including this brazen from a navy exchange in norfolk. it happened nationwide. sometimes it's by the military members. by their kids. or even by the employees. >> most of the shoplifters, they shoplift once, they'll shoplift twice. if we don't get them the first time, we may get them the second time. >> part of our i-team report, what are the popular items? criminal and military do you face if you're caught stealing from inside. for now, in bethesda, scott macfarlane, news 4 i-team. right now on "news4 today," she disappeared years ago. now police could be days away from finding her body. the break in the case and what her family is saying about it now. >> new video,

during a desperate get away. a shoplifting situation turned into this. plus, would you drive through these flames to get to work? new footage from the fire burning from a california freeway. >> first at home, a cooldown is coming. if you think today is cold, you really need to bundle up this weekend. >> i see temperatures in the -- 29 up there. >> these are current temperatures and the sun is not up. >> good point chuck. >> but we are. so whatever. >> you still have to walk outside in it. >> unless we work from home. >> take turns. we'll take turns. >> meanwhile, we've got breaking news on the commute. >> we have breaking news on the roads this morning. this is in chill 'em. we know this is an investigation and lanes are blocked. between

road. university boulevard. live pictures from the scene here this morning. another investigation down south in la plata. between bell alton, and cooksey road. you're able to get around with police on the scene. around that one. another situation, westbound 50. the crash there with all lanes blocked there westbound. eastbound we're also looking like we're closed. we're not -- on the right side of the roadway here this morning. other routes into town and out of town coming into and out of the district. looking already this morning. 271 of those with no major issues. good morning, chuck. >> good morning, melissa. >> outside for today. good stuff going on weatherwise and tomorrow we're going to be -- i'm going to be live in manassas. you can meet me in manassas tomorrow. come on down to the train depot in manassas and

scrapers. perfectly timed. you'll be needing it before you know it. outside on a thursday morning, the cloud line is hanging over washington. clearer skies and as a result, colder weather where the clouds are thicker. the temperatures haven't dropped quite as much. 42 clinton. 43 in washington. 37 gaithersburg. upper 30s in the shenandoah valley. you'll need your winter coat this morning. and a heavy sweater for outdoor plans. daytime highs staying in the mid to upper 40s. the daily grade for today is satisfactory. a little bit on the cloudy and chilly side. what about the weekend. better chance for flurries. detail that coming up. it's 5:03 now. after almost nine years of questions. finally maybe answers from the family of pamela butler. her boyfriend recently pleaded guilty to kill

>> police have the information they need to find her remains. >> live at metropolitan police department. when and where will police begin searching for the remains. >> reporter: friday afternoon is what we're told. a median strip along i-95 in stafford county will be keeping a close eye on this. the family of pamela butler had been waiting a long time to have a proper burial. they are hopeful that soon it could happen. butler's one-time boyfriend, rodriguez cruz has admitted to strangling her in 2009 in her d.c. home and has agreed to lead police to her body in exchange for a lighter sentence. as you heard first on news 4, police will search a stretch of a median strip beginning in the afternoon on friday. crews telling police that's we are buried her body all those years ago. butler's brother says recovering her body will not br

closure but it will help the families find peace. closure with it. it's different if somebody dies of a natural death. but for somebody to be snatched away from her, somebody to be killed, i don't think you get closure for that. so that search we're told by sources going to happen tomorrow afternoon. keep in mind, we could see lane closures along a stretch of i-95 in stafford county. the area of the search beginning friday afternoon. >> megan mcgrath live for us. thank you. it's 5:05. we have breaking news right now. d.c. police are investigating a fatal shooting. forester southwest, not far from the bridge point hospital. we'll update you as we learn more information. we are now hearing from the family of an 11-year-old boy in

after what police call a terrible accident. the boy was at a neighbor's house on tuesday when the man watching him accidentally shot him. the 33-year-old former military member told police he was putting away his legally owned handgun. the bullet hit the young boy in the upper body. the boy's family released a statement thanking everyone for their well wishes asking for privacy and prayers for their son. >> new video this morning of an incredible morning commute out of a los angeles area. take a look at this video. this is what drivers -- on their way to work. wildfires burning all around the 405 freeway and drivers had to go right near them. they're driving right by the flames. >> unbelievable. this video is from just northwest of downtown l.a. not far from bel-air. it's like a -- it's awful to see. chris lawrence is at the live desk with the latest on the wildfires. unbelievable, chris.

wildfires burning across southern california. the governor has declared a state of emergency for three of them. to put this in perspective, fire officials have now upped the threat from the wind to the highest that the state of california has ever recorded. i want to show you this video from ventura county. a man evacuating actually stopped his car, got out, all to save a wild rabbit from the flames. you can see him struggling there for a while trying to catch the rabbit. finally was able to scoop him up and get him into the car. the thomas fire burned more than 90,000 acres. forced more than 50,000 people to leave. been burning since monday. only 5% contained. i got to tell you, i lived in l.a. for years. i covered wildfires as a reporter. i even couple times i helped buddies dig trenches around their property to sort of mitigate some of the damage. i've never, never seen anything burn like this.

ventura county. we could learn minnesota senator al franken's future in congress. he's expected to hold a news conference later today to call for his resignation. multiple women have come forward accusing franken of unwanted touching, groping and forcible kissing. yesterday, several democratic senators called for him to resign. earlier this week, democratic congressman, john conyers retired after accusations of sexual misconduct. president trump will meet with congressional leaders as the clock ticks closer to a potential government shutdown. there are 42 hours left for congress to reach a deal to prevent it. we'll check in with justin finch in just a few minutes. more on what it could mean for thousands of federal workers right before the holidays. 5:08 right now. a traffic warning for

county maryland drivers this morning. you might want to avoid the 355 bridge over the monocacy river the next few days. it was damaged in a crash. crews say the repairs could take several days. traffic is being rerouted in both directions. this could mean the 270 might be busier. we're working for you to find a solution to the high tolls on i-66 inside the beltway. today, loudoun county supervisor ron meyer will find a way to immediately lower and cap the tolls. he also wants a rush hour window. he wants to help save on tolls. i-66 is free if you carpool with an e-zpass flex during rush hour. this motivated one northern virginia man to organize a flood line community on facebook. >> it makes things much better because they don't -- they share their ride with somebody else. that's good for the community, goor

they get to go to work in a faster pace. >> drivers can pick up riders at the vienna metro station. v-dot says the lanes are working. >> they say the lanes were dhanging the way people commute and keep traffic moving. if it reduces traffic -- >> still ahead, new video. a dangerous -- a security video in a parking lot. the story behind it. good morning. temperatures this morning around 40 degrees by 9:00 a.m. as we go through the day today, we're looking at temperatures in the mid to upper 40s. a cold start. we stay nice and dry. a look at your weekend forecast. it's going to be colder. stay tuned. plus a grinch who stole christmas trees. a woman spotted stealing and what she did during

breaking news in first 4 traffic. we're talking prince george's county. east-west highway between -- a major thoroughfare for a lot of people have a crash

all lanes shut down. the best alternate, university boulevard. this is not the only crash investigation around. we have several other problems around town. we'll talk about all of them coming up. melissa, breaking this morning. same sex couples in australia will be allowed to get married. they vote today legalize gay marriage overnight. the definition of marriage in australia is characterized as a union of two people rather than a union of a man and a woman. the law will go into effect in month. the first same-sex marriages in australia will likely happen in february. right now, we are closing in on a government shutdown. at midnight tomorrow, the government will run out of money. that will impact thousands of people in america. not receiving a paycheck is not an option for thousands. >> justin finch is working for us to explain what this could mean for your family. >> reporter: no ona

this happen at all. right now, you have to imagine many are watching the clock here as it ticks closer to the deadlines. at risk, federal government operations as well as those relying on its services. it may take you back to the year 2013 where the obama white house counted 850,000 workers forced to sit out work in october and the shutdown of that year. those workers did eventually earn back pay. also in jeopardy here businesses of getting loans and loan services. snap program funding could also be impacted here and some may have to turn away young students. today the president is set to meet with congressional leaders and shutdown concerns are looming. >> it could happen. the democrats are really looking at something that is very dangerous for our country. they are looking at shutting down -- >> it doesn't

their act together. they don't seem to have a feasible pass forward. >> as you might imagine, the negotiations are set to be tense. the hope here among many on both sides is that some kind of resolution is reached and the shutdown is avoided. in northwest, i'm justin finch. back in to you. >> daca has been one of the reasons budget talks have stalled. democrats want protection for the d.r.e.a.m.ers, thousands of young undocumented immigrants marched on capitol hill to ask congress to pass daca. the bill allows them to stay in the u.s. without fear of deportation. several were arrested. new video of a wild scene at a mall in new jersey. suspected shoplifters dragged a security guard as he tried to recover merchandise from their suv. you can see they're hanging on to the side of the door. we're told the guard confronted the three women in the parking

have stolen items. at some point the women went into their car and took off with the guard clinging to the driver's side door. >> you can see the guy holding on for dear life. he eventually lost his grip, fell off. so far, no arrests on this. now shoplifting is elevated to a much more serious charge, too. new jersey police are searching for the holiday grinch who, without change, stole christmas trees sunday morning. look at this. surveillance footage show a woman who stole christmas trees from a home. she waves to the camera when she notices she was being filmed. neighbors are not only disappointed but scared they could be next. >> happy that somebody -- >> neighbors are comparing this woman's actions to a scrooge. no word yet on whether

>> you want a christmas tree that bad, you go to someone else's porch to take it. look at that. >> you see the tree. you can't get it anywhere else. >> he's joking. >> i was going to say. >> special team of coal in her stocking. >> there you go. >> piping hot. >> it's not coal. >> wow. >> some people are the worst. >> really. >> the worst. >> luckily, this time of year brings out more of the good. >> exactly. we should focus on that. >> if you want something free for christmas tomorrow, meet me in manassas. >> a song. >> my hair looks grayer in that picture than in real life. i'll be in the train station in manassas. i'll hand out free ice scrapers. come on out. if you always wanted an ice scraper, i can help you with that tomorrow. meet me down there tomorrow morning in manassas at the train

free hugs and selfies as well. 43 degrees in washington with a couple of clouds around and northwest wind. the skies are clearer. the temperatures are lower. 34 in frederick. 32 martinsburg and hagerstown. 36 in lieu ray. as you plan out your day today, a mix of clouds and sunshine. more sun north and west. more clouds south and east of the city. highs today, mid to upper 40s with a west wind. here you can see on the satellite review. line of cloud cover. if you're traveling southbound today. all in the cloudy skies from richmond down to virginia beach and the tidewater regions. future weather shows the story here. clouds down to the south. we'll get enough filtered sunshine to allow for the bit of a warmup. here's 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. tomorrow, a partly to mostly cloudy day. notice the river of rain a

the storm were to come closer north, it might be able to ring out a little raindrop or a wet snowflake. southern maryland and the eastern shore into the day on saturday. it doesn't look like a high impact event for sure. we'll push the clouds out on sunday and get noticeably colder. mid to upper 40s today. 43 saturday. again, a flurry chance south and east. blustery and cold on sunday with highs in the 30s. another cold shot next week. we'll show you that with the ten-day coming upment for now, it's traffic time and there are many problems abounding. the first problem in prince george's county. chill um this morning. east-west highway. still have the crash investigation under way. all lanes blocked. the alternate is university boulevard to get around that. down south, charles street shut down right now between bell alton newton road and cooksey road. this is a fatal accident with

again, all lanes blocked there. as we head up north, we've been talking about this, this morning. frederick county, 355, urbana pike bridge over the monocacy river there. that sweet lillibridge shut down because the bridge is damaged. could be up to two weeks until that's out of the way. eun? melissa, thank you. holiday travel is about to start all over again. a few simple downloads could help ease the stress of it all. we're working with you with the best apps to make life easier, next. suspended for smoking pot at school. what's next for the teachers arrested fo lighting up on r

seems like we just had thanksgiving. a busy holiday travel period is upon us.

help take the stress out of what could be a crazy time. susan hogan has the four best apps to make your life easier this time of the year. >> all of us aren't as lucky as santa and his sleigh. we have to endure the airports. millions our friends will be traveling during the holiday season. service is an app that gets you money back when your flight is delayed or canceled. it scans your e-mail for delays or cancellations in the past year and then it actually files for compensation on your behalf. don't pay a penny more than you have to on airfare. copper analyzes billions of flights to help you find the best deal and the best times to fly and buy. the app notifies you when you -- i love this one. find out how long the security line is. my flight, that's m-i.

that gives you how long the tsa line is. you should give yourself plenty of time. but it's helpful to know if it's one hour or two. get through customs faster. it lets you see through customs at 24 airports instead of filling out forms with paper and pen. you fill them out in the app and then you get to zip through shorter lines designated for passport users. safe travels. back to you. new this morning, the safest cars coming to a road near you. the road -- why it's harder than ever to receive a top rating. >> it was the dream wedding dress disaster. this morning, it's all -- how news 4 helped this bride track down her missing dress. good morning. it is a cold start to your thursday. warm coat before you head outside. if you think this is cold now, though, wait until you see the weekend forecast.

coming. we're tracking a storm offshore. we'll talk more about that and give you the updates

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ziefrlgts right now at 5:30, the cold air is coming. you can feel it already. get ready to bundle up. the forecast breaks down how much cooler is will

long the cold weather will last. plus, lighting up on campus. teachers head to court accused of smoking marijuana inside an elementary school. we're learning what's next. it's already banned. behind the wheel in maryland and d.c. it could be virginia's turn to put the phone down. the cell phone crackdown that could be coming to the commonwealth. good morning everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. we want to get you to breaking news that could impact your commute today. >> melissa mollet and first 4 traffic. >> a lot of problems. justin finch on the way to the scene. in chillum, east-west highway. university boulevard, a crash investigation sounds like pole and wires down. could take a little bit of

bit. traffic only getting by on the shoulder. traffic at longfellow street, all lanes shut down because of a crash there as well. la plata, between bell alton and cooksey road because of a crash investigation, fatal crash investigation there. northbound 197 and muir kirk road -- outer part ever the bemt way looking okay. want to head outside to storm team 4 meteorologist sheena parveen on the weather deck. you bundled up, sheena? >> not enough, eun. i have a jacket on, but i should have had gloves and the scarf on. all these things, if you're standing around outside this morning. like at a bus stop or waiting around, you probably do want the gloves. it's pretty chilly. look at the temperatures, 34, dulles, 37 gaithersburg. 37 quantico in fredericksburg. 43 degrees in the district. but this weeken

to be colder. hopefully, you can squeeze -- stay in bed longer. not today. the roads are dry. that's going to be good for your commute. clouds will be lingering. we're also talking -- we're tracking that. saturday, what it means is that part of the area has a chance of seeing rain and snow showers. who can expect that. like i mentioned, the week will be colder. we'll talk about this number and what to expect coming up. >> sheena, thank you. breaking news in montgomery county. officials are investigating a fire. >> chris lawrence at the live desk with details. chris, what do we know? >> police arrested one person and say it could be a case of arson. it started in a town house in north bethesda. you can see what's left of it now. this neighborhood is north of 270 off old georgetown road and literally steps from a middle school. fortunately, this fire didn't

other units on that block. aaron? chris, lawrence at the live desk. thank you. a look at the other top stories. at least five wildfires are raging across southern california right now, fueled by wind. a state of emergency has been declared for three of the fires because of extremely critical conditions. fire officials have upped the wind threat level to the highest in the state of california has ever posted. the thomas fire you see here has burned more than 90,000 acres. that's since monday. it's forced more than 50,000 people to leave everything behind. after nearly nine years of questions, finally some answers for the family of pamela butler. her boyfriend pled guilty to killing her in 2009. last week, the boyfriend, rodrigo cruz told investigators where he buried her in exchange for a lighter sentence. police will begin searching in stafford county tomorrow. >> today, we should learn

the future. he will hold a news conference today. many speculate he will resign over sexual misconduct allegations. news 4's tracie potts will have more on this and the looming government shutdown ahead at 5:00. the team usa gymnastics doctor will be sentenced today. he pled guilty in july to child pornography charges. he faces 22 to 27 years in prison. in exchange for the guilty plea, the prosecution did not press any more criminal charges against him. more than 140 women, including three members of the london olympic gymnastics team said he abused them. an update to the deadly crash we brought you yesterday morning as breaking news. a gaithersburg man died in the crash on georgia avenue in aspen hill. his vehicle hit a pickup truck trying to make a turn. the other driver is expected to be okay. two virginia el

teachers have been charged with possession after being accused of smoking marijuana inside of a school. a northern virginia bureau reporter told us about the arlington county teachers two days ago. someone told police the teachers regularly smoked marijuana and hashish at taylor elementary school. luke lloyd and michael diaddigo have been suspended from the school. a third teacher on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation. 5:35 now. harsh words from maryland governor larry hogan. he described the boost in prince george's high school graduation as fake. take a look at this exchange in annapolis yesterday. >> they graduated them without the ability to graduate. >> i just have to disagree with that opinion. >> not an opinion. these are a finding of facts. my investigation by the state board of ed. >> earlier this year, we

meet requirements for graduation. a whistle blower says the registr registrar, guidance char and counselors stayed records. the cool ceo kevin maxwell released changes and certification issues in the county. for generations -- >> chevy chase market will close after nearly 60 years in business. the brothers who run the store announced on facebook that they lost their lease because of redevelopment in the area. the store on connecticut avenue near man or road. they're looking for a new location. the doors here will close in april. >> invaluable property in that neighborhood. it was missing for weeks. now a bride will have her dream dress for her big day. a news 4 helped her track it down through a delivery disaster. still ahead, improving safety standards before you get behind the wheel. why it's h

♪ think of your fellow man, ♪ lend him a helping hand, ♪ put a little love in your heart.♪

♪ put a little love in your heart.♪ ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart... ♪ in your heart. (vo) going on now, our subaru share the love event will have donated over one hundred fifteen million dollars to those in need. 3, 2, 1. >> another sign of the holiday season. the capitol christmas tree lit up on the west lawn of the u.s.

nearly 80-foot tall tree is covered in 12,000 ornaments. it traveled to a national forest in montana. the speaker of the house paul ryan did the countdown. an 11-year-old boy from montana flipped the switch. he was chosen to do the honors by his senator. >> very cool. >> it has to be considering where it is. >> we live in a beautiful city. can i just say. >> we have an update to you -- update for you this morning on a story that a lot of you have been talking about. nbc washington facebook page. >> a northern virginia bride's wedding disaster is finally over. michelle abate i received her wedding dress. she bought the dress in california. the tracking show, the gown traveled from califor

maryland. but back to california. after that, the dress shipped to maryland again before ending up in the midwest. ups promised it would be delivered. they made good on that promise. >> they're extremely apologetic. they said they were disgusted when they heard my story and my description of conversations that i've had with customer service reps the past almost month. abate says she's thankful and relieved that her dress finally arrived. now, she can focus on the wedding day, which is weeks away. i can't imagine what it's like. >> i'm sure you could. >> sell dresses all the time. >> not a wedding dress. not your dress for your day. you have to have alterations and sometimes that takes weeks. >> sometimes it fits. >> very rarely. >> maybe for you.

>> i'm going to stop talking now. the women all over are going, what? >> 5:42 right now. breaking news this morning. in first 4 traffic, we have several different problems happening. one of the worst for people commuting into town. east-west highway between new hampshire avenue and chillum. we have a live report coming up. the change of seasons is continuing. the cold air is moving in today. it's going to stick around for most of the next two weeks. maybe a little chance for snowflakes this weekend. we're watching it closely.

15 before the hour. we're staying on top of the breaking news in southern california morning. we know a lot of you have ties to that area. we want to show you this video. it's making the rounds on social media right now. just tweet thd out.

ventura county. he stopped to save a wild rabbit from the flames. the same conditions continue today. nbc's jinah kim is live for us in ventura with a look at the conditions. this is a terrible situation there. >> reporter: we cannot catch a break. we had the 80 miles an hour gusts that whipped into here on monday which started this inferno situation that we have. we had a little break yesterday. but today it's going to come back again. 50 to 80 mile an hour gusts predicted once again for today. that has firefighters and homeowners alike just bracing for the worst as if it could get any worse. we used to have six fires, but now it's four fires. the four fires are so much larger than over the past four days. the largest one is the fire in ventura. it saw about 150 ho

back to you. >> jinah kim live in ventura, california. thanks. now to the big announcement expected on capitol hill. will senator al franken resign. >> tracie potts is live on capitol hill for us. >> the latest, he hasn't decided. not saying publicly, his office says as of last night he was talking with his family. despite some reports saying he was going to step down. this comes after 35 democrats lined up against franken following the latest 7th accuser to come out and say he tried to, in this case, forcibly kiss her. he apologized for the first one and now we're waiting to see what he will decide about his own future today. tracie, we're closing in on a government shutdown. what are the chances this will pass? >> they need democratic votes and democrats are pushing the deal with daca. the pr

immigrants brought here illegally. in conjunction with this budget. what's on the table is not a budget. but one way to avoid a shutdown by pushing the thing about two weeks down the road. democrats are supposed to meet with the president later today. >> tracie potts on capitol hill for us this morning. tracie, thank you. 5:48 now. the man at the justice department who oversees special counsel robert mueller says he's satisfied with the job mueller's team is doing. this is a story you'll only see on news 4. rob rosenstein is depply attorney general. because deputy attorney general -- rosenstein has oversight of things like mueller's budget. monday the news 4 i-team asked rosenstein about mueller's progress so far. >> are you satisfied with what you've seen so far in office of special counsel? >> yes. when we conduct

as you know, we don't talk about the investigations while they're ongoing. what the american people will see is if and when a case is charged. there are several cases that have been charged to date. we're not in a position to talk about anything else. >> are you satisfied with things so far? >> yes, that's correct. >> scott asked white house attorney toi could be for a comment. >> he said i have great respect for robert mueller. we remain committed to working with him toward a speedy and appropriate resolution. rosenstein will testify before the house judiciary committee next week. a busy shopping season even on local military bases. army, air force and navy exchange stores offer tax-free shopping for local military families. they're packed this time of year. os scott macfarlane reports, military exchanges are also targeted by thieves. >> military ean

popular with military members and retirees. including this one. the navy exchange here in bethesda. you get popular items for discount prices. it's a deserved service for those who serve. but a news 4 i-team review those the military exchanges are not off limits to criminals. sold more than a million dollars in documents in military exchanges across the country just last year. in nearly 800 cases, we found military exchanges in maryland and virginia, including this brazen heist from a navy exchange in norfolk. security managers say thefts happened nationwide. the military members, by their kids or by the employees. >> most of the shoplifters, they shoplift once, they'll shoplift twice. so if we don't get them the first time, we may get them the second time. as part of our i-team report, what are the popular items at these exchanges and what punishment. criminal and military do you face if you're caught stealing from inside? for now, in

macfarlane, news 4 i-team. 5:51. back now to breaking news in first 4 traffic. let's go to melissa mollet. >> breaking news continuing this morning. a lot happening here this morning. this one here is in chillum. any moment showing us what's going on. east-west highway shut down between new hampshire avenue and riggs road. this is a crash investigation. all lanes closed. best alternate above there is university boulevard. get around that one. take a look at this. chopper 4 over the problem in laurel we've been telling but northbound 197 at kirk road. the vehicle in the parking lot of the sunoco gas station here. looks like the door may have had to be cut off there. another vehicle involved. open northbound there. it's closed southbound. crash still blocking part of the roadway there. northbound 95 at prince william parkway crashed on the ramp there. it's slowing things quite a bit there as you head into

lanes blocked by the crash. that's where chopper is. beltway looking okay. no major issues on your travel times right now. sheena? >> good morning, melissa. weatherwise, everything is nice and dry out there for your morning commute. temperatures a little on the cold side. if you want a warm coat, 37 gaithersburg. 34 dulles. 29 in manassas. 37 quantico. later on this afternoon, you'll notice that mix of clouds. we stay dry, however. but we stay pretty chilly. here's a look at satellite. a lot of the clouds stubborn to leave the area. as we go through the day, they'll try to break up a bit. the rain stays to our south. this is where the next storm system originates. it will stay out to sea later tomorrow and saturday. part of the area, maybe a rain or snow shower. i'll show you that in a second. here's the planner. 46 degrees bit afternoon. 49 for a daytime high. then later tonight, we're going to be getting cold

temperatures will be staying cold through today and really into next week. there's that storm system off the coast as we go into the weekend. maybe a lane or snow shower. the best chance south and east of the district. late friday into saturday. as far as your weekend forecast is concerned, colder temperatures in the morning. around 30 saturday and sunday morning. look at sunday. high temperatures 39 degrees. it's going to be cold out there. here's your entire ten-day forecast. even as we go into next week, we have 30s in the forecast. coming up in just a bit, chuck will talk more about what to expect before you step out the door this morning. sheena, thank you. in their first week, the tolls on 66, they're already taking a toll on most people's monthly budgets. today, a northern virginia lawmaker wants to help save you money. chris lawrence in the newsroom. explaining a new resolution out of loudoun county, chris. >> this resolution basically would immediately put a cap on the

figure. but consider that some commuters paid 40 bucks to drive 66 into d.c. tonight loudoun county supervisor, ron mayer will introduce it to the transportation commission. he wants to lower the cap and go back to the old rush hour period starting at 6:30 and ending at 9:00 a.m. the new toll system is in place from 5:30 to 9:30 and again from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. tolls fluctuate based on how bad traffic is at any given time. v-dot says capping the tolls will lead to more gridlock. their argument is, you take people out of the toll lanes, just being in the regular lanes. now, if you carpool during rush hour, the lanes are free. coming up at 6:00 a.m., we'll show you how the new lanes motivated one man to create a flood community in northern virginia. >> chris, thank you. virginia drivers may have to invest in bluetooth for cars pretty soon. there's a new bill

the state senate that would ban cell phone use while driving unless it's with a hands-free device. northern virginia faced scotto owe introduced the bill -- with links to texting while driving. he proposed the same bill last year. holding a phone to make a text or call is illegal in maryland and d.c. >> you think it would be a no-brainer. bottom line here. keep people safe. >> it's not though, sadly. new this morning, a list of the safest cars you can buy in 2018. >> the insurance institute for highway safety released the rankings overnight. as susan hogan shows us, it was harder than ever to get high marks. >> just how well your headlights work is now playing a huge role in how well your vehicle is actually rated. this time around, just 15 vehicles got the top safety picks plus award. let's take a look.

huge factor. but for the first time, so is passenger side protection and small overlap front crashes. most of the top safety picks plus awards went to two manufacturers. hyundai and subaru. those are spots that have crash prevention and specific headlights get more points. automakers have pledged to make auto brakes standard on virtually all -- by 2022. you see the crash test rating. go to our nbc washington app and search crash test. back to you guys. 5:56 right now. the holidays are almost here. that means kids will be out of school soon. >> now, while the kids are looking forward to a little fun. volunteers from all over the area are making sure kids keep up with their studies. molette green is live with details on the fight for children. molette, i don't know how the kids will be about doing homework over this winter break. >> i know.

this room full of volunteers fully engaged in the holiday spirit. there's stuffing. winter kits. for d.c. students to take home during their time off from school. so they can stay motivated as they're enjoying the holiday break. we're going to tell you what's going on, what's going inside these kits. why the fight for children campaign is so important for these students coming up in the next hour on "news4 today." stay with us. it's going to be good. >> great idea. molette, thank you. >> birth control and the connections to breast cancer that every woman should know. tensions rising. bracing for an eruption of violence. the fallout from president trump announcing that the u.s. formally recognizing jerusalem as the capital of israel. the family of murder victim pamela butler hopeful that police will soon find her body nearly nine years

the case coming up. at bp, everyone on an offshore rig depends on one another. that's why entire teams train together in simulators, to know exactly what to do before they have to do it. because safety is never being satisfied. and always working to be better. streaming and gaming are only as good as your internet. so get the best internet - with the 100% fiber-optic network. get fios gigabit connection, the fastest internet available - with download speeds up to 940 megs - plus a fios custom tv package, with over 150 of your favorite tv channels, and phone, all for just $79.99 per month online. and thanks to our customers, fios by verizon won the j.d. power award for highest ranked by customers for residential internet service satisfaction five years in a row and residential television service satisfaction in 2017. get fios gigabit connection

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>> for that we go to melissa mollet with first 4 traffic. what's happening? >> big problems here. this is chillum in prince george's county this morning, guys. a big, big issue for a lot of people that use that route into town and out of town this morning. east-west highway between new hampshire avenue and riggs road. this crash investigation sounds like we have a pole and wires down which could take longer. all lanes blocked. alternate university boulevard of the also want to show you something else happening here. chopper 4 over laurel, northbound bw parkway after 197, crash just got out of the way. thank goodness. 95 north of prince william parkway, crash on the ramp causing delays. southbound 270 before buck i's town pike crash blocking the left lane. justin finch is out in prince george's county showing us what's happening with that crash investigation. justin, what are you seeing on the ground there? >> reporter: hey there,