winds picking up, and another polar blast of afor us. >> and we are talking about the extremely cold air for us, and looking at the storm team radar and nothing to show right now, and we are not going to see anything coming over the night tonight, and we are watching an area back over the west, and right now two separate systems and one is a frontal boundary and that is where the frontal boundary is around the north and that is coming around tomorrow night and early tomorrow, and then back to the west and we are looking at this area right here, and the area that has the rain and the snow inway iowa and that is going to make its way our way, and that clipper system, and it is going to provide some snow. good amount, too. and the storm team 4 showing you the storm warning that is in effect. and we are talking about the measurable snowfall and as i mentioned the biggest storm since the storm of 2011 that dumped nearly 3 to 6 areas across the area, and some of you may get more of that, but it is

not just the snow. veronica? >> that is right. besides the conversational snow, we will be shoveling and cleaning up, and the impacts of the area, between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m., we will see the slick roads and the slippery conditions and the secondary roads, the bridges and the overpasses, and the areas that see the higher amounts and few locations of upwards to 6 inches, and windchills by the afternoon, 5 to 10 degrees, and we are in the upper 50s right now. and the heaviest snow is between 2:00 and 6:00 p.m., and not ending until hours after that, and 15 to 22 degrees after doug being in the upper 50s today. >> yes, and the temperatures tomorrow will feel about 40 to 50 degrees colder by this time tomorrow night. we will have the latest for your, including the updated numbers including the snowfall where you live. >> and right now, a look at what is being done to get the roads ready. more than 4,000 trucks are

rolling out in virginia. news4 transportation reporter adam tuss has the latest where stores and gas stations have been seeing the rush. adam? >> here we go, jim. the road crews are gearing up, and certainly talking about how this is significant, and the treatment has started on the roads, and yes, long lines as people get what they need. >> reporter: at the costco in fairfax sh fairfax, there were a few cars in line making sure they were topped off. >> this is pretty busy, but there is already several cars he here. >> reporter: and this seems especially long. >> well, this is long. >> reporter: and ahead of the possibility off a winter storm, many taking nit stride. >> and now i'm really, really scared, because i have a lot to do and planned for tomorrow. >> and you seem frightened? >> yes, i am scared. everybody is scared around here when we get snow, a nd you know that. >> and what do we have some weather event coming tomorrow? take a look at the line for gast

at costco. and the line is usually pretty long, but this one is longer than normal, and one, two, three -- eight or nine deep, and it could take you 10 to 15 minutes just to get to the gas pum pump. but make no mistablg about it, because the road crews are in high alert. >> we are going to the mobilization level of five and we will have between 2800 and 3,000 pieces of equipment on the roads tomorrow morning. >> reporter: and white lines painted on the roads, and a salt brine mixture to help with icing. and some trucks getting a final inspection, and some resolved so what is going around the corner. >> and i went to the grocery store tomorrow, and so right now it is just gas, and then go home and relax. >> reporter: now what are the local school systems telling us about this? we talked with them, and we will tell you what they said coming up in the next hour at 6:00.

in fairfield, adam tuss. sghoo we checked with the election officials with the special election to be held tomorrow, and it will be continue even with the inclement weather. it is to fill the seat vacated by mark herring. the three candidates on the ballot to fill that seat in the 33rd district. and stay on top of the snowfall, and the storm team 4 app will give you alerts. you can download it from the app store or google play on the android phone. we are following a dropping story -- developing with a man and woman who have a stash of fraudulent credit cards on them. they were stopped after trying to return to the u.s. from mexico, and it is believed that

the cards are connected to the credit cards that were hacked and someone broke into the target information system, and put at least 100,000 people at r risk. and now president barack obama is comparing marijuana with alcohol con ssumption, andn the "new yorker" magazine he said that i view it as a bad habit and vice and not different from the cigarettes that i have smoked as a young person and up through a big chunk of my adult life. it is not more dangerous than alcohol, but the president did not fully cosip on the -- cosine on the legalization of marijuana. and joining us, is nbc bureau chief chuck todd. it seemed that the president's statement on smoking pot seemed to be tempered about his feelings of marijuana leelization. >> and i thought it was interesting of someone watching the popular culture zeigit's

moving on this. it was not just the president speaking, but then the father of two daughters speaking, and in the same interview he said that he has told his two girls that it is not good for you and not healthy and it is a bad habit and don't do it, it is a waste of time. and he seems to argue the other side of it, because he seems to have the same concern that others have that it is a slippery slope, and okay, you are arguing for a little bit of legalization of the marijuana and do we argue a little bit of legalization on the cocaine and the meth? that is the concern that he seemed to voice. but barbara, you hit the nail on the head by equating it to alcohol which by itself seemed to accept the live and let live notion that he has and many american ps now seem to have on this issue. in many ways, he is reflecting where the country is. >> and chuck, do you see the president's statement impact in

the poll i si at all? >> well, it could, because when he came out in the other big social movement that we have seen shift dramatically over the last decade, same-sex marriage, one could argue, and some historians and i was talking to michael besh love about this, but he noted that when the president came out in favor of the same-sex marriage, that helped to accelerate it, and many in the country maybe on the fence, and the president is there and he says, okay, thinking about it in a different way and that could ak sccelerat the acceptance. and the conversation continues. thank you, chuck. >> yes. thank you. and the police have released the 911 calls that brought officers to a disturbing scene in montgomery county. tomorrow, two women who are accused of killing two children, and severely wounding two others. pat collins is in rockwell with more on that call.

>> reporter: this scene was discovered when the police were called to investigate a suspicious blue car on cherry bend drive. and tonight, we have obtained the 911 call for e help. >> and they got outside that it is a knife. with the blood on it, and the door is open, and the house windows are open, and she is in denial and i woke up and i heard jumping. i don't know, they have four children. >> reporter: stabbed and killed. 1-year-old norell and his 2-year-old sister zyana. stabbed and wounded, 8-year-old martello, and his 5-year-old sister tania, and we know the names and the faces of the four defenseless children attacked by their own mother in their own home. but there is still much more to

be known about what happened in this townhouse on that deadly day. it was last friday morning that the police were called here to investigate a suspicious car, and that led them to the townhouse and the bloody scene inside. 28-year-old zakieya avery tried to run from the house, and she was captured by the police and brought in for questioning, and later charged in the attack. police say that avery told investigators that she believed that her children were possessed by the evil spirits, and that she was trying to perform an exorcism. also charged in this murder case 21-year-old monifa sanford and the police say that the two women have been living in the house for several weeks, and they say that the two women met some time ago in church. in the meantime, at the scene, more candles, more flowers, and more stuffed animals in memory

of the child victims. >> my heart goes out to the family. >> reporter: what do you make of what happened here? >> i don't know. i can't answer that. i just don't know. i just don't know. only god knows. only god knows. >> reporter: tomorrow, the two women suspects are scheduled to appear in court, and tomorrow we should learn more details about this troubling murder case. live in montgomery county, pat collins, news4. pat, thank you. a 24-year-old manassas man is in custody tonight after an early morning shooting outside of a sports bar. jeremiah poland is accused of shooting four people in the parking lot of the 90 degrees sports bar in rixlew lane. witnesses provided information about the vehicle that allowed the police to catch him a short time later.

all of the victims are expected to recover. and still ahead, the victims tell us what was stolen when the thieves went through nearly 100 units at a olocal storage facility. it is one of the most violent crashes seen in a long ti time. a car flies off of the overpass, down on to another major roadway killing two people. i'm tracee wilkins and the latest on

you are watching "news4 at 5:00." we are noting the 25th anniversary of this outstanding institution. >> that is d.c. central kitchen and first lady michelle obama and their two daughters and the president volunteer ed this morning. they helped to prepare burritos as part of the thousands of meals that the d.c. kitchen distributes every day. and the president complimented his daughter on her rolling ability. and singing after a wreath laying ceremony. the group also urged people to remember dr. king today by participating in a day of

service. and people continue to gather at the king memorial at this hour, and no doubt will into the night. >> but as we reported, there is a lot of activity into the neighborhoods as the people mark this special day with community service. kristin wright followed along. >> reporter: on dr. martin luther king jr. day, the memorial is powerful. >> actually standing there and seeing it in person is almost like he is there. >> reporter: and people who are here to honor his legacy listened intently to park rangers about the life of the civil rights leader and the larger than life statue that is attributed to him. >> it is history. and it really is, and it is important to be here on a day like this. >> reporter: and many honored his legacy with a day of service. in the southeast, student volunteers picked up litter at hope branch park, and filled up garbage bags with styrofoam

bottles, and keeping trash out of the anacostia river. and every year, this is pushed forward. >> i love it, love it, and when the community that is here cleans up in the backyard. >> ensuring the well-being and the park itself to bring this park back to life. >> reporter: down the road at fort dupont park. >> getting rid of the english ivy here. >> reporter: members of the conservation association got rid of invasive plant species threatening the natural resources that we all share. >> there is a variety of people out here, and whereas when he was out here with the civil rights movement that would not be the case, and so that in itself would be something that he is proud of today. >> reporter: in the district, kristin wright, news4. doug is here to talk about the big day tomorrow. >> you are going to be a busy man. >> very busy for sure. i'm a snow lover, so i am

excited about this, but the one thing is that the snow will come with very cold air and you remember what happened last week with the record-breaking temperatures ark and we will be there again with the windchills that could go below zero by wednesday morning, and all of that with a day like this. look at the shot out there towards the capital. the high temperature reached near 60 degrees, and by tomorrow night, it will feel nearly 60 degrees colder than where we are right now, and it is amazing the temperature drop that we are about to have and 53 is the current numb be, and the winds out of the north, and the wind withes are starting to pick up a little bit, and they are gog to be about that as we move through tonight. and we are not talking about big winds tonight. they come tomorrow afternoon. and 41 in winchester, and hagerstown. and culpepper coming up at 57 right now. the winter storm warning is in effect for everybody. you will notice here it is the entire viewing area, and all of west virginia and northern

virginia and the entire state of maryland under a winter storm warning for the day tomorrow, and the storm does mean business, and here is the radar and nothing here as we look back towards the west. this is what we are watching, a cold front bringing the snows up towards the great lakes, and that is going to drop down to the south, and that is going to bring in the cold air and sets the stage. back to the west, this is the clipper, and it is going to move along that front, and watch what happens here. we talk about the alberta cl clipper, and when you have a clipper, you need it to go south of the d.c. metro area to get the snow, and that is what it does. it goes down south of the roanoke area, and you can see it going from the washington to the philadelphia area, and then strengthens moving off of the coast, and classic nor'easter situation, where this moves out, and then you have the for the east winds, and we will have that too and that is when the snow will break out. tomorrow afternoon, it is going to be snowing big time.

if you are thinking that you have to go the work, tomorrow afternoon's rush hour is a lot of problems a as result of the snow that with we have across the e region. by 11:00, it is going to move out, and it is going to move out by 11:00 at night, and that is when the cold sets in, and then wednesday, the windy and the cold conditions move in. and so we are in for a lot of mess here sh, and that is what are thinking of the snow cornered here. and 2 to 4 down to the south. and notice the plus here, because some areas could get up to five inches from the south to southern maryland depending on the banding. and 3 to 6 in the washington, d.c. metro area, and again, some may pick up more than 6 inches of snow, and also up in this region, 5 to 8, and some could pick up more along the blue ridge where we are talking about potential for big accumulating snow. now, as far as the temperatures go, high of 30, and then dropping the temperatures all day, and a high of 21 all day, and 26 on thursday, and 24 on friday, and then out of the ice box for at least a day or two,

and the saturday is a high of 38 and then right back down into the 20s a s we make our way int next week. it will be cold and unsettled weather pattern. >> and we are getting the word of the airlines right here, where they are relaxing the change rules for tuesday and wednesday. and we will keep you posted on the closings for more throughout the night. and seat belts save lives we know, but should you buckle up the cat or the dog? liz crenshaw will find out if the harnesses keep your pet safe. and the pro gun governor laying out plans in virginia, and whether it will change the laws. lawsnbc universal's coverage of the 2012 london games

was the most watched television event ever. so, what's next? the upcoming winter games from sochi. where every second of nbc universal's coverage will be available on every device. on tv, online or streaming on the nbc sports live extra app. beginning february 6th, experience the winter games everywhere. welcome to what's next. comcast nbcuniversal

tonight a search in russia for a so-called black widow who is part of a terrorism plot targeting the olympic games. police are handing out photo in restaurants, and hotels in sochi, and she is maybe one of four women sent to attack the olympics, and they believe she may be already in sochi, and this new alert comes on the heels off video of militant

groups threatening to strike the games, and the president say that the games are a national priority. and alex ovechkin is preparing to be one of the big stars of the sochi olympics. the leading hockey player in the nhl and he hopes to help russia's hockey team medal in front of the hometown fans. this is his third time playing for team russia, and he stopped by the "today" show and touched on the security of the games. >> president putin said that we have some stuff out there, but i am sure that everything is going to be fine, and everybody going to be healthy, and everybody is going to be having a good time. >> he is of course, the leading score nr in the nhl right now, d the winter games kick off f february 6th right here. and the super bowl is set, and the big apple is preparing

for the big party. >> seahawks and the broncos will face off, but now everybody is buzzing about what happened after that game in seattle. and diane is here to explain. >> well, it is the water cooler moment of a great football sunday. you can call it smack talk or spouting off, but you have to hear it if you missed it. let me set it up. this is a play that clinched the super bowl trip for seahawks. and now richard sherman intercepts a pass intended for michael crabtree, and then these two who don't like each other at a all. >> take me through the play. >> well, i'm the best coroner the game, and yu want to challenge me with a sorry receiver like crabtree? that is the result you are going to get. don't put a sorry guy like that

on me. crabtr crabtree, don't you open up your mouth, because i will shut it real quick. >> well, poet shg, both of theo twitter. and he said, pull me up on the tape, and saying, show me where he is the best, and then sherman say says, a lion doesn't concern himself with the sheep. and there was a stat today that came out that discovered as many positive tweets and negative about richard sherman's reaction, and if you didn't have plans to watch the super bowl because of the redskins in it, you may want to check this one out, guys. >> okay. >> and now a surprise for an officer recovering from a near-fatal injury. >> reporter: it is cake and candles for the officer shot in thhead during a traffic stop last year.

>> it makes you believe in things that you don't believe are possible. >> reporter: and the special birthday surprise and the latest on his recovery. and the thieves target not one, not two, but nearly 100 units at a local storage facility. i'm mark segraves and i will have that story. and how safe is your pet when you travel? liz

snowy and then cold. it may not look like it now, but some bad weather is on its way. >> and chief meteorologist doug kammerer is in the storm is system with the word. doug? >> well, yes, guys, it is amazing that we saw temperatures today that reached nearly 60 degree degrees and tomorrow, it is going to be a windchill near zero by tomorrow evening, and of course, that comes with snow. we are talking about a clipper making its way to the west, and by tomorrow afternoon, we will talk heavy snow from washington up to richmond and philadelphia and all of the way up to boston. now, this snow is not going to be the packable snow, and we are not talking about the making snowmen, because it is going to be so cold that it is going to be a fluffy snow to make it its way down tomorrow, and get the shovels and the gloves and the mittens and whatever you need to get ready for the storm, and also bring that firewood closer to the house. we are in for cold air. >> and tonight, family and phrenes are trying to cope with

the sudden loss of two men. they were killed when their vehicle plunged off of oxon hill this morning. tracee wilkins has the story. >> i had to come to the scene. had to come to pay my respects. >> reporter: throughout the day, family and friends were drawn to the remains of a violent crash scene at 210 and oxon hill road. >> when i heard it on the news this morning, and i got a text, i just could not imagine when they told me that it was him. >> reporter: 45-year-old james henderson was driving a chevrolet suv at 2:00 p.m. when he lost control and flew off of the overpass and striking a guardrail and light pole and then eventually going downhill on oxon road. >> i understand that things happen, but this is hard right here. >> reporter: he and his passenger of alexandria were

pronounced dead on the scene. the adult nephew who was in the vehicle survived the crash and he is out of the hospital and recovered at home. >> he is a good father and loving person and has three kids. >> everybody loved james. anything that james could do for you, he would >> reporter: it is amazing that another vehicle traveling on oxon road was not struck when it went off of the overpass. the police are still trying to determine what led to the crash, but so far, they do believe that speed was a factor. reporting in oxon hill, i'm tracee wilkins for news4. and tonight the family and friends of a postal worker shot and killed on the job will lead a rally to stop deliveries after dark. tyson murray's murder is not solved and his family does not want other letter carriers to go into dangerous situations after unsundown.

and now we go to martin luther king memorial where the march is to begin. >> reporter: you can see behind me family and friends, and the family came from south carolina, but they say that budget staffing cuts and budget cuts have caused letter carriers to deliver after dark and it is not only dangerous, but it is deadly. >> reporter: a man was hailed by bull legals and letterer carrier tyson barnett was killed. he was parked on reed street in fairmount heights, and on a 2 d 223rd of july he was killed. >> and to have a letter carrier out here working hard and trying to be safe, and it could have been me. >> reporter: many prince georges officer officers went to talk to

witnesses and asking drivers and even offering a $125,000 reward for the arrest and the conviction of the killer, but after two months, they have made no arrests. and so we are back live with the march and the rally for safe delivery. with e rehere -- we are here at the martin lu ther kither king, he wanted justice and they want justice for all mail carriers not to deliver after dark. we will speak to the family of tyson barnett in the next newshour. i'm chris gordon for news4. and residents of reston, virginia, came together to honor the life of martin luther king. they had many inspired murals and songs from the civil rights movement, and the theme this year is "are we keeping the promise." >> and in northern virginia, we

he were preparing to hand out emergency kits, including contact information and where to find emergency broadcasts and other items. and now today, members of the george washington and the george mason university teams handed out coats at a d.c. homeless shelter, and the coats are among 500 donate d by the children's charities foundation. expanding health care coverage in virginia is part of t terry mcauliff's first budget plans. he wants them to decide on the medicaid expansion if the panel does not decide by the end of the session. other budget plans include more than $5 million for the cost of competing bonuses of the school support staff in northern virginia. and mcauliff also wants $2 million to help military wives and husbands and $1 million for

state police to gas up their vehicles. and tonight, an annual competition of gun right sup r supporters and opposition gather, but as one side gains ground, it continues. >> reporter: at one rally, there are stickers to save lives and at another, there were 822 hearts that say that background checks save lives. after years of a state controlled bill, governor terry mcauliff's wife joined the rally today along with the democratic attorney general and lieutenant governor and the assistant secretary nominee. >> it is a new day in virginia. >> reporter: the gun rights activists are determined to not only hold their ground, but

expand it, because they lobby the lawmakers to have a lifetime conceal permit, and they want virginia to honor it, and they want to be able to bring their gun to the unsecured part of the airport. >> that is very important to me. i'm not in the secure area, and there should be no reason for me not to go in there and grab my bags. >> reporter: gun control supporters continue their push for universal background checks, but so far, almost every bill has been halted. and this man whose daughter was killed at virginia tech says they are in for the long haul. >> they do nothing, then what does it say about their deaths? okay. so for me, i feel that i have to act, and i will continue to act. >> reporter: and the gun rights le leaders say they will try to block any gun control measure. >> all of that stuff is a waste of time.

the criminals can easily get around the background checks. >> some gun rights activists pushed hard for legislation to arm teachers and other officials in virginia public schools ark and that effort failed, but this year, there is a new attempt. i will tell you more about it at 6:00. julia carey, news4. and they put their sights on a cash machine and they go the great lengths to get it. how thieves were able to get and atm machine inside of a store. atm machine inside of a store. sghoo and

woanother by an intruder by the reservoir... who forced his way in through her bedroom window... and for so many, traumatized again by facinthe criminal in court.

i'm jennifer wexton, and as a prosecutor i put violent offenders in prison. in the virginia senate, i'll fight just as hard against tea party republicans who would take away a woman's healthcare and her right to choose, even in cases of rape and incest. on election day, help me stand up for her.

you are watching "news4 at 5:00." okay. check out this video which shows that the roof is collapsing on the minneapolis metrodome, and the first time that the deflation happened on purpose. work is now under way to tear down the three decades' old football stadium. a new stadium for the vikings will be opened in the new stadium, and until then, the vikings will play at the university of minnesota's football stadium, and the metrodome has also host ed the minnesota twins and the timberwolves over the years. and the next time you head up the 95 corridor, you can once again stop at the maryland house in harvard county. they demolished the bridge and

then built this new facility with restaurants and shops. it has twice the number of restrooms and extra parking and free wi pie. and the chesapeake county will now close so it can undergo similar renovations. nearly 100 units targeted in a big time heist. coming up next, the break-in at a local storage unit that made victims of dozens off people. i'm liz crenshaw. do you always take your dog on car trips? how protected is he in a crash?

some thieves left a big mez to clean up at the cvs in northwest d.c. police say that overnight someone pried open the secure metal shutter on the front door, and then smashed a van through the door, and knocked the atm off of its block before loading it in a car and driving off. this is 12th and newton streets, and the investigators are looking through the surveillance video to see if the cameras got a good look at the suspect. and this is a news story we told you first at 4:00, that thieves raided almost 100 storage units in a facility in upper marlboro, and taking things like electronics and k construction supplies and more. mark segraves has more on how they might have gotten through

multiple layers of security. >> one by one, the customers showed up today at the capital beltway storage, and they are here, because one of the storage units were targeted by thieves. >> they wanted to see if anything was missing in all of that stuff. >> reporter: and christopher's unit was one of 92 that the thieves broke into. >> and going through 92 units in one night, that is pretty well orchestrated. >> reporter: there is a lot of security here, lights, videocameras, and the chains on the gates that the thieves cut through. the owner of the facility would not talk to news4 on camera, but did confirm the break-ins, and the staff at the facility have said that the thieves bypassed the security video by cutting the power to the lights and they didn't just rip off the padlocks, but they ripped off the entire part of the door that attaches. >> they screwed up every lock instead of just cutting the

thing with bolt cutters, and so there is a lot of damage, and i believe they did electrical damage. >> and the police tell news4, they have no suspects, but coming up at 6:00, we will tell you how the thieves made off with everything they stole. in prince georges county, mark segraves, news4. and an update on the snowy forecast. >> well sgoishg, it is going tog one coming through during the day tomorrow, and the conditions are going to go downhill very, very fast. first off, temperature-wise, this is 53 degrees right now, and cool across the area, but not cold. we are talking about the temperatures that are well above average, and the high is 43 and sitting at 53, and we are not bad, and 42 by 9:00, and going down to 39 degrees and chilly and not cold at 11:00, and the cold air starts to come in tomorrow morning and around the rest of the region, everybody is

into the 47 rockville, and 48 in reston, but in the south, near 50s here around manassas. and the radar, nothing to show you at least in the immediate ar area. up north, different story. cold front to the north, and that is going to be coming down, and the area of low pressure, the clipper is coming down from the west. and the clippers don give us a lot in the way of snow, but this one is a lot different, and as a matter of fact, we are talking about the snowfall totals like this, down to southern maryland, but notice the plus, some areas will get to 4 inches, and the northern neck of fredericksburg and the waldorf area, i am thinking that you are in the 3 to 6 area, but some areas like d.c. could get 4 to 6 inches and depending where it is, then we will find out how much to the west, towards fredericksburg,

and gaithers burlg, and winchester, and i would not be surprised to see more than eight inches, because it could happen on the i-95 corridor. it depends where the strongest band sets up. normally with the clippers we will see 1 to 3 inches, and this one is going to turn into the nor'easter to increase the snowfall totals, and so will the cold air. the colder the air, the more the snow piles up. tomorrow, 30 and then the temperatures drop in the afternoon and going for a high of 21 on wednesday. as a matter of fact, look at this, the windchills starting off at minus 10 early on wednesday morning, and wednesday night, 6 degrees is what we can expect with the windchill and staying in the freezer with on thursday and 24 on friday and we get out of the freezer on saturday, and the temperatures are still in the 30s, and that is one wintry forecast. >> thank you, doug. we all know that seat belts save lives burk do y-- lives, bt

do you buckle up your pet? >> well, many americans own dogs as p pets and many ride with them. while some pets are unbuckled and some are harnessed, but some tests show that harnesses are not worth the trouble in an accident. >> reporter: these are dummy dogs, and the crash will illustrate graphically what happens to pets when their owner's cars get in a wreck. >> she is like up with of my children. >> reporter: laura miller of fairfax, virginia, is like many pet owners and her dog is a member of the family going on car rides with her everywhere. >> up. >> reporter: so when miller found out about a new study that tested the reliability of pet travel harnesses, she was intrigued. >> her safety is the number one priority. >> reporter: and the pet safety harness crash worthiness study is believed to be the first of its kind, independent crash

testing focused on pets instead of people. it is the brain child of the center for pet safety, a nonprofit focused on protecting the pets like your dog or cat during travel. founder lindsey wol cot founded the center after her own dog flew off of the seat in an accident, even though the dog was strapped in a harness, and that prompted her to do some research on the pet product industry. >> there are no standards in place. there is no requirement that they test anything. >> reporter: and so last year the center teamed up with subaru and a local testing facility, mg testing, and the trio teamed up, and the results of the popular pet harnesses were not encouraged. all three experienced problems in testing. >> we had many products that failed. we had many products that

allowed the pet to launch off of the seat. >> reporter: and other devices ripped or tore in impact, but there is one brand that outperform the rest. this is the one that performed well? >> yes, this is the sleepypod which is the only three-point harness on the market. >> reporter: we reached out to t the pet products association and it says that there are no current travel standards in place for harnesses, and the association continues to work with pet safety in addressing pet services with harnesses and restrapin restraint, and as for miller, she is happy to use a harness that she can trust. >> there is nothing that i care for more than her safety. >> the sleepypod click it runs for around $100. for a full look at the study go to nbcwashington.com/liz crenshaw, and it is interesting

to see the pets in the crash. >> and they have the same-sized dog, and they can go flying if you don't have them strapped in. >> yes, and it would be nice if the harness and the seat belt actually worked. >> well, the woman we talked to, the dog was perfectly happy. >> yes, a good dog. all right. liz, thanks. well, almost a year since the traffic stop and shooting that changed the life of an alexandria man who was involved in

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you are watching "news4 at 5:0 5:00". and check out the stories trending online today. queen elizabeth may be trying to ease into retirement. she has agreed to hand over some of the workload to her son, prince charles, the current heir to the throne. and when her press office will emerge with his press office. the queen will turn 88 in april. >> and jay leno says that the guests are no longer a secret. billy crystal will appear on the finale, and the actor was one of his first guests 22 years ago. sghoo a >> and country star garth brooks and jimmy fallon will also

appear. and that is the spacecraft that is transmitting to earth to let them know that the comet is back online. it went into hibernation three years ago, and the scientists wanted to power it back up to check the systems, and now rosetta will catch up and drop a lander on the surface in november. call it a celebration to remember. this weekend, family and friends of alexandria police officer peter lavoie surprised him with a birthday party. >> this was a birthday that seemed like a longshot. but as we are told, he recovers remarkably after being shot in the head while on duty. >> reporter: they gathered at the police hall in alexandria and the slide show, and the t-shirts and everything with a super theme all for the officer.

and his colleague threw him the party. >> we have been friends for 13 years, and we reon the same patrol group and we work together. >> reporter: she was out of the country when she got word that peter had been shot on the job. >> i was told to prepare for a funeral within 24 hours. >> reporter: but now a year later no, need for mourning, because instead, they are celebrating. a wave and a smile from a man who many, many didn't expect to live. his wife, susie, by his side, and officer lavoie took in the warm welcome and the boys keeping close to their dad, and technically, it is peter's 46th birthday, but suze said he should try to relive it from last year, because it was not a good year, so we are happen pi that he is here, and we want to relive that birthday. >> and every time we see peter, it is hard not to smile, because you don't expect them to happen

in life, and i know that a lot of people believe it is a miracle, and i, personally, i believe it is a miracle, and makes you believe in things that are possible. >> reporter: there is much healing to be done for peter and his family, but as he embarks on the second take at 45 -- ♪ happy birthday dear peter >> reporter: he is wishing for more company and birthday cakes to come. in alexandria, i'm david culver for news4. >> thank you. right now, getting ready for some snow, and a winter storm warning in effect all over the area. and tonight, road crews are ready and the drivers are lined up at gas stations, and the schools are keeping an eye on the forecast. >> and snow is falling in other part parts of the country, and what comes after the snow is worse, bitter cold. we are going back into the deep freeze. >> we have team coverage to help you prepare for the