happens again. investigators still have a lot of questions. the atf plans to conduct testing on additional christmas trees just like the one that burned to see what more they can learn about the fire, how it started and why the house burned so quickly. >> continue to do some test burns and actually try ond replicate what happened at the scene. >> reporter: we now know an electrical problem with a power outlet caused a fire that destroyed what was once a beautiful waterfront home in annapolis. it ignited a 15-foot-tall christmas tree in the great room of the home, burning so quickly two grandparents and their four young grandchildren didn't have time to get out. >> the investigation team has concluded that an electrical failure ignited the combustible material in the area which quickly spread to the christmas tree and the furnishings. >> reporter: the tree was apparently in the home for 65 days. it was extremely dry. we're told itted a fire that burned so quickly it was like an inferno. smoke alarms were in the home and worked, but the mansion did

not have a sprinkler system. asked if the sprinkler would have made a difference, a county fire marshal said without a doubt. officials tell news4 that done pyle was found in the great room, his wife sandy and the grandkids on the second floor in the bedrooms. >> can you say whether there was any evidence that mr. pyle tried to put the fire out? and if there was any evidence to show that some of the victims tried to get out? >> i think that would be circumstantial at this point. if in respect of the family, we won't go into details. >> reporter: there were a number of questions that went unanswered today because they said they wanted to be sensitive to the family. that includes exactly where some of these bodies were found. now, the atf plans to conduct this testing again to re-create what happened using christmas trees at their facility in beltsville in prince george's county in the next few weeks. in anne arundel county, darcy

spencer. just last month, the university of maryland demonstrated just how quickly a dry christmas tree can ignite. this tree had not been watered in a week and in less than 20 seconds it became fully engulfed by flames. we sped the video up to show that in under two minutes all that's left of that 5-foot tree is the charred chalk. each year there are about 200 fires throughout the country in which a christmas tree provides the fuel. those fires are said to be three to four times more deadly than other house fires. tonight there's new information on a story we brought you first on news4 at 11:00 last night. the maryland aviation administration now says it would support efforts by montgomery county to reduce flights at the airport in gaithersburg. news4 was first to report to reduce the number of training flights at the airport and to close the airport at 11:00 at night. it's now open 24 hours a day. neighbors have been pressuring the county to review airport

operations after a plane crashed into a house near the airport in december. six people were killed that day. that plane was not on a training flight. right now there's an awfully messy scene in dupont circle because of a water main break there. "r" street northwest is closed at connecticut avenue. temperatures are so cold that water is turning to ice creating problems for repair crews. we're told that they have to fix a broken underground valve before they can repair the water pipe. all of that is expected to take several hours. >> it's only going to get colder out there tonight. storm team 4 chief meteorologist doug kammerer is tracking another drop in our temperatures and our next chance for snow. doug? i'm just looking at that sunset. that's nice and pretty on a very cold day. windchills today only in the upper teens, lower 20s in some areas. take a look at the high temperatures our average is 44 for this time of year. we were at 38 today 34 in leesburg. that's some cold air. you combine that with the wind and it feels even colder.

look at the current windchills down to 19 in gaithersburg 24 manassas, 20 winchester. we will see the winds relax a little bit, but as they relax, the temperatures are able to fall and able to fall quickly. i think we get down close to the freezing mark in the d.c. metro area. you mentioned that water main break. we could see some slick roads coming up around 9:00 and 11:00. much more on this and plus two chances for snow including super bowl sunday, in a minute. new information coming in tonight about a deadly attack that killed an american in libya. chris lawrence at our live desk with more. >> jim, militants with isis have claimed responsibility for tuesday's attack. they say it was revenge for the recent death of an al qaeda operative. and today they released photos of the two suicide bombers that they claim took part in that assault. ten people died in that attack, and among them david barry, an american who worked for team crucible, a fredericksburg

security team. he is a 12-year combat veteran. the state department is investigating his death. the militia-backed government in tripoli believes the real target was prime minister omar al haascy who stays at the luxury hotel. he was not there telt of the attack. the u.s. released a joint statement with several other nations today calling the killings an act of terrorism. at the live desk, chris lawrence. more tension in the middle east tonight. israel has begun firing shells across the lebanese border after a missile struck one of its convoys. two israeli soldiers were killed. the terror group hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack. a u.n. peacekeeper was killed when israel fired back in retail yaigs. loretta lynch is the woman who's been named to take eric holder's place at the justice department. holder want r once described himself as president obama's wingman. at her confirmation hearing today lynch made it clear she's no eric holder.

news4's steve handelsman is live with more on this. >> reporter: lynch would be a trailblazer the first african-american woman to be u.s. attorney general. at her hearing today, her ability to do that job was never in doubt. she stands around 5 feet tall, but 55-year-old loretta lynch is seen by many as a legal giant. >> ultimately i know we all share the same goal. >> reporter: as the top federal prosecutor in brooklyn, she went after corrupt politicians cops who abused citizens and won billions from wrongdoing banks. >> i'm impressed with your qualifications. >> she's tough, hard working, independent. >> reporter: republicans hope sew. they charge attorney general eric holder does the bidding of president obama. >> you're not eric holder, are you? >> no, i'm not, sir. if confirmed as attorney general, i will be myself. i will be loretta lynch. >> reporter: but on immigration and the obama executive order

that's enraging republicans -- >> this massive what i would consider in essence refusal to enforce existing law. >> reporter: -- lynch took the obama side. no deportation for millions and instead employment permits. >> i believe that the right and the obligation to work is one that's shared by everyone in this country, regardless of how they came here and certainly if someone is here regardless of status, i would prefer that they be participating in the workplace. >> reporter: but lynch promised in her work to foster new and improved relations with congress. and at this point loretta lynch looks like a sure bet to win senate confirmation as attorney general. steve handelsman news4. another top cabinet position could be filled next week after the confirmation hearing for ashton carter as secretary of defense. just a few minutes ago in arlington there was a farewell ceremony for the departing secretary chuck hagel. president obama thanked hagel for his service, calling him a friend and a true american

patriot. hagel praised the president's leadership. new at 6:00, one of the highest ranking hispanics in local government will not run for reelection. walter tejada is the vice chairman of the arlington county board a democrat. he has been serving on the board since a special election in 2003. he has served as board chairman. tejada says he will finish out his term which ends in december. eight people have been approved to carry concealed firearms in public in the district. that's according to "the washington post." so far, 66 people have applied for the permits since the city started accepting applications in october. of that group, 34 are d.c. residents and 32 are non-residents. most of the applications are still pending. police say they have denied applicants. there is some encouraging news tonight for the futures of thousands of young men and women in our area. prince george's county school officials are reporting the highest ever graduation rate for

students. more than 76% earned diplomas last year, more than 2% increase over the previous year. and the dropout rate fell by nearly two points. prince george's county bureau chief tracee wilkins reports on what's driving the success. >> reporter: looking back renee smith knows how she lost her way in school. her grade point average dropped after a disconnect with her teachers. >> i felt like the teachers didn't care. >> reporter: now a senior with a 3.5 average she's planning for college. >> i feel like i could do better better. >> reporter: monet is one of many students benefitting from improved faculty training and stronger student accountability resulting in an 8% increase in graduates, the highest of any school in the county. >> if you have adults around you who are engaged with you awho actually care about your education want to see you succeed and push you, i feel as though once you have those

people pushing you, you'll begin to push yourself as well. >> one of the proudest days in my career. >> reporter: ceo kevin maxwell is celebrating an increase in the graduation rates countywide. now at 76.5%, it is the highest on record for prince george's. he credits a change in school culture. >> you have to get people to buy into we're going to put in a system here, we're going to get results. when you start seeing results it's just like -- it's wonderful. >> reporter: school counselor doreen hogan says providing more opportunity to get assistance during the regular school year has made a difference. >> night school was almost $500. summer school almost $500. a lot of our students just cannot afford that. that's what would break down and cause our graduation rates to be so low. >> reporter: taking a deeper look, hispanic and latino groups experienced the highest increase with 4% african-americans more than 2%. in capital heights tracee wilkins news4. battered and covered in ice,

hundreds of homes on the east coast will need a long time to thaw out from this week's blizzard. now things are getting slowly back to normal in the northeast. new tonight, the next battle over electronic cigarettes. we'll report on the fight for new restrictions. >> reporter: you can see the damage left behind after a hit-and-run in arlington. i'm david culver. coming up, what one of the victims did that help narrator: gas

prices are down helping middle class families. but now, the white house wants to impose title ii regulations on your internet meaning new government taxes and fees. every month: you'd pay more. 11 billion dollars a year in new taxes and fees. internet freedoms can be protected with the white house and congress working together, but imposing new tax increases through public utility style regulations will hurt middle class families let's protect the internet we love without regressive taxes and fees. no to title ii.

>> announcer: you're watching news4 at 6. electronic cigarettes emit cancer causing chemicals according to a new study. the report also says e-cigarettes get users hooked on nicotine and should be strictly regulated like tobacco products are. this comes as montgomery county considers a bill that would ban e-cigarettes in places where traditional cigarette use is banned. it would also prohibit the use of e-cigarettes by minors and require child-resistant packaging. e-cigarette makers say their products are far safer than tobacco. the u.s. supreme court is postponing three scheduled executions in oklahoma. the justices are reviewing a challenge over the use of a controversial saidedativesedative. the temporary stay was requested by the state's attorney general and the lawyers for the three inmates. the court's order did not say whether oklahoma can carry out

an execution that does not involvedrug. the oklahoma department of corrections says the state has not yet found an alternative. right now thousands of people are waiting for their heat and power to come back on after the big blizzard in new england. others don't have a home to return to along the massachusetts coast. a devastating high tide sent waves crashing over several snow-covered houses which are now condemned. nbc's chris pallone shows us the impact the storm is still having across the country. >> reporter: the blizzard of 2015 is officially one for the record books. >> this was the sixth biggest storm in the city of boston's history and it was the largest storm on record in the city of boston in the month of january. >> reporter: from connecticut to maine, heavy snow and high winds blasted the region closing schools and businesses and shutting down roads. canceling thousands of flights. now the cleanup and catch-up is under way. here in new england's second largest city, worcester, massachusetts, they're digging out from 34.5 inch fz snow,

their biggest snowfall ever. >> i'm on a mission. i want to get it done. >> reporter: like many new englanders he's racing to get it cleaned up before the next snow flies possibly later this week. the south shore of massachusetts and nantucket island took a beating from winds near hurricane speed and high waves which rocked the seawalls. state officials are assessing the extent of the damage. and at the northeast major airports, stranded air travelers are finally seeing signs of hope as airlines slowly get back in the air. >> once it stopped, it's not like a light switchment you can't just turn it back on. it has to go through a measured process. >> reporter: nearly 8,000 flights were canceled because of the blizzard. >> i'm a little frustrated. i want to get home bad. >> reporter: since the boston marathon bombing, the marathon finish line in downtown boston has been one of the community's symbols of strength and resilience. after several pictures were posted, chris la danny was discovered to be the man clearing off the finish line at the height of the blizzard, a sure sign to everything that thing here will be back to

normal soon. chris pallone, nbc news, worcester massachusetts. >> they really got hammered. meanwhile, pretty minimal here and in new york, philadelphia. >> yeah. i tell you what philadelphia saw 1.2 inches of snow. >> less than us. >> much less than us. about half what we saw in our area. our location picking up anywhere between 1 and 3, some locations 4 inches yesterday. now we have a little tomorrow and maybe a little bit more on sunday. super bowl sunday, that's right a little storm moving in. high temperature today in the upper 30s, right now at 35 degrees. look at that windchill 26 right now, winds gusting between 20 and 25 miles per hour all day. already below the freezing mark in winchester around gauge urzburg and baltimore, down toward honeytown clurntly 32. it's going to be told tonight. once again we'll see the wind relax and when it does, we're not talking about cloud cover so no rain. those temperatures will fall fairly quickly. satellite and radar showing clear skies up and down i-95, richmond toward philadelphia.

back towards the west you can see that storm system making its way in here. toward minneapolis and chicago that's the next storm we'll be watching and the blizzard is continuing to move out. what are we going to see tomorrow? well, take a look at future weather. right around 8:00 a.m. notice the clouds coming on in here but just clouds. the a.m. rush should not have a problem at all as far as weather is concerned. the p.m. rush could be a little different. here's 3:00 p.m., dry here but some rain back towards the west may be mixed with snow toward martinsburg hagerstown. by 5:30, this is already through the region so it would only be during the first part of the evening rush. we're really not expecting much. this moves so quickly. maybe a quick shower. maybe a quick snow shower to the north. that's really going to be about it. this one is really not a concern during the day tomorrow. but it's something we'll watch. any kanschance of delays would be to the north and west of d.c. along 270 and i-70 as the rain and snow is actually falling. but we do not anticipate any problems on the roadways.

temperatures would just be too warm. so low impact roads should be fine, very fast event. 4:00 to 8:00 and really could even be between 4:00 and 6:00. that's how fast this thing is moving. low temperatures tonight going to be cold, 15 in gauge urzburg, 14 in manassas, 18 in culpeper, windchills into the single digits waking up early tomorrow morning. a very cold start to thursday. a high temperature of 39 with that chance of rain and snow on thursday. 36 degrees on friday. friday and saturday windy. friday 35 to 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts. that's going to put windchills in the low 20s all day, same for saturday, high of 32. as we move into sunday there's the chance for snow. then it stays cold. we're in a very cold paernlt. looks cold monday tuesday wednesday. maybe another chance of rain or know next wednesday. coming up at 6:45, i'll talk a little bit more about the chance for snow during the super bowl. >> thanks, doug. new at 6:00, it would be a radical change to the commute.

tonight a first glimpse at what changes to i-66 could look like. a former high school football standout from here in d.c. will be doing his thing at the super bowl. jim handly will tell us his story. he's also got the story of all the fan events out at the stadium.

take a live look right now at glendale arizona, where the

party is about to get started for the fans. they're planning concerts and fireworks there tonight. earlier today homeland security secretary jay johnson made his way out to arizona. >> he met with local law enforcement officials about their security plans for jim handly is also there with some of the other preparations for sunday. jim? >> reporter: hey guys. we are just a couple of hours away from concerts, fireworks and, yes, clydesdales. the party is about to begin. just 20 minutes away in glendale that other event that's coming up on sunday, four days out now and from the air we go there to take a look at the prep on that field. it is starting to shape up folks. they are getting the field in place by moving an 18.9 million-pound field tray 3 feet deep. the grass was shipped in from alabama. it's all painted up and good to go now. university of phoenix stadium holding more than 63,000 fans. you should know this was the country's first stadium with a retractible roof.

now, a d.c. family will be on hand inside that stadium to cheer on one of their own a patriot who's making them proud. he's a star on the biggest football stage in the world this week but before he put on a patriots jersey, tayvon wilson was cutting his teeth back in the dmv. >> this is number 14 boys and girls club. >> reporter: four years later, he's make magic here on the field at h.d. woodson i ran with him. >> reporter: his grandmother was always there hugging the sidelines for everyone to hear. >> grandma, why you making all that noise? >> reporter: he could hear you in the stands. >> grandma, why you making all that noise in the stands? i be fussing. >> she's definitely loud. she'll probably be one of the loudest in the stadium sunday. >> reporter: tayvon's grandmother raised him. his father was shot to death when he was a baby. when he was 12 his mother drowned. football became his everything. he started asking for equipment

when he was just 4. >> my grandson could have been on the streets. but he had me and my husband his other grandparentsuncles, you know, that stayed behind him, aunts. we stayed on him. >> reporter: his coach filled the role of father figure. >> very appreciative of him. he taught me a lot. not just about football but about being a man. >> reporter: his high school coach watches every patriots game now, and they text after each one. >> i appreciate everything you taught me, coach as a football player and as a man. wow. >> yeah. it really touched me. brought tears to my eyes. >> reporter: in the off-season, tayvon comes back to d.c. to give back. >> i always try to make those people that support me the most, make them proud and do everything i can to be a role model for the younger kids where i'm from. those type of things does mean a lot to me.

>> reporter: and tayvon's grandmother will be making some noise here. she flies in on friday to cheer her boy on. we should let you know in just a couple of hours, jordin sparks will kick things off tonight. also wounded warriors take to the field. we'll have their story at 11:00. back to you in, what is it, windchill wednesday back in d.c. from balmy phoenix? >> we wish so hard that his grandmother could be on the sidelines running up and down with him. >> he needs her! >> that settles it for me. i'm a patriot fan. just based on tayvon wilson and his grandmother. i'm going for the patriots now. jim will be anchoring our coverage with live reports from phoenix all week. you can like his facebook page to keep up with his behind-the-scenes journey. the victim in a hit-and-run crash helped catch the driver. we'll tell you what he did before he got hit that led to an arrest. new reaction from west virginia university.

a report now telling us more about a teenager's death in a fraternity house. >> reporter: i'm tom sherwood along southern avenue the boundary between the district of columbia and prince george's county. someone called thomas jefferson was

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new tonight a woman who knows the terror of having a gun pointed at her face. she's talking to us about the thieves targeting some very specific places at local pharmacies. >> virginia's governor says he's back in the saddle after a rib injury sent him to the hospital. hear what he said today about safe safety on metro. and only news4 cameras were there today when an historic d.c. monument was pulled out of the ground. first to some scary robberies targeting prescription pills. >> the gunmen knew and know just what it is they're looking for and where to get them. and they're not letting anyone or anything get in their way. pat collins is near one of the pharmacies that was hit on capitol hill today. pat? >> reporter: jim, they're looking for oxycodone. they're looking for percocet. they're looking for cash, money. and today i talked to a clerk who was inside one of those drugstores when they were robbed

by those guys. in fact, before they left the store, they maced her. >> terrified. beyond scared. i literally, when he raised his hand to shoot us with the mace, i just closed my eyes and saw my son. i thought it was over. >> reporter: she's a pharmacy clerk. she was maced and had a gun shoved in her face during a robbery at the morton's drugstore. for obvious reasons we're concealing her identity. >> they grabbed the pharmacist off the floor, put the gun up to him, where the safe? where the safe? we don't have a safe. the young man who had a gun on me was like, put it in the bag. i was like, take whatever you want. whatever just take it. take it. just take it. >> reporter: three masked men targeting mom and pop drugstores. it's happened three times this month. at the flexcare pharmacy in ft. davis, at the grubbs in anacostia, and morton's on

capitol hill. and as those robbers left the morton's drugstore they maced everyone. >> it was just, you know terrifying. terrifying. i was able to you know, get to the cooler, put some water in my eyes, then i grabbed my phone, immediately dialed 911 put the phone on speaker and locked the front door. i was scared they may come back. >> reporter: now these robbers go to great lengths to disguise their identities ski masks, hoods, gloves. but take a close look at the shoes one of them is wearing. it's green. it's black. it's white. it could be a telltale clue. now, if you know these guys if you know anything about this case, police want to hear from you. live on capitol hill, i'm pat collins, news4. virginia governor terry mccullough says he's doing better. on wtop's ask the governor program, he said he not only

broke ribs but three of them punctured his lungs. he was asked about metro safety in the wake of the underground smoke that killed an alexandria woman and whether virginia would put up more money if necessary. >> i'm willing and i speak to the commonwealth to invest or money to have the most safe system we can have the most efficient. and if it takes more money for me when it comes to safety, cost is not an issue. >> governor mccallullough says he has more about commuting. >> we are learning more about what should have happened during the response at l'enfant plaza. our transportation reporter adam tuss obtained a copy of the metro trail transit fire and rescue emergency procedure policy. it states that firefighters do not have to wait to cut power to the third line or third rail that is or to notify metro that they're doing so. the policy says train operators

should always try to move the train back from the tunnel to the platform if possible. she's accused of crushing two people with her suv and taking off. but tonight this fairfax county woman is in jail thanks in part to what the victim did moments before getting hit by the vehicle. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver is live in arlington to explain. david? >> reporter: doreen, behind this fence here is the parking lot where that hit-and-run started. it's situated between a burger king and a barbershop on the other. when it happened last night there were several witnesses out here. some of those witnesses, they had their cell phones out and were recording it all happening. walk through mk auto's car lot and you can see the remnants of the crime scene yellow tape. >> what she did was pure stupidity. she needs to go away for a very long time. >> reporter: police say this is the woman responsibility alexandra mendez. but she's accused of hitting

more than just vehicles. >> she just gunned it and literally drove over noor. and dragged him a little bit. >> reporter: katherine lynnster said she almost killed her friend noormustafa shaikh. >> that's her. >> reporter: first she hit the parked sedan. then it sits still. an employee comes out to tell the driver to stay parked. but watch. the lights go on and the suv backs into two other parked cars clips the nissan and heads to the exit. as mendez drove toward the gate a neighboring business owner ahmed ha reef tried to cut her off. then he shouted to witnesses to pull out their phones and start recording. >> they actually have the video of her running over him, reversing and doing it again. >> reporter: ahmed's leg was crushed. noor was unconscious. mendez didn't get far. police used the video to track

her down at her fairfax home. that suspect is still behind bars tonight facing a list of charges including aggravated malicious wounding and driving on a suspended license. as for the victim noor in this case, i just checked with his friends. they've touched base with his wife at the hospital. she said he opened his eyes but is still not breath willinging on his own. prosecutors are still deciding whether charges will be filed in the death of a west virginia university freshman who died with a blood alcohol level of 0.49. police say nolan birch was given a bottle of liquor as a part of an initiation ritual in november. the university released a statement saying greek life is still suspended and it's committed to changing the culture on campus. coming up tonight, friends and neighbors supporting the families in maryland affected by a sinkhole that swallowed their car. we'll tell you what it looks

like on that street now. >> reporter: trying to fix one of our most congested corridors i-66. how do you do it? i'm adam tuss. i'll tell you about some possible solutions coming up. good. they've got to do something. take a look at the numbers tomorrow morning if you're thinking about getting outside. 24 at 7:00 a.m., bundle up. during the afternoon, you may need the umbrella, a little rain and snow moving in. i'll show you when. when you've got something to share, you need upload speed.

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this is a scene some neighbors in our area are unfortunately familiar with, a water main burst in the suburb of -- that created a sinkhole that swallowed up this car overnight. no injuries, and repairs are still under way. there is an effort online to help families who had to leave their homes because of a massive sinkhole and a water main break. friends have set up a go fund me page for one of the homeowners in bladensburg, maryland, whose

house flooded during the break. the 12-inch break in the main created a massive sinkhole that swallowed a car and the people inside that car. a family, husband and wife and two kids. they were able to get out. the street is back open now. wssc is paying for repairs and is putting the families who were affected up in hotels. some people might think they're just stones stacked around the nation's capital but tom sherwood reports the daughters of the american revolution are wrapping up a history project to save boundary stones blase placed on the borders of thomas jefferson and george washington. >> we're very excited. in 1791 and 1792 -- >> reporter: sharon from the daughters of the american revolution is in her element unearthing core history parts of the nation's capital. >> yay! >> reporter: rescued from the mud and muck in southwest today,

a replacement boundary stone set 52 years ago, 1962 when properly buried by adjacent construction. the original 1791 stone approved by thomas jefferson lost to history. >> people don't understand the history of the stones, and it's just a big block of stone that's on the side of the road. >> reporter: this one will be cleaned and replaced yet again. 36 of the original 40 markers one every mile are accounted for. you can go online to nbcwashington.com to link to the boundary stone project. nearby on southern avenue is this original 1791 stone another near the southern avenue metro stop. all are often unde have you walked by here? >> quite a few times a day. >> reporter: and you never knew about it. >> never knew. >> reporter: the dar hopes to complete the project this spring. maurice the planner working on

the project, is a native washingtonian. he appreciates the history, too. >> there's a monumental city. there is the residential city. there are generations of folks that live here. these are important. these are important monuments. >> reporter: tom sherwood, news4. coming up at 6:00, we've heard a lot of talk about changes to one of the busiest roads in our area. the question is, what would that interstate 66 revamped look like? adam tuss will tell us. and a surprise for one local teacher in front of all students.

right now at this moment, drivers who are not enduring that brutal commute on i-66 may be at the first of several public meetings to address the congestion in northern virginia. our transportation reporter adam tuss now explains the issues and the potential solutions to getting people home quicker. >> reporter: when the traffic crawls on 66 it really crawls. >> it's horrible. it's absolutely horrible. >> reporter: so what to do about it. well vdot is putting together a number of options, including yes, the possibility of express toll lanes both inside and outside the beltway. it's possible those toll lanes would connect and stretch from the d.c. line all the way to route 15 in haymarket and listen to this. the talk about 66 here inside the beltway to get around traffic like this is making it hov 3 during rush hour.

if you don't have three people in the car, you could pay a toll to get around this traffic out here. paying to get around traffic. kind of the way we're going right? pay to get around traffic? >> you're seeing it a lot. >> reporter: shawnee says she spends hours on the road and something has to be done. you would pay? >> i would pay good money to get home earlier. >> reporter: aside from just toll lanes, vdot exploring more fast moving bus lines to carry commuters. take a look at this. work is under way to make 66 a so-called smart road with lots of overhead signs that give you all sorts of information about what's ahead. along 66, adam tuss news4. today there was long-denied justice for the civil rights protesters known as the friendship 9. back in 1961 they were arrested for sitting at a whites only lunch counter in south carolina. the men famously opted for hard labor instead of bail being

posted. their jail no bail strategy was adopted by many demonstrators later in the south. today a judge tossed those convictions in a rock hill courtroom with most of the group there in person. that judge is the nephew of the judge who sent those 1961. >> quite a reward today for a maryland school teacher who has battled to inspire her students. maggie hawk was given the mill ken educator award today in a surprise ceremony. she's been teaching at yellow spring elementary school in frederick county for 12 years. it's the same school she attended and where she found her inspiration for teaching despite a struggle with dyslexia. >> this is the reason i wanted to go into teaching. i loved all my teachers. they gave me that passion that drive. i wanted to instill that in my students. >> the award comes with a $25,000 prize. hawk says it will go toward her son's college fund. inspiring teachers make a huge

difference. >> without a shadow of a doubt. the most underpaid people on earth. >> indeed. so more snow may be on the way? >> we'll have a little bit tomorrow. super bowl sunday is an interesting storm. we'll talk a little bit more about that. first off let's talk about what we're dealing with tonight. that's just the cold. temperatures have been cold all day. your current number 35 right now, dropping to about 34 next hour, 32 degrees by 9:00. then dropping fairly quickly after that down to about 29 at 11:00. the wind will continue to come, and as it does it will help temperatures to fall quickly, 27 in gauge urzburg 31 in honeytown. our friends in warrentown already at 26 degrees dulles at 31. yeah, we're already below freezing in most locations. no rain, no snow. it's clear. that also will help the temperatures to drop. tomorrow it will not be clear. we'll see the clouds move in by 3:00 in the afternoon, we see the rain and snow move in. notice where it is along the blue ridge around 3:00. snow up toward the north.

watch what happens around 4:30. that's when it comes around the i-95 corridor. so right as we start the afternoon rush i think is when we'll see the rain and the snow. notice where it is rain from d.c. down to the south. a mix and snow to the north. so maybe along 270, maybe 70. a few areas of problems. but i think the roads will be just fine. this is such a quick mover i'm not anticipating any accumulation at all. that rush hour i think, okay let's look at it. driving impact roads dry at 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. 24 degrees just cold. 5:00 to 7:00, wet but okay temperatures above freezing. i think that will help as far as the afternoon commute is concerned. give yourself a little bit of extra time. take the

entire communities cut off. also, these air late. since when does a single tweet qualify enough to bring down a commercial airliner and force it to land? as you know it's been happening more and more lately. and the richest company in the world, enough money we learned officially to give each american over $500 each, though they have no plans to do so. that and more when we see you coming up at 7:00. here's carol now with what's coming up in sports. >> you guys know about the caps' woes. nothing can cure a losing streak like a win against a rival. caps will tell us how they'll beat the pens tonight. the injuries piling up on the wizards. john wall the latest on his chances of playing in tonight's game.

technology has improved our lives, in small ways. in big ways. but what about this? couldn't this be better too? at redfin we asked ourselves the same question. which led us to create new ways to take you inside a home or instantly schedule a tour. but we paired that with our own agents but on your happiness. and that's what makes it all work the world has changed and now real estate has too.

>> announcer: this is the xfinity sports desk, brought to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. 4four in a row losing and the penguins coming up? that's not a great scenario. >> a tough matchup. they're scoring goals. they just need defense. it is the second half of the season. officially it's time to bring out the big if. if the playoffs were to start

today, the caps would be fine. they'd be in. but it's that other if that makes you worry. what if they can't stop this losing streak? tonight the caps try to rebound after losing their fourth straight last night and now trying to end the skid against those rival penguins. they're so pesky. the caps defense just giving up way too many goals. braden holtby has been in net for 3 of the last 4, allowing almost four goals a game. he's back in net trying to shake it off. this morning we were at the caps' xaisskate-around. >> we all need to be better. we need to be better. you know, i woke up this morning frustrated. didn't sleep well last night after the loss. wake up this morning and say, we have the pittsburghs burgtsburgh penguins tonight, team we're chasing, team we don't like. best day of my life so far. here we go we have a hockey game to play and win. >> sidney crosby is actually going to play tonight as well. to the hardwood, john wall and the wizards are back at it

against the phoenix suns. while questionable tonight a team source has told us he will play. should he? wall orchestrated the comeback against the lakers erzrs last night but a severe migraine, a sore achilles and other ankle troubles left him limping off the floor. we don't like to see that. >> no. >> he fought through a lot of different things. he's beat up a little bit, under the weather a little bit. but john loves playing. that's why i love that kid. it takes a lot for him to miss a game. >> tip tonight at 10:30 p.m. how dare marshawn lynch make a mockery of media day? by wearing that beast mode hat. that's what he's in trouble for. we hear a fine could be, quote significant for the hat. >> what? come on! >> lynch's only line today "you

know why i'm here." meantime, tom brady talked forever. the pats qb spoke for 45 minutes. it's not deflategate that has people concerned. he has a cold. >> i've had it four or five days. my kids are sick. my wife is sick, too. i brought it unfortunately to phoenix. but i'll be fine. i'll be good. i'll be at 100%. i'm not worried at all. >> how does giselle look sick? >> giselle, we haven't seen her. does she have bags under her eyes? she looks terrible. redskins has named matt cavanaugh as their quarterback coach. he most recently served in that position with the bears, also the offensive coordinator with the ravens from '99 to 2004. the redskins didn't have a qb coach last year. former redskins chris samuels now coach samuels, six-time pro bowler has been named head coach

at osborne high school in manassas manassas. a standout offensive tackle for ten seasons. the washington nationals have signed reliever casey jansen to a one-year contract. what do we know about jansen? the right-hander spent the last three seasons as toronto's closer, he was efficient, converting 81 of 91 save opportunities. the nats will be his first new team. jansen played the first eight seasons of his career with toronto. now they just need to get some bats. some offensive firepower. >> that would help. can you imagine you're a high school kid and samuels is your coach? oh my gosh. >> i think i'd do what he told me to. >> yes, sir, coach. how quickly? " "nightly news" is coming up next. >> we'll see you for

on our broadcast here

tonight, deep impact. flooded and then frozen under six feet of water. entire communities cut off. we'll take you there tonight as another storm spools up across the country. also, a mystery's been solved. who was that lone man shoveling the finish line in boston? the measles alert growing with new scares in public places. a children's hospital warning hundreds may have been exposed. and the young mother who says she's changed her mind about not vaccinating her children. air scares on at least 20 flights since saturday. the commercial airliners that have been forced to land because of anonymous messages on social media. and righting history. the incredible moment today, a long overdue apology to the men who stood