west of us. the bulls eye is south of town toward fredericksberg and toward richmond and southern maryland. doesn't mean to say you won't see snow in fairfax, the district or montgomery but it's from culpeper, down to fredericksberg and into calvert county. so for tonight, no problems. increasing cloudiness and very cold, 16-24 and winds southwest at 10. we'll come back and talk about accumulation and give you an hour by hour breakdown of when it comes in. and preps are under way to keep things safe tomorrow. >> scott broom is live at the parkway with what is going on there. >> reporter: here in prince george's county, montgomery county and the maryland side, not expecting huge amounts of snow, an inch maybe a little bit less than that, so the weapon of choice tomorrow if they need it is under this tarp right here -- salt. tons and tons of salt. just all of the jurisdictions

around the region have mountains of this stuff, despite last season's budge you the-busting blizzards. here in maryland the state pretreated interstates with a brine solution. and even in a can be dangerous. this is what happened in frederick when less than an inch fell and captured everybody by surprise. by the time the salt trucks were up, it was too late. in montgomery county some trucks were prepared ahead of time and are planning to have 200 trucks ready to go. after last year's budget- busting blizzards, it's a stressful time again. >> if we get another one, we'll do what we did last time and stand up to it. when i look back, i'm grateful to have experienced last winter. i would like not to repeat it again. >> reporter: maryland has budgeted $31 million to handle snow this year after spending $124 million last season. montgomery county is planned

for $10 million this year after spending $55 million last season. and in prince george's they budgeted $3 million after spending $13 million last season. each have recovered $2 million from disaster funds and are asking for more. despite the deficits this year, all report there will be no cutbacks when it comes to battling snow. also ready to go, lots of heavy equipment. and you know, as i talked to some of the folks who manage these events around the region, everybody is thinking about last year. one of the stories i got, how far away some of the equipment had to come from last year when everybody was just out -- out of energy. they brought trucks in from as far away as buffalo and also from orlando, florida, last year. everybody is hoping that this year they're not going to get anywhere near that. so they'll start tomorrow, like preseason baseball, we'll start small and see how things work

out for the season. >> let's keep the preseason going. >> we'll all be okay with that. >> scott broom, thank you. the office of personnel management is out lying their strategies for the winter and the agency is in charge of deciding whether federal workers report to work during snowstorms. but there is a new wrinkle this year. john barry explains. >> what used to be called open with unscheduled leave will now be open with unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. this means that anyone who has a telework agreement can notify their boss they will be working from home that day. >> the o.p.m. said a large number of employees can be trained to perform duties from home and still keep the government running without actually reporting to work. white ferry was closed today. the shuttle between leesberg and poolesville was shut down because of ice on the potomac.

service was dress disrupted this -- disrupted this month when a cable snapped. tense moments during the morning rush hour at the pentagon metro station due to a suspicious package. police searched the area and it turned out to be a blinking christmas ornament in a trash can. the all-clear signal was given before 9:00 a.m. police are tracking done on an east coast shopping ring. fairfax officers are out at the local malls and have broken up sophisticated networks. delia, any reason why our area is prime for these folks? >> reporter: police say the area, specifically northern virginia, because of the high- end malls. we're not talking about shoplifters who steal a pair of jeans and walk away from the store n. many cases these

thieves are walking away with bagfuls of merchandise. in the midst of holiday shoppers, thieves are lingering, looking for an opportunity. >> there are so many things going on and they try to take advantage of that. >> reporter: but also blending into the crowd at fair oaks mall are eight undercover police officers waiting to catch the shoplifters. >> they are very organized and they know what they want to steal. they usually have multiple players, multiple vehicles. >> reporter: and during one arrest, they found a car. >> the vehicle was -- inside the vehicle was $13,000 in merchandise. >> reporter: this is one of the two uniformed officers who also patrols fair oaks and said the shoplifters are organized and becoming aggressive. assaulting officers, even brandishing guns. the retail anti-theft team snapped picture from some latest busts. several thousands dollars worth of clothes and perfumes, merchandise all bagged up and ready to be returned to the mall. good news for managers and shoppers.

>> because the more merchandise that gets stolen or shoplifted and disappears, somebody ends up paying for that and usually that rolls back over time into prices. >> reporter: police say the shoplifters carry detailed mall maps and shopping lists. many steal credit cards to make it all happen. like these three new york men. police busted their scam uncovering more tan 50 stolen i.d.'s and a truckload of iphones bound for resale in the big apple. and we can tell you tonight that the increased police presence isn't just happening here at fair oaks mall. police tell us they have on average about a dozen uniformed and plain-clothes officers at all area malls hear in north -- here in northern virginia. >> delia, we hear about shoplifting this time of year but why is it this kind of sophisticated ring action is taking place? do police know? >> reporter: they say folks are coming from philadelphia and new york. they're blaming the economy. they've seen a spike over the last year and they say they've

made a record number of arrests so far this year. we'll break down the numbers for you coming up new at 6:00. >> delia gonsalves, thank you. two montgomery county women are arrested and accused of robbing a 74-year-old woman. police say 24-year-old paris holloway candice and 21-year- old shan't a cat rell assaulted the woman in downtown silver spring on tuesday morning and it happened in front of special undercover agents looking for street crime. they are being held at the montgomery county detention center. a judge will look at yeardley love's medical records before deciding whether to release them to the attorneys. the former lacrosse player and chevy chase player george haguely is charged with killing love back in may. the medical examiner ruled she died from a blunt force injury to the head but his lawyers say

the injury could be links to medication she's -- linked to case -- medication she's taken. a doctor accused of sexual assault. the internist was arrested yesterday and released on personal recognizance. fire has struck the home of washington redskins hall of famer bobby mitchell. bruce johnson talked with mitchell's wife who managed to escape the flames. >> reporter: this is what is left of bobby mitchell's house in northwest. firefighters could be seen inside the attic and second floor tossing out debris which at the beginning of their day were valuable family momentos and furniture and clothing. >> when we arrived on the scene we had smoke in the house. >> and mitchell was in the house and got out on her own? >> the firefighters assisted the occupant out of the house. >> reporter: after a hall of fame career that began back in 1958 when he teamed with the

incredible jim brown to form the nfl's greatest running back combination. he joined the redskins in the early 1960s, the teams first african-american player. he excelled as a receiver for seven year and when he left the game he had 91 touchdowns and the second highest total yards in nfl history. >> i screamed at my daughter to get out and the police came right away and the fire department. and so many neighbors came to make sure we were okay. but we're fine. >> reporter: when mitchell was inside the home when the fire started, she talked from a neighbor's residence. bobby was too distraught to talk. >> it's a bad time of year for this? >> it is. but we're fine. >> and is bobby distraught over this? >> no. he's okay also. >> reporter: her husband has raised nearly $7 million to benefit leukemia research.

the restoration people are already on the scene. the damage estimate is about $260,000. this is bruce johnson reporting from northwest washington. >> the cause of the fire is not clear. we have an important health alert about family history and your heart. within the past hour we've gotten staggering statistics on a person's heart attack risk if other family members have had a heart attack especially at an -- specially at an early age. >> at 32 years old, this woman visited her doctor every month. with plaque in her arteries and high blood pressure, she's at risk of having a heart attack just like her mother did when she was in her 50s. >> she died when i was 18 of a massive heart attack. >> reporter: a report released today from the american heart association shows women like anna are at a 70% increased risk of having a heart attack if one parents has had one early in life. for men the risk doubles. >> if we have a family history, we need to pay attention to

exactly what our risks are for heart disease. that means getting cholesterol checks, blood pressure checked. >> and it's not just your parents. if your brother or sister has heart disease, your risk doubles whether you are a man or woman. there is good news in the report. deaths have heart disease and stroke in the united states are down. but operations and procedure to treat these conditions are up almost 30%. >> so although we've treated it and the death rates have gone down, let's make no mistake, people are actually more unhealthy than they've been in the past. we figured out the treatment. now we have to figure out the prevention. >> if i don't take care of myself now, i'm going to die early too. and i don't want that. >> you heard that message about prevention. whether or not there is heart disease in your family tree, it's important for all of us to know our numbers. blood pressure and cholesterol both good and bad levels as well as blood sugar or glucose which can be a harbinger for diabetes. these can be red flags years

ahead of a heart attack. the government announced new federal crib safety standards that ban the sale, the resale and even the manufacturing of drop-side cribs. the consumer product safety commission voted unanimously to approve the outlaw of these kind of cribs and this comes after more than 30 infants and toddlers became entrapped, strangled and suffocated in the past decade. in addition to the ban, manufacturers now must make stronger mattress support and hardware and then they have to institute better safety testing. we have two large auto recalls to tell you about tonight. chrysler is recalling more than 367,000, 2008 chrysler town and countries and dodge caravan because the airbags could deploy by accident. the automaker said water could leak near the heating and air- conditioning drain and cause the bag light to go off and open up the safety bags. and volkswagen is recalling

more than 228,000 vehicles. they include 2007-2009 golf jettas and jetta sport wagon, also rabbits as well, as 2006- 2010 beatles. volkswagen said the problem here is that a part could rub against the fuel supply line under the hood and lead to a fuel leak and maybe even a fire into coming up, cold engines were the only problem for drivers in one arlington neighborhood. many of them had to change tires too. we'll explain. topper? >> we get rid of one element, the wind and now we face another element, the snow. we'll tell you how much will fall in your area coming up. and school members call a security guard a hero today for saving their lives when a gunman opened fire during a meeting and it was all caught on tape. we'll be back.

my name is jaw wanna hardy and i'm in southwest asia. he i want to say hello to my mom cynthia hardy in washington, d.c. i love you, hope to see you soon and happy holidays. school board members in panama city, florida, are describing a night of terror. a gunman opened fire during a meeting and it was all caught on tape. >> all of it. amazingly no one was hurt except the gunman but we warn you the video is disturbing to some to watch. here is more from manuel gallegos. >> listen to me. i don't want anybody to get hurt. >> reporter: the superintendent of schools in panama city, florida, pleaded with the man who pulled out a gun during a school board meeting. but the man, clay duke, refused to back down.

what happens next is disturbing to watch. >> please don't. please don't. please. [ sound of gunfire ] >> reporter: duke missed his targets completely despite being at point blank range. >> he was going to do this. there was nothing we could have done to stop him. >> reporter: he kept shooting until a security guard wounded him. he then turned the gun on himself. ginger littleton snuck back in and used her purse to try to knock the gun from his hand. it didn't work. >> these guys were sitting ducks. they were lined up like pigeons on a wire. and i couldn't leave them without trying to at least divert or somehow or other diffuse the situation. >> reporter: duke pointed the gun at littleton but didn't fire. by the time sweat team officers entered the -- swat team members entered the room it was over. it was called out that he had a cap gun but police confirm it

was a real gun with live am munition. manuel gallegos. cbs news. >> duke was complaining his wife was fired from the district. police say he was carrying more ammunition and may have been planning something far worse. now look at what happened when this driver was pulled over for missing a headline in dayton, ohio. at first the man was uncooperative with the officer and then got physical. during the tussle, the suspect appears to reach for the officer's gun and taser. but out of nowhere, a woman comes to the officer's aid and helps him get the upper hand. police commended the good samaritan for her actions but say she's lucky she didn't get hurt. you could call it a case of naked ambition in wisconsin. a post man in the town of whitefish bay is suspended after delivering mail in the nude. >> 52-year-old david goodman told police that a young woman in a law office seemed stressed out so he told her he would come and try to cheer her up by returning naked and making her laugh but she apparently failed

to see the humor. >> as i opened the door, and he jets in with mail in one hand and his other hand free except this time he was completely nude. >> goodman apologized to the woman, saying he could see that she was upset and he felt bad and felt stupid and he could be feeling more too because he was arrested and charged with lewd behavior. you just cannot make this stuff up. >> no, you can't. >> it's not well thought out. >> there are no talk shows about this kind of stuff. we have one of those cases whereas a meteorologist it's kind of an ah-event, but what will happen tomorrow afternoon, a little bit of an impact. >> maybe at 11:00 i'll reconsider. >> we're looking at temperatures prime for snow. let's start with the temperatures. good news is not too much in terms of wind today so there is a little bit of a windchill out there but frankly it's cold.

temperatures below freezing downtown. in the 20s out in reston, 28. 28 in bethesda. 28 in rockville. and upper 20s, even up toward laurel and toward andrews, 28 degrees. and now satellite picture, radar combined, here comes the next system. you can see the magenta which is the mixed snow and rain. it's not a huge storm like what we had the potential for over the weekend but it's pesky. you see mixed precipitation moving through kansas city and also st. louis and diving down to the south and east. mixed precipitation through mississippi and alabama. and even into georgia. we have video from russellville, alabama and it was freezing rain. now that is not coming our way. this is going to be a straight snow for us but a different story in alabama. surface temperatures are below freezing but the rain falls as liquid and then freezes on contactment it's almost impossible to drive on a sheet of ice and that was the case in northern alabama. back to the computer we go. starting out clear tonight and then clouds come in by dawn.

so high clouds entering eastern kentucky and we're in good shape and then temperatures will fall like a stone tonight. small weather event but high impact. thursday morning commute okay weather-wise. thursday evening commute light snow. a dry snow, traction much better with a dry snow. accumulation around an inch, either side of an inch and more to the south. yes, more toward frederickbergs and richmond. stay off i-95 south tomorrow. i would stay off i-95 south on a sunny day. but i'd really stay off tomorrow. increasing cloudiness by dawn, 16-24. winds not a factor. lows tonight, plenty of teens. 16 in gaithersburg, 24 downtown, 18 in bowie, 18 in college park and the upper teens in rest on and sterling, leesberg mid teens. middleberg mid teens. advisories south ever town. doesn't mean we won't see snow in montgomery county or fairfax, we will. snow developing late in the

morning. snowing in culpeper before alexandria snowing in old town before rockville. and light snow around an inch midday. and here is our 9 future cast. and we'll -- we'll put this in motion. fredericksberg has an inch already on the ground. put it in motion. we go to 5:00 in the evening, an. >> of snow -- an inch of snow down, an 8th of an inch in gaithersburg and more snow to the south and that does match the advisories well. so again, high impact and a small event. next seven days. 29 tomorrow, 38 on friday. we get a break. 36 on saturday. still watching the possibility of a snow on the weekend. more light snow possible next tuesday and then a break on wednesday. but those temperatures hold in the 30s or 20s for the next seven days. >> a little messy. >> a little bit.

good news, i'm seeing a few more toys piling up. this is great. toy drive 9, we still need your help. such a great need this year and we understand donations are behind where they would like to see them at this point. >> we're talking with chief rubin from d.c. police about this very thing. he's been a very big supporters of toy drive 9 for years. >> and the fire department has. >> goes through december 22nd. new and unwrapped toys only. >> thank you. the tax cut bill passes the senate, but with time running out before everybody's taxes go up in the new year, the bill's future is still uncertain in the house. we'll be right back.

we have an update on the story we reported on over the weekend on 9 news now. sources close to vincent gray said he will announce his new public safety team tomorrow. now we already know gray will keep cathy lanier as d.c. police chief after he takes office next month. sources say gray will announce a public safety director and that kenneth ellerbe, current fire chief in sarasota in a and a former d.c. fire official is a leading candidate for the job

of fire chief here. last night it was announced that the mayor accept current fire chief's rubin's resignation. >> and we have you here and we have to ask you about this. >> it's been an honor to serve for mayor fenty and i know mr. gray will do a fine job. but for now i'm looking at what fire positions may be open out there around the country and in the meantime i would expect i've had a chance to do a lot of consulting and training and other related work in the fire and emergency medical services field. soy -- so i think things will work out well. >> will there be a chief ellerbe? >> i don't know. i'm not privy to that selection. i think whoever is chosen will be a great chief and move our organization forward and continuing to raise the bar and quite frankly i think the new

mayor has his hand on the pulse so let's see and wish him good luck. >> something else that is important here is this effort to get toys to kids in need. you've been a huge supporter of this. the fire departments have been a huge supporter. tell me about what those boxes look like at your firehouse? >> well first of all, what a critical program. in every fire station in our city. and let me say in the washington metropolitan area has a toys for tots collection point for the united states marine corp. they are starting to fill up. however the need is great and the donations are down a little bit. so we're hoping that folks would be kind and think about others at this great season of christmas that we have and remember that we're collecting toys from toddlers all the way up to 17 so we need everything. >> and the littlest ones and the biggest ones are the ones where you see the greatest need in terms of getting the toys to fit those age groups? >> they are probably the hardest to fit but i know there are many santa helpers out

there watching this program tonight and we hope that they come to our aid. we hope that they stop by our firehouses, all of them will be welcomed or throughout the washington metropolitan area, we're looking for new, unwrapped toys and no toyota -- no toys that could be used as a weapon. for instance like a gun. leave that at home. we're not interested in it. but a new unwrapped toy and that age range would be such a blessing for our community. >> and you can see the toys here on our set. these are great ideas for the kinds -- the kinds of toys to deliver. chief, thank you for your help and we wish you all of the best in the future. you say your life is perfect. it sounds like it will get better. >> it will. and you do a great job and thank you and thank you for remembering those in great need. >> thanks, chief rubin. coming up next, new at 5:30

-- >> flattened tires in one arlington neighborhood have residents flat out mad. we'll explain after the break.

right now, new at 5:30, a rude awakening for drivers in one arlington neighborhood after they walk outside and find tires had been slashed and this isn't the first time. the senate officially signs off on the tax cut compromise but the deal is still a question mark in the house. and are cell phones really dangerous? we'll tell you about one local authors crusade to get us to read the fine print. how would you like to go out to your car in the morning and find your tires are slashed and flattened. >> that is what happened to some residents in arlington this morning. peggy fox joins us from the news room. peggy, i take it those people were very late and frustrated this morning? >> reporter: exactly. it was a lousy morning for lots of people in the langston brown neighborhood which is next to ballston. and it's happened before to some of the same people, which makes it worse. >> right there.

they cut a big square in my tire. >> reporter: it was an unwelcome surprise this morning. forced to brave the blustery weather, drivers bundled up to change wheels before starting their day. >> i was running late this morning and i rode through the neighborhood and a guy told me they slashed tires again. >> i didn't want to get up this morning and do this. >> reporter: others called in professional help. >> it said all i did was change your tire. >> reporter: but what makes people on culpeper, 19th and cameron streets even more upset is waking up to slashed tires is becoming a common occurrence. >> most of my friends up the street here, my buddy's father got his for the fourth time. >> reporter: this is less than two months after another tire- slashing spree that hit the streets back in october. and the vehicles parked on the street aren't the only ones targeted. in one instance the vandals cam on to someone's property. >> it's just strange why they can't catch these people.

>> they need to up the police patrol for one thing. that would help. >> i don't know if it's gang- related or what, but it needs to come to a stop. >> reporter: the frustration is building in this arlington neighborhood and it's magnified by the costly price tags that come with these crime sprees. >> the third time my truck has been hit this year. i'm tired of paying for these tires. i don't have money. >> whoever you are, i hope they catch you. >> this was my kid's christmas money right here, for christmas. >> reporter: now people in the neighborhood tell us about 30 tires were slashed overnight. arlington police did respond and took down information but so far they have no leads. they're asking if anyone has knowledge about who might have done this to please call them. lesli? >> what a shame. peggy, thank you so much. we have breaking news to tell you about from capitol hill where the house was voted to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." lawmakers voted 250-175 to end the policy that since 1993 has

barred openly gay people from military service. the debate now shifts to the senate where democratic leaders are trying to squeeze in a vote on this before the end of the current session. the tax deal now heads to the house after passing the u.s. senate today. congressional democrats still have serious concerns about the plan but as joel brown reports, they all know time is running out. >> the motion is agreed to. >> reporter: the final vote wasn't even close. senators from both parties easily push through the tax cut compromise. >> everyone should understand this is one of the major accomplishments of any congress. >> reporter: but the toughest test is net could -- is still to come. liberals are leading the charge against this. republicans are under pressure from high profile conservatives to vote no. they say it will boost the deficit and they want a permanent extension of bush era

tax cuts, not a two-year renewal. >> it will do little to create jobs and i cannot support it. >> reporter: liberals think extending the tax cuts to those in the highest income brackets goes too far. they say the bill favors the rich. >> this was a bad deal for the american people and i hope my colleagues will reject it. >> reporter: despite the disagreements on both sides, president obama urged the house to move quickly. >> i know there are different aspects of this plan to which members of congress on both sides of the aisle object. that's the nature of compromise. >> reporter: house aids tell us republicans will have to provide more than half of the votes needed to pass the bill. but with everyone facing a new year's day tax hike both parties know there is a high price to pay if the deal fails. joel brown, cbs news washington. >> the house is expected to begin debate on the tax cut package and possibly vote on it by tomorrow. he built a billion dollar social networking site and had

a blockbuster movie made about him. now mark zuckerberg has something new to brag about. we'll tell you about it next into and coming up new at 6:00 -- >> millions of dollars of crystal meth will not make it to washington area streets after a major bust. wait until you hear who investigators say is behind all of it. and don't forget we are always on at wusa9.com. stay with us. we'll be right back.

expect big crowds on the highways and in the airports if you are traveling over the holiday: according to triple-a mid-atlantic 92,000 people are heading out of town and 3% more people will drive to their destinations than last year. that's despite steep gas prices.

triple-a said most americans made their holiday travel plans before the recent surge at the pump but some will have to adjust their budgets. but beginning today travelers have a new way to get around and a very cheap price. megabus.com launched expanded service from d.c. to 11 new cities, boston, buffalo, charlotte, north carolina, hampton virginia and pittsburgh and toronto. and check out the price. the cost of a trip starts at just $1. barricade has come to manassas and by that i mean one of the automobile stars of the movie transformers. it's a souped up version of a mustang with a police car equipment and paint job. the new owner probably show -- proudly showed offer his ride in the wal-mart parking lot. he plans to rent out barricade and display it at car shows. facebook founder and ceo mark zuckerberg is time's

person of the year for 2010. zuckerberg joins the ranks of past celebrities the magazines most influenced of the past year. the 26-year-old billionaire is the youngest winner since 25- year-old charles lindberg was the person of the year back in 1927. [ music ] heavy metal rocker alice cooper is among this year's inductees to the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. he'll be joined by neal diamond and carlene love. among those turned away, bon jovi, ll cool j, the j giles band, the basketbally boys and donna summer. coming up next on 9 news now. >> mike shanahan may be creating a quarterback controversy. i'm greg tollin from redskins park. i'll have that story coming up later in sports. we're reminding everybody toy drive 9 continues until december 22nd. you need to drop off new unwrapped boys and we've had

some come in recently and we appreciate it. but again local area fire departments. we're behind this year. we need 0-3 and preteen. let's do it. your days to shop for the holidays are numbered and facebook wants to change the way you spend. you'll find two new ways to tap into deals coming up after the break. [ male announcer ] itchy dry scalp?

get selsun blue for itchy dry scalp. strong itch-fighters target scalp itch while 5 moisturizers leave hair healthy. selsun blue. got a clue? get the blue. my name is [ indiscernible ] and i'm stationed in germany. i want to say hello to my mom and my sister. i love you all. in demand and hard to find, the play -- play school al fee wants you to learn.

here is how he works. >> i was learning about food and letters. you can help. the first letter in the word apple. >> so you follow his directions and put the little cards in that do anything from letters to vocabulary, math to music. and this is a great way for kids ages 3 and up to learn. and so he has a little backpack, you take your cards and put the card in the front and follow the prompt and this is a big in demand toy. we found it at $39.99 on amazon and wal-mart. a great toy for a 3-year-old to learn new skills. the deals today come with a reminder that your shopping days are numbered. so if you want to get started now, lord and taylor has the friends and family sale. you'll get an extra 25% off almost everything. 10% off cosmetics or

fragrances. you can printout a pass or use the code friends. joseph bank is in the midst of its 60% to 70% off sale and plus save $25 off for every $100 you spend. walgreens takes $10 off online orders of $40 or more. and you can get 25% off photo cards. and finally old navy has jingle jammies for the whole family for just $8, women's cammies for just $2 and wool coats for $30. for more great deals go to our website at wusa9.com and click on the ready, set, shop link. now facebook has changed the way we connect, now stores hope it will change the way you shop. jcpenny just opened the first major facebook store. it's the first anchor store to let people shop directly from the facebook page application. so you would go to this shop button and you would put the items in a shopping bag just like if you were on jcpenny website and expect jcpenny to

send you some deals based on your key strokes. now on friday lowe's is going to launch the facebook giftathon. so at 10:00 a.m. on friday you'll get limited access to deals that are marked down by 90%. do you want to know about some of the deals. here are just a few examples. 300 kitchen aid 5-quart mixers for $14.48. they are the top rated sand mixer for the past three years. on the normal site you would pay $144.80. and then there are 100 of the top scoring dice and animal d.c. 28 upright vacuums, they will be $59.95 and normal price for them is between $500 and $600. friday on lowe's on facebook. >> on the facebook page. >> so facebook.com/lowes. and santa made a christmas

stop today at georgetown university hospital. >> ho, ho, ho, merry christmas, everybody. >> nice ride, santa. st. nick joined by others at lombardi cancer center. they were handing out gifts to the kids being treated in the pediatric oncology unit. this was sponsored by fairfax county police. >> the need is so great at the hospitals and at home. we can't say it enough. we hope that people dig deep this year and donate to toy drive 9. this is toys for tots. kids all the way from toddlers to age 17. so if you have it in your heart and if you see the toys around our studio, think about dropping off a toy at the area firehouse. >> there is a football and amit or anything. ready for a little snow. a little event but high-impact. let's start with temperatures because it's still cold. and i probably should mention this now. a little bit of ice is beginning to form on some ponds.

don't have any thoughts of trying to walk on that water or try to place ice hockey. temperatures are 28 in arlington. 31 downtown. but mainly in the upper 20s in the burbs. 27 in bethesda and rockville. 27 in laurel. and 27 out in reston, 26 in fairfax. the outside story, well again small weather event but potentially high-impact. thursday morning commute is fine weather-wise. thursday evening commute has light snow. good news is it's a dry snow. accumulation of either side of an inch. maybe more like an inch up toward frederick. increasing clouds by dawn. very cold. 16-24. winds no longer a factor. winter weather advisories to the south. 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. tomorrow. doesn't mean you won't see snow in d.c. and montgomery and fairfax and prince george's. you will. the advisory is south into southern maryland. mostly cloudy and very cold, light snow late in the morning, teens and 20s. by afternoon, cloudy with light snow.

about an inch, more to the south. high temperatures only 25 to 30. here is our future-cast. we'll stop at lunchtime. a trace on the ground as you cross over the river into maryland. heaviest amount to the south. fredericksberg has an inch by lunchtime. we take you through the day, sand an inch -- and an inch downtown and almost 2 inches down in fredericksberg. and i recommend stay ago -- staying away from 95 south because it will get up to 4 inches in richmond. upper 30s on friday. toned down the snow on friday and saturday because a coastal storm will develop and it will stay south and east of us. we'll keep you posted. mid-30s. and light snow again on tuesday and cold and dry on wednesday. >> definitely holiday weather. >> it is. gets you in the spirit. what do you have in your hand? >> i was looking through the toys on set and wondering how many 7 or 8-year-olds enjoy

putting together the ronald reagan jigsaw puzzle. one of our great presidents, i didn't know how kid-friendly that was. >> they go up to like 17. so we need stuff for kids studying history may know about this kind of thing. >> we'll remember that. >> there you go. >> there you go again, top earp. remember that five year extension donovan mcnabb signed a few weeks back. there is a clause that said for $3 million the redskins can cut mcnabb and owe him nothing else. and from redskins park today, it's looking more and more likes that what the redskins want to do. >> reporter: a quarterback controversy could be brewing. >> we get all kinds of turmoil week in and week out. >> reporter: multiple reports say the coaching staff may

think about making a switch from mcnabb to grossman. >> if i don't get that from the guy who makes the decisions, then i don't focus on it. >> reporter: the guy who makes the decision, mike shanahan, may know who he is starting sunday against dallas, but he's not saying. >> i don't go through the starting lineups. i've told you that before. >> reporter: mcnabb was convinced if the change was imminent, he would know it. >> i would hope so. i mean that's professionalism and communication. >> reporter: and rex grossman told me nothing has changed with his role at practice. >> i don't make those decisions and as far as i know, everything is the same. >> things are just status quo? >> i think so. >> reporter: but shanahan has fueled the speculation, not that he cares. >> it gets people ready for the game and they have to get ready for a couple of players. three players for the game is ready is good for us. >> and mcnabb had 15 interceptions and 14 touchdowns and a quarterback rating that is 25th in the league. still he has the support of his teammates. >> he takes the blame for so

much stuff and that's what great leaders do and he's not fully to blame for what is going on. >> reporter: and many fans now appear to be getting restless. during last night's wizard's game donovan appeared on the jumbotron and there were more boos than cheers. >> i've been through that process in philadelphia. we weren't a winning organization when i got there. and the things can change here. and i think it will change here. >> reporter: at redskins park, greg tollin, 9 sports now. >> did you see that hat that deangelo hall was wearing, that was a redskins-issued. that's very stylish. coming up at 6:00, unbelievable video of a high school basketball player in florida assaulting a referee in the middle of a game. the police had to haul the player off. you'll not believe it. we'll show it to you at 6:00. we hope you'll join us then. >> can't let it go. up next, a possible hidden

danger in your cell phone. a local researcher said don't get too cozy with your smart phone.

so how close are you with your cell phone? do you have it on and on you almost all of the time? in tonight's health alert, the technology has changed our modern world but how safe is it to be this connected? >> as its manufactures tell you, cell phones should not be held up next to the body or brain. >> reporter: scientist and author deborah dave sis talking about the radio frequency or r.f. information that comes with your cell phone in small print. information you probably missed. >> it says that although we don't know that there is any problems, here is what you need to do. >> reporter: the literature suggests to minimize your talk time, use a headset or hands- free set and place more distance between your body and the phone when not in use. >> most people don't know that a cell phone is a two-way microwave radio. >> reporter: it used less power than a microwave oven, but

holding it close to our body for hours on end can be dangerous. especially in children and teen- agers. >> their skulls are thinner and brains contain more fluid and they can absorb much more radiation. we have to understand, cell phones have never been tasted for safety. they were put on the market with the assumption that the radiation was so weak it had to be safe. >> reporter: but at johns hopkins, a scientist on the cancer panel insists the studies have been on going for years. >> there are studies both in europe and the u.s. the data doesn't support evidence of cancer from the cell phone. >> reporter: davis pain tain it's will take more to understand the negative impact of this exposure. a case she details in her new book disconnect. in the meantime, she has a warning for all cell and smart phone users. >> use a headset and use a speaker phone where you can. do not keep the phone on and on our body. do not sleep with the phone. if