>> but first, a winter storm warning bringing the threat of snow on one of the busiest travel days of the year. people raced to reagan national airport to get out ahead of the storm. do you doug will break down the timing for us. >> either the perfect timing or worst timing possible with this storm. the storm system now down to the south and still on the mild side. but it is going to move up from the south and because of that, we've got travel delays that will become likely during the day tomorrow. this will start off as rain overnight tonight but quickly transition to snow, and most of the region, especially west of the i-95 corridor, that's what we're going to be talking about here. that's why we do have a winter storm warning that is in effect for parts of the area. don't know why it's not showing up on my graphic here, but we're talking about loudoun county, frederick county and areas toward the west. a winter weather advisory now includes montgomery county, fairfax county, prince william county and areas to the south. we are expecting some locations to pick up some pretty good accumulation from this in the d.c. metro area. this should be a rain to snow event. not a lot of problems on the

roads around the i-95 corridor. different in different places. i'll break it down. >> thanks, doug. now to the situation in ferguson, missouri, 1,500 additional national guard members now in that area, hoping to head off more violence. last night that violence erupted after the grand jury declined to indict a pole officer who killed michael brown. at least 12 buildings burned. tonight lawyers for the brown family say the grand jury process was unfair, and that it was rigged from the start. nbc's jay gray has our report. >> reporter: in this battered, burned-out city, the concern is no longer what a grand jury will decide, but instead what will happen next. >> we're just cleaning up the mess from last night. trying to make it look nice again, and, you know, bounce back. hope it doesn't happen again tonight. >> reporter: last night, hundreds poured into the streets of ferguson, outraged that a

grand jury did not indict police officer darren wilson in the shooting death of unarmed teenager michael brown. police did not directly confront the angry crowd until after squad cars and businesses were burned. and gunfire rang out for much of the night. ultimately bringing in armored vehicles and officers in full riot gear to push the protesters back. in the light of morning, peaceful protests replaced the violence. many marching just like they have every day since brown's death. his parents stood, but didn't speak, as their attorneys blasted the prosecutor and the grand jury process. >> raises all kinds of red flags for us in this process. but we're going to hold out hope that at some point justice will be served. >> reporter: a federal investigation does continue, which could result in civil rights charges. brown's family could also pursue a wrongful death suit in the case. on the streets now, more

national guard troops have been called in to support police as they prepare for nightfall. >> what they have gone through is unacceptable. the national guard presence will be ramped up significantly. in ferguson and ensuring they are ready to act quickly to prevent violence. >> reporter: and so many here hope, with much different results. jay gray, nbc news, ferguson. we're also getting a look now at the evidence the grand jury used to make their decision. just-released photos show officer darren wilson in a hospital with bruises on his cheek and head, after hearing from 60 witnesses, the jury believed that michael brown attacked the officer and that wilson did what he had to do to stop a dangerous suspect. we're also learning how that grand jury decision erupted on social media last night. twitter created this animated map using all the mentions of the word ferguson. you can see how it explodes at about 8:30 central time last

night when it was announced that officer wilson had not been indicted. according to twitter, posts spiked to 52,000 tweets a minute, and by 11:00 last night, more than 3.5 million tweets mentioning ferguson had been sent. and now almost 24 hours later, the unrest is not letting up as the protests continue well into the night. students at historically black colleges and universities have been leading several rallies in this area. 50-plus bowie state university students marched down a busy street about two hours ago, and at one point lying down in traffic. no one was hurt. and another protest, this one in baltimore, about 100 students at morgan state university blocked traffic at an interception near that school's campus. their concerns go beyond michael brown's case. they say police and justice in baltimore also needs to be addressed. and this protest was also peaceful. across the district, there was a common theme to a series of protests. dozens of mostly young people staged what they call die-ins

outside government buildings. mark segraves spoke to one of the youngest protesters who said the shooting of michael brown has changed the way he thinks about police. mark? >> reporter: that's right. these protests were organized by a group called "black youth project 100" and they had about five demonstrations across the city. among the protesters, a teacher and his students from an inner city charter school. they took the protest as an opportunity to learn and to be heard. ♪ what side are you on my people ♪ >> this protest helped us understand and the decision -- i was shocked by the decision. >> reporter: protesters gathered at five different locations today. including police headquarters -- >> we're not asking for our rights. >> reporter: and department of justice. >> the anger -- >> reporter: one of the biggest crowds showed up outside the d.c. office of police

complaints, where demetrius bowers brought his students so they could learn a real-life lesson. >> teach them how to hold their anger, if there is any frustration from the inside and how not to act on it physically, but to act on it in community and unity. >> reporter: bowers says prejudice still exists, especially when young black men are the victims. >> we look like the criminals. still look like the criminals. >> reporter: 12-year-old james williams says michael brown's killing by a police officer has changed how he thinks about police. >> i have seen what happened to mike brown. i really don't talk to the police. because he did -- the police just shot him for no reason. and i felt like that is unfair. >> reporter: williams says when he gets home tonight, he'll have something to tell his parents. >> i'll tell my parents that i protested for mike brown, and served justice. >> reporter: in the district, mark segraves, news4. our team coverage continues

with prince george's county reporter darcy spencer. she has been in college park today, where university of maryland students voiced their concerns about what's happening in ferguson. darcy? >> reporter: well, doreen, first we spoke to the state's attorney here, and she tells me if this case had been brought to a grand jury here in prince george's county, she is confident there would have been an indictment. >> i am proud to say that prince george's county is not ferguson, missouri. >> reporter: attorney angela alsobruk says she is confident a grand jury here would have indicted the officer in ferguson who shot and killed teenager michael brown. she points to the recents prosecution of a district heights officer convicted of shooting an unarmed man in the back. >> i think this community would have really reached a different result. and they did recently in the case where an officer shot an individual who was barefoot, who was unarmed, and who was running away from him. >> reporter: but it's the failure to indict and the fear that it could happen here is what drew hundreds of protesters

to the university of maryland. >> i'm so happy that we have a chance and opportunity to have this kind of peaceful protest without worrying about being shot. >> reporter: the organizers say they were pleased to see so many students of different raceseth and niceties participate. >> it's beautiful. you have people of different colors standing up for something that really -- that really needs to be brought to light. >> reporter: there was a police presence, but there were no arrests. students prayed and sang. ♪ >> reporter: they were quiet for four and a half minutes to represent the four and a half hours michael brown's body was in the street. and one student lay on the ground, representing the unarmed teen. in college park, darcy spencer, news4. >> the protest movement is expected to go nationwide tonight. demonstrations are planned in dozens of cities and towns from

coast to coast. protesters also will be in the streets in puerto rico and several cities in canada, the united kingdom and in japan. >> we thought it important to mention after all of the coverage of the protests, violence and tension, these pictures were taken today in ferguson. citizens, workers, volunteers coming together to help clean up. our coverage of ferguson continues in about 15 minutes with a legal expert to discuss the federal investigation still hanging over officer darren wilson. fred smoot used to play in the secondary for washington's football team. he was quite a player. but now he's been arrested for domestic assault. fred smoot's ex girlfriend tells news4 she just returned from her lawyer's office after his arrest. she posted photos on her instagram account from as far back as august showing what appear to be red marks and scratches on her body. smoot's lawyer calls her a disgruntled ex. coming up in our next half hour,

we'll report what's next for fred smoot legally and personally with his on-air career. d.c. residents are paying their respects to former mayor marion barry. condolence books for the public to sign have been set up at the wilson building. barry died on sunday at the age of 78. you can sign the books tomorrow and friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. barry will lie in repose at the wilson building next week before he is laid to rest. meantime, hundreds lined up this morning in southeast d.c. for barry's annual turkey give-away. this year, 3,500 turkeys and 40,000 pounds of fresh vegetables were handed out. barry's spokeswoman says this is what barry lived for. giving back to the people and serving those who don't have a voice. >> what he's doing for the people, he's been doing, you know, since civil rights. he loves us and we love him. you know, he always has been there for the people. to provide, you know, what he could. >> marion barry's chief of staff says he hopes to keep the turkey

give-away forward 8 residents going in the years to come. new evidence in a deadly hit and run. we'll tell you what we're learning about the suspect's actions moments before a tragedy in college park. uncovering sex assaults inside a federal agency. the stagger statistic of postal workers being attacked by colleagues or even bosses and why some say the cases were covered up. 'tis the season for holiday travel, and look what's waiting for you at the airport. i think a lot of people are changing their plans because of upcoming storm. i'm adam tuss at reagan

some of the roads are jam packed because of a storm that will bring rain and know to our region tomorrow. transportation reporter adam tuss is in southwest washington with conditions on the road and in the air. and the new technology to help keep you focused as you head to your destination. hey, adam. >> reporter: keeping focused, doreen. that is important out here tonight. and judging by the looks of it, a lot of people are getting an early jump. take a look at the southeast-southwest freeway tonight. wow. and you know, you might be tempted to tap away on the phone while driving. well tonight we want to show you some of that new technology that could keep you safe on your travels. it sticks to your windshield like an ez pass, recognizes when

a cell phone is in the driver's seat and if you're moving, won't let you use the phone. we gave it a spin with the vice president of the company, david kuhlman. >> so as you can see, within a couple seconds of driving, we're now in safe mode. >> reporter: something to think about as you make your way to your holiday destination and focusing on the holiday get-away. so far, so crowded. at the airport, the scene today, some very long lines at the security checkpoint. >> i'm just really surprised. i didn't expect it to be so filled up, and, you know, so early on the week, you know? >> reporter: with potential weather on the way, busy before the storm. well, take a look at this line for the security checkpoint. this is one of the longer lines i have ever seen at reagan national airport. clearly, a lot of people not taking any chances with the potential storm that could be coming tomorrow. amanda fallender and her 8-month-old puppy darla able to change their flight to indianapolis and get out of town

early. >> so we moved up my flight because the weather is supposed to be really bad tomorrow. so i wanted to make sure that i got home. and it's been a process today. >> reporter: on the rails, this is amtrak's busiest travel period, a new train tracking map is available, so travelers can see exactly where their train is, and when it will arrive. and back here now live along the southeast-southwest freeway as the traffic tries to make its way tonight. and we want to remind you, you're on your way and want to download the storm tm 4 weather app so you're ahead of whatever weather is coming our way. know before you go. reporting live in the district, adam tuss, news4. >> scary out there, adam. thank you. here is a look at holiday travel by the numbers. aaa is predicting 90% of people will get to their destination by car this year. that translates to more than 41 million people on the road across the country for thanksgiving. about 24 million are expected to to their destination. >> i'm not going anywhere.

you staying here? >> i'm glad they're coming to me. >> you staying in town? >> i'm working. >> okay. >> so we've got a nice storm tomorrow. so, yeah, we'll be doing that for sure. >> i will have a hard time believing, as nice as it was, warm as it is out there now, that you were really -- knew what you were talking about, that there is snow coming tomorrow. let's home that i do. because i -- >> i believe you. it's hard -- >> 74 yesterday, snow during the day tomorrow. that's how big -- big of a change we've got out there. out there towards the airport right now, yeah, the airport one busy place. current temperature, 53 degrees. so we've got to flip that number around to get to 35 before we start to get some snow accumulating on the roadway. and it's going to be hard to get there. 38 columbus, 36 in elkins. 38 in pittsburgh. so that cold air is moving in, and as it does so, the rain will move in first and that cold air will help to change that rain over to snow. here is the rain now, and there is a ton of moisture down toward the south.

it's all going to ride up the coast. first we get the clouds and then by early tomorrow morning, 7:00 a.m., it is just rain for the bulk of the area for about 90% of us watching around frederick, baltimore, gaithersburg, manassas, quantico, all of southern maryland, the northern neck, starting off as rain. but back ai-81 corridor, this will change to snow very quickly here. and then that snow will transition even down towards the d.c. metro area and i-95. by around 11:00. but notice southern maryland, you are still dealing with the rain. i think this will be an all-rain event for you. same thing down from fredericksburg down towards the northern neck. then the snow comes back in around 2:00, still rain to the south. maybe a little bit in the way of some mix in some parts of the area. but staying all snow back towards the west. possibly ending as another bout of rain around d.c. before it's all said and done. the warnings and advise hes. winter weather advisory from montgomery county, howard county, fairfax, prince william. winter storm warnings back towards the west. here is the advisory. roads will be wet, mostly from the rain. could get a little slushy at the

time we see the heaviest snow around 11:00 to 2:00 in the afternoon. that could see -- that could be where we see some problems on its secondary roads. but rain to snow and an accumulation only on the grass. not too worried about the roadways in most areas. back to the west, different story. especially in areas of elevation. 3 to 6 inches will become likely. more around the 3, but elevated areas could get up to 6 inches. and then roads will become fairly slippery if you're traveling back towards the west. so here's the map. our snowfall forecast, rain down toward the south. i-95, back to the west just a little bit. maybe up to an inch. that's a coating to an inch in parts of the area. 1 to 3, including around the gainesville area, leesburg. gaithersbu gaithersburg, damascus, mt. airy and frederick. and 3 to 6 around luray, front royal, the i-81 corridor off towards charlestown and martinsburg. more as you go back towards the west and that's what we'll continue to see. that's why our impact forecast tomorrow will be on the high side for sure. because of that travel. and just about everywhere tomorrow, we fall below freezing. so that means we could see some

icy roadways early thursday morning. thanksgiving, 39 degrees. looking good there. 37 on friday. so just staying on the cold side. saturday and sunday, temperatures warming back into the upper 50s by sunday. so not bad after that. thanks, doug. that grand jury in ferguson -- near ferguson finished its work, but a federal case against police officer darren wilson is still possible. tonight we're going in depth about the next possible step in the legal process. >> reporter: a passionate plea from charlottesville's police chief after disturbing allegations of sexual assault at uva. >> every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year. every year we lose critical information. >> reporter: hear what he wants from uva. from uva. all-new at 6:00.

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me too... we're practically twins!

another day of protests all over this country today, and probably tonight in the wake of the ferguson grand jury announcement. >> missouri's governor ordered more national guard troops to ferguson today. ferguson's mayor is criticizing the delayed deployment, calling it deeply disturbing. today's protest in the st. louis area and other parts of the country have been more peaceful than last night. but still, there's concern about what could happen later tonight. today we also learned that officer darren wilson remains on

administrative leave. local civil rights attorney donald temple joins us tonight to talk more about all of this. now that the grand jury evidence has been released, what's your take on the grand jury's decision on this, and do you agree with the decision, and the process? >> i can't say that i do agree with the decision, nor the process, and especially the process. i think that the process unto itself in terms of the presentation and interpretation of the evidence appears to be problematic. the black community is particularly concerned about the manner in which the prosecution may have presented the evidence to the grand jury. the decision is very problematic. and in part, and this is from my own experience, the denotion that this young man who had been shot previously, runs from the police officer and then turns around suddenly, no weapon, and then runs into the line of fire in some kind of kamikaze fashion is implausible and difficult for

us to really comprehend. so it's very disturbing, and i think that the evidence to the point that we didn't -- that the standard here is one of probable cause. not that we have to show the individual's guilty by reasonable doubt. that there may have been enough evidence in this particular record, enough evidence, if properly presented, to have an indictment, if not on a higher charge, on one of the lower charges for which he was exposed. >> it was a really unusual process. >> do you suppose that if officer wilson had been indicted, that the reaction in ferguson and elsewhere around the country would be different? >> well, i mean, we have to remember that this case is in part about michael brown. but it's not about michael brown. it's about how black people are exposed to police misconduct throughout many parts of the country. and when there are interracial

acts where a white officer is shooting or harming a black victim, that the process is probed in a manner that an indictment comes about. so there a double standard ultimately, and that gives the police throughout the country, as here, a green light in these situations. because ultimately, they're not going to say i shot somebody. you're going to say what, they attacked me. so you hear it over and over again and that raises a big problem for the black community and for any community, black or white. a white kid -- if michael brown was white, would you say that michael brown would have stopped, not have raised his hands without a gun and ran into the line of fire? >> not plausible. thank you. >> a lot of questions still. >> appreciate you being here. much more on the fallout in ferguson coming up on "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. he's in missouri with a look at what they're working on. >> reporter: hey, jim and doreen, we're here in ferguson, missouri. this is just one of the

structures we watched burn as a nooigs nation on live television last night. we're here today to take an assessment of the violence and its underpinnings as the rest of the country from the nation's capital on to the west prepares for thanksgiving week in america. next, new video showing a deadly hit and run of a local college student. tonight, what the driver of the car faces for proficient. fred smoot charged in domestic assault. we're learning what's next for the former redskins cornerback and his work as an analyst in washington. and local fallout from bill cosby's recent controversies. tonight, the smithsonian under pressure to decide whether or not to keep the comedian's donation for its museum.

you're watching news4 at 6:00. first at 6:30 tonight, a winter storm warning in effect. some of us could see rain. some others could get some snow. and the timing of it all could not be worse. doug? >> yeah, and that's really why, jim, this is going to be such a big storm here. if this was the middle of january, we're talking about a little storm making its way through the area. but this is coming the day before thanksgiving, one of the biggest travel days of the year. 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, and notice most of this is rain around the d.c. metro area and i-95 corridor. southern maryland toward fredericksburg. to the west, however, this is snow. front royal, winchester, luray,

romney. by around 10:00, 11:00, notice how the rain/snow line shifts closer to the i-95 corridor. i do think we'll be seeing snow in and around the d.c. metro area. back to the west, coming down fairly heavily and we could see problems on the roadways. that's why we have the winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings. i'll have much more on what you can expect in your area in about ten minutes. thanks, doug. trouble tonight for a former washington football player is now an analyst. >> fred smoot is charged with domestic assault. his lawyer is fighting back against the investigations from smoot's former girlfriend. she talked to "news4 today." chris gordon is live at the loudoun county courthouse with more on how the charges are already affecting smoot's new career. >> reporter: well, this case is very difficult on both sides. it comes at a time with allegations swirling around the nfl, the university of virginia and bill cosby. in that context, valerie jackson of ashburn, virginia, has filed a very serious charge against fred smoot.

fred smoot spent his football career on defense. now the former redskin is a defendant. i spoke with his lawyer, who says smoot denies the allegation, saying they come from a vindictive ex-girlfriend. >> we're confident the actions are going to show she has been the aggressor and the pro vok tour in these matters and it's extremely unfortunate she is engaging in this personal campaign in an effort to ruin him both personally and professionally. >> reporter: so we went to the woman who made the complaint. >> i am not ready to comment on camera. this is fresh and this is hard. i just came from a lawyer's office. and i feel safe behind this door and i don't feel safe in front of cameras or media. >> reporter: jackson called the loudoun county sheriff at 11:00 sunday morning to report that her boy friend, 35-year-old frederick d. smoot, grabbed her during an altercation. jackson posted pictures on her instagram account, which appear to show marks on her neck, shoulder and arms. pictures that date back to august. sunday evening, fred smoot

appeared on comcast sports net tv shows after the redskins game. comcast sports net is owned by the same company as nbc 4. today when csn learned about the allegations, it issued this statement. fred smoot's appearances on the network have been suspended indefinitely. smoot has also been suspended from his sports talk radio appearances on 106.7, the fan. smoot's trial has been set for january 5th. >> we ask for some patience in letting the legal system play itself out. and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all is said and done. >> reporter: fred smoot pleaded not guilty here at the loudoun county courthouse today. he has been released on his personal recognizance along with a $2500 bond. >> thank you. president obama just addressed the situation in ferguson at an event in chicago. jim handly is at the live desk with that. jim? >> doreen, there is obvious

concern about more violence tonight and the president took a moment before an immigration speech to address what we all saw last night. he called on protesters to find constructive ways to bring about change. >> i've never seen a civil rights law or a health care bill or an immigration bill result because a car got burned. it happened because people vote, it happened because people mobilized, it happened because people organize. it happens because people look at what are the best policies to solve the problem. >> reporter: now the president also said those who are engaging in destruction should be prosecuted and the emphasis should be put on peaceful demonstrations. at the live desk, i'm jim handly. jim and doreen, back to you. >> thanks, jim. there is new video just released in a deadly hit and run case out of college park. prosecutors say the video of liam adepo stumbling out of a bar last january just before he hit and killed a university of

maryland student. that student was cory hubbard, crossing route 1 when he was hit. adepo was arrested the following day. he just reached a plea deal and could face up to two years in prison when he is sentenced in january. at the university of virginia, the board of visitors just voted for a zero tolerance policy on sex assaults. and tonight charlottesville's police chief is demanding answers about that alleged gang rape involving a school fraternity. news4's david culver has more on an emergency board meeting to address the allegations. >> reporter: this board of visitors meeting wasn't on the annual schedule. wasn't supposed to happen. it's an emergency gathering of uv a's leaders to confront allegations of sexual assaults and alleged cover-ups. claims made in this now notorious "rolling stone" article. >> madam president, we will investigate this matter to its fullest. >> reporter: you may remember chief longo from the disappearance of hannah graham which deeply impacted the community earlier this semester.

now the chief wants those involved in the 2012 alleged gang rape to come forward. >> there were people in that room. who saw and heard what has been called shocking and horrifying and gut wrenching and sickening and every other descriptor in between. >> reporter: part of the problem, according to university rector george martin, is alcohol. he says 90% of sexual misconduct involves drinking. >> we cannot ignore that fact. >> reporter: we watched part of today's meeting with fairfax county school board member ryan maclevooen. >> what goes through your mind? >> i was not surprised. it's something i have seen going on for many years. >> reporter: fairfax county sends more students to uva than any other school district in the nation. that's why he wants them connected to any coverup to be ousted. do you want to see people lose their jobs? >> i think that's a possible consequence of what's going on.

>> reporter: chief longo also urging victims to come forward as quickly as possible. warning that with each passing day, critical evidence is lost in prosecuting those responsible. uv a's president promises to keep the public updated on their progress to make changes. in the news room, i'm david culver, news4. the news4 i-team uncovering a secret the postal service didn't want you to know about. postal employees sexually assaulted by their co-workers. why the victims claim they were retaliated against. a dramatic rescue of a worker trapped in a trench. we'll report what it took to get him out of there.

we are fortunate to have some top-notch rescue teams working in our area. and today they saved a construction worker from a collapse of a trench in frederick county, maryland. he was buried to his chest in the dirt and mud. montgomery county's urban search and rescue team helped frederick

firefighters dug that man out by hand. it took neerlt nearly two hours but they got him out and to a hospital. there is mounting pressure against the smithsonian institution amid all of the talk about bill cosby. cosby owns many pieces that have been lent to the national museum of african art. they're on display in an exhibit called conversations. but a spokesperson for the museum says exhibiting cosby's collection does not mean the museum takes a stand in the controversy. they say the exhibit is about the art and the artist. several women have accused cosby of sexual assault. he has not been charged with any crim still ahead, two women share their story of sexual abuse inside the post office with the news4 i-team. >> next thing i know, he pushes me up against the wall. >> why they say the real pain happened after they complained.

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it's a home you control with the touch of a finger. it's reimaging tv to give more people more choices. it's bringing technology and people together in ways you never thought possible. comcast and time warner cable. together is better for more people. sex assaults inside one of the largest federal agencies, and it is a story they did not want told. yesterday a news4 i-team told you about postal employees robbed, even shot while delivering the mail. >> but what about rape and sexual violence? tisha thompson in the news4 i-team continue their investigations into postal crimes. we want to warn you, some of the details are graphic. >> reporter: it was a frigid morning when we climbed this mountain near albany, new york. >> we made it! >> reporter: to meet this woman, diane caruso-rustin.

>> it was pretty tough. >> reporter: diane says she had to be tough to work more than a decade inside a large postal processing plant where they sort mail 24 hours a day. >> the culture of the post office, it was -- it's an old boys club. >> reporter: good at getting along with the guys working alongside her, diane says she thought she was going to get a promotion when she walked into one of her manager's office. >> next thing i know, he pushes me up against the wall. and he pushes down my left side of my pants, which, you know, those stretchy pants? he got -- and he licked my leg. i was like -- you know -- and i was -- you know, i got startled. and then his -- took his thing out. and he told me to kiss it. >> reporter: the married mother of two says she pushed her way out of the room and quickly wrote down everything that happened before filing a formal complaint through her union. that, she says, is when the

retaliation began. >> one of the supervisors grabbed me and told me, you better keep your mouth shut. if you know what's good for you. >> reporter: diane says the retaliation grew worse as the team of investigators tried to get her to sign an incorrect statement of facts. she refused. and that, not the assault, is what finally broke her. >> it's the cover-up, the intimidation that they do to you. >> reporter: the news4 i-team has uncovered a list of reported sexual assaults against postal employees from across the country, never before released to the public. including more than a dozen here in our area within just the last few years. records we obtained show the assaults range from men groping and flashing mail carriers on their routes to more serious attacks like the violent rape of a postal clerk in silver spring. but then we saw this. when we added it all up, we realized one out of every five sexual assaults against postal

employees were committed by other postal employees. >> to ask somebody to get down on their knees in the middle of the aisle in the middle of a workroom floor to give you oral sex, i think is -- if that's not sexual harassment, what is? >> reporter: noel way less than says her managers repeatedly ignored complaints about being harassed, stalked and finally sexual assaulted inside this processing plant in connecticut. >> this is a person that i had asked numerous times not to touch me, not to go near me. not to speak inappropriately to me. and he then attacks me. >> reporter: noel kept all of her paperwork, but when we asked the post office for its records on the investigation of her attack, we received hundreds of blank and redacted pages. but the post office assured us,

it has a zero tolerance policy for sexual assault. >> so when the federal government is an employer and then it doesn't follow its own rules, that makes this sense of betrayal or, you know, wrongness somehow worse. >> reporter: sexual violence experts like mia ragu says this list could be much longer, because sex assault is one of the most underreported crimes. and as we discovered, noel and diane's cases were investigated by their human resources department, meaning their cases were never reported to the postal service's internal police force and never made it to our list. >> it's if unwanted, then in most places that's probably some sort of battery, let's say. which is a crime. >> reporter: to get answers, we repeatedly asked to interview postmaster general patrick donahoe. until in august we were told by a spokeswoman if we tried to approach him, we could be investigated and arrested for threatening a postal employee. which is how we ended up at this

news conference at the postal museum two weeks ago. as the postmaster general released a new holiday stamp. we counted at least 11 different people in his team scrambling to keep us from interviewing their boss, pleading with us not to approach him. >> mr. dan donahoe, i'm tisha thompson. >> reporter: dan ahoe told us the postal service uses an extensive process. >> there was nothing ever that was left uninvestigated. we prosecute people to the full extent of the law. >> reporter: some of your employees have told me after they were sexually assaulted they were retaliated against when they made a complaint. >> the postal service has got an number of avenues for employees to air issues, whether it's the hotline, the grievance process, eeoc. we have watched these carefully over the years, taken this very seriously and acted on it. >> reporter: i'm sure as boss it

also concerns you that your employees are saying that. what do you want to tell them? >> our employees are safe. we provide a safe environment. we provide an environment where there if there is a problem, we respond to it. >> even though they worked in different plants in different states, both women say their attackers were allowed to retire while they continued to be retaliated against while they both went out on medical leave. >> hopefully your reporting will bring some changes. it sounds like some are due. way to go, tisha. >> thank you. you can watch the i-team's full report on other crimes against postal employees by visiting nbcwashington.com and clicking on "investigations." doug is now going to explain to us how we can go from 70 one day to snow two days later. >> it's really quite amazing. that's the kind of weather pattern we have out there. and that colder air is rushing in, right now. and by early tomorrow morning, some of us will be waking up to some snow. here's what's happening outside right now. we do have a lot of traffic, a lot of people on my twitter feed talking about traffic all over the beltway. you can see it there on the 14th

street bridge. not much going on downtown tonight. current temperature sitting at 53 degrees. temperatures dropping to about the upper 40s by 11:00. but they're not going to be dropping too fast. the cold air is just back to the west. and once it moves in, that's when we expect the snow to begin. and that's why we have a winter storm watch -- or i'm sorry, winter storm warning in effect for areas along i-81 and also includes loudoun county, frederick county, northern fauquier and rappahannock and everybody to the west when a weather advisory for howard county, southern fauquier and culpeper counties, that is for the potential for not only some snow, but also some mixed precipitation. not much going on now in the radar. a lot going on down to the south, though. skycast 4 paints the picture pretty well for us. starting off at 4:00, and that's when the rain will start to move in. look what happens around 7:00 now. you notice the rain coming in here. and right around that 10:00, 11:00 hour in the city, is when we expect to see some of that snow developing. that snow coming down right on through the city hours. and this is the time between

11:00 and 2:00 where we could see some accumulation as far as the grassy surfaces. i'm not too worried about the roadways inside the beltway. how much are we going to see? 3 to 6 to the west. 1 to 3 around leesburg and damascus. less than an inch from the i-95 area to the west. so again, not a huge storm, but because it's happening tomorrow, this will have a big impact on your day. 40 degrees tomorrow, a high of 39 on thanksgiving. thursday and friday looking very, very chilly. and we are going to see a warming trend as we head into the weekend. we like warming trends. thank you, doug. we also like football teams that win. but we don't have one, do we, dianna? >> we don't. so we're still trying to figure out, will rg3 get the start this sunday? and if he does, is it a good idea? we're going to discuss it. and the wizards with a big game at home and without their big guy, find out who steps in. stay here.

this is the xfinity sports desk, brought to you by xfinity. your home for the most live sports. >> we've got the wizards. >> yes. >> this is an exciting season already. remember last year, how pumped we are were? the wizards are back at home tonight, taking on the atlanta hawks looking for their third straight win. this team might have a big hole in their lineup. wizards' center nene is likely to miss tonight's game.

nene is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, painful. head coach randy whitman is hopeful he won't miss too much time. but this season, the wizards' bench has been able to step up in times of need. washington veterans brought in to add to their depth and get really paid off. they haven't missed a beat. paul pierce knows just how that has been this season. >> that's what we are glad for this year, our strengths, our depth, pretty much every position. you know, a lot of these guys, if you look on our bench, our starters in league. drew has been a starter. so that's what we -- that's our strength right there. our depth. one guy goes down, another guy can pick him up. some injury news for the caps. alex ovechkin left practice this morning after he tweaked an upper body part. or injury there. head coach barry trotz thistle be able to go in tomorrow night's game, though.

that's good news. he has played in all 20 games this season and leads the caps right now with nine goals. to football. is rg3 time as head scatter done? jay gruden told us sunday he's starter against the colts. monday he said it was his intent. and later said they are going to look at the film and figure out who is best for the job. so not very clear. the quarterbacks watched film together today and they were told who the starter is, despite some mixed signals from coach. as of now, all signs point to rg3. so i know you two -- three -- i know doug has got an opinion about this. what do you think, rg3 or colt? >> you know what i wonder more is who is making the decision, is it jay gruden or dan snider? >> so much money in this guy, but you've got to move on. move on sometime. >> i think so too. >> i'm with doreen. i think it's a little too quick. >> more of a chance. >> look at it this way. at least if you let robert play out the rest of the season and at the end you decide it didn't

work, you can at least say you gave him a shot. you have closure. if you pull him now, we're all going to say but what if he just had a little bit more time? he still hasn't played in that many games. >> but we also need somebody else to trade. so let one of these guys do really good so we can get rid of somebody and bring somebody else in. >> i don't know about that. all right so while the quarterbacks watched film today, the rest of the team had the day off. alfred morris, darrelle young and other redskins made thanksgiving happen for thousands of people today. they all lined up at fedexfield for the 12th annual redskins harvest feast. redskins players helped pack up food, 33,000 pounds of turkey, over 92,000 pounds of packaged and fresh food. >> good for them. >> yes, the team is coming up and today showed their thanks to their fans. and also some other good things going on. national star ryan zimmerman spent the morning at food & friends here in d.c., helping prepare thanksgiving meals for people with various illnesses.

this is the seventh year they have partnered up. >> food & friends, great organization. >> good for those guys. "nbc nightly news" is next. >> we'll see you at 11:00. have a good evening.

on o on our broadcast tonight, from ferguson, missouri, the decision that set off a wave across the country. here in ferguson, fears realized. a community in flames. chaos and anger in the streets. the wave of protests stretching from coast to coast as police departments hope for a peaceful night ahead. plus, inside this grand jury. the evidence. what they heard and saw that ended with month charges. why this grand jury proceeding was so different from others, as the prosecutor now comes under fire. also tonight, the other big story. a big storm about to hit at the worst possible time. a thanksgiving travel nightmare for millions of americans. "nightly news" from ferguson begins now. >> announcer: this is "nbc