world are condemning a bombing. the state department is warning americans to stay away from u.s. diplomatic facilities in turkey. that warning follows a suicide bombing today, in ankara, turkey. danielle leigh is on capitol hill with news that the white house is calling this attack an act of terror. >> reporter: jim, good evening. this attack complicated a day that was supposed to be a celebration, as secretary of state hillary clinton stepped down. it's a great reminder of the serious security threats that the now secretary of state john kerry is inheriting. chaos outside the u.s. embassy in ankara, turkey's capital today. a suicide bomber killed himself and the embass guard and blasted a hole through the checkpoint. paramedics rushed to help a seriously wounded woman. at least two other guards were hurt. the u.s. ambassador to turkey said the compound is secure, but

standing among is the confusion, he was clearly shaken. >> right now we are dealing with our sadness at the lost of our fellow member of our embassy. >> reporter: the turk irk government blamed a domestic militant group. >> we strongly condemn the suicide attack. >> reporter: it's the latest in the series of threats to u.s. diplomatic facilities. in september terrorists killed four americans in ben gauzi. the state department responded, promising more security. >> the level of security protection at our facility in ankara, ensured there were not significantly more deaths and injuries. >> reporter: the attack comes on the same day as the leadership handover in the state department. cheering employees packed into hillary clinton's farewell ceremony. >> we live in very complex and even dangerous times, as we saw again just today at our embassy in ankara.

>> reporter: new york john kerry takes over as secretary today. he's now responsible for carving the path ahead, as the u.s. faces growing terrorist threats overseas. kerry was officially sworn in this afternoon during a private ceremony. as for clinton, she is still being noncommittal for her plans for the 2016 election, but she did say she doesn't believe the recent security concerns would affect whether she runs for president. i'm danielle leigh, news4. winter gave us a light dusting of snow this morning, making rush hour tricky, but tonight it is clear, it is blustery and cold, and we are in for more cold weather. >> more cold we are, more cold for sure, but the cold weather is what you'll notice. we did see a bit in the way of snow. this is what we talked about last night. a dusting, a coating, some areas picking up an inch. now you can see the clear skies.

here was that system, even 4 to 6 inches, on you through the delmarva, so we just missed getting some significant snow around our region. one thing that it did bring in, the wind and colder air. gusting to 26 miles an hour, 16 down towards fredericksburg, and 26 back towards leesburg. you at that with the temperature, and you get some really cold windchills in the single digits. sitting at 8 in gaithersburg 16 in culler, 17 docks towards patuxent river. it's a very cold evening, a very cold weekend. we have 1, 2, 3, 4 chances for snow coming up over the next couple days. i'll update you in just a minute. neighbors could hear the mother screaming for help, as the fire raced through her home overnight. two sisters, 3 and 6 years of age, could not escape those flames, and they were killed. the house is in frederick county, maryland in the town of

myersville. five others were hurt in that blaze. fire crews tried to save the little girls, but the flames too intense. >> oh, yeah he went in a couple times. >> reporter: neighbors say the 29-year-old jack lil ard had several rescue efforts from the fire that ultimately took their lives. >> he was in shock, his face was black, he had burns on it. she was -- i mean, it's hard getting any information. all she kept saying was, my babies. >> reporter: neighbors stood by in helpless horror, knowing the precious value, knowing there was no possible way to save them. >> the whole front was engulfed in flames. i tried to go around back with my ladder, but when the garage door fell, it acted like a totally charged flame. you couldn't even get close to the house no more. >> reporter: the fire broke out in the home of the 3900 block of

highland drive about 11:30. jack lillard, hi wife, their 8-year-old daughter morgan, and 7-month-old baby sadie made it out. all were rushed to local hospitals. a volunteer firefighters was also injured. a home located in rural area near the town of myersville was of wood frame construction. very little remains. the fire will be investigated by a joint fire department/law enforcement task force that looks into all fatal fires in frederick county. >> the fire is still under investigation. the frederick county task force is working to determine that cause. >> reporter: neighbors say that sophie lillar democratic is believed to have been home-schooled by her mother. recording from myersville, jackie bensen, news4. just a few hours ago john leopold resigned. three days ago a judge found him guilty of misconduct in office. he's scheduled to be sentenced

on march 14th. leopold was found guilty of using employees to run personal and political errands. among other things, they accused him of using his staff to attend to his nursing needs after surgery. anne arundel's administrative officers john hammond will remain the county's acting executive. the former police officer in culpepper, virginia, who was convicted of manslaughter, could spend three years in jail. that sentence was recommended by the jury today. the judge will decide if the sentence is just. david harmon wright killed a woman during a traffic stop last we're. virginia bureau reporter david culver is outside the courthouse now with more. david? >> reporter: jim, as that sentence was being read today, i looked over and noticed patricia cook's supporters we are shaking their head. they were clearly very disappointed. tonight daniel harmon wright is back in jail, the jurors seen

here walking in this morning, the judge said 12 months for each of the three counts they quitted him of, a total of 36 months in jail. earlier the day, the judge de denied the push for a mistrial. on tuesday, the jury found him guilty of manslaughter. outside of court today, harmon wright's attorney described his client's reaction to the recommended sentence. >> i think he was prepared for it, but, you know, he still feels like he did the job he was tired to do, and there was nothing else he could have done. >> in the end it's a jury decision, so i'll stand by the jury's judgment. >> reporter: judge susan whittlock has two options h. she can uphold the sentence or lessen it. she's make that call in april. david culver, news4. one person is dead, two others injured after a car hits a three about 4:30 this

afternoon. this was in front of the a middle school. investigators are trying to determine what caused the driver to go off the road. washington's longtime money man is stepping down. he told the mayor this morning he is resigning as the city's chief financial officer. news4's tom sherwood broke the story on twitter today. gandhi's recommendation is effective the 1st of june. he says he's comfortable leaving now, because the city is in good financial shape. the mayor announced a $400 million surplus. he's been criticized for his office's internal controls in the handling of the d.c. lottery contract, which is the subject of a federal investigation. ward 6 council member tommy wells is expanding on his plans for a potential run for mayor of d.c. in 2014. day wells confirmed he has formed an exploratory committee. he also plans to go on what he calls a listening tour, to meet

with residence in all the district's eight wards. he expressed concern today on wamu radio over the scandals that have rocked the city's government over the last year. >> i do believe we're at a crossroads, i think with chronnyism, a culture of corruption, that things could go backwards easily. we do know that's the one thing that will undo a city pretty quickly, a corrupt government. >> harry thomas jr., and former council chair kwame brown, resigned last year on corruption charges. mayor vinton gray is until federal investigation for irregularities in his 2010 campaign wells says he'll decide by april whether he'll want to run for mayor. allowing home-schooled children to play sports at the public schools is moving through the assembling. it failed in the past, but's julie carey reports, home-schooled families are

hopeful that more people will understand their position. >> they are both home schooled, and both love fool and other sports. for jayden, the draw to football is especially strong. he dad was a wide receiver. what are your goals? >> to go pro. >> reporter: it could be tougher to reach that level. they can look forward to travel teams in the future, but once they get to high school, the only option for football is public school sports. that's why both boyce and their parents are supporting the so-called tebow bill. it's named for nfl quarterback tim tebow who was home-cooled but played sports at a florida high school. >> as taxpayers and citizens, we should have the same rights as

other taxpayers. they, you know, they just go to a public school, and my parents chose to home-school me. i think -- i think i should have equal rights as them. >> reporter: opponents say home-schoolers are not subject to the strengthen rules set out by the virginia high school league. hb 1442 undermines that principle by creating two different and unequal standards for participation. >> reporter: but these paints air that i home-school programs are rigorous and the rules shouldn't be a barrier. >> home-schooled children have proven they can compete well academically. they're certainly, you know, on par with their counterparts in public schools there, so we don't all have to be the same. >> i feel like they deserve a chance. we're not asking for a spot on the team, but asking for an opportunity to try out. >> reporter: in loudoun county, julie carey, news4. a milestone on wall street. vesselors have a lot to

celebrate. chuck todd joins us to talk about the economy and the next secretary of state. a dog fighting ring busted in the district. two dogs are up for adoption. health experts say they have a new update on just how fast the flu is spreading.

p. protests outside eye jept turned deadly. a man was shot in the chest. it happened as krouse fought with the police. protesters through molotov cocktails and fire crackers tess walls of the presidential compound. the officers fired back with water cannons and tier gas. president morsi was not there at the time. protesters are demanding a new constitutional and government. the obama administration offered a promise today to religious groups regarding birth control plans. it includes birth control under preventive caring, requiring insurance companies to cover that cost. more than 40 lawsuits were filed, saying that forcen them to provide this kind of coverage is unstill. the new policy will let more organizations opt out, giving

women other options for the contraceptive coverage. that's now subject to a 60-day review. former governor scott brown announced he will not run for the massachusetts senate seat head by john kerry. kerry resigned to become secretary of state. brown's decision will likely mean the senate seat will stay in the democratic hands. brown won the 2010 special election after senator ted kennedy died. he then lost last year to democratic senator elizabeth warren. a huge milestone on wall street, hillary clinton's last day as the secretary of state, and the next sect of defense. chuck todd will moderate "meet the press" on sunday. first, a great send-off for hillary clinton, and we also saw this morning the world is still a very hot place. >> with that attack in turkey and the embassy. she really has gotten a pretty good send-off, and it's -- it's

been interesting to watch the entire democratic party almost unify around her in a way they never did four years ago. look at what president obama did, a joint interview that hess's not done with his own vice president. so it is clear the roads have been plowed for her if she wants to make it back. the question is whether she makes -- >> what do you think? >> my gut is if you made her answer today, she would say no, she's tired, but -- it's one of those you don't yet -- i'll tell you this, joe biden really wants to run, but i think the entire party waits to see what she does. let's talk about the economy. dow over 14,000 today, first time in five years. companies looking pretty good.

>> and what happened, we heard that the economy shrank. this is the coming battle, washington versus the private sector. the private sector seems to be wanting to move, to rebuild, that the recovery is happening, and then you have the defense cuts that led to -- we know around here, i can always use here, the sequester word, the more defense cuts could come and how that could slow down the economy. the economy is -- wants to get there, but every congressman i talked to, it's being held back by washington. depending on your ideology, it's being held back by the republicans or the president, but they're holding it back. >> chuck hagel i'll bet is glad the week is over. he went through a grilling. >> the wringer. i think he found out that when you switch sides, maybe, from your close friends, that they're a little more bitter, more upset. the white house was not thrilled

with his performance, thought it could have been better. they're sticking by him, happy no democrats peeled away. there are 5 democratic senators. there's enough to confirm him, and republicans i've talked to, i talked to roy blunt today on the msnbc show, and he said i'm voting against hagel, but ifili. >> sunday panetta? >> leone panetta. the defense guys are very fired up about what's happening. i know that a lot of people around town here care about this a lot. >> thanks, chuck. >> see you. doug? cold out there today? snow this morning? what's going on? a couple days ago it was 72 degrees? >> like tuesday our wednesday? >> this is what january is supposed to feel like in our region. yeah, 72 one day, 66 the next day, 40, 50-degree temperature drops. we've seen a heck of a week. >> we liked it better a couple

days ago. >> it is cold out there right now, tops are up. convertibles are probably left in the garage. as a matter of fact it's been cold that day, most locations picking up about half an inch of snow. locally most of this was in the prince georges and anne arundel, then you make your way toward the eastern shore. the general rule around the d.c. metro area, a trace to about half an inch of snow. high today only 36 degrees, with a low of 28. winter? back, and it's going to be back right on through the next couple days, most likely into most of next week, if not all of next week. curb temperature 26 degrees at the airport. winds still gusting, winds out of the west-northwest, gusting to 30. lock at our windchill, 14 degrees right now. i'm not evening showing temperatures. it's currently 6 in frederick, 9 in gaithersburg, 9 in

winchester, 18 in culpepper, 17 at the patuxent river. these are some of the coldest numbers we have seen so far this winter. down to about 14, 13 and 8, but the winds begin to subside, temperatures may go down, our windchill will actually go up by 9:00 or 10:00, but going up to 15, that's not saying a whole lot. if you're out and about on this friday evening, make sure you bundling up. the snow moved out, we've been dry throughout the afternoon. right now the atmosphere is very dry. this was a storm system that came through earlier. it was all snow across our region. some locations picking up a dusting to an inch of snow locally, but out towards delaware and southern porz of new jersey, upwards of 6 inches of snow once the storm started to develop. you just missed out.

behind that system, cold and very windy conditions moved in, with those 30, even 40-mile-an-hour wind gusts. windchills will not be a factor tomorrow, then we're going to watch another clipper system. this will move through saturday night and give us another chance for light snow. itle continue to move through, with another chance for light snow on sunday. then guess what? a couple more chances for snow. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy, and just plain cold. if you have anything to do tomorrow morning, it's going to be a cold one. 12 in the suburbs, 19 in the city, windchills because of the light winds, not really too much of a factor. even a 5-mile-an-hour winds will put it in the single digits. increasing clouds, possible snow late. best chance will be to the west of the d.y. metro area. 41 on your sunday, 36 on monday, another chance of light snow on

tuesday with a high of 41. 41 as well on wednesday, again another chance of light snow, and chance of rain or snow, as temperatures start to moderate. once again, sunday, this is what we're looking out for, scattered snow showers, little if any accumulation, but yeah, i wouldn't be surprised if there's a possible dusting in some locations as we make our way through the day. >> of course it does happen through the weekend, the biggest thing you notice, temperatures stay cold. the average is 44, most of the next seven days will be below that average temperature. >> get rid of the wind. that will help. that's a start. >> that's going to be a big factor. tomorrow just as cold, but not nearly as windy. >> thanks, doug. today marks ten years since the space shuttle "columbia" disaster. all seven of the astronauts were killed in 2003 after a 16-day mission. they were returning to earth. services were held today? several towns in texas action

where the debris landed. nasa also held a memorial at cape canaveral. former astronauts were on hand to honor their fallen colleagues. >> to our friends from mission 107, here we are ten years later, we still love. we still miss you. how can we ever thank you for your contributions to the great journey of human discovery? >> nasa also held a memorial at arlington national cemetery. fewer americans have the flu. the centers for disease control says 42 states including maryland and virginia reporting widespread flu activity. that's five fewer reporting it last week. however it's still a dependly epidemic, eight children died from the flu last week, bringing the total number to 45 this season. hospitalizations for the flu are higher than normal right now. the largest group impacted, people over the age of 65. coming up tonight, guy stole

a dump truck and wound up at mcdonald's pat collins will tell you about that illustrates a lot of finger pointing and questions. the express lanes still fairly new. why the price may already be going up. coming up in sports, we catch up with a former raven, who is certain to be a first-ballot hall of famer. he finds out tomorrow. a lot of firsts down here in northern, including the first-ever joint press conference with the harbaugh brothers,

a man is pays a streep price. it started with a drunk, a stolen dump truck and ended in a drive-thru restaurant. >> reporter: this is brian manningam's police picture. he's 43 years old. he's in a heap of trouble. they say he stole a dump truck from the hartman construction company in duralwood, drove it to the mcdonnell's in damascus, and is crashed it into the threw-through there. >> >> he broke the room and

is -- >> yesterday he pleads give to breaking to the boss's office and stealing that dump truck. >> with the montgomery county stays attorney's office. >> the moral to the story is just because you're hungry looking for a cheeseburger doesn't mean you were steal a dump truck to get it. >> police say they found a bottle of booze in that stolen truck. back to duralwood and the hartman construction company, where they say he's used trucks before. hear from the owner. >> i told hi from the get-go that i would trust him like family until he proved me wrong. >> reporter: did they prove you wrong? >> he definitely took you wrong. >> reporter: took three of your trucks. >> yes. >> reporter: got into three accidents. >> yes. >> reporter: now in jail. >> reporter: i've never had anybody do this to me in years.

>> reporter: he's also facing a p probase violation. in montgomery county, pat collins, news4. two little girls died overnight when a fire swept through their home in myersville, maryland. 3-year-old mad i dan and her 6-year-old sister sophie were trapped by the flames. their mother and father and two other children were able to ejames. john leopold has resigned. lee opod announced his resignation in a her today, saying the resignation is effective immediately. he'll be sentenced on march 14th. tonight former police officers daniel harmon bright is back in jail. the jury that convicted him recommended he get three years of jail time, on the lowents.

harmon wright was convicted of killing an unarmed woman as she sat in her jeep in a parking lot last year. t the. >> bit owners are upset because of damaging fleece. theyfully flood gates shoop open seer. irchl irchlts. >> he was in the von tear flood several. >> they got about four feet of water.

he's still not happy. >> anytime you disrupt a business, people have employees, they're work, it's an aggravation. >> he's among many big owners who would have liked to have dean the dam water released sooner, so there wouldn't be so much rushing water downstream. >> you have to do what you have to do. there was an awful lot of rain. >> reporter: he says they did the best they could. >> we could only do with what was predicted. that's would you we lowered as much for to allow for the 3 inches. when it became apparent there would be more rain, that's when we contacted laurel. >> reporter: city officials are planning to review yesterday 'emergency, in the -- >> unfortunately we had to

rejacket in a worse kay scenario. >> for frederick, there's a sigh of relief, mix the with a little frustration. >> they just don't answer to anybody. so that's aggravation for january. >> reporter: officials say the bottom line is every storm is different, and they decide what they're going to do based on the information they are given. in larm -- >> two dogs are looking for a good home tubal. they are they are mother and daughter, seized from the owner in the district. they're now up for adoption. emmy is a terrier mix. investigators believe he was used to breed fighting dogs. lizzie is a 2-year-old shepherd

mix. she was a puppy when she was rescued. aww. >> both dogs have responded to the loving care we have provided them. our caregivers, who are really the people that spend every day with them, both have a lot invested in these girl, and believe that now is the time for them to get a, they say they would be best in a family that did not have children. >> everyone made it out of this townhouse in springfield, virginia, safely this afternoon. as you can see, the home suffered major damage. this fire started about 2:00 this afternoon. at a home on morning dew court. fire officials say the fire was so intense it melt the the vinyl side of the house next to it. no word on what started that fire. drivers are not happy that the price v tolls on virginia's express lane is going up.

some commuters are complaining that the price will go up even when there isn't an increase in traffic. tolls are supposed to rise and fall based on congestion. the operator of the express lane says the price is based on constantly changing factors. they say the price of tolls will become more reliable after six months. they also expect the price to go up from an anch of $1.50 to about $6 during rush hour. people who shot in montgomery county would rather pay the price than give up plastic bags official that i that five cent tax is not changing or modifying behave. the tax was passed to discourage the use of the disposkt bags and encourage reusable once. it was hoped ted lead to cleaner streams, ponds and rivers in the area, because that's where a lot of the bags end up. instead of generating just a million in revenue, which they

were hoping, the tax is expected to bring in twice that amount. montgomery county has been charging the tax now for a year. coming up, have you noticed it? a purple frenzy all over the place. hey, what's our weather going to be like? cold, let mets guess. >> what's left for me to say. >> a breezy condition, yes, a bit more in the way of snow coming up. we'll talk about that in just a minute.

virginia's attorney says he's that iing put in the office as he runs for governor. some were urging him to step down. cuccinelli is a republican, and says he is fulfilling his promise to voters. >> i told people when i ran that i was going to stay four years, and i'm keeping my record. >> reporter: how long will you stay in the attorney general's office? >> i'm keeping my firm. i will fulfill my term. >> so you will not be stepping down. >> that's correct. >> he's expected to face terry mcauliffe this fall. local ravens fans are getting ready for the big date. maryland state lawmakers put on jerseys today at the statehouse in annapolis.

meanwhile, some fawns in lawyer got together at the municipal center for a potluck tailgating party. and kids want to stay up and watch the super bowl because of that. this video sent to nbcwashington.com from a school in bethesda, the students going wild when a first grader makes a shot in the gym. it's a first grader. the headmaster officers students monday off if one of a few kids could make that shot. a seventh grader and an eighth grader both tried and miss, then he nails it. the first grader nails it, and guess who's not going to school on monday? sign that kid up. sign him up. dan is down in new orleans, enjoying the sunshine, and what do they call it,

welcome back, everybody. an interesting fact. the last three hour the temperature has mapped the wind gusts, 26 degrees, 26-mile-an-hour wind gusts. all that means to you is it's cold. a look at the actual number.

21 in gaithersburg. you look at those numbers, and you say that's cold in there, and you add in the winter and it's even colder. 14 in rockville, 11 in camp springs, 13 in reston. and it's going to be a very cold evening, so expect that when you step outside. don't expect any snow, we don't see any of that at least for the next 12 to 15 hours, then wee seal a clipper system move through, a couple more righting into the jet stream, that will give us a couple chances for snows. we call them alberta clippers. they move right across or region very quickly, and they are able to dump a bit of snow. that's what we have the next couple days. late flurries tomorrow, into tomorrow night, light snow on sunday, about a 30% to 40% chance, maybe a dusting in some locations. another chance of light snow on tuesday with a high of 41.

guess what? another chance of light snow coming up on wednesday, temperatures around 41 against, maybe a coating here too, and then watching friday, a bit of a system that should le warmer. we'll continue to watch it for you, one thing for sure, we are going to stay on the cold side of things, as we make our way through early february. thanks, doug. going to new orleans. dan, i guess there's not much left to say except in the words and i can't refer the old referee's name, he was a judge, but before the fight, he did a lot of heavyweight fights, he was like, let's get it on. remember him? miles something. >> reporter: they're ready. they're so ready they've even landed a helicopter here just a couple for a et away from us, if can you hear in a in the background. the players aren't talking anymore. one day after beyonce took -- took the very same stage to

provide some form of entertainment, as it went. big brother john doing the talking. little brother jim, the head coach. after super bowl xlvii. jim was pointing it out before. it's not about how we'll feel. every coach, every player, everybody in the organization, when you win, it's jubilation, and when you lose, it's just bitter disappointment, because so much goes into it. it will be no different in this game, probably even on a greater scale. if we were to win this game, it will be well earned. >> you know that's really all we're thinking about, focused about, and can't wait for it.

>> i've given absolutely no consideration for the post-game handshake, or bear hug or anything else. not thought about it one second. have you, jim? >> i have not. >> reporter: i guess the good news is that you don't have to lose the super bowl as a head coach, nobody better to lose to than your brother. one harbaugh will be winning. it is the ultimate ravens weekend down here in new orleans, not only are the raven palaces in the super bowl, but jonathan ogden, likely to be a first-ballot hall of famer, he will find out tomorrow afternoon if he's inducted into the hall of fame. we caught up with the big guy on the links earlier this afternoon, to chat a bit about the potential hall of fame induction that will be coming up. met a lot of the guys over the last five years, and a lot of really nice guys, they're all like good luck, we want you in our club.

it's the guys, just guys who you watched growing up. you're like, wow, i'm going to potential immortalized -- i'll be gone, but my bus will still be there. >> to have it happen with the ravens in the super bowl, talk about maybe another cherry on top? >> with the ravens in the game, ray lewis' last game, if i can get in there, and go out there with the coin toss, i mean, that would just be -- they don't write these scripts in hollywood. >> reporter: that's coming a long way. a long way from the national cathedr cathedral.

st. alban's i grew up there. hopefully they share it with me. that's where i got my start. >> reporter: i fell felt like he was a foot taller than me. the man is a giant. he's a pure athlete, a 7 handicap. he said he picked up the game eight or nine years ago. maybe a little more fun for me, though, to chat with joe gibbs and doug williams earlier the year? they were in town celebrating the 25-year anniversary, when we all remember that explosive second quarter, they were doing a little work for habitat for humanity. coach gibbs actually in town for literally two hours, flew in to do the event, flew out. we did chat with both. at 5:00 we talked about the super bowl victory. now we talk about this year's team.

irchltsdsf the first game he's plays. you would figure a young guy like that would be in awe. >> he was most relaxed, calm, and play like a seasoned veteran. i'm with doug, but you see great athletes from time to time, it's hard for the quarterback to get all the attention, come into the league, get a lot of money. sometimes it's hard to handle all that. i thought he handled all that great. he's a consummate team guy. i think it was pittsburgh that he got a bunch of balls drop on him. he took up for them. i think he's a real team guy. i think that's good for washington, we're all excited for him, what mike is doing, bruce, you have dan there, who i think a lot of, and i think they're building something special.

>> before we let you go, alfred morris on the running back, with one of the greatest laughs on the team. i said that on the air to jim vance. he said that's okay, but the best laugh in the world is joe gibbs. [ laughter ] he really enjoyed his time with you last year. >> i didn't get to laugh much as the coach, you know. i enjoy it now. vance, i don't know if i deliver any beats beads, but i did deliver the laugh. >> it's not so much as a laugh, but a giggle. that's the best part of it all. thanks, dan. all right. so can our region handle a half inch of snow, people? can we?

how's the forecast for the weekend? >> it's good, if you like winter weather. this is a good weekend to do some skiing, if you're thinking about heading to the ski slopes, they should be loving this weather. late flurries tomorrow, maybe even light snow. so, again, not a big snow. 34 for a high tomorrow, 41 on sunday, 36 on monday, and then another chance of some light snow once again, talking about a coating, maybe an inch next tuesday or wen day. and yet another system coming in on friday. looks warm enough that one may be a mix of rainous snow. . all right. i'm wondering if we can handle some truth up in here today. can we acknowledge that some of us in and around this town have become a bunch of whilers? even more of us are populating a

city of sissies? here's what i mean. what was it, a week or so ago? there were school districts in the metropolitan area that closed on a forecast of 1 inch of snow. then today, all day long i'm hearing parents who are mad, complaining that certainly schools should have delayed opening for two hours. after half an inch of snow fell. good lord, people -- there are some rotten tomatoes. propssh who have the most unenviable task of making the call at 4:00 in the morning, on whether to open, close or delay the opening of schools. what a job, because no matter what they decide, you can take it to the bank, something will be mad at them. props to doug, as much as i hate douse it. and their colleagues at the other shops in town.

in fact, check their record, they almost always get it right. and god help them when they're a bit off. some rotten tomatoes. remember the comic strip pogo? that iconic line years ago, we have met the enemy, and he is us? rotten tomatoes to us, who darn near salivate like mad dogs over the prospect of some inclimate weather. rotten tomatoes to those of who you demand we do that? here's the deal, folks. weather has been and certainly is now a ratings driver. we go ape over a thunderstorm, because all the research tells us when the consultants ask you, you tell them you care more about rain clouds in your neighborhood han war clouds in the middle east or anywhere else. you get what you asked for. can i share a secret now? doreen, wendy, jim, even doug and i, we all hate goods spastic

over a whisper of snow. but who love it are those who pay our salaries. or as it regards my salary, those who have been paying it until just about now. it's been a good ride. >> can i have your