western gulf of mexico and this is going to combine into a pretty major storm and move northeastward and eventally center off the north carolina coast and that in some ways is a classic storm for us. let's go back in time and look at the snow today. it was a beautiful snow. it was wet, so it stuck to everything. this is alexandria. caused some problems, trees were kind of bending and my bushes were stressed out a bit but what a beautiful snow, melted very quickly when the sun came out and temperatures warmed to the low 40s. we will come back and talk more about this storm and break it down for you but again suffice it to say this isn't going to miss us. it's just a question of how much we'll get. back to you, anita. >> where do you fall on the barometer? are you civics the winter weather, can't get enough? our bruce leshan is in bethesda where he found plenty of people saying bring it on. bruce, come on, really? >> reporter: yeah, really but i'm thinking that the folks who shoveled all all the walks here at defend gate elementary school are among the sick of -- at wind gate elementary school are among the sick of it crowd.

i've shown you my worn out snow shovel before. i think i've taken about two inches off it and it looks like there's the potential by this time next week i will have worn this thing down to nothing. are you sick of this yet? >> no! >> of course not. >> reporter: on the sledding hill at closed for the snow stone ridge school you will find plenty of kids looking forward to a storm that could make the overnight snowfall look like a little bump in the track. would you like to have more snow on friday? >> yes. >> reporter: would you like to have more snow next week? >> yes. >> reporter: how much snow do you want? >> yes. >> reporter: what do you want? >> more snow. >> reporter: when do you want it? >> right now. >> reporter: we did find one dad who had about enough of the screeching and the snowflakes. >> pretty much anything warm and with something in my hand with an umbrella in it. that would be good right now, yes.

>> on friday there's a flight to st. martin. >> reporter: funny you should at. at the travel center guido said he could get you on your way on a wind star cruise before the next storm rolls in. >> how about 4,500 for a couple and a night in st. martin. you need a passport. >> reporter: duane drier is not going anywhere. >> the knuckle right here broke away from this part. >> reporter: duane is actually a really nice guy who sympathizes with his customers' misery but one of the worst winters in years has jammed his modern body shop in kensington with crippled cars and it is great for business. >> as long as we can keep the driveway shoveled so people can drive up to the building, we'll be fine. >> reporter: unbelievable. l ecstasy or misery, really depends on your perspective. the walks here at wind gate already the school ready to open, but it's really looking

like we got about six more weeks of snow season and it's looking like there could be a lot more snow days to come. right? >> bruce, you better keep that shovel handy. i suspect we'll be seeing you and it this weekend. >> reporter: maybe get a new one. >> maybe. >> could be a good call. d.c. public schools the only school system locally that opened on time today but some sidewalks were still snow covered this morning. all schools in northern 7 vamp  closed today and most class -- in northern virginia were closed today and most classes were canceled in maryland except for frederick and howard counties which opened two hours late. students who attend northern community college got to sleep in later as well, its campus opening later to give the crews extra time to clear the roads and sidewalks of all that snow. stay with 9news now for continuing coverage of our next round of winter weather. we'll have the latest on storm alerts through our newscasts and you can always get the updated forecasts, weather conditions and closings on our website www.wusa9.com. three young children left

alone in an apartment almost died there today. a fire started in the kitchen sending toxic smoke into the children's bedrooms on naylor road and southeast, but d.c. firefighters got there just in time and revived all three children who had stopped breathing. we are joined now live at the seven with dave statter. >> reporter: there's a 5-year- old boy and his sisters 2 years old and 6 months old recovering at children's hospital from this building 1920 naylor road southeast behind me. their father went off to work this morning, left them alone, asked a neighbor down the hall to check on the children. by the time she did it really was a little too late. there was smoke coming out of that apartment but it wasn't too late for d.c. firefighters. security camera video shows smoke filling the second floor hallway and a neighbor trying to unlock apartment 206. the woman from down the hall according to witnesses had been asked by the father of the three children to check on the kids. he had gone to work about 15 minutes earlier. at the same time d.c.

firefighters called by a neighbor on the floor above reporting smoke in the building soon realized it is coming from this second floor apartment. the kitchen was on fire. >> there were people in the hallway. nobody ever said there was children in the apartment when we got there. >> reporter: but moments later the firefighters find out for themselves. >> went down the hallway to the right, did our search where we had two children on the bed, the middle one was at the bottom of my feet. >> i wrapped a child in a sheet because i didn't want them to take a beating from the heat. >> reporter: firefighters rushed the three children down to the lobby. they weren't breathing and the youngest one's heart had stopped. firefighter peter bagnovitz made the decision to take all three to the hospital in the back of his ambulance not waiting for paramedics. >> the more we wait the worse they'll get. >> reporter: the captain, the paramedic supervisor, intercepted the ambulance on the road and started working on the child whose heart had stopped. >> we had cpr going on with an infant here.

we have an almost 2-year-old here with her eyeses just wide open like -- eyes just wide open with this look in her eye and we also have to remember we have a 5-year-old behind us also unconscious. >> reporter: by the time they got to children's hospital there was much better news. >> all kids had pulses when we got there and were breathing. children's hospital was ecstatic. now we'll home for the best for them and hope they -- hope for the best for them and hope they come out of this okay. >> reporter: the crews from engine 15, ambulance 15 and rescue squad 3 all credit their teamwork for making this a successful rescue. the father alarmed on his way to work what happened met the children at the hospital. he came to the scene and was taken to the hospital. last word everybody is keeping their fingers crossed all three will survive this. back to you. >> thank goodness they got there in the nick of time. investigators are trying to find out the cause of the fire that left three young children dead in hampton, virginia. one was 3, the second was 2 and the third just 9 months old. the fire broke out last night

in a mobile home park. three people managed to escape. firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading to neighboring trailers. and there was another sad story out of connecticut this evening. a 27-year-old woman and her newborn triplets were found dead apparently after she gave birth at home. the woman's mother found her daughter and the babies yesterday afternoon and called police, but it was too late. investigators tell the connecticut post the woman's parents did not know their daughter was pregnant. an autopsy will be done. a brandywine maryland man is accused of lewd behavior. 27-year-old michael gordon reportedly made some vulgar comments and gestures to three young women at the store where he worked. in one instance it's said he pulled an 18-year-old woman into the dressing room of a pac sun store in waldorf and exposed himself. more trouble for toyota receiving more than 100 complaints about brake problems with its popular prius hybrid model. the prius is not included in

the recent recall of millions of toyotas because of sticking gas pedals. it was another day of confusion and mixed messages for millions of toyota drivers caught up in that massive safety recall. after making a bold statement about the safety of recalled vehicles, transportation secretary ray lahood is back pedaling a bit. phil brown reports lahood now said he misspoke when he advised owners to stop driving their recalled vehicles. >> reporter: the nation's transportation chief spoke directly to owners of recalled toyotas with language that might have been stronger than intended. >> my advice is if anybody owns one of these vehicles, stop driving it. take it to a toyota dealer because they believe they have the fix for it. >> reporter: ray lahood's comments added fuel to the fire just as dealers are beginning to replace gas pedals in recalled models. >> i'm sure his statement did not help one little bit in terms of the paronoia that is out there with reference to this issue. >> reporter: shortly after making his remarks here on capitol hill lahood came out

and faced the cameras, but this time he softened the message. >> what i said in there was obviously a misstatement. what i meant to say, what i thought i said was if you own one of these cars or if you're in doubt, take it to the dealer and they're going to fix it. >> reporter: toyota thanked lahood for the clarification and repeated its own message to drivers. if you are not experiencing any issues with your pedal, we are confident that your vehicle is safe to drive. lahood also confirmed that investigators are looking into complaints about toyota's electronic control system and whether it could be part of the problem causing sudden acceleration. toyota's crisis only seems to be growing. it's still replacing floor mats in a recall of five million cars because the pedal can get stuck. >> the floor mat issue which people seem to have forgotten is much more important in terms of safety. >> reporter: and while toyota tries to reassure its customers it's been hit with over 100 complaints about brake problems with its popular hybrid the

prius. >> toyota is giving u.s. dealers payments, up to $75,000, to help win back their customers' trust. that money can be used for extending service hours, providing car washes or other services. the amount of the check will be based on the number of cars each dealer sold last year. in silver spring the gas pedal parts have arrived and repairs are now underway. we'll have that toyota story coming up on 9news now at 6:00. metro is promising to do a better job notifying the transit energy safety panel about any accidents. in the latest case the metro made vehicle slammed into a contractor's rail truck between the grovenor station and medical center. this happened saturday night on icy tracks. nobody was hurt but metro did not contact the safety group until monday. the safety group said notification should have come within two hours of that crash. higher speed limits are coming to parts of virginia. the legislature approved a plan to raise the top speed limit in the state from 65 to 70 miles

an hour and governor bob mcdonnell has promised to sign it into law. the increased speed limit would only affect interstates in the more rural parts of the commonwealth. let's take a look at the roads and go to the 9news now traffic center. >> talk about going the speed limit, we're seeing a lot of that this afternoon. take a look here, 66 so far a smooth ride today going from to 123, not seeing any problems. on 270 as well no problems. montgomery village avenue you see very wide open lanes here. a lot of kids have the days off, maybe adults taking snow days as doll make these roads so good going up to clarkbsurg and on the capital beltway good driving time from people on springfield on the way to college park. on the inner loop traffic about 35 minutes. that is up to speed. guys, back to you. coming up hundreds turn out to get one last look at the

national zoo's favorite panda cub before he heads off to china. first the nation's intelligence director is on the hot seat in capitol hill after giving a ar senators about a possible terror attack. we'll be back.

a two-day rally ended today on wall street. the dow closed down 26 points to end the day at 10,270, the nasdaq was up a fraction and the s&p 500 fell six point. more dire predictions today about an impending terrorist attack on u.s. soil. while not as ambitious as the fox 5 news attacks, the national intelligence director says al qaeda is poised to strike in the next three to six months. joel brown reports. >> reporter: the director of national intelligence had a stark warning for house lawmakers. >> al qaeda itself, its

associated affiliates and al qaeda inspired terrorists remain committed to striking the united states. >> reporter: his remarks came the day after he told a senate panel he's certain the next attempted attack will happen in the next three to six months. intelligence officials believe al qaeda is deploying agents inside the u.s. ready to launch new attacks from within our borders. cia director leon panetta warned in a hearing he has new concerns about the group. >> al qaeda is adapting their methods in ways that oftentimes make it difficult to detect. >> reporter: the cia director went on to tell lawmakers that he doesn't believe there's another 9/11 style attack in the works. he thinks now that the terrorist group is trying to carry out smaller attacks that require little training and simple devices. he's pointing to the failed attempt to blow up a plane over detroit christmas days a a an example of that strategy -- as an example of that strategy. senior obama officials tell cbs

news the suspect with n that attack is now cooperating with investigators after the u.s. brought his family members to meet with him. intelligence director blair said the government had made changes to prevent another attack like the one on christmas day because he himself warned the question is not if there will be an attack, but when. joel brown, cbs news, washington. attorney general eric holder says it was his decision to charge the christmas day terror suspect in civilian court after he heard no objections from any other government agency. president obama attempted to rally senate democrats today. he told party lawmakers they still have a large majority and a responsibility to lead. >> as we think about moving forward, i hope we don't lose sight of why we're here. we've got to finish the job on healthcare. we've got to finish the job on financial regulatory reforms. >> democrats recently lost a senate seat in massachusetts and their filibuster-proof hold on 60 votes in the chamber.

on capitol hill tomorrow's vending machines were on display today. some of them resemble apple ipads that were introduced last week. buyers of the product on one machine select icons on the screen rather than looking at them through glass. another innovation featured some gourmet coffee brewed. a car came crashing through the doors of a nevada casino today. two people inside the lobby were killed. five others ended up in the hospital. the crash happened in the morning in the town of laughlin about 90 miles outside of vegas. investigators say the 75-year- old driver had in their words a medical episode. he suffered only minor injuries. witnesses say the car was going about 60 miles an hour at the time. again two people in the lobby were killed. winter weather is blamed for a rash of accidents in oklahoma city. 35 cars involved in one pileup. there were at least 15 other wrecks amid heavy fog and ice. 20 people were taken to the hospital. some of them had critical

injuries. >> oh, boy. we'll have our own weather story coming up this weekend. >> it snowed they've times in dallas in the month of december. that's the fourth storm in oklahoma city. so we're not alone in this winter game here. we have some video for you from earlier this morning. now i'm going to show you this because a, it's pretty and the snow stuck to everything but more importantly, it's going to refreeze tonight. so what looks wet may, in fact, be black ice. so take it easy. not so much this evening but as you get into the midnight hour it could very well be icy. so just take it easy but boy, that was a very gentle snow. >> it was pretty. >> maybe it was the warm-up act. let's see. here are the next three days. tomorrow no problems. in fact, a very nice day, low 40s with sunshine. that's a good deal. snow breaks out friday afternoon, continues into saturday, a big storm indeed taking shape. now let's talk about that. the weekend storm looks big. time frame? friday afternoon through saturday. get your errands done thursday.

heavy snow is possible friday night and the travel could be very difficult by midnight saturday. so just sort of keep that in the back of your mind, very heavy snow possible overnight on friday. tonight sprinkles early but then clearing and cold and again there could be slick spots with temperatures back into the 20s. upper 20s downtown, low 20s in the suburbs and winds light, breezy now but they'll die down northwesterly at about five to 10. lows tonight generally 20s. you might sneak in a 19 in great falls, 23 bethesda, 21 silver springs. once we clear out tonight and the winds die down with snow cover temps will fall pretty quickly and even with freezing temperatures those bridges and overpasses will have slick spots. right now 39 in gaithersburg, 39 vienna, 40 fredericksburg and upper 30s in hillsboro, front royal and 36 in romney. tomorrow mostly sunny, a cold start 20s and 30s, a tad bit

breezy early northwest 10 to 15. by afternoon partly cloudy, seasonal, high temps low 40s and wind northwesterly at 10, a very nice day tomorrow. thursday's necessities haven't changed. sunglasses, windshield wiper fluid and clean your headlights. we're all kind of used to this anyway. satellite picture radar combined, there's our storm. it will eventually take shape in the western gulf of mexico and then move northeastward into about the tennessee valley, kind of die out there and then reform off the north carolina coast which in many ways is a classic scenario for us. we don't have the cold air we had in december. that's why we won't have a pure snow, but there's plenty of snow on the way. next seven days 42 tomorrow, snow friday afternoon through most of saturday. only 32 on saturday. so colder air will be drawn in behind the system on saturday. the best chance for mixing will be actually friday night. 32 on sunday with sunshine, clouds returning monday

afternoon. another little storm, little freshen up storm on tuesday possible with highs in the upper 20s. then we're in the mid-20s on wednesday. >> could we just bring a pillow and a cot because we're just not going home with snow like that? is that the drill? >> this is old-fashioned winter. >> it looks like your seven day has dandruff. it's got to stop. it's too much. >> better than lice, though. >> don't you think? >> only topper shutt, better than lice. very nice. >> you have kid, don't you? >> yes. -- kids, don't you? >> yes. >> you can't transition. just got to move on. today is tai shan's last full day at the national zoo. >> the panda cub's fans turned out in droves to say bye. we'll take you right there when we come back. ó?xxeccúú

i'm howard bernstein with your green living tip of the day. stuck with a bad odor in the kitchen? the government doesn't require safety testing on fragrances or for any ingredients to be listed on product labels. if you're looking for a greener option, try opening a window and if that doesn't help, try

some homemade potpourri using flowers, fruits or herbs. just air dry the flowers, oven dry the fruits and mix. you can also simmer a pot of spices like cinnamon or cloves in water and just opening a box of baking soda in the kitchen will absorb a lot of odors. you can get more tips on wusa9.com. just click on living green. and fans snap some photos and a beloved farewell for tai shan today. >> visitors share heartfelt good-byes. >> reporter: tai shan, the 4- year-old giant panda is visited one last time leaving for china tomorrow to begin a new life. >> he's always be in our heart and we'll follow him. so it's not really good-bye. >> reporter: tai shan was the first successful panda birth at the zoo and he sparked d.c.'s love affair with the bear.

nguyen launched an online group pandas unlimited where nearly 3,000 members share pictures. >> that's what got me to buy my first picture so i could take pictures of tai shan. >> he's a superstar and i think he has a great future and i'm just so glad the time we've had with him here. >> reporter: just like his mom and dad tai shan's time at the zoo is thanks to a loan from the chinese government. >> i think it really speaks more towards the research and collaboration between the united states and china and hopefully there will be more pandas and better things that can come out of this collaboration. >> reporter: tai shan will now be part of a breeding program in his native country. >> i hope to generate more generations. >> we'll miss him very much. we really will. hopefully maybe the adult mom will have another baby for us. >> reporter: tai shan takes off in a specially outfitted plane thursday, but he'll always have a special place in washington's heart. there is still a chance we'll

see another little butter stick romping around the zoo. the mating season for giant pandas started in january and mei xiang was artificially inseminated last month. so now the waiting game begins to see if she's pregnant. this is my favorite part, an early look at the super bowl commercials you'll see with us sunday. plus super bowl security. we'll take you behind the scenes of ground zero for possible threats during the big game. she had been a mail order bride and had ties to the bulgarian mafia, but none of that had anything to do with her or her child's murder. coming up we'll tell you who has been arrested. ( music playing )

if toyota gets credit for being the most fuel efficient car company in america, well, then how do you explain all this?

chevy malibu, cobalt, silverado, and the all-new equinox. compare them to anyone. may the best car win.

compare them to anyone. welcome back. let's reset some of the top story in the news now. with another big storm to take us through the week a lot of people are experiencing snow fatigue. however, some parents' misery is their children's ecstasy and we're guessing the kids sledding are home from school are in that ecstasy category. toyota says recalled vehicles without problems with their accelerator pedals are save to drive. the automaker released the

statement after transportation secretary ray lahood said people with recalled toyotas should stop driving them. lahood later said he misspoke. three young children left home alone are in critical condition after a fire today in southeast washington and d.c. firefighters arrived just in time to rescue and revive those youngsters that had all stopped breathing. prince william county police arrested a woman in the murders of a dale city mom and child. the two were stabbed to death in their home at 4501 hanover court. the woman's husband called police monday night after finding their bodies. peggy fox has been covering this since the story broke on wusa9.com and joins us live from the crime scene with the latest. peggy, what happened? >> reporter: first police are still here, still guarding this home because it is still a crime scene and evidence may still be collected. police say this was not a random crime. they say that the woman they've arrested is the wife of the boy's father.

47-year-old natalia wilson, a russian citizen, is charged with stabbing to death the ex- wife and child of her own spouse. police say the victim's current husband found the bodies of 41- year-old slavka naydenova and her 8-year-old son paul wilson in their home monday night. >> i just think it's horrible. it's really scary to think that that could happen. >> reporter: this man, a bulgarian friend of the victim who drove her husband to his home monday night, said he was worried because his wife had let someone in the house. >> she opened the door. >> reporter: police believe that someone was natalia wilson. >> late last night the detectives arrested natalia wilson charging her with two counts of murder and the murder of the child. >> reporter: natalia wilson and her husband lived in this arlington apartment complex. natalia wilson lives on the

sixth floor. there is no answer at her apartment and the only sound coming from it is a meowing cat. there's no sign of her husband lester wilson and neighbors say he started living with her a few years ago. police are looking for whoever might have driven natalia wilson from arlington to the crime scene in dale city. >> there's a possibility she may have hired someone to give her a ride or have an acquaintance drive her to the residence. >> reporter: a few unusual details about the victim, slavka naydenova. commonwealth attorney paul lieber said she had been a mail order bride from bulgaria and was the sister of a bulgarian tycoon who was assassinated seven years ago but police say none of that has anything to do with the murders here. that they say is purely domestic and that's all they'll say about it. i'm peggy fox reporting live in dale city. back to you. >> what a story, thank you. an attorney for michael jackson's family calls an involuntary manslaughter

against the singer's doctor a slap on the wrist. brian oxman said dr. conrad murray's recklessness in dispensing powerful drugs to jackson warrants a second degree murder charge. prosecutors plan to pursue the lesser charge that carries a maximum of four years in jail. jackson's death was ruled a homicide by the los angeles coroner. the publication by some racy e-mails was the final blow in the marriage between south carolina governor mark sanford and his wife, that according to first lady jenny sanford. the governor talked about his lover's tan lines and other very personal details. the divorce is expected to be finalized later this month. tiger woods needs to show some humility when he resurfaces in public, that comment coming today from fellow golfing great tom watson. woods is on an indefinite break from the game after his suv crash in november and the admission of marriage infidelities that followed. watson also said woods'

swearing and club throwing on the course diminishes his stature among athletes. as the saints and the colts prepare for sunday's super bowl law enforcement personnel in miami are working to make sure fans are safe. the super bowl is considered the biggest one-day sporting event and is classified as a potential terrorist target. emt units are at the ready, so are bomb sniffing dogs and dozens of surveillance cameras are monitored from here. intelligence information is shared. >> how big of a concern is terrorism? >> terrorism is on everyone's mind on a daily basis. what we do is we are made aware of anything that comes up, not only locally but nationally and internationally. >> the nfl also spends nearly $6 million a year on super bowl security. tailgating is a no-no and the long list of banned items inside the stadium includes umbrellas, coolers and camera cases.

ticket holders have to pass through metal detectives and be searched by hand. while football is the main event on super bowl sunday the commercials during the big game have turned into a show of their own. we have a sneak peek at some of the ads that will hit the air waves this weekend. >> reporter: from the stock picking babies -- >> you can nail a retirement plan that's fierce. >> reporter: to a tortilla chip assassin and cartoon characters that drive, super bowl sunday commercials have a little bit of everything this year. >> reservation under griswold. >> reporter: chevy chase lampoons his own vacations for homeaway.com. while hyundai provides a glimpse at the road ahead. >> after 29 seasons and 50 years old should probably retire after this. i don't know. >> reporter: like brett favre college football star tim tebow is also featured in a super bowl commercial, but that's

where the similarities end. tebow's ad tackles the worry, issue. the yet to be released spot was produced by the evangelical group focus on the family. in it devoe talks about his mother's decision to give -- tebow talks about his mother's decision to give birth to him despite the doctor's concerns for her health. about three dozen advertisers will be featured during the game. >> grab hold and squeeze, man. let me know if it's a dream. >> reporter: most ads try to use humor to lure viewers and even the cbs sports team gets in on the act. >> how about lavender? >> how about not? >> reporter: despite the bad economy advertisers are paying about 2 1/2 million dollars for a 30 second spot. >> i want to show you something. it's my shocked face. >> reporter: as many as 100 million viewers will be watching. cbs news, new york. super bowl xliv airs this sunday, february 7th, right here on channel 9 and the pregame coverage begins at 2 p.m.

>> time to get another check on the evening rush. snow this morning. what are we looking at tonight, patranya? >> tonight looking pretty good. i suspect this time tomorrow night a lot of people will be out on the roadways stocking up for super bowl sunday but so far so good tonight. look at this. on the outer loop from 270 to 95 everyone is going at speed and the trend continues all the way down to springfield. same story as we head out to 395 in virginia, no major capabilities from drivers on this route, just typical volume around washington boulevard past duke but so far no accidents reported, no lane closures, looking good. just watch out for those slick spots, especially on elevated surfaces, guys back to you. stand side by side with the 75 singers who star in the music video for the remake of we are the world. we'll tell you how coming up next.

survivors of the deadly earthquake in haiti are claiming government officials are stealing relief supplies to make a buck. today hundreds of them protested in the capital city of port-au-prince. one of the protesters claimed the local government official demanded bribes before allowing quake victims to get food donated by the united nations. yes, you can put yourself among the 75 stars in the music video for the remake of we are the world. the video's song was shot with a few people dressed actually head to toe in green standing next to the singers. viewers will be able to insert themselves into the video which, by the way, was also shot in 3d. we are the world video premiers during the opening ceremony of the winter olympics february 12th. the single will raise money for haiti earthquake relief.

it's a tough question in a tough question. we'll help you make your choice in living smart. cameras capture the unusual sight off the california coast. we'll talk about that and today is national signing day and at one local school it's extra special for a handful of local athletes. we'll share in their excitement up next. >> pretty nice day, in fact, temperatures about seasonable. we'll take you out with the almanac. you can access this on our website wusa9.com. 42, 31 goes in the book, 44 and 28 averages, 65 your record, 0 your record low. 3.3 inches officially at national, four inches officially at dulles. we'll come back and talk about a much bigger storm on the horizon. ñññññññññññññññññññññññññññññ

to help my patients avoid dental problems

i recommend act fluoride mouthwash. act works with calcium to rebuild enamel. to avoid dental problems act daily. the cost of living continues to rise but your income has stayed the same. you want to ask your boss for a raise but you can't muster up enough nerve to ask in this recession. kim lankford said it is possible to negotiate a salary increase. now that we've got your attention she's here to share five steps to help you boost that paycheck. thanks for coming in here.

>> my pleasure. >> companies are cutting budgets, laying people off and you say you can go to your boss and get a raise with these five easy steps. first you say list your accomplishments. you got to prove that you're worth this extra money. >> exactly right. very few people are automatically getting raises this year but after layoffs, so many remaining people have a lot of extra responsibilities. keep track of all that. if you can translate it into dollar figures, that's more valuable. keep track of all the extra responsibilities and set them up in a bullet list of five to seven points to present to your boss when you negotiate your raise. >> before you go in you need to find out how your salary compares. how do you do that that? >> go to a website at kiplingersalary.com or some of the work site websites have great things to help you compare what other people in your area are getting who do a similar job. so take that evidence with you when you go and figure out exactly what number you want. don't keep it nebulous. >> we've got a minute left.

you want to negotiate benefits and perks if you can't get extra money. >> that's right. these days some employers just can't afford any extra money but in you want to telecommute or go to a special conference, have certain days off, these are the things to bring up. >> you got to time that pitch right. >> you don't want to just do it in a crowded room. it's a good time to ask for a sitdown with your boss especially if you've done something special. if you've done something that's brought in a lot of money for the employer, that's a really good time to ask for the raise. >> obviously be professional. that should be sort of a given, but you got to remind people when you're asking for this, be professional about it. >> and especially recognize what your employer is going through, that many are having some tough times right now. you know, be realistic in what you're asking for and if it doesn't work, be prepared to see what else you could do to get some extra money. ask them what can i do in the next six months that could help improve any asian and come back to them six months later -- improve my situation and come back to them six months later.

>> if you want to chart your own chart you can go to our wusa9.com -- you can go to our website wusa9.com and click on living smart. a large whale was spotted in california swimming near the surface off the coast near malibu pierful coastguard officials say it's -- pier. coastguard officials say it's very unusual for a whale to come this close and they're keeping an eye on it to make sure it's actually okay. here's a look at what we have new for you tonight at 6:00. >> i'm scott broom in silver springs where toyota owners rejoice. recall repairs are being made for the first time today after some confusing comments on capitol hill. this story is coming up at 6:00. plus the fight is not over as wal-mart fights to move into one area. some residents there are fighting to keep them out. and if you've got some old recalled broken products and they belong to your baby, you can now trade them to n for a

discount. i'll tell you coming -- how at 6:00. >> good point, i'm going to break out the meter tomorrow and it's going to be a high number, no doubt about that. >> it was high last time. wasn't it like 11 on a 10 scale? >> it was 10. >> are we close to that this weekend? >> we'll be right up there. the only difference this weekend, we don't have that unlimited arctic air. ironically you're thinking february we'd have more than we did in december but we didn't. we were covered in arctic air on december. it was pure snow. this will have a little rain and sleet mixed in. let me take you outside and show you video earlier this morning. it's a spectacular shot looking over the clara barton parkway and look at all the stuff stuck to the trees. if you got up early enough, of course, my kids didn't, but i did and it was really spectacular. okay. is it a warm-up snow for more to come? it looks like it. here are the next three days. do your errands tomorrow, a very nice day tomorrow, low

40s, no problems and upper 30s friday. snow breaks out in the afternoon. the good news is when the snow starts temps will be above freezing. that will help us again. remember this november and december. we were cold, every little flake that fell stuck. heavy snow possible friday night and snow could continue into saturday and even into saturday evening, highs only around 32 on saturday. weekend storm looks big want time frame, friday afternoon through -- big. time frame, friday afternoon through saturday, get errands done. heavy snow is possible friday night. travel could be difficult by about midnight saturday. tonight no problems, sprinkles early but clearing and cold. there will be some slick spots again, low temps in the 20s, wind northwest five to 10. 38 gaithersburg, 49 vienna, 40 in fredericksburg and lexington park. so we aren't super cold. that's one difference between this storm and the december storm. mostly sunny in the morning, a cold start, 20s and 30s, a bit breezy early, northwest 10 to

15. by afternoon partly sunny and seasonable, high temperatures low 40s, a very nice day, winds out of the northwest at it about 10. things you need tomorrow, sunglasses, windshield fluid and clean your headlights and everything will refreeze thursday night. we'll do this thaw freeze thing for a while. satellite picture, radar combined here's our developing storm system now. it will take shape in the western gulf of mexico and any time we pull storms out of the western gulf of mexico they have copious amounts of moisture and we'll throw that into some cold air. that could actually end up being a rather large snowstorm for us. the difference is it's not going to be pure snow for everybody this time. there will be sleet mixed in and plain old rationed rain. next seven days 42 tomorrow, 37 friday, 32 on saturday, cold sunday. we can catch our breath sunday and monday, highs only around 32. another little storm looks like on tuesday and that will be in the upper 20s. that will be a pure snow and then mid-20s to upper 20s on wednesday with clouds hanging

tough. >> we're in fighting shape now. it's like the winter of '95, '96 and '02, '03. >> we're stressed out about snow but there are some athletes here locally who couldn't be happier about this day. they got something rather important. >> they got scholarships. i can imagine it must have been how you felt when all the schools were throwing scholarships at you for being such a brilliant jung journalist and you chose howard and -- young journalist and you chose howard and they were ever so lucky. >> that's true, they were. >> no high school in the nation, though, has more alumni playing in the nfl than the story program at demathis. seven former stags currently play in the pros and dozens more grace rosters of big time college programs around the country. for the current class that journey started today because today was national letter of intent day for high school athletes and dave owens was in hyattsville for the players life changing decisions.

>> reporter: after weighing all the options ari qwango pulled the trigger. >> ari is going to the university of alabama. >> i'm ecstatic ready for the next chapter of my life. >> reporter: wasn't the only one. 21 others signed letters of intent signifying where they plan to attend college, nothing new for dematha who sends a lot of kids to universities and currently has the most alumni to the nfl. >> i'm so happy and proud they have a chance to go on and continue their education. >> reporter: like the most decorated runner in school history who on this day became a terp. >> probably the biggest emotion is gratefulness to get this monkey off my back. >> reporter: just fine with mom who went to maryland herself, although she couldn't help but get a little emotional. >> it's hard getting go looking at pictures of him the other day when he was little. >> reporter: alex copeland passed up harvard, that's right, harvard, to play football and study engineering

at carnegie mellon. what's people's reaction when you tell them that? >> they're shocked at first. >> reporter: don't worry. they'll probably end up working for you someday. shane johnson and jeff knox, thing won't change much at all. they go from teammates here to teammates at pitt. >> it's one of those days where it's a celebration day and you can't lose today. >> reporter: coach mcgregor also had these words to say closing the ceremony. understand what signing these letters of intent actually means, it's a huge responsibility and no matter where you go from here not only do you represent yourself, you represent dematha and you represent your family. in hyattsville, dave owens, 9 news now, wusa9.com. >> lesli made an excellent point. clearly our colleague james brown who is now down at the super bowl had nothing to do with that young man who passed up harvard because j.b. is a dematha grad who went to harvard and i guarantee you if j.d. had anything to do with it he would have told that kid to forget carnegie mellon and get up to cambridge. we all know our kids'

backpacks are pretty darn heavy but the real damage done to the growing spine may surprise you. we'll look at a brand-new study up next. don't forget we're always on at wusa9.com. stay with us. tonight's living well segment is next. if i had to sit on a bench during the middle of a game

due to diabetes it would frustrate me. in a basketball game a couple minutes could mean a big momentum shift. my bayer meter is very important. (announcer) only bayer's contour meter has programmable personal high low settings. it allows me to be able to look at my highs and lows to make sure that my diabetes

is being controlled as tightly as possible. with my bayer meter i don't miss valuable game time. i'm alana burns and staying in the game is my simple win. (announcer) the contour meter, only from bayer. new clue about the mystery of sudden infant death syndrome or sids. doctors at children's hospital in boston have discovered babies who die from sids have low levels of serotonin in the brain stem, a region that controls breathing and heart rate when we sleep. researchers think the chemical imbalance makes it harder for some babies to wake themselves up if they're face down in the crib and beginning to rebreathe carbon dioxide. >> a normal baby could respond and lift its head up or turn its head and allow it to wake up, but a baby who has a defect in those brain stem circuits that use serotonin can't do that when challenged and they

go on to die. >> the research team said keep putting infants to sleep on their backs. these days it seems like kids are getting more and more homework than ever and a new study finds lugging all those books around really can be bad for their backs. 10-year-old ethan gebel suffers from some serious back pain. >> i think i'll take an mri and i kept feeling this pain at night. >> reporter: he had a slight curvature, probably because he carried his backpack on one side a lot. thousands of kids show up at the emergency room every year with backpack-related injuries. now a new study provides evidence heavy backpacks really do strain children's spines. >> the incidence of back pain in the children and incidence of them saying yes, i have back pain increased with an increasing load in their backpacks. >> reporter: the pictures from mris tell the story. kids who carried heavier loads showed more spine curvature and doctors warn if your kids are complaining of back pain now, chances are they'll have more trouble as they get older.

to try and avoid too much strain make sure your child uses both straps on the backpack, wider straps can help distribute the load and a backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 15% of the student's body weight. ethan has his own cure. >> you could give us less homework. >> now again this is the first study to use mris to show exactly what the backpack weight does to a child's spine. as it gets heavier, there's more compression of the discs and curving which you saw there, especially in the lower back. so make sure your kids aren't carrying around what they really don't need day to day. thanks for joining us for 9 news now at 5:00. 9 news now at 6:00 starts right now. >> from the first local station with news in high definition, this is 9 news now. get used to this scene. we are not finished with the snowy weather. more is coming this weekend and the storm is expected to be bigger than yesterday's mess. we are on