charles county trying to figure out what caused a crash and explosion that left twi people dead. chopper 4 getting new video what's left of the "what if" more of the energy we used came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s

well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy.

right now deputies in charles county are trying to figure out what caused a crash and explosion that left three people dead. chopper 4 getting new video what's left of the vehicle. ravages a virginia antique store, you'll hear from customers why this loss is so great. and i'm storm team4 meteorologist chuck bell, a little sunshine out now, but the cold today is here to stay. i'll give you the ten day forecast news4 midday starts right now. news4 midday starts now. good morning. and welcome to news4 midday. i'm pat lawson. we begin with that horrific early morning car crash that killed three people in la plata, happened on hawthorne road. charles county

mercedes benz crashed into a tree. a passer by tried to help and pulled the driver out moments before the car exploded. tragically two were trapped inside. the driver of la plata died at the hospital. look for updates in the nbc washington app. we are also following a developing story out of prince george count a man dead after early morning shooting. this happened on flag owe parkway near paw a tan in the high it'sville area. news4 derrick ward is live now to take a look at what happened. what do we know about what happened there, derrick? >> reporter: well, all we know for sure is one man is dead, rest still under investigation. all happened in this house you see behind me here. it was about 2:15 this morning when police first responded. and before dawn they towed a vehicle away. take a look at video from

morning. police say they got report of gunfire. when they got here found adult male outside taken to the hospital where pronounced dead and someone inside this house shot that person from inside the house. now the other circumstances are still under investigation. we do know that there is it a broken window up on the second floor of the house. it appears to it be broken from the inside. whether that's related to ts incident is part of the investigative process. police say that they are talking to several witnesses and they have a lot of information, a lot of evidence to go through, consult with the u.s. attorney's office before anything in the way of charges or anything like that are brought. but again the scene is clear, but you you can see the tape remains the walkway to this house where someone died early this morning. live in high it'sville derrick ward back to you. thank you, derrick. we are learning more about the death of a young girl before christmas. fridayht

county. they say a family member accidentally shot the 11-year-old girl. there were adults but no word when or if any charges will be filed in this case. new maryland state law now requires that apartments and homes have ten year sealed smoke alarms installed by the new year. and this next story proves how important they can become. take a look at this. this may have saved someone lives in maryland overnight. police say they were sleeping when the alarm went off. they were able to get out of the house in time. investigators think the fire started in live room. it did about three to four hundred in damage. meanwhile massive fire overnight. flames through a warehouse with antiques more than two dozen dealers destroying near

new news4 aimee cho joins us live. >> reporter: pat, seeing what's left of the store is heartbreaking. one of antiques are piles of rubble. but outside all this devastation you can still see a single christmas wreath out front perfectly untouched. through a cold christmas night flames destroying this antique store. covered by bows of tape. through all the damage you can see remnants of what once was. >> i'm speechless. i really am. it was a beautiful place. a lot of artifacts. >> the aftermath is a hard thing to deal with. >> reporter: all morning long people dropping by to see the loss for themselves. some taking pictures where they had once come. >>

there, and the owners lost their livelihood. >> they had other things that no one else had. >> reporter: a store with once preverdict memories is now a memory itself. >> it's a shame at christmas. no one needs this. it's terrible. but it doesn't look like there is going to be much to be salvaged from what i see from the outside. but let's hope there are still some things that are there. >> reporter: the cause of the fire is still unknown. firefighters say this is old building with a lot of wood. that's part of why the damage spread so quickly. live in alexander, aimee cho, news4. >> thanks, aimee. such a shame. well, as people head back to work, we are dealing with a blast of cold weather. meteorologist chuck bell joins us now. this final week of the year will be a cold one. >> yeah, even though 2017 is

warmest year on record, it is going to come to end on frigid note. the cold air is here to stay for quite an extended period of time. 34 now at national airport but a light wind out of the northwest has the lynde back down into the upper 20s. current temperatures still mostly hovering near the 30 degree mark. 35 quantico. 33 in fredericks berg. if planning out your day, the high today is 37 at national airport. right around 2:30 around as late as 3:00 this afternoon. few more clouds coming in over the early night hours with temperatures upper teens and lower 20s by the time you get wednesday morning started. this is just the beginning. it's going to stay real cold through new year's eve. extended forecast coming up. >> thank you. despite the cold, no snow in our area fo

that was not the case in northwest. severe winter weather caused major problems for holiday travelers. nbc ron allen has the story. >> reporter: blanket of the snow and white christmas from chicago to boston. first in 14 years. the storm perhaps nearly causing a disaster, a jet blue plane sliding off ha taxy way after landing boston airport late monday. flight 50 from savannah safely taken to the terminal. no injuries reported at this time. earlier on christmas logan closing runways and groupeding flights because of zero visibility. winter storm even pounding the region with reports of thunder snow in northeast and rare blizzard warnings in maine and new hampshire. >> the roads are a little rough. i don't remember the last time we had a

>> reporter: some of the roughest conditions along the coast, winds up to 65-mile-per-hour on cape cod on the islands. as many as 6,000 homes left without power. in parts of pennsylvania that's familiar winter wallop, drifting snow covering the roads, reducing visibility, making driving treacherous. with some vehicles sliding off the roads. >> i hope people are where they are supposed to be. less people on the road the better. >> that was ron allen reporting. this morning too lou den county sheriffs are recovering after being shot by a suspect. accusing two shots of capital murder. this happened christmas eve as deputies were responding to domestic call. they say douglas johnson junior pulled a gun tas theye

those deputies are expected to be okay. there is a gofundme page for the deputies. we have a link to that on the nbc washington app. in virginia election officials getting ready for a rare ending to a highly contested house race. how they are planning to break a tie tomorrow. and what it's going to mean for the balance of pour "what if" more of the energy we used came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are.

transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy.

president trump is spending the holidays in florida while he might not be making miss public appearances, he is tweeting this morning about his legislative victory. talked about getting rid of the mandate in the tax reform bill. now he says they'll be plans to craft a new health care bill. nbc edward lawrence has a look what's next during the president's second year in office. >> reporter: president trump mar-a-lago in florida gets back to business. he set a side harsh stuff on twitter. >> on behalf of our trump family, god bless you, god bless america. >> reporter: still the president not backing off the fbi this weekend pushing the idea that the clintons gave fbi deputy

campai campaign contributions. >> we need to know our civil servants are doing the honorable thing. >> reporter: the president also announcing united nations cutback. reduced by $280 million. comes days after a u.n. resolution condemning president's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capitol. and this warning. >> when we make generous contributions to the u.n., we also have a legitimate expectation that our goodwill is recognized and respected. >> reporter: the white house will also have to sell their new tax plan, signed into law to the american people. democrats say it will amount to a tax increase for the middle class. the president says workers will see fewer taxes taken out of their paychecks starting in february. >> when the president and congress return to washington, there will be a number of issues they have to

developing an infrastructure rebuilding plan. now back to you. >> well, tomorrow, we find out whether republicans or democrats will control virginia house of delegates. this is all because of that tie in the 94th district. virginia elections board, the state board will meet tomorrow to draw a name, literally pull a name out of a hot. between republican david yancy and democrat shelly simonds. we'll have updates here on nbc news4. everyone is talking about meghan markle at the annual church service. she showed off and kate, queen elizabeth acknowledged her by welcoming new members of the ral

60th anniversary. so the big day as come and gone, and no doubt you have a gift you don't need, gifts wind up in a drawer or garage to be for every forgotten. chris has more on your christmas clutter. >> reporter: as joyful as opening christmas presents can be, there is also the reality some of it is going to end up like the other staff. cluttering your already cluttered household. >> i stress out. i mean, you look around your house and you see all this stuff, and you are like what am i going to do with it. >> i'm not handling it very well right now. i think i'm add to go the clutter. >> reporter: adding to the clutter, especially around christmas, has become a real concern. >> we are really drowning in stuff. it's getting to be more than ha problem. >> reporter: that's where people

founder and ceo of declutter fly. and says the holidays are a perfect time to take stock and get rid of household clutter beginning with old christmas decorations. >> there has been a couple christmass that this stuff hasn't been put out to deck or rate, purge it. look, if the lights don't work but you think you'll fix them and you haven't, you are not going to. let it go. >> reporter: she says for the stuff that's still useful, keep charities in mind. >> it's so much easier for them to give that stuff away knowing that it's going to go to a great home. >> reporter: however you do it, make this the year you declutter your home to declutter your life. chris clack en, nbc news. >> and as you heard in that report, donating your old unwanted gifts is a great way to declutter. news4 stopped by the goodwill in arlington this morning and learned that donating helps

community. >> especially around the holidays, we know that the jobs that are created, that the people we are supporting, all of that money gets to help people with new careers help them open savings account and presents under the trees. no better time to have a meaningful part of goodwill. >> reporter: you can also get a tax deduction if you donate. so be sure to ask for a receipt so you can file that with your taxes. today marks the first day of kwanzaa, the week long celebration first started as african culture more than 50 years ago. each day a different principal is honored. today is about unity and will include everything from dancing and music to a large feast through new year's eve. coming up largest fire in history, battling for weeks, a loo k

the massive wildfire in southern california now called the thomas fire has become the largest in the state's history. officials say it's destroyed more than 280,000 acres. and more than 1,000 structures and buildings have been leveled. firefighters didn't get a brake over the holiday. they are still fight to go contain the fire that could take another two weeks to completely

contain. did you hear it? you probably did over the weekend. powerful winds whipping through the washington area. take a look at how strong some of the guchlsts were. winds were so forceful caused a tree to fall on eden wood court. damaged the gas meter causing a gas leak. no one was home at the time and that family won't be able to come home this week. well, we have not only, we got a break from the winds, but now the cold is really settling in on us. >> yes. and the cold is here to stay. so if you were hoping for something, left turn, no doubt about it, windy weather yesterday around here. and this cold this is going no where fast. a significant change in the weather pattern around here is open the

and going no where. every day for the next two weeks will be colder than average. and not just by a little bit. 34 in washington. northwest winds has the whipped chill down 27 degrees. and similar story elsewhere around the region. generally upper 20s to 30 in the shenandoah valley. low to mid-30s around the city. but keep the wind chills in the upper 20s the rest of the afternoon. hourly planner, not much of a rise in temperatures, should make 37 for high in downtown, 33 in gaithersburg, closer to 40 down towards charlottesville. but that's quite a bit below our average which is now 44 degrees. you can also stay ahead of our weather with our free nbc app

chuck bell. this is not a trend that anyone is going to like except for sky snowers. great snow making weather for resorts and with temperatures this cold anything they make will stick around. we may have a little clans for some natural snow coming our way closer to the weekend. the polar jet is down to our south. that means we are going to stay on the cold side for most of the next 7 to 14 days. i'll show you that weekend forecast and the snow chances coming along with it. >> thank you. and with frigid weather settling in on us, you may be wondering about your heating bill. well, a pennsylvania woman sure knows what it's like to experience sticker shock. her name is marry cham. she tells the news she went online to check electric bill and stunned at the amount she owed. more than $284 billion. yes, billion.

company, and finally figured out what the problem was. a decimal point was accidentally put in the wrong spot. the bill was actually $284.46. much to her relief. >> holiday returns can sure be a hassle. what to know before you head back to the store that can make the process a little easier for u.yo

you're watching news4 midday. you can call it a holiday tradition, rush to return the unwanted gifts the day after christmas. nbc jolene kent has a to do list for you before you head to the mall. >> reporter: with the retail rush behind us, and gifts exchanged. >> this is the best christmas ever. >> reporter: retailers are also giving thanks for strong consumer spending this year. retail sales jumped more than 4% over last year. online shopping spiking 24% over the holiday season. >> people have gonl out e out i droves and spent a lot of money this season. >> reporter: almost two thirds of americans made a return last holiday season. but before you take back your unwanted gifts, retail experts recommend for electronics, pe

leave tags intact. and don't use the gift. hang onto receipts. many retailers won't allow exchanges or returns without them. check store return policies before taking an item back. some have limited return windows or only offer store credit. and make sure to bring your i.d. for extra hand free apps, shop a phi will keep tabs on all your online orders, completes with map based location tracking. and paribus watches for any reduction in price after you buy. detects a price drop, it will file a claim with the retailer to get your money back. also automatically requests money back if your shipment arrives late. >> the growth in ecommerce has been so rapid, giv

packages shipped, we estimate 60 million will be late. in stores to respond go to the fact that some more people are buying online are making these guarantees and do have policies in place to protect you. >> reporter: still have items on your wish list, do not fear some of the best deals are yet to come. this week and next are the best time to buy clothing or cash in your gift cards. and wait until january or the weekend before the super bowl for the best price on a tv. more chances to find that perfect gift long after santa is gone. jolene kent, nbc news, washington. and we know christmas is barely ov barely over, but you may want to spend extra time taking down the tree. trees cause hundreds of fires. you probably remember this fire back in january of 2015 p annapolis couple and four of their grandchildren died when their tree ignited home. now the sister of

to remind others how to keep their holidays safe. >> i don't want to see this happen to anyone else. three rules are water your tree every day, unplug overnight, because there is still current running through, even if it is off. and also to dispose of it within 30 days of getting it or by january 1, whichever comes first. good tips. she says keeping an overly dry tree is like inviting a forest fire into your house. >> another important reminder, check your homes sprinklers. back in october angie goff showed us how big a difference they can make if fire does break out. >> and we have posted plenty of tips on the nbc washington app just search "holdy safety". this time of yeear you migh be concerned about eating too much and exercising too little. news4 justin finch says you can enjoy it you will a, enjoy the

season and stay healthy. >> reporter: whether at home or work, family and friends, the holidays make it a hard time to get to the gym. but when you mess up, don't worry. >> don't go crazy. you can have a cheat meal, but don't make it a cheat day. >> reporter: life time fitness in fairfax, while you are watching what you eat, work in your exercises. >> first exercise she is going to do is a body weight squat. she's staying on her heels. >> reporter: next a classic or modified pushup. >> basically a plank that moves up and down. legs are straight. everything is locked out. say you can't do it that way. here's a modified version. go to your knees and do do

>> reporter: and as you go low for the hinge movement watch your form. >> keep your back nice and flat. >> reporter: last move russian twist. >> target your lower abs too. you can put it on the floor too. >> reporter: 10 to 15 eps of each exercise. do the whole rou teenl two to three times or personal best. justin finch, news4. one of the actors from the sound of music has died. heather men smensie. 68-year-old actress started in several television shows, married to robert urck who died from cancer in 2002. while chuck is tracking the chance for

and out for a holiday stroll, unwanted guest that had one neighborhood on edge this cistmas.hr don't miss your last chance of the year to save at havertys furniture. get up to $1000 in bonus discounts now through new year's day. plus, you can finance with no interest for 36 months. ring in the new year with stylish upgrades. with havertys, your home can be perfect. even when life isn't.

life looks good.

people living in australian community had this unwanted visitor for the holiday. take a look, 3 foot fresh water crocodile was wandering the streets. unsure what to do with this, police called in a professional reptile catcher to corral this crock. >> they said there was a crock going on the streets. i responded. >> police aren't sure whether the reptile came from, where it came from, and they are presuming it was somebody'

like the grinch stole christmas song zb. >> they don't like cold weather, do they. >> it's summertime in australia. other side of the equator. >> i am not interested in sharing my backyard with a crocodile. i'm sure the dogs wouldn't be too interested in it it. >> they belong in the zoo or wild. no doubt. >> around here, very unreptilian weather coming our way the next couple of days. you'll be extra warm blooded to survive the next week as old man winter has come for extended stay whether you like it or not. doesn't look too bad right now but it is a chilly day. forecast for today 37 for a high temperature. little on breezy side. 8 to 16-mile-per-hour. so not bitter cold today, but the bitter cold is coming. polar jet is down to our south. and as a result we'll be locked into the cold around here for quite a stretch to come. the clouds we had earlier this mo

sunshine. actually a pretty afternoon to be outside. the clouds will thicken again late tonight and into the overnight hours. so here's future weather. clear for now, but after 7:00 skies going mostly cloudy. then during the overnight, here's 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. i couldn't rule out a little hint of light snow likely in the form of snow flurries from the washington area to point south to fredericksburg, in and out in no time. but don't be shocked if you are up super early tomorrow morning to be to be see a snow flurry or too. look at these temperatures 7:00 a.m. when you get up 29 lunchtime, 27 at dinner time, and 22 as gu into the evening tomorrow. so it's going to be cold. wondering about the weekend, no warm-up coming at all. saturday partly to mostly cloudy. a little clans for light snow saturday afternoon. that snow chance lingers 0en into

eve and with the cold air in place all we have to do is wait on moisture. so we'll track this carefully. >> don't look like a big snow threat but there is cold enough. so we'll track this very carefully. an inch of snow unlikely on friday or saturday. but we are watching that sunday into monday time frame, pat, temperatures no where near warm any time soon. >> all right. chuck. thank you. new video of a christmas gift most of us dream of. it was enough to bring a mother and father to tears. see what a former uva

"what if" more of the came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy.

retailers have reasons to be cheerful, that's according to mcmaster spending plus, that's the best place since 2011. ecommerce driving that with online sales 18%. mastercard says full week to snap up last minute gifts. next to black friday in terms of spending. and red box with universal pictures. this means the movies will be available from kiosk the same day released on blu-ray. used to do 28 day window, but supplied to both the new streaming service. has similar one day

deals, and one week delay with warner brothers and fox. business report, i'm landen doubty. >> when tourists go to south korea. they'll see medical tourism. takes us behind the scenes to show us why plastic surgery is big business in a small country. >> reporter: if you walk through the streets of seoul, chances are many of the faces you encounter have been altered. the capital city of south korea is the global mecca of the multi billionaire dollar plastic surgery. >> 29-year-old yemen a nurse from taiwan getting breast implants that caters to international clients helping to fuel the

rhythm trend. there are hundreds of similar centers just in this district alone. >> make them very comfortable. >> reporter: yen ensays she thought about breast augmentation for years, and when her favorite youtuber said she went to this particular clinic, that sealed the deal. >> every time i take a shower, look at myself, i just feel that like self-conscious. i like how bigger breasts look. and i want to look more feminine shape. >> reporter: tonya is a russian patient. she's 21. a week before this interview she had a procedure called thread lifting which uses surgical thread to push

surgery. >> look like they are falling. also because of stress, i had dark circles under my eyes. >> reporter: millions of patients like tonya travel to korea every year seeking expertise who hone their skills through repetition, and the prices less expensive than the u.s. has highest rate of plastic surgery per capita in the world. >> doctors here become experts at what they do. and when you are working on your face, you want a scarless procedure that will be done right the first time. >> reporter: and because plastic surgery is so routine in korea, little sigma in getting work done. >> no difference between getting plastic surgery or skin treatment, then putting on makeup or getting clothes or getting education, it's all self-employment, and if it doesn't liturgy anybody, why not. >> reporter: that attitude is

younger clientele. even teenagers getting plastic surgery, most commonly double eyelid surgery to make their eyes look bigger. procedure so popular and widespread they are given as birthday and graduation gifts. >> translator: you feel better about small eyes, so instead of children who get parents, parents often suggest they bring them here. >> reporter: but this culture of self improvement is feeding appearance and counts on people feeling dissatisfied with their looks. and whether that hurts anyone, it's still up for debate. yang, news4. >> fascinating. don't miss the second part of her report on the booming plastic surgery industry in south korea on the nbc washington app. one cancer survive or made his triumphant return to the football

christmas. houston texan david made his nfl debut. drafted but never played after nonhodgkin's. he was called up this week, and named one of the team's captains. good for him. among the sacrifices you made, i want our family to be yours. >> major league baseball prospect just gave his parents the gift of a lifetime. their entire mortgage paid in full. pavin smith mom could barely make it through that letter from her son. former uav baseball player surprised family for christmas. used some of his $5 million bonus to pay for that incredible gift. good for him. well, chuck is back after thea

could see a few flurries early tomorrow. and falling on i.c.ce skates ist unusual, but it's what this couple is dog aheadin

this just in, if you live in part of northwest d.c. you could be without water for the next 8 to 10 hours. d.c. water says the outage is on the outside of

between 5th street and new jersey avenue. 50 homes affected. crews on ts scene and working to fix the problem. you're going to hear this name a whole lot as we gear up for the winter games. mama, bine 17-year-old reared in northern virginia and has become the first black woman to qualify for the u.s. speed skating team. and if her skills don't win you over, her personality will. news4 caught up with her and her dad at the rink. >> reporter: lace ing up has trained in virginia. soon headed to south korea for the 2018 winter olympics. >> yeah, very surreal. >> reporter: been her dream to compete since the last winter games. telling herself. >> my goal is

i'd be really young, and i did. >> reporter: you can see how personable and even giddy at times she can be just in conversation. but notice when she hits the ice, she gets focused. that determination started young. and she says she owes much of it to her dad. >> he had to sacrifice so much that i don't even know. and oh, man, it takes a lot of work. >> reporter: in 2005 brought her to the u.s. from native ghani separating the family. >> it was never easy migrating. worked hard. but i made it. >> reporter: one day they happened to pass by state quest in ruston. >> and i saw a sign saying learn to skate. >> and my dad signed me up. >> figure skating. so she is going to try speed skating. >> repoe

first black women to be part of team u.s. olympic speed skate zblg this is what this country is. it's diversity and different. so that's exactly why i'm representing the u.s. because it's different. >> reporter: her dad likes to remind her how far she's come. as we were interviewing her he handed his daughter something she had never seen. >> what is that? >> reporter: oh, my goodness. >> holy cow. >> reporter: 2005. >> that's the first group lesson. >> i think i've ever had. and this is the date where i made the olympic team. >> reporter: you kept it? >> holy cow. i didn't know. oh, jeez. what? >> reporter: loves his daughter's humility and doesn't take credit for her success. >> she got through it. i was just affecting things. >> reporter: he admits part of being the facilitator,

have a cell phone. >> maybe now it's time to get one. >> reporter: look how excited. >> keep her grounded. >> yes. >> reporter: as she prepares to skate on the international stage, they believe the many sacrifices are well worth it. >> teen with all the hard work, and all the crying, all the tears, i would do it again. because, like, i had double the laughter with that. >> reporter: mame, biney, look for that golden smile, it warms even the chilly sports. >> look for it. earned the phone call. one man dropped to the knee over the weekend at the rockefeller ice rink but looks moments later what

his fiance says yes. [ cheers and applause ] >> you could say that they quite literally fell in love. that's what we are saying. luckily the new bribe to be is just fine. the couple laughed at her tumble on the ice and skated offhand in hand. into the sunset. into the cold. chuck? >> she thinks the proposal was tough, wait until she spends the death do us part comes along. >> certainly warming. more than our weather here. >> no doubt. good ice skating weather all around, even the outdoor rink also have no trouble keeping affirm icy cold surface. check out these numbers. average temperature 44 degrees. we'll be no where near that any time soon. 37 today. below freezing for highs next couple of days. and increasing chances for some snow as we get closer to new year's eve and day. we are watching it. >> okay.

thank you. that's it for news

. we're live in five, four, three, two, one. >> what happened in the lunchroom? >> they -- they poured the milk on me and they put the hand down my clothes and threw food at me. they called me names and -- >> keaton jones, the bullied boy in the video, speaking out. he first got outpouring. >> and then the pile-on started. it emerged first, as you said, this little boy being made into a hero. a voice for the voiceless speaking out against the bul