leadership in the st. louis area. they're going to be calling for peace, and talking about preparations to protect the public, to protect free speech in anticipation of that grand jury decision announcement this evening. we also know that the family of michael brown, the 18-year-old who was shot on august 9th, has been notified that the grand jury has reached a decision on whether to indict a police officer in this case. their attorney spoke to msnbc a little bit earlier today, before the family was notified about this decision. here's what he had to say. >> they have been huddled up with their family, as you would imagine, on pins and needles, praying for justice and trying to explain to their children what's going on. >> reporter: now, this grand jury decision will tell us whether that -- this officer, darren wilson, will be indicted for any range of things this jury could come to a conclusion on. they could indict him for first degree murder. they could not indict him at all. and there are a lot of options

in between those two things. again, we anticipate that after the governor, jay nixon, makes his statement around 6:30 this evening, the st. louis county prosecutor will announce what that grand jury's decision is. so it could come 7:00 or as late as 9:00 this evening is what we're hearing. of course, we're going to continue monitoring this. nbc news has reporters and producers on the ground there. as soon as we learn what the grand jury decision is, we'll bring you that here. if it's happening during our newscast. and, of course, on nbcwashington.com and all our digital platforms. >> aaron gilchrist, thank you. some local students are pointing to the situation in ferguson as they talk about police on their campus. and the issue at the university of maryland is the guns that the campus police are carrying. news4's derrick ward is live in college park with more on that. derrick. >> reporter: you know, for years now, the pentagon has been selling off some of its surplus military gear at bargain basement prices at police departments all over the country, as well as some campus police departments have been scooping it up, as well as the campus police here at the university of maryland. and that's got some students upset. and today they had their voices

heard. >> i'm here for a principle, and i hope that you'll come join me. >> reporter: a rallying call to students inside the student union building ahead of a planned campus protest in the university of maryland. >> there is no reason we have the second most amount of artillery out of all college campuses across the nation. we have 15 and 16. >> reporter: some of those rifles came out during a campus scare back in september. a hoax call to police about hostage-taking at the main administration building. >> we have 50 -- >> reporter: protesters marched on that same building. armed only with compassion for their cause and bull horns. >> no justice, no peace! campus police chief, david mitchell. it was spirited and cordial, getting rid of the m-16s was just part of their agenda. they wanted to know why campus police didn't have tasers. >> because we don't have a demonstrated need for them. >> reporter: they also wanted to know why campus police didn't have body cameras? >> we already have a grant for body cameras. they're coming.

we want them. >> reporter: students also marched against the way protests were being handled in ferguson, missouri. again, they weren't that far from the chief's position there. >> i condemned what i saw in ferguson, missouri. aiming rifles at unarmed protesters. >> reporter: it was clearly a multi-themed demonstration. somewhat reminiscent of '60s campus activism. >> we are aware and we are going to fight and we will act. >> the people who came out are the people who wanted to see change and that's all we can ask for. >> reporter: now those body cameras will be coming up in a couple of months. they're caught up in the procurement process. coming up in the next hour, we'll tell you why campus police say they have to have those m-16s and what the federal government says about it. live in college park, derrick ward, news4. >> thank you, derrick. let's switch gears. the other big story of the day, big changes on the way in the weather world that could impact major on your travel plans. >> and let's get the latest from doug on where you have got to be going to or going from to be

impacted. >> well, you noticed that winter storm watch in effect for wednesday. and it's really quite amazing. a record low temperature on saturday of 14 degrees at dulles. today we hit a record high temperature at national at 74 degrees. look at the numbers around our area right now. 71, d.c. 72 fredericksburg. 66 in gaithersburg. but the cold air will move in, just as the storm system makes its way our way. so, yes, we have a winter storm watch in effect and we are anticipating some snow back towards the west. the i-95 corridor, i think we're going to get out of this one okay. but big-time travel problems, i think, during the day on wednesday. biggest impacts will be around loudoun county, back towards frederick county and everybody to the west. i'm going to have more on the sbikts over the next couple minutes, around 5:15. we'll break it down and show when this snow moves in and what to expect next. >> all right. thank you, doug. we are learning more tonight about the resignation of defense secretary chuck hagel. nbc news reports he resigned unpressure. white house officials acknowledging that pentagon priorities have changed because

the international landscape has changed since hagel joined the cabinet. >> it doesn't mean that secretary hagel hasn't done an excellent job of managing these crises as they have cropped up. but that another secretary might be better suited to meet those challenges. that was something the two of them agreed. >> president obama picked hagel two years ago to oversee the downsizing of the defense department, and the withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan. insiders are telling nbc news that the white house was not confident that hagel was the man to take charge of the war on isis and, of course, the increase of u.s. combat presence in afghanistan. flags are flying at half staff today across the district, and d.c. mayor vincent gray says the city should hold several days of ceremonies to mark the life and career of marion barry. tom sherwood joins us now with more on the arrangements being planned. tom? >> jim, we can tell you nothing

is firmly set yet, but you can expect big events over several days. at the john a. wilson building downtown, staffers are preparing the ceremonial lobby. the body of marion barry is expected to lie in repose on tuesday next week. here in the city government building, where barry served on the council and served four terms as mayor. barry, who was 78, died early sunday morning at the united medical center in southeast after years of declining health. his widow, cora masters barry and barry's son christopher, are still preparing funeral arrangements. mayor vincent gray said the funeral will be at the washington convention center, large enough to hold the big crowd expected to attend. on the wamu show, gray said barry deserves a multiday sendoff as large as his life. >> i think simply to have one ceremony on one day would be truly an injustice to what he stood for. we look at having our

celebration at the convention center, which i think is an entirely appropriate place to do it. >> reporter: former d.c. council member, frank smith, who was a young civil rights worker with barry in the south in the 1960s, said bar ime have had many personal flaws but they want to acknowledge him. >> this will be a funeral for the people of the district of columbia. the people of the district of columbia hold this man in very high regard. and i think the city -- the memorial service we put together for him ought to represent that. >> coming up at 6:00, the city also is making arrangements for a special election to fill marion barry's ward 8 seat. jim and wendy? >> all right, tom sherwood. thank you, tom. a deadly accident near a high school in montgomery county this morning. the truck hit and killed a cyclist here on darnestown road in gaithersburg near quince orchard high school. police tell us the driver who was in a wssc truck was trying to make a left turn here into a nearby shopping center when he hit the man on the bike. no word on the victim's name yet, and no comment this evening

from wssc on the crash. a 16-year-old girl in arlington attacked as she walked home from work on a busy saturday night, and she trusted her instincts. she fought back. news4's mark segraves has more on what police say she did that saved her and helped catch her attacker. >> that's horrible! >> reporter: neighbors here in the buckingham section of arlington just off glebe road were shocked to hear someone tried to rape a 16-year-old girl right on the street. >> i've lived here only a few years. and i have never seen anything like that going on. but that's just horrible. >> she was walking in the buckingham section in a relatively safe neighborhood. when all of a sudden somebody grabbed her from behind. >> reporter: it was just after 11:00 saturday night. the man dragged the young girl from the street and threw her up against a car where he tried to pull her clothes off. police say the girl bit him and then began screaming. >> her instincts worked. >> reporter: a police officer heard the screams and caught

20-year-old david cabrera just a few blocks away. he has been charged with attempted rape. the judge has ordered him held without bond. the victim was not injured. >> i pray for her and her family. >> reporter: in arlington, mark segraves, news4. >> we're staying on top of new developments in our big story of the night, the announcement coming soon about the grand jury's decision in ferguson, missouri. wake-up call at uva. nbc's peter alexander will join us live with new reaction to the rape allegations on that virginia campus. busy travel week, starting with long delays at vwi. just how long they could last. our phone lines are open. call 202-885-4949 to donate to food 4 families and help a family in need this thanksgiving. >> they're all picking up. there they go.

we continue to follow our big story tonight. a grand jury reaches a decision in the michael brown shooting. stay with us as we bring you the latest and if you're away from your big screen, download the news4 app to your small screen. we will post the decision there as soon as it comes in. if you've got a flight out of bwi marshal airport tonight or tomorrow, you want to call ahead. there is a power outage. it cancelled and delayed a lot of flies today. the power is back on, but some flights still have not taken off. wbal has our report.

>> reporter: no, this is not the busiest travel day of the year, rather a huge backup, thanks to a massive power failure. we caught up with natalie and her family in a dark parking garage. their flight to nashville was cancelled. >> all of a sudden when we came to our gate, all of the power was out. and then we heard slowly but surely power is going out in different parts of the airport. >> reporter: airport officials say it was around 10:20 monday morning when the power went out at the busiest concourses in the airport. a, b and c, bringing it to a standstill. >> the screening operations were closed at that point. the airline ticketing operations were closed as of the power outage of 10:20. >> reporter: some passengers took it in stride. >> i can't chae it, so just have to accept it, what it is. and eventually we'll get there. >> reporter: others like patrel kirkland had to wait to get his grandparents on a plane to florida. >> i've been waiting for two hours. and they're trying to get to

pensacola, florida. it is a big inconvenience and hassle. >> reporter: as for the cause, bg&e representatives said it was not on their end. airport officials would only tell 11 news they are still investigating the cause but were prepared for a long-term event. >> we do have emergency power, of course, throughout the terminal. we do have emergency generators that can be used to power the airport. those have to be placed, actually, moved and put in place. and that process is under way when the power was restored. >> reporter: once the power was restored about two hours later, there was still a lot of uncertainty. >> they told me that the planes are here, but they will not leave without us. >> well, that's good. >> reporter: as it took a while for the airlines' computers to reboot, as well as screening equipment for tsa, causing more delays. still, for most passengers, they were keeping the faith. >> somebody said, o all of the power is out. and we came in and saw these groups of people and so we just kind of joined the crowd.

>> and we are watching the weather with a lot of people planning to head out of town this week. a winter storm is predicted for wednesday, so we want to know when will you be traveling for thanksgiving. you can call or text this number to give us your answer. also we have some breaking news right now in the case of morgan harrington in virginia. >> reporter: wendy, our affiliate in charlottesville, nbc 29, getting a new search warrant revealing how police were able to link jesse matthew to the morgan harrington case. related to hannah graham. this new search warrant was for cell phone records of jesse matthew, and, according to our affiliate in charlottesville, police were able to discover by way of that search warrant, we have learned, that police were able to use a wooden tip from a cigar butt that was in jesse matthew's wallet's to the morgan harrington disappearance in

2009. we knew they were able to make a forensic link to that case early on in their investigation of jesse matthew. virginia state police leading this investigation, not making comment in this new search warrant. again, jesse matthew not charged with anything in the morgan harrington case in the disappearance of morgan harrington and subsequent death, but he is facing charges in the disappearance of hannah graham in september of this year, and also in a case out of fairfax city and a sexual assault case out of fairfax city. as we learn more information about the details coming from the search warrant, we'll get that to you. >> aaron gilchrist, thank you. the snow is over, but the weather trouble in buffalo, it's not by a long stretch. this is a large ice jam on the buffalo river, just south of the city. there are fears tonight that warmer weather will cause several feet of snow to melt quickly, pour into the river and send it over the banks. buffalo officials say the river was dredged recently, so water is flowing under the large pieces of ice there. doug joins us -- >> what a mess.

>> you've got our attention. everybody is looking at wendy. >> yeah, and the biggest thing about this, it's a winter storm, not going to be that big of a storm but happening on wednesday. the biggest travel day of the year. if you're traveling, especially by car or even by plane, i think there are going to be some big-time travel delays on our wednesday. take a look, first off, we'll show what happens outside right now. currently, 71 degrees. winds out of the south at 12 miles per hour. 71, we hit a high temperature earlier today. attack a look at these highs. 74 degrees. that tied a record that has stood since 1958. and look at the rest. 70 leesburg. 72 martinsburg. 75 in fredericksburg. so we're talking record high temperatures, and we're talking a winter storm. and we do have that winter storm watch in effect. storm team 4 radar, clear right now. as we widen out, though, you can see where the moisture is starting to make its way up across portions of the southeast. this storm system is going to make its way right from the south, right over towards our area. and combine it with colder air also beginning to move our way with when that happens, that rain will change over to snow. so that area of low pressure almost a nor'easter-like storm

will come in here and be seeing areas of rain. and yes, this means this is definitely a storm to watch. just how much cold air is going to be in place? the more cold air, the more snow we get. so rain and snow across our area. accumulation likely to the west. we're talking west of i-95. and that's why we have that winter storm watch in effect. for northern fauquier county, loudoun county and frederick county, the national weather service thinks at least 4 inches could fall. that's why we have a winter storm watch in this region. over towards i-95, rain first and switching over to snow. 70 today, upper 50s tomorrow. so the roads should be warm enough. so anything that falls could and should melt. any grass or any accumulation should be on the grassy surfaces around i-95. to the west, a different story. accumulations will be likely and roads will become an issue, especially along the blue ridge and higher elevations. so please watch out if you're traveling towards the west. a lot of people traveling towards pittsburgh, portions of ohio. if you're traveling that way, you're going to see a lot of

snow potentially around that cumber land area along i-70. high temperatures tomorrow, 52 in hagerstown. 57 in d.c. 58 towards the fredericksburg region, and manassas at 58 degrees. your impact for tomorrow on the low side. but again, impact on the moderate to high side during the day on wednesday. as a result of snowfall. high temperatures, 57 degrees on tuesday. 40 degrees on wednesday with falling temperatures as that rain changes over to snow. right now, thanksgiving looking pretty good. however, it's going to be a cold one. 39 degrees. 37 degrees on friday. so a couple more very controlled case with highs only in the 30s. saturday and sunday, right now looking very nice and on the dry side too. high temperatures around 45 on saturday. 55 on sunday. 5:45, i'll go over just how much snow i think parts of the area could get. who has the best chance of seeing that accumulation, as well. we'll see you at 5:huh 45is guys. folks have been stopping by the verizon center donating food for our local families in need. >> and they have had good weather for it. part of our nbc 4 annual food 4 families campaign. let's check in once again with

pat lawson muse, been down there since the wii wee hours. it was dark your first live shot and dark once again. you have a lot of company. >> reporter: it's dark again. the plus is it has been such a good day. great weather has attracted a lot of people here. one of the great things about being outside the verizon center is, of course, you get to see lots of athletes. and we have seen -- gotten lots of visits and donations from athletes today, from the wizards, from the caps and from the mystics. you took time to come out and give to another family. >> yeah. i mean, it's always great to be able to give back. i mean, not everyone is going to be able to have a great thanksgiving. so being able to give to people who don't have. >> reporter: mystics farmer tiara ruffin-pratt. we could not do this, the food 4 family's campaign successfully without the help of so many dedicated individuals like judy holland-hall, one of our former

community advisory members. you have been taking donations all day. what's it been like from your perspective? >> phenomenal. absolutely phenomenal. perfect day, people have been so generous. it's probably been one of the best days we have had in a long time. >> reporter: a lot of times i see a lot of dollar bills going into the pails. but i've seen big bills today. >> big bills and lots of checks. so very, very blessed today. >> reporter: okay. you've been a volunteer for as long as i can remember doing this. >> that's right. >> reporter: what's it been like from your standpoint? >> it has been really just like julie indicated, very busy. the generosity has been great from a greater community. and we appreciate that. a lot of big dollars, a lot of canned goods. >> reporter: thank you so much. our phone bank is still up, open until 7:00. 202-885-4949. call and make a donation. and you can do that up until 7:00 tonight. and you can also make a secure donation online at nbcwashington.com. help us collect more food for families this thanksgiving. back to you. >> and tom sherwood is on the phone waiting for someone to

call and talk to him. >> you know it's big when that happens. the bob mcdonald corruption case inspires a push for change in the commonwealth. up next, the reform some want to see to make sure that kind of situation doesn't happen again. plus, just why did you spend so much? we're going to find out how stores are getting you to bust your budget when you go shopping for the holidays.

welcome back to news4 at 5:00, everyone. i'm jason pugh here at redskins park, where the redskins are searching for answers once again. especially at the quarterback position, robert griffin iii, he struggled mightily yesterday against the san francisco 49ers. and chris cooley is breaking down griffin's performance in this week's edition of "the cooley report." >> i don't think he took a step back but i don't think he took a step forward everybody was hoping he would take. it's time to get on the beltway right now. that's how easy it is to score touchdowns on this offense. i don't think it's a step back. >> and how about the defense? a lot of guys missing on that defense yesterday. they showed up. >> yeah. but they played so well. it's just frustrating for me to see them give up that last touchdown. because i thought the way they played, they deserved to keep themselves in the lead.

they deserved that. we beat you, we kept you out of the end zone, and couldn't just -- couldn't quite finish. >> now, see more games left on the schedule. do you stick with robert grich iii, the entire season, if you're jay gruden, do you let him ride this out? >> i think there is a fine line whether or not you stick with robert based on is your team continuing to improve. can you get your receivers the ball. can you have more than 100 yards passing. i don't think he did poor enough last week to say we're definitely going to bench him. wouldn't be surprised if they did. i think there is a lot surrounding that. but he can play well enough to give us a chance. and if he can play a little bit better and then everyone understands we are getting better and moving forward in that direction, we'll see. i think this is a tough call for everyone. now coming up later on news4 at 6:00, chris cooley will explain what exactly is hurting griffin's confidence in the passing game. from redskins park, i'm jason pugh, news4 sports. >> thank you, jason.

flier frustration reaches a new high for some. how our local airports scored in a new survey out tonight, and which one you'll want to choose next time you travel. students deliver a message to the administration following concerns about rape allegations at the university of virginia. and a local radio personality remembering marion barry. what he did that she says led to her successful career. our phone lines are open. call 202-885-4949 to donate to food 4 families and help a family in need this thanksgiving.

we are following developments in ferguson, as we await the grand jury decision there. aaron gilchrist is still at the live desk with new information for you. >> wendy, two brand-new bits of information coming in. first we have learned that the ferguson school district has decided to close tomorrow in anticipation of any demonstrations this evening or traffic issues that may roll into tomorrow, and they want to keep their students at home, safe, away from schools, away from the streets if anything should happen. we've also learned that churches in that area are starting open up. they're going to be safe sanctuaries for anybody who may need to get away from aggression as the clergy leadership have termed it there. we are learning this after ministers met with the governor, jay nixon, a short time ago. he will hold a news conference in the grand jury decision of the michael brown-darren wilson

investigation. we know the grand jury reached the decision. we learned that around 2:00 this evening and that they will -- the prosecutor there in st. louis county will announce what that decision was sometime after the governor speaks in the 6:30 half hour we expect this evening. so sometime between 7:00 and 9:00 tonight, we anticipating hearing what this grand jury decision is, and then whatever cops out of that in terms of any folks that gather as a result of that, we should learn then. at this point, we are only seeing a few people gathering in ferguson and in clayton where the justice center is for st. louis county. the latest from the live desk. back into you. >> even more than 24 hours after this protest, tensions are still high at the university of virginia, and more students are speaking out now against the sexual violence allegations now rocking the charlottesville campus. this is all on the heels of that "rolling stone" article that detailed an alleged culture of rape at uva and the experience of a student who says fraternity

members gang raped her back in 2012. student leaders made a new call to action today. >> this is our opportunity as individuals, as students and as a community at large to rise up and say enough. >> now, uva administrators have already taken action against the school's fraternity, suspending them until january 9. >> and we could learn about more actions to come this week as the school scrambles to address this controversy. peter alexander joins us live from charlottesville. what's the mood like there on campus this afternoon? >> reporter: jim and wendy, as you noted, you used the verb, well this community has been rocked by these allegations as part of the lengthy "rolling stone" magazine. this house is the fraternity where that alleged gang rape took place in the fall of 2012. this young woman attacked by seven men. her date watched on, encouraging the men, alongside another man, as well. we heard today from the

university's student president who said that this has been a wake-up call to the entire community, effectively that the information they have learned flies in the face of everything. every principle that this community stands for. tomorrow is going to be a significant day, because even as many of these students head home for the holiday, the university's board of visitors, its board meeting together, an open meeting where students are invited. they will meet separately in a closed-door meeting to address some of the university's policies toward sexual assault. and wendy and jim, we leave with one statistics, which is that since 1998, this community has kicked out -- the university has kicked out 183 students for honor code violations like cheating, but none for sexual assault. we'll have more on this coming up on "nbc nightly news." >> all right. nbc's peter alexander in charlottesville. thanks so much. a montgomery county substitute teacher accused of inappropriately touching students is going to stay in jail under $150,000 bond. a judge reviewed the bond for jose pi mada this afternoon.

pa mada was first charged from a case that roberto clemente middle school. police say three more children have come forward with similar claims. from ridge view middle school and from forest oak middle school. pineda is also charged in those cases. new information tonight about a horrible crash in silver spring that killed three friends in their early 20s. they were among eight people in an suv that struck a tree early yesterday morning. this happened around 3:00 a.m. here on east west highway. some passengers were not wearing a seatbelt. coming up tonight on news4 at 6:00, chris gordon is live with more on that crash and the lives lost. two years in prison, the sentence a man is now facing for a hit and run crash that killed a university of maryland student. liam adepo has pled guilty to leaving the scene in college park. prosecutors say he was seen

making an unsteady exit from a bar in january before his car hit cory hubbard on baltimore avenue. hubbard was just months away from graduating from university of maryland. adepo will be sentenced in january. memorial arrangements for former d.c. mayor marion barry are still in the works tonight. but so many people are expected to pay their respects, this funeral to be in the convention center. that's one of the few places large enough to hold a crowd. barry's body is expected to lie in repose in the wilson building. for many people in the district, barry's d.c. legacy is rooted in his summer jobs program. he employed thousands of school-aged children over the years. news4's zachary kiesch introduces us to a local radio personality who says that program allowed her to chase her dreams. >> we all remember the life of our mayor for life, mr. marion barry jr., who passed away over the weekend. share your thoughts with us, 877-955-5267.

>> reporter: marion barry had flaws. but he also had a positive impact on a lot of people. his legacy for many washingtonians is a guy who cared, the one who gave them a shot in the summer youth employment program. wpgc's deejay heat is one of them. >> i couldn't wait until i turned 13, because i get to sign up for the summer job program. >> reporter: for three years, she was in the program, working as a teacher's assistant for summer school students. it wasn't a career for heat. it was the foundation, though. it's where she learned the value of earning a paycheck and setting goals. >> it was just something about to have pride and having a paycheck and having a job, and walking into a bank, you know, with my mom. i didn't spend not one paycheck. i cashed my check and i put my money aside, because i wanted to buy some deejay equipment. >> reporter: with the news of barry's death, social media went wild. it seemed like everyone got a job from the mayor.

>> shoutout to everybody that got a job through marion barry, during the summer, during our teenage years through the d.c. -- >> reporter: if you grew up in d.c. you may know about his affinity for women and his drug arrest. but his job program employed thousands at a time when many youngsters, specifically black youth, couldn't find work. >> it wasn't like he was just a mayor. he was our friend. he was a father figure. he was that uncle -- he was everything rolled into one. >> reporter: reporting in prince george's county, zachary kiesch, news4. >> security breach at a major u.s. airport. the response tonight after someone made it past security and on to the tarmac for the second time this year. a local push to keep e-cigarettes away from teenagers. where they could soon be banned in our area. kind of amazing, guys. 74 degrees, a record high temperature today. and we're talking about snow moving in during the day on wednesday. that winter storm watch in

effect for wednesday for the areas you see there highlighted in blue. i've got the latest impact for you coming up in a minute.

if two virginia lawmakers have their way, there will be limits on gift-giving in the commonwealth. under a new ethics bill, all gifts worth more than $100 ba banned. this would apply to state government officials and employees and their immediate

families. in addition, intangible gifts over $100, such as travel, would be reviewed. violators would face fines or misdemeanor charges. senators chap peterson of fairfax and richard stewart of stafford plan to introduce the bill for the general assembly session. the use of electronic cigarettes could face new restrictions. nancy flooring plans to introduce the bill tomorrow that would ban e-cigarettes where traditional cigarette use is prohibited. it would also ban the use of vapor cigarettes by anyone under the age of 18. they have made the world stronger, wiser, more beautiful. that's what president barack obama says about the latest medal of freedom recipients. he bestowed the nation's highest civilian honor upon 18 people today, including stevie wonder, actress meryl streep, and long-time nbc journalist, tom brokaw. >> i was humbled by my

selection. and, you know, i've been at this for more than 50 years now. i've always said i was the lucky guy in the world in my marriage and family life and my profession. and this is kind of frosting on the cake. >> six posthumous medals were given. one could not attend today so he will be honored next year. two local airports scored big at a new airport frustration survey, but for very different reasons. >> reporter: more than just a holiday season or perhaps the extra cash in your wallet. there are other things that propel us to buy. i'm erika gonzales. and i'll tell you about that, coming up. help us collect food 4 families. call 202-885-4949. to donate and to help a family in need this thanksgiving. a secure retirement.

a new home. earning your diploma. providing for your family. real associates, using walmart's benefits to build better lives for their families. opportunity. that's the real walmart.

43% said they're concerned while almost half said they were concerned last year. so a lot of people are getting ready to head to the malls and

bringing out those credit cards. if you're not careful, you could wind up spending more and won't even know why. consumer reporter erika gonzales is here to show us what to look out for. >> and wendy, it happens without us knowing about it. retailers have tricks up their sleeves to get you to spend. but if you want to stay on budget, watch out for these. the holidays are here! you've got a list and you know exactly what you're going for. no room to be swayed. not if the stores have anything to say about it. jessica anderson with kiplinger's personal finance says there is a reason you end up buying more than you expected. >> if you're not careful, your subconscious might have decided what it's going to buy before you pull out your credit card. >> reporter: that's right. you're propelled to buy for a number of different reasons. not just the sales. number one, shopping with a friend. >> i think we've all been there. oh, that looks so great on you. i must have it! >> reporter: the national retail federation says the average person will spend 5% more this

year than last. nearly $800 this holiday season. so if you want to stick to your budget, you better tell your friend, talk to the hand. number two, mannequins. traditionally when you're shopping you'll see mannequins in the window. notice the way their heads face, left or right. kiplinger says you're moro bliged to going into the store when the mannequins make eye contact with you. mmmm, smell that holiday goodness? waits, it's a trap. number three. scent marking. think see in upon. we told you about this in a story earlier this year. those ovens strategically placed near the front of of the store make you crave their cinnamon buns. another store that tries to lower your defenses and propel you to buy. number four, a new jingle to go with your jingle bells. >> these are songs that people have grown up hearing, but a slightly newer version. i don't know, one direction probably has something out for the holidays.

>> reporter: music remakes of the ol oldees but goodies, you feel warm and fuzzy inside and then you pull out more cash. and then number five, a little mood lighting makes everything look better. >> it's late november, early december, you're looking pale and pasty, and haven't seen the beach in months. they want you to look really fantastic when you're putting on their clothes. >> warm, soft lighting hues of yellow and gold all over department stores. leave the fluorescents for electronics. so look alive out there. your dollars are not safe. >> the pressure can really get to you. so if you need to take a minute, sleep on it, kiplinger says that's a really smart way to approach the situation. go back the next day, more level headed. and then you can decipher whether or not you really need that item or if it was really just an impulse buy. and how many of those have we all made. >> this is true. >> so watch out for the mannequins and the cinnamon rolls.

get you every time. >> thanks, erika. lots of generous folks are stopping by the verizon center, all day today. they're donating money and canned goods to help local families have a great thanksgiving. it's part of our nbc 4 food 4 families campaign. how is it going out there now? >> reporter: jim, we are close to closing here at verizon. most we have loaded on to trucks and sent over to the boys & girls club. we have more donations in the past few minutes. take a look at this. the food is still coming in. throughout the day, we have seen a virtual parade of people coming from all over the region to drop off nonperishable food and cash and checks. there are people who understand that the washington region is an area with a lot of people who are really, really struggling this year. >> i just can't see someone going hungry, especially during thanksgiving. >> we have to share what we have with others. and i have the opportunity now.

>> reporter: thank you so much. >> our pleasure. and i hope everybody else comes and contributes also. happy thanksgiving to everybody. >> there is still time to make your donation by calling 202-885-4949. you know, every year food 4 families not only helps us to put food on the table for thanksgiving, but also helps us to raise awareness about hunger in this area. your donation, by phone or at nbcwashington.com helps us to ease a little of that. back to you in the studio. >> all right. looking good, pat. how is the weather going to be looking come wednesday? doogels? >> approaching record levels and even tied a record at national airport. and, yeah, talking about snow coming in wednesday. take a look outside right now. you see what's happening down at the airport. right now, no problems there. but i do expect delays, travel delays during the day on wednesday as a result of what we're going to be seeing with that rain and know coming in. sunset tonight was at 4:49.

71 degrees currently, dropping to 63. at 11:00, a very, very nice evening. 71 d.c., 66 in bowie. 68 in ft. belvoir. right now, 70 over towards manassas. the winter storm watch in loudoun county, frederick county, northern fauquier county, rappahannock county, and to the west. the storm watch in effect until wednesday and back toward i-81, the area we could see some problems out on the roadways. so we'll continue to watch out for that too. now, as far as what we're seeing on the radar, nothing in our area, but we are watching a couple of storm systems. one big storm. that's what we saw yesterday. that rain coming in. lots of moisture to the south and cold air that's stillterring our way. tomorrow will be about 15 degrees colder than it was during the day today. that still has temperatures in the 50s. south and west or south and east, this would be for you folks around the northern neck and portions of maryland, it's rain to snow around the i-95

corridor. i think the roads should be okay during the day wednesday. but i do expect to see some problems out there on those roadways with some delays, especially those secondary roads. back to the west, though, this is the biggest area we could see concerns, due to the fact that most of this will be falling as snow. from leesburg, right over towards damascus, frederick, winchest winchester, martinsburg and hagerstown, heads up on the roadways as you make your way around the area wednesday. i know a lot of people are going to be traveling. high temperatures tomorrow, 57 degrees. dropping to 40 degrees with that snow coming in on wednesday. 39 degrees on thursday. 37 on friday. again, a very cold thanksgiving, but not a bad day. another cold one for sure, but dry. should be good for travel on thursday. wednesday is the real tough travel day. and we'll see a little bit of a breezy afternoon too. so wind chills could be in the upper 20s on thursday. 37 degrees on friday. another very cold day. and temperatures do moderate as we head into the weekend. by sunday, we're back to around 55 degrees. but guys, right now oh all eye

on the storm for wednesday. 6:00, we talk much more about how much i think you could see in your area. there are new details now emerging about the shooting of a 12-year-old boy by a police officer this weekend. >> what police are saying about that deadly mistake. holiday shopping and metro. it's a first for tyson's corner this year. and that's bringing about some changes. i'm adam tuss. we'll tell you all about it, coming u

a live picture now from ferguson, missouri, as we await a grand jury's decision in the michael brown case. we have a team of reporters standing by right now to bring you the developments as they unfold. our coverage begins on news4 at 6:00. first, would you rather fly out of dulles or reagan national? dulles just earned the unwelcome distinction of being the third-most frustrating airport in north america. after laguardia and newark. both in the new york area. bloomberg business asked frequent flyers to rank airports based on factors such as time travel to the airport, ease of clearing security, quality of amenities and on-time flight percentages. reagan national made the list as one of the least frustrating airports. there are new concerns over airport security as we begin the most hectic travel week of the year. a man is in custody for sneaking on to the tarmac in san jose,

california. this happened yesterday. he got away from airport workers, stole a maintenance vehicle before being caught at a terminal. it's that airport's third security breach since april. tensions rising in cleveland tonight with the deadly police shooting of a 12-year-old boy. demonstrators protested the death of termeer rice today. a cleveland officer shot and killed rice over the weekend after getting a call about someone possibly pulling a gun. rice had a pellet gun that authorities say looked real. the mayor dismissed comparisons to the michael brown case. >> what matters to me is it happened in cleveland and it happened to a child. so ferguson being out there and not being out there, it really doesn't matter. >> the medical examiner has ruled rice's death a homicide. the sound of an explosion and an unbelievable sight for people in a chicago

neighborhood. >> fire crews had to rescue two people and a pet from a building collapse that rocked that area last night. nbc's lauren petty shows us the aftermath. >> i never saw anything like this a day in my life. and for it to happen in front of my house -- because it could have been us. >> reporter: a building collapse rocked this quiet chicago neighborhood sunday, trapping two women and a dog in the rubble. >> we heard a big boom. and i came running straight down. >> it sounded like a transformer blue and i couldn't see anything at first. it was like ash and dust. after five minutes, i looked again. it took me a moment to realize that building was gone. >> reporter: the three-year-old apartment pancaked toward the basement. >> we're not sure if it's an explosion or collapse. >> reporter: neighbors nervously stood in the rain watching rescue workers pulling out not only two women to safety, but also a dog named tigger. the women were taken to nearby hospitals in serious condition. >> when i saw her come out, i'm

like, oh, god bless, because i saw her move, and i'm like, oh, that's a blessing. because who would make it out of something like this? news4 at 6:00 begins with breaking news. >> ferguson and the nation are now waiting to hear if officer darren wilson will be charged for shooting and killing unarmed teenager michael brown. you're looking at live pictures of ferguson tonight where a lot of people are hoping for a peaceful night ahead, but where tensions are very high at this moment. just minutes ago, michael brown's family released a statement, asking for four and a half minutes of silence after the grand jury decision is announced, saying we are not here to be violent. we are here in memory of our son. we are here for protection of all children. we are here to support justice and equality for all people. we lift our voices to ensure black and brown men, women and children can live in this country without being devalued because of the color of our

skin. >> we have team coverage tonight as the decision comes near. jay gray has been covering the events in ferguson since the summer. >> reporter: police are staged and standing by across the area, barricades line the st. louis county justice center, braced for a decision and whatever may follow. and this afternoon, we have learned the prosecutor's office is expected to announce a decision from the grand jury, considering charges in the august shooting death of unarmed teenager, michael brown. ferguson police officer darren wilson has said he acted in self defense when he shot brown. the grand jury has been meeting for three months. >> there are cases where a grand jury needs to go over several days, but to have it stretch for as long as this jury has is really unusual. >> reporter: but prosecutors here said from the start, the process would be different. they would present every piece of evidence available in the case to the grand jury. and as they have reviewed that evidence and testimony -- >> shut it wn