now of just how excited the defendants were the minute they walked out of the door. check it out. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: right there you see it, you can hear the excitement and the emotion in their voices. many of them telling me today that they were shaking right before the verdict was read. others were saying that they couldn't help but cry once that verdict was read and again, the six defendants facing serious felony charges were all acquitted today. they told us, most of them said how it's been almost a year of not knowing their fate and also questioning their decision making on the day of the protests. >> i feel like all the hard work and sacrifice that went into getting us to this moment was worth it. i was anxious but a certa

the right result would happen. >> i think a lot of people have been scared away from voicing their opinions. they don't want to get arrested. they don't want to get pepper sprayed, a stinger grenade thrown at them. >> reporter: like we mentioned on january 20, hundreds of protesters took to the streets near dupont circle. some of them smashing and breaking nearby store windows. others setting cars on fire and throwing bricks at police officers. bottom line here, though, the attorneys of the six defendants represented today say that there was no evidence that their clients took part in violence that day. they say there was no criminal intent behind their protesting. >> when you're putting a case like this together that you have to make tough decisions and draw lines and decide, you know, between those who were engaged in constitutionally protected activity and those who are engaged

activity and prosecute the -- prosecute the ladder and not -- not charge the former. >> reporter: now, the u.s. attorney's office also put out a statement today in light of today's verdict saying, and i quote, "the u.s. attorney's officers for the district of columbia believers that the evidence shows a riot occurred on january 20, 2017 during which numerous public and private properties were damaged or destroyed. this destruction impacted many who live and work in the district of columbia and created a danger for all who were nearby. the criminal justice process ensures that every defendant is judged based on his or her personal conduct and intent. we appreciate the jury's close examination of the individual conduct and intent of each defendant during this trial and respect its verdict. in the remaining pending cases we look forward to the same

defendant. now, keep in mind here there are still 188 people, 188 protesters who are going to have to go through the same process and also in this case face a very similar fate and very serious charges here. of course we'll keep a close eye on their trials as we head into 2018. for now reporting live at d.c. superior courthouse this evening, kristyn leon, fox5 local news. >> ♪ >> get over there, get over there. >> back up. >> an update now on this protest outside the turkish embassy which turned violent this past spring. this happened during a visit by turkish president erdogan in may. at least 11 people were injured 2349 confrontation between demonstrators pro erdogan supporters and erdogan's own security forces. two men have pled guilty to felony assau

sentencing is set for march 15th. >> new video shows two suspects breaking into a northern virginia restaurant and police say they took off with a safe and cash register which then turned up at a nearby construction site the same day. >> fox5's tisha lewis joining us live from woodbridge with more on the story tonight. tisha. >> reporter: well, ladies, 'tis the season for these types of crimes, this one happened here at this mexican restaurant here in woodbridge. in fact we're told that the suspects used some type of hard object and threw it through the door to break in shattering the glass. you can see since the incident happened, the door has been replaced and so has security but we did catch up with the owner of this restaurant and he recalls the moments that it all went down. >> they come in they rob, they take money and they break the case and they do very fast. they do very fast.

three something, then come inside and they check -- they check all around if they see some people or whatever and they come in all around to the corner and they check to the back and then come in like two guys. when 93 see the opportunity they -- when they see the opportunity they go inside. >> reporter: that was manager josé moya. he says new surveillance video shows the suspects in action. the break in happened last week early thursday morning in the wee hours. we're told the suspects were in and out in just a few minutes. the family owned business says this is the first time they've been robbed in the three years they've been at this location off of jefferson davis highway. now, after stealing a safe and a cash register from the restaurant, the suspects apparently went to a nearby construction site where they dumped the safe and the cash

>> we reviewed the surveillance footage. we found that the suspects entered that business around 3:30 that morning. so odds are they probably broke into the business took the items and then carried them off someplace to where they tried to get into them and were successful. >> reporter: now, unfortunately we're told there is no surveillance video from that construction site so that means that the surveillance video here from the restaurant is all police have to go on. the suspects are described as two latino men. they were wearing dark colored clothing at the time of the incident. one suspect is said to be 6 feet tall, the other is about five-sven. if you have any information or recognize the men you saw on that surveillance video call police. tisha lewis fox5 local news. >> montgomery county police just released new surveillance video from a burglary at a liquor store. you can see three masked men breaking into the store on lehman farm road in germantown. the suspects grabbed several bottles of liquor before taking off.

reward of up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest in the case. >> all right, do you recognize this person on your screen? the university of maryland police are asking for help. they tell us this is the person of interest in a theft that happened on december 5th at the cambridge community center store. anyone with information is asked to contact university police. just a few months ago tragedy struck a local family and the d.c. police family at the same time. officer barry eastman was killed in a car accident as he headed home. he was a d.c. police officer stationed in the third district. >> officer eastman left behind a wife and twins. well, just days before christmas, one of his fellow officers gave the twins a special gift to help them remember their dad. fox5's matt ackland reports. >> reporter: the christmas tree is up, the house decorated for the holidays. pictures nearby show the love officer barry eastman shared with his wife and twins. two days ago, more love arrived in a home that is

these two bears for asher and violet. >> when the kids opened them up and i saw it come out i immediately knew it was his shirts. >> reporter: the bears were happened made by fellow police officer rebecca warner. >> loved them. they've been sleeping with them every nightism the material used to make the bears came from barry's uniforms. the eyes made of buttons a blue tie and the mpd patches on the feet also his. >> and my daughter said that she's going to be able to hug daddy. >> reporter: barry worked on the force for four years. his wife jennifer said he loved being a d.c. police officer. he died in september in a traffic accident as he was heading home from an overnight shift. jennifer says she'd rather not focus on that day. instead, think about how her husband was loved by so many who wore the same uniform. >> we appreciate it so much and the entire department

been so supportive and -- and compassionate in reaching out and we're really proud to be part of the mpd family. >> reporter: this is officer warner here behind me. she really did a nice job with the bears. i was able to see them up close. they look great. we asked if she would speak with us but apparently she is a little camera shy but ladies what a wonderful thing that she did for this family that is really, really feeling sad this christmas season. >> so creative and someone they can actually hold onto. your heart goes out to the family and makes them know they're surrounded by people who love them. >> reporter: and the kids love these bears. >> right there behind you i love that picture. >> reporter: isn't that great? aren't they cute apparently they go to bed with them each night. >> something they'll never forget for sure. >> reporter: isn't that wonderful. >> thanks matt. >> reporter: uh-huh. >> coming up, officers and detectives combating illegal inbound use and overdoses around the country are facing another battle. >> why addicts

local veterinarians to feed their drug habits. >> a stocking stuffer no-no. if you buy a lottery ticket and put it in your kids' stocking you're actually breaking the law. we'll explain why. >> my mom's in trouble. >> hey, sue. >> oh, my gosh, who knew you can't get the lottery tickets in the stockings. we'll cross that off the list right. we had a very bright and sunny day. i think a delightful way to enter into the winter season. our high temperature 46 degrees almost average for this time of year but it's a weekend warmup an few showers we'll be talking about with a first look at your forecast. we'll be right back. >> ♪ >> ♪♪

how's it going down there? that's good. lica misses you. i'm over it though. (laughter) that's fine. i miss her more than you anyway. ♪ ♪ ♪ hey, my window is closing.

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>> drug users a using a new tactic to get their hands on opioids. prescriptions for their pets. the warning comes from fairfax county police. they're telling us a man who was visiting multiple vet officers with jane short officers within a short of time was using fake claims. it's called vet shopping. the tactic has been on the rise. some clues vets can look out for if they think there's somebody vet shopping are new patients bringing in seriously injured animals. patients requesting medications by name and aggressive pet owners. police are asking vets to report any suspicious behavior. new numbers showing the severity of the drug overdose prob

in 2016 more than 63,000 people died from drug overdoses, 42,000 involved opioid drugs. 22 states and d.c. had overdose rates significantly higher than the national average. in october president trump declared the opioid crisis a public emergency. >> well, today is the shortest day of the year and according to astrologiers it may also be the worst. the reason supposedly is saturn. both saturn and the sun will line up for the first time since 1664. now, some astrologiers say starting something new on this day is ill advised and will have long term consequences. as far as daylight goes today we only had about nine and a half hours of daylight. i hope we reported this in the morning show as well because it's already 5:00 p.m. so if people were starting about starting something new it's a little late. >> it's official for me then i'm not starting my diet today. >> that is a great idea. >> i'm going along with

>> i'll continue to binge on all the cookies and candy. >> holidays coming sue. wait until after new year's. >> happy winter though everybody. >> yeah. >> starting to feel like it. >> my gosh, yeah, gorgeous day with a lot of sunshine but dry air and cool temperatures. by the way you were mentioing that in terms of daylight, this is the shortest day of the year. >> right. >> five hours 28 minutes less daylight than we had at the june solstice. >> my gosh. >> the nice thing is starting tomorrow the daylight starts to get longer. >> we've reached the end. >> yes, that's right. it's all good news. we're looking up from here but we are also talking about a bit of a warmup as we head into the weekend before things get mighty cold next week. today's temperatures average for this time of year, no the bad at all and we'll check temperatures right now. boy, i saw a lot of cars on the road, too, by the way, sarah and lauren. i think everybody's going somewhere and if you are, i hope you have safe travels. 39 degrees is what the temperature is at 5 o'clock in manassas, 37 winchester. obviously we're on our way to another cold night if we're alre

30's. 5 o'clock d.c. is 43 degrees. if you're heading up toward new york city, current temperature there is 39. boston is below freezing at 31. binghamton 26. pittsburgh 39 and look at the warmer air as we look toward lexington as well as knoxville. upper 50's. we've actually got a little bit of a warmup that we'll be talking about especially for saturday. but wanted to give you more of a perspective here across the northeast, the midatlantic and into the midwest because if you're getting ready to drive on out, a few snow showers up through the great lakes, not a lot. the bigger picture will show you it is pretty quiet across the country and this is fantastic for those flying across the country, a little bit of snow just kind of streaming from denver to minneapolis and north of chicago. that's a warm front. no pig deal with in one. a closer look here at our own radar and you can see that we're pretty quiet in terms of that. airport delays, i'm not finding any between cleveland and boston, so good signs for all the travelers trying to get where they're trying

have no trouble with the weather. looking at tomorrow as well, there is going to be rain starting to spread from texas all the way up through the midwest into the tennessee valley, ohio valley and that is going to be moving in our direction but not until the overnight hours on friday. so, if you're trying to drive to the northeast tomorrow, you'll want to watch for a little bit of ice, maybe a bit of snow up through upstate new york and into interior new england. rain here will hold off until overnight hours for the most part and i think we'll just see some clouds increasing tomorrow afternoon. not a bad day here. and we are thinking that temperatures even on saturday could be as warm as 62 degrees as showers come into the picture here mostly in the afternoon. we'll talk more about what you can expect for the christmas weekend and beyond coming up a little bit later. lauren and sarah, back to you. >> looking forward to it. thank you sue. coming up an explosion inside of a restaurant. >> holy (bleep). >> take the whole front of that building out.

explosion and the damage left behind. >> ♪ >> these statues no longer represent who we are as a modern diverse city with momentum. >> two controversial confederate statues removed overnight. what the city's mayor is saying about the removal next but first, a holiday message from our troops. >> ♪ >> hello this is sergeant giddy. merry christmas. to my wonderful wife i-love and you and you're the love of my life.

>> ♪ >> (sirens). >> it was

australia after an suv plowed into a crowd of pedestrians injuring at least 19 people. four are in critical condition. the attack happened in front of a melbourne train station in a popular area full of shoppers. >> hit a bunch of people. >> this is just terrible things like this shouldn't happen. >> the driver of that car is now in police custody. he is described as a 32-year-old australian citizen of afghan descent. police say he's known to authorities in the area and could be suffering from a mental illness. investigators say it was a deliberate attack but have no evidence to connect it to terrorism. two more americans have been identified as victims in this week's deadly tour bus crash in mexico. jodi and andy fritz from olympia washington were among the eight americans killed tuesday. jodi was an assistant principal at an elementary school. yesterday authorities identified three other victims from lorton, virginia. anna

and her mother. a total of 12 cruise passengers were killed in the crash. >> holy (bleep). take the whole front of that building out. >> the cell phone video shows the moments following a possible natural gas explosion in hollywood, california. the blast ripped right through a vacant restaurant on the first floor of a seven story apartment building. the first floor above the restaurant was evacuated as a precaution. tenants on higher floors were asked to temporarily shelter-in-place. the cause of the explosion is still under investigation. california's thomas fire on the verge of becoming the largest wildfire in state history. so far it has scorched more than 270,000 acres and it is about 60 percent contained. the largest wildfire on record is the 2003 cedar fire. that one burned more than 280,000 acres in san diego county. out

blazes the thomas fire is the only were unto occur in december. nearly every other wildfire happened during the summer months. >> crews just finished installing nearly 800 steel safety posts along the sidewalk on the las vegas strip. the move follows a wave of incidents involving drivers running over pedestrians in new york, barcelona and now as we just reported a bit ago australia. the posts are intended to keep pedestrians safe. all of them are connected underground by steel frames and can withstand a head-on collision from a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling at 50 miles an hour. two controversial confederate statues were removed overnight in memphis, tennessee. >> take a look. crews used cranes to remove the statue of confederate leader jefferson davis at a local park in the city. at another park crews also removed a statue of general nathan bedford forest. the removal of the statues comes after both parks were sold to a local nonprofit and city council members voted to get rid of the statues as soon as

>> it's important to know why we're here. the forest statue was placed in 19 oh fear as jim crow segregation laws were being enacted. the davis statue was placed in 1964 as the civil rights movement was changing this country. these statues no longer represent who we are as a modern diverse city with momentum. >> no word on where the statues will be moved. >> coming up the showdown on a critical virginia race. >> tom fitzgerald following this story. hey, fitz. >> reporter: good evening. you will not believe how they are going to pick the winner in a critical virginia legislative race. we're going to show you in just a moment. but first, back to you. >> and the pentagon has issued new guidelines for

process transgender recruits in the military. >> plus, facebook now facing a lawsuit for age discriination in their job posts on their sites. we're back after this. >> ♪

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>> ♪ >> this is fox5 local news at 5:00. >> ♪ >> here's a check of your headlines now. a fairfax police officer was hurt in a crash along route 28 this morning. police say the officer was hit by a car while directing traffic around another crash involving three vehicles on route 28 at i-66 in centreville. all three drivers including the officer suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. the driver who hit the officer stayed on the scene. more arrests tonight in connection with the possible gang related murder of a prince william county teen. police arrested 19-year-old

hernandez navarro. investigators think they're linked to carrillo's death and disappearance. both suspects face first degree murder charges. >> a new york man arrested at bwi thurgood marshall airport for having a loaded gun in his carry on bag. this marks the second time this week a passenger at bwi was arrested for the same crime. t.s.a. agents spot the gun through a security checkpoint x-ray monitor. the officers contacted police who confiscated the gun and arrested the man on weapons charges. >> ♪ >> control of the virginia house is deadlocked and it's going to be decided by a random drawing of names. but it's not just a seat at stake. >> whoever wins will decide which party controls virginia's house of delegates under incoming democratic governor-elect ralph northam. fox5's tom fitzgerald joins us. when are they going

and when. >> reporter: the how is interesting. the when and where is going to be richmond next wednesday at 11 o'clock and here's the deal. this is all over the 94th house race vote in virginia. where is the 94th district. well its way down in newport news, virginia and this is what they're going to do. remember these things those old film canisters, you might remember. they're going to put each candidate's name into one of these types of can any of thes, get themselves a glass jar, put those names into the glass jar and select one of those canisters. chef one they select is going to be the winner. how did they arrive at this point? it was just only yesterday that the democratic candidate in this race democrat shelley simons was celebrating what she thought was an historic win in this district. well, it turns out the attorneys for the republican bent david yancy successfully argued to

ballot that was originally ruled a no vote and when that vote was counted it was a vote for yancy, so where does that leave us tonight? well, it's deadlocked even-steven. 11,608 votes for each candidate so that means by virginia rule they are now going to move on to a random draw. now, what that means is whoever gets selected next wednesday will be the winner. the attorneys for the republican incumbent explained exactly what election officials saw on that balloting question while the candidate himself says he is glad election officials are being careful. >> grateful for the justices for the time that they took to deliberate and i'm really grateful that every vote has been counted. >> simons had a mark through the little bubble and mr. -- delegate yancy's had the bubble filled in. >> reporter: you can't get more of a nail-biter than this. we did reach

campaign today for comment. we did not hear back. incidentally under virginia rules whoever loses that random draw next wednesday can request yet another recount so this might not be over yet. for now we're live tonight tom fitzgerald fox5 local news. >> a stinging rebuke today by a majority of the world's nations. today the u.s. general assembly approved a resolution condemning america's decision to recognize jerusalem as the capitol of israel. member states voted 128 to nine with 35 abstentions to declare president trump's declaration of jerusalem as israel's capitol null and void. the vote happened shortly after a stern warning by u.s. ambassador to the un nikki haley. >> america will put our embassy in jerusalem. that is what the american people want us to do. and it is the right thing to do. no vote in the united nations will make any

that. >> today's vote also came after warnings from the white house to cut off foreign aid. the un vote was nonbinding and largely symbolic. the resolution was introduced by yemen's un ambassador who called president trump's move a "blatant violation of the rights of the palestinian people and the arab nations." >> a federal appeals court in virginia has rejected a bid by the trump administration to delay the military from beginning to accept transgender recruits starting january 1st. the trump administration had argued the january 1st date was just too soon to force the military to change the recruitment and processing policies and may even harm military readiness. but some analysts say a new policy guidance from the defense department under cuts the trump administration's claim. the pentagon issued a memo saying it was preparing to comply with the january 1st date and the memo also gave detailed guidelines for recruiters walking them through how to process transgender recruits including g

how to enter the recruits into the database. today's decision may set up the case for a potential appeal to the supreme court. >> president trump spent part of his day at walter reed national medical center visiting wounded soldiers. he said he wanted to wish them a merry christmas. chief of staff john kelly accompanied him on the private visit. a special prechristmas reunion at a firehouse in northeast washington today. they stopped by d.c. fire and. m stations today to meet the firefighters who delivered baby jazz two months ago. miss yarbrough was trying get to the hospital but little jazz had other ideas and the fire crew took care of the rest. >> surprise. [laughter] >> thank you all. thank you. i cannot thank you all enough. i mean, seriously, it was dire emergency and jazz could not wait. jazz couldn't wait and you all came to his rescue. you all helped me. you all helped my children. you all saved the day

really am truly blessed and ecstatic and grateful. >> well, it's normal for us 'cause this is what we do on a normal basis but not every day we get a opportunity to bring them back to check on him and check on their welfare and also do something special for the family around the holidays so it's kind of special to me. >> firefighter eric delaney and the rest of the crew showered baby jazz with gifts including a d.c. fire and ems t-shirt and hat. the older children received gifts, too. the mother was given a gift card to help the family out this christmas. >> babies have -- you know -- >> baby jazz had a mind of her own. >> right. >> coming up, the phrase drink in the atmosphere just got a new meaning. >> yes. apparently there was so much alcohol flowing at a d.c. frat party that the air in the building tested positive on a breathalyzer. that story is coming up. first though, here's brody. >> how sensitive is this breathalyzer. anyway, redskins tickets going

is that even a good value? spoiler alert? it's not. an historic kick in texas. we have that ahead. >> all right, maybe you heard. winter officially began earlier today. the winter solstice means the shortest amount of daylight and we saw our sunset at 4:49 p.m. after it rows at 7:23 this morning. we start to gain that daylight back beginning tomorrow but some very winter-like temperatures are in the seven-day forecast. i'll have a look at that and the latest on the holiday when fox5 news returns after this. >> ♪ >> ♪♪ z2momz zi0z

y2momy yi0y

♪ ♪ ♪ it feels good to be back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> ♪ >> an nba player has ignited controversy in his home country of turkey. a turkish prosecutor is calling for new york in this case star ennis cantor to serve four years of jail time for insulting turkey's

cantor said he found out about the indictment yesterday and he says he isn't bothered by it. he's like whatever. what are you going to do to me? i'm here. >> it was also around that time he was trying get back to the states from his home country after seeing his family and he was detained in the airport because he's had tweets against the president. >> but he's back here now. >> but he's back here. now he can't go home to see his family for the holidays because he'll get arrested for tweets. >> can they come here? >> he should get -- >> he's like you got to come here now, sorry. >> when you think about the freedoms we have here. >> i know. we have it good. >> we do have it pretty good. who doesn't have it good? pretty much the redskins fans. redskins haven't been the most valuable use of your entertainment dollar this season. they're four and three at fedex field and a couple wins were snoozers against the giants and cardinals. on top that of i mean really this week they're playing for nothing and it's christmas eve so it's not surprising that tickets for this weekend are going for as low as six or

even yes, five dollars. a hot dog at the game costs six dollars. a beer is nine dollars. you could pay 10 times as much for parking as you would for a.m. ticket to see this team play a broncos team that is also playing for nothing. this past weekend dna steinberg of the washington post was able to trade a snickers for a $135 face value ticket for the redskins cardinals game. so it's safe to say fan excitement isn't that peaking in the skins final home game of the year. regardless jay gruden says the team wants to put on a good show. >> any time you step out on the field you want to perform well for your family, for your fans, for your organization so i don't think that's going to be an issue really. >> well, i was curious what you the redskins fans would rather spend your money on a ticket for six dollars, a foot long sub potentially, 2 gallons of gas or maybe a pack of toilet paper? well, with over 200 votes in just a

few hours, yeah, redskins ticket is 11 percent, followed by a foot long sub at 27 percent, 2 gallons of gas 30 and at the top, a 12 pack of toilet paper. >> that is a very good deal. >> it is. i looked it up. >> a pack of 12. >> maybe it's kind of the off brand great value toilet paper for six dollars. what would you rather do with your six dollars on christmas eve. >> you know, i'm going to be lame here and say i think that's a good deal. >> i'm going for the toilet paper. >> i'm not because i'm having a party. >> i'm just -- >> parking could be $60 depending on where you park. >> you can metro. >> that's true, you can metro to the game. >> i mean, that's a great deal. >> it is. >> especially if you've got kids that have never gone a game before. >> you've been waiting for the chance to go to a game this is the time. or you can be in the parking lot and get it for a snickers. history was made. the first state champion -- she became a state champion in dallas cowboys stadium. she put her name in the record books with

this is six man football that's why the goal posts are further up. but she's the first female to ever score in a texas high school championship game there. she is getting her medal. she helped her squad to a 78-42 victory and after the game she was asked if she was nervous about the kick. and she said she expected to be nervous but surprisingly it was just another kick. so now she is. >> girl power. >> reporter: and she's playing with the guys. it is six man and woman football. >> yeah. >> reporter: so she's the first one to do this. >> looks like she can hold her own. >> reporter: yeah, she's made almost all her extra points this year. pretty. >> good for her. that's awesome. thanks brody. >> reporter: six dollars. >> six dollars. i was curious after i kind of put my foot in my mouth saying i would go but what's the weather going to be like. >> it will be chilly. not terrible. christmas eve we're kind of in between systems so it does look like it will be dry if you're planning on going out there and plan on taking advantage of that

times as much for parking, that's ridiculous. >> drop me off. >> parking is bad enough. if you know you're going to get gouged times 10 exactly. uber please although they -- i don't know, that's expensive too, nine dollars beer is expensive as well. there's a lot of hidden expenses there. all right. live look outside. beautiful evening after what was such a sunny and bright beautiful day. a little chilly. high temperatures much closer to normal, only in the 40's today. we'll have another chilly one tonight. more clouds and dry for travel, though, tomorrow so if friday is your day to hit the roads, it's mine, i'm nervous no matter what but the weather doesn't look to impede your journey. it will be a little milder too with temperatures back into the 50's. we're warming into the we could but that warm weather comes with some showers on saturday. turning colder by christmas eve but it will be transitioning so that by christmas day it will be a lot colder and we still in the forecast have the chance for a snow shower or two to arrive by christmas morning. it looks maybe more in the overnight. you know, falling along with santa's sleigh so won that be so

up to on christmas morning. we're hopeful. it wouldn't be two impact full if we get. >> reporter: temperatures right now 43 in washington, 38 baltimore 40 in annapolis 43 frederick 41 martinsburg so it is cool out there. we've got a few clouds streaming in from the west. you can see snow showers along the lakes but overall it's very quiet tonight if you're an evening traveler. you're not looking at any problems up and down the eastern seaboard and again, for tomorrow, we don't anticipate any problems on the roads either. clouds are increasing tonight. we fall back to 36. it was a cold morning. we started at 32 at d.c. a at reagan national but widespread low 20's and a hard freeze to begin today. i don't think it will be as cold tomorrow but we could still see some of us starting the day below freezing for sure. there is a bit of a travel situation north of us on friday. we've got a warm front that's just starting to month of '92 portions of new england so if you are going to be across western pennsylvania maybe into interior upstate new york new england that's where you could see a little bit of wet weather but otherwise, along 95 cool with just a few peeks of sunshine. those clouds will be pretty thick and t

though, on the rise. it will start out chilly but will make it into the 50's. in fact, daytime high temperatures above normal there. 57 manassas, 56 quantico, 55 leonardtown 58 in culpeper. let's fast forward to the weekend because if saturday is your day to travel, or to do anything really it does look to be a wet one. it is mild with temperatures in the 60's but in between these two fronts as the warm front pushes northward and as the cold front approaches from the west, we'll see those chances increase for the day for a period of some rain showers. that does look to be out of our hair by sunday so christmas eve itself does look dry. high pressure building in although it will be pretty brief before we have that slight chance of showers into christmas morning. so, i think overall christmas eve will be okay. so, for the weekend 62 degrees, clouds and showers. that is definitely warm. temperatures will be dropping throughout the day sunday, 47 and back to normal pretty chilly. accuweather 7-day forecast, let's check out this long holiday weekend here. following that christmas morning a rain or snow shower to start you off. it's mower in the

the overnight hours. christmas day will be sunny. very cold next week. this has been advertised and as of right now it looks like we'll be dry and cold through thursday. but temperatures looking much, much colder than we've been accustomed to or where we'll be this weekend. that's a look at your seven-day forecast. lauren, sarah, back over to you. >> i like that little waving santa saying hi to all of us. >> yes. >> up next, an age discrimination lawsuit in job posts on facebook. >> and the air at a frat party tested positive on a breathalyzer. we'll have that story next. >> how does that happen? >> i don't know. that's crazy. >> plus this year norad's santa tracker is getting a 21st century boost. what is new about the app that will help you track saint nick. >> let's take a live look outside right now. >> woo. >> we just wanted to share this with you because it's just a beautiful shot of the moon on this gorgeous thursday night. it is thursday, right. >> first dave winter thursday night. >> yes. >> longest darkness of the year. >> shortest day of the year. >> yes. looks beautiful. we'll take

this. 42 degrees outside right now. you're watching fox5 news at 5:00. >> ♪

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>> turning to trending topics. pope francis is sparking some controversy after offering benediction to disgraced cardinal bernard law. >> a mass was held today in the vatican for cardinal law who died yesterday. some catholics expressed disappointment the pope gave cardinal law a full cardinal's funeral at saint peter's basilica. >> cardinal law became a symbol of the catholic church sexual abuse scandal after a boston globe investigation was turned into the oscar winning movie "spotlight." he news host catt sadler quit over a gender pay gap. >> the co-host says jason kennedy makes almost twice as much as she does. sadler says she decided to leave the e network to take a

stand. >> the e network says it denies the allegations. they say kennedy makes more due to his other roles at the network. >> a federal class action lawsuit claims hundreds of employers such as amazon, t-mobile and cox communications discriminated against older workers through facebook ads. >> the recruitment ads targeted younger workers. the suit claims the companies set age limits on who could see the ads. >> in one local case an ad showed a notice for part-time work in silver spring and the ad specifically targeted people ages 15 to 54. facebook is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, though. >> a heads up for those of you looking for last minute stocking stuffer. >> if you buy a virginia lottery ticket and put it in your kids' stocking you're breaking the law. the law says no ticket should be given as a gift to a person under the age of 18. anyone who knowing the violates the rule faces misdemeanor charges. >> my mom is in so much

gift. according to gambling experts a scratchoff ticket can be a gateway to excessive gambling so think about it. >> how many parents would be like that was actually for me when it probably really is to begin with. >> talk about a wild house party. there was so much liquor flowing at a recent frat party in bethesda the air in the house registered as a .01 on a breathalyzer. >> we're not sure how they decided to test the air but to be considered legally drunk you have to blow a .08. the party was thrown back in november by some sigma alpha epsilon fraternity brothers. if you need a ride home this holiday season and you've had a few too many lyft is there to help you out. the ride service is offering free transportation through new year's between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. residents 21 and older c

a special code and get up to $15 in free rides. a new code will be posted each week on sober ride.com. last year nearly a thousand people took advantage of the program. >> that's a great program. >> uh-huh. >> all right. norad's santa tracker getting a 21st century boost. there is currently a web site app and call center following santa's whereabouts but this year, they are also partnering with digital sieve tans p --assistance programs like ala and on star where you can ask alexa where santa's sleigh in. norad's tracking starts on christmas eve at 2:00 a.m. we'll be right back. >> ♪ >> ♪♪

>> coming up

approach. >> reporter: they're going to draw straws for this choosing who wins and who loses. kristen. >> a victorious verdict for the six people facing serious criminal charges from the 2017 inauguration protests. tisha. >> reporter: 'tis the season for smash and grabs. what two suspects used to break into this restaurant and steal the cash register and a safe. that story is next. >> ♪ >> this is fox5 local news at 6:00. >> control of the virginia house of delegates is deadlocked and the winner will be decided by a random drawing of names. but it's not just the seat at stake. >> that's right. whoever wins will actually decide which party controls the statehouse under the incoming democratic governor-elect ralph northam. fox5's tom fitzgerald joins us live with more on this. fitz this is going to be the

>> reporter: this is going to be held next wednesday down in richmond on december 27th. now, this is all over the 94th district. where is the 94th district? well, it's down in newport news. and here is how they're going to do it. the plan is to get a glass jar like this one and get some of these old plastic film canisters put the candidates' names into them, put them into the jar, they're going to choose one. and whichever one they choose is going to win this delegate seat. this was all decided because this race wound up in a tie and it was just yesterday the democratic shelley simons was celebrating what she thought was an historic vote in a recount but attorneys for republican delegate david yancy successfully lobbied a three judge panel to count one ballot. that ballot had been ruled a no vote. but eventually it was ruled as a vote for yancy. now, that ballot tied this race at 11,068 a piece. they officially certified that the 94th district is in a deadlock and because of the