now at 11:00 -- freezing cold. already feeling like single digits outside. what you can expect as we get closer to the new year. thieves rob a small business. the owner says he couldn't let them get away. tonight he talks to news 4

caught up. >> i'm glad the police caught them. and why the rush to pay ahead on property taxes might not put any more money in your pocket in 2018. >> announcer: news 4 begins now with storm team 4. and we begin tonight in a deep freeze. shock to the system tonight for georgetown fans leaving capital one arena. it's not just freezing outside. it feels like the temperature outside tonight getting close to zero. team coverage of the freezing conditions with chief meteorologist doug kammerer. >> already there you mentioned zero. that's exactly where we are in the hagerstown region. d.c. coming in at 6 degrees. current wind chill. winds not very strong but it does not take a lot of wind to give you that wind chill and it blows through you at 5, 10, 15 miles per hour it makes it feel so much colder. look at these numbers. 4 below zero in state college. 9 i

extreme cold around our region. as we move on through the next couple of days it's going to stay that way. waking up tomorrow winds 10 to 20 miles per hour, especially when the sun comes up. gusts of 25. feeling like 0 to 10 early tomorrow. and probably right on through the noon hour. and we will be below freezing all day. but not just all day tomorrow. this extended period of cold, i've got the next 7 out of 10 days below freezing. we're going to talk much more about that. the coldest of which, by the way, new year's day. all of that in just a minute. >> no kidding. thanks, doug. thanks for the good news. we'll see you in a little bit. in the meantime, d.c. activated its cold emergency plan. not just for tonight but all the way into the new year. news 4's shomari stone continues our live coverage at one of the emergency shelters in northwest. shomari, they obviously are preparing for the worst tonight, right? >> that's right, leon. they definitely are prepared. it feels awful out here. i've been standing out here for around what, seven minutes and i am cold.

my face feels numb. now, you have to think about the homeless people. the most vulnerable people in the district. and mayor bowser definitely wants to do what she can to help. she activated the alert to make sure that they have a place to stay tonight and to stay warm like the church behind me called community of christ on massachusetts avenue. >> we want everybody to get inside. it can be dangerously cold outside. >> reporter: d.c. mayor muriel bowser issues a warning to people in this frigid cold weather. >> we have activated our cold emergency, which makes many more district services available including temporary emergency shelters like the one here at nativity catholic church. >> reporter: the district launched its cold emergency plan tonight, opening shelters to protect people from life-threatening injuries. these guys are wrapped up to protect themselves from the cold. as they work on road repairs a

lane in bethesda. >> i mean, anybody that's out here working in this is really dedicated to what they do. >> reporter: at auto repair shops dedicated mechanics like george ransford make sure cars are ready. >> you need to check your tire pressure and your wiper blades. >> reporter: at the bethesda home depot workers stocked up with extra space heaters. back in the district mayor bowser encourages people to look out for one another. >> this is also a time when neighbors need to check on neighbors. not only for people we can see out on the street but neighbors who may be in their homes without heat. >> reporter: and especially elderly neighbors. also keep in mind that if you have space heaters fire officials recommend that you be careful. keep it on a flat surface, not on carpet or near curtains where it could catch on fire. also do notse

and again cause a fire. i was talking to chief meteorologist doug kammerer earlier today and he tells me shomari, that this could last up until january 2nd. it's cold. live here in northwest d.c., i'm shomari stone, news 4. >> and now you're free to get back inside the truck, shomari. thank you for that report. >> thank you, leon. >> all right, man. the cold is one thing. but more than five feet of snow, that is a completely different animal entirely. somehow the erie, pennsylvania airport has reopened tonight. 60 inches of snow fell in 48 hours there, burying that city. de-icing machines have helped out quite a bit there at the airport. crews have been working nonstop to get the runways clear there. but d.c. cold a lot different than chicago or minnesota cold. folks there have seen their temperatures go to 35 or 40 below zero in some areas. in those conditions frostbite can set in in less than 30 minutes. so think about that before you comai

here. now, chopper 4 with new video coming in of a crash involving a pickup truck and a minivan in herndon tonight. this happened on centerville road near frying pan road around 8:30. the collision crushed the front end of that black pickup truck there. you can see it caused some significant damage to a red minivan as well. a big police presence there on the scene tonight. we are still working on the scene and we'll get more information from fairfax county police about what happened before that crash. we do know that centerville road northbound has been closed for the investigation. two people rob a pizza joint at gunpoint and then lead police on a chase across state lines. one of the people in hot pursuit was the owner of the restaurant. he told news 4's jackie bensen why he was so determined to catch these guys. jackie's live in germantown with the story. jackie. >> reporter: leon, the 26-year-old owner worked for years to buy this business. his wife, his sister, hisot

work here. he said he was not about to let the men who waved a gun in his employee's faces get away with it. >> i don't know. my instinct got to me. >> reporter: adnan shafiq says he acted on instinct when an employee at his business, tasty 5 pizza, in germantown called him around 5:00 p.m. and said the store was being held up at gunpoint. shafiq, who lives across the street, says he jumped in his car and got there so fast, he ran into the robbers as they were running out. >> guy pulls out the gun on me, and he's like, i'm going to kill you, i'm going to rob you, give me all your money. i was like man, i don't have any money. i instantly just said hey, somebody call the police. >> reporter: shafiq says he then did something even he admits was dangerous. he jumped in his car and called 911 to let police know the restaurant had been robbed and that he was following the robbers. >> so we started here and ended up in boyd, going through clarksbu

southbound. >> reporter: you can hear the moment on the montgomery county police dispatch tapes when officers catch up and take over the pursuit. >> flashers on now. he's driving a chevy malibu, black in color. flashers on. >> reporter: the pursuit ended miles away on the gw parkway in arlington. adnan shafiq says he's grateful that those robbers are off the street. >> just shocking. you know, very shocking somebody would even do something like that. and i'm glad the police caught them and they're behind bars now. >> reporter: shafiq is a graduate of northwest high school and a pillar of the community. thursday afternoons he gives away free pizza to the homeless and anybody else who wants a slice. live in germantown, jackie bensen, news 4. >> thank you, jackie. a last-minute rush to prepay 2018 property taxes before the end of the year may have been all for naught for hundreds of homeowners in our area. all of this is tied to the tax reform bill congress passed last

week. it caps property tax deductions at $10,000 next year. many homeowners are trying pay their tax bills before the end of 2017, hoping they can get a larger deduction. but here's what we learned today. the irs says that in order to deduct that prepayment taxpayers will need to pay and have their 2018 property tax assessment completed before monday. and assessments have not happened yet for most local counties and cities. that includes the entire state of maryland, which doesn't release its assessments until july. and today in fairfax county many people who were in line to prepay left when the county officials there told them about this news from the irs. >> fairfax county or fairfax has assessed the 2018 property taxes? >> no, they have not. the tax rates have not been set. >> and the irs is saying? >> it's a result of that that taxpayers will not be allowed to deduct that on their taxes. >> so you gave people the option and some people

number of people we had here at the time, we decided it would be appropriate to come out and give them the option on whether or not they wanted to move forward with the prepayment of their taxes. >> and many left. >> many left, yes. >> that was our chris gordon working the story. the prince george's county council was set to meet tomorrow to consider emergency legislation on property tax prepayments. that meeting was canceled tonight after the new guidance from the irs. we'll keep you posted on what happens going forward. president trump is praising the gop tax bill and taking credit for positive economic news. the president is on a working vacation at his florida estate, and he stopped by a fire station in west palm beach today. and while talking to the firefighters there, the president promoted his policies and compared the country to a wayward ship. >> a big, big beautiful ship that we're turning around. and a lot of good things. 401(k)s doing well. the stocks are doing well. a lot of companies coming back to the country. >> the president repeatedly told the firefighters that he

the record for the most signed legislation by a president in his first year. but fact checkers say that trump signed the least amount of legislation of any first-year president since eisenhower. a relative of the teen accused of gunning down a reston couple says that she's heartbroken for the grieving family. the 17-year-old allegedly killed scott and buckley fricker last week before shooting and then critically injuring himself. the relative told news 4 that the suspect has been battling mental health issues. and she also disputed a "washington post" report that said that neighbors expressed concerns to the family after the teenager mowed a swastika into a field. she says no one approached the family about that incident. the family of the murdered couple, they told news 4 that they were worried about the suspect dating their daughter because of his neo-nazi views. coming up next at 11:00, reports of widespread flu activity in our area. how bad this flu season already is compared to last year. and why a flu shot is sll

plus, new opposition to a proposed high-speed magnetic train that could cut through some local communities on its way from d.c. to new york. and getting the pieces in place for new ♪ toyland, toyland ♪ little girl and boy land ♪ while you dwell within it ♪ you are ever happy there

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it was fun as usual today at disneyland in california. that is, until a big power outage hit the park during a busy holiday week, leaving some visitors there stuck on rides and many more stuck in long lines. in all, the park says about a dozen attractions were affected. employees escorted the guests off those rides. no one was hurt, the good news there

it was all caused by a transformer problem out there. a train from d.c. that could have you in baltimore in 15 minutes or in new york in an hour getting some new pushback tonight. laurel mayor craig moe sent a letter to maryland grfrn larry hogan last week about this proposed mag lev train system. the governor supports the proposal. mag lev trains can top speeds of more than 300 miles per hour. but mayor moe said in the letter that he sent some in his city feel it would be a train to nowhere, it would take people's homes and land. people in bowie expressed similar concerns this year when the project announced three possible routes for its track. news for your health now. one of the most shared stories on our facebook page, flu cases are surging close to home. doctors are warning this is a particularly bad year for the virus. the flu shot may not help as much as it has in years past. but as news 4's erica gonzalez reports, it's sti y

bet. >> reporter: does there seem to be a lot of this around you these days? the peak season for influenza is upon us. it goes from december to february. and it's already on the rise. in fact, in maryland and virginia the cdc calls it widespread. the cdc breaks down flu levels into five categories. no activity, sporadic, local, that's where d.c. is, regional, and widespread. maryland and virginia are among 23 states reporting widespread flu. >> did you get your flu shot? >> yes, i did. did you get your flu shot? >> we did, and so far we're doing well. >> reporter: is the shot helping keep the flu at bay? dr. donald poretz, specialist in infectious diseases. >> the vaccine is obviously not 100% effective. in fact, this year it's not nearly as effective as it has been in the past. but it is still strongly recommended that everyone receive the vaccine so we can decrease

cases of flu. >> reporter: there's already been more than 7,000 confirmed cases of the flu throughout the u.s., double the amount last year. the cdc recommends everyone over the age of six months get a flu shot, especially the elderly and children. did you get your flu vaccine this year? >> yes. >> you did. how about everybody here? everybody get their flu shot? >> we did. >> all the kids? >> they did. >> nobody's been sick this season? >> knock on wood, no. not yet. >> reporter: remember to wipe down surfaces and wash your hands. a lot. last year the flu shot had a 42% effective rate. how this year's shot fares remains to be seen. erika gonzalez, news 4. >> doesn't matter -- there you go. with the lysol wipes. thank you. what are you saying about me? you come up here, you sit down and -- >> you said you weren't feeling well. i'm not taking any chances. >> may not feel as good tomorrow. it is freezing

thinking about getting the shot. >> this is the kind of cold where you go outside and you feel it immediately. >> immediately. >> it doesn't take a lot of winds to produce wind chills in the single digits. that's where we are right now. look at the numbers we've got out there. first up the flag down there toward union saying. it's blowing. we get some higher gusts every once in a while, upwards of 20 miles per hour. you can see that flag blowing in the wind right now, making it feel that much colder. i mean, the wind chill right now is brutal. current temperature right now downtown, this is the number wp we're sitting at 20 degrees, winds out of the northwest at 15 miles per hour. that's a lot for this time of day. and look at the temperatures. current temperatures, these are not wind chills, these are the temperatures. 17 gaithersburg, 14 in martinsburg, 17 in manassas. you add in that wind and look at these wind chills. these are the coldest we've seen in a very long time. 6 right now in d.c. 0 hagerstown. 5 in manassas. and i expect this to be what you're going to wake up to tomorrow morning. we did see some snow flurries rl

system that has passed us down to our south and east, and that's going to be the scenario here playing out over the next week and a half to two weeks. most of the storms taking a southerly track. we'll get some weaker storms in here. that's what we've got during the day on saturday. that will give us a chance. we've got a huge area of -- huge trough of low pressure, way down. this trough goes way down into the south. then far enough off the coast that if a storm comes down it actually has a better chance of providing atlanta or raleigh with snow than it does for us because it will stay off the coast and develop off the coast. the big pattern for us is just the cold, and it is locked in for the next one to two weeks across our region and really across most of the eastern half of the nation. overnight wake up to wind chills here we are with the field like temperature at 8:00, 8 in annapolis, 3 in gaithersburg, 4 in manassas. that's right around where we are right now. and here's noon tomorrow. let's go get some lunch, everybody. how about we order in? 12 in gaithersburg, 15 d.c., 14

an incredibly cold day tomorrow for sure. high temperature only 28. below freezing all day. breezy and cold, chills in the teens. so bundle up. it's one of those days, especially tomorrow morning, where you want to make sure all of your exposed skin is covered. we're talking about scarves around the face, maybe an extra hat. you've got the gloves on if you're going to be out especially for any long period of time because it's just that cold. 36 on your friday. we're rebounding a little bit. flurries possible on friday but a better chance of snow showers on saturday. this is not a big system. it will be, as i mentioned, though, well off the coast. 33 on saturday. that storm brings in even more cold. a high of 27 on new year's eve. wind chills in the teens all day. and look at new year's day. 24 degrees for a high temperature. wind chills early on monday morning will be in the single digits, right around where they are now. between 0 and 10 as you step out the door on new year's day. going to knows new year festivities, definitely on the cold side, and if you notice the next seven out of

i told you last week i think the potomac will start freezing. that's definitely going to be in the offing over the next couple of days. >> so why do you need the lysol, then? wouldn't that freeze the germs that you're so afraid of? >> they can -- those germs -- i don't know enough about that. >> all right. fine. we'll talk about that later. still ahead here, the caps come up short in their first game back from their break. sports coming up next.

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figured out. the wizards either play up to their competition or they play down to their competition. right? that's the game? >> you have to win. >> i don't want to call it a trap game because they just came off of beating the best team in the nba, but you can't go to atlanta and -- >> or worst. >> yeah. that's all you have to say. the wizards' achilles heel clearly is bad teams. tonight they couldn't beat the worst team in the nba. when just a couple days ago they beat the best team. wizards coming off that huge win, remember, christmas against the celtics. but in the second quarter wizards up six, bradley beal on the drive, nice pass to otto porter jr. knocking down the three. he has 15 and the wizards up nine. in the fourth the wizards' defense letting them down. check out this pass for the hawks. john collins throwing it down. that gives the hawks a six-point lead. and later things getting worse. wizards within four. but dennis schroder with the free lane takes it to the rack. contact, no

go. atlanta up six. just a few minutes later wizards trying to stay in it. schroder slicing them up. the easy lay-in. he has 21. hawks get their ninth win of the season. 113-99 the final. >> it's awful. >> down a level. first big east conference game for patrick ewing and the hoyas hosting butler. georgetown led by 20. final seconds of the game, though, tied at 73. jesse govan gets the floater to fall. 19 points and 13 boards for him. butler bringing it, though. kamar baldwin's shot misses but that's sean mcdermott with the tip at the buzzer. so we're heading to overtime. not just one. double o.t. final seconds, martin with it, puts up the shot off the glass and in. butler takes the lead. martin had 27. 2.6 left on the clock for the hoyas. marcus garretson can't get the shot off in time. that does it. butler comes

they win 91-89 in double overtime. and to the ice. caps visiting the rangers. braden holtby getting the night off. phillip grubauer between the pipes for the capitals in the third period. here comes the rangers. rick nash with it over to zibanejad and gruby says uh-uh. just gets the stick on it for the denial. 'll 37 saves in the game for gruby. but this one also going to overtime. great opportunity for the caps. john carlton taking it behind the net, looking for the wraparound. oh, so close. he had a chance to end it here. but this one floating on the line. hit the pipe and goes out p you have to absolutely be kidding. so we head into a shootout where mats zuccarello gets the best of grubauer. freezes him with the fake, then scores so easily. near perfect tonight. clearly wants that one back. after the rangers score another, it's up to alex ovechkin to keep this one going for the cap

ovie comes up empty. rangers win it 1-0 after a shootout. they have a quick turnaround. they're back against the bruins tomorrow, and i guess looking forward, right? military bowl. uva navy. >> it's going to be cold out there. >> cold. >> going to be cold out there. >> tomorrow hopefully it will be a bright sunshiny day for d.c. sports. cold b --ut

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feet above times square. this year's new year's eve ball was unveiled today. this one features 288 waterford crystal triangles with a new design called the gift of serenity. the patterns are said to resemble peaceful butterflies over a meadow but in four days they're going to be over one of the biggest parties inhe world ce tl

[ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- chance the rapper -- tim mcgraw and faith hill.