frederick county. temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. everything's frozen solid. counties generally in the low to mid 20s this friday. near 20 shenandoah valley, parts of the mountains, southern maryland, the bay, eastern shore, just partly cloudy sky. in the upper 20s there. here's how your friday is looking. you'll need a warm winter coat this morning. a light wind. we'll be below freezing through 8:00 with lots of sunshine. then partly cloudy by noontime. should be into the mid 30s by mid-afternoon. and then i think by mid to late afternoon, we ought to be hovering in the upper 30s right around 40 throughout much of the region with a light wind. and if you're going out tonight, we'll have our temperatures this evening generally above freezing. we'll stay in the 30s through the evening hours. love your photos, post them on twitter and facebook. you can share them as well, weather@nbcwashington.com. i know danella does that. good morning. >> good morning, here's what i'm tracking. we'll start by heading up i-270.

waking up in frederick, maryland, i'm not tracking any accidents or construction. that's good. we'll fly down i-270 together and make our way toward clarksburg. you see nice and clear in the roadway. no delays here. this is a live look at clarksburg road continuing southbound and northbound to rockville. clear. now traveling on the beltway, heads up. outer loop approaching new hampshire avenue. the second to right lane, a large pothole was reported there. slow down. and avoid it. i'm back in ten minutes. back to you. >> thank you. more on our developing story. the search is on for the man who shot and killed this woman and left another wounded. police in alexandria say ruthann ledoto heard a knock on her door yesterday. when she answered, someone opened fire. news4's megan mcgrath is in alexandria now with more on the search for the man who pulled the trigger. megan? >> reporter: there was quite a manhunt yesterday afternoon when

this began to unfold. the gunman has not been found. understandably, people in this neighborhood are very much on edge. you see the increased police presence. a number of cruisers are parked out front, and others on the neighbor as we were here. it was 11:30 yesterday morning when a man knocked on the door of the home on ridge rad drive. 59-year-oldrethaanne lodato and another woman described as the caretaker of lodato's elderly mother came to the door. that's when the man opened fire. ladoto was fatally shot. the other woman was injured. she was shot in the arm but was going to be okay. she was able to run to a neighbor's house and get help. at this point, police have not found any connection between the two women and the gunman. of course, that raises concerns and questions about whether or not this was possibly a random crime. the gunman is described as being an elderly white man, balding, gray hair and a beard. the neighborhood is not known for violence.

but in 2013, ron kirby, a well-known transportation planner, was murdered in his home. his home being less than a mile from this neighborhood. there were no signs of forced entry in that case. and a lot of similarities. now asked whether this murder is connected to the kirby murder, the chief of police said that they are certainly looking into it. there are striking similarities, but at this point, it is just too early to tell. reporting live in alexandria, megan mcgrath, news4. back to you in the studio. >> thank you. as police search for the gunman, stay with us on air and on line. we'll have live updates and police video on nbcwashington.com. 5:04. a family waiting to hear whether a body found two hours south of d.c. is that was a missing police reservist. kevin quick went missing last friday. the nbc nation richmond believes the body -- nbc station in richmond believes the body belongs to quick. the body had gunshot wound.

quick's suv was found in manassas last weekend. three siblings are being held without bond in connection with quick's disappearance. this man waiting to find out his fate behind bars this morning. yesterday, earl mitchell led police in northern virginia on a chase. mitchell is wanted in pennsylvania for shooting and killing a man last month. manassas police say the 20-year-old jumped out of his car and troon this wooded area where police eventually caught him. no one is sure why mitchell came to virginia in the first place. a top d.c. judges j faces legal trouble of her own. the ethics board charged judge mary oates walker. she's accused of directing a $4,000 furniture contract toward her business partner's husband. she's also accused of lying to investigators. according to the "washington post," walker denies the claims. the ethics board will hear her case in the spring, and she could lose her job. at this point she does not face any criminal charges. five minutes after the hour. one of the biggest spectacles in

sports kicks off in a dramatic way. this is olympic park in sochi, russia, where the opening ceremonies will get underway in a couple of hours. there's a renewed focus on security as visitors continue to pour in to the host country. the tsa here says most aerosols, gels, powders, and liquids will not be allowed in carry-on luggage for passengers who are flying from the u.s. to russia. it's a temporary ban for the next 30 days. this comes after a warning from u.s. intelligence saying terrorists may be trying to smuggle explosives into russia in toothpaste tubes. it is 5:06. tonight's kickoff to the olympic games is a tightly held secret. this morning, we are learning about a few interesting things you'll see tonight during the opening ceremony. news4's jim handly joins us now live from olympic park with the details just released. jim, good morning. hope you have secrets for us. >> reporter: we do. there are still a few secrets out there. but some are coming out right now. plenty of surprises still on tap

tonight. no necessarily spoiler alerts to share, but tell have an industrial theme reflecting the russian revolution. we've been listening to music, choirs and orchestras performing. we've heard this morning that a gay band will be performing, tattoo. one of the few russian bands with worldwide recognition. they'll be performing tonight. also, there will be space images of earth projected down to the floor in the stadium. now each of those images will have the country's name in alphabetical order. all of the athletes will be coming out as their names are called. the names of their countries. there will be 3,000 athletes taking part in this opening ceremony representing 88 countries. the volunteers are also a big part of the ceremony tonight. on hand we've got about 25,000 of them this week. and one is from our area. kimberly everling of prince william county is working with team usa hockey, and she was lucky enough to sit in on the rehearsal for the opening ceremony this week. take us back to the rehearsal. what was the opening ceremony like?

>> it's beautiful. it's very like industrial theme, you know, very russian. it was a lot of fun. we got to sit in the press section since we're doing press work. there was dancing and music. i don't want to give away the surprises. >> reporter: there are big surprises. >> yeah. >> reporter: there is a big finish that will have everybody inside the stadium feeling just a bit colder. pass along to tom, it is a balmy 55 degrees in sochi. back to you. when we join you again, we'll hear f alex ovechkin weighing in on the controversy here in sochi. defending his homeland. >> looking forward to that. thanks for rubbing it in that it's 55 degrees. looks beautiful where you are. see you soon. thank you. jim is not only bringing you live reports, he's keeping you updated on line all the time with his blog on nbcwashington.com. we'll follow him on facebook and twitter for behind-the-scenes photos and an inside pass to the

games. good stuff. are you tired of your significant other keeping you awake at night with their snoring? the new pillow that could keep them quiet. >> you did not just do that, aaron. also ahead, the items on one school's lunch menu that left parents and students fuming. speedo weather in sochi but not here. off to a cold start this morning. i quit smoking.

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welcome back. as tax season kicks into high gear, the irs is trying to make it easier to track your refunds. you can download a free mobile irs app to your smartphone. it helps you track the status of your refund check. once you file your tax return, you can see your refund status 24 hours after e-filing it or four weeks after mailing it in. 5:11 the time. weather & traffic on the 1s every ten minutes. every ten minutes. here's storm team 4

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5:15. today, philip seymour hoffman will be laid to rest. family, friends, and fellow actors will attend a private service at a catholic church in manhattan. a larger public service for the actor is being planned for later this month. hoffman was found dead inside his apartment sunday of an apparent heroin overdose, although an official cause of death has not been given. in a press conference, dea and state police will announce their strategy for eliminating illegal manufacturing in

distribution centers for heroin in maryland, d.c., and virginia. they are looking to pinpoint where heroin is being introduced to the synthetic drug fentanyl. according to the "baltimore sun," the new drug cocktail has caused 37 overdoses in maryland since september. police believe the drugs are making their way east from illegal labs in california or mexico. today a former silver spring music teacher is expected in court. lawrence jones pled guilty to possession of child pornography in baltimore county but will face more charges in montgomery county where he taught. the 55-year-old seen here was a teacher at new hampshire estates elementary school. police found pornographic images on his computer featuring children. according to police, he also sexually abused up to 14 students including raping a middle school girl. vice president joe biden is slamming new york's laguardia airport, calling it a third world country. biden made the comment while he was comparing the airport to the hong kong airport. he says hong kong has the type

of modern facility travelers would expect to see in the u.s. biden made the staments during an event in philadelphia about infrastructure improvements for transportation. the cdc says a new strain of stomach virus is what sickened nearly 700 passenger and craw members on a royal caribbean cruise. the bug forced the "explorer of the sea" to return to port two days early last month. the cdc says it probably won't be able to pinpoint where the virus came from. health officials say the strain was first detected two years ago in australia, and since then has spread worldwide. 5:17 now. the principal at a private school in california is apologizing for the lunch menu for a black history month program. students planned the meal that included fried chicken, watermelon, and collard greens. parents and students called it offensive and questioned school leaders for letting it happen. the principal apologized in a letter and said the school does not condone racial stereotypes. much of the country on edge because of winter weather. people driving in atlanta were

warned about a winter storm watch as they drove to work yesterday. the problem was there wasn't one. the national weather service had to tell the department of transportation to correct road signs around the area. it was just last week that a few inches of snow paralyzed atlanta, forcing thousands to abandon their cars right on the highways. business is boom figure you're in the snow shovel industry. the cold and huge snowfall across large parts of the country have many snow shovel companies plowing in the cash. one pennsylvania company says it's made more than a million snow shovels and scraper just this year. they say they usually stop making them around december. this year, they're still working at full tilt because of emergency orders. that means hundreds of seasonal workers are still on the job. i guess that's one bright spot here that all the snow and severe weather creating jobs, keeping people in the work force. can we see a silver lining? ? if we can get an inventor to come up with something to melt the snow so you don't have to

shovel, you can go out with some sort of industrial blow drier -- >> find a way to have spring weather in the middle of february. something like that. >> wishful thinking. tom, reality check? >> you guys are really out there now. reality check, february 7th. tomorrow is the 8th, sunday it is going to be feeling colder than average for this time of year. this animation is a brand new model run coming in. showing still a possibility of some light snow tomorrow. between now and then, sunshine, a cold start this morning. here are the temperatures around the metro area -- we're down into the low 20s. look at manassas, prince william county. down to just 21 degrees. prince george's county, now the mid 20s most areas. low to mid 20s much of montgomery county. fairfax, mid to upper 20s. alexandria, arlington, the district, falls church, around 30 degrees. right near the bay, mid to upper 20s. hour by hour today, we'll get above freezing, i think, by about 9:00 this morning. and then by noon, should be making it into the mid 30s. a lot of sun this morning.

a warm winter coat, mittens, and a hat. light wind. partly cloudy for your lunch hour, mid-30s. ought to be near 40 much of the metro area by mid-afternoon. and a light wind. and farther north and west, highs should be in the mid to upper 30s where we got all that icing earlier this week. should be getting above freezing. any ice on trees will come crashing down this afternoon as we get to the mid 30s there. overnight tonight, we'll have some clouds in and out. if you're going out this friday evening, should be just in the 30s with a light wind. then by dawn saturday, into the upper 20s. then it's during the day on saturday that we have a possibility of some light snow developing. here's the timing -- as of 8:00 or so, 9:00, 10:00, some of the snow moving in to the shenandoah valley. then maybe a little light snow after that. maybe around noontime, early to mid-afternoon. mainly in the mountains. we could get a dusting, an inch or less farther east of there. by the middle part of the afternoon, i think it's all going to be ending for the most

part. and then the sky will break up a bit on saturday night. we'll get a little sun on sunday morning, near 30 degrees. sunday afternoon, should be around 40. another chance of light snow, i think a smaller chance on sunday night. and that may linger interest part of monday. highs on monday into the mid 30s again. a minor amount if at all. and then as we head into tuesday, partly sunny, colder than average. chance of a wintry mix wednesday and/or thursday. stay tuned. i know danella will. good morning. >> good morning, tom. now here's what i'm tracking this the first 4 traffic center. we're going to talk about the rails here. marc seeing a delay on the brunswick east line. train 872, 11 minutes behind schedule. that's because of freight train congestion on the track. heads up. metro, vre, not reporting delays. around the beltway, i'm also not reporting delays. still early, happy friday to you. let's head up this time to the outer loop of the beltway. i'm still watching this road hazard here. it is a large pothole. outer loop of the beltway, prior

to the exit for new hampshire avenue. i want you to slow down and watch out for that. aaron, back to you. >> all right. good advice. thank you. coming up on 5:22. a danger on the road getting more attention -- drugged driving is on the rise according to a new study from the national highway traffic safety association. over the last ten years, the occurrence of drugged driving has risen about 13% with the number of accidents tripling. marijuana is the most commonly involved drug when it comes to accidents. in "news 4 your health" this morning, all that time on your phone, your tablet, and computer could be hurting your eyes more than you think. eye doctors say the screen time is speeding up the decline of your eyes in a big way. doctors say our devices give off something called blue light which damages eyes sometimes to the point of blindness. a new type of lens for eyeglasses has been developed to slow the process. doctors say the best way it fight it is to put down your cell phone, your tablet, just for a little while. 5:23.

this story might be a dream come true for many of you. there's a new pillow for sale that claims to silence snorers. here's how it works. there's a chip in the pillow which picks up the vibrations of snoring. then it inflates the pillow three inches so that the snorer is nudged to move positions or just wake up. some say this pillow is priceless. the cost, $150. >> not bad if it works. it could be a good thing. >> doesn't mean putting it over someone's face. just in case you were wondering. if you are planning on having a valentine, this weekend is your last chance to save when it comes to everything valentine's related, especially flowers. starting monday, everything will be marked up in preparation for last-minute buyers. national flower services are charging extra if you want flowers actually delivered on valentine's day. experts say to avoid shipping costs altogether, just shop locally. >> groupon, amazon local, living social, are competing in the online space. they're bringing you local

deals. >> also, consider having flowers delivered the day before or even the day after valentine's day. according to a national poll, the average person will spend $134 this valentine's day. >> coming up. >> it is. >> hope you're ready. >> are you ready? >> i'm always ready. a fond and tearful farewell as jay leno says good night. >> he signed off for the last time with the help of friends like billy crystal. >> we opened for you, and the billing was "we the people" and "ray pino." they didn't get your name right. >> nay got it wrong. that is right. >> and as you see, billy crystal stopped by to say good-bye to jay. crystal was one of leno's first guests ever on the "tonight show" when he took over back in 1992. several people sent in their well wishes to jay, as well, including bill maher, bob cos s costas, even president obama who said he appreciated all of leno's jokes about him and as a thank you, he'd like to make leno the new ambassador to

antarctica. among all the laughs, there was a somber moment as leno said good-bye. >> i got to work with lighting people who made me look better than i really am. [ laughter ] >> i got to work with audio people who made me sound better than i do. and i got to work with producers and writers and just all kinds of talented people who make me look a lot smarter. >> aw. another fond moment, a star-studded version of "the sound of music's" farewell song featuring people. there's jim parsons, oprah was there, carol burnett there, sheryl crow, kim kardashian. so an all-star appearance and huge sendoff for jay. we'll miss him. >> hard to say good-bye. i'm hoping he'll pop up, you know, johnny carson just went away. i hope that jay leno will still -- >> i have a feeling he might show up here and there. >> it would be nice to see him. we're tracking a developing story in northern virginia where the search for a gunman is underway this hour. >> the search comes as friends remember the woman killed on her

doorstep. what they're sharing about the victim. plus, not the kind of item you want to find at your grocery store. the discovery that had police turning away shoppers at this safeway store. and a chilly start to your day as you get ready to head out the door. storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein looks at how long it will impact the day.

in stories making headlines at 5:29, an extensive manhunt undera as police try -- underway as police try to find a man who shot and killed a woman in alexandria as she opened her door. we're waiting for police in virginia to confirm whether a body found in the rural part of the state is that was a missing police reservist. hundreds of thousands remain in the dark this morning along the east coast as crews work to restore power following this week's ice storm. in the district, waking up to temperatures in the 20s as we get ready for this friday. >> storm team 4 meteorologist tom kierein has your hour-by-hour forecast as you plan for the day ahead. tom? >> good morning and happy friday. starting off in the 20s. a mostly clear sky, lots of sunshine. i think by 8:00, we'll be near 30 in the region. lots of sun, a little wind during the afternoon. by noontime, mid 30s with a light wind, partly cloudy.

heading home mid to late afternoon, it may be hovering near 40. rural areas in the 30s, especially where the icing occurred. it's probably going to be getting above freezing. watch out for lingering ice on the trees to start crashing down this afternoon. and then tonight, if you're going out this evening for friday night fun, by 8:00, the upper 30s. partly cloudy. by 10:00, should be in the mid 30s. then by midnight, down to the freezing mark with a light wind. a pleasant night to go out. i know danella's thinking about that. any traffic around? >> stay in. tom, you know i do not like freezing temperature. he's trying to get me all day because it's friday, and he knows how much i loathe freezing temperatures. here's the other thing i'm looking for. in the first 4 traffic center, an accident involving a commuter bus, possibly to the shoulder lane in springfield. it's along fullerton road at budinot drive. we'll head down i-95, the trip so far nice and clear. i'm not checking any delays for folks traveling in triangle. a live look at 234, northbound,

southbound, very light, clear heading to the beltway. to 395, this is northbound north of duke and southbound, as well. no accidents, no delays. and back over to the rails. the earlier delay i was tracking, it was at 11, now at 8. brunswick 872 east a bit slow. back to you. >> thank you. 5:31678 today the monthly jobs report will be released giving a snapshot of the economy's economy. all the recent wintry weather, a shaky stock market could have a big impact. on top of that, republicans just blocked an extension of a long-term unemployment benefit package. news4's melissa mollet joining us live from capitol hill to explain what this means for you. >> reporter: good morning. we expect the jobs report at 8:30 this morning. we expect it to say that there were fewer unemployment claims, and we saw an increase in hiring. as always, it's this wait-and-see game until we get the final numbers. the report comes as long-term jobless benefits are on hold for

more than a million americans. the latest democratic plan one vote shy of passing the senate thursday. republicans blocking the plan. failing to pass a three-month extension of benefits that expired at the end of last year. if you are wondering, that bill would have cost about $6.4 billion. in the meantime, worry about the overall economy as this jobs report comes out. we understand it's going to show retailers suffered quite a sharp slowdown because of the country's recent cold snap. aaron? >> all right. thank you. we are staying on top of a developing story this morning. right now, a manhunt is underway in alexandria to find the man who shot and killed this woman and left another woman wounded. police in alexandria say ruthanne lodato heard a knock on her door yesterday. when she answered, the person outside opened fire. they are look -- police are looking for a man with gray hair and a beard. investigators don't have any information on a motive. the shooting comes as a shock to the community especially because who was targeted. ruthanne although the da la the

-- lodato was a respected music teacher and wife and mother of three. churchgoers held a private service to remember a woman who affected so many. >> i'm really saddened by the death of such a -- a nice lady. and it's hard to understand why bad things happen to good people. >> police say the other woman shot is a caretaker for lodato's elderly mother. she was shot in the arm but is expected to survive. virginia may have to put prisoner executions on hold. the state senate delaying a bill that would send death row inmates to the electric chair if lethal injection drugs are not available. the delay could be tabled, could table the measure for the year. right now the virginia department of corrections is out of the chemicals that make up the lethal injections. under current law, prisoners can't be executed now unless they choose the electric chair. it is now 5:34. one of virginia governor terry mcauliffe's recent appointees could be the target of a state

investigation. virginia republicans believe mcauliffe sold the state's chairmanship to the alcoholic beverage control board to long-time gop supporter boyd marcus. republicans requested an investigation into the allegations. that request was turned down by the attorney general. this comes after a report claiming marcus was paid $140,000 for work on mcauliffe's campaign. d.c. council member muriel bowser getting a boost ahead of the mayoral primary. in a straw poll in her district, she beat out mayor vincent gray. bowser took 49% of the vote among ward 4 democrats. mayor gray came in second with 34%. restauranteur andy solal came in third with 5%. the d.c. mayoral primary set for april 1st. early voting against next month. a safeway in northwest washington shut down because of mice. the store is on georgia avenue near tuckerman street in the brightwood area. officials found evidence of the rodents during a health inspection. i quit smoking.

i've quit for 75 days.

turning on their showers, then pointing the nozzles at the walls and leaving the rooms. we have another that denied that. the complaints have gotten under the skin of caps' star alex ovechkin. he told nbc washington's capitals game blog, "i've been in three olympic games, i remember torino and volunteer, and nobody said something bad about those places? why are you always trying to find bad things in so much? it's olympics, guys. come on. everybody has to enjoy it, and don't find bad stuff out there. of course the world is changing, everybody's focusing on different stuff, political stuff. but just settle down." we've got breaking news coming out of the park now. actually, the extreme park up in the mountain cluster. heidi closer, a mogul skier, number four in the world, has injured her leg in a crash today. again, number four in the world. she is out of the games. back to you. >> looks very dangerous there, too. and jim, we understand that security is being beefed up, and it's affecting you, as well. what's going on?asprices.

aaa says they'll start rising soon as refineries shut down for winter maintenance and switch over to more expensive summer fuel blends. aaa expects gas to average between $3.55 and $3.75 a gallon this year, below last year's peak of $3.79 a gallon. meanwhile, mortgage rates fall as recent economic data may be signaling a pause in the housing market's recovery. freddie mac says the average rate on a 30-year fixed loan fell from $4.32% to 4.42% in the last week, rising nearly a full percentage point since hitting record lows a year ago. those are the latest business headlines. back to you. >> thank you, kayla. we are staying on top of a developing story in alexandria. we're live as police search for a shooter who knocked on a door in the braddock heights area and opened fire. they shot two women, killing one of them. news4's megan mcgrath is looking at whether this could be related to another high-profile homicide in the same area. and stay connected with us when you're on linan