we sped up the video here to shoel you what happens when a dried tree catches fire. this tree had gone a week without water and took just 20 seconds to ignite and then go up in flames. today hundreds of taxi drivers are leaving northern virginia to company to richquoe go to richmond to advocate for it now rules. they're meeting in alexandria less than an hour from now. they will talk to lawmakers in the general assembly to say they're concerned that ride sharing companies don't have the same legal and safety regulations that taxis do. if we can get through the morning and the really cold air this morning, it won't be such a bad day today. >> if you say so. let's check in to see what we can expect in the day ahead. >> i like that proclamation from mayor gilchrist. yes, it does look good the wind has diminished. and storm team 4 radar scanning

or sky, we don't have any win triks mix around yet. it looks like that may be moving in later today, maybe by sunset. right now though, just be prepared for a cold morning. temperatures now much of the region prince george's county upper teens, low 20s. montgomery county only mid teens. southern parts around 20 degrees. most of fairfax county upper teens to near 20. dulles cold spot there, down to 15. prince william county manassas only at 16. and in culpepper and warrington only mid teens, as well. hunting up to only 17 there this morning. clear sky, a live view from the tower camera a few high clouds. a quick climb as temperatures get above freezing by late morning. by noontime ought to be in the upper 30s. a light wintry mix, a little bit of rain in the metro area, maybe a little bit of sleet and snow just to the snort of the metro area as we get into the

afternoon hours. your drive time forecast that's coming up next weather and traffic on the 1s at 4:41. taking a live picture here icc at 95 no problems there all the way around into i should say in and out of town on 95 and then the icc eastbound and westbound, you're totally fine. overall looking quite good around the beltway here. i was thinking ahead of myself. we're nice and graeneen and moving. this construction looks like it's cleared pretty much out of the way. this is wisconsin avenue at east-west highway. should be out of the way here in the next 30 minutes or so. and prince george's county overall looking good. connecticut avenue at r street northwest, one little section of r still shut down from the water main break. i'm richard jordan at the live desk. developing this morning, the deadline is fast approaching for

jordanian authorities to meet the man set up by isis militant and release a woman that has been held in risprison for several years convicted in a deadly hotel bombing back in 2005. she has links to al qaeda, but her vest did not go off, so the demand is to bring her to the turkish border by the end of the day.l be killed. also new this morning, a new audio clip released of a japanese journalist that is also being held by isis militants. japanese authorities say they still have not verified the authenticity of that tape. thank you richard. a man accused of trying to hire someone on to murder his ex-wife heads back to court today. dallas brumback will appear for a bond hearing this morning in loudoun county. brumback was arrested earlier this month he a charged with capital murder. court documents show he offered to pay $2500 before and after

the killing was complete. his ex-wife believed he was a member of the clue cleks clanku klux klan. his occupation listed on court documents is a pastor. this morning a man will be sentenced for carrying a loaded gun near the white house. r.j. capline was arrested two months ago. p they say he had told an agent he had will anan appointment with president obama. they found a loaded rifle and ammo in his car. he could face two years in prison. virginia state police are searching for a teen girl who could be in danger of sexual exploitation. 16-year-old aysia monique lewis was last seen at christianburg high school on monday, that is blacksburg virginia. police believe a many named donald questionsenberry drove from

the middle of illinois to meet her. her family is worried sick. >> we love you, we miss you and we're worried sick about you. please call us text us facebook, however you can get in touch with us whatever you have to do. >> police say the man and teen could be heading south to florida. investigators rptd ss aren't saying how the two know each other. sorority women are being asked to skip fraternity parties for their own safety. this weekend is an annual event celebrating the end of men's rush. national so aresorority leaders say they risk pension, fines and other penalties if they attend. students are protesting saying it is a huge step backwards just in terms of basic women's rights. it's one of the first big es since greek life was reinstated

following a controversial "rolling stone" article. it is now 4:36. today you can learn more about a plan to require paid sick leave in montgomery county. the county is considering a new law that would mandate businesses to give you an hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked. you could earn as much as 7 days of paid time off each year. the law would also require safe leave which is paid time off for those dealing with domestic violence. there is a public hearing tonight at 7:30 at the county counsel building in rockville. right now volunteers in montgomery county are working to help the homeless. they left in the last half hour and they're out around the county talking to homeless people to learn how healthy and safe they are. the volunteers also want to find out how many homeless people there are in the county. they will use those numbers to help will them find housing. in d.c. they're going over similar numbers. volunteers held a city wide homeless count and survey last night. right now d.c. homeless shelters are at or blond capacity. the district will use the numbers from the count to

determine how much money to allocate to help the homeless. warnings about brain damage to pro football players are in the headlines. now experts say if your kids play pee wee football you should be concerned, as well. >> governor mcauliffe has a message for metro riders. what he says the state is willing to do to ensure your safety. just as you settle into a break from winter weather, tom kierein says another wintry mix is heading this way later today.

governor mcauliffe saying there is no price to safety speaking on ask the governor yesterday. mcauliffe said the state of virginia is willing to invest more in metro safety. his comments come in the wake of a smoke incident that terrified passengers and killed an alexandria woman. >> i'm willing and i speak to the commonwealth to invest our money to have the most safe system we can have the most efficient and about itp if it takes more money, when it comes to safety cost is not an issue. >> when asked whether metro riders themselves should have to pay more to ensure efficiency and safety mcauliffe said, quote, not at this stage. today you can tell vdot what you think about plans to bring big changes to i-66. the department is considering hot lanes on that highway just like on the beltway. it also wants to add bus service along 66 and is working to add smart overhead signs to that road right now.

to say what you positionthink, go to the distn alliance drive at 6:00. there are two meetings next week as well. it's now 4:41. i'm trying to see the bright side of this that there is no wind but still cold out. >> the wind is a big deal around here. your weather and traffic on the 1s. really cold start, but getting above freezing this afternoon, that's when the beginnings of a wintry mix will move into the shenandoah valley. the area in green is rain. maybe a little sleet and snow along the pennsylvania border. by 6:00 p.m. the rain is into the metro area. maybe a little sleet, wet snow northern montgomery howard, northern loudoun. then after that it tracks farther to the east. pretty much gone by 9:00 p.m.. we'll have sky partially clearing out overnight tonight and getting below freezing again by dawn tomorrow. your drive time forecast for today, dry roads through the morning and into the afternoon. cold out in the suburbs.

engineer near 20. but during the afternoon, rain metro area and mix to the north. a look at our chance for snow on super bowl sunday coming up. some construction still hanging around this morning. 66 east at prince william parkway. have one lane blocked there. and then silver spring new hampshire avenue southbound at elton, two left lanes blocked. we had it yesterday, as well. beltway at river road everything flowing there just fine. overall, we're looking quite good. dozens of flights experiencing delays and yours could be next. it's not because of weather. why twitter is at the center of this. plus new information in the airasia crash. what we're learning happened inside the cockpit that could lead to answers into the deadly crash.

15 before the hour. right now we're working to learn an update about a man in critical condition after a hit and run in arlington. we now know his name. arlington police say sheikh was hit when alexandra mendez drove out of the parking lot. take a look at video of that car. officers say she hit another man, as well, along with multiple cars. david culver spoke to one of sheikh's friends. >> what she did was pure stupidity and she needs to go away for a very long time. >> police used cell phone video that witnesses recorded to track mendez down. they charged her with multiple counts of hit and run and driving on a suspended license. you could help police in the district if you recognize these men. it a look. the video shows the masked men, three of them, going into a

store and target small pharmacies for prescription pills. it happened three times this month at the flex care pharmacy in fort davis shopping center, at the grubs in anacostia and morton's on capitol hill. at the morton's robbery, the pharmacy clerk was maced and had a gun shaufoved in her face. the alexandria man accused 6 killing a corrections official has been ruled competent to stand trial. the results of the competency order came back yesterday. he's charged with carolyn cross' murder. prosecutors say he followed cross to her alexandria apartment and beat her with a wrench last year. he then called 911 after cutting his own wrist. the trial is set to begin in april. 4:46. right now the fbi is working to find out who was behind at least 20 different bomb threats saying american planes would be blown all. for the last four days planes

have been diverted, grounded and even escorted to the airport by fighter jets in response. when they were searched, however, not one bomb was found. new information into the live desk this morning. we now know who was behind the controls of airasia flight yat8501 when it disappeared. it was co-pilot. that information coming from a preliminary report based on the information from the black boxes that were recovered in the search. the co-pilot was at the controls the pilot was monitoring the flight. this was back on december 28 when that two hour flight crashed into the java sea. 162 people on board were killed. several bodies have still not been found. searchers say if they don't recover the bodies in the next few day they will call off the search. it could take six or seven months before the final report is complete. one of the hostages killed in a standoff in australia was

killed by bullets fired by police. an investigation in the attack found that a ricocheting bullet hit and killed a female hostage. another hostage was killed execution style by the hostage taker. that prompted police to raid the cafe 16 other people were not hurt. >> the united nations security council is condemning the terrorist attack on a hotel this libya. libyan officials say a group of armed assailants stormed the hotel while detonating a car bomb in the parking lot. ten people were killed including american david berry. and we're learning more about berry this morning. we now know he was a former marine who served multiple tours in iraq and afghanistan. he later became a security consultant and was last employed as a contractor in fredericksburg virginia. a fundraising page was created for berry's family on the site go fund me. so far more than $1500 has been raised since the page was created yesterday. coming up on 4:49. toda council will consider a resolution to change the

artificial turf used in athletic fields. is this an alternative to the crumb rubber which makes the turf bouncier but it collects in your kids' cleats. the new type of turf appears to pose fewer health risks. the first two fields to use the alternative are likely church hill high school and latonia recreational center park. the council notes the change will cost more money. and speaking of young athlete, important new information this morning for your child's health. a new study shows more evidence that football is very hard on the brains of children. former nfl players showed greater declines in memory and cognitive function if they played tackle football before the age of 12. that's compared to nfl players who joined the game after age 12. the study is published in neurology. his former teammates prepare for the super bowl. aaron hernandez is preparing for trial. opening statements set to begin today in the murder trial against the former new england

patriot. hernandez is charged with murdering a semiprofessional football player this will 2013. and the super bowl is so much more than a game. it's a star-studded spec kell. and today we get to hear from two people who will play a big part in the big show. katy perry and eye deanina men says. last night thousands came out to watch the game of honor. snoop dog was there along with -- >> a lot of things to note. >> did you see him running? he was one of the celebrities. a big old party there. >> i'm blown away at how many people are here. this is really awesome. and i think it's really cool that i'm on the wounded warrior amputee team and my husband is on the nfl alumni team.

you know who's going to win. >> patriots and seahawks also took to the practice field for the first time last night. and super bowl central is now open with concerts and fireworks every night leading up to the big game. things are really ramping up. it is going to be a between time. >> snoop dogg there at the party. >> every time. 4:51 our time. tom kierein is here. it's a party now. >> a snow party. >> no i don't want a snow party. >> right after you finish the guacamole on monday you may have to shovel some snow. >> did you know that's my favorite snack in the world this. >> i did know that. >> thanks. >> i love ach dip. but we'll be dipping in to some snow. do you want to see the temperature sfls. >> never mind. >> if you don't like it cold overt your eyes. it's in the teens here. and do you remember when you were in your teens? no? those are fuzzy memories, aren't

they. down in in to the teens all across virginia and maryland. at the bus stop this morning, we'll still be in the teens between 7:00 8:00. and we will stay subfreezing here through 9:00 this morning. still j in the low 20s to mid-20s by then and partly cloudy sky. then the clouds thicken up as the day goes by. by noontime hour by hour forecast we'll be above freezing in the upper 30s. actually gets near 40 or so by around 3:00. a little bit of sleet farther to the north and west mixing with wet snow. all of it though done by 8:00 or 9:00. down to the mid therts by midnight. then low 30s not as cold starting off friday morning, we'll be partly cloudy. then as we get into friday afternoon, it's going to be above freezing again. look at this gorgeous sunrise photo over fort valley virginia yesterday. posted by jody west on my twitter. search my name on instragram and face back and share your pictes.

we get near 40 tomorrow, cold day saturday. only briefly get above freezing with bright sunshine. then it's sunday when we get the increasing clouds and it looks like by sunday afternoon, we will have snow developing. pretty good chance right now a couple of long range models are showing that. so we'll have slippery roads sunday afternoon and evening and travel delays. and we'll continue into monday with gusty winds. temperatures monday only in the 20s. snow ends monday afternoon. sun back on tuesday, wednesday. but still cold. stay tuned. melissa now looking at traffic. the water main break, megan mcgrath will be live for us there showing us some pictures from the scene. but again, we're talking connecticut avenue at r street. r street is the portion that is still shut down there. so your alternate is going down connecticut from r to massachusetts and try to work

your way around that. hopefully it's out of the way for you soon there. beltway at colesville no problems. beltway at branch avenue everything looking quite good there, as well. taking a look at 66 and 95 in virginia no major issues right now. lots of green. much of the earlier construction is now getting out of the way. do have this construction still in the way. 395 north at edsall road with pothole patching for us this morning. and 270 coming out of frederick going into frederick, no problems all the way down or from the spur. it is now 4:55. coming up at 5:00, the two questions you're not asking that could change your love life. and a warning before you get set up for the super bowl. why the placement of your big screen could mean life or death for

she spent nearly ten months in the hospital until she got a christmas gift that saved her life. doreen gensler has the story of a little girl who got a heart transplant for the holidays. >> reporter: theresa perez loves to dance and laugh and play. but that can be tough when you're barely two years old and the only thing keeping you alive is apartificial heart. it started last march. theresa barely two years old was

throwing up, she haldd cold so many tomorrows. >> very scary because the symptoms were vague. and her heart wasn't pumping well, so then we nooufknew the reason behind it. >> coming up tonight, find out what was causing the little girl so many pain and how doctors got her a heart just in time. that's holiday heart tonight on news # #4 at 5:00. if you purchased a flat screen tv for the super bowl there is an important warning for you. be sure you install it securely. this morning a video was released of a flat screen testif v falling on a dummy. these tvs can have the force of 1,000 pounds when it fall on a small child. parents know children love to crime. they try to reach for the remote control or toy or anything that is within eyesight. and if you need advice on securing your tv you can ask

your sales associate. according to the cpse every two week as child is killed by a falling appliance. and that teacher is -- margaret hawk! >> she was so surprised. this is a teacher in our area waking up with a special honor today. maggie hawk who teaches first grade in frederick county won the milken educator award yesterday, a national award. has a $25,000 prize attached to it. hawk says she's putting that money toward her son's college fund. she said she was inspired to teach back when she was a student at the same school. >> i lived directly across the street and this is the reason that i wanted to go in to teaching. i loved all my teachers. they gave me that passion. >> all teachers at yellow springs elementary and has been with frederick county public schools for 12 years now. >> congratulations. what a bratight spot. >> nice when they can be honored that way, too.

underpaid and overworked. stay with us. "news 4 today" continues right now at 5:00 a.m.. take a look at these temperatures. they are below freezing. so grab the big coat this morning. on top of that we'll see some rain and tom is talking some snow too. you crews burning midnight oil trying to patch a water main break on a busy road. we have a you crew live there asking whether things will time for your trip to work. it is 5:00 a.m.. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. welcome to news"news 4 today" for this thursday january 29. 29 degrees outside of our studios. windchill not as bad this morning. >> tom, we're one of the warmer spots. >> it ends right here in washington but elsewhere, o