over the bush era tax cuts and now the senate has to go through a 2,000 page bill to fund the federal government which runs out of money on saturday. we'll get the latest from the hill and break down where both sides of the aisle stands. and thousands of dui cases could be in jeopardy. fox 5 morning news at 7:00 starts right now. beautiful start to the day and it is cold. not as bad as yesterday but it's not like break out the short sleeves. it is wednesday morning, december 15th, 2010. thanks for being with us. i'm steve chenevey. and before we get to weather, we do have school delays. most due to the dangerous windchills. garret county schools and mountain ridge is on a two-hour

delay. in west virginia, grant, hampshire, hardy, mineral and morgan county schools are all on a two-hour delay. >> in virginia, rappahanock schools are closed today because of a water issue. we'll update you on top of your screen and online at myfoxdc.com if we have any more. and let's talk to tucker barnes with an up to the minute look. >> and it's cold out there. it's bone chilling. winds out of the north and west and temperatures in the teens. the numbers are held up by the winds, but they would be colder if it was lighter. and 20 in hagerstown, ocean city, 21 for you. and 19 down at patuxent naval air station. so chilly start to the day. we'll be cold all day long. but the good news is we'll have more sunshine than yesterday and steve mentioned the winds should be just a little lighter

than yesterday. yesterday we had winds gusting to about 40. today they are only gusting to 30. so gradual improvement. very quiet weather. not expecting much in the way of flurries or showers. highs in upper 20s to 30. and winds out of the north and west gusting to about 30. we do have snow in the five-day forecast. that will arrive tomorrow afternoon. a light snow event. i'll have the details coming up in a few minutes. let's get to julie wright with the latest traffic. right now we have a lot going on out there on the roads this morning. if you are continuing to work into the district, that's where we have the crash inbound along the suitland parkway at suitland road. this accident tieing up the right side of the highway. inner loop delays headed for the wilson bridge. traffic volume unusual now at this point. we have delays heavy and slow across the bridge toward telegraph road. that's why we had the earlier incident involving a tractor- trailer. accident pulled over to the shoulder so lanes open once

again. delays on 95 out of newington toward springfield and lanes are open southbound along 270 out of hyattstown toward the truck scales. outer loop of the beltway slow as you work around from 95 college park headed over toward the exit for georgia avenue. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. for the very latest updates on the traffic, weather, school closings and delays, go to myfoxdc.com and you'll find all of the links on the home page. we'll post updates on our facebook and twitter pages. you'll find information on where to find those pages on myfoxdc.com as well. our top story this morning, a virginia man arrested after an alleged threat against metro in a popular neighborhood. our stacy cohan is live at the foggy bottom metro stop in northwest with more now. stacy, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. and this threat targeted metro

stations and not too far from georgetown, foggy bottom metro and it is busy. this is a pattern, this is not the first time about potential terrorists saying metro may be a target. this particular suspect was caught on facebook. this is how it unfolded. an informant from new orleans contacted the fbi and talked about the postings that were referring to a terrorist attack in washington. one of the potential targets was the underground sewer system under georgetown and another was the metro rail system. the informant said back on november 20th the man posted a description of how to make a pipe bomb and how to make them cause the maximum damage. now federal agents moved in on the man's arlington, virginia home back on december 5th. that is after a message in which he clearly was on to the informant and threatened this person for leaking information. we spoke to an expert who

talked about why it's so important to take these threats seriously. >> this guy, he looked like he was a big talker, boasting that someone that he met on facebook what he would do. but it's people like that that get the urge to do something. if it wasn't a bomb in the metro, maybe he would buy a gun and shoot people. >> reporter: right now the only charges are making threats across state lines. he does have a hearing scheduled for december 20th. i'm stacy cohan, back to you. >> thank you, stacy. new this morning, a horrifying shooting in the middle of a school board meeting caught on tape making headlines across the country. some of the video may be disturbing. clay duke first started spray painting a wall on tuesday and then he putted out a -- pulled out a gun and started firing. he did not hit anybody. one of the board members hit him on the arm with her purse.

a reporter was in the room. she left the room but also left the camera rolling and ran out. >> when i saw -- i was taking notes and then i saw him come out, spray paint a big circle with a line or a v through it, it wasn't nice. and he said i have a motion for you and pulled out his gun. and when he pulled out his gun, that's when i hit the floor. i ducked. it was probably one of the most scariest moments of my life. >> a security guard shot the man and the man turned the gun on himself. we still don't know the motive. one witness overheard the shooter talking about his wife getting fired. we have decided to edit the video. we have posted more of the video on myfoxdc.com. click on the news link. christmas cheer may be a rare commodity on capitol hill today. congress may have to push through the holidays to finish overdue work and christmas dinner could include a healthy

serving of pork. fox's doug luzader now. >> reporter: as if the congressional to-do list isn't long enough, now the senate has to consider a bill almost 2,000 pages long to fund the government which runs out of money on saturday. how much money does the federal government need to run after saturday? try $1.3 trillion. that's how much the senate is trying to spend in the next few days and don't let the christmas tree outside of the capitol fool you. >> there is still congress after christmas. congress ends on january 4th. >> you can read the spending bill online but don't hit print unless you're prepared for 1900 pages littered with pork. and senate leaders want to vote in the next few days. >> so at 12:15 today, my office received this appropriations bill. >> about a 2,000 page massive spending bill right before

christmas is more than my stocking is going to hold. >> reporter: so will anyone actually read the bill? it's a tough question for the white house to answer. >> who is going to read that? >> i know the health care debate was a big thing and i assume many members up on capitol hill might? >> do you really think so? >> i take them at their word. >> reporter: republicans may insist that the senate clerk read every word of that bill. a process that could take some 40 straight hours. democrats say that means work will continue through the holidays if necessary. and christmas is not an empty threat. last year democrats pushed for a vote on health care on christmas eve. and congress does have other things to get done, including the extension of the bush era tax cuts that expire at the end of the month. the senate is expected to vote on that today. in washington, doug luzader,

fox news. president barack obama is hosting a meeting of business leaders later this morning. asking the head of industry to use their record profits to hire more workers. it's called the white house working session with business. some of the companies represented include intel, g.e., comcast, pepsi and google, to name a few. wiki leaks founder julian assange will spend another night in prison. he was granted bail but swedish authorities appealed. they want him to answer about two sexual misconduct charges. the court set his bail at $316,000. it is 9 minutes after the hour now. coming up on fox 5 morning news on this wednesday morning, a man hired to supervise the breathalyzer unit of the d.c. police department is now blowing the whistle. why thousands of dui cases in the district could be in jeopardy. he couldn't hold on to the football at the end of the game that would have tied the game and now he's not able to hold

on to his job either. more on why the redskins let hunter smith go and the punter replacing him. and a live look outside. we'll hear the latest weather. and here is the hint -- it's cold. you can find the latest information on our web pages at myfoxdc.com and on facebook and twitter. we'll be right back.

set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more.

7:13 right now. redskins making more personnel moves after the heartbreaking loss to tampa over the weekend. we all know the play that ended the game, the high snap from nick sundberg, hunter smith unable to handle the ball and graham gano never got a chance to kick. hunter smith is now out of a

job. and smith took sole responsibility for the loss after the game. >> i don't give any blame to anybody who did anything in the other 60 minutes. we did all we could to be in the game to tie it up and didn't. and it's my fault. and that's just how it is. it's not falling on my sword or doing anything noble, it's being honest about the situation and what happened. >> they waived hunter smith tonight. i wanted to get your reaction? >> it's a surprise, but with what we've been dealing with this year, you don't know the reason. i hope the reason ain't the reason. but at the same time, a lot of stuff going on this year, so i hope the best for him. i think he is a guy that should get a shot somewhere else. >> he is a pretty good punter. it may have come down to a bad extra point. with the redskins not so great this year, averaging about 40 yards a punt, a net of 34.

that ranks near the bottom of the nfl. as for the new guy. he played for the bucs in 2009 and before that the cowboys, the broncos, the winnipeg cfl team and played for the skins last year with a 50-yard average. and he also made a few crushing hilts. for more go to myfoxdc.com and click on sports. >> on the redskins you get a lot of opportunities to punt so it could be a good opportunity. >> here is the thing, with all of the troubles they've had, you wouldn't think changing the punter would help. >> not sure that will win the main game. >> that was a very funny observation, tucker barnes. >> thank you. cold out there. temperatures in the teens and low 20s here in town. we're now 23 degrees. it will be bitterly cold with a brisk wind gusting to about 30 today. that's better than yesterday's gusts closer to 40s. no wind advisory today so

that's good. winds gusting 15-20 across the region, making it feel more like single-digits and teens. so again, this is serious coat weather as temperatures will only warm up in the upper 20s to about 30 this afternoon. looking at the rest of the country, plenty of cold out there. take a look. 4 in cincinnati, 7 in minneapolis at this hour. got to get well, well south and west of washington to find warmer air. 61 in las vegas. but look to the south. atlanta is 25 at this hour. even in miami where they have freeze warnings in parts of florida, 40 degrees. so the cold air sinking all the way down to the caribbean. satellite radar, notice the northern plains. see that plume of white, that is our next weather-maker. a clipper system with a lot of cold air and not a lot of moisture and as it gets into the washington air that moisture will squeeze out. that will be tomorrow afternoon and through the commute likely and we could see light

accumulation as this clipper system approaches the area tomorrow. and with temperatures only expected to be in the up 20 -- upper 20s and low 30s so our first event of the season. 30 degrees your daytime highs and winds out of the north and west, 10 and 20, gusting to about 30. more details on the forecast in a minute. >> try to soak up the sun and feel warmer. >> more sun today than yesterday. let's check in with julie wright. >> i have some in a bottle, i'll share it with you. from the hot days in july. >> i want some. >> plenty to go around. on the roads we're busy with a couple of accidents to report. let's take you into the district along the suitland parkway over toward suitland road, accident tieing up the right side of the highway this morning. keep an eye out for that. only about a 4-5 minute backup from silver hill road at this time. no incidents to report along south capital street across the

doug also bridge. busy commute at 295, the accident at 198 cleared. delays from 195 to 198 but only about a 6 minute drive so not bad but again stick with 95 and use that as the work around. and slowing pass colesville road from 95 toward georgia avenue. 395 coming across the inbound 14th street bridge, we're heavy and steady leaving boundary channel drive crossing over the potomac. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. thousands of dui cases could be in question. the man in charge of the breathalyzer unit at the d.c. police department said the equipment used to detect alcohol levels are not routinely tested for accuracy. paul wagner has the story. >> reporter: will more bagel was in charge of the alcohol testing for months when he wrote a letter to the d.c. attorney general saying that the accuracy test for the

machines had hardly ever been done. a claim the d.c. attorney general's office was just his opinion. when illmar bagel took over the all hol testing program, he began looking into the records kept by the unit. what he discovered led him to sound the alarm. writing in this memo to assistant attorney general kimberly brown he said from my inspection of the instrument files, the machines have never been checked for accuracy, even though an accuracy test is the only legal requirement a breath testing instrument must meet in the district of columbia. the memo is contained in the court case file of a man named sulton apay who was convicted of dui and now wants a new trial. pagel wrote the calibration has to be verified by accuracy tests and these legally- mandated tests of the machines have apparently never been done. david beno witz represented sulton apay who filed a motion for a new trial.

>> the ramifications are enormous. it goes back for years. there are plenty of people who served jail time based on what may very well be false tests or inaccurate tests. the civil liability could be huge. it has a great impact on the entire criminal justice system. >> reporter: including in the court case jacket are internal d.c. police documents showing no accuracy tests were performed on the machines after being calibrated. records that go back to at least 2006. but sarah branch, the prosecutor in the case, takes issue with the claims. writing in a motion for dismissal of conviction, mr. pagel's opinion is based on a review of documents that were created and kept by his predecessor, officer calvin king. the former chemical testing program manager for mpd. there for pagel's opinion consists of nothing more than conjecture and assumptions.

>> it is clear that he is basing his opinion on fact. >> reporter: he said the failure to properly manage and guide the breath testing program is ultimately responsible for the current situation. you may recall back in february the attorney general came out and publicly admitted there were problems with the calibration of the machines but that was from only back to 2008. what pagel is saying is the problems go back to at least 2000. mr. pagel declined to comment, as did the chief of police cathy lanier. mr. nichols referred us back to the motion filed in court. in the fox 5 news room i'm paul wagner. >> thank you very much. 7:21 right now. inside the beltway, many people have not felt the hardships of the economic downturn and now we're learning how good some people may have it. what the census is revealing about our area coming up next. and plus a daring robbery at a world famous casino. and what this guy got away with and how it might be tough to

cash in. and a stay now becoming a movie. we're talking about dream girls playing at the duke ellington school of the arts and holly has more on this production coming up.

police in las vegas are watching casinos to see if a thief is trying to redeem stolen chips. they released this video of the suspect running from the scene wearing a motorcycle helmet. he made off with a million and a half dollars worth of chips from the belagio. the individual chips are valued at between $100 and 25000 dollars. they can't be used as cash. so detectives think that he might try to redeem them. there it is. the washington area tops the nation when it comes to wealth and education. according to new census data, fairfax and loudoun county are

the only to counties -- two counties in the country with median household incomes over $100,000. and arlington, montgomery and howard counties and alexandria and falls church are among 17 places in the u.s. where more than half of the residents have at least a bachelor's degrees. falls church tops the list. 39% have advanced degrees. the median income there $113,000. just about 7:26 right now and coming up on fox 5 morning news, how much money does the federal government need to keep running after saturday? try almost $1.3 trillion. now the holiday push is on to go through a 2000 page funding bill. we'll break down where both sides of the aisle stands coming up. and as we head to break, a live look outside. sun coming up over 395. the air force memorial in the background. traffic not bad there. except in the h.o.v. lanes.

we'll check in with julie wright and tucker has our chilly forecast and you can find it all online. weather and traffic on hour facebook and twitter accounts as well. 7:26. this is jerry hahn from korea wishing my family back home in virginia a happy holidays to both my father, mother and my little sister.

♪♪

well it's time to add another ornament to our ever growing fox 5 christmas tree. this tree was a puzzle piece promoting autism awareness comes from alex martin of rockville, maryland. isn't it wonderful. alex has autism and he is an artist whose work promotes helping good causes. we say thank you to you, alex, and to everyone who has sent in ornaments. we'll be donating our tree to a worthy charity before christmas. >> and the song we're listening to is mayla calle macaw and it is a personal favorite of our producer, bob mccall. and since he's the boss, what

he wants we listen to. so it's our favorite christmas song this morning as well. if you would like to see the favorites and the top choices go to our facebook page and we have them there. [ music ] >> i bet it's fun if you're at a party and the eggnog is spiked and you try to keep saying it. >> and the temperature is 77 degrees. not 19 or 20. >> much happier then. let's get started here. we have a lot of cold air across the region, winds back again this afternoon. may take time off overnight but they'll be back. >> good time to be inside. >> manassas is still falling, 16 for you. 19 in gaithersburg. quantico, 14 degrees as you head out the door. and it doesn't feel that warm. 17 in fredericksberg. and nicer day than yesterday as far as sunshine. we should see more sunshine than yesterday. still breezy and windy at times with winds out of the north and west gusting to about 30.

that is an improvement over yesterday when winds were gusting to about 40 and we had the wind advisory. here is a recent look at wind gusts a couple of minutes ago. 17 mile-per-hour at reagan national. 21 in gaithersburg. 30 in martinsberg. you get the idea. winds picking up off to the north and west and they'll be back this afternoon. temperatures and winds not a good combination this time of year. and here is your latest look at your windchills. 12 is what it feels like in washington. just 5 in gaithersburg. 4 in martinsberg. and 3 here in quantico. so very chilly air. bitter cold around here this morning. and then just cold this afternoon with highs in the upper 20s to about 30. good news in the forecast. a little brighter than yesterday. more sunshine. our next weather maker off to the north and west. see this plume of moisture and snow here out towards iowa and western minnesota. a clipper system will dive down toward the atlantic south of us and then off the coast during the day tomorrow. so tomorrow morning when we get up, we'll see the clouds

increase and get a little band of snow moving across the mid- atlantic, tomorrow afternoon and the evening rush. not going to amount to a whole lot, but plenty of cold air. and anything that falls across the washington area will likely stick. so wouldn't be surprised if we get advisories around here for the day tomorrow and if we get light accumulations, maybe a dusting or up to an inch, maybe more than that in a few spots to the south during the day tomorrow. so that's something to plan for. not a huge storm. 30 degrees and sunny and cold. still windy out there. highs well below average. daytime high still in the mid- 40s. and here is your five-day forecast. a light snow for tomorrow afternoon. again the timing after about 1:00 or 2:00 and as we get into the weekend we're going to warm up. we have to watch the coastal system on sunday. high temperatures only in the mid 30s. could be more snow during the afternoon on sunday and sunday night. have to watch that carefully. let's do on-time traffic and julie wright has the latest. if you are traveling around

town this morning, you'll find the lanes are open but we have slowdowns inbound on route 50 out of cheverly toward new york avenue. typical slowdowns as you work through northeast. bw parkway still on the brakes leaving 195 to 198 and still delays to report inbound suitland parkway toward suitland road, accident on the shoulder. still expecting a good 6-8 minute ride toward south capital street and the douglas bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. on capitol hill, house democrats mulling over changes to president obama's compromised tax cut plan. the senate expected to vote on the bill today after a test vote. and while the senate is ready to act, house democrats have not embraced the changes to the plan. and they are demanding more revisions. while republicans warn that could threaten the entire deal. let's get more from our

political duo, democratic political strategies richard innocenzi and republican democratic expert peter fenn. and the question comes will this bill to the house and if any revisions will be brought up. will democrats try to get something done or changed here? >> my guess is that they will, steve. there is a lot of talk about the inheritance tax and they don't like the fact that it's up to $10 million a couple. this only affects a few people really. you're talking about republicans, 3500 families, and the democratic plan 6500 families but it adds billions of dollars to help reduce the deficit. and so they're going to push it through or try to. i'm not sure they have votes to do it to be honest. and the other thing is they don't want to blow this up. nobody in the house or senate wants to blowing this up. the last thick they -- thing

they want to do is go into january with this still unsolved. and some of those against it say they will support it in final passage. so my sense of this, they're going to get it done. >> will republicans accept any changes or any proposed changes at all? >> no. not at all. unless you want to eliminate the spending and the additional spending in the bill and maybe cut down some of the -- >> could do some of the earmark that's just went through. 8,000 of them. >> that didn't get passed. so you'll be fine for a while. but no, i think they're having to swallow bitter pills as it is. they are not happy about it. and it would be like nancy pelosi to screw up a one-car funeral. and the liberals want to tax everything that moves. you die and they want to tax

you. where does it say that after you're dead we still tax you in the constitution? >> well i think the question is, you have the republicans in the house united, you have enough democrats to pass this change in the inheritance tax, my guess is probably no. >> is it just a chance, peter, then to just make some noise at this point and say, look, on the record we're not happy? >> absolutely. one of the things that is a problem here for the republicans and jim may disagree, is that this is bringing back all of that old stuff about republicans give away to the extraordinary wealthy that at a time everybody is tightening to their belts, they're saying, you don't have to, no problem, and it sets up a 2012 campaign. and they are going to have this debate and this time the democrats might be smarter and bring it up not in november and december after the election, which is totally ridiculous to make this stand. >> i agree with that. >> i know you do. >> i figured he would.

>> thank you so much. >> but it would be interesting to see. >> here is the problem you have. what if it works? >> well that's a good point. >> then the person looks good and do you think they will raise taxes if it worked in if it creates jobs, peter? >> you're right. i'll give it to you. look, if this thing takes off like a rocket. >> it must be christmas. >> but if the economy takes off number one, and secondly you have a situation where they did an agreement with the business leaders and you could see a situation where the president and the democrats are saying, we're moving along and we're going to knock off some of those 63 republicans that won this year and we'll do okay in the senate. >> i'll take the political high road and say i like both of

your ties. >> i have one just like it. i'm glad i didn't wear it. >> peter, how do you -- we look at this and what has happened here between what the president's original plan was and the way democrats in congress are responding to it, how do you assess the health and unit of the democratic party at this point? >> well i think we talk about the democrats and i think there is -- as the big tent. when you lose 63 seats, that ain't a good year. and so folks are looking around, what do we do, who is going to be the future of the party, where are we going to recruit candidates from? but the interesting thing about this, washington poll today and a great poll to look up, this isn't a matter of great trusting of republicans. >> nor the democrats. >> exactly. nor the democrats either. so voters want to see things move and see the economy get better and they want to see

bills passed and the nonsense going on in this town. and if we do see that in the next couple of years that will benefit i think both parties, but obviously the president. >> as we look at the change of power, because what we saw the last couple of years with democrats in control of congress and the republicans saying we have been shut out of any decision-making progress. and will it be the same with the republicans? >> well the republicans don't control. they only control the house. they still control the senate and the white house. so there has to be at some point a little bit of give and take here if anything will actually happen. >> how many -- we're talking about the spending bill. how many of those 2,000 pages actually get read? >> zero. although i understand they may be read in senate which would be interesting because it would take 40-50 hours to read every page. >> that's interesting to you

these days? >> not at all. but it will -- frankly it will pis -- [ expletive ] off everybody in the senate. >> but the important stuff they know about, they read and get. there are some things to throw out. nobody reads it. that's a lot of nonsense. these guys aren't stupid. but sometimes they are stupid. [ overlapping speakers ] >> here is where i was going. we have votes against earmarks and they are about to pass. they may pass this thing. this is eight -- 8,000 earmarks and $8 billion worth of stuff. and where is this change that we're supposedly voting for? >> it's insane. harry reid is such a poor loser he's sticking his tongue out to everybody saying bring it on. >> it's not harry reid, it's all of them. >> i understand that. and if the president was smart

and does believe in eliminating earmarks, he would say harry, cool it, i'll veto it. that's what john boehner said yesterday. and if they push this, they will keep it until january. >> here is what i want for next week. >> what's that? >> jim wants to hear 2,000 pages, so jim, if you want to sit for 40 hours. >> i'll bring it in. >> we'll do it in the caribbean. >> there you go. thanks gentlemen, always a pleasure. happy holidays to you. it's 23 degrees and 7:42. holiday get-togethers can be stressful. in the next hour we're joined with a psychiatrist to talk about how to cope with all of the times with friends and family. we'll be right back.

gulliveers travels starring jack black hits the theaters december 22nd and as big as

gulliver, jack black might be, and we're giving away $1,000, go to myfoxdc.com for your chance to hit the jack-pot, so to speak. the rules are on your screen. you must be 18 and a legal resident of d.c., maryland or virginia. only one entry per person between now and next sunday night. the winner will be picked on or about december 20th. check it out on myfoxdc.com if you would like to enter. >> love it. >> who wouldn't want $1,000 around the holiday. >> we can't enter? >> no but i'll settle for some cold weather. >> i can guarantee that. allison, you're a winner. >> yes! >> we're all winners. >> do you get $1,000 bucks? let's take a look at the cold temperatures across the area. teens and low 20s and if you like cold weather you're going to love this next ten days. 23 degrees at reagan national. dulles 21. bwi marshall 19.

and today is sunny and windy. cold out there. and nighttime hours and tomorrow, talking about the clipper system, this is the future-cast and by tomorrow morning this is -- this is tomorrow morning, not today, we'll see clouds on the increase and you can see a little band of snow off to the south and west. this clipper system will pass to the south but it looks like by tomorrow afternoon, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, we have a band of snow through washington and then quickly exiting. there won't be a lot of moisture and it will quickly exit into the atlantic by early tomorrow evening. so light accumulations are possible with the system as it moves on through. it will be plenty cold, high temperatures even tomorrow will top out only near freezing. so anything that falls will stick to area roadways tomorrow. not a big deal but could be our first little event of the season area-wide. five-day forecast, 30 today, cold tonight, light snow for tomorrow. watching another coastal system on sunday. that one could be more significant but could also completely miss us so we have to watch that one carefully. >> thanks, tucker. julie wright, you know what i saw in the five-day forecast?

>> what did you see smirk one more reason to look forward to friday? >> exactly. well we can't get over hump day just yet. we have a lot going on. pentagon station is investigating what they are calling a suspicious package. and as a result, metro trains are not allowed to travel through pentagon station. instead they make a stop before the pentagon station exit or train, if you will, and they have shuttle buses to take you where you need to go. so make note of that. pentagon station out of service until further notice. meanwhile, traveling in virginia, traveling eastbound along rolling road over at bower drive, accident here is tieing up two right lanes. for those traveling on 95 this morning, you'll find delays from the prince william parkway toward lorton. a good 10 minute trip at this point. and we have delays to report inbound on route 50 as you work in from northeast leaving cheverly. about a 14 minute drive toward bladensberg road. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic.

dream girls coming to the district this weekend. >> good morning, holly. >> reporter: good morning to you. that's right. we are making dreams come true. actually the students here at duke ellington school of the arts are making their own dreams come true and doing it with a production of dream girls. we are live on stage right now. they are putting on the finishing touches because coming up they are going to show us firsthand why you just might want to come out and see the show yourself. it's all live next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us.

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7:52. an alert from metro commuters. we just got word that the pentagon metro station is closed. authorities are investigating a suspicious package that led to the close, impacting the blue and yellow lines. >> right now trains are turning back on the yellow line at water front and pentagon city. this is likely causing backups. again the pentagon metro station is closed right now.

as we move on now, dream girls, you know the movie, well it started as a law and now it is playing at the duke ellington school of the arts this weekend. >> so we thought who is our dream girl? holly, we'll send her to the school to learn more about the production. hello, dream girl? >> reporter: thank you so much. in my dreams i would have love to gone to a school like duke ellington school of the arts. this is a fabulous place and thaer gearing -- and they are gearing up for a production and it's so big we are going to start right now. are you ready for a little stepping to the bad side? >> let's go. [ music ] ♪ [ singing ] jet i try to

make good without much to spare. ♪ >> reporter: you can see it's an early morning rehearsal just for us. and the woman that is barking out all of the directions and making sure they are in the right place is linda gervote and she is sitting on stage ready to tell the kids they need to step in the right direction. so tell us about the magnitude of this production? >> it's a huge production. we have about 150 kids involved. we have a live orchestra which you can hear underneath us. and i think you'll see later on in the cast i have 38. i have wonderful costume people and make-up artists and crew back stage. so it's been a large undertaking for the school. i have two casts. but because the show is so vocally demanding you need two

sets of principals so they are not overcome by the vocal strain. >> reporter: and the thing about this is no one ever questions the talent here at the duke ellington school of the arts. it speaks for itself and speaks volumes. but this production that speaks volumes in the fact that this is the kids keeping their school alive themself. tell -- -- tell bus that. >> the school is facing a huge deficit and they were about to lose teachers and they took this on to help save jobs and so they have given 175%, some of them 210% to keep jobs for teachers. >> reporter: that says a lot because these kids love performing and for them to take it to the next level is a huge statement? >> absolutely. these kids come to school every morning at 8:00, they stay here, the class is over at 5:00 and then they go into rehearsal

after that. and sometimes the days don't end until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. and then they have to travel -- they take ten classes a day. it's a big demand for a young person. >> reporter: and so i know you've been involved in a lot of productions here at the school. how does this one compare? >> this is the biggest one. there are days that i've sat back and said why did i do this, i don't know what i was thinking. it's 350 costumes alone in the show and i'm like, what? had you did i think of -- how did i think to do this? this is crazy. but they stepped up to bat. and last thursday we had original dream girls jennifer halladays with her own charts and everything in a different key, the orchestra cite cued and embraced her and brought her to the show as if she was here in rehearsal all of the time. >> reporter: and the other

shows was a especially gala night. how has the response been? >> it's been wonderful. full houses. and people are happy with the show. there are standing ovations every night. and it makes me feel good for the kids that have that kind of experience. >> reporter: well thank you very much. it makes us feel that they are up and sharing their talent with us this morning and they can share it with you because the productions continue through this weekend. myfoxdc.com is our website. we have a link to duke ellington school of the arts. if you want to come out and see a special production of dream girls. it keeps getting better. coming up in the next hour, we'll have another production number and then we'll talk with the head of the school about what a difference this production is making in the school here. and we have more fox 5 morning news coming up live after the break. stay with us.

a virginia man under arrest, accused of threatening to blow up metro trains. but that's not the only thing he targeted. we're live with details -- more details. and then a robbery at the

belagio in las vegas. the thief got away with more than a million dollars in chips and police believe this wasn't his first time. >> we may see snow tomorrow and maybe some on sunday. montgomery county rolled out the new snowplow tracking system just in time. we'll show you how this will help you get around during the winter weather. good morning. i'm steve chenevey. >> and i'm allison seymour. and before we get to the weather. we begin with an alert for metro commuters. pentagon metro administration closed right now because of a suspicious package. >> it's impacting the commute on the blew and -- blue and yellow lines. trains are turning back. shuttle bus service is going into effect. the pentagon metro station closed and we'll let you know when it reopens. about a minute after the hour, we sake good morning to tucker barnes. >> good morning and cold. you'll feel alive when you step outside because it is very brisk out there.

wind continues to blowout of the fong and west. temperatures notice teens and low 20s. are we getting used to it? >> no. i didn't want to go outside yesterday. >> allison? >> no. >> hang in there. maybe by tomorrow. 23 degrees right now at reagan national. still teens in places like fredericksberg, you are 17 at this hour, 19 in baltimore. 20 out in winchester and 20 in hagerstown. so very cold start. you mix in winds out of the knowledge and west gusting to about 20 and it feels more like single-digits. the cold weather continues, heavy coat weather continues. you can see the clouds, nicer than yesterday as far as sunshine is concerned and slightly lighter winds with winds only out of the north and west gusting to about 30. so that's a little bit of an improvement. it's still cold. high temperatures today only in the upper 20s to about 30. hard to believe we're talking about temperatures like this. 30 in washington, 32 in fredericksberg.

and 27 in winchester. and still windy at times but gradual improvement. we do have a little bit of snow in the forecast for tomorrow, i have details on that in a few. >> as long as it's a little bit. we can handle it. >> we want to ease into that. checking in with julie wright to see how people are easing into the commute. >> it's a tough ride. especially on the blue and yellow lines. we heard about the pentagon station shut down. shuttle bus service has been requests for those traveling pentagon city, l'enfant plaza. and two left lanes tied up northbound on 95, a 10 minute drive northbound toward the occuquan. and slowdowns to deal with if you are traveling inbound along new york avenue. slowdowns as you work out of cheverly into northeast washington and again the lanes here are open. no incidents to report coming southbound on the bw parkway but again about a 14-15 minute

drive working out toward the times building and bladensberg road. delays traveling elsewhere. 395 here at king street in both the main line and the h.o.v. headed northbound. checking for a stalled car reported in the main line north of king street. southbound 270 out of rockville, not so bad. lanes open down toward the lane divide. going to find lanes open on the outer loop of the beltway but the pace is congested 95 to georgia avenue. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. new this morning, dozens of tenants at one maryland apartment building forced out into the bitter cold. officials declared the governors square apartments in gaithersburg unsafe after a cracked pipe caused the basement to flood. more than 50 people have been displaced. problems in prince george's county. firefighters trying to figure out what sparked a fire that burned several townhomes in capitol heights around 8:00 last night. investigators say the flames started in a gauge and then spread to the homes on both sides. fortunately nobody was hurt but as many as six families have

been displaced. the strong winds and frigid temperatures making it tough on firefighters. the nation's busiest fire engine company, 10 engine and ladder truck 13 battled the elements while responding to a report of a fire at a restaurant on capitol hill last night. crews found smoke upstairs but no flames. >> in this case there weren't any people to be rescued but this is something that we typically have to deal with, the comfort and care of people put out into this type of weather. if there was a raging fire -- raging fire and we used water to spray it, things turn to ice. >> they work out of the d.c. fire department trinidad station in northeast d.c. we saw this coming two months ago. the d.c. fire and ems tweeted last night that mayor elect vince gray notified and accepted dennis rubin's resignation effective january 1st. he announced he was leaving as chief when the new administration takes over. rubin was mayor fenty's top

choice for the job four years ago. an alleged threat against metro and in one of d.c. popular neighborhoods and how a man in custody facing charges. stacy cohan is live at foggy bottom with the latest. >> reporter: the threat was against metro and georgetown. this man is from arlington, virginia. the fbi was able to catch up with him because they got an informant who had friended this person on facebook. now this gentleman's name is eway juneis. there were two targets, one is metro rail and he mentioned which cars he thought would be more full of passengers and best for a target. and the underground sewer system in georgetown. they said on november 20th he posted a description of how to make a pipe bomb. federal agents moved in on him on december 5th ant went to his

arlington, virginia home. when he posted a message threatening the informant who by then had apparently realized had been speaking with authorities. now we spoke to a terrorism expert who explains why they needed to take this man's threat seriously. >> you have to remember that this guy apparently had a college education, maybe even a background in chemistry and that would lead authorities, if that proves to be true, that would lead authorities to think he had the capacity to build a bomb or carry out some type of attack. >> reporter: now eunice is in custody right now. he is only charged with making threats across state lines but he does have a hearing next week and there could be more charges to come. reporting live, i'm stacy cohan, back to you. >> thank you, stacy. in less than two hours president barack obama will sit down with nearly 2 dozen captains of industry. he's invited company ceo's to a

summit called the white house working session with business. the president wants the private sector to use record profits to increase employment. a law that would keep our taxes from going up in three weeks now headed for senate e senate passed it in a test vote 83-15 but some democrats are not supporting the compromise with republicans. they are demanding revisions. particularly to the estate tax. democrats say it only helps the rich and want to raise it. republicans call if the death tax -- call it the death tax. >> this agreement is not subject to be reopened. >> this legislation will cost $858 billion over two years. that is bigger than the much- reviled stimulus. >> if house democrats make any changes to the tax bill it would have to go back to the senate. even if the tax cut vote doesn't come back through the senate, congress may work through christmas. the lame duck session supposed

to end this weekend but with so much unfinished business, including a massive spending bill, majority leader harry reid points out the new congress doesn't start until january 4th and he may force lawmakers back to capitol hill next week or even perhaps in the week between christmas and new year's. about 20 minutes ago time magazine unveiled the person of the year. there he is, mark zuckerberg, the 26-year-old founder of facebook. they credit him with connecting more than half a billion people and creating a new system of exchanging information and changing how we all live. now wiki leaks julian assange won person of the year in the reader's poll. >> two people that are big talkers, no doubt. 9 minutes past the hour on this wednesday morning. >> while the holiday season is joy us for many of us, many others are stressed out about spending a few days or longer with family. so when we come back, we'll get tips from an expert on how to

just stay cool and relaxed and calm and collected. >> it's family, that's the beauty of it. and tucker has a look at our forecast and perhaps the chance of snow tomorrow. speaking of snow, this is "let it snow" by boys to men, one of the top getters on our christmas song poll. >> i almost listed that one myself.

ice breakers mints with icy-cool flavor crystals.

ice breakers. stay cool. 8:13 as we check headlines. disturbing story out of florida. a horrifying confrontation caught on camera at a school board meeting. this is in the florida panhandle. and this video is graphic. the video is of this man named clay duke. he spray painted on a wall and then pulled out a gun and fired off a couple of shots. now nobody was actually hit. one board member hit him on the arm with her purse and that

distracted him and then a security guard shot the man. no reason on why he took the gun to the meeting. the contractor hired to run dunbar high school is getting a failed grade. trouble still plagued the school. half of the senior class won't graduate. more than 100 students have taking classes they've already passed and classes are unsafe. maryland, virginia and the district backing the over site committee. metro infrastructure funding will be held if they do not make corrections. the board is expected to address the issue this week. and low 20s so a warm-up factor would be nice. >> we could use a lift. let's check with tucker. >> good morning. time for the my first 5 photo of the day. this is taylor, everybody. and if you look carefully,

you'll see a couple of things. she's sitting on santa's lap for the first time, we're told. and it looks like maybe santa is not her best friend right there. it looks like she's not having a very good time. >> she will be. maybe later. >> she'll get used to the idea of santa. he can be intimidated. >> she's very beautiful and he's hairy and she's very beautiful. >> don't you worry. santa claus is the sweetest man on planet earth and he'll bring you a lot of presents this year. to post your child's picture go to myfoxdc.com and click on mornings. and taylor, definitely jacket weather here. ask santa claus for a big coat for winter. let's look at our current conditions. at reagan national, 23 degrees in downtown washington. still a lot of teens off to the north and west. mixing in winds gusting to

about 15-20 and it feels like isn't -- like single-digits for most of the region. and bitterly cold with highs only in the upper 20s to about 30. winds let up during the course of the afternoon and otherwise very cold forecast. satellite radar, most of the country is quiet. focus on the band of snow up toward bismarck, in the northern plains, that's our next weather-maker. a weak clipper system that won't have a lot of moisture but it will have the desire to drop snow across the washington area tomorrow. so it will track south of us. the best chance of snow tomorrow is south and west of washington. but even here in washington, it looks like now we will see a period of light snow tomorrow afternoon any time after about 2:00 or 3:00 and that will last into the evening hour. accumulation should be light but anything that falls will stick on roadways because temperatures won't be above freezing between now and that

event. and 30 this afternoon, 31 tomorrow light snow. watching sunday carefully, could be another coastal storm. that one is hit or miss. a close call but we'll see an eye on it. high temperatures in the 30s for the weekend. let's look at the forecast. let's get to on-time traffic with julie wright. a lot going on out to west. we're receiving word that a med evac helicopter is en route to the scene of a crash which occurred along 15 south of gilbert's corner. it is shut down between 15 and gilbert's corner. on 66 still lingering through manassas as you work eastbound toward 28 and continuing inbound through centreville. no accidents to report, just volume delays as you work that drive inbound. and slower traffic leaving vienna toward the capital beltway. the outer loop slow leaving 95 around georgia. 95 on the brakes toward the beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on- time traffic. well the holidays, they are

here. and of course we love it as a joyous time of the year for the most part, and it's like that for most of us. but holiday gatherings with friend and family could get overwhelming and you might have to deal with a lot of different personalities which could get stressful. so how do you cope with that? who do we turn to, our friend and psychiatrist lisa van sustern. she has the tips to get us through the tough times. good morning. >> good morning, allison. >> you have the thing to remember, the headline for the holidays and dealing with close family and friends. what is it? >> be realistic. we know this can be a tough time. family members are not the people we necessarily choose in our lives but they are there. and let's face, it the bossy ones, the fantic ones, the lazy ones, we may have more in common with them than we realize. they're on life's journey with us, be realistic.

don't aim for the moon. just enjoy the ways we can enjoy each other with what works. and the second thing is being realistic about financial issues. we may not be able to have the christmas that we had been hoping for. we may really look at people who have less than we have and think of giving what we would otherwise every season. and also we need to be realistic about our own -- what we bring to the table. look at our own role in creating the mood and dividing the labor, so to speak. so those are three major tips on being real estatistic about the holidays and what to -- realistic. >> and you say take the time to look inward ard know what you are getting into. and it won't change. >> and the point is nobody has a perfect family. families are very complex. it's a very complicated system. and hoping to get 80% joy out of this, maybe 20%, and somebody is mad and we deal

with it. >> you gave us great don'ts and dos. and i say that as opposed to dos and don'ts because we need to be realistic. you say don't bring up big things and the one vegetarian goes, are you really going to eat that turkey? >> that big dead bird. are you eating that? it isn't the time at dinner table to bring upin namtory issues. -- inflammatory issues. leave the grievances behind, the mom liked you best things. the table is not the place. if you do have a health issue, somebody is drinking too much or doing something not right, find a time, but schedule it. don't just have it jump out in front of people like an ambush. so you have to be very diligent about those issues. >> and the last point speaks to that. you say don't have unreasonably high expectations. and you say write down a list

and get organized. >> it is important, if you have a lot of things to do, write down when you expect to have them. if you have empty space with relatives, have some ideas. offer a structure to the holidays so that those who may be -- maybe don't have as much initiative can get help from you. and this is a really important aspect of making sure you can get done what you have to get done and ask others to do what you can't do. >> get outside and get exercise. this might help to clear our heads, right? >> well no one can underestimate the impact of being out in nature. d.c. is a beautiful place. a lot of great places to walk. the endor fins and the natural painkillers, have a laugh, run, do something that brings your spirit and your body up. it's an excellent way for you to feel better and to share the joy. >> another one is play a game. go get a good game or monopoly. >> get a laugh out of the game

or something else. one last tip is the best gift that you can give or get at the reason really is doing something wonderful for someone else. >> it makes you feel good. dr. lisa van sustern, thank you so much. steve, over to you. 8:21 on this wednesday morning. doctors say they have cured an hiv positive patient. we'll tell you how they did that when we come back. and live again at the duke ellington school of the arts where they are putting on dream girls this weekend. stay with us. fox 5 morning news will be right back.

- this is great. - thank you. mmmmmm. ( shattering, thud ) mmmmmm. ( crash, shattering ) it's good! ( shattering ) when you add velveeta and rotel tomatoes... and green chilis to chicken and pasta it's so good... - mmmmmm. - it'll blow 'em away. ( crashing ) man, that's good. man, that's good. velveeta and rotel. man, that's good.

welcome back. well the district is under staffed and not ready for a disease outbreak. that's the report from the trust for america's health. they gave the district a 7 out of 10 on preparedness for public health emergencies. that's down 1 point from last year. one reason for the poor score is budget cuts. a major break through in the fight against hiv and aids. the medical journal blood reporting a american man living in germany has cured after receiving a stem cell plant. he received a trans plant from

a donor caring a rare mutation that makes carriers immune to hiv infection. it is now 8:25 on this wednesday morning. >> coming up next, we'll check out other stories making headlines and that includes surveillance of a video robbery at the belagio in las vegas where a thief got away with more than a million in chips. >> but can he cash them in. and tucker is in with the forecast which includes a cold forecast and the chance of snow ight back with the details.

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making headlines at 8:29 this morning. a wooden boat passed with about 70 people seeking asylum smashes into rocks and sinks off an australian island -- australian island. 41 people were plucked from the waters and one person did make it to shore. a family's daughter who was killed by a drunk driver is

going after the bar that served the driver. there was a $3 million lawsuit filed against the bar. no one at the bar had ever been charged. thousands of dui cases in d.c. could be in question. the man in charge of the breathalyzer unit said machines have never been checked for accuracy. dating as far back as the year 2,000. internal d.c. police documents show no accuracy tests performed on the machine after they were calibrated. those records go back to at least 2006. well another story making headlines, played out just like a movie. >> a mass gunman hit up a las vegas casino and got away with more than a million dollars in poker chips. jane metzler has the story. >> reporter: a brazen, gun- toting robber parks his motorcycle outside of the posh belagio casino on the las vegas strip. inside he pulls his weapon at a craps table, demanding money. >> he told everyone not to move

and he took approximately $1.5 million worth of casino chips. >> reporter: an 11 second surveillance clip captures the suspect wearing a motorcycle helmet with a face shield pulled down. with a million and a half dollars in poker chips, he exits the casino, hops on his bike and speeds away. the chips ranging in value from $100 to as high as $25,000. and police believe this guy might be the same person who knocked off another casino using the same m.o. >> this is believed to be the same suspect that robbed the las vegas sun coast casino poker room on december 9th, 2010 at approximately 12:30 a.m. by similar means. in this event he was also operating on a sport bike motorcycle. >> reporter: now las vegas police are asking for your help in finding the suspect. they say he's a white male, 5- 10 and 220 pounds. >> he was carrying a handgun

and last seen wearing a white motorcycle helmet with multiple stripes on it. was wearing a black jacket, black pants and black gloves during both events. >> reporter: police and casino officials say they are watching for anyone cashing in high value chips. they are said to be unique to casino properties and are generally not interchangeable. jane metzler, fox news. it is 8:32 right now. want to check in with tucker barnes for another frigid forecast for today? >> bitter cold overnight and cold start to the day. temperatures in the teens and low 20s. but you mix in the winds and it feels like single-digits across the region. setting the mood for christmas. >> i'm telling you what, i feel like this winter is going to be a crazy winter with all of these below-temperature readings. >> we'll see what happens in january and february. i bet it won't be as bad as last year when it's all said and done. >> okay. >> temperatures in the 20s. 23 degrees at reagan national.

and let's see what else we have. 19 now in manassas. fredericksberg, good morning, you are 18 degrees. quantico is one of the coldest spots, 16 currently. not much better but temperatures in 20s in frederick. and in hagerstown we are 21 degrees. winds out of the north and west today. not as gusty as yesterday. doesn't mean it will be comfortable. temperatures in the upper 20s to about 30 but at least winds aren't blowing at 40 miles per hour, more like 15-20 miles per hour this afternoon. here is a look at wind gusts. nothing in washington, but 26 outality dulles, 21 in gaithersburg and 22 in baltimore. so most of the area feels like single-digits when you mix in the windchill with those pretty brisk northwest winds here expected again this afternoon. so it will be windy at times during the course of the day. a lot of sunshine in the morning forecast. more sunshine than yesterday. should be a decent day today. not a lot happening. just on the cold side. off to the west, snow shower activity breaking into western minnesota and iowa. that's a clipper system diving down south of the washington

area and out to the sea during the day tomorrow but will likely spread a period of light snow across the washington area tomorrow afternoon. the timing, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, right into the evening rush hour. not going to amount to a lot but remember temperatures have been so cold and will be cold today and tonight that anything that falls will stick. so even light accumulation will stick on the roadways during the afternoon tomorrow. 30 degrees and sunny and cold out there. windy at times, winds gusting to about 30 miles per hour. here is your five-day forecast, cold tonight and mid-20s in town, teens off to the north and west. light snow for tomorrow and won't amount to a whole lot but we'll have some tomorrow afternoon. friday and saturday, temperatures a little better. 40 on friday, maybe another coastal system, got would watch that one carefully on sunday, could bring us more snow on sunday. temperatures in the middle 30s. that's a look at the forecast. steve and allison over to you and our christmas tree. during the holidays a great emphasis on helping those who are less fortunate. >> that is the mission all year round for this clinic that

provides health care services for the bailey's cross roads community in northern virginia. the clinic is this year's friend and the cofounder terry lavoy is with us this morning. >> good morning. >> tell us about the work you do all year round. >> well the cul mark clinic provides people in the daily cross roads community, we provide basic health care for those who can't afford to get it elsewhere. this is a project of the bailey's cross roads health access partnership. this is a faith based alliance. a number of congregations got together, st. anthony's, the catholic church and first christian church as well as a mosque all realizing that their communities were not able to get health care so the group worked together to increase access to people in that

community and they were joined by some other churches, st. katherine's and st. paul's and opened up the clinic in 2007 and the people that come to the clinic are people who have put off health care for a long time and they are arriving to us in crisis sometimes. hypertension, diabetes and depression are common but people are coming in with two and three other issues. i'm reminded a couple of weeks ago a young woman come in and she had three children and had fractured her foot. we referred her to mri with donated services and a podiatrist and now she's doing well. >> that's great. what can folks do to help out and -- as far as where they -- where the help can go.

>> the help we need the most is financial support. we have a core staff of nurse and other staff and we have donated services. so the donations are leveraged. they need to send donations to st. anthony's pattaya and we think there is information. and we also need nurses. we could also use some web development. you have to send a check into us. we don't have a large website. we operate one day a week providing services in the community. >> tell us about the ornament. >> this was made by our nurse, cindy little, one of our volunteers and this is a picture of the clinic staff and we are so pleased to put this on the tree because we hope that the organization that gets this will realize there is love and support in the community that we see every day too. >> did you sign the back? >> it said on the back seasons greetings. and i'll turn it back around

and you can see raquel, and the doctor and chris burden, our nurse practitioner and dede our scheduler and ann cartwright who is a co-founder with me. >> and put that on the tree so everybody can see it. thank you for coming in. and thank you to all of the folks that help you out as well. and we hope the folksality home will hell you out as well. we'll put that information on our website at myfoxdc.com. we have a lot more coming up this morning on fox 5 morning news. more on why rahm emanual's future plans may be in jeopardy because of his time spent here in washington. and as we go to break a toll day greeting from overseas. >> this is the taylor family stationed in germany. we wanted to say season greetings ab happy holidays to our friends and family in landover, maryland. happy holidays!

more testimony in chicago this morning to see if rahm emanual is eligible to run for mayor. he addressed the chicago board of elections answering questions about his kids' enrollment in d.c. schools and

when he saw a baseball game. the woman who rented his house will testify later today. if you're looking for work, check out our job shop. our job of the day is at petco in bailey's cross roads. petco there is looking for a sales associate, benefits are provided for pull and part-time workers. and a store discount is available. listen up pet lovers. for more on this job and many others go to myfoxdc.com and click on the job shop tab at the top of the home page. it is 8:42. who can forget snow mageddon last year. >> well now there is a new way for montgomery county drivers to track the snow flowers. we'll show you when we come back. holly, good morning. can't we have a winter where it's like 80 degrees. that's me dreaming. because i am hanging out with the cast of dream girls. we are live this morning at duke ellington school of the arts. these kids believe in their teachers and the education they get here and that is exactly

why they have chosen to put on this major production. coming up, we have a major announcement regarding the dream girls production as we are going to show you another production number and tell you how you can come out and enjoy the show and help out the cause. it's all live on fox 5 morning news.

no doubt you'll have to bundle up before you head outdoors today. a little bit of sunshine to left of the picture but it just looks cold out there and it is. another chilly day and it looks like the cold weather is sticking around for a bit. tomorrow we may see some snow. people who live and work in montgomery county won't have to ask where the snow patrol is. they can go online and find out where the plows are and have they have been. john henrehan shows us how it works. >> during big snowstorms like last winter's blizzards, people need information said montgomery county administrator isaiah leggett. >> people are concerned about their roads and neighborhoods and whether they can get to work and shop and make appointments and a lot depends

on the condition of the roads and what they know about the condition of the roads. >> reporter: although residents can see the condition of streets in front of their homes, they now can find out the condition of streets throughout the neighborhood. in fact throughout montgomery county with a real-time online street-by-street plowing condition website. >> so looking at this neighborhood view, this neighborhood appears to be mostly done and what does this color mean in this neighborhood? >> in progress. so again, if you go to the legend of neighborhood roads, the narrow brown line indicates not started, the narrow brown line with the yellow ribbons is in progress and the solid is complete. >> reporter: and during the storm they call and say this road is done, how soon will it be posted on the internet map? >> as soon as completed. >> reporter: before going out homes can use the map to click

on the locations of the traffic camera system for a real-time visual check of major intersections. the new online snowplow progress tool is now up and running. in montgomery county, john henrehan, fox 5 news. singing, dancing, drama, just some of the things to see at the duke ellington school of arts with dream girls. >> and holly is live to show what it takes to put on a show like this. >> reporter: the bigger question is what it takes to see this show. and the tickets are going so fast if you haven't gotten yours already you might be out of luck, unless you are watching fox 5. because we are getting a sneak peek this morning and they're letting us see what talent they have. rory pullins is the principal here. he has a big smile on his face. because he's very proud of these students. and very proud of really what they are doing here. how did you go about choosing

dream girls specifically. >> what is interesting is that our theme for the entire school is i dream a world. and so when you have "dream" in your theme, the connection to dream girls was there. and because we try to give students a look at what arts and entertainment is like, this was an ideal production to exemplify that. >> reporter: and you give them an idea and you give them the reality of what having a life in the performing or visual arts is like. it's not easy. and they're seeing that here as far as the budget situation that the school is in and yet they are feeling they want to make a difference? >> absolutely. and for them to be a part of this is so important for them that they are a part of the solution. they are a part of solving this so the fact they will have their teachers to continue training them is something that is just exciting. >> reporter: well then we

should have a party party. >> that's what i'm talking about. party, party. >> i'm going to get you over there if we have to get a hotel. operator, could you connect me to robert clinger at the atlantic hotel in miami. >> oh, curtis, there is such determination in your eyes. did i ever tell you how much i like your eyes. >> reporter: as we are watching these two perform their scene, i want to talk to two other people in the audience. and they are equally important in terms of pulling this off. i have marguerite stewart with the museum studies program here and marg williams with the [ indiscernible ]. but the biggest part of this production is that it is beyond the stage. and it is bringing this whole

show together. tell me about your area? >> i'm the chair of the literary and communications department. and when mr. pullin said it's an all-school collaborate, it is because all of the departments collaborated in different ways and so the educational apparatus was the learning curve for the show and my department which trains the journalists and the writers produced a document which was a chronicling of the cast and what their work is. we also did a documentary that charted the show both academically and artistically. so what you get here is really innovative because it's -- it involves the whole institution. it's an institutional production. so at the end of the day, it's not just about the show. and that's what is extraordinary about it. >> reporter: and i think some might people -- some people might think that museum studies

won't be part of this. >> and museum studies is a novelty, there is no other school that has a program. we put together an exhibit that chronicles the behind the scenes activity that made the production real. >> reporter: and i accidentally made the mistake of one time saying the school of performing arts but it's not. it's duke ellington school of the arts because the visual arts are as important as everything that we are watching on stage. so here is what you need to know to come out and see the show. myfoxdc.com is our website. we have a link to the duke ellington school of the arts website. tickets are only 25-$35. but i would call right now as you are watching this. coming up in the next hour, we'll talk more about this amazing production and the students behind it. it's a party-party here this morning. >> sure is. and great music too. >> but holly, before we let you go, great music too, because we've been asking facebook friends about their favorite

christmas song and we want to share ours. so what is yours? >> reporter: well my favorite christmas song is baby it's cold outside. and it has to be performed by leann womack and harry connick, jr. i don't care about leann. unless i have harry for the holidays, that's my christmas album that means the season is here. and then i dream, speaking of dream girls, of maybe singing a song one day with harry. >> a girl can dream. >> yes she can. and that would be something for him to look forward to as well. holly, thank you so much. >> reporter: your welcome. well i talked about my mine -- mine earlier. what is your smirk i have a whole bunch. >> you get one. >> well i love christmas. so when it's christmas time the song i put on to jump start me into the spirit is he is christmas by take six. it's a little known song. they don't really play it.

is this it? >> that goes back a bit. [ music ] >> they caught it in the middle. when that song is going through the house, that means it's christmas time. >> well it is. and speaking of christmas time, people talking about gifts and presents and the like when it comes to it. and so we have been -- profiling a gift for the day. and today we have something for you. talking about the grilling favorite. >> this is the grill daddy pro. you might have seen the grill cleaning brushes like this one before, but this one, it has a scraper, and a brush and it shoots out water, which of course turns into steam on the hot grill. you will not be getting a job at qvc, may i say that. >> i'm fine with that. >> for helping to get the grill gunk off. the steam does that part. >> the grill daddy pro, and this is the best part, says our executive producer. the ergonomic handle so you can do this and don't have to get

over the flames. you stay further away and away if the heat. the reviews that we looked at online, mostly positive for this device you'll find in the neighborhood of 20-$25. we hear if you go to amazon it's $19.99. if you are interested in the grill daddy pro. >> that's a good gift for anybody that grills. >> i i think it is -- i think it is. >> and i think there used to be a girl daddy -- a grill daddy. >> something to keep in mind for me. >> okay. >> i would take it. >> okay. if you have never experienced a migraine headache, you are lucky, and the holiday season can be a trigger for migraines. we're going to have a doctor joining us at 9:00 to talk about how to avoid certain triggers. stay with us.

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>> coming up on the 9:00 hour. one more hour to go. so gurvir is joining allison as we say good morning. >> thank you so much, steve. and here is a look at stories we're working on for the 9:00 hour of fox 5 morning news. a virginia man under arrest accused of threatening to blow up metro trains. but that wasn't the only thing he targeted. details are ahead. also a frightening scene at a school board meeting. cameras were rolling as a man pulled out a gun. >> why? this isn't worth it. >> please don't. >> reporter: coming up what happened next was even more chilling. we'll have the full story. and migraine headaches effect millions of us. believe it or not, the fun- filled holidays can be a trigger for the debilitating headaches. we have a doctor joining us later in hour to go over the trigger that's exist during the