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 down! >> reporter: protesters have

been marching almost every night since brown was killed. today much of the country waits to hear what's next. jay gray, nbc news, clayton, missouri. police in our region are preparing for possible protests after tonight's announcement. our team coverage continues with jackie bensen. she is at the white house with more on the call for calm. jackie? >> reporter: well, doreen, down in front of the white house, things appear as usual. we have some video that we shot just a short time ago. there may be a few more police officers, but plenty of tourists down there, and as i said, just things as usual down there right now. now this is a city that is used to being able to deal with large-scale protests. so many of the preparations being made are not the type you can see. news4 has learned a few things about the preparation. among them, d.c. police leave has been restricted by order of the police chief, and civil disturbance units have been

activated in addition, of course, to president obama's urging of protesters in ferguson and throughout the country to remain calm. he talked about respecting the protests, but asking for peace. and, again, down here at the white house right now, business as usual. nothing untoward. but obviously a city that is poised to react to anything this evening. live in lafayette square, jackie bensen, news4. >> jackie, thank you. and you might be interested in downloading the nbc washington app on your phone. we'll monitor all of the developments out of ferguson. we'll bring you the grand jury decision as soon as it happens, both on-air and online. how about that weather today? it was outstanding. wasn't it? temperatures broke a record. but we're advised not to get used to it. doug? why not? >> oh, because we've been talking about that roller coaster for the last couple weeks, up and down and up and down. record lows set on saturday morning. record high temperature tied today at the airport of 74. and now we're talking about a winter storm with some snow moving in.

63 degrees at the current number at the airport. 70 in mons. 70 in fredericksburg. 70 in frederick. a beautiful, beautiful monday. but, yes, we have cold air moving in. a storm system that's going to develop. and it is going to provide some snow. so a winter storm watch in effect for areas like frederick county, loudoun county, northern fauquier county and everybody off towards the west. this will be a snow, this will be accumulating snow. even around the d.c. metro area, i do expect to see some accumulations. much more coming up later on. and as always, download the storm team 4 app at any time. you can always catch the latest as far as watches and warnings go, especially if we get a winter storm warning the next couple days. download the app. the latest at 6:15. >> see you in a few minutes. breaking news now out of the department of veterans' affairs. we just learned that phoenix v.a. director sharon helmand has been removed from federal service. helmand was at the firestorm of whistleblower complaints earlier this year and improper

scheduling practices. she had been on administrative leave since may. we are learning more about the resignation of defense secretary chuck hagel. officials at the white house acknowledged today that priorities have changed since hagel he survived a bruising confirmation battle to join the president's cabinet. steve handelsman on capitol hill now with more on this. >> reporter: thanks. the president today cited hagel's class as integrity, but he was a republican, still is, a republican in it a democratic administration where a lot of people came to believe he wasn't a team player. defense secretary chuck hagel won praise today from president obama. >> when it's mattered most, behind closed doors in the oval office, you've always given it to me straight. >> reporter: but hagel struggled. the vietnam veteran was one of only a few republicans in a white house full of hard-charging democrats. >> these outsiders, especially if you're from a different party, have just had a

consistent problem in getting the president's ear and being influential. >> reporter: and hagel's job expanded beyond fupulling out o afghanistan. ssian invaded ukraine. isis invade iraq. ebola exploded and hagel reportedly did not contribute much in meetings on those issues. he angered obama insider national security adviser susan rice. by charging the president needed to better explain his strategy on syria. hagel will stay on until a success certify confirmed. >> i will continue to support you, mr. president, and the men and women who defend this country every day. >> reporter: former undersecretary of defense, michelle flournoy, is said to be a potential obama pick to run the pentagon. the u.s. war on isis, and more u.s. combat and afghanistan quietly okayed by president obama. talk about combat. whoever the president picks as his next secretary of defense, they're sure to get a tough time up here trying to win

confirmation from the new senate majority next year, the republicans. i'm steve handelsman, news4. several public gatherings are being planned to honor the life and legacy of marion barry. barry's body will lie in repose at the wilson building next week. and flags at the office building are flying at half staff. barry's council office was closed today to give staff some time to grieve and gather barry's belongings for his family. news4's tom sherwood has more on the memorial events now in the works. >> reporter: on the wamu coach show, mayor vincent gray said marion barry deserves a multiday sendoff as large as barry's 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 a celebration at the convention center, which i think is an entirely appropriate place to do it. >> reporter: 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. at-large council member david grasso said despite the worst parts of his life, he deserves tribute. >> i'll respect him my entire career. >> reporter: 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. d.c. board of elections officials are preparing to file formal papers to hold a special election early next year to fill the remaining two years of barry's ward 8 council term. frank smith says the city wants to properly acknowledge barry. >> this will be a funeral for the people of the district of columbia.

>> reporter: again, funeral arrangements are being made for next week after the thanksgiving holiday. you can imagine the choices cora masters barry and others have in terms of ministers, choirs, community leaders who would like to be part of it. >> and the number -- the vast number of people in this community who want to pay their respects. >> the convention center may be the only place. >> all right. thank you, tom sherwood. a man from iowa who was arrested last week outside the white house offered up a guilty plea today. the secret service says it found a rifle and ammuniti capheim. officers say he drove from iowa after president obama called him and that he had an appointment. capheim pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possessing an unregistered firearm, and unlawfully possessing ammunition. he's facing a maximum of two years in jail. they're holding him now until a sentencing in january. a woman carrying a gun outside the white house the day after capheim was arrested also

appeared in court today. april dubay dubois said she was participating in an immigration rally when the secret service spotted her carrying a handgun and holster. she waived her right to a preliminary hearing and will stay in jail until next wednesday. tonight some local families are looking for answers in a deadly crash. an suv carrying eight people slammed into a tree over the weekend. it happened on east west highway in silver spring. chris gordon talked to some of the victims' family members today and joins us live from the scene. chris? >> reporter: these were young adults who had jobs and dreams for the future. but tonight their families are dealing with a tragedy of their deaths. >> that's my only daughter. i don't have anymore. so it's hard for me. >> reporter: he shared a picture of his 24-year-old daughter,

melissa. saturday night after working in a phone store, she told her family she was too tired to go out, but friends insisted she accompany them to a birthday party in bethesda. >> i cannot imagine my sister in the state she had the accident. i just remember the cheerful person she was all of the time. >> reporter: 21-year-old caesar noriega, formerly worked with melissa. he wanted to start his own business. >> lovely guy, smiling all of the time, happy. >> reporter: the third victim who died at the crash was 23-year-old yenny vincent de leon. this trail along east-west highway is the scene of the crash. there are flowers, candles and some of the wreckage. friends posted on instagram, i'm sorry you had to go this way. may you rest in peace. and god definitely gained beautiful angels. caesar, i love you so much. three dead, five injured. police say about 3:20 sunday morning, they were all in the chevrolet suburban, driven by 32-year-old evelyn martinez

lanimwhen it flipped on its side. >> three factors are being considered while investigating this collision. speed, alcohol and the fact that some of the occupants possibly were not secured with a seatbelt. >> reporter: at this point, police have filed no charges as the investigation continues. as for the driver, she was treated at a local hospital and sent home. that's the latest live along east-west highway in silver spring. doreen, jim, back to you. >> thank you, chris. protesters take on police at the university of maryland. tonight hear their concerns about high-powered weapons on nd why officers are being armed with m-16s. officials at the university of virginia are taking action after claims about a hidden culture of sexual violence there. and new allegations against bill cosby as a former member of his inner circle tells his story.

we have just received word that there will be an announcement from the grand jury in ferguson, missouri, at 9:00 our time tonight. that grand jury has beening deciding the fate of a white police officer, who is accused of shooting and killing a black teenager in ferguson several months ago. once again, that decision will be announced at 9:00 tonight, our time.

we will be streaming information from ferguson throughout the night on our website, nbc 4.com. weekend protests, impassioned speeches, emotions are running very high at the university of virginia right now. as students, teachers and parents demand answers about one student's explosive allegations regarding a gang rape inside a fraternity house. tonight, there say new call for action on campus. kristin wright joins us with the latest from charlottesville. >> reporter: a uva board will discuss the sexual assault policies, procedures and recent allegations at a meeting tomorrow. and uva's president is now asking for a police investigation. students are protesting sexual violence on campus, and say the university has tried to sweep the problem under the rug. the outrage comes after a "rolling stone" article detailing the alleged gang rape

of a young woman at the ph phi kappa si fraternity house in 2012. uva's president suspended every fraternity and sorority until january 9th. today the president of greek life talked about this article. >> it makes me personally sick to my stomach to think about what happened that one night in that specific fraternity house. and it disorients my understanding of what community is. but what is the most empowering feeling is the amount of energy behind this issue right now. >> last wednesday, "rolling stone" magazine delivered this university a wake-up call. sexual assault is a problem that needs our undivideded attention. now. there are atrocities being perpetrated here that fly in the face of every principle that we

believe in. >> since 1998, 183 students have been expelled from uva for honor code violations like cheating. zero have been expelled for sexual assault. uva is already under federal investigation, along with dozens of other schools for their handling of sexual violence complaints. catholic university, frostburg state and william and mary are also being investigated. since the "rolling stone" article, several more women have come forward with stories of being sexually assaulted at uva. jim and doreen? >> thanks, kristin. new allegations against bill cosby tonight. this time, the accuser is a man. former nbc employee frank scottie says he sent money orders to women at cosby's direction, and regularly brought women to the actor's dressing room. scottie worked as a special assistant to cosby during the taping of "the cosby show" almost 20 years ago now. one woman who received a money order says those gifts were

purely out of generosity. 18 women have accused cosby of sexual assault or attempted assault. he has not been charged in any of the cases and he denies involvement with all of them. doug is back with more on our weather forecast. almost everybody is worried about the weather for travel. they're leaving town and have people coming in. what's the word? >> well, that's the biggest issue here is going to be the fact this is coming during a day of travel. if it happened today, it would be a storm making its way in. but it's wednesday, the day most of us will be hitting the roads in some way, shape or form. and we're looking at snow after what has been just a gorgeous day. 63 degrees right now after a high of 74. that 74 degree temperature actually tied the old record set back in 1958. sos yeah, 75 in fredericksburg. 70 in leesburg. in frederick, 70 in annapolis and we're talking snow in two days. nothing on the radar right now. storm team 4 radar is clear.

as we widen out, there is a frontal boundary off the coast, producing moisture toward the southeast. you also see snow back toward the chicagoland area. that's the cold air that's going to begin to rush our way during the day tomorrow. high temperatures tomorrow about 15 to 20 degrees colder than they were today. then we start to see our storm develop. and our storm making its way up the coast, this will be a coastal storm, a nor'easter as it makes its way up, it will have rain and snow around portions of the area. where you live depends on what you're going to get. now, notice where the winter storm watch is, loudoun county, frederick county, northern fauquier county, does not include i-95 and places like southern maryland or east. we're still going to get snow here. rain earlier and changing over to snow. roads should be wet. i'm not anticipating a whole lot in the way of some problems on the road around the i-95 corridor. any accumulation should be on the grassy surfaces. now, back to the west, a little different story. almost all snow. accumulations will be likely here. roads will become an issue later in the day on wednesday. so if you're traveling to the west, traveling up i-81, heading out 70, out towards the

pittsburgh area, we are going to be dealing with some delays out that way. so heads up for that. we're going to continue to monitor this storm and coming up at 11:00, exactly how much snow i think you'll get in your area. high temperatures tomorrow, cooler. 57 d.c., 58 fredericksburg. 55 in martinsburg and 56 towards baltimore. so another warm day tomorrow o at least a mild day. because of that, the impact a low impact. still mild, looking good for our tuesday. wednesday's impact, definitely going to be on the higher side of things as we are making its way in with snow. temperatures around 40 degrees, but the numbers falling during the day. a high of only 39 on thursday. that, of course, thanksgiving. 37 degrees on friday. so we're going in the wrong direction here. cold temperatures for the weekend, but we do come right back up. high temperature on saturday around 45 degrees. sunday coming in around 55. we're continuing to monitor this storm. we'll keep you posted on it right here from the storm center. >> thank you, doug. nice day outside to head to the verizon center and donate to our food 4 families campaign. you still have a little bit of time to get down there, too.

>> pat lawson muse has been there all day, meeting people. some of them who come every year saying they wouldn't miss a chance to give back. and, of course, they also wouldn't miss a chance to hang out with pat for a minute, because who would not want to do that? pat? >> reporter: jim, doreen, we've had a lot of fun with a lot of friends today. we have wrapped up this operation. show you the guys there. they're locking the truck to transfer the last bit of food to the boys & girls club. but what a day it has been. once again, we issued the call for people to donate to food 4 families this year, and once again, you have responded and responded in a big way. and even though we have packed it all up and shipped it to the warehouse to pack and deliver to the table, our phone lines are open, and we still need every single dollar, every dollar counts. nbc 4's director of community affairs, aisha karima is here again. and talk about the response this year. how is it comparing to what we

have seen in previous years? >> let me just say it's been a great day. it's been a great day because our viewers have come through for us, and our partners, the nurses, the washington citibank and pepco, the washington monument the sports, so many people have come forward with money and food. and we're grateful to know there is so much more that i believe people can really do. because we have a lot of people to feed. thank you so much. thank you for being here too. >> reporter: all right. thank you, a eagle harbora. the phone line is still open. 202-885-4949. donate for the neck few days at nbcwashington.com. jim, doreen? >> thank you from us, too, pat. it's been a long day out there. glad you had pretty good weather for it. new developments in western new york. the snow is starting to melt, but it's posing another threat to already exhausted citizens. >> a power outage snarled air travel as thousands of people were trying to get away for the

holidays. tonight, we know

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a developing story in buffalo, where that massive snowstorm is now causing new problems tonight. temperatures in the 60s and light rains are causing the 7 feet of snow to melt fast. this small creek looking more like a raging river today. residents have been warned to

pack their belongings just in case they have to evacuate. the flood threat is expected to last through wednesday, too. the buffalo area has also been dealing with high winds today, threatening to knock down trees and power lines on top of all that. >> we now have an explanation for the power outage that caused so many delays at dwi marshal airport today. an underground electrical cable on the air field was damaged. that cable has now been repaired. or is being repaired. the power went out just after 10:00 this morning. three concourses and security screening lines were shut down. several flights were delayed for hours. some are still delayed at this hour. airport workers were able to get the power back on about noon. tonight we asked you about your holiday travel plans. most people who answered our survey say they're staying home. the ones who do plan to travel will do it on thursday. thanksgiving day. after the wet weather. a maryland man is facing up

to two years in prison after a deadly hit and run. university of maryland student cory hubbard was hit and killed on route 1 in college park last january. liam adepo was arrested the following day. hubbard was one of several pedestrians killed on the busy road this year, spurring safety improvements. adepo pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of the deadly accident. he'll be sentenced in january. next, local college students rally, demanding answers to why campus police have so many assault rifles. tonight, we're learning about the government's role in arming university officers. the tough task getting help to treat mental illness. why it's so hard to see a psychiatrist. and what you should do if you can't find quality care. . >> reporter: want to take the silver line to shop at tyson's corner for the holidays? fairfax county police have a message for you. i'm adam tuss and we'll tell but

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. 6:30, this is our first look inside the grand jury room where a decision will be announced about the shooting of michael brown. they're going to make that announcement at 9:00 tonight, our time. officer darren wilson could be charged with murder, manslaughter, or no charges. we'll have that decision for you here on news4. also tonight, we are uncovering new angles on the day's top stories, and the

threat of severe weather headed our way. >> we begin with protests at the university of maryland. some students are pointing to the situation in ferguson as they criticize campus police on their campus. the issue is over the guns officers -- the issue is over the guns with which those officers are armed. our derrick ward is in college park now with more on this. derrick? >> reporter: well, jim, you know, it is no secret the pentagon has been selling off some of its surplus, and municipal police forces all over the country have been scooping them up, as has the university of maryland police force. several police forces have been doing that. students are upset about 50 m-16s which the police chief says are for a specific purpose, and also says that the government says they have to have them. >> hands up! >> reporter: they're talking about guns at the university of maryland college park. >> no reason we have the second-most amount of artillery

out of all college campuses across the nation. we have 50 m-16s. >> protesters marched on the central administration building to take that message to campus police chief, david mitchell. the 50 m-16s are enough for about half the campus police force. chief mitchell says the pentagon surplus weapons are needed. you see, there is a nuclear engineering program at the school. >> federal law as dick natured by the nuclear regulatory commission mandates that whoever safeguards that material must be trained and armed with .23 caliber weapons. >> reporter: a hoax called the police about hostage taking at the main administration building. protesters also railed against an armored vehicle owned by campus police since 2007. chief mitchell says it's primarily to protect students and officers, should there arise a need to protect someone from the line of fire. >> it's not used offensively. you don't see it here now.

we never used it offensively. >> reporter: protesters have a long agenda. the campus issues, side by side with the broader issue of justice in ferguson, missouri. >> i think we've got both messages across and they heard us today. >> reporter: now something both police and protesters want to see are body cams for police officers. we are told they are actually in the procurement process and they'll be coming to this campus in a few months. live in college park, derrick ward, news4. a 16-year-old girl fought off a man trying to sexually assault her by biting him and screaming for help. if happened saturday night in the busy buckingham neighborhood. neighbors and police heard the screams and quickly arrested the suspended attacker. david cabrera of hyattsville has been charged with attempted rape. detectives are checking with police in other jurisdictions now to see if he might be responsible for other attacks. >> i've lived here only a few years. and i've never seen anything like that going on.

but that's just horrible. i pray for her and her family. >> the victim was not hurt. cabrera is being held without bond. news4 is working to keep you safe and secure as you do your holiday shopping. for the first time ever, you can take metro's silver line to the largest shopping mall in our area. tyson's corner. but that comes with a warning. transportation reporter adam tuss is live in tyson's where police are talking about shopping bags on trains. adam? >> reporter: that's right, doreen. this is the first holiday season where you'll be able to take metro here to tyson's corner to do a bit of shopping. that has metro, the fairfax county police and the mall all keeping a close eye on things. shopping bags and metro are nothing new, but the silver line mixed with christmas shopping at tyson's corner, yeah, that is brand-new. we found riders today carrying their bags to the train, and many like doreen brown say they don't even think twice about it.

are you at all worried about, you know, bringing your bags on the train? >> not at all. maybe i'm foolhardy, i don't know. but i don't have any fear. >> reporter: fairfax county police tell us they're glad riders like doreen already feel safe, but extra patrols are being added. >> we will be having undercover as well as uniformed officers in the mall and all around that area making sure that people are safe. >> reporter: the metro tells us its police force will be on patrol just as they normally would. brianna mccray is from northwest d.c. and decided to come out today to get some shopping done. >> i haven't been here since i was in the fifth grade. i'm 22 now. and so i was, okay, let me try it out. >> reporter: she welcomes a larger police force here, but in the end says she is constantly aware of what's happening around her. she is not worried. >> when people get on and off, especially when people move faster than others, it's like, what are they trying to do if a big crowd comes on. other than that, no, not really. >> reporter: tyson's corner center is upg the game and says it will deliver your bags to your house this year if you live within a ten-mile radius.

it's same-day delivery and it costs five bucks. and back here now live in tyson's. despite all the increased efforts, metro is reminding you your shopping bag can be taken just as quickly as your iphone. reporting live in tyson's, adam tuss, news4. we're looking at weather now. doug here with our winter storm watch already up. that's a little unusual, isn't it, doug? >> yeah, kind of amazing. 74 degrees today. and then we're talking about a winter storm making its way in. that would be during the day on wednesday when a lot of us are traveling. now, what to expect on wednesday. here's what i'm thinking. why we're going to be having during the day. we will see that rain change to snow. it will be rain early and then change to snow, even in the d.c. metro area. roads should just be on the wet side as i think most of this should melt on those roadways. any accumulation will be on the grassy areas. that's around the d.c. metro region but off to the west, loudoun county, northern fauquier, places to the west, we are expecting more significant accumulation. i'll have the rest on that coming up in just a couple

minutes. >> thanks, doug. there's some new evidence, dna evidence, involving the murder of a student at the university of virginia. we'll tell you about that. struggling to get the help they desperately need, a look at the staggering wait time in our area to see a psychiatrist and why many u

we are learning tonight what police used to link jesse matthew to the disappearance of a woman named morgan harrington. our affiliate in charlottesville obtained a search warrant in that case. it says that investigators found a wooden tip from a cigar butt inside matthew's wallet. on it was a match to the dna on harrington's shirt. it also matched dna evidence in the 2005 sex assault in fairfax for which matthew has been charged. the search warrant also requests several years of matthew's cell

phone records. this is the week where people get to focus on their holiday shopping. >> the question is, though, could those holiday gifts being shipped in the mail be put in postal employees at risk. tisha? >> jim, this week marks the anniversary of the unsolved murder of tyson barnett. he was the postal carrier working an overtime shift when someone shot and killed him in cheverly. his murder made us wonder how often are the women and men delivering your mail targeted for violent crime. we got our hands on this list which tells a frightening story about robberies, shootings, even murder. >> you shouldn't come to work every day and worry whether you're going to be attacked. you shouldn't come to work today and worry about whether you're going to get hurt on the job today. >> see what happened when we

tracked down the postmaster general for answers after his staff repeatedly refused to let us interview. we will also tell you where the robberies are happening and at what time tonight on news4 at 11:00. tisha thompson, news4 i-team. a broken system. still ahead, a look at the challenges the mental health patients can face trying to book their first appointment with a psychiatrist. a celebration at the white house. as some big names are given the nation's highest civilian honor.

a look now inside the grand jury room where a decision will be announced about the shooting

of michael brown. that shooting will be -- that decision will be announced at 9:00 tonight. right now, the governor of missouri and other officials of st. louis and the ferguson are holding a news conference. they're calling for peaceful protests if any protests at all. officer darren wilson could be charged with murder, with manslaughter, or with nothing at all. we'll have that decision for you right here on news4. sometimes the hardest thing about a mental illness is recognizing and admitting that you have one in the first place. and then getting the help you need, well that will be even tougher. tonight as part of our "changing mines" series, we take a look at how difficult it can be to get an appointment with a psychiatrist. >> yeah, hi. i wanted to see if i can make an appointment. i'm a new patient. >> reporter: that's our producer, lauren dunn. she spent over an hour trying to make an appointment with a psychiatrist in d.c. using a list provided by our health insurance company.

>> not taking new patients. >> reporter: but as you can see, she's not having much luck. lauren called 16 offices and could only get an appointment with two of them. and there was going to be a long delay with those. >> two months you have to wait? >> the first appointment available was 40 days away for one doctor, and 59 for the other. some of the other psychiatrists we called weren't taking new patients, had disconnected phone numbers or busy signals or had other specialties that didn't apply in this case, like child psychiatry. paul john freedo is president and ceo of mental health america, an advocacy group based in alexandria. he says our experiment is a reality for most americans, regardses of where they live or how much money they earn. >> we have too few mental health providers, and one of the reasons we have too few mental health providers in the country is because we don't pay them very well. insurance doesn't reimburse them adequately and doesn't really make it worth the while of

people who are in school to decide to go into those professions. >> one 2009 study from the university of north carolina found that we need 25.9 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people to treat everyone with a severe mental illness. but researchers found there are really only 10 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, a shortage that erwin wallace experienced firsthand. >> to acknowledge that i needed anti depressants, that was hard. >> reporter: the mother from herndon says she was suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her second child. and when it started to interfere with her life, she knew she needed care. >> the only person i was able to find in my entire network that was available was 45 minutes away and didn't take insurance. so i had to choose that person, just for the sake of needing to do something. >> after just three sessions, she stopped going, discouraged

by the long commute and financial murder, -- financial burden, something too common. >> people need to be persistent not only with providers, but also to be insistent with their insurance providers, to talk to tear insurers and say who do you really cover? >> if you can't find the help you need right away, paul says be persistent. don't stop at a few doctors. keep calling around. also, call your insurance provider directly. they may be able to help you find somebody. you can also go to mental health america's website. there's more information there, as well as some links to resources. but this is important. if your mental health situation is a life-threatening emergency, don't wait to make an appointment with a doctor. go to the emergency room. we have an entire section of our website dedicated to changing minds. you'll find personal stories of mental illness from people in our community, and you'll find information about a lot of resources in our community. that can be found at

nbcwashington.com. you know, it's not often that the leader of the free world is starstruck. that's what happened to president obama this afternoon. he admitted so. he gave the medal of freedom to 18 recipients at the white house. the honorees are recognized as trailblazers in the arts, sports, and politics. the president acknowledged having a crush on meryl streep. he said the first lady knows about it and so does her husband. he also said the first record he ever bought was one recorded by stevie wonder. >> he was singing my song, it was amazing. singing words to another star. i mean, that's amazing. >> six of today's medals were awarded posthumously, according one for choreographer alvin haley. >> nice ceremony. doug is back with weather threatening our holiday travel

plans. are you going to tell us when to leave? >> today. leave today. >> an hour ago, right? >> tomorrow is pretty good too. i think thursday travel will not be an issue. it will be wednesday. and a lot of us are supposed to hit the roads wednesday. this evening, no problems at all. current temperatures at 63 degrees. those numbers dropping through the upper 50s by around 9:00 and 11:00. still, a very mild night right now. and with temperatures in the 60s for sure. 67 in rockville. 68 in reston. 70 in manassas. and 58 along the chesapeake, towards annapolis. the weather storm watch is for wednesday and i expect to see some problems out there on those roads. i-95 may not be too much of an issue, but especially towards the west. this is the area we had that winter storm watch in effect from loudoun county, northern fauquier county and points to the west. this is the area along i-81, out 71, towards pittsburgh. an issue there too. so that's something we will continue to watch the next couple days. nothing on the radar currently until you head way up north towards chicago. that's the cold air that starts

to move our way and a lot of moisture to the south. they're going to connect right over our region. produce a good coastal storm giving us a wintry mess during the day on wednesday. mostly rain to the south. may mix with snow at the end towards leonardtown, mechanicsville, portions of calvert county. rain to snow in the d.c. metro area, and the amount of accumulation really depends how cold we're going to be and how fast that transition happens. back to the west, no-brainer here. it's going to be snowing and this will be the place we're going to be watching for the most snow, possibly over 4 inches of snow over the next day or so on wednesday. 40 degrees on your wednesday. 39 on thursday. 37 on friday. so a couple cold days for thanks. the weekend looking nicer, highs in the 50s sunday. >> thanks, doug. jason, how is the mood at the park? >> not too good, vance. robert griffin iii did not perform well yesterday in san francisco. will he start this sunday against the colts? as head coach jay gruden has the answer, coming up.

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] follow your joy to a celebration like no other. start your new orleans holiday at followyournola.com. this is the xfinity sports desk, brought to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. >> jason, i've got to tell you something. i've never seen in 45 years in this town -- i was in home depot during a game. it was loaded with guys, and women, who had given up. >> you used to be able to plan

your errands around -- >> anything you want at home tea party owe during the game. between 4:00 and whatever. they were giving up. this is a bad situation. >> reporter: you can't blame them after that performance you saw from robert griffin iii. he was not very good in san francisco yesterday. today, though, his head coach did give a conference call to the media and i want to share some important notes from that conference call. when it comes to robert griffin iii, gruden said there is every intent for robert to be the starter this week. but the coach did note that everyone is being evaluated on this team, and that by wednesday, they should have a good plan for the quarterback position. now another tough injury blow for this team yesterday in san francisco. special teams captain adam hayward, he is out for the season after breaking a bone near his right knee in that loss to the 49ers. ♪ welcome into another edition of the cooley report. thanks for joining us again this

week. let's get right to it. robert griffin iii, not a strong performance. what was the issue yesterday against san francisco? >> well, the issue was a couple of things. one, dinged his hand quickly. didn't see some of the things he needed to see. didn't move in the pocket extremely well. and just doesn't move in the pocket extremely well. that's not robert right now. two, he didn't have a ton of time f. you're developing a younger quarterback, you want to give him some more time and more opportunity to find guys and get in a rhythm. he didn't have either so it didn't work out. >> where is his confidence at right now? >> i don't think his confidence is high whatsoever. i don't think he's seeing the field well. i think he's probably accepted that within himself. i know he's not going these. but he's definitely missing receivers, definitely had times working the wrong side of the field. all in all, hurts a quarterback's confidence. can he get it back? i have to believe he can. i played with him in 2012. just got to find a way. and the team has to find a way. >> five more games left on the schedule. where do the redskins go from here? >> are you kidding? i don't know if i necessarily see them winning another game. two weeks ago, i would have

never thought -- of myself saying that. of course, they can win a couple more football games. you've got teams you can beat. but there's nothing that is indicated to me over the last two weeks this team is good enough to win. and now they're really depleted. it's -- look at the draft, man. start looking at the draft. now last night, the cowbo - cowboys-giants game, dallas picked up a win on the road, but no one is talking about that. everyone is talking about this catch from rookie odell beckham jr. this might be one of the best grabs you'll see of all-time. he caught the ball with three fingers falling to his back for the touchdown. he was also interfered with on this play, just an unbelievably great catch by odell beckham jr. let's move on to basketball now. paul pierce coming off his best performance with the wizards. a double double, ten rebounds and a win against milwaukee

saturday. porter jr. out with injury, so the offensive is an explosion. couldn't have come at a better time. this team is 9-3, second-best record in the east. so has anything surprised the old veteran pierce about his new team? >> it is what i expected. a lot of guys hungry, thirsty for more. more than they had last year. and that's what we're seeing every day when we come oh to work and see guys hurt. getting in early, staying late. and they want to be better. >> the wizards will take on the atlanta hawks tomorrow night at home at the verizon center. vance, people are giving up on the redskins. you might as well jump on that wizards bandwagon. this team is really good. >> you keep hopping on that wizards team, what, for the last month or so. i'm already over there, man. thanks. that's our broadcast for tonight. "nbc nightly news" is next. >> again, people are already gathering on the streets as the grand jury announcement in ferguson, missouri, is expected at 9:00 our time.

we'll have complete coverage online at nbcwashington.com and on-air on news4 at 11:00, as well. we'll see you then.

on our broadcast tonight, breaking news, the grand jury's decision in ferguson, missouri about to be revealed as a community now waits on high alert. forced out, secretary of defense resigns under pressure we're told. tonight, the fallout and what it means for our future war plans. travel nightmare, a huge storm about to hit on the busiest travel day of the year. there are already predictions of transportation chaos for millions. and the highest honor this nation bestows on civilians today at the white house a slew of notables, kennedy, street, stevie and someone pretty well-known around here. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams.