five people are dead after slick conditions gripped the southeastern u.s. tonight that same system is setting it's sights on our region. let's get to topper shutt for

the latest on this winter weather. >> well there is a silver lining here, anita. it's the fact we'll just have snow, so no freezing rain or mixed bag so we're in better shape. let me talk about temperatures first. everybody is below freezing. temperatures in the low 20s. mid-20s in gaithersburg and frederick and mid-20s in manassas. even fredericksberg checking in at 28. so let's talk about the satellite picture, radar combined, clouds just showing up in kentucky and in tennessee there on the left hand portion of the screen. that's the leading edge of the system tonight. the winter weather advisories are south of town. in fredericksberg and stafford. doesn't mean we won't see snow in d.c. for tonight, clear early and clouds on the increase, lows 16-24 and winds around 10. we'll tell you if the storm will be here for the evening rush. and tonight in your only local news at 7:00, burgundy

ablaze. a redskins hall of famer and his family are salvaging what they can after the family home catches fire. but first deflated, an arlington neighborhood demands answers after waking up to find dozens of tires slashed. >> reporter: i'm peggy fox, today in arlington -- >> whoever you are, i hope they catch you. >> reporter: dozens of people have to replace tires. >> this was our kid's christmas money here. >> reporter: vandals went on a tire-slashing spree. >> they cut a big square in my tire. >> reporter: and this isn't the first time neighbors have woken up to slashed tires. >> this goes on too often. >> reporter: now they want the police to catch the vandals. >> they need to up the police patrol for one thing. that would help. this is bruce johnson in northwest washington. this is what is left of bobby mitchell's house in northwest. firefighters could be seen

today inside the attic and second floor tossing out debris. >> we got on the scene and had heavy smoke in the attic. >> reporter: bobby mitchell moved his family into the shepherds park neighborhood decades ago after a hall of fame career beginning back in 1958 when he teamed with jim brown to form the nfl's greatest running back combination. he joined the redskins in the early 1960s, the team's first african-american player. >> i told my daughter to get out and the police came right away and the fire department and so many neighbors came to make sure we are doing okay. >> how is bobby doing? he wasn't there. >> no, he came in. and he's okay also. >> reporter: they're going to begin repairs immediately. the restoration people are on the scene. damage estimate is about $260,000. i'm scott broom along the beltway in prince george's county. one of the many places that has recovered from last year's budget-busting blizzard and is

ready to go for this season's forecast. here in maryland they treated interstates with a salt brine solution. light snow is in the forecast and even that can be dangerous. in montgomery county some trucks were preloaded with salt today to be ready for the morning. planners are prepping to have 200 trucks ready to go. after last year's budget- busting blizzard, 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 not enjoyed but i'm grateful to have experienced last winter. would you like not to -- i would like not to repeat that again. >> neither would we. we still have 2 and a half months to go and pg and interconnection said yesterday's demand for electricity exceeded the forecast peak for the winter. days like that is a reason for a push for a high transmission

power line from west virginia to maryland. pgm said the pathline would ensure reliable electricity in d.c., virginia and maryland and 11 other states into breaking news out of statute land where an officer was involved in a shooting at a rite aid at the intersection of silver hill road and swan road. we sent scott broom to the scene after he wrapped up with the snowplows. he joins us now by phone with the latest. scott, there you are live? >> reporter: yes, i am. this is a dramatic search going on in this area of suitland tonight. this incident scene is cross the street from the census bureau and you can see across the street all of the police activity still going on. this is where at 5:00 this evening a prince george's county police officer walked up on a robbery suspect in an attempt to investigate a previous robbery. according to police here, the suspect pulled out a handgun, fired at the officer. the officer fired back. now thankfully the officer was

not injured and the suspect fled. police believe he also was not hit by gunfire. since then, police have literally shut down this area of suitland. you can see silver hill road here, traffic backed up, swan road closed, sections of suitland road are also closed in this area tonight as this manhunt continues. they are looking for a young african-american man in his 20s. he's wearing a purple north face parka style jacket and white pants and they are scouring the area looking for him. he had a handgun, he fired at an officer. he got away. reporting live in suitland, scoot broom, 9 news now. >> quite the scene there, scott, thank you very much. and in just two hours the d.c. 9 nightclub is set to reopen. it's been closed for last two months. after the death of a man would threw a brick there one of the club windows. 27-year-old ali mohammed was chased and beaten by employed. but charges were dropped when

prosecutors said they didn't have enough evidence to proceed. and we also have -- have an update on the massive fire in the block. later today the bureau ofal toll, tobacco and firearms announced the sit was intentionally set in the red light district and right now they are not sure why. investigators are offering a $5,000 reward for any information in solving the case. fortunately nobody hurt in that fire. large amounts of crystal meth were not make it to washington. after a major drug bust, federal immigrations and customs official as long with d.c. police say they took down a drug ring looking to set up shop here in d.c. eight man have been arrested. they are all mexican nationals and all have tied to a drug cartel known as la familia. the men were arrested in georgia and also north carolina. >> we've had undercover operations over the past few weeks dealing with members of that organization.

so we know they were trying to set up shop in d.c. >> so in total, authorities seized about $3.5 million of crystal meth. the 9th guy they are still looking for because he is on the loose. a crackdown on a new kind of shoplifter. officers say some crooks are working in sophisticated networks that travel down from philadelphia and new york to steal thousands of dollars of clothes and perfumes. at fair oaks police are patrolling undercover to try to catch them. >> they are very organizationed and they know what they want to steal. they have multiple players, multiple vehicles. >> in the car of these three new york men, police say they recovered more than 50 stolen i.d.'s and ipods bound for resale in the big apple. mall managers say that if the stolen items don't get back to them it drives up prices for the rest of us. we're starting to get result results from the most recent census and shows our neighbors are the most richest

and educated in the nation. the city of falls church, virginia has the highest median income with residents making an average of over $113,000 a year. other two other locals have median incomes over that and they are loudoun and fairfax counties. i'm peggy fox on the grounds of the c.i.a. it's an agency steeped in secrecy but now they have reason to brag about one big secret. i'll spill the beans coming up. but up next, banned. a federal agency starts the process of taking troubled cribs off the market for good. we'll be right back.

the consumer product safety commission dropped the hammer on those dropside cribs today. after millions of recalls and the deaths of 30 kids over the last ten years, the agency banned the manufacture sale and resale of these cribs.

>> so you have six months in which all cribs have to be sold that meet the new standard and then you will have 18 months after that for all childcare facilities and hotel motels to have the new cribs. >> supporters say the cribs make it easier to put babies in and take them out because of the dropside but the danger is malfunctioning hardware can leave a gab between the mattress and side rail and that is where a child can strangle. you can learn more about the recommendations right now at wusa9.com. click on consumer. a new report from the american heart association shows family history is a very big deal. in a person's risk for a heart attack, the report said a woman has a 70% increase risk of having a heart attack if her parents had one early in life and for men the risk doubles. >> if we have a family history, we really need to pay attention to what our risks are for heart disease. that means getting cholesterol checks, getting blood pressure

checked. >> there is good news though. deaths have heart disease and stroke in the u.s. are going down. a mother of two is suing mcdonald's to try and get the fast food chain to stop using toys to market happy meals. she said the toys are a sophisticated market scheme designed to put the burger seller between her and her daughters. she is not seeking damages but does want mcdonald's to be barred from advertising meals that feature toys. we posted this story on our wusa 9 facebook page and in 25 minutes we had 32 comments. melissa burk eaton is among them postinger i think this mother needs a backbone to tell this child no. and trisha summed up other posts by writing, okay, the toys are geared toward kids but is this the adult -- but it is the adult who purchases them. who will take personal responsibility for their actions. if you don't want your child to have the toy or food, don't go there to eat. but brandon miller points out it won't be a happy meal

without a toy. share your thoughts on our wusa 9 facebook page. still ahead, topper is busy tracking what could be our first significant snowfall of the season. it is also the time of year you usually hear about folks asking for donations. next we'll show you a santa who is turning the tables. we'll be right back. >@

this is troy yellowson in africa and i want to wish my family, jennifer, alex, sierra, olivia and calla in white plains, maryland, merry christmas and happy holidays and i love and miss you guys. each christmas for decades a mystery man in kansas city hands out $100 bills to the city's less fortunate. that inspired a man in iowa to do the same thing two years ago and on this trip he invited a reporter and camera man along. >> i'm serious. >> you're serious? >> thank you. >> you're serious. >> look on the other side of this. >> oh. >> merry christmas. >> thank you, god bless you. [ crying ] >> that gives you chills. the secret santa said he would love it if others joined him in the same way spreading holiday cheer. if you would like to spread

holiday cheer in our area, there is a needy child who needs you. toys for tots program is way down on donations and as peggy fox reports, the marines are worried they won't be able to get enough toys out this year. >> reporter: the marine corp has been running the toys for tots drive for 63 years. last year the quantico base received 167,000 toys and $60,000 for gifts to needy children. only about half of that has come in this year. >> last year was one of our biggest years ever. but this year, i don't think we're two -- going to get near what we had last year. maybe because now it's finally hitting home, the effects of the recession. >> reporter: they are grateful for the c.i.a., giving toys for tots six large boxfuls today. >> there you go. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: leon pinetta thanked the marines for the program and the happiness it brings. >> so that these children can enjoy the spirit of christmas

and hopefully be able to enjoy a better life. >> reporter: for the past 40 years employees here at the c.i.a. have been collected toys for underprivileged children. a decade ago they decided to partner with the marines. >> we have a lot of great toys here too at the c.i.a. but unfortunately we can't give any of them to the kids. >> one of those toys are the supersonic recognizance a-12 displayed on the grounds. it flew c.i.a. missions during the cold war and was retired in 1968. about the time the c.i.a. started donating toys to children. in langley, peggy fox, 9 news now. >> so toys for tots usually has enough that they can give each child three to four gifts but this year they're hoping to have at least to give two more child if collections don't pick up. they are low on toys for 3-5- year-olds and older kids over the age of 11. toys from this program are typically the only gifts these children receive. you can help. the u.s. marine corp collects toys for tots this holiday

season and we are too. as part of this, toy drive 9, you can drop off any new and unwrapped toy at any local fire station before next wednesday. you can get more information at wusa9.com. please help us. a toys for tot as coordinator in west virginia walked away with her own prize. her husband wasn't supposed to be home until mav from afghanistan but he was able to show up at one of his wife's toy drives as a surprise. >> what in god's name are you doing here? >> oh, my god! [ indiscernible ] >> i've traveled through four countries on five different planes, been bumped off of four planes, so just the fact that i'm here, it's truly amazing. >> i had absolutely no idea that he was even coming in. no one spilled the beans.

i had no idea. i'm so excited. >> cliff's in laws had to drive to charleston to pick him up after his original flight was delayed by snow. he said seeing the white stuff on the ground makes this christmas perfect. and speaking of which, some headed our way. a little bit. it's not a huge storm but it may have a high-impact. >> timing? >> not tomorrow morning, but tomorrow evening. >> okay. >> i think tomorrow morning's rush is fine. but i think in the immediate metro area we're fine until lunchtime. let's talk about temperatures. 29 downtown. these are not windchills, these are actual temperatures. 25 in fairfax and reston and sterling. we're also looking at mid-20s now as you work from bethesda toward rockville and 23 in gaithersburg. 26 in beltsville. and 25 in laurel. now satellite picture, radar combined, there is the storm taking shape. it will have mix of snow and ice and rain in parts of the ohio valley and back down into the southeast. as far as we're concerned, at least we have some good news.

it will be snow. and we're looking at good snow pushing into missouri and a mixed bag through st. louis and back into nashville. we'll zoom to the south and east. we had freezing rain in northern alabama earlier today. that has pushed off into northern georgia north of atlanta near peach tree and dekalb. clouds are just about to roll in. they are just entering eastern sections of kentucky and tennessee. so we'll start out clear until midnight and then the clouds roll in and we're looking at a cold, cold night. the winds will diminish. it's a small weather event but may have a high-impact. thursday morning commute is okay. the evening commute is a different story. could see light snow. the good news, it's dry snow and that's easier to drive on. and accumulation, either side of an inch, but -- but much more to the south. and very cold, mid teens to mid- 20s. and winds light. look at the lows. 16 in gaithersburg. 18 in rockville. 24 downtown. but 18 in college park and in

bowie. and all teens out to the west in fairfax, reston and sterling and also middleberg and leesberg. now here is our future-cast and we'll stop at lunchtime and we see we have a little bit of accumulating snow by 1:00. with much more to the south. over an inch in fredericksberg. and keep going. maybe an inch and a third around d.c. lesser amounts as you go north. but i think we'll see accumulating snow up to the maryland-p.a. border. and we go into friday, it looks like most of the snowfall, an inch and a third, maybe two inches toward southern maryland and the advisories are south of us. by morning, snow develops late in the morning and moving from southwest to northeast. teens and 20s. and then by afternoon, light snow around an inch, more to the south. and look at the highs. only 25-30. the next three days, once we get through the light snow tomorrow, just cold on friday. a little bit of light snow on saturday night, possible temperatures in the 30s. next seven days, we're much less concerned about the

coastal storm. we'll keep a chance for light snow or flurries on saturday night and into sunday morning. temperatures in the mid 30s. we get a break on monday. sunshine in the mid 30s. not a break on temperatures though. and then light snow possible on tuesday and still cold next wednesday with partly cloudy skies, highs in the upper 30s. so we're wasting a lot of cold air if you're a snow lover. that's all i can say. >> i would love to get you for the holidays an i pad. but i can't win one online but that is not the case for people watching at home. log on to facebook and become a fan of wusa 9 and click on the sweepstakes tab to enter this contest. tomorrow is the last day you can do this, folks. you can register through tomorrow. derek and i will announce the winner monday night at 11:00. if you are already a fan, click on the sweepstakes tab any way.

finally tonight, if you are decorating your house or tree or yourself, you can see signs of the holidays everywhere. in chicago one family is trying to capitalize on the newest fashion fad. they started a fashion selling

ugly holiday sweaters online. they are adhering to the motto one man's trash is another's treasure. >> so once they've been washed and touched and ready to go, we put them up here. they are very organized, size, numbers, this is our inventory and it's on the internet currently. >> and the report he who covered the store -- the reporter who covered the story decided to show off his favorite as he tried to figure out what to wear to his family's christmas party. no, definitely not that one. that's our report. i'll be right back here tonight at 11:00. tonight the amazing story of a child born without fingers and the new procedure allowing him to grow them. ñúñú

now, "entertainment tonight," the most watched entertainment news magazine in the world. >> the ryan and scarlett split. new details. >> scarlett johannsson, the brand new shot, still wearing her wedding ring. is ryan seeking comfort from his ex? >> plus the latest on two more star breakups. michael c. hall and jennifer carpenter. zac efron and vanessa hudgens. did one of them cheat? >> hue jackman's stunt gone wrong. the new photo of the star in stitches. in tonight's celebrity gps. gwyneth showing some skin and talking about her golden globe snub. >> you never know with these things. the world's top designers talke