tv News4 at 4 NBC January 24, 2014 4:00pm-5:01pm EST
4:00 pm
good afternoon. i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm barbara harrison. we're covering big stories. a chopper is showing the scene on muncaster road in gaithersburg. two cars collided. then one last control and skidded off the road. the car hit two people walking on the side of the road. one is now in critical condition. a total of five people were hurt. as you see, there are a lot of emergency vehicles on the road. we have more and will bring it to you coming up. a former top senate aide busted for child porn is dead after an apparent suicide. 35-year-old ryan lascoarn was republican chief in lamar washington's office. last month, he was charged with possessing and distributing
4:01 pm
child porn. he had been living with his family in psychsville since his arrest. they called police after finding his body. a new mother charged with first-degree murder after police say she killed her newborn baby, then tried to dispose of the baby's body. news4 was first to report this story. on thanksgiving day, police were called to this apartment complex on 14th street in d.c.'s brightwood neighborhood. a resident reported seeing bloody water dripping through the ceiling of an apartment. police found lillian alvarado in her apartment in the bathroom with the baby. sources tell news4 she was trying to dispose of the body. alvarado has been under psychiatric care since that happened. police charged her after the autopsy results came in. not guilty, please, for virginia's former governor and his wife to federal corruption charge. bob and maureen mcdonnell are accused of accepting gifts and loans from a ceo of a company interested in doing business in the state. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey was -- visiting now
4:02 pm
from richmond. >> reporter: former governor bob mcdonnell and his wife maureen pled not guilty to the government corruption charges. family, friends, and reporters crowded into two courtrooms for two separate hearings. >> how are you going to plead -- >> reporter: the governor and his wife came in hand in hand. one upstairs, they greeted friends who lined the hallway outside the courtroom. the first hearing was a bond hearing. the couple was told they'd be released on their own reconnaissanc-- own recognizance. they may not travel outside the country. the second hearing of the formal arraignment on 14 charges of fraud and conspiracy. the couple's accused of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from a wealthy businessman in return for helping his company. both took an oath, raised their hand, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. [ applause ] >> reporter: outside afternoon ward, well wishers lined the sidewalk as the former first
4:03 pm
couple left amid a crush of cameras. >> governor, do you want to say something to the people of virginia? >> reporter: mcdonnell remarked to reporter, "i'm blessed with great family and friends." the trial date is set for july 28th. it is expected to last five to six weeks. in richmond, virginia, i'm julie carey. a massive water main break in bethesda is still causing problem for crews. it happened near the white flint mall this morning. crews had to close a road in both directions when the water started to freeze. news4's kristin wright is live at the scene. what's it looking like now? >> reporter: wssc is pretty sure the cold weather caused this break. right now they are still trying to get to the pipe. we want you to take a look down there. that's where it is. the broken pipe is down in that hole, about six feet. they tell us this has been a lot more difficult than they thought it would be. to see get to that pipe.wssc ha.
4:04 pm
that's what's happening there. now, a problem they're also running into, gas lines. fiber optics and verizon fios lines. they had to navigate carefully around all of that. also, wssc was not able to shut off the water valve for some time because they couldn't physically turn it. they had to go up the street, down the rockville pipe this way just to find a valve to turn and shut off the water supply. so it's been a real challenge all day long since 3:00 this morning. we're told about 150 customers are affected at this point. and that's just customers. so when you think of the numbers of people, it's more than that. we'll keep an eye on it. and we'll tell you how businesses are affected coming up at 5:00. and then at 6:00, we'll talk more and give you details about the break. live in bethesda, kristin wright, news4.
4:05 pm
we just checked, and a water main break in alexandria is still causing problems right now. road crews and the city's water company had several breaks to fix today. this one on jordan and duke streets, the intersection. it happened last night. the 12-inch main sent water gushing into the street. area businesses and restaurants there got their water back around 1:00 this afternoon. but jordan street is still closed in both directions between duke and raleigh avenue. and crews are also working on a break behind the fox chase shopping center. well, it looks like the cold isn't leaving us any time soon. >> not soon enough. storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson is here. some of us have had enough. >> i know. certainly i'm one of them that's had enough. we have issues out there. remember the beginning of the week, temperatures were close to 60. this morning we started out in the single digits. at least we've got this -- a little bit of sunshine to help with just a little bit of
4:06 pm
melting today. in your forecast, it's going to be an icy cold but i think quiet night. we have snow showers coming our way tomorrow. our temperatures will be going way up. then way down again over the next couple of days. the other thing that we're going to see the next few hours, these cloud increasing. it's another weather system again that would provide the area with a few snow showers. so we're cloud-free now. soon the clouds will be moving in. and our windchill temperatures, look at this, 13 leesburg, 11 gaithersburg. i do think that for a time tomorrow they could be dropping even lower. and look at the morning temperatures -- seven, fairfax, seven in manassas. those will be going way down again, too. when i return, i'll show you who could see just some snow showers and who could get over an inch of snow tomorrow. >> thanks. stay prepared during these cold temperatures with our nbc washington app. get the latest breaking news and weather alerts around the clock.
4:07 pm
two women charged in a deadly exorcism today were in court. we learned new details about what happened and the pair's mental health. first lady michelle obama making a big return to late night. when she's going to be reunited with jimmy fallon. and fans rally around justin bieber just one day after he was arrested for drinking and driving. samsung and h.h. gregg are teaming up to get your home ready for the big game.
4:08 pm
4:09 pm
take a look at this. here's a good reason to steer clear of fire trucks and give them plenty of room to maneuver. this car got stuck trying to drive over a d.c. fire truck's hose this morning. it happened on upshire street in northwest. firefighters were working a kitchen fire at a senior citizens' facility at the time. d.c. fire and ems isn't saying what firefighters had to do to disentangle the hose and car, but we're told they did need a
4:10 pm
tow truck. no one got hurt, though, in the fire. no jail time for the alexandria woman whose baby died after being left in a hot car. we broke this story about an hour ago on nbcwashington.com. this afternoon, a judge accepted a plea deal for zaraida hernandez. in july, hernandez left her 8-month-old son in the car for sick hours while she went to work -- six hours while she went to work in arlington. when she realized he was still inside the car, it was too late. the baby had died. the plea deal puts hernandez on probation for 2.5 years. if she abides by the deal, she'll be acquitted of the charge. ahead at 5:00, david culver talks with community members coming to hernandez' aid. we're learning more about the men suspected in a pair of armed robberies in prince george's county. police say donnell calloway and gregory evans are facing several charges for the crimes. the two are accused of holding up a business in capitol heights, then a liquor store in forestville on wednesday.
4:11 pm
police say they led officers on a chase through d.c. before crashing their getaway van. calloway was shot during a confrontation with police. he's hospitalized but is expected to survive. an update right now in the case of two montgomery county women charged in the deaths of two children. 21-year-old manifa sanford and 28-year-old zachia avery are accused of stabbing avery's 1-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter to death in an exorcism ritual. avery's 5-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son were also injured in the attack last week. today a court psychiatrist recommended avery be evaluated at a state mental health hospital. sanford was ordered to see a court-appointed psychiatrist. the "tonight show" with jimmy fallon announces its first guest. when you could catch michelle obama back with the late night host. bieber goes back to court next week. what his fans have to say about the drunk driving charges he's facing. and there could be some sun out there today.
4:14 pm
50 people were forced out into the cold after a six-alarm fire charred the apartment complex. the fire was reported just after midnight at a three-story building in union city, new jersey. firefighters had to battle the flames and the freezing temperatures, too. several nozzles froze, putting the firefighters at a disadvantage against that fire.
4:15 pm
it wasn't fully contained until after sunrise. three people were injured but are expected to be okay. the cause is still under investigation. a smoother, warmer ride home from school for students who ride buses in fairfax county. officials with the county's school system have just confirmed that there were no issues with buses this afternoon. this morning, about 150 of them wouldn't even start, stranding some shivering kids at the bus stops and sending some parents scrambling to drive their children to school. those buses were having problems like frozen valves and cracked windows which happened despite the efforts of staff to make sure the buses were ready to go. >> we have a cold start group that goes out and started all of our buses, let them run for a while, make sure they're operating, any issues we have. batteries that were dead, frozen lines, the roadies, that's what the county mechanics are that travel, they had gone out and addressed all of those. yesterday morning, yesterday evening, we had gone out and started all of our buses.
4:16 pm
>> the county operates some 1,600 school buses that transport 139,000 students every day. the school district has been trying for some time to get a covered depot, but so farland has been a problem. there is a search underway right now for the driver who hit a pedestrian this morning in college park. around 1:15, the man was walking along cherry hill road near route 1 when someone hit him. he's in the hospital now listed in serious but stable condition. just last week, a university of maryland student was killed trying to cross route 1. that driver turned himself in. we're following breaking news about an accident on the bw parkway. scott more farland is at the live desk. chopper 4 is over this now. prince george's county fire rescue, u.s. park police called to the bw parkway near powder mill road. greenbelt. look at that. happened at about 2:00 p.m. serious crash. u.s. park police say the vehicle traveling south on the bw parkway lost control, crossed the center aisle, and struck a car head-on, traveling north.
4:17 pm
both victims critical condition, transported to shock trauma. bw parkway is closed both northbound and southbound. watch your screen. you see traffic's at a hold, being diverted. this means there's going to be an incredible bottleneck on the bw parkway for some time. we imagine the diverted traffic on i-95, northbound and southbound, is going to cause backups, too. particularly sensitive time for that road to be empty and that traffic to be backed up. accident bw parkway, both directions closed. at the live desk, i'm scott more farland. we're learning that singer justin bieber will not have to appear in a miami court next week. however, his lawyer will. bieber was arrested early thursday morning after drag racing in miami beach. this morning, fans for the pop star crowded outside the miami home where the star is staying. >> he's growing into the person that's -- that he's going to be for the rest of his life. he's got -- everybody makes mistakes. >> bieber is charged with a dui, drag racing, and resisting arrest without violence.
4:18 pm
no word yet on whether he'll accompany his lawyer to court on moay or not. first lady michelle obama will be one of the first guests when jimmy fallon take over the "tonight show." mrs. obama will appear during the first week of the show which debuts next month. it won't be her first time talking with fallon. she's been on "late night with jimmy fallon" several times. she made waves, you may recall, when she and fallon did the evolution of mom dancing. we kind of like that. fallon talked about performing with the first lady when he stopped by our studios a few months ago. >> one of the ideas we came up with is dancing. the evolution of mom dancing. i'll dress up as a girl and will dance with you -- >> she said, "sure, i'm in"? >> no, she said, "let me see the dances first." i sent her the dances, it was embarrassing. she said, "if he's willing to embarrass himself to get the word out, so am i." it's gotten 1, 700 hits on youtube or something.
4:19 pm
>> that was good. >> she's a good dancer, though. we've seen her dance before. >> they both are. >> we're not very good skaters. >> no. >> we should come up with a dance for the cold outbreaks that we have been getting. at least maybe we'd be a little warmer. folks, we're talking about unrelenting cold. you know, sometimes you come inside, you get the nice relief. even inside seems drafty. we've got a chance for some snow showers, too. take a look. we've got the chunks of ice there in the potomac now. one of our cameras there. again, snow showers for us. i've got a winter weather advisory for the counties far, far to the west. this is on the leeward side of the mountains. folks around cumberland, oakland, toward petersburg, on the west side, you could see accumulating snow. midnight to saturday, 6:00 p.m., again, fairly fast moving system that comes in and through. but three to five inches could accumulate here. the winds will be picking up in those locations, as well. doesn't mean we're not going to get anything at all here. vile your forecast coming up in
4:20 pm
just a -- i'll have your forecast coming up just a few. the weather headlines, bitterly cold night coming our way. we'll see some improvement throughout the day tomorrow in terms of temperatures. evening planner, 23 degrees now. 18 under a clear sky by 9:p.m. then very cold as we drop to 17 degrees by 11:00 p.m. again, we're going to see some improvement this weekend. why, our temperatures will for a brief period of time get just above freezing. 34 only gaithersburg. bethesda getting up to a high of 34 tomorrow. 33 in alexandria. camp springs, 36 to burke at 35 degrees. best chance of snow between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. let's look at that timeline forecast. first, your radar. again, dry, nothing going on right now. here it is, folks. on friday, 11:00 p.m., we've got a mostly clear sky, clouds will continue to increase early tomorrow morning. cloud cover across the area, now watch what happens as we get into the afternoon hours. around 2:00, around 3:00, some snow showers will start showing
4:21 pm
up. fast-moving system, too. we get the wind with it. at 6:00, still a chance for snow. frederick, leesburg, down toward warrenton, and even charlottesville. i do think that the areas that favor the best chance of seeing some accumulating snow and even there very light amounts will be to the north. could be an inch for columbia, bowie, annapolis. around a trace gaithersburg, bethesda, d.c., fairfax, and manassas. a lot of this will be melting. during the evening, up to the north, around 0 at hagerstown, frostburg, there could be a few slick patches as we get into the evening hours tomorrow. the high, 35 tomorrow. again, a 50% chance of seeing snow showers during the afternoon. we get that wind, we drop to 17. windchill temperatures then early sunday morning back down to the single digits. the high, under the freezing mark again for sunday. 32 degrees on monday. we could get another one of these little weak systems moving through.
4:22 pm
could be a drop of rain, maybe a few snowflakes. then 23 degrees on tuesday as we get ready to go into another wave of extremely cold air. when i return in a couple of minutes, we'll look at that with your extended forecast. barbara, pat? >> all right. thank you. another threat to the olympic games in sochi. the latest video discovered on line. plus, how official in russia shah are handling the growing -- in russia are handling the growing worries. officials trampled by
4:25 pm
an american tourist has turned up dead in thailand. we're just getting news this afternoon that the body of a woman in her 20s was discovered last week in the national forest. her name hasn't been released yet. please say they believe she had been trampled to death. likely by elephants. the woman was found alone with her camera which contained a lot of pictures of wildlife. a couple visiting kaem has an incredible story to tell this afternoon. nbc has more on their close encounter with a bear on their front porch. >> reporter: sometimes when you walk outside, you don't think about looking over to the right where there is a bear. instead, you take your time locking your door and walk to the van, but the bear sees you
4:26 pm
and follows behind, looking very curious until he get way too close. >> i says, "a bear, a bear." you stay in the car. >> reporter: what happened after camera was this -- a nip or claw to the calf. >> there was a couple of scratches, a bruise. i was very lucky. never had so much excitement. >> reporter: this young bear is well known in the neighborhood. people nearby say he regularly eats their trash. >> it came there, and it just scared us. and then we runned interest n our hous-- runned in our house. >> reporter: some say it might have been looking for his mother, seen in the area today. it could be the same bear family we saw almost two years ago in a tree in this altadena neighborhood. those who have watched the bear say he seems hungry and sometimes playful. >> cute. >> reporter: he's growing quickly. and today's encounter, a reminder that these bears belong in the woods. >> he doesn't although harmless. but it's a wild animal. you never know.
4:27 pm
it's probably safe to trienk lies him or get him out somehow, you know -- tranquilize him or get him out somehow, you know. another threat to the olympics in sochi. what russian official had to say about the public's growing fear. and former nsa contractor edward snowden speaks out about the recent security charges or changes made by president obama. what he thinks about the presidential or the president rolling back part of the program.
4:29 pm
4:30 pm
35-year-old ryan lockarn was found dead in the basement of his parents' home in sykesville, maryland. he was charged with possessing and distributing child pornography last month. he was once a top aide to republican senator lamar alexander. not guilty pleas from virginia's former governor and his wife to charges of federal corruption. they're accused of accepting gifts and loans from the former ceo of staff scientific, a company interested in doing business in the state of virginia. mcdonnell has denied the charges and has given back the gifts and repaid the loans. the trial is set for july. traffic is moving slowly in montgomery county right now. a 16-inch water main break on rockville pike is still pumping water into the street. crews have been trying to fix the break since 4:00 this morning. the water could begin to refreeze as the mercury continues to drop. and will the mercury continue to drop? let's check in with v.j.,
4:31 pm
veronica, what's going on? >> yes, it will. i think we're sick and tired of the extreme cold and the problems that it's been causing. today, though, we got a chance to get a little sunshine in here. look at the gorgeous sky closer to sunset. again, mighty, mighty cold. your evening planner forecast, dropping to 18 by 9:00 p.m. talking about dry conditions here for your evening and even tomorrow morning. we'll head on down to 15 degrees inside the beltway. other locations back down it the single digits. so again, very cold this evening. and even lower temperatures by tomorrow morning. in fact, our windchillngs now up through montgomery county, northern areas of montgomery county, eight degrees. feels like 23, though, ft. belvoir, and by tomorrow morning, folks, single digit windchills. we'll take another look in a few minutes at the snow that we're expecting tomorrow and how much you could see. new threats out of russia have the olympic committee beefing up their security efforts. this four-minute video was released by a terrorist who is
4:32 pm
believed to be in russia and is linked to jake. it's just the latest in a handful of videos on line threatening the winter games. the pentagon says it's prepared to send two warships to the black sea in case of an attack. nbc's richard engle report on how the city of sochi is responding to these threats. >> reporter: there's a battle underway for the image and message of the sochi games. >> i'm sure that everything will be okay because you can see that security procedures are real tough. >> reporter: on the one hand, vladimir putin, the russian government, they want to show how strong and efficient they are. that they were able to build an olympic city where there was none and hold the games safely even close to the caucuses. on the other hand, you have the islamic militants who want to show how strong and relevant they are. >> i take it seriously, all the -- all the threats. but having said that, i don't think that at this point one should get panicky or one should
4:33 pm
run away from sochi. >> reporter: between the two sides are all the athletes and all the spectators and what might be lost is that feeling of olympic spirit. richard engle, nbc news, sochi. former presidential candidate mitt romney led the 2002 olympics in salt lake city just months after the september 11 terror attacks. this morning on "today," save save a-- savannah guthrie asked whether he would feel safe taking his family to sochi. >> the answer is yes. i believe the gam will be safe. that doesn't mean there's 100% guarantee anywhere in the world today. but this is, after all, a dangerous corner of the world. >> romney also talked about the new netflix documentary coming out today called "mitt." it includes behind-the-scenes action from both of his runs for president. he says he wishes the director had left out some scenes including those of him in prayer. edward snowden and the just
4:34 pm
department are signaling that they may be open to negotiations about his legal status while his relationship with russia appears to be on solid footing. here at home, republicans are demanding an end to the surveillance programs snowden exposed. steve handelsman is live on capitol hill with details. hi, steve. >> reporter: hi, thanks. good evening. snowden's ucla lawyer denied that the russians helped snowden do the -- aclu lawyer denied that the russians helped snowden do theleaking. that lawyer also helped snowden deal with the consequences. if edward snowden can't come home, he's got a backup -- the russians taking an uron fist to the games this sochi -- an open fist to the games in sochi. his russian lawyer said russia would extend snowden's asylum status when it runs out in august. snowden does not want to stay. he said in his web chat, "returning to the u.s., i think, is the best resolution for the
4:35 pm
government, the public, and myself, but it's unfortunately not possible." because he's denied whistleblower protection. snowden's american lawyer, ben weisner, says the leaker ought to be offered clemency. >> i don't think edward snowden should, as the justice department says, plead guilty to a felony, lose his freedom and civil rights for his act of conscience that did all of this good. >> reporter: attorney general eric holder demands a plea bargain. >> clemency, a simple no harm, no foul. i think that would be going too far. >> reporter: lawyer bill cofield says as part of any plea bargain, he's sure to get jail time. >> you would -- you would get at least seven or eight years, maybe more. >> reporter: nsa is not sure how snowden stole the secrets. >> these are things that the government may want to know, and they want to know bad enough to negotiate with him. >> reporter: or snowden just stays in russia.
4:36 pm
that clearly suits the putin government that today announced snowden could be a guest at the winter olympics. i'm steve handelsman, news4. breaking news on a school shooting in south carolina. scott mcfarland is tracking it at the live desk. one student shot at south carolina state university. that campus now on lockdown. police just wrapped up a press conference and say they're still looking for shooter and as many as four suspects might have been involved. the suspects no longer believed to be on campus. again, a lockdown is still in place. the university not releasing the name or the condition of the wounded student. at least not at this time. back to you. a freeway in indiana reopened nearly 24 hours after a deadly pileup involving a bunch of tractor-trailers. reaction from first responders on the scene. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. how does a jurisdiction decide whether or not to declare a snow message? that's the question. the answer's coming up on "ask liz." get your home ready for the big game
4:37 pm
with big savings at h.h. gregg's super sale. save up to 30% on appliances, electronics, furniture, and more. get a home theater chair $297. this lg 60-inch hdtv $699. and whirlpool 4-piece stainless steel kitchen packages $1999. plus, get up to 24 months special financing on purchases $497 and up. get the best brands at the best prices for the big game. see it all at hhgregg.com.
4:39 pm
4:40 pm
the north pacific. how does a injures decision died whether or not -- a jurisdiction decide twloont cwh not to call a snow emergency? what's the difference between a snow emergency and state of emergency? do drug companies have to put where the location the drug was manufactured on the label? it's friday which means it's time to "ask liz." >> nice to see you. >> nice to see you. first question is about all the snowfall that we got on tuesday. >> yeah. >> viewers want to know, how does a county or city decide whether or not to call a snow emergency? >> well, we turned to several jurisdictions for this answer. all say it's a decision made by a city or county. snow emergencies are called when snowfall severely impacts the jurisdiction and makes driving condition potentially unsafe. if a jurisdiction calls a snow emergency, it is illegal to park cars along the snow emergency routes. they will be towed. maryland state police say more than a dozen counties implemented snow emergencies on
4:41 pm
tuesday from st. mary's out to prince george's and montgomery, in virginia, some smaller jurisdictions like the city of falls church and the town of leesburg also called snow emergencies, putting those parking rules in effect. d.c. did not declare a snow emergency this week, by the way. so if you were wondering about that, it did not. next question. >> comes from a viewer, john. john wants to know, "what's the difference between a snow emergency and a state of emergency?" >> right, two different things. one is one thing. one's the other. d.c., maryland, and virginia gave thus answer -- all three say states of emergency are typically declared by a governor or a mayor in the district if he or she decides the state or city might need additional assistance. that assistance is usually needed during a severe weather event and can come from the federal government like an agency like fema. for instance, states of emergency were called in all three jurisdictions in the days before hurricane sandy due to the potential for widespread power outages. that said, no city or state
4:42 pm
needed additional government help after tuesday's snowstorm. no states of emergency here. just some snow emergencies. >> all right. >> got that? >> guess that's good. last question comes from howie. he's a viewer who wants to know if makersf over-the-counter drugs like aspirin have to list where the drug was manufactured on the label. >> i like this question. i didn't know the answer. the food and drug administration gave us this answer. it says not necessarily. over-the-counter drug products must include either the name and address of the manufacturer or the name and address of the packer or the name and address of the drug distributor. it must include one of those three but not necessarily the country where the pills were made. which is interesting. if you have a question that you would like us to consider for "ask liz," send it to askliz@nbcwashington.com or on twitter @lizcrenshaw. or facebook. coming up at 5:00, our winter
4:43 pm
storms are being named. what is the safest way to dispose of fireplace ashes? and can insurance company raise your rate if you go from married to single? see you at 5:00. thanks. it was once considered to have multiple health benefits. why now some scientists say vitamin d may not be as good for you as previously thought. veronica? we've been talking about it all hour. snow in the forecast. weather impact right here, folks. low chance of seeing any big accumulation. lower than we can see two inches or more. a mart chance that some of you might see roads getting a little slid slick during the evening.
4:45 pm
it may seem strange, but people really can love their laxative. especially when it's miralax. unlike other laxatives, miralax activates water to work in 3 ways - hydrating, easing, and softening, to unblock your system naturally. so you have peace of mind from start to finish. what's not to love. it's also the #1 doctor recommended brand. love your laxative. miralax.
4:46 pm
an indiana freeway has just reopened nearly 24 hours after a deadly pileup killed three people. police say ice and blinding snow are to blame for the chain-reaction crash that traumatized the driver aeps cau up in this. john yang with the report. >> reporter: one of the most horrible accidents i have ever seen -- >> reporter: whiteout conditions lead to a massive chain reaction collision outside michigan city, indiana, trapping motorists beneath the wreckage. the treacherous conditions making it difficult for emergency responders. >> it's horrific not just for everybody out history but for
4:47 pm
the families. >> reporter: late thursday, the police released information about those killed. a husband and wife from grand rapids, michigan, and a-year-old chicago man and his pet golden retriever. witnesses said they could hear the crash from at least two miles away. >> sounded like a train coming off the rails. >> reporter: police say 40 vehicles including 15 semis are involved in the pileup which brought eastbound traffic along the major interstate to a sta standstill. the backup stretched 15 miles. >> complete whiteout. >> reporter: this woman was in the middle of the mess and spoke by phone with nbc station wmaq in chicago. >> like a parking lot, wall-to-wall cars and trucks. >> reporter: one of the injured spoke by phone from his hospital bed. >> i seen a semi coming toward us, and so i closed my eyes. i thought i was going die honestly. >> reporter: school buses were brought in to serve as warming stations and to transport injured to hospitals. >> just goes on for miles. >> reporter: motorist mike carpenter was going westbound
4:48 pm
opposite the crash and sent this cell phone video. >> so many cars that inside of the actual accident, i couldn't see anything. that's a nightmare, i promise you. >> the deep freeze made a difficult job even harder overnight for firefighters in philadelphia. the fire, this one, started after 1:00 this morning in an abandoned building and spread quick three a nearby property. the heat and flames were intense but not enough to keep nearby hydrants from freezing. and that slowed the firefighters' progress. took about two hours to bring the fire under control. thankfully no one was injured. the cold weather has reached to texas where drivers were slipping and sliding on highways this morning. ice-covered highways. take a look at these chopper pictures from san antonio. dangerous conditions on the roads ledded to a number of reports of spin -- led to a number of reports of spinouts including a ten-radar pile-- ter pileup. students had to stay home as
4:49 pm
schools were closed. this is the worst ice storm than they've seen in years. >> this is just the pattern that we're in with the polar air from way up north that's moved over us. unusual for them. unusual for us, too. folks over the next six days, temperatures will remain for the most part under the freezing mark. only a few brief hours will rise above freezing. the windchill readings low. look at the national harbor cam. this live -- you got the wind and chunks of ice. folks, cold, cold, cold everywhere across the area. temperatures for the overnight period, nine degrees in frederick, maryland. nine also in manassas, eight in culpeper. i'm forecasting our temperatures to only be about a degree higher than how we started the day out today. tomorrow morning, we're mostly cloudy. i think we'll be dry. but very much on the frigid side again. so that range between sick and 14, our winds out of the
4:50 pm
southwest at ten to 15, and only increasing throughout the afternoon. here it is, 31 degrees by 1:00. yes, we're going to rise above the freezing mark. we'll get to 34, 35 starting around 2:00, 3:00. a chance for snow showers in your saturday weather. 37, fredericksburg, 32, frederick. it's areas to the north through frederick, howard county, loudoun county, toward prince william county, northern fauquier that have the best chance of snow sticking during the late afternoon and the evening hours. here it is, bowie, annapolis, areas around columbia, just toward gaithersburg. there could be an inch of snow, not just on grassy surfaces but on some of the secondary roads, too. these are the areas up north around 29 where it might get a little slick during the evening hours. for the most part, if you're in this -- in the area shaded in light blue, that would be around
4:51 pm
blue mont toward warrenton, fredericksburg, waldorf, leonardtown on west, i don't think you'll have any trouble at all tomorrow traced to snow showers. conversational event for you. for frostburg, western maryland, there could be as much as three to five inches coming down for the area. by sunday, folks, the possibility of some more flurries during the afternoon and evening hours. another little fast-moving system for us. on your storm team four-day forecast, 28 the high for sunday. so we're back down. then we're way back down tuesday and wednesday of next week. our coldest days with, again, that extreme cold over us. hypothermia, frostbite-type weather starting out in the single digits to highs only around 20 to about 23 degrees tuesday, wednesday of next week. barbara? >> thanks. news 4 your health now -- a new study suggests vitamin d supplements don't offer a whole lot in the way of health benefit. scientists in new zealand reviewed data from 100 clinical trials. they found vitamin d supplement
4:52 pm
didn't significantly reduce the risk of death or heart disease, cancer, or stroke. the supplement also failed to noticeably -- supplements also failed to noticeably reduce risk of hip fracture. this published in the medical journal "lancet." research suggests that couples who live together may have diabetes together. a new canadian study finds a 26% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when a live-in partner also has the condition. researchers say couples often share the same behaviors that can lead to diabetes such as poor diet and exercise habits. the bright side, though, they say, is that couples can work together to improve their fitness and reverse their diabetes. here's something to rest your mind if you spend most of the night tossing and turning. a new study says just thinking that you had a good night's sleep can help you function better. researchers at colorado college told students they were measuring their sleep quality. but instead, they really just
4:53 pm
took the students up -- hooked the students up to monitors before bed. in the morning, some of the students were told that their deep sleep or ream sleep was above average. others were told their sleep was below average. surprisingly, students who were told they had gotten a good night's sleep performed better on tests measuring their attention and memory skills than the students who thought they had a bad night's sleep. if you live in arlington, you're among the smartest people in the country. that according to the intelligent community forum. a think tank that studies economic development. it's based on broadband connectivity, innovation and digital inclusion. arlington is specifically cited for building its own fiber network to boost broadband service and re-energize government business university collaboration. columbus, ohio, is the only other u.s. city to make the top seven list. if you plan to take metro this weekend, be aware of plans for some major track work.
4:54 pm
crews will be doing track work on all five lines beginning at 10:00 tonight. on the green line, trains are set to run every 16 minutes. orange, blue, and yellow line trains are expected to run every 20 minutes. and on the red line, trains could run as far as 24 minutes apart. although more trains will run through downtown during the day. a tragic court battle playing out in texas. the family of a pregnant woman declared brain-dead, fighting to take her off of life support. why her hospital refuses to
4:55 pm
samsung and h.h. gregg are teaming up to get your home ready for the big game. get close to all the action and save 1500 dollars on samsung's ultra high definition 4k led tv. plus, samsung 60-inch led tvs start at only $999. and samsung 55-inch led tvs start at just $799. get to h.h. gregg now, your samsung headquarters for the big game. see it all at h.h. gregg.com.
4:57 pm
a hearing is underway in texas to determine fate of a pregnant woman who's been declared brain dead. her family is asking a judge to allow her to be removed from life support despite the hospital's opposition. nbc's chris van horn reports. >> reporter: the fate of marlisemmune yos and her unborn baby has brought protests and legal action. her family says she would never have wanted to be kept on life support after being considered brain-dead. jps toldmmune yos und munos und it can't remove life support for patients. it raises difficult legal and ethical questions. follow her directions or let the fetus at 14 weeks in late november, continue to live. >> it's a tragedy. i think everybody should agree to that. it's a sad thing somebody. >> reporter: dr. richard galvin is a philosophy professor who
4:58 pm
has taught medical ethics. while it's a tough set of circumstances, he doesn't think it's a difficult decision. >> this is not a case in which there is some uncertainty about what the woman would want to have done. it's very clear in this case that she has explicitly stated that she does not want to have this done. and the family concurs. >> reporter: the family's lawyer say the feet us is "distinctly abnormal" with a variety of health concerns. >> sort of like piling on at this point. these are all considerations that speak against the hospital taking the action that it has. >> reporter: an action the county will defend, the munoses will argue against and a decision a judge will make. >> and i sure do hope that they have the wisdom and courage to do what the right thing is. breaking news. tragedy the side of the road as a youngster is killed by an out-of-control car. now police want to know if it was drag racing that played a
4:59 pm
role in this crash. chopper 4 captured the scene over muncaster mill road in gaithersburg this afternoon. news4 just got new information from police on the scene. >> reporter: that's right, first of all, four minutes ago, the montgomery county police officer here came up to me and said that both drivers are juveniles, under the age of 18. before i show the aerials, i want to give you perspective. at the intersection, that is shady grove. if you come up the street, this is muncaster mill road. it's two lanes. now police say that those drivers were coming up these two lanes and right over there, it turns into one lane. and that's where the two cars crashed. let's roll video from chopper 4 so you all can see what i'm talking about. police say that both cars were traveling north on muncaster mill road. the two lanes turned into one. that's when they collided and one of the cars went off the road and hit two of three pedestrians. there were three school-aged
5:00 pm
people walking on the side of the road over there. the car hit two of them. now, everyone was transported, one of the two pedestrians died. the other pedestrian is in critical condition, but moment ago, i found out that the condition has stabilized. therefore, it's not the -- the condition is not worsening. it's stable right now. the two drivers were transported to the hospital, as well. they're both teens, and they are -- have non-life-threatening injuries. there was a passenger in one of the two cars. that passenger is going to be okay, also with non-life-threatening injuries. let me hear you the interview from jim daley. basically he's explaining what exactly they're looking at right now in this investigation. >> the characteristics of the roadway are such that it goes from two lanes in to one lane. so we're looking at the engineering of the roadway and how it's designed, and also as to whether speed may be a factor in this crash. >> reporter: right now we're here on muncaster mill road. over there, investigators are on
229 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
WRC (NBC) Television Archive Television Archive News Search ServiceUploaded by TV Archive on