>> i'm pat lawson muse. although the senate's solution for the fiscal cliff passed by an overwhelming majority, the process has come to a screeching halt today on the house side. as jennifer johnson reports, the entire country is waiting to see what the house will do. a tense new year for house speaker john boehner, as he meets with fellow republicans, over whether to okay the fiscal cliff bill passed overwhelmingly by the senate. but gop lead verse not agreed to let the house vote or amend the bill. >> i think more members want this to pass than are willing to vote for it. you also have to be practical about what's the best deal you can get under the circumstances. >> reporter: vice president joe biden was back on the hill after helping to broker the senate deal. it spared the middle class a tax hike but raised taxes on those

making over $400,000 a year. jobless benefits from extended for millions of unemployed but massive cuts to the military and other federal agencies were delayed for two months. democrats now the chance to vote on the bill as they say boehner promise. >> until now our speaker has head when the senate acts, we will have a vote in the house. that is what he said. that is what we expect. that is what the american people deserve. >> to forge a constructive solution for the good of the nation. >> reporter: with an opening prayer appealing for come prom ties house went into session at noon. the republicans complained there's not enough deficit reduction. >> in the plan, another trillion dollars worth of debt on the american people. >> reporter: some democrats support the plan to prevent more financial instability. >> my district can't afford to wait a few days and have the stock market go down 300 points if we don't do something. >> reporter: wall street jitters are just one problem. income taxes will rise for

almost every american. the senate remains in session. ready to send the bill to the president. but if no deal is reached, this will be a very costly beginning to the new year for almost every american. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. these last-minute negotiations aren't over and another battle can be expected in just two months. this time over the debt ceiling. the treasury just stopped issuing new debt for two government retirement funds to keep the government from reaching its $16.4 trillion borrowing limit. the measure could buy the government two months' time to decide whether to raise the debt limit. the latest move will not impact current retirees. doctors treating secretary of state hillary clinton say they expect her her to make a full recovery. clinton is being treated for a blood clot in her head. it was discovered sunday and she was immediately admitted to a hospital. last month, clinton fainted at her home, hit her head, and suffered a concussion. she was undergoing a followup exam when doctors discovered the

clot and say they are not sure what caused it. she is being treated with blood thinners and say she's expected to make a full recovery. it was a cold start to our new year. some parts of our area you have been seeing raindrops. look veronica johnson is here to tell us if it will continue. >> hey there. guys, first of all, happy 2013 to you. not a bad way at all to start off a new year. no big storm around the area. just some cloud cover that has been draped throughout our area all day long. as you saw in the shot there. look at the radar loop. clouds all the way east and west. up to our north and down to our south. but in terms of any rain from this, you have to go all the way south. well down to areas of southeastern virginia and around norfolk and areas of southern virginia and northeastern north carolina to pick up rain from the system that's been sliding just to our south. on the temperatures we are at 45 degrees and anacostia and benning, average now is 44

degrees. so despite the clouds, some seasonable conditions today. cooler spots currently bethesda, colesville, 39 degrees. a look at your good night forecast. cool one as we drop 35 to 38 by 11:00 p.m. and wait until you see how cold tomorrow is looking. i will have that forecast coming up in just about ten minutes. memorials are growing in honor of an officer killed in the line of duty. officer chris young died after colliding with a van yesterday in bristow yesterday afternoon. he served in the marine corps and spent seven years on the force in prince william county. we are going to have a look at how young is being remembered in the community that he served. tonight police investigating an attack on a metro bus. officials say a woman was stabbed in the chest around 2:15 in the morning in anacostia. metro official space the suspect got off the bus and ran away. police are now reviewing

security tapes from the bus to try to identify the person responsible. worshipers at a prince george's county church are ringing in the new year in an unfortunate way. early this morning, fire broke out and badly damaged house of worship. news4's prince george's bureau chief tracee wilkins is in oxon hill with this story. >> reporter: they actually brought in the new year together inside of the church last night. they left here just after midnight and went to bed and then got a call this morning that the church was on fire. that happened around 7:30 a.m. as soon as members heard they came to the church and gathered in prayer outside of this building. investigators worked to try to figure out what started the fire. the church was built in 1963. the pastor has been here 22 years. this is a family church. just a few more than 80 members. so everyone here knows everyone else and they have watched generations grow in this church and they are, of course, very

upbet what's happened here. the inside of this building is completely destroyed. looking at more than $100,000 in damage here. we spoke with the pastor about this. here is what he had to say. >> there was no electricity. so we left locked up and went home. then they called me 7:30 this morning and said the church is on fire. >> reporter: there was a power outage last night. not just here at this church but in this entire community. coming up on "news4 at 5:00," i'm goeing to explain what part the eggors believe this may have played in this unfortunate fire. tracee wilkins, news4. gay and lesbian couples in maryland can call themselves newlyweds important the first time today. >> ladies and gentlemen, congratulations. >> same-sex marriages became

legal in the state at 12:01 this morning. some celebrated with mid might wedding ceremonies. the marriage equality goal passed by voter referendum in november and there are exemptions for religious organizations that choose not to marry gay couples. voters in maine and washington state also approved laws to legalize same-sex marriage last year. several other new laws take effect today in maryland and in a first for any state in the country. paints now have the ability to freeze their child's credit to prevent identity theft. people who have served in the military can have their veteran's status note order their driver's license and montgomery county, a ride in an ambulance costs as much as $800 for an out-of-county resident. starting now it costs more to drive on the dulles toll road. it increases to $2.a 75 each way. an additional $260 a year. if you take the toll road to work every day. it helps pay for construction of metro's new silver line. next year rates go up again

jumping another 75 cents to $3.50. for someone that drives it every day you may be looking for another route. when "news4 at 4:00" continues, big preparations for the royal couple's new addition this year. what kensington palace is working on for the new baby. a surprising new report about how parents touch, a parent's touch can help babies born premature. >> new round of talks to try to end the nhl lockout. coming up, an update on the negotiations. when hockey could return

wedding bells for hugh hefner. why his run

rapper psy has become an international sensation since the success of his signature song. he performed last night at times square new year's eve. he's ready to move on from gangnam style. >> can i not just, you know, stay here. i have to move forward. i'm working on a new thing. >> psy performed with m.c. hammer last night at the annual ball drop. wedding bells important the founder of playboy, hau hefner married his one-time runabride last night. their wedding was held at the playboy mansion. hefner tweeted egg happy new year from mr. and mrs. heavy mother. purple silk pajamas with his new bride. the couple was first engaged in 2011 but she got cold feet. we already know it is going to be a big year for the duke and duchess of cambridge.

william and kate are expecting their first child. we take a peek into their future home and a look back at the year that was important the royal couple. here's nbc's michelle kosinski. ♪ >> reporter: this past year, virtually every time duchess kate stepped outside there was a photograph or hundreds to document. no doubt a long way since the first nervous speech. >> i'm sorry william can't be here tonight. >> reporter: kate now owns it. unique elegant style and her confidence. she mastered her first complicated christmas with the royals. traveled as the queen's companion. the jubilee, olympics, not afraid to handle events solo or kick back and do with the whole world watching. her one embarrassment photos snapped as she sunbathed topless in france on what was supposed

to be a private holiday with william. she quickly came through with a successful lawsuit, a brave face, trademark natural smile during the foreign tour in asia. >> beginning of the year we saw kate as a shrinking violet and now has become a blossoming flower. she had an amazing 2012 and gone from being far down the ranks to somebody is one of the key players of the royal family. >> reporter: but the year ahead will, of course, be even bigger for the couple that's become the face to essence of modern royalty as they await their first child thought to be due around july or august. >> we have a huge marriage for william and kate and now we are going to have the birth and the whole kind of christening and naming and, you know, the incredible glamour and the fact we now have another heir to the thrown. >> reporter: so work is being done at a feverish pace at kensington. 400-year old palace brimming with history and william spent much of his childhood. this will be their new family home expected to be ready in the

spring. >> we have mar velous golden gates and orange construction barriers. what is going on back there? >> at the moment behind these green barriers here, sand sxwags other areas to make sure there's month threat of security. and here behind it you will see a lovely -- wall hold thing garden. that's where this baby, 7 months or so time, will be running around and enjoying his or her life. when they move into what was princess margaret's former apartment, that surely is palati palatial, it is fit for a king which is prince william ultimately be, and -- a king and queen, it is huge. >> reporter: 20 rooms or something. >> it is one of the biggest royal apartments there is. this is really a serious place to live. >> reporter: hopefully happy anticipation is outweighing the difficulties of the moment. kate's severe morning sickness requiring a hospital stay made a return. she will need to be near medical care while william works out his

military schedule that keeps him away. time together may be the royal order for the start of a pivotal year. not just for queen and country b but. michelle kosinski, nbc news, london. normally on new year's day in the nhl, all eyes are on the winter classic. but this year all eyes are on the negotiating table. the players and owners met yesterday in new york. they even had to battle through new year's eve revelers to do so. they are back at the bargaining table again today to try to end the lockout. both sides are still trying to come up with some kind of an agreement that will allow teams to play in an abbreviated season. however, time is running out. >> what we said is we need to drop the puck by january 19 p we are going to play a 48-game season. doesn't make sense to play a season any shorter than than that. >> i'm out of the prediction business.

you get up every day to try to figure out to make an agreement. >> all games through january 14 have been canceled. that's more than 50% of the original schedule. ovechkin has reason to celebrate this new year. he sent gauged. he announced the news yesterday on twitter and posted this picture of himself with his fiancee, maria. the couple has been dating for more than a year. congratulations. >> he went looking for some snow, it looks like, and found it. speaking of our weather, we are ring something the new year but the same old cold. >> same old cold but nothing exceptionally cold for us around here. wait until you see the move that our temperatures are going to make over the next couple of days, too. and our weather pattern that doesn't favor much of any snow around here. let's go ahead and head outside and see weighs going on. we had this overcast sky all day long today. expect a little bit more sunshine coming our way tomorrow. 45 degrees right now.

44 your average high. the wind out of the north at 6 miles per hour. temperatures to the north and west of our area current are running in the upper 30s. frederick, in medical, gaithersburg, 39 degrees right now. you folks in hagerstown, maryland, washington county, 37 degrees right now. this is some of the air that's going to be over a bigger part of our area tomorrow. so that cold air really funneling south, arctic air. here we go on storm team 4 radar. precipitation, yes, there has been some sprinkles around the area. have you go all the way down to the south. norfolk, areas around new york, towards elizabeth city, that's the weather system that moved lou. allowing that cold air to move in. by the time we get to 11:00 p.m., midnight, temperatures ranging from 35 to 38 in and by morning. and a bigger range in the mercury, 22 to 30 degrees. 30 right inside of the beltway. that's cold. your sun sets at 4:57. tomorrow some areas will be

starting out in the 20s. look at this on the national temperatures. currently 24 degrees in chicago, illinois. just 12 degrees in minneapolis, minnesota. so there is some cold air up there. but the cold we get tomorrow, not going to last very long. really cold is the word for tomorrow. clearing taking place. more sun as we get into the latter part of the day. again, definitely cold as that area of low pressure slides down to the south and east and stays away from us. then more sunshine coming our way for thursday. so your evening forecast expect more clouds around the areaing and still cool as we drop from 40 to 32 degrees with a light wind. then tomorrow morning, chilly start if not cold for some of you north and west. 22 to 30 degrees. your high temperature tomorrow, the coldest air in almost a year around here. breezy, too. you folks at see highs around 35 degrees, take a few degrees off of that temperature, too. and that's our day tomorrow.

still again, some cloud cover around the area. thursday a bit more sunshine. high, 41. as you see we have bounced back up towards the end of the week. 40 degrees, high temperature on friday. right now with mostly sunny skies. and 45 for saturday. we will take a look at the second half of the weekend coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> thank you. coming up on "news4 at 4:00," many people use sleeping pills to get a good night's rest. but new study says they could have some serious side effects. how they could increase your chance of getting in a car crash. new year's eve sell wrags turns deadly in california. what happened that forced police to close down one city's new year's celebration. year's celebration. for all your year's celebration. for all your (woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. whoo! you walk with friends, you meet new friends, and you keep those friendships. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful

♪ undeniable (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because everyone deserves a lifetime. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information and receive a free 3-day bracelet today. ♪ building up from deep inside it was 3 days of pure joy. susan g. komen's investments in early detection and treatment have helped reduce breast cancer mortality in the u.s. by 33% since 1990. help us continue serving the millions of women and men with breast cancer who still need us every day. register for the 3-day now. (woman) it's just been an amazing, amazing journey. i love these people. ♪ and it's beautiful if you had too many glasses

of champagne yesterday, t

it is estimated americans will fill about 60 million prescriptions for sleeping pills in 2013. one study shows even occasional use of sleeping pills can increase your chance of getting in a car crash.

>> reporter: ambien are among the most commonly prescribed sleeping aids. the drug can stay in your system up to 12 hours. most side effects are minor. less common side effect known as complex sleep related behaviors are cause for concern. >> that's the sleep driving, eating and sleep without awareness, sleep walking. >> i remember getting on the highway and then i have no memory. >> reporter: kerry kennedy took ambien and sideswipe ad truck. it was in the system of her cousin when he crashed into a concrete barrier in '06. and in texas, a woman mixed am bean and alcohol and doesn't remember running over two young girls and their mother. a man in southern illinois took four and then drove into a highway construction crew, killing one and injuring three others. >> actually just as bad as drinking and driving. >> reporter: researchers at ohio university use a driving simulator to stud write and help improve road safety. dr. mci will invoice and her

team created a program to test the driving skills of someone under the influence of ambien. that someone was me. first, i went through a few trials to get used to the ford focus. cameras tracked my eye movement and the computer records my speed. and how well i stay in my lane. i easily pass the field sobriety test. now i'm ready to take my pill. i'm taking approximately 5 milligrams. the drug's directions are clear. go to bed for at least seven to eight hours. do not drive until fully awake. ambien is designed ed ted to q and it does some five minutes and i'm starting to feel dizzy. 11:45, i'm up but definitely unsteady. we repeat the same process. one hour after taking the am bean. i ambien. in the car i don't realize i'm speeding until the simulator tells me. not once but twice. i was doing 80 in a 30.

>> two biggest things i noticed were speed variants and ability to stay in her lane. it is a day progressesed we saw the skills start to deteriorate. >> reporter: drowsy drivers have trouble perceiving how quickly they are coming up on another vehicle. and this is a leading cause of crashes. sobering news for me. but i wasn't done. three hours after taking an ambien, winter driving scenario. listen to what nick tells me right before i start. >> speed limit here is 55. >> reporter: i begin driving but within 30 seconds -- >> are you all right? >> reporter: i lost control and slam at high speed into a concrete barrier. remember, nick told me the speed limit before i started. one minute later, i have no memory of our conversation. i don't remember seeing a speed limit. this is a very serious crash. you went into the concrete barrier. >> oh. so -- >> you probably are not walking

away from this crash. >> still to come on "news4 at 4:00," we will introduce you to the 2013 babies born just seconds after the clock struck midnight. new laws taking effect across the country including marijuana legalizatio

(woman) 3 days of walking to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information and receive a free 3-day bracelet today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful

welcome back to "news4 at 4:00." >> republican members of the house say they will meeting a second time today to talk about a way forward on the fiscal cliff bill that the senate passed overwhelmingly last night. house majority leader eric cantor appears to be the leading person against the bill because it does not contain spending cuts. house speaker john boehner has taken a position. democrats are urging him to schedule a vote on the bill as it stands now. prince william county officer is being remembered for his years of service to the community. motorcycle officer chris young was killed yesterday when he collided with a minivan. flowers and crosses sit at the site of the accident. he spent seven years on the police force. it is cold out there today. and some folks are getting sprinkles in some areas. >> veronica johnson is here to tell us what to expect the rest of the week. >> hey will.

important the rest of the week we go down and then go back up. and -- as you mentioned some of us seeing the sprinkles. that was earlier today. that's now way down to the south. all of us seeing cloud cover take a look at our shot here. you can see the monument there in the distance. the -- washington monument. we have clouds to the north of us. we have clouds down to the south. clouds to the west and clouds to the east. it is not until tomorrow that we could see some breaks in some of that cloud cover and maybe a little bit of sunshine. look at the temperature right now up in northern areas of montgomery county. around gaithersburg, temperatures is 39 degrees. we have mid 40s down to the south. tomorrow after more cold air funnels into our area, i think a lot of folks will be feeling the 30s tomorrow. and with a little bit of a wind we are talking about a wind chill reading also. as far as precipitation goes this one system, again, way down to our south and east and it is moving out. right now looking at the long-term pattern, it looks like it will be days before we see anything significant around here

in terms of precipitation. big focus then is on the temperatures. again, tomorrow cold. starting out in the 20s. only rising into the 30s. frederick, maryland, 25 degrees. the low tomorrow morning, the start 30 degrees starting out in town. 26 leesburg. around manassas and your high temperature tomorrow afternoon only 37 and 38 degrees. some areas probably staying stuck at 36. another look at your 7-day forecast coming up in just a couple of minutes. >> three, two, one. happy new year! ♪ >> thousands packed times square last night to watch the ball drop and ring in 2013. back here at home in the washington area, some parents rang in the new yeer year. mendoza, the first 2013 baby born in the district.

she was born just five seconds after midnight at med star washington hospital center. her parents couldn't be prouder. >> best new years's ever. because it is like a sign letting you new year's will be good, a positive new year. i'm just ready for it. >> the little bundle of joy came into the world early. emily's parents weren't expecting her million after january 4. >> so cute. some 27,000 students in virginia will be welcomed back to school by a stepped up police presence. the stafford county sheriff's office says starting tomorrow deputies will be assigned to do daily checks at every public school. it is an unprecedented move in the wake of last month's school shooting in connecticut. new neighborhood watch program to protect kids in stafford is also in the works. students who attended sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut, will be headed back to class on thursday.

the elementary students will go to a previously unused school in the nearby town called monroe. sandy hook became a crime scene on december 14. after adam lanza opened fire inside the school, killing 26 people and himself. there will be an open house at the new school in monroe tomorrow. a new year's eve celebration turned tragic after would men were shot and killed at a california bar. a 22-year-old man is in custody this afternoon. investigators say he opened fire inside the old sack are a men to be restaurant after getting into an argument with a group of people. lee others were injured in the shooting. meanwhile a planned mid might fireworks show in the area was canceled. the expected crowd of 40,000 people were told to stay home. an oregon man is apologizing this afternoon after leaving a loaded gun inside of a movie theater. warren's pistol fell out of his holster while he was watching "the hobbit." police say would seventh graders found it when one of them pushed

hair seat down. the 61-year-old was charged with recklessly endangering another person yesterday. he says he was carrying the gun to preferent something like the sandy hook school shooting. when you think about going out to the club you typically think of dancing and alcohol. but in colorado, newly passed laws legalizing recreational marijuana use is spawning a new industry. pot clubs with munchy bars. colorado sign ad constitutional amendment allowing nonmedical pot use a month ago, one club that just opened, club 64 is named after the pot amendment 64. it is one of two legal pot dense to open in the state. >> just to respect the voters' will and -- move forward and continue to protect and defend the culture here by marking the historic day with club 64. >> club members pay a fee and agree to bring their own pot. no pot is sold inside the club. some members say the club's

opening symbolizing freedom from prohibition by the end of the opening day, club 64 had 200 members. if you are feeling some pain today after indulging in a little too much champagne last night, there's some things you can do to minimize that headache. p advice on how to help a new years's day hangover. >> reporter: before a night of partying, eat a healthy meal. >> asparagus is known to break down alcohol faster. >> reporter: if you didn't plan ahead sip on some fruit juice if you wake up feeling sick. >> fruit juice is filled with fructose and that helps to minimize the hangover by pulling out the toxins faster and processing them through the liver and getting them out of your body. banana is a great hangover food because it is filled with potassium and also electrolytes. when you are drinking, you are

pulling the electrolytes out of your body. it helps to refill them and refuel you. >> reporter: coconut water is full of electrolytes and poached eggs are a great option for pain relief. >> eggs are filled with a chemical called sistine. sistine helps to break down alcohol faster. you don't want to have eggs that are fried or filled with all different other things. poached eggs are the cleanest. lowest pat and best way to have eggs in the morning. >> reporter: laurel shoots down some hangover cure myths. >> for some reason people think that having fried, fatty food actually helps to get rid of their hangover. it doesn't. it is actually going to aggravate your stomach even more. >> reporter: the hair of the dog theory of drinking more alcohol to help your headache is deceive. >> bloody mary is spicy and acidic. two things that you don't want when you have a hangover. >> hope you learned something will. got some news you can use. >> yeah.

i didn't have a hangover. i was just tired. i think i'm just old. i can't stay up that late. >> the only solution important that is sleep. there's more to come on "news4 at 4:00." new information for parents of babies born prematurely. surprising way the human touch has been found to on "forbes" m

of under 30. treadmill workout with a yo

resolution one step at a time. babies born prematurely need a lot much help to stay alive.

now a new technique used by moms and dads is helping many of them survive. nbc's erika edwards has more on the powers of a healing touch. >> translator: stay alive and thrive, premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit may endure as many as 14 painful medical procedures a day. >> a lot of those things require tape around the face. there's a lot of negative experiences in and around the face. >> reporter: making it important to teach these babies about positive touch. >> the first time i came here i cried. >> reporter: when babies lie on mom or dad's chest for skin-to-skin contact. her daughters were born three months premature. >> it stabilizes them and it makes them sleep better and i just -- i feel like it is a big benefit, you know, it really

helps them get right back on track in case they have a little rough day. >> reporter: such dploes can help regulate breathing and heart rates and even have an effect. >> if you do this while the baby is in kangaroo care, they don't even flinch. >> reporter: when mom and dad can't be there, nurses are using a little device called the zacky hand. >> it is designed so that moms can sleep with the hand and then put it in the crib with the baby during their stay in the niu so it has mom or dad's scent. >> reporter: babies that kidle with the hand tend to sleep better which is critical to brain development. illustrating the power of positive human touch, sisters emmy and sabrina don't immediate the art fish am hand anymore. they have each other. "forbes" magazine announces the annual 30 under 30 list. invention that won 18-year-old

making a second appearance on that list. >> if you are headed back to work this week, storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson ebbs plains who to expect. veronica? >> that's right. take a look at today's high temperatures from 40 degrees in hagerstown, maryland, 41 in you why when "news4 ginia.

at 4:00" returns.

a lot of folks in this area want snow. >> i know. >> ice skate. they want on sled. >> it is not my fault. it is not doug's fault. if you are looking to do a winter sport, then you have to get creative. think of things like ice skating. right? lot of folks around this area, they have done just that. will he me show you what's been taking place today around parts of our area. pew ice skatiing rinks. look at that. she has it down. in a year from now she is not going on need the hand holding. this one on 4th and in street in southeast. lot of kids, they pick this up so easy. plus when they fall dash yeah, yeah. >> training and no inhibitions. >> just get out there and try it. right? all right. we are talking about some cold air that's going to be moving in. it is not going to last very long. talking about highs tomorrow that will be in the upper 30s. that will make it the coldest air of the season coming our way

tomorrow. we are going for a forecast high of 38 degrees. the last time we had air that was that cold around here or at least close was february 12 of this year. we hit a high of 33. started out at 23 degrees. of course, the low in the morning. you can see we have some 20s showing up to our north and west. chicago, 24 degrees. buffalo, 28. pittsburgh, pennsylvania, 28 degrees. cold air funneling in but just for a hot minute weatherwise. down to our south, we have this area of low pressure. ing in fact, lake-effect snows to our north and west. we will tomorrow be right in the middle of it all. not seeing any precipitation. just still cloud cover around the area and, again, advertising the cold. starting out in the 20s to around 30 degrees in town. by noontime, the high, 36, temperature 36, 35 leesburg, gaithersburg. maybe at least upper 30s down to our south around stafford and fredericksburg. then max out right at 38 degrees

for a high temperature tomorrow. 38 degrees in manassas and that's it. that's some cold air still with some wind around the area. you will be a bit wind chilled tomorrow. four-day forecast, cold for a day. 41 the high on thursday. doing better the fwrkd 45 degrees saturday to 45 degrees on sunday. pew more clouds moving in. as we get ready for another game it will be dry. the second half of the weekend. every year "forbes" magazine makes a 30 under 30 list that highlights brightest and most innovative people in the country. this year, an 18-year-old made the cut. katherine ross explains how his environmental invention helped him top the list. >> reporter: before he could get behind the wheel, he had drive. >> something i like doing. i don't even realize i'm doing it. >> reporter: the last time we met the 18-year-old and current vanderbilt university sophomore, we were talking about his invention. algae based device that clips on

to a car's tail pipe. turning emissions into oxygen. >> i have seen him at 4:00 in the morning just working. >> reporter: these days, he's focussing on turning what we put out into energy to move us forward. and his work isn't going unnoticed. >> made me realize i'm doing something big. i can have a big impact with my research. >> reporter: he is one of "forbes's" 30 under 30 in the energy field. he has been in print before. it is the second year in a row that he's made this prestigious cut. >> think about it, you only know handful of inventors from history. you can list off hundreds of celebrities and hundreds of athletes. gives you reason to what i'm doing. >> reporter: in less than two years, going to the national radar, even starting a company. and with a simple philosophy, maybe one day making wasted energy into a thing of past. >> quote goes that -- you have

to be crazy to change the world. >> even more excited about the potential he has to literally change the world. >> 2012 had some pretty big moments in social media. and technology. but what does the future hold from waving your hands to control your desk top to using your phone to pay for everything? big change rings predicted. facebook plans to improve business pages while rumors of twitter going public still linger. coming up on "news4 at 5:00," i'm going to show you tech trends that will change how you live and work online in 2013. pretty neat stuff. just when you think they thought of it all. >> it is difficult to keep up with it. >> it is. >> if you don't pay very close attention because it -- >> we have to get ahead of the game. coming up on news4, beautiful day at the beach. takes a frightening turn in australia. what caused tho in

front of a new york city subway. summer in the southern hemisphere is well under way. so what is wrong with this picture? shark air larm went off and sent thousands of swimmers racing important the beach in sydney, australia. the shark was spotted offshore by a surf patrol boat. the lifeguards soundsed the alarm and ordered everyone out of the water. the beach was closed for about

30 minutes before the twimers were allowed back in the water. it is definitely not bikini weather in the netherlands but that's the point of the north sea plunge. it is a dutch tradition to take an icy dip on new year's day. today thousands of people gathered on north sea beaches on cue, everybody raced into the chilly waters. many of the bathers raced even faster back to the beach. it was really cold but not as cold a as it has been in years past. this year the air and water temperature hovered around 45 degrees. yeah. that's beach weather. if you are in the netherlands on new year's day. >> that's not happen. >> still ahead, new details about the woman accused of pushing a man in front of been

arrested before. the woman charged with pushing a man into the path of an oncoming train into his death. apparently has a violent history. as tracy strahan reports it was not the first time the suspect has had a run-in with the police. >> she was so relentless coming after me. >> reporter: it has been eight years but daniel remembers blow by blow the attack that caught him completely off guard. a memory that has been refreshed since his assailant, erica

menendez, is behind bars again. but he had never seen nor heard of her back in 2003 when the retired battalion chief came face to face with the alleged killer while taking out his recyclables. >> she starts screaming profanities at me at the top of her lungs that i had sexual relation was her mother. and with that she goes into a boxer's stance and rears back and punches me in the face. >> reporter: menendez was eventually arrested but authorities tell news4 that wasn't her only tangle with the law. she was arrested for another assault in we. and booked on charges of possessing cocaine the same year. the 31-year-old seen running away from the 40th street station in sunny side last week is now facing second-degree murder charges for pushing 46-year-old fernandez shen off of a plat form and into the path of an ondocking 7 train giving a chilling statement to authorities saying, in part, quote, i pushed a muslim off the train tracks because i hate

hindus and muslims. ever since 2001 when they put you down the twin towers, i've been beating them up. >> i saw her all the time in the streets. >> reporter: she owned the nail salon across the street from the building in rico park where menendez's mother lives and noticed a change in her behavior. >> she came with a couple of times to do her feet. we can tell right away something was wrong. >> reporter: menendez is awaiteding a psychiatric evaluation and being held without bail. >> maybe if somebody realized she was -- this guy would still be alive. it is a shame. >> menendez is charged with one count of murder as a hate crime in this case. right now at 5:00 tonight, all eyes are on the house. and there's a new call for a vote on that senate deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. but it looks like the senate is done for now. >> the survivor of the massacre at sandy hook are preparing to

take a new step towards returning to life in the classroom. flames devour a church on new years's day. but it i might the faithful to come together. good evening and happy new we are. i'm jim handly. >> i'm angie goss in for wendy rieger. >> so close and yet so far. right now the country remains without a deal on the fiscal cliff. although the senate's solution passed by an overwhelming majority this morning, the process has come to a screeching halt on the house side. the number two republican in the house, virginia congressman eric cantor, says he cannot support the bill as it stands now. many republicans say that they are upset the bill doesn't do much to cut federal spending. democrats are demanding the vote but house speaker john boehner has not agreed to let members vote or amend the bill. >> that's fair enough. some have principled opposition. you also have to be pic