to slow you down. georgetown pike, have a disabled vehicle there. it's in the shoulder lane. not bad. i want to bring your attention

crossing the bridge heading inbound. one of the barrels around here is kind of out more than it should be. i've watched cars swerve a little more to the left as they continue. just be aware of that. it's out of place. but you can get by it. use your caution. i want to show you i-270. a little foggy at germantown. as far as construction, accidents not seeing any. i am seeing wet pavement. if you left around this time last -- yesterday morning, you know to give yourself extra time. back in ten minutes. aaron, over to you. thanks, danella. a search for a man who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl inside her woodbridge home. this is a composite sketch of the man police are looking for. a good sketch at that. the victim's sister says he got into the home by posing as a cable worker and then threatened the girl with a knife. >> i feel unsafe for her. i'm just worried that he might try to come back or something. i just want my little sister to be protected. >> any idea why she opened the

door? he's, you say, threatening her. why did she open the door and let him in. >> he tricked her. he said that was a comcast person. >> the man ran from the home after the girl started kicking and screaming. if you have any information about the assault or have seen the man in this photo, contact police. d.c. police are investigating what they're calling a suspicious death in northeast. officers were called out to the 200 block of i street around 4:30 yesterday afternoon. they found the body of a man. homicide crews were also called to the scene. there's no new information. police are looking for a shotgun taken from a stolen police car. two cruisers were stolen last week. one from duke street on thursday, the other on princess street on friday. both cars have been recovered but the shotgun that should have been in the first car is still missing. alexandria place are not sure how the cars are being stolen.

they've sent out bulletins to departments region wide about the theft. the man accused of oi -- james caroline was indicted on capital murder and weapons charges yesterday. he's accused of killing i tommy wong who owned capital jewelers on columbia pike in july. caroline will be in court on thursday to set a trial date. lawmakers on capitol hill are mourning the loss of a senator and war hero. daniel dani daniel inouye. he was elected in 1962. >> a man who has lived and breathed the senate. if there were ever a patriot. din inouye was that patriot. >> he was a medal of honor and lost his arm fighting in world

war ii. he was 88 years old. had morning, there's hope that a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff could be in reach. president obama and house speaker john boehner are reportedly making progress on a deal that would prevent spending cuts and tax hikes at the tart of next year. they met yesterday at the white house. aides say boehner agreed to accept some tax increases for the wealthiest americans. in return, the president will sign off on more spending cuts. the house speaker will brief his fellow republicans on the proposal today. unemployment benefits may be a sticking point in the negotiations. more than 2 million americans will stop receiving their long-term unemployment checks on december 29th if lawmakers don't agree to renew the program. economists believe a continuation of the unemployment benefits will likely be part of the final deal because has support from democrats and republicans outside of congress. >> it's 4:37. ahead on news4 today, d.c. leaders try to come up with a plan for those controversial red top meters. >> a man plans to smuggle drugs into the country in an unusual

way at dulles. >> it's cold and wet. find out how much will warm up today. tom has your forecast, weather and traffic on the 1s next.

welcome back. a big snowstorm that battered the pacific northwest is on its way across the country. the system dropped heavy snow and caused flooding in parts of washington state and oregon over the weekend. today, denver and salt lake city

are expected up to 6 inches of snow. even parts of northern arizona and new mexico could wind up with snow on the ground. the midwest is expecting to see snow from that same system later this week. of course, the big question is how far east will that system make its way. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein has the full forecast. tom? >> santa has retractible wheels on the snow. if there's no snow, he'll make here. we have a cloudy sky here. but a few breaks in the clouds around the brew ridge in shenandoah valley. the fog earlier this evening has dissipated. we've got the winds increasing. right now we're in the 40s to around 50 degrees. much of the region. the winds are gusting around 15 miles per hour. hometown forecast, waldorf, charles county by 6:30 near 50 and breaks in the clouds and partly sunny by noontime into the mid 50s and slight chance of a sprinkle. slight chance of sprinkles during the perhaps late morning and early afternoon and otherwise just clouds coming through. highs reaching the upper 50s.

little sunshine in and out through the afternoon. we'll have changes on the way later tonight into tomorrow. seven-day outlook into the weekend in ten minutes. danella has a look at traffic. >> good morning. quiet as you make your commute. let's head over to 50 in maryland. nice and clear really in both directions. shooting over, checking out bw parkway. if you're traveling along i-95 in maryland, we'll take a live look. i-95 at 32 in both directions, nothing to warn you about. clear as you connect to the beltway. i'm back in ten minutes. we'll check your traffic. aaron and eun, back to you. >> 4:42. 50 degrees. still to come, drivers in d.c. can can go a few miles faster in certain streets. we'll show you where the speed limit is going up. >> in light of the tragedy at sandy hook, many people are asking about

♪ we were skipping stones and letting go ♪ ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious.

welcome back at 4:44. the victims of the sandy hook elementary school shooting are being remembered on capitol hill. the house of representatives paused yesterday for a moment of silence. congressman chris murphy of connecticut spoke on the house floor shortly before the tribute. the senate held a moment of silence yesterday as well. today one congressman will join gun control advocates in demanding stricter gun laws. rhode island democrat dave sis linni and the head of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence will present a letter signed by families affected by a recent mass shooting across the country. that letter will be delivered to the white house and his colleagues on capitol hill. the white house says president obama will make gun violence a top priority during his second term. more details are emerging about the suspect in the deadly shooting. adam lanza. friends of lanza say he had

asperger's, a mild form of autism. 1.5 million americans are said to have it. sebastian meck lynn is one who has it. his family said it left him nonverbal and hyperactive, but not violent. >> he's a nice little boy. he doesn't calculate violent act. it's never been a concern of ours as parent. put a label on it so quickly and say this is the reason or anything that they might be drawing a conclusion from on this. it's not right. >> they say that they're worried about the newtown tragedy will add to the stigma for people with autism. local doctors agree and say there are more factors than autism that caused this incident. we'll have much more on the tragedy at sandy hook throughout the morning, including a live report from newtown. you can also get the latest on the tragedy on our website, nbc washington.com. we may have an answer to why a california man fired shots in a crowded mall parking lot over

the weekend. police say marcos ga row la opened fire to release stress. he released 50 rounds in a parking lot of a mall. he told police he was depressed over the recent death of his grandmother. he was also upset about being kicked out of his family's home. he claims he didn't want to shoot anyone, just fires guns to relieve stress. students in a northern illinois university fraternity are facing serious hazing charges in the death of a 19-year-old. police issued arrest warrants for 22 members of the pi kappa alpha fraternity. a freshman was found dead back in november. the teu dent died from severe alcohol intoxication with a blood alcohol level five times the legal limit. the university says the fraternity has been temporarily removed as a recognized student organization. a search for a gunman after a body was found in a popular d.c. park behind an elementary

school. a woman was walking her dog yesterday morning and found the man's body by a park pen much. it appears the man was shot. the park is located behind marshall elementary school. a letter sent home to parents said no students saw the body and all school activities will remain indoors until the investigation is over. 4:48 right now. a guatemalan man will likely be deported after trying to smuggle cocaine through jars of stew in dulles airport. the customs became suspicious because the jars felt too heavy. they found two pounds of cocaine hidden in the lining. the man was detained but not charged. despite a drop in murders, overall crime is up in the district this year. new numbers released this morning showing that crime is up 4% over 2011. it's largely in part to a spike in sex abuse cases, up 36% from last year. murder took the biggest drop from 2011, down 24%.

arson, burglary and car theft also saw a big drop, down between 8 and 16%. right now, you can drive a little faster in the district. four stretches of road in d.c. are increasing their speed limits. the limit on new york avenue from the maryland line to bladensburg road is as high as 45 miles per hour. north capitol street from michigan avenue to hairwood road goes up to 40 miles per hour. you can go 40 on canal road from the chain bridge to fox hall. vdot has studied the roads and determined the speed limit could go up without impacting safety. horse racing will remain alive in maryland for a decade. they've reached a ten-year deal to keep racing at pimlico raceway. 100 race days per year and keeps tracks open year round for training and stabling horses. the schedule features 146 days of live racing at the major

tracks. the maryland racing commission will vote on the proposed schedule today. a south carolina congressman is making history. representative tim scott will be the first black senator in south carolina since reconstruction. governor nikki haley chose him to replace jim demint who plans to resign in february to head the heritage foundation. scott is a republican who is supported by the tea party. he'll be the only black member of the senate and the first since president obama was elected to the senate four years ago. he'll no longer have to fill out a census survey with a pen and mail it back in. you can now respond online. the agency is hoping the move saves money and boost the number of responses it receives. the first questionnaire will be the american community survey sent to more than 3 million households each year. montgomery will receive aid. governor o'malley announced that

decision by fema yesterday. that leaves baltimore county as the only one in the state not to receive help from the governor. the aid will help pay for damages to buildings and roads, as well as debris removal. somerset county will receive aid for individual homeowners and business owners. several other counties on the eastern shore and western maryland were denied that money. 4:51 now. time for traffic on the 1s. tom kierein here to tell us more about the forecast. wet this morning, tom? >> we've had overnight light rain. that's ended now. we had really dense fog earlier last night and around midnight. since then, it's dissipated. take a i look at what's happening over the last 12 hours. we have a front moving into western west virginia triggering a few sprinkles that. that front will be arriving here later this morning. as it moves in, it will bring in blustery winds. temperatures are in the 40s. most of the region from the shenandoah valley into the mountains, but around the metro area, the areas in green hovering around 50 degrees as well as northern neck, eastern

shore and around the bay. for the morning commute, a lot of cloudiness. sunrise at 7:22. winds out of the southwest at five to 15. by the lunch-hour, breaks in the clouds, but a slight chance of a few sprinkles coming through. temperatures climbing into the mid 50s and we'll have it gusting to around 30 miles an hour too out of the north and west. we'll have that blustery wind through the rest of the afternoon. storm team 4 four-day forecast. we'll have maybe a few sprinkles midday. otherwise, partly sunny and gusty winds and highs upper 50s by mid-afternoon. then later tonight, it's going to get cold, near 40 by midnight. mid-30s by dawn on wednesday. a lighter wind tomorrow. lots of sun. highs into the low 50s. near 40 on thursday morning and clouding up quickly. we'll have an area of strong low pressure passing to our north. it will probably give us some rain thursday afternoon. it will be around 50 degrees. much colder after that. storm develops and deepens over

new england. we'll get wind-whipped it looks like on friday. partly sunny, cold, highs only in the low to mid-40s. then down to the 20s in the more than on saturday. afternoon highs only near 40 with a gusty wind saturday too. and then the winds die down. but still cold on sunday into monday. 20s in the mornings. afternoon highs around 40. let check on traffic. danella, how are we doing? >> light volume in our area, tom. coming up in your first 4 traffic report, we'll take the trip down i-95 in virginia out of stafford. nice and clear in both directions. you know, not seeing any roadwork to warn you about. here's a live look past dumfries road. continuing on to i-395, the pentagon, the volume still light in both directions. back in ten minutes. we'll take a look at the 11th street bridge. i have a report of an accident inbound in that area. aaron and eun, back ou. >> thanks, danella. >> it's 4:53. breaking news out of syria. let's check in with stephanie

goff. reports that nbc news richard engel was missing surfaced online. this is what the statement says. after being kidnapped and held for five days inside syria by an unknown group, nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. we're pleased to report, they are safely out of the country. some websites earlier reported engel was missing after turkish media filed reports that the u.s. journalist along with a turkish journalist that he usually travels with and works a lot with disappeared on thursday. so some comforting news early on this tuesday. back to you. >> angie goff live for us with that breaking news. angie, thank you. the time right now is 4:54. coming up, a 13-year-old girl gets her wish had her fight for equality. one toy at a time. how the makers of the easy-bake oven are making changes. >> w

did you get chips for the party? nope. cheese plate? cheese plate...nope. i made something better. ♪ you used the oven? boom ♪ [ male announcer ] pillsbury crescents. let the making begin. here's a better idea. pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin.

. welcome back at 4:57. d.c. is looking for a replacement to the controversial red top meter program. it aimed to reserve about 10% of the city's metered response with disabilities. it would have forced handicapped drivers to pay for parking for the first time. a bill on the program failed to pass the d.c. council last week

even though the city spent $700,000 on new meters. d.c.'s department of transportation says it's now working on another way to provide more accessible parking for the disabled. samsung can continue to sell phones in the u.s. apple has been awarded money because the smartphones illegally used apple technology. a lawyer for samsung said the attempt to ban the phones was an effort by apple to tie up samsung in courts around the world. a man in japan is the oldest man in the world. he's 115 years old. that's the third oldest age recorded. he lives with his family in keogh toe and attributes his longevity to sunlight and his efforts to keep his mind sharp. he was born in 1897. sunlight, i'm sure it's in moderation. can't get too much sunlight.

>> positive visuals. >> keeping your mind sharp is definitely key. >> absolutely. a new gender neutral easy-bake oven will hit the -- an eighth grader from new jersey started an online petition that called out hasbro for only marketing the oven to girls. she was prompted to start the petition after shopping for the toy for her 4-year-old brother. they've invited mckenna and her brother to see a prototype of a enough new oven. >> why are women in the kitchen and guys working. that's basically what hasbro is saying. really, this company that i've grown to love so much would resort to conforming to societal gender roles. like i don't see why. >> hasbro will start marketing a new blue and silver oven for boys or girls by next summer. >> apparently hasbro has had a history of changing up the color. it's not always one