it. and here we go, the astronomical start of winter. we are now 15 minutes into the winter solstice. good morning, everybody. it's 6:00 a.m. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. the winter solstice is here. we have been talking about winter being here for a while. >> well, december is a winter month. so from a weather perspective, december 1 was the beginning, but now there's no more waiting for the official beginning. it's official. >> it's official when you say it's official. >> that's exactly right. i'm the person in charge of that thing. so it is indeed the beginning of the winter season now. officially no matter how you slice it, the solstice occurred 15 minutes ago. we'll be dry the next couple of days and turn milder. but i have increasing chances for showers coming up on your christmas eve. right now, though, it's clear and dry and cold. it's in the 2

20 at dulles. 17 in warrenton, 20 in arlington. here's your planner for today. after a cold start this morning, we'll end up with a fair amount of sunshine today. just a few clouds in and out. you'll notice it a bit milder. the high yesterday was only 37 degrees down at national airport. we should be up about 47 today. that's a 10-degree improvement. you will notice it and hope you appreciate it, even milder weather coming our way later in the week. more about that coming up in a few, we'll go to melissa mollet in first 4 traffic where things are getting ugly fast. it is. take a look at the breaking news at the top of the beltway here this morning. not sure if you're able to see it this morning, but we have a problem outer loop of the beltway before rockville pike. so chopper 4 over this scene. really right now, the problem is the volume, the backup that was built because of this issue. everything is now on the right side of the roadway. we have a two-mile backup because of it. inbound 395 before the 14th street bridge, right now just one right lane getting by. you saw that there in ck

this is it here. so inbound 395 before the bridge. route 1 northbound between gunston road and lorton, the left lane is getting by. inbound 66, the left lane is still blocked. and westbound 50 before kenilworth avenue we have an accident on the left shoulder. we'll look at 270 and travel times coming up. thank you. and developing now, families have been displaced in an apartment fire on hanover parkway in greenbelt. >> justin finch is live on the scene right now with more information. justin? >> reporter: hey there, eun and aaron. good morning. we are right outside this apartment complex here where there's restoration work going on. crews are moving in and they tell me they are trying to get to work right now on getting water out of the buildings. at this time, we understand this fire took place in the second and third floors of this apartment building here. and that perhaps several apartments have been damaged as a result. now, on scene here just

crews arrived here on scene. they have heavy fire showing from the roof of this apartment complex through the three-story apartment building at that time. we understand that people were able to make their way out safely at this point. but the fire itself visually is more towards the interior of the building, more so towards the back. what you are seeing right now is a vantage point of crews beginning their work inside to restore these units here. and this happening so close to the holidays. it has been a tremendous loss for those here inside. we'll have their stories throughout the morning. back to you. >> justin finch live there in the greenbelt. thank you. misplaced fire ashes caused this home to go up in flames overnight. this is in rockville. they say the fire caused more than $600,000 in damage. the advice here, be sure to soak any fire ashes in water before you dump them out and do that far away from anything flammable.

and dozens of people died in this explosion and we are getting new video of what it looks like. angie goff is at the live desk. >> total devastation. just in at the start of this hour, the new video of the aftermath of the massive fireworks explosion that tore through that mexican market in tultepec. miles and miles of twisted and charred debris still scattered everywhere. they are trying to clean up, but this is going to take quite some time. and an investigation as you know is underway. this is what we know at this point. the death toll continues to rise. it's at 29, but the concern is it could go up with so many people still missing. there are also dozens and dozens of people hurt. a lot of them badly burned. and th

and we did just learn that an investigation into safety standards at the market has been launched. i'm angie goff at the live desk. back to you. thank you. it is 6:05. and developing right now, a manhunt for the person who drove into a crowded christmas market. we have pictures from berlin here. >> police say they arrested a man but didn't have enough evidence to keep him locked up and let him go. isis is now claiming responsibility. christmas markets in berlin are closed but they are open elsewhere in germany today. all around that country and especially in berlin, security teams are out in force. and u.s. officials say there are no credible threats to our major cities, but police across the country are not taking any chances. that includes right here in washington. the interim police chief says that officers are monitoring and

northwest d.c. >> we anticipate that it's a potential threat here. so we exercise and create an environment where that type of episode is less likely to happen. >> u.s. park police are increasing their presence at national park areas like the washington monument and are protecting against trucks in part of the planning for security at big public events like next month's inauguration at the capitol. right now d.c. police are searching for a group of men who roughed up and robbed a man near the u.c. metro station last night. police say the group of 10 to 15 men was possibly wearing masks. the attack happened at the corner of 13th and u street northwest. if you saw anything, call police. three people were hit crossing mcnair farms drive. a witness took video of the rescue as the crews pulled the mom out from under

no charges have been filed against the 20-year-old driver. fairfax county police do not believe alcohol or speed were factors in the accident. everyone is expected to be okay. arlington county police are asking for help to find the man accused of abducting a young girl. a 10-year-old told police a man in a white van tried to lure her inside his van with candy. the man spoke with a british accent and told them there were dogs inside the van. the girl ran away when he tried to grab her backpack. and antwan wilson will become the new chancellor of public schools. he is a national leader in early education reform. his last position was a superintendent in oakland. and he has worked in education for more than

well, you may have heard a lot about the district's plans for paid leave. it was approved yesterday. here's what you need to know about it. the bill is expected to go into effect in 2020. to pay for it, a payroll tax will be put in place on employers. it's expected to generate $250 million a year. that money will be handled by a new government agency. the bill guarantees up to eight weeks of paid leave to new parents working in the private sector. a former reality tv star found murdered. and police know who did it. and a charitable controversy. why the trump transition team is pushing back about claims that trump's sons were planning to swap money for access to the president-elect. and we are working for you to help you get your gifts under the tree. what you have to do today if you want them there on time. your time is 6:08.

chopper 4 is over the beltway before rockville pike. we have a two-mile backup. not normal for this time of the morning with an overturned vehicle out of the roadway, but the backups are hanging around for us. inbound 395 before the 14th street bridge, we have two right lane squeezing by. that was a car flipped around in the wrong direction slowing things. southbound 270 at old georgetown, a broken down vehicle in the right lane. as far as travel times, 270 is okay. top of the beltway slow because of the problem we just showed you here this morning. 66 inbound a little slow as well. 95 north not bad there. remember to listen to wtop 103.5 f.m. when you hop in your car. chuck? thank you, melissa. certainly a cold start to a wednesday morning out there. it's the first or shortest day

moments ago. 29 in washington. 21 in lorton. 25 in gaithersburg. 28 in front royal, virginia. so planning out the day, doing exercising this morning, it's freezing cold early on. but it will be noticeably warmer today than yesterday. afternoon highs today nearly 10 degrees above yesterday. we should be in the mid to upper 40s today instead of the 30s of yesterday. and as far as the weekend is concerned, we put some extra rain chances now on saturday. doesn't look like a lot of heavy rain, but there cou be hit-and-miss showers, really from 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 saturday afternoon. should be dry by midnight. and a little bit more optimistic now for christmas day. we'll give you the whole five-day forecast coming up in a few minutes. back to you. thank you. 6:13 and happening today, north carolina lawmakers will return to the state capitol for a special session. they are expected to vote to repeal the controversial bathroom bill. that law requires transgender people to use restrooms corresponding with the sex on their birth certificate in most public ld

across the state. >> it has put lbgt north carolinians at violence every single day since it was passed. >> house bill 2 protects the children and the women in north carolina from being confronted with a man in their bathroom, locker room, shower or other private facility. >> now earlier this week charlotte's city council voted to repeal the city's nondiscrimination ordinance with the promise that state lawmakers will do the same with this bathroom bill. and real estate heir robe u robertdurst will be back in a courtroom. he is facing one count of first-degree murder for the 2000 murder of his friend susan berman. he pled not guilty. durst was the subject of the hbo documentary "the jinx." the documentary looked at berman's murder and the death of durst's neighbor in 2001. ri

seven-year sentence in indiana on weapons charges. and the body of a nurse and former reality show contestant was found bury in the backyard of a los angeles home. lisa nagel was a contestant on the show "bridal flats." she was last seen leaving a birthday party saturday morning. jackie robins is going to be booked for murder. nagel's body was fond at her home. and it is now 6:15. and president-elect donald trump's transition team is pushing back on the controversy involving his son. donald trump jr. and eric were listed as honorary co-chairmans for a group seeking up to $1 million donations for a january 21st inauguration event. according to the initi initialbrochure, if people donated they would get a photo op with donald trump and a hunting or fishing trip with his sons. the transition team released a statement saying these are, quote,

pursued by the trump family. the photo op and hunting trip have been removed from the brochure. and you don't want to waste any more time trying to get presents in the mail. >> we are just four days from christmas now. and waiting is going to cost you some money. today is the last day to send priority mail packages. so they will arrive by sunday. and tomorrow is the last day for priority shipping express, which could be even more expensive. some post offices are open for extended hours this week. and some will even stay open on christmas eve. and in news4 your health at 6:16, have you before overindulging in the holiday treats. >> maybe a little bit at the office. >> everywhere you go. a lot of bit. you may want to take it easier. because all that sugar can cause headaches. headache specialists say too much of a good thing could have you in pain. dr. jessica elani says there are four things to get you back on track. >> tto

keep well hydrated. but the next day, take it easy, try to eat healthy, try to get exercise, get some rest, but try to stay on your routine the best you can is the most important. >> now dr. elani recommends using fitness apps to try to track your progress or make you feel worse about not making any progress. it's so hard to resist christmas cookies, i'm telling you. well, if it takes every bit of strength to get out of bed each morning, try indulging in chocolate. see, i told you. >> there's an answer here. >> i love this. specifically, we're talking about raw cocoa, though. according to a nutritionist, it's one of the foods that can prevent seasonal effective disorder, the winter blues we often see. others are cereal high in fiber and eggs. i'm telling you, the christmas cookies do the trick for me. >> that's a different list. that's not going to help you at all.

>> social media is talking about sugar headaches. and i was like, i'm drinking water in my cup. you should stay extra hydrated if you're going to have extra sweet drinks, alcoholic drinks, christmas cookies, all that sugar is a dehiydrator. >> we keep trying them all. >> how do you stay so thin? >> it's all i eat. >> that's all right. santa is not keeping score on that. outside we have a cold start this morning. the skies are mostly clear out there. a couple of fair weather clouds around not bothering anybody. the current temperature now out at dulles airport down to a very cold 20 degrees. as you're planning to get outside and get your day moving today, the shortest day of the year, 25 degrees at 7:00. 45 at 3:00 this afternoon. that's a big improvement over yesterday. we didn't get out of the upper 0s

so you'll notice and appreciate the 40s today. winter solstice is here. the shortest day of the year. 9 hours, 26 minutes of daylight today. you get three extra seconds of daylight starting tomorrow. and then each day we start adding a little more and a little more. by the time we get to march, we are adding three minutes a day. so today's forecast, a mix of clouds and sunshine. the high up near 47 degrees. keep the convsation with us going on social medi media @chuckbell4 on twitter. look for us on facebook live as well under chuckbell4. and the perfect christmas gift, the nbc washington app. a lot of people are traveling the next couple of days. it does have an interactive national radar. if you are flying to it to l.a. or phoenix or tucson today, have that app ready to go. there are showers out there that could cause flight delays in the desert southwest. and some snow showers up here north of the minneapolis area. but really up and down the i-95 corridor, nice and quiet for today. and for the next couple of days. the next chance for some rain doesn't arrive until christmas ev

so today, not too bad. the upper 40s today, low 50s tomorrow. some sunshine on your friday. cloudy skies on saturday. a risk of a shower or two off and on throughout the day saturday. no heavy rain expected. skies will be clearing out just in time for santa. and christmas day looks nice with a temperature near 53 degrees. breaking news in first 4 traffic with melissa. this problem continuing here top of the beltway, really slow here this morning. about a 2-mile backup because of an earlier problem outer loop before rockville pike here this morning. so you can see it's giving you a little bit better, but not where we would like to see it. 395 before the 14th street bridge, we have one right lane getting by. that was a car that spun around this morning. eastbound 66 before 123, we have the left lane blocked right now. 95 in virginia, not bad. route 1 northbound between gunston road and lorton, the left lane is getting by that accident. inbound 4 at dowerhouse road, we have a crash in the right

news coming up. and a sign of solidarity. why dozens of people in our area are waking up outside in this morning. and right there waiting, the '80s pop star who helped take down an unruly passenger. and it's not something you see every day. an nfl player browsing the shelves at a doll store. why this redskins playeras shoppi wn

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pop singer richard mark helped subdue an unruly passenger tuesday morning. he wrote on facebook that a, quote, mentally unhinged passenger began attacking others on the flight. mark says one crew member and two passengers were injured. the passenger was turned over to authorities. and his wife daisy fuentes was on the flight and took photos. everything was okay in the end. well, the red skins

offensive tackle is learning firsthand that mastering an nfl playbook is nothing compared to figuring out a little girl's christmas list. >> he navigated very well the american girl store at the tysons corner center working to cross off a little girl's christmas list. the 4-year-old saw a police officer shot and kill her mother's boyfriend, fernando castillo. >> it was a traumatic event. i just want to bring joy to her, you know, and end the year on a positive note. >> now he went undrafted out of college and was making less than $200 playing arena football. now he says that he considers himself in a position to give back. so that's why he's trying to do this. and we've got the story posted in the nbc washington app if you want to hear more about that experience. >> i don't think a lot of people in that position feel that this is a great time to give and it is. it's a wonderful ti

fire forces several people from a prince georges county apartment building. news4's justin finch is live from the scene. if you have to leave the house, follow him on twitter for the latest information. and outrage in montgomery county. what a janitor is accused of doing to a student. and winter is now officially here. don't expect the weather to feel like it, though. when we could see warmer tempatures is coming up.er

good morning, i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. we have breaking news in first 4 traffic. yes, we have a two-mile backup because of this issue. again, chopper 4 is over the top of the beltway there. we're talking about the outer loop before rockville pike. so it is getting a bit better. it is still not as good as what we would really hope for this time of the day. before the 14th bridge on 395,

this getting by pretty much on the far right lane this morning. inbound 4 at dowerhouse road, we have a crash on the left side of the roadway this morning. route 1 northbound between gunston and lorton have the left lane getting by an accident there. and a brand new problem in the city, missouri avenue at north capitol, eastbound missouri is shut down. hi, chuck. >> good morning. >> sorry. >> we have it all ready to go for you this morning. the winter solstice happened an hour ago at 5:44 this morning. on this, the shortest day of the year. we are on facebook live this morning. someone says, has it ever been warm on the winter solstice? we looked back, this day three years ago, december 21st, 2013, record high temperatures. 72 degrees. that was three years ago today. winter started on a warm note tha

up on saturday afternoon, but it will be smooth sailing for santa and milder weather for the last week of 2016. all that with your ten-day forecast coming up at 6:51. chuck, thank you. and 6:31 on this wednesday. here's a quick look at the stories we are working on this morning. the montgomery county fire department says misplaced fire ashes caused this home in rockville to go up in flames overnight. that fire did more than $600,000 in damage. and we are working to learn how much damage there is at this apartment complex in greenbelt where a fire broke out overnight. at this point, it's not clear whether anyone was hurt or displaced. and in montgomery county, counselors will be at a gaithersburg elementary school after a janitor was arrested for alledgedly sexually assaulting a student. ron greene is on administrative leave according to the principal at gaithersburg elementary. greene is facing a charge of second-degree assault after a 6-year-oldol

greene sexually assaulted her while he was cleaning the girl's bathroom. and a man in prince george's county is facing charges following a maryland investigation. aaron davis of suitland was arrested yesterday after having more than 100 files of child pornography on his computer. a little girl is no longer living with the people who literally locked her inside a balk. a box. officials say the 3-year-old girl was kept inside this box at night. they say sometimes she was even locked in there. the box was lined only with a dirty blanket and a pad. the sheriff's office charged nine different people including the girl's father with neglect and failing to report child abuse. the father claims his daughter climbed in and out of the box on her own. 6:32 now. and about 250 pounds of marijuana was seized in a major drug bust in montgomery county. it happened on 270 near

month. and it all started out as a routine traffic stop. 53-year-old steve tosey was driving a mini van doing 66 in a 525. rob sheehan made the arrest. he said when he stopped tosey he smelled marijuana. and after questioning, tosey admitted to hauling the drugs. >> he was pretty calm surprisingly. he was straightforward with us on the stop about how much he had in the car. >> according to court documents, he was coming from pittsburgh to virginia beach and doesn't have an address. he finds different places to live for weeks at a time. and a year ago this month montgomery county police officer noah leotta was killed by a drunk driver. today you can honor his memory by donating blood. the montgomery county police department will host the blood drive at the public safety headquarters in gaithersburg from 8:00 this morning until 3:00 this afternoon. d

you can find more information in the nbc washington app. just search noah leotta. and right now folks are braving the cold for a good cause. they are bringing awareness to homelessness here in the district. >> dozens of activists along with members of the homeless community are camped out in freedom plaza. erika gonzalez is there with more on their message. erika, good morning. >> reporter: hi, eun. good morning to you. for a lot of folks, this is not a publicity stunt. this is day-to-day life, day in, day out, trying to find a place to stay warm, especially during the very cold winter months. now these individuals, a lot of them camped out here overnight. we are at freedom plaza, to bring attention to the needs of the homeless population here in d.c. and hopefully to put an end to it. now the scene last night, the video that we have showing you of people marching through freedom plaza, that group made up of activists,

and members of the homeless community. some of them in the video you're seeing them holding a casket and signs to symbolize the 40 people they say died living on the streets this year. a spokesperson for the fairness coalition says $8 million is needed to house the more than 500 people that are in desperate need. and this morning we were speaking to one gentleman who once experienced homelessness. and he talked to us a little bit about how the struggle is day in and day out here in d.c. >> this is something that is not east to explain. what a homeless person goes through is something that actually you would really have to experience. the things that people on the street now go do is unexplainable. >> reporter: and they will be making that plea of the millions of dollars to mayor muriel bowser in hopes of ending homelessness in d.c. next year. live at free dam

gonzalez, back to you. thank you. 6:36 right now and the district is growing. the latest u.s. census bureau estimates show that d.c.'s population has grown to more than 680,000 people. and that is something that actually has not happened since the 1970s. the average of about 900 new people are moving to d.c. every month according to the report. and most of those people are moving from other places in the u.s. and abroad. d.c. mayor muriel bowser has said that people are moving here because of the city's investment in affordable housing, parks and because of the arts in d.c. huge arts community here. >> it's a great place to live. and i think it's a great place to raise your family. so many great new restaurants are opening. i wonder who goes to all the restaurants, and now you know, all these people. and winter is officially here and it feels like it. how long the cold weather will stick around and yochristmas forecasts when we go to me

in our area in response to this week's terror attacks. and in mexico dozens are dead after an explosion at a fireworks factory where there were so many pele working atop

we have a problem on 395 near 14th street bridge. we have chopper 4 over that scene. and south washington at west jefferson, we have a car into a building here. perhaps another vehicle involved up in the intersection. so right now trying to get more information on that one. and travel time, 270 south looks good. top of the beltway, still hanging on to the slowdowns after that earlier crash. outer loop near georgia avenue. so that should be getting out of the way and clearing up pretty soon here. and inbound 66, a tad slow from

shoulder inbound. and northbound 95 quantico to the beltway with okay. remember to listen to wtop 103.5 f.m. when you hop in your car today. good morning, chuck bell. no white christmas. i don't know if you're going to get your gift. i didn't realize my gift was dependent on having a white christmas. >> i just decided. >> i will get to work on that immediately. don't you worry. white christmas chances are still only 1% at most. so i can't never say never to mother nature, but if you're hoping for a white christmas like i now officially am, you may be out of luck. 18 degrees now in warrenton. 23 in gaithersburg and montgomery county. a cold start this morning. dun below freezing at the bus stops this morning. the mid to upper 40s later today, so a nicer day. a winter coat for early this morning. maybe a hat and scarf, but the daily grade for today is b-plus. i think you're going to like temperatures today up near 47 degrees. the ten-day forecast is coming up

chuck, thank you. an explosion rocks the mexican fireworks plant killing dozens. the latest developments coming in overnight and how christmas factored into the blast. and roughed up and robbed. the group of masked teens d.c. police are looking for. and use it or lose it? why americans are not taking all

a fire guts this two-story home. what firefighters say you can do to spare yourself a loss like this. and now on "news4 today," search and rescue teams comb through a mexican factory after a massive explosion. why christmas may be the reason so many people were inside at the time. attempted abduction in northern virginia. the man police want you to warn your kids about. and camping out in the cold to draw attention to homelessness in d.c. i'm erika gonzalez. this morning we'll tell you what they're fighting for. and wall street rally. why your 401(k) could see a nice boost today.

and breaking news, jeffrey thompson who set up a $660,000 slush fund for former vincent gray's campaign in 2010 is being released from jail. >> scott mcfarland is joining us now on the phone with details. good morning, scott, are you there? >> reporter: good morning. he has served his sentence in jail and the last 90 days will be served at his home. jeffrey thompson led a shadow campaign tied to vincent gray. gray was never charged in that case. thompson was sentenced to three months in federal prison. and we are told according to the court filings this morning, he'll be released today to serve the final three months at home in d.c. back to you. >> scott

for us, thank you. angie goff at the live desk with new video in of a fire at an amtrak station. this is about 20 minutes south of heartford, connecticut. take a look, this video posted on twitter showing the old berlin station up in flames. service was suspend in the area. no signs of trains being impacted in our region headed up north. no one was hurt. good news there. and the investigation is underway. the fire is under control. firefighters are saying they were able to contain it in the last hour and a half. now back to you. angie, thank you. and developing now, families have been forced outside in the cold after a fire on hanover parkway in greenbelt. >> justin finch is there now live with more information. justin, what are you learning? >> reporter: hey there, eun and aaron. good morning. at this point, there are no reports of injuries as a result of this overnight fire.

behind the baltimore-washington parkway here. as you can see behind me, some extensive damage here on the rear of this building on the 7800 block of hanover parkway. as you can see, the higher level there, some burned out top floor units as well as damage there inside. right now restoration crews are inside trying to assess that damage and begin repairs. taking you now to some video from hours earlier, you will see several people outside huddling in the cold to try to get a sense of what was going on inside this apartment and what they will do next. there's an untold number of people who may have been affected by this fire. and perhaps also displaced. we do know that this fire appears to have broken out on the second level of this building, perhaps moved its way upstairs. the crews inside tell me most of the damage here is going to be heavy smoke. some fire and also water damage here as well. we are still working for more details and will bring them to you once we have them. back in to you.

the montgomery county fire department said fireplace ashes caused this home to go up in flames overnight. the fire caused more than $600,000 in damage. the homeowner disposed of ashes in the garage. the fire spread from there. experts say soak fire arks in water before dumping them out and far from anything flammable. and 6:49 and a major cleanup taking place with the big search for all the people missing in the explosion in mexico. >> the death toll went up overnight. angie goff is live with more information. angie? >> reporter: we are getting a look from inside that mexican market rocked by this massive fireworks explosion. take a look right here, you can see people scrambling panicked. this is on the ground, debris and dust everywhere. a lot of the market is burning. 29 people were killed. police are saying the death toll could very well rise as there are people still missing at this hour. the place was packed with

that blast. we also know that more than 70 people were hurt and some are being treated for severe burns right now. many eyewitnesss have posted video on social media. you can see it in the nbc washington app. we know an investigation into safety standards is underway right now. that's the latest from the live desk. back to you, eun. also developing, security teams are out in force in berlin this morning where christmas markets are closed right now. >> there is a memorial growing at the scene where a tractor-trailer drove into one of the markets. we are looking at live pictures from there now. 12 people died and isis is claiming responsibility for this act of terror. and german police say whomever drove that truck into the crowd is somewhere out there right now. they arrested a 23-year-old man yesterday and then had to let him go. a german magazine is reporting this morning that police are now looking for a man from tunisia. however, nbc news cannot confirm that report right now. still federal prosecutors are not commenting at this time. and right now d.c. police re

who roughed up and robbed a man near the u street metro station last night. the group of 10 to 15 men were possibly wearing masks. the attack happened at the corner of 13 and u street northwest just before 7:00. if you saw anything, call police. arlington county police are asking for help to fine the man accused of trying to abduct a young girl. the 10-year-old told police a man in a white van tried to lure her inside his vehicle with candy on monday. this happened on 15th street south after she had gotten off a school bus. police say the man spoke with a british accent and told the girl there were dogs inside the van. the same girl ran away when he tried to grab her backpack. and it is official. antwan wilson will get to work full-time in february. he was confirmed by the d.c. council yesterday. wilson replaces kaya henderson who led the district for five years and built a reputation as a national leader in urban education reform. his last position was

superintendent in oakland and has worked in education for more than 20 years. just one simple time to avoid using sick time is to rest. a majority of you will leave paid vacation days on the table apparently. according to a report from bankrate.com, 52% of working americans who get paid vacation time say that they won't be using all their allotted time this year. 35% say they will take advantage of their company's perk of rolling over unused vacation time into the next calendar year. the study also found most workers would choose higher pay over more vacation time. although when do you spend the money, i guess? >> and you don't want to work yourself to death, you know what i snemean? >> eun and i have no problem. >> i have to figure out where to spend the time. no doubt about it, i would be at the beach. it would be like i was

here. >> and if you can't get paid for your vacation days, use them or lose them, you should use them. come on. today is the winter solstice. today is the shortest day of the year. only an extra 3 seconds of daylight tomorrow. and if you're wondering, what is it really like in the shortest day of the year depending on where you live? our friends in alaska have not seen the sun crest the horizon in almost six weeks. they will get another six weeks of total darkness before the sun finally starts to appear. that's way up and across northern alaska. if you go to the weather service's website up there for barrow, alaska, you can see on the sunrise and sunset time, it says sun below horizon. how depressing would that be with temperatures below zero for the mexico month? our temperatures are nice,

20s and 30s. planning out your day, for today, a fair amount of sunshine. we'll get a few clouds from time to time. but no chances for rain today. afternoon highs today will be in the mid to upper 40s. then for tomorrow, another pretty good day to be outside. highs in the upper 40s and low 50s coming our way for tomorrow. and as we get into the rest of the holiday weekend, especially coming on saturday, a lot of clouds and a chance for passing showers during the day on saturday. but we dry it out saturday night. and the first day of hanukkah is dry. we have a big backup on 395, guys. we are talking about inbound 395 before the 14th street bridge. a three-mile backup. that right side of the roadway is what is getting by right now. south washington here in rockville at west jefferson getting that car out of the way. that car has run into a building there. chopper 4 is going to head to a problem we're hearing about on randolph road. hopefully we'll have that in a little bit. the inner loop and outer loop of the beltway okay with the exception of the top of the beltway outer loop near georgi

earlier problem on the right side of the beltway. we still have delays hanging around. inbound 4 with a crash on the right side, the northbound branch is seeing a crash on the left side. and west capitol, the westbound lane is open. 270 at falls road is rolling along fine in the main and local lanes. guys? thank you. 6:55 and right now dozens of people are camping out in frigid temperatures to bring awareness to homelessness in the district. >> news4's erika gone za les is live at the overnight homeless vigil at free dam plaza with a message for us. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. if you are watching us, we hope that you've had the good fortune of waking up in a warm house and a warm bed, perhaps you're enjoying your morning cup of coffee. for a lot of people in the district of columbia, that is

this is more of what people are up against. this casket here, the names here on the ground, siymbolism of th more than 40 people that have died in the district of columbia through very preventable diseases they say, because of homelessness. and so what they are asking of mayor muriel bowser is $8 million to help end homelessness in the district of columbia. something they will continue to fight for throughout the day. live in freedom plaza, erika gone zalez gonzalez, back to you. the city's family paid leave bill has been approved. d.c. will start to pay a less than 1% payroll tax to pay for this in 2018. and jeffrey thompson, the man at the center of the 2010 election scandal in the district is being released from federal prison in kentucky today.

$660,000 slush fund that aided vincent gray's election as district mayor in 2010. and more than 30 people including a 1-year-old still missing from the massive blast in mexico. 29 people died when a fireworks market exploded and went up in flames. and families have been displaced after their apartment on hanover parkway in greenbelt caught fire. follow justin finch on twitter for developments on this story. and quiet and dry weather the next couple of days. the next chance for showers is christmas eve day. > that is the broadcastthis

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good morning. massive explosion, a crowded fireworks market near mexico city erupts setting off a fiery chain reaction. at least 29 people killed, more than 70 others injured. an investigation under way. desperate manhunt. the search intensifies for whatever was behind the wheel in that deadly attack on a christmas market in berlin. the only person arrested released over a lack of evidence. terrifying attack. two-time wimbledon champion petra kvitova stabbed in the hand by a burglar who broke into her home. this morning the latest on what could be a career-impacting injury and