it is the week bore christmas, and it is crunch time if you want your package delivered on time, you need to act fast. we have the informationee you to know. this weekend's downpour. we are dealing with roadnd closures aore. we'll tal about any more rain chances coming our way this week. that's all coming up in a few minutes. good morning and welcome to "news 4 midday."

i'm mollette green. >> hi. i we start with the historic rain. take a look. chopper 4 flew over t area to show us the high water. white ferry has been operating since 1786 and is the last working cable ferry service on the pa toemic. >> the heavy rain also caused big-time problems in prince georgecounty. >> check out the potomac river in great falls, virginia. the river andthers around our area are still rising and we could have more rain later this week. storm team 4 meteorologist

lauryn ricketts joins us at least a couple of days rain-free? >> yes, a couple of days thank goodness, and we deserve it, , guecause we had obviously record-breaking rain or the weekend. not only is 2018 the wettest year, as you pbably learned early on saturday morning. at 6:26 a.m. became the wettest year not onln our lifetime but since 1889 here in d.c. butlso 2.5 inches of rain. >> reporter:ed -- recorded here in d.c. this is a welcome sight. blue skitl and a l bit of a breeze. winds at 10 to 20 miles an hour, gusting up to20, 25 miles an hour as we head into the n. aftern but otherwise temperatures right now 51 degrees is our current ttemperature. gain you can see some of these wind gusts and they will increase and get a little bit more widespread throughout the day. let's talk about rn chances this week because we've got some more rain headed our way.

this may be during travetime, a big travel time. we'll let you know when we're expecting rain and our ten-day forecast that goes all the way out to christmas. we'll show you that coming up. right now d.c. police are putting out another plea for help inraing down this murder suspect. police say xavier dunmore is wantedn the shooting. she was killed back in june. d uchlu dunmore should be considered armed and s.danger police are offering a reward for information leading to his arrest. county leaders gathered to celebrate a major change in metro. the transit system is adding service, not taking it away. th are doubling red line service to and from shady grove. in the past in the morning and ternoon rush hours trains stopped, turned aroun and went back downtown. starting today all trains will

shady the way to the grove station. montgomery county leaders say the change will alleviate crowding and longer wait times. nicole jacobs will have more on the change and reaction from riders at 11:30. right now the post office in gear up for its busiest day of the year. ecis week alone the postal service e to deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of mail. news4's justin finch is at the post office in gaithersburg with more on what you need to know to make sure your packages arrive bychristmas. reporter: we are looking at what is the start of a very busy week for the post office here. packages and mail moving here and all acros theountry ahead of the christmasy. holida this of course, again, a very ek big we to help things run smoothly, especially for you and your loved ones,in mak sure those packages get to where they have got to go, we have twoeadlines for you. one december 20th for first class mail and priority mail. that will get your parcel there

on time. you have two mor days of cushion, december 22nd for priority mail express. thatl get your package under the tree by christmas. so you have your dates. don't you want to make sure that gift gets there. as for why we're seeing such a boon in packages, we're talking about more than 2 billionust more of alone because us obviously are shopping online. a l of us too seeing that free shipping. back in to you. >> if you are shipping with fedex or u.p.s., those deadlines are fast approaching. today is your last day to ship with fedex ground if you want it under the tree by christmas. now,ti procrtors have until thursday for fedex and u.p.s. two-day delivery. even if you pay for the priciest next-day delivery, friday will be the last day to get those packages in before the holiday deadline. holiday visitors at the national mall last night didn't

get to see much because of a power outage. look at what drivers were up against as they tried to navigate the memorial bridge. that's hard on a regular day. lights on the bridge andtr surroundingts went out as well. pepco says the problem was a faulty underground cable. the lights came back on around 10:30 last night. the losing streak ended for the 'skins fithlly. team hit the field against jacksonville sunday with its fourth new starting quarterback in as many weeks. can you remember all the names? >> of course not. i came home right at the en >> so you saw the win! you sought field goal and all done. t i made it f best part. this time around they were able to pull out this wom andow stay in the nfc playoff picture. sherree burruss is in florida with the latest on the redskins' win. >> reporter: today the first victory monday in over a month ignites a spark for a teamhe pushing f playoffs. trailing most of e game, in the fourth quarter josh johnson

connects wit jeremy sprinkle to tie the then four ticks left on the clock, dustin hopkin 36-yard field goal is good. theredskins' four-game losing streak snapped. >> we need to get out of the funk, by any means necessary. one point, two points, we didn't care. i don't know how many yards shing, but we got the "w." it's like the little engine that could, chuggin along, cho choo choo no matter what happens, we have to keep going that way. get that monkey up off your back. >> reporter: don't write off this redskins team.ir after t 16-13 win against jacksonville, they are stillh very m in the hunt for the postseason and their playoff push continues next on saturday against the titans. you can hatch that righte on nbc4. from jacksonville, sherree burruss, news4 sports. president trump is tweeting diout a border wall this morning. greement on how to fund that wall could be what closes part

of the government at the end of the week what has to happen to avoid the shutdown. and this year's active hurricane season and record rain adding to a serious consumer problem. flood-damaged cars being sold witho warning. witho warning. how you can avoid buy

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breaking news out of prince george's county, bureau chief tracee wilkins has learned that a portion of the s.w.a.t. team for the prince george's county police department is suspended after an accidental shooting after a partyek over the d. now, according to a number of sources, one oacicer dentally discharged his eapon, shooting himself and at least one other officer. this all happened during a party for a squad of the s.w.a.t. unit, according to sources with knowledge of this investigation. we are told the officers were off duty at the time. we are awaiting more detailsce from po tracee will update this story throughout the day on twitter and of coue on news4 this afternoon. we are four days away from a partial governmentshutdown ifo congres not pass a final spending bill.ou the white h is demanding $5 billion to build a wall along the u.s./mexico border, but the presidents doesn't have the votes from the republican-controlled congress. democrats are staing firm against funding the borr wall.

if lawmakers do not pass the remaining spending bill by friday, thousands of federal workers in our area could be without a paycheck during the holidays. new on middal one of michynn's business associates is charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government. ynn is president trump's former national security advisor. >> the man who was in court today inor alexandriad throughout 2016 to seek ways to have a cleric extradited from the u.s. to turkey. a turkish man also faces charges. and flynn has already pled guilty to a charge of lying to fbi. now here's nbc's tracie potts with more on the nvestigations involving the president or people working for him. >> reporter: is psident trump telling the whole truth about russia mdling in the presidential election? 62% of americans say no in ourt nbc/wall street journal poll. >> more and p moreepl are believing in mueller. fewer and fewer people believe

the president. let's get the report. let's read it, let it go public and then decide. >> reporter: the poll shows half of americans with at least some doubt about the presidency. mr. trump's former lawyer, ochael cohen, is headed prison in part for lying about trying to build a trumpcr sker during the campaign th help from the russian government. >> hiding it from the couny, seeking the kremlin's help with it, that's deeply compromising. >> reporter: president on twitter calling cohen a rat and robert mueller's investigation a democratic scam. his lawyer saysnt the presi will never talk to mueller now. >> no way, no interview. >> they're a joke. over my dead body. >> reporter: and a pardon for cohen? apparently that's not happening either. >> that lawyer can say what he wants. i told his lawyers there will be no discussion of a pardon. >> reporter: the president and his supporters continue to point ouo there's been evidence of collusion between his campaign and russia. now, theroblem isn't just people around the president. this poll fou nearly half,

46%, say they think the president himlf has done something wrong. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. president donald trump's new acting chief of staff once a described h a terrible human being. video has surfaced of mulvaney making the remarks shortly before the 2016 tion.dential el mulvaney is currently director of the office of management and budget. asp sposon for the office played down the insult, saying the remarks were made before mulvaney had met mr. trump. the white house has not responded to the report. mulvaney will take over in january for outgoing chief of staff john kelly. as lawmakers and the president clash over border security, there are also new calls for an investigation following the death of a littl girl i.s. custody. the 7-year-old, who is from guatemala, died after shend her father crossed illegally into the country. nbc's gate gutierrez is at then borderxas with details.

>> reporter: this morning there's growing outrage over the death of a7-year-old guatemalan girl in u.s. custody. the new face of what s ae calling a humanitarian crisis. jakelin and her father were one of 163 w migrant crossed illegally earlier this month. she started vomiting and had a hi fever. she was being taken by bus to a border patrol station 95 miles away. by the time she a arrived got pdical attention, customs and bordertection said she had topped breathing. she was airlifto a hospital in el pas where the department of homeland security said she died the next oorning sepsis shock. after her death, according to her father, jakelin had not been able to consume water or food for days. advocates and an attorney for e father now dispute that. >> she had not suffered from a lack of water or food prior to approaching the border. >> reporter: in rural guatemala,

jakelin's mother said her father took her to escape extreme poverty. the trump administration is calling attention to the dangers of humansm glers. >> it is a painful reminder of the ongoing humanitarian tragedy that is illegal immigration. >> reporter: in a written statement, cbp says itsag borde ts did everything it could to help that young girl. the inspector general has launched an investigation and congressional democrats are promising one as well. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, el paso, texas. police say a university of maryland student choice of how to dry his clothes caused a dorm to flood. he decided to hang his clothes on a sprinkler line in a campus laundry room. e weight of the clothes caused the sprinkler pipe to burst. authorities are stillat investg how many units are impacted. winterudents are on

break so not that many people were displaced. >> he didn't want to use the drye >> or hang it somewhere that's not going to cause -- how do you even get it onto the sprinklers? >> i don't even understand it but a lot of people don't want to put their jeans in the dryer. i bet youe they denim because they are heavier. what a mess. it's a major problem thatec could a the performance of thousands of cars, including many sold to buyers who may have no idea what ha to them. >> the problem is they were flooded during recent hurricanes. tammy leitner reports on how you can spot potential trteble. >> rep tina kelly thought she had found the perfect used car. almost new, low mileage and affordable. but hers is a cautiary tale. i bought the car. i pulled away. within a minute as soon as i c t thise control, the check engine light came on. >> reporter: the chicago teacher later discovered tar had been in a flood. she said the dealership refused to take it back. if you think her case is rare, think again.

about 750,000 cars were soaked and submerged during hurricane , florenarvey and irma. some end up in this car graveyard. but experts say plentyre refurbished and old. >> half a million flooded cars thoa are back on the r according to our research. >> reporter: while many of the cars are cleaned up, experts cautio looks can be deceiving. >> these cars literally rot from the inside out. floodwater affects the mechanical, the electrical and the safety systems, effectively turning those cars into ticking time>> bombs. eporter: even the most savvy buyer might not be able to spot the signs. >> we'd love to have you look at both of them and see if you could tell which one was under water. >> okay. th's actually really dirty in here. one is kind of dirty too, though. >> is there anything herelohat says damage? >> no, there's nothing that says water or mildew. >> do you want to check the trunk? >>okay. it's not wet. let me check the other one. it's not wet in here. hang on a se gnd.

>> you'rting up in it. >> it looks like there's rust in s there. thise car that was in the flood. >> you are correct. >> >>yes! reporter: i was convinced that was the car that was in the flood because itt joked dirty, but there are some tell-tale signs. rust on the seat rails and the steering column, oxidation on the engine block, corrosion on the fuses, gs in the upholstery, and water lin on the seats. and a flooded car must reflect it on the title. >> i will never buy a used car again. >> reporter: she's got a new car now, but it was a costly lesson for tina and others who might not know what to look for. tammy leitner, nbc news. >> this is really good because you have to really look everywhere. >>an you imagine one minute after driving and the light im goes on? >> crazy. social media danger. new information on a local college student facing serious charges for his behavior on snapchat. plus basketball shoes with a social justice message and where you can see them. usay with , we'll be right usay with , we'll be right

i know, people don't like me.

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for one chicago bears player, yesterday's win was not the best chart of the day. left tackle charles lenno proposed to his girlfriend just minutes after the team clinched the nfc north title. he took a knee at the center of soldier field, popped the big question. yeah, she said yes. >> oh, my gosh.

>> you can see the ring up close. we do. you can now catch a special pair of lebron james'hoes up close at the smithsonian national museum of african-american culture. these are the lebron jameli equa sneakers. the bold world is stitched across theeel in gold letters. james wore these in a game against t wizards last december.on of the curators said it's good that he can bring attention social issues. >> i hope that people see that when athletes are engag i political actions and thinking out how we can make this a better world, that their contributions, their words are things that help facilitate national conversations. >> of course we know lebron, he was back in town this weekeer for ano game. the lakers lost to the wizards

110-128. >> there you go. turning back now to the heavy rain we had over theek d, take a look at this. rescuers in howard county had as l water rescue. crews helped the owner of this llama to bring him to safety. who knew llamas were even out there? the llama pasture was ooded. now i know we have llamas in howard county. >> yeah. something you learned today >> and a flood watch this morning too, is that done? around d flood warning the region. still some flood warnings because we still have ongoing flooding issues from that rain that we had. a record-breaking rain. saturday 2.5 inches of rain in d.c., shattering a daily rain rate record from 1901 of just over an inch. beautiful. this is what we're tking about. beautiful skies right now, blue skies, absolutely gorgeous conditions out there r now. this is the way it will look

over the next three days. thank w goodness deserve it. so let's talk about the next four days. today becoming breezy. it's a little windy out there right now and that's only going to continue. an uptick in those winds will continue throughout the afternoon. also a little breezy and w cool get into your tuesday. wednesday the wind settles down, we'll have plenty of sunshine, but no wind over the next three days. by the time we getnto thursday, we'll see some rain out there. 51 in d.c. our average temperature for this time of year 47 degrees so we're doing all right. we'll top out in the low to mid-50s for daytime highs. its a little breezy and we'll start settling down with those temperatures. tures will e tempe fall pretty quickly into the overnight. expect 20s and 30s niovt. not expecting any icy spots because this wind will probably dots job to dry out all the roadways from the rain we had over the weekend. radar right now looking dry andk clear, t goodness. here's that storm system that

passed through. our area moved right up the coast if you were watching football and watching the giants me, you could see a of the rain that was coming down. that was the same rain that we had here, moved right on up the eastern seaboard. today 53 degrees, winds picking up, sunny skies and mild. tomorrowre tempera will be in the 40s. we're dry also on wednesday, but we do have increasing clouds on wednesdang thursday morooking dry, but look at this, thursday afternoon, thursday night, rain. and then friday rain. hey rain on friday. if you're traveling on friday to get away, it looks like we're dgoing to have a g deal of rain throughout the mid-atlantic, maybe ending as a little snow off into west avirginia. nound here, though. as we go into the rest of the weekend, saturday looking better. sunday looking all right. monday, tuesday, christmas eve and christmas day, even the start of kwanzaa, not too sh shabby. well, there is a big jump in the numbeof high school students who use electronic cigarettes. we have the alarming results of an annualrv su.

and amazon executive have been grilled at hearings in new york city. we'll tell you about a similare meeting hag tonight in northern virginia. it's not the holidays until... all your streams come true. [ kids laughing ] that jerk is ours. play home alone. watch your holiday favorites however you want and find them faster with the x1 voice remote. now that's simple. easy. awesome. switch to the entertainment you've been streaming about. get started with xfinity internet, tv and voice for $79.99 a month for 2 full years. click, call or visit a store today.

new on "midday," a chipo ography arrest at the university of maryland centers on the popular mobil app snapchat. after months of investigating, local officials and thebi

arrested 21-year-old jake tyler patterson at e umd baltimore county campus. patterson is accused of sexually solicitinghr minorsgh snapchat. officials say patterson confessed and wasported to a jail in frederick county. he's facing two child pornography charges. now to changes on metro that will hefully mean smoother commute for thousands of riders. there will now be double the chains headed toward shady grove on the red line. nicole jacobs has been talking to riders today. nicole, what are they saying? >> reporter: well, they're excited about this and this is really for the rush hour commute but it is absolutely an easy sell for those r ers who are looking for some rush hour relief. ohoe thes of the red line. >> n sometimes it'sot working, sometis it is working. >> reporter: it's certainly enough to keep commuters on their toes.

and enough to add to the frustrations of the grueling dmv commut s most know well. >> this is like super easy like super early in the mornings a en rush hours. >> reporter: but if metro officials have figureds thi one out, these riders may have hit the jackpot. >> it's a hassle because rush hour more people will be moving. >> reporter: starting today metro is adding relief in maryland with more services during rush hour. they're eliminating the turn back toward downtownt north strat more, essentially doubling the red line servic. >> it will separate all of the people being cramped and making more space for people. >> reporter: david diaz has already noticed improvement. >> it's quicker bause before have to wait like 7 to 10 minutes, now it's just 5. >> reporter: at time when getting to and from can seem

more like an uphill battle, this change -- >> is all good. >> reporter: -- could make for a much smoother ride. we did spend quite a bit of time on the platforms this morning and we witnessed essentially no wait times. that is the hope, that these added services would lessen the crowds and the wait time and perhaps convince a few other to ride the metro. back to you. >> all right, nicole, thank you. we are tracking developments in the troubling mystery of a missing mother in colorado. she's been missing since thanksgiving. as nbc's joe fryer reports, poli spent the weekend searching her fiance's property. >> reporter: kelsey barrett's disappearance remains a mystery after investigators e cuted a search warrant on this 35-acre colorado ranch where her fiance lives. authorities towed away a pickup truck and say they brought in a

backhoe to help with the searce. po now consider her disappearance suspicious but have not named any suspects in the case >> at this point we are considering every possibility. i'm not willing too jump conclusions. ter: the police chief said as of friday fraziead only spoken to investigators through his attorney. >> we are asking patrick to sit vedown with igators, since he is the last person to talk about kelsey faface-t based on our investigation. >> patrick has been done everything that he has been asked fory law enforcement. >> reporter: his attorney issued a statement friday saying his client w never asked to voluntarily participate in the search, adding we encourage law enforcement to take whateve steps it deems necessary to find kelsey and to be ableo exclude patrick as a possible suspect. >> he's soft spoken, quiet, a gentle giant. >> reporter: sonia oliver is a friend of frazie's. he has helped take care of her horses more than five years. >> patrick has integrity, and

judging from my experiences with him, i would find it very hard to thinkf patrick doing anything that would harm anybody. >> reporter: kelsey was last seen on thksgiving during a shopping trip with her 1-year-old daughter. patrick said he saw her when he stopd by to pick up their baby. she was not reported missing until t days later by her mother who's still holding out hope. >> i know somebody knows where she's atdy someas seen her. we just need to get her face out there and people need to cognize her. >> and joe fryer reports that police will not reveal the information that ledhem to seek the search warrant. in the meantime the couple's gh 1-year-old dr remains in the care of her father. therere more recalls stemming from that romaine lettucli e. outbreak. the expanded recall is for red

and green leaflet us and cauliflower. adam brothers farm in california said the produce was harvested at the end of november. it may have come into contact with contaminate reservoir water. the cauliflower was distributed to ten states, includingry nd. so far there have been no reported illnesses. you can look for more information in our nbc washington app. vaping among teenage has reached an all-time high and there's no sign kids are quitting any time soon. nbc's erica edwards has more.or >> repr: the skyrocketing number of teenagers using e-cigarettes has stunned even the experts. ll >> we're reay astounded by how popular this has become. >> reporter: popular may b an understatement. more than 37% of high school seniors say they have vaped, up from just over a quarter of 12th graders last year. the annual report from the national institute on drug abuse shows teens are vaping nicotine

as well as marijuana. many also claim they're just vaping e-liquid flavors. >> even the items that say they have flavors, if you read the fine print and read what they say, it always inclu nicotine, but the consumer doesn't always know that so they y not be aware they're using nicotine when they're using this product. >> rorter: nicotine is highly addictive and e-cigarettes are getting a whole new generation hooked. the fda previously declared teen vaping an epidemic. >> these are proportions of use among our young people that simply are intolerable. reporter: now the fda is threatening to ban all flavored vaping products, u ess manufacturers can come up with a solid plan to curb youthcc aess and use. erica edwards, nbc news. today arlington residents will be able to voice their opinionsambout on's planned move to crystal city. the meeting is at 7:00 p.m.n the cafeteria at gunhoon middle sc. this is the first of two

meetings residents can attend. tonightfficials will also reveal what they promised amazon to help lure the company to the area. still ahead, a look at how many italian american families e christmas eve. and a look ahead to the return of rain this week. it could arrive just in time for the busy travel pe ri

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the ambassad s. it wuch a thrill. there is so much involved in putting a production of this magnitude on the stage. sometimes twice t a dayoughout the holidays. all the cast and the crew that steps. me get through my and my hat's off to the fact that for 15 years they have wowed audiences and families with this great production. performances continuegh next friday, december 28th. ticket times, there's still a lot available there. b thanks to the artistic director,arbara and ginger. it was really so exciting. >> look at u. oh, yes! >> just the costume and the harrah loan. >> y-- hair alone. >> that was a hair piece. >> that was fantastic. >> where are the men who are supposed to come -- ha>> everybody went way. >> that's awesome. so exciting for you. listen, exciting because we've got some sunshine o

there. >> yay. >> finally getting some sunshine out there. and we'll continue to have some sunshine today, tomorrow, and then even as we go into your wednesday. now, one thing about today, the winds.y' now, t a little on the lighter side right now. still a little breezy, but it's going to be downright windy by this afternoon into this evening because we're going to have wind gusts up to il20, 25 an hour, and then breezy through the day tomorrow. northwest winds at0 to 20 miles an hour but plenty of sunshine today and sunshine tomorrow. now, as we head into your thursday, that's going to be our next chance of some rain moving into the area. most likely thursday afternoon, thursday night. temperatures out there right now, 40s and 50s. oh, yeah, that's more like it. it is looking a lot better out there right now. and temperatures are pretty muc going t stay in the low 50s and then will start to drop. n goes down at 4:45 and that's when the temperatures start to drop off. otherwise, today's forecast 53 degrees. a little breezy out there but

sunny and mild. no rain, thank goodness. still few flood warnings but no rain until this weekend. rolling through the canadian maritimes at this point but you ca see the spin o that. we are going to have some rain but not until thursday and friday. now, if you're traveling on friday, we've got a good bit of in coming our way. more flooding possible. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s so we know it's going to be rain but it's going to be up and down themid-flanatlantic so we could have some travel concerns. morning looking good but by the afternoon is when we see the ra moving in. we'll have rain through the day on friday, heavy at times through the day on friday. coming up i'll show you that ten-y forecast and we'll talk a little more about christmas daeve and christmas s forecast. guys. thanks so much. we are in the holiday spirit. we'll show you an extra special visit from santa for some sick children. >> and help you cook up a

traditional mall day meal,

welcome back. the feast of seven fishes is an italian christmas traditih whings families together with seven seafood dishes. course dependsof on the family. chef tony chitham is here. welcome back, chef. you are celebrating five years

at irongate. >> thank you. >> tell us what goes in feast of seven fishes. this is a beautiful spread here. >> we normally have a family table dinner sos we send thi out. this is our pre-christmas interpretation of that, feast of the seven fishes. we try to useeaod as much as possible. >> and you have to use some sort of seafood iovari >> yes. so, you know,e have the local rock fish with citrus and olives, grilled f oystersm the bay, chili, octopus. devilled eggs with cured mullet and then this plate which we'll part together for you today. this is our play on that. so wed to make it with a few different types of seafood. this is our scallopim and s chorizo. >> you can't buy that anywhere. >> i haven't seen any. this is our oco pus. >> howu make that?

>> you cook the octopus, clean it up and we spice it with similar seasoning, chile, garlic,n. le and then our smoked catfish pate. >> and all this stuff you make for this particular menu. >> so smoked catfish, cop it up mixed with horseradish, fresh herbs, lemon zest. sohose are basically our three types. >> and then you add some akrutmentes. >> this is just one piece in our 12 dishes. m >> youe all your breads in house too? >>yeah. we make little crustinis as well. pickles. who doesn't like pickles. >> and that goes well with seafood as well. >> these are bread and butter so they are a little sweet. then we have preserved

mushrooms, roasted mushrooms in cherry vinegar and olive oil. >> now, this is very special and pretty fancy. if you were going to do a feast at home, is there anything m th yo make at home that won't be as -- you can't make your own ow some of this. >> depending on adventuresomeou are. h e fish wrapped in grape leaves, because we do greek and italian food and roast it in our wood burning oven. roast it in a 375, 400-degree s oven andve it hot. i don't know how adventureyme your fam is, but this is just raw fish marinated with fresh citrus, add herbs and lig flavors. >> the key is making sure you get really good fish. >>exactly. really fresh fish. so we try to put it with a bunch

of things to enjoy it. >> very good. fabulous. >> and this is pickled mustard seed. >> that was good. this pate, delicious. >> thank you. >> so all these fabulous dishes for the feast of seven fishes. it starting tonight. >> it starts tonight. tony, thank you for joining us. again, the menu starts tonight and will be right through christmas e. >> yes, ma'am. >> i'm ready for lunch. >> i'm always ready. santa a aays ready well, revved up on his motorcycle for early visits toick children at hospitals in fairfax county. it is the 30th year of the fairfax county police department's santa ride program. just like every year, officers and the local schoolchildren team up to make kids who are smile. this year i got to tagalong for one of those rides. >> ho ho ho, merry christmas, everyone! >> before christmas, santa roars

in on his motorcycle. no sleigh could rev up such a rock-s reception. no one here is on the naughty list. this is ahank you stop to st. ambro ambrose catholic school for its gifts. mrs. claus, other famous friends from the north pole fairfax county police officers dance it up as santa's big helper. next stop, the children's hospital. santa and his entourage spread holiday cheer. they sift through boxes to find the right brand new donated gifts. >> hi,ellie! how are you, sweetheart? >> to make sweet little ellie's and mrs.way only santa claus can say. >> we'll see you in a couple of weeks, okay? >> every year that we do this, when you go in, you're feeling a little sad.

but as soon as you start giving the gifts to her or the ys, you get a feeling of joy. >> 6-year-old carson meets saensanta and gets a new lego toy. this hospital is making him happy and making him feel like he's. t ho >> this early christmas may be the best kind of medicine for ev dyone. >> it'initely difficult, but it's very rewarding. that's what kind of keeps us going. >> merry christmas, guys! >> such an honor to be there that. i'm happy to report that all of the toys have been given out to the kids. >> that is so awesome. ♪ send me away with the words of a love song ♪ >> a young and talented teen could take home the big prize on "the voice." we'll get y caught uoup

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two-night season finale for nbc's "the voice" begins tonight. four singers remain on the hunt for the show's crown. two of the fusalists are 14 and 16 years old. that's young! all that talent. marc barger has a preview. ♪ send me away with the words of a love song ♪ >> reporter: since the blind auditions"t voice" is a big earning curve for chevel

shepard. >> i've grown as an artist hanging out with all the other contestants that share the same passion in music. >> reporter: kennedy holmes is even younger than shepard, a nalist at just 14 years old. >> we are havin a ton of fun. we are just living our best life. >> reporter: and life's definitely changed for kirk jay. thousands of new fans in his corner. ive t tonight i'm going to one last time ♪ >> before "the voice" i was traveling four and five hours doing open mikes. there would be times i wld go in bars and there would be three people in the audience. ♪ >> reporter: even though millions will be watching tonight, chris kroeze says tonight may be less intense than previous weeks. >> i think it's less pressure for sure. especially now. we're all at thefi le. there's no bad outcome here, win or lose. >> reporter: a recording contrahi awaits week's winner, a voice viewers will make based on what they see and hear tonight. >> each and every one of us are

going to try to show america who we really are. >> and who we want to be as an artist and what we want to be in the future. >> reporter: winning "the voic will give one of the four finalists a head start. marc barger, nbc news. "the voice" starts at 8:00 tonight right here on nbc4. and friday right here on "news4 today" we will be in the community. two local voice stars. you have one that was eliminated this year and that's at the first baptist church and they're going to sing holiday songs. i can't think of anything better to end the week. >> it's going to be great. tune isn't. >> one last check of the forecast. >> let's do it, lauryn. >> it's that octopus thathe was eating. >> that octopus looked good too because i was in thetudio just looking at it. all right. what else looks good is the sunshine. finally we have s sunshine. 53 degrees is our temperature right now.

and again, the winds a a ttle breezy out there and we'll continue to see breezy conditions throughout the day today and throughout the day tomorrow. low to mid-40s for daytime highs tomorrow, but again full sunshine out there. and over thet several days we're looking at some sunshine, especially for wednesday. thursday, that's our transition day. we start to see some rain moving in on the oack half thursday but it's all rain, temperatures in the 50s. we keep 50s arod forfriday. saturday we'll have rain chances. sunday looking good. but monday, tuesday, wednesday, christmas eve, christmas day and kwanzaa to start, looking fantastic. e at least we have s sunshine. >> yes. >> thank you, lauryn. >> that's going to do it f "news4 midday." thanks for joining us. we're back this afternoon at >> thenews and weather et00. updates with the nbc washington app. have a great day. we'll see you right here ♪

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we're live in five, four, thre four, two, one. >> jennifer marie, will you love to be calledni -- jenr marie leno jr., will you -- >> yes? >> do you accept?ye >> s. >> do you accept? >> yes. >> i love you, baby. >> we love love. she said, yes. that's cool. that's chicago bears player got on the knee proposed to his girlfriend jennifer roth after the game. weceome to " live." love is in the air. >> nothing better than a holiday week with the bears clinching the first nf north title in eight years and that's a reason to party like tes in th locker room. the proposal and,