right now, we have new info a ca driver overnight. what we've learned about the victim's left reported stop. breaking news from maryland. shutting down death row. the move made today by the governor. check it out. we have been watching scenes like this one all morning long. it's already 2015 in places like australia. we are going to get you ready for the big countdown. a happy new year's eve to you all. welcome to news 4 midday on this final day of the year. i'm angie growth inh in for barbara harrison. pr george's county police are investigating a murder.

a man was found shot inside his cab on balsalm tree drive in capital heights. >> reporte we've learned from the cab company the cab driver picked someone up at the add son road metro station around 10:50 last night. at 11:10, he dropped someone off in this location. and that was his last record of service to the cab company. trying to put the pieces of this puzzle together. police want to know who shot a cab driv here in the 800 block of balsamtree drive in capital heights. were called here and found the cab driver dead. we've also learned from the silver cab company this man has been identified as kadhir yaya. he lived in the district. early this morning, the cab towed away. >> all the time different things around here happen like this all the time. >> gail can see the scene of the

cr back porch but she says she was sleeping and didn't hear anything. still, she's not surprised. you can only deal with so much. it just people. it's just the people i wish it was better but it's not. this ford fusion parked right next to where the incident happened. it w hit and damaged. the owner didn't want to talk on camera. today, he's taking his car to get fixed. gail williams sums up the situation in this neighborhood right now. >> it's bad. just got to learn to live with it. >> now, prince georges county police are also investigating another homicide that happened in nearby fair mount heights yesterday. rewards are being issued in both cases. reporting live in prince georges county adam tusk news 4. breaking news from the governor's office. >> informatit coming in

from annapolis. four prisoners on maryland's death row, including one from prince georges county will have their sentences commuted. we got a statement this morning. leaving the death sentences in place does not serve the public good and carrying them out is illegal in the absence of an existing statute. now, the inmates will now serve a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. when maryland's legislature abolished the dea penalty two years ago, those inmates had already been given those death sentences. >> we are keeping a close eye on the weather this morning. a lot of you have some big plans for tonight. right now, it's cold but sunny. storm team 4 meteorologist amelia s join us with the first forecast. amelia i don't think we're going to get much help from that sun. it's going to remain chilly today and tomorrow. as we welcome 2015. here's another live look outside with one of our tower cameras.

you can see, not an cloud in the sky from that point of view. satellite and radar showing mainly clear skies. plenty of sunshine throughout the day today. temperatur right now in the 20s and 30s. washington now up to 36. gathersburg still down around 28. culpepper at 34. it is breezy with winds 5 to 10 miles an hour. it feels like temperatures are in the 20s right now. high temperature today in your neighbor will warm into the upper 30s. 37 in frederick. 38 in annapolis. my full forecast is at 11:30. will walk you hour through hour what you can expected an ht i'm going to have an update on that forecast as well. >> today, the mother of a missing maryl boy is expected in court. she which be arraigned in central ohio. officers a looking for 14-month-o cameron beckford

near columbus. he is presumed dead as of now. the boy's mother told his father who lives in frederick, maryland that she left him on the porch of a housing developmt on friday. stevens now faces several charges, including child endangerme> while you may be able to avoid some road delays in virginia. says it will suspend most highway work zones for several days over the new year's holiday. says the goal is to eliminate congestion. will lift lane closures from noon starting today so in about an hour until noon on friday. metro will be running trains tonight and into 2015. train until 2:00 a.m. that's two hours later than normal for the weekend. tomorrow trains will run at 7:00. there will be extra trains on the green line on ja 1 and the trains will accommodate crowds

for the winter classic at nats park. from the redskins the team and defensive coordinator jim haslett have mutually agreed to part ways. we p with an alert from our new nbc news washingt app. make sure you turned on that breaking news alert so you can get informa like why this happened. haslett had led the red skips et two seasons. a statement, saying he and head coach gruden agreed it was time for the team to have a new defensive coordinator. in less than 30 minutes, the capitals will hit the ice to practice for tomorrow's winter classic. news 4's jason pew is live at nationals park. a place that is going to be surround by a whole lot of excitement morning, jason. >> good morning, angie. this will be the place to be a little over 24 hours from now. one of the biggest sporting events taking place ever in the nation's capital. the 2015 winter classic. and it should be a good one.

i want to show you the scene here at nationals park. the ice on the rink down on the field already painted. the winter classic logo right at center ice. you can see the crews still working diligently to get this place up and going for tomorrow. the scene here just magnificent. you mentioned the capitals practici at 11:30. after that practice session, will have a family skate after that. at 2:30 the chicago blackhawks they will take the practice ice. we will have you covered if you can't make it out here for this great game. capitals and blackhawks. all day long on nbc 4. our coverage starts 11:00 a.m. with our pregame show. puck drops at 1:00 p.m. be sure to follow us afterwards. it's going to be a great, great day at nationals park. everyone looking forward to the 2015 winter classic. from national park jason pugh news 4 sports. we are getting some new information on the mother killed

by a toddler inside a walmart. plus the flu is reaching epidemic levels. coming up the area of virginia hit hardest. and tracking down the source where the ebola outbreak in

mmm ring ring! ring ring! progresso! wow soup people, i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's wedding. well it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress. uh-huh...that's what i'm afraid of. you don't love the dress? i love my sister. 40 flavors. 100 calories or less.

right now, we are staying on top of the latest in the search

for the missing asian airline. no fuselage found. no images of the plane seen under water. we have heard from the ceo confirmi tha seven bodies pulled so far from the waters e coast of indonesia, they've been taken to the hospital to begin the process of identifica using dna samples. ba weather has hurt the air search. are ships in the area including the "uss sampson" still searching the choppy waves after the plane carrying 162 went missing. police identified a won shot and killed by her 2-year-old son at a walmart store. seen here is veronica rutledge a nuclear scientist, just 29 years old. police say she was shopping with her son and four other children yesterday morning when the 2-year-old reached into her purse en fired. the store was evacuated.

the incident happened just north of spokane. good news for president a heading into the new year. plus 2015 has already arrived parts of the world. we're going to help get you ready to celebrate here. chilly today, chilly tomorrow for the winter classic as well. is this son going to be an issue for the players though? i'll let you know coming up in

webuyanycar.com has helped thousands of people let go of all the hassle that comes with selling or trading in. we make selling your car truck or suv fast, safe and fair with three simple steps: one -- get your free online valuation. two -- drive to your local car-buying center. three -- walk out with a check in as little as thirty minutes. buying cars is all we do. all makes and models and no dealership pressure we'll even settle your loan or lease. so, don't wait. get your free online valuation now at webuyanycar.com.

we've seen sites like th. images like that we've been seeing it all morning long as people are ridging in the new year. it what it looked like when the clock struck 12:00 in hong kong. you can see and hear the celebratio t now, a little more than 12 hours away from 2015. we want to get to nbc's sara dolof. police have begun blocking of the roads and people are coming down. still nothing compared to what it's going to be like tonight when an estimated 1 million people pack into times square to ring in the new year. another 1 billion expected to watch it on television. and a party this size doesn't happen without a lot of planning and a lot of preparation.

so far, we've seen new panels added to that iconic waterford crystal ball. we've seen confetti test drop just to make sure every last detail is perfect. later tonight, we'll see artists like taylor swift and florida georgia line to take the stage to entertain the crowd. and internati rescue committee will push the button that starts the descent. once it reached its base, hae naepy new year and more than a ton of confetti. the responsibility of one person dubbed the confetti master. security also a top concern. authorities say there's been no specific threats but the on high alert. security measures includn detectors that will mingle with the crowd. making sure everyone has a safe and fun start to 2015. angie, back to you. >> thank you, sara. there are lots of events for you and your family to enjoy that are happening today. in alexandria shots in

restaurant yo looking at last year's first night celebration. at falls church they'll have music and kids activities. in the district you can head to yards park. noon yards eve is going on right now. it's a big family friendly event. and then later, put on your dancing shoes. you can dance the night away down at national harbor in marylandl is having a party. a popular bar in foggy bottom won't have the new year's eve party it planned. the board deciding to suspend it after five people were stabbed inside that bar on saturday. if you did buy tickets for party, contact the bar. maryland governor elect larry hogan takes office just three weeks from today. according to "the washington he plans to cut spending in the new year. maryland is facing a budget deficit of more than $1 billion.

the post says even though cutting taxes was a huge part of hogans campaign he says he plans on reducing that deficit fia pop air show is returning to maryland. "the balti" reports the free show will happen next year on saturday september 19th. you can see the u.s. air force thunderbir vintage airplanes and hear the u.s. air force band play. th base had to stop the air shows because of budget cuts in the past. and speaking of budget cuts federal workers may notg very soon. the government accountable office has decided federal agencies cannot supply things like disposable cups plates and cutlery for employees. the agency says the bar is very high for allowing taxpayer dollars to be used for anything viewed as a personal expense so if you pack your lunch, don't forget the fork. preside ending the year on a high note. we're joined by carrie dann

political writer for nbc news to explain. thanks for joining us. >> good morning, happy new year. >> same to you. we understand the president's approval rating has been on the rise. we' seeing an uptick. i think one logical explanation is the president's approval rating with latinos has gone up since he announced that executive action on immigration in the nbc/"wall street" poll we saw a double digit hike from just three months prior. that may be what explains the small uptick going into the new year. how much does the economy play into this. we're watching gas prices fall. stocks are rising. jobs unemployment numbers are going down as well. >> i think that's a factor. also it is the holiday season. even the pollsters in this poll that suptick said it may just be a sense of holiday cheer. wel see in the new year when congress gets back and they and the white hou start fighting again if this is sustained. if this economy, if this boom s on the trajectory

talked to chuck todd over the weekend about this and he said in 2015 this could be a game changer. it could change washington and be seen in the 2016 race. do you agree? >> absolutely. i think that's something democrats watching closely. we've seen trackers things like wall street and gas price, those things are started to make a real difference. americans until recently really said they weren't feeling it. we're finally starting to see in polling americans are more optimistic. may think, hey this might be the year i get a raise or can spend some extra money. >> going into 2016 we do want to take a look back though. and obviously presi in the winner's column for now. but what about the losers the political losers of 2014 if you had to pick one? >> it seems like for democrats as an whole, just looking at the numbers, th big

defeat in the 2014 midterms. the biggest majority since 1929. and they lost a lot of governor's races they thought they would win. the other loser i would say for our virginia viewers might be governor mcdonnell. he began the year leaving office without any criminal charges now. trying to negotiate staying out of prison. that for the family. >> for more from carrie and the rest of the nbc news political team check out "first read" on nbcnews.> well if you haven't had the flu, chances are you know someone who has. coming up, the virus could get worse next week. plus changes to the way older drivers get their license in the state of virginia. and the most overused words of the year. the list is out. let's give you a clue. says i'm cray dettedco &"x0000htdeed

co&"x0000hdetedco &"x0000htdeed co&"x0000hdetedco &"x0000htde co&"x0000hdetco &"x0000hdetco& "x00h00detco &"x0000hdetco& "x00h00detco &"x0000hdetco& "x00h00detco &"x0000hdetco& "x00h00detco &"x0000hdetedco& "x00h00deedtco &"x0000hdetedco& "x00h00detedt&"x 00hdetedt00 "x00hdetedt00"x 00hdeted&00 "x00htdeed00& "xh00deted&00 "x00htedde& 00"x00ttdeed&00 "x00tteddeh& 00co00ttdeedh&00 co00ttedde& 00co00tteddeh co0000ttdeed&co 0000ttedde&h co0000ttdeed&co 0000 ring ring! progresso! i can't believe i'm eating bacon and rich creamy cheese before my sister's weddingwell it's only 100 calories, so you'll be ready for that dress uh-huh... you don't love the dress? i love my sister... 40 flavors. 100 calories or less. you say avocado old el paso says... zesty chicken

and avocado tacos in our stand 'n stuff tortillas . (record scratch) you say and n' stuff tortillas old el paso says... start somewhere fresh

a fifth grader from our area will be buried this weekend. joshua died from complications from the flu. the virus is especially dangerous died nationwide. ne 4's richard jordan tell us why doctors are especially concerned. >> the flu vaccine was less effective this year. doctors say it typically prevents just about 80% of cases

but that number was just over 50% this year. so hospitals in our area say they are seeing a spike in cases. as your kids head back to school next week those numbers could certainly rise. here's what you can do to stay healthy. ma sure you get a flu shot if you haven't. that is still the best method of prevention. you do get sick stay home an extra 24 hours. also make sure you wash your hands regularly. that will help to keep the germs from spreading. you also want to make sure if you are sick you're not touching your ears or your mouth. here are some of the symptoms. coughing fever and shortness of breath. to find out where people are experien the flu, webmd tracks the areas with t searches for those symptoms. here's what they found. they've determined the tricity area of bristol, virginia and part of tennessee topped its list. virginia and maryland are high on the list as well.

the district it's hard to tell. they're 36 states on the list but the cdc says they don't have enough informati about d.c. to collect that data to find out exactly what those flu numbers are. back to you. >> in response to the epidemic the hospitals in virginia are changing their policies. they have now barred anyone younger than the age of 16 years old from visiting and only two visitors permitted at a time. if you are planning to visit someone, most of the hospital hours go 11:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night. that's been changed now between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and then from 6:00 to 8:00 in the evening. new poll finds most of you suppt calorie counts on restaura menus. 55% of americans say they consider how many calories they will eat when deciding what to order. less than half approved knowing how many calories were in prepared foods at coughee shops.

the findings come as the food and drug administration prepared to enforce new rules requiring calorie counts on menus and prepared foods in certain areas. well there are some words that bother all of us and there's a new list with the biggest culprit. every year collecting lots of words people just don't care for. they published the 40th annual list of them. cray cray was among the losers. so was bae. an aprove yaten for boyfriend or girlfriend. heard this one, hack. also enhanced interrogation. the term the cia used for torture. and a term we're guilty of using, polar vortex. wasn't there a time where we just called it winter. we have new information to tell you about regarding the ravens security director accused of sexual offense. it involves the teams playoff

games, plus counting down to the new year and storm team 4 meteorol will help us with her hour by hour forecast. and tracking down the source of the deadly ebola outbreak in west africa.

right now, everyone has been rescued from their cars and trucks caught in a snowstorm in southern california. take a look at this mess out there. crews rescued more than 100

people overnight in the san bern mountains. one highway does remain closed. no serious crashes though have been reported surprisingly. well we're not expecting snow for the winter classic but cou actually be a problem. organizers say if the glare is too bright it could delay the game. one news 4 meteorologist got a firsthand look at what could happen when she stepped on the ice yesterday. can you tell from this video? perhaps she is sitting right next to me. you look great out there. >> it was so wonderful. all the capitals players that were there. former capitals players. just people in e media playing in the hockey game. were so fabulous so nice. >> ye ice in before it hit, right? >> we went out about 3:00. the glare, it wasn't an issue at all at that point. i heard from people there earlier that around 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. the glare could be an issue. it's n out of the question it could be delayed a little bit.

here are the weather headlines. it's going to stay chilly tomorrow as well. a little breeze. any wind really adds that ll 30s for those of you in washingt it in the suburbs, in the 20s. many layers for tonight. rain is the most likely latn saturday into the overnight hours. temperatur in the 20s and 30s. 32 in buoy and college park. 31 in weston. winds only about 10 miles an hour. it drops our 30s to a temperate feeling like it's actually in the 20s. so it feels about 28 in washington 21 in gathersburg and 26 right now in mon nas ses. 2:00 p.m. 38 degrees.

high of 39 between 2:00 and 3:00. 5:00 p.m. we're down around 36. 6:00 temperatu in the mid-30s. tonight it's going to be cold. our hour by hour forecast. 31 degrees by 11:00 p.m. when the clock strikes midnight temperature of 30 in washington and about 22 23 for those of you in the suburbs. 1:00 a.m. temperature around 30. cl skies overnight tonight. sunny tomorrow. a touch warmer tomorrow. a high of 42. still cold though throughout the day. a little bit breezy at times, especially the midday and early afternoon hours. we have the winter classic tomorrow with the puck drop at 1:00 p.m. temperatur for the game will be in the low 40s, upper 30s. with the winds, it's going to be feeling like temperatures are in the mid to upper 30s. some high thin clouds could help get the game started on time. saturday later in the day, rain likely moves into the area.

rain overnight saturday and then potentially some showers sticking arod on a warmer sunday. >> okay thanks. as the year companies to an end, we're taking a look back at the top four stories that affected our region. ne aaron gilchrist hasrevueiew. >> we begin with the virginia bombshell. september, a jury convicted former governor bob mcdonnell and his wife of federal corrupti charges. in exchange for giving political favors. mcdonnell is the first former governor to be convicted of a crime. the two will be sentenced separate next year. >> we are sad to report and announce the passing of the e marion s. berry. >> former d.c. mayor and council member berry died in november. the mayor for life was praised

for his work to inprove city social services. he also created the city's youth summer jobs program. but he equally was famous for his arrest and conviction on drug charges. thousands gathered to say good-bye. and during his public funeral service at the washington conventi berry was 78 years old. heartache and outrage at the universi of virginia in char student hannah graham disappeared in september. her body was found a month later at an abandoned property just a few miles away from where the main suspect once lived. police arrested and charged jesse matthew jr. with her abduction. uva also made national headlines article concerning a student who said she was raped by seven men at a frat house. the universit temporarily suspend all greek life on campus "rolling" issued an apology, saying its reporter did not talk to the men accused of

the crime. the number one story in our region is the ebola outbreak. we had scares that proved to be untrue at hospitals in the region. docts and nurses treated ebola patients at the national institut of health in bethesda. it could one day save lives around the world. that's the year in review. i'm aaron gilchrist, news 4. we actually just posted a specia of the top 25 stories on our website at might surprise you to see what made > the ebola outbreak. and now, scientists may have traced down the origin of that outbreak. german researchers say the outbreak began with a small boy playinlowed out tree. he was infected by bats infected with ebola living in that tree.

the 2-year-old got sick and died more than a year ago. it wasn't until the sprg signts able to make that connection. well you will not be able to use the streetcars in 2014. last-mine efforts to get them open have fallen short. there's still no official opening date. but leaders say the project is close to carrying passengers. once it does open sources say the ride could be free. at least until passengers can get used to the system. ddot has commot commented on the latest delays. we learned security director darren sanders will not travel with t team in the playoffs followg new sex offend charges against him. sanders facing fourth degree sex offend charges. still not clear why he was charged. according to court records, he was involved in an incident earlier this month. sanders will be in court this february> a massive clean-up effort

a wall collapd all because of salt. this happened in north chicago. storage facility there owned by morton salt company. no one was hurt. as the video shows, morton's neighb is buried under a mounta of snow. many cars from the neighboring dealersh could a total loss because of that salt. it may have damaged the suspensi. ma of the cars were that of customs actually waiting for service in the service mechanic departme. wow. well, it's tha ye time to make a resolution. we're going to hear from s on s celebrits on what they want to . ♪ ♪

♪ i ♪ ♪ know i can't deny... ♪ ♪ that i got a new feeling ♪ ♪ deep inside... ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly sweetened whole grains... you can't help but see e good.

you may have a hard time finding lottery scratchoff tickets in district. warning leaders about a ticket shorta that could mean a $50 million loss of lottery revenue. the contrac dispute is keeping new tickets from being printed it could take two months before the tickets are back in the stores. customers at kings cafe are not happy about this wait. >> they don't have any so i just been playing keno. >> yeah d.c. don't have 'em. >> come on over to virginia lots of winners. store owners are feeling the loss too. it is usually one of the top seller $1,000 in sales per

day. they received 5% per tickets sold. if you bought your mega millio lottery ticket in wood bridge virginia you could be a winner. e winning ticket was brought at the seven 11 in wood bridge. check your numbers now. we're at 3, 7, 44 63 67 and the ball number was 12. three more $1 million winners will be announced tomorrow. in virginia's new year's e raffle. if you are still working on your nresoluti imagine bei asked about it point blank on camera. let's see what they said. >> no more kids. how about that. >> you're done? >> i wonder if i can keep that. >> my resolution is to try and stay sane and not end up in rehab. what i do is i just make a decisi throughout the year to try to be kinder. to give more. to be healthier. and those are things you can

start at any time of the year. >> you can let us know your new year's resolution on twitter. just tweet us at nbc washingto @nbcwash. we are live where caps players e taking their first skate. a look at how the practice is going and more on what you can expect for tomorrow's big game. plus -- do you wash your hands every time you go to the bathroom? be honest. the untalked about habits that

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of people let go of all the hassle that comes with selling or trading in. we make selling your car truck or suv fast, safe and fair with three simple steps: one -- get your free online valuation. two -- drive to your local car-buying center. three -- walk out with a check in as little as thirty minutes. buying cars is all we do. all makes and models and no dealership pressure we'll even settle your loan or lease. so, don't wait. get your free online valuation now at webuyanycar.com.

right now, the capitals f tomorrow's winter classic.e tm is on the ice at nationals p right now. we want to check back in with news 4's jason pew. jason, we just caught a glimpse of the players on the ice. it doesn't look like sun's really a factor right now. could that all change tomorrow? >> yeah it could certainly change tomorrow angie, if the sun is a factor if there is a sun glare on the ice. this game coulde delayed or postpod just by a few minutes. owner did say he is expectin possibly a 30-minute to hour delay. th players on the ice right now. do want to take you down on to the rink. they started practicing about 15 minutes ago. after th practice session, they won't have a family skate with their close family and friends. after that at 2:30 the chicago

blackhaw. will come on the ice. the scene here at nationals park setting up beautifully. should be a great event tomorrow. you can't make it out to the have you covered all day long. our pregame show it starts at 11:00 a.m. we'll be here. we'll have you covered. the game starts at 1:00 p.m. let's hope there's no delay in the puck drop. nationals drop. again, tbe. capitals blackhawks. it's going to be a great game a great event. one of the biggest sporting events in the nation's capital. i'll send it back to you. >> definitely one of the hottest tickets town thank you. the capitals owner started trying to bring the game here during the first winter classic in 2008. he sat down one on one with news 4's jim vance and says it means a lot for the city. >> we worked really really hard to say that we were building america's hockey capital. and the two teams that are

pl high intt levels around the league. well it's really a big thank u to the fans. >> he also discussed the redskins name controversy. you can watch the whole thing on your nbc washington app or at nbcwashi also watch news 4 at 6:00 tonight for part two to find out what he thinks about d.c.'s olympics bid. corks will be a popping tonight as many welcome 2015. two-thirds of all champagne and sparklg wine is bought for special occasions. 40% of that is purchased in the last few months of the year. 22% purchased during just december. well last year 18.4 million cases of sparkling wine and champae were sold in the u.s. this morning, we know which movies you cannot wait to see next year. fan dango published the list. could you guess? star wars episode 7 was number

one. mo sequels on there. the despicable me spin-off minions. most of you, you won't be able to see them until nearly this time next year so you'll just have to wait. want to see that charlie brown movie as well. there's a new survey that may make you queasy. vubg bubbles asked people about their bathroom habits. more than 20% said they don't watch their hands after using the bathroom. 60% said they flushed with the toilet seat up which can spread germs because all those particles can sit in the air for hours. d 43% of the men admitted to going number one in the shower. on that note we're just about 11 minutes away from noon. coming up a look at who is getting a pay raise starting tomorrow. plus storm team 4 meteorologist amelia s is back with the first weekend of 2015. and guess what, it cou.

we are just hours away to e year and some state law changes. the 75% increase takes effect on the 1st of january. the minimum wage in maryland will increase every year until it reached $10.10 in 2018. and the minimum wage is also

rising for employees of federal contract is 1 of 21 states to raise e min wage. drivers over 75 will have to renew their license in person at the dmv. they will also have to renew their license every five years. they will not be able to do it online anymore. the new rules go into effect tomorrow. virginia joins 32 other states special provisions for older drivers. and in both maryland and virginia gas is going to get a little more expensive. new gas taxes are taking effect as of midnight. we told you in virginia you're 5 cents more per gallon starting tomorrow and in maryland a 3 cent increase is expected. we're following several develo stories tomor news 4. investigg why a cab driver was murdered. the man was found shot to death inside of his cab. this was on balsalm tree drive in capital heights. we'll have more on this inn coming up on news 4 at 4:00.

search teams are having a diffict time recovering more bodies of those killed in air asia flight 8501. teams stopped the air search because of bad weather. divers a still in the water looking for wreckage. crews ha found seven boepds so far, including one attendt in her uniform. 162 people were on board the plain when it crashed into the java sea. we've been watching how the world has been ringing in 2015. not 2016. i'm not that far ahead of myself. now, we're just 12 hours away from putting 2014 in the history books. for a list of new year's eve festivit just head on over to nbcwashington. we have made it easy for you. if you do plan on celebratg the new year have somebo else please take you home. th program is now offering free rides. it part of the sober ride program to discourage drunk

driving. u just have to call 1800200 taxi and the cab will pay for you ride up to $30. the free rides will last until 6:00 in the morning. if you do need to remember the informn -- or if you don't rememb it will be on our nbc washingt app along with info from metro and uber. we also posted it on nbc washington fac book page. so you can share it with your frebs as well. we want everyone to be safe. the bets are on for snow on the las ves strip this new year. and while the storm approaching las ves may be less of a threat than initially expected an inch or two of snow could be a possibility. as this video is showing us right now, revelers are already bundli up. this is a region that's really known for being balmy. being in the desert. despite the cold air, 2014 has seen the warmest year ever globally. nbc's anne thompson reports. >> for many americans, 2014 will be remembered as the year of

digging out. >> i'm done with winter. official. beginning and ending under a pile of white. >> i'm ready to move. >> but for the planet as a whole, 2014 is set to be the warmest year on record. continui a century long trend from cooler than average temper in 1913 to a predom of above average temperat in 2013. this year's record fueled by the warming oceans with seven consece months of new high tempe yearly changes may play a role noaa says the final suspect is climb change. >> that atmospheric temperature increase penetrates into the ocean as well. >> on land australia sweltered through its hottest spring on record with temperatus topping 100 degrees. researchs s this was europe's hottest year in 500 years. even siberia felt the heat. the coldest town in the world averag a record 9 1/2 degrees

in february. usually, it's 51 below. all in stark contrast to much of the u.s. >> this year the west was very warm. central and eastern parts were average to below average. in fact, january coldest in the lower 48 since 1997. despite recor warmth in arizona and california. making it a small cold spot in a record warm year. anne thompson nbc news new york. >> interesting. that weather definitely has made it very interesting for your profession. time now for a final check of our weather here. so people who plan on going out there to party, they just have to be prepared. i'm not going to talk about the long-term forecast because we have that online. you can check out what we're thinki for this winter. nbcwashi y by day, today, a high of 39. plenty of sunshine. tonight, aroun 30 at midnight. 20s in the suburbs. bitterly cold start tomorrow morning.a lit breezy at times

tomorrow. suy skies. that sun glare could delay the winter classic i think tomorrow. thank you so much happy new year to you. >> happy new year. that is the news. thanks so much for joining us. remember to get all your breaki news and weather on our newly updated nbc washington app. you can download it today. we hope to see you again tomorrow. we do want to wish you a very happy new.

[knock at door] >> chad: yeah? hey. what a surprise. i was just thinking about you. how was work today? >> jordan: interesting. i ran into an old friend of yours, melanie jonas. >> chad: since it seems you came straight from work to my doorstep, i guess my name came up. >> jordan: it did. >> chad: mm-hmm. and you said that shwas an old friend. is that the term that she used? >> jordan: not exactly. >> chad: i didn't think so. well, i'd like you to hear my side of things. i'm guessing she said something along the lines of i lied to her and almost ruined her life. >> jordan: and your side? >> chad: she's right. it's all completely true. >> maggie: i want you to own