one piece. coming home though, it will be snowing. it will be snowing later this morning and throughout the entire afternoon. light to occasionally moderate snow. we'll look at the day planner. this morning, we're dry. teens in the suburb. 9:00, 25. by noon, snowing and 27. highs today only 29, maybe 30. it is going to be a cold day. with temperatures staying below freezing, this snow is going to stick on untreated surfaces. winter weather advisory cover us. to the south that, is richmond, roanoke. they could have four to five inches of snow. for us though, we're watching the snow as it is moving now into kentucky and southern west virginia. not snowing even though it looks like it in harrisonburg. to roanoke, it is just beginning. the leading edge is virga. here is a wide look at the snow potential. you see the white area. that's a general one to three. light blue is three to six. three plus toward the northern neck. you may get three, three and a

half. in the mountains of west virginia, that's where you're seeing six plus over there. we'll have more detailed snow totals at about 5:14. richard andre is here with time saver traffic. >> some ice to contend with, rock creek parkway and p street. traffic is getting by although it is a bit of a slippery situation. accident clearing in prince george's county. still the southbound lanes should be in the wrap-up stages. but still lay down for a second or three. no major issues to contend with in the area overall. i-495 quiet on the montgomery county side. all lanes open there. also, quiet, no incidents inbound on i-66. the inner loop beltway in virginia and the same story inbound on the dulles toll road. next time saver traffic coming your way at 5:09. it appears a mistake using a spice heater forced ten people out into freezing temperatures overnight. >> fire spread through an apartment complex in aspen

hill. kristin fisher is live at the scene with more on some of the dramatic rescues there. good morning. >> reporter: there were certainly some dramatic rescues. the good news is indeed nobody was seriously hurt and you can see this fire is now out although it took fire fighters a solid three hours to get this blaze under control. now, the fire apparently started right here in this ground floor apartment. it started around midnight. the montgomery county fire department was first on the scene but it quickly escalated to a two alarm fire and more units were called in. firefighters had to rescue several people from the balconies, only one person was injured after inhaling too much smoke. while trying to get out of the building. in total, three apartments were damaged. two significantly. one just had some minor smoke damage. ten people have no home to go back to with just nine days left until the christmas holiday. so, what about a cause? firefighters say that

preliminary findings do point to a space heater that was left on far too close to some flammable materials. now, of course, this investigation is indeed on- going. but it goes to show you that if that space heater is proven to be the cause, just goes to show you why firefighters and other safety officials are always urging us to be so careful. even when outside. it feels like it is in the teens. back to you. >> thanks, kristin live in aspen hill this morning. while you slept, searchers reached the site of a plane crash in nepal. >> wreckage was found 100 miles east of kathmandu in a rugged mountainous area. all 22 people on board the plane are dead. it had been chartered to carry pilgrims to a hindu capital and it was on its way back when it went down. one passenger was a tibetan holding a u.s. passport. the rest were nepali nationals. chaos in some parts of china as some places that don't normally get snow got quite a bit of it.

they're actually trying to dig out. hundreds of troops were deployed to dig out airports in the eastern part of the country. they're not prepared to handle cold and ice. forecasters expect the snow to push even further south tomorrow. >> this morning, prince george's county police have arrested a man accused of shooting at one of their officers at close range. police say the man who -- a man who had been robbed recently spotted the suspect at the suitland metro station and called with the detailed description. an officer spotted the man matching the description in the strip mall parking lot across from the suitland federal center. the officer says the man pulled a gun and started firing. he returned fire. the officer was not hit. authorities say the suspect was captured without incident. three and a half million dollars worth of crystal meth, nine indictments and eight arrests, federal immigration and customs officials have taken down a drug ring looking to set up shop in the district. investigators say the suspects are all mexican nationals. claiming to have ties to a

cartel known as la familia. some arrests happened here. others were in georgia. others in north carolina. police are searching for a person or people who they say slashed about 30 tires in arlington. yesterday morning, the residents woke up and found they had flats. this is the second time in two months someone has gone through the boston neighborhood slashing tires there. the vandals targeted cars, lining the streets on culpepper, 19th and cameron. the rough economy is being blamed for a spike in shoplifting this holiday season. to help crack down on the crooks, police if fairfax county are doing more aggressive patrols at high end shopping malls. so far, officers have managed to recover several thousand dollars worth of stolen merchandise. one bust alone netted more than $58,000 worth of clothing and perfumes. >> they're very organized. they have -- they know what they want to steal. they usually have multiple players, multiple vehicles. >> there's so much going on.

things are so busy. they try to take advantage of that. >> police say shoplifters are becoming more aggressive. some are willing to assault officers and they're carrying guns. retailers passed the cost of unrecovered items on to consumers. >> there could be a few hurdles with the senate vote when it comes to repealing the don't ask, don't tell. >> plus, the man accused of kidnapping a virginia man and suspected of something even worse, ris return to the commonwealth. >> and we'll tell you why one consumer group has teamed up with a mom to sue mcdonald's over its happy meals.

mcginty. expecting some snow later on this morning through the

afternoon. that will accumulate a little bit. so, watch out for some slick spots. this morning on live doppler 9000 hd, it is dry out there. we're seeing some returns toward new mark and strasburg up through harrisonburg and charlottesville. this is not reaching the ground yet. air is still very dry. the first two, three hours of snowfall will be aloft until the atmosphere moistens up enough that this can reach the ground. then we'll start to pick up the snow at the surface. it is already snowing down toward roanoke but it is not snowing in charlottesville to give you an idea. that will take a few hours to moisten up. our day planner, it is a cold one. in the teens and 20s and temperatures at best will make 30 degrees. we'll see the snowfall through the afternoon and evening hours winding down probably 7:00, 8:00, maybe 9:00. total accumulations, one to three generally but we'll break it down for you with the numbers coming up at 5:15. richard andre is in with your time saver traffic. >> howard, as we're taking a look eastbound on the dulles toll road, no problems as you move to and beyond hunter mill road all the way to the 495

ramp. we'll have a complete local time saver traffic coming your way in a few minutes at about 5:16. mike and andrea? >> thank you, richard. making news this morning, the man accused of kidnapping a 12- year-old girl is now waking up in a virginia jail this morning. >> police flew 32-year-old jeffrey easley back to roanoke, virginia. accused of taking britney smith from virginia to california where police found them in san francisco last friday. easley's jailed without bond and he's also a suspect in the murder of the young girl's mother. so, mcdonald's is being sued by a california mother and center for science in the public interest. their lawsuit claims the fast food giant is violating several consumer protection laws by marketing its happy meals directly to young children. they want to force mcdonald's to stop advertising toys. >> repeal of the don't ask don't tell policy goes to the

senate. supporters say they have enough votes for passage in the senate. they may not have time to bring it to a vote before the holiday recess. he spent decades promoting his sport and the only team he ever played for. >> at 5:18, we remember the life of hall of fame pitcher bob feller. local sports, the caps try to stop their losing streak. highlights at 5:23. at 5:33, a look at the preparations underway for today's snow. the chill of peppermint.

the rich dark chocolate. york peppermint patty. get the sensation.

. >> our time is 5:13. we're all ears for howard's forecast. one to three inches? >> yes. maybe even local down to the south where we have some changes. >> two school closings this morning in anticipation of the afternoon slipperiness. westmoreland, virginia, in the northern neck and across the river in maryland, getting word that maryland has pulled the trigger. stay in bed. do not wake up carroll county, maryland. you don't have to get out of your pajamas, kids. school in charles county, maryland, not going to happen. not going to happen today. due to the anticipation. >> just chill out.

you have more time to do the homework today. >> weatherwise this afternoon, it is going to get a little rough in spots. ground is cold. he we've got the snow on the way. your bus stop forecast, it is dry this morning. not snowing for the morning commute. it is cloudy. it is cold. and one other good thing to tell you, the winds die down. they're comfortable now. variable about 5 miles per hour. most areas. temps running 15 to 25. that sunrise this morning, 7:15, 7:18. it sets at 4:47 this afternoon. here is our day planner. this morning by 9:00, could have some snow beginning 26. that snow will be on light to moderate. throughout the afternoon and into the evening. look at the winds though. they're not bad. south-southeast at about 5 miles per hour. with temperatures holding in the upper 20s. perhaps around 30 down south. winter weather advisory. they start around 8:00 a.m. to the south and west. 10:00 in the metro. up in frederick, noon. we'll say 8:00 a.m. for the beginning until 9:00 p.m.

when they expire. it doesn't include haigerstown. the white counties down to the south toward richmond, those are winter storm warnings. we're thinking maybe one to three down there. there could be four or five inches of snow. radar this morning, it is quiet now. look to the west. here comes the moisture starting to show up. in the form of snow in the shenandoah valley. however, as with you switch it over to live super doppler 9,000. you can see the ragged nature of the returns here in the west virginia here. here is new market, strasburg, front royal, winchester down toward harrisonburg. speaking to a meteorologist friend down there. not snowing yet but by 6:00, 7:00, we'll be seeing the snow down in harrisonburg. it is taking a little while for the atmosphere to moisten up completely. but it is coming. back to the weather computer. any snow that we get, certainly going to stick. it is cold. temperatures running in the mid teens in hagerstown. winchester is 17. it is 15 at andrews. 16 in manassas. thanks to the warmer waters,

annapolis, washington, reagan national and pax river, all in the low 20s. locally, we've got 22. gaithersburg and leesburg at 19. bwi, 18. alexandria at 20. a northwest wind at 5. that's nothing compared to the last few days. snow is marching in from the west to the east. gotta show you how quickly it is going to get here. by 6:00 a.m., it is coming. by 10:00, knocking on the doorstep. it is with us this afternoon through this evening and then it gets out of here tonight. dropping. it looks like maybe one to three inches areawide. areawide. gotta show you the snow total map as we get through the area. can't see tappahannock, 3.5. some of the closures warranted. 29. snowy today. one to three. friday, 38. saturday, 38. as we go through the weekend, we've gotten rid of the weekend storm but there could be

another little snow system by tuesday. highs staying in the 30s. it is 5:16 here. richard andre? >> howard, a good morning again. it looks like still no major problems to speak of in the area. looks like we're going to be checking out some ice on the roadway though. traffic gets by but it is an icy situation there. checking out i-66 as we're moving from the manassas area toward route 50, no problems there so far. just a little bit of a build- up. no real issues. i-95 -- i should say 395 quiet from the beltway going up to the 14th street bridge. 95 northbound also no incidents before that. no problems from dumfries to the prince william parkway. i-95 to 270, about a 10 minute drive there. 95 southbound from scaggsville road to 495, about nine minutes. also on 295 as you move

southbound from the beltway down in toward the 11th street bridge area, about a 7 minute drive. next traffic coming your way around 5:24. andrea, mike? >> the sports world is mourning the loss of one of its true heroes this morning. >> hall of fame pitcher bob feller passed away last night from leukemia. feller started pitching in the major leagues at 17 years old. he won 266 games in 18 seasons. all of them with the cleveland indians and boy, was he feared for his fastball. one of the first pitchers to throw more than 100 miles per hour. he was part of the rotation. the last time cleveland won the world series which was 1948. >> but feller did something else far more important. on december 8th, 1941, the day after pearl harbor, feller was the first major leaguer to enlist for going the prime of his career to serve as a navy gun captain on the u.s.s. alabama. bob feller was 92. we have local sports coming up including some new reports

about donovan mcnabb's future. >> plus, the capitals score but it was enough to snap their losing streak? it is coming up on 5:19. here is that question of the day. >> a recent study saying people who are dieting cheat with this food the most. when they're trying to lose weight. if they want to give it up for a day or so. >> a, is it doughnuts? b, do you cheat with cookies or c, do most americans cheat with macaroni and cheese? add your answer to our facebook page. i know which one i would pick. we'll reveal it in a little bit.

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

muikirk. just getting word of another school closing along with westmoreland and charles county. cabot county schools are going to close with the anticipation of the snow coming in. here is our future cast. 9:00 this morning, cloudy here. snow starting. temperatures in the low 20s. mid-20s. about 27 by noon that snow having moved in. we have a winter weather advisory starting this morning

from 9:00 p.m. tonight and at 3:00, we were in the 20s with snow. that snow is still going there at 5:45. we'll have totals coming up. mike and andrea. >> thank you, howard. >> there are some questions about redskins quarterback situation. >> always a controversy there. >> the capitals try to end their losing streak. brett haber has the highlights in your morning sports. >> good morning, everybody. you know how we always refer to the caps as the highest scoring team in hockey? not anymore they aren't. after six straight losses including two shutouts, the caps are now the ninth highest scoring team in hockey. last night didn't help the numbers. trying to end the losing streak against the ducks. caps struck early. nick behind the net. out front to brooks light to pokes in the back hand right there. 1-0 caps. they had plenty of chances to increase the lead. look at this puck right on the goal line. swept away at the last minute by ryan. then here is ovechkin breaking away. he hits the post. caps never lit the lamp.

it went to overtime. tied at 1. ryan with the game winner and the caps lose 2-1 to the ducks. losing streak now at 7. you know, the albert haynesworth situation gave us a glimpse at mike shanahan's playbook. he benches them and then he runs them out of town. his dealings with donovan mcnabb are starting to take on the same odor. espn reported that shanahan may sit him in favor of grossman, an act that would seem to suggest mcnabb's future in d.c. is rather bleak and the coach didn't exactly quell those rumors yesterday. >> i don't go through the starting line-ups. i've told you guys that before. we talk about it every week. sooner or later, you come to the game. you'll find out who's starting. >> i think if i spent too much time on that, i wouldn't focus on the task at hand. so, i really don't worry about that. >> just when the haynesworth drama ends, the mcnabb drama resumes. that's a quick look at sports.

i'm brett haber. have a great thursday. the bill to maintain the bush era tax cuts heads into murkier waters today on capitol hill. >> plus, it appears a space heater in a bad spot caused a fire that forced families out into the cold in the middle of the night. quick check of traffic. richard, over to you. >> as we're crossing the sousa bridge, no real incidents or problems. but coming up, we'll be discussing icy spots to look out for at 5:30. 9news now will return after these messages.

well, good morning. 5:28. s-n-o-w, that's what you need to know this morning. in anticipation of snow on the way, the following schools are closed this morning. in maryland, calvert, charles, and st. mary's counties closed. >> in virginia, schools in king

george and westmoreland counties are also closed today. thank you for watching 9news now. i'm andrea roane. >> we're glad you're here. i'm mike hydeck. richard andrei will have traffic in a moment. we start with weather first and when the snow is getting here. >> it will happen out toward the shenandoah valley and harrisonburg. may start snowing within the hour. here in washington, it will be later this morning. mid possibly late morning. north of town, you may hold out toward the noon hour up by frederick. it is coming. not snowing yet. that's reaching the ground. roanoke has reported snow this past hour. a look at the day planner this morning. we're anticipating the snow to develop. not at 9:00. 25 but by noon and 5:00 p.m., light to moderate snow. temperatures holding in the upper 20s. it will stick on anything that's not treated. we have 22 but there are temperatures in the suburbs which are in the teens. winter weather advisory cover almost the entire area here with winter storm warnings down in southern virginia. richmond, roanoke down south of

i-64. they could have four to five inches of snow. the snow is coming. you see it in west virginia, kentucky, southwestern virginia. as far as the bigger map on the totals here, we're looking at a general, a general one to three in the white covering the area. quickly dropping off toward the mason dixon line. these are many of the counties we have had reported closed. they're anticipating problems this afternoon. we'll have a few problems for the afternoon rush as well. more on the totals coming up. right now, 5:30. here's richard andrei. >> howard, good morning. still we get the all clear. no major problems or accidents in the area. there is some ice to look out for in the district. rock creek parkway. traffic does get by there as we can see. it is a little bit of an icy situation. so, definitely back down at that point. now, i-495 on the outer loop moving quite well. as you move from i-95 into 270, you'll find lanes open there and no real problems. i-95, the bw parkway, southbound on both ways.

all lanes open there. 270 southbound also not a bad drive. some volume. a bit heavy around germantown road. nothing to hold you up for too long. virginia beltway, i-490 still quiet on the inner loop heading toward i-66. the next time saver traffic coming your way at 5:39. police are investigating what caused a deadly accident in laurel, maryland. >> the crash happened a little before 2:00 a.m. >> police say a car ran off laurel buoy road and went into the woods. rescuers took three people to the hospital where one victim was pronounced dead. police were able to reopen laurel bowie road within the last 30 minutes. new foreclosure figures show the number of u.s. homes repossessed by lenders in november fell to the lowest level in 18 months. that drop though is the result of several banks enacting foreclosure freezes as they try to investigate whether or not evictions have been properly

handled. however, the total number of repossessions for this year is at 980,000. it could possibly pass a million by the end of the year. >> an apartment fire has forced ten people out of their homes in aspen hill, maryland and sent one person to the hospital. and at this point, it appears a space heater sparked the blaze which left some residents waiting on balconies for firefighters to rescue them. 9news now reporter kristin fisher is live at the scene with more on this story. good morning. well, we'll have more from kristin later on. mike, you have another fire that was devastating in our area. >> indeed. the cause of a fire at the home of hall of fame redskin bobby mitchell still unknown at this point. yesterday morning, mitchell's wife, gwen and the couple's daughter were home when neighbors spotted smoke coming out of the attic. both made it out safely. damage to the house estimated at about $26,000. mitchell played for redskins in the early 1960s after teaming with jim brown as the cleveland browns backfield.

mitchell was the first african- american to play for the washington redskins. with predictions of a couple of inches snow today, crews have gotten to work. crews in maryland pretreated interstates yesterday but with the salt brine solution. they're trying to prevent the surprise and by the time the salt trucks got out, it was too late. montgomery county plans to have 200 trucks ready to go sparking flashbacks to last winter's blizzards. >> if we get another one, we'll do what we did the last time. we'll stand up to it. when i look back, i not enjoyed but i'm grateful to have experienced last winter. i would like not to repeat it again. >> we second that motion. the state of maryland has budgeted $31 million to handle snow this year. after spending a budget busting $124 million last winter. local transportation officials say budget cutbacks will not reduce their snow removal efforts. it is not the snow but our

cold temperatures leading to more water main breaks across the d.c. area. chris maize works for the washington suburban commission repairing such breaks. mayes says with the weather being colder now, his crews have more work to do. the breaks can also lead to black ice problems in places where people don't expect it since other surfaces are dry. >> the office of personnel management is outlining the latest strategies for winter now. the agency is in charge of deciding whether or not federal workers will report during snowstorms and other severe weather conditions. there is a new wrinkle in that process this year though. opm director jon barry explains. >> if you can't get to the office, you can still work from home. >> 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 that they'll be working from home that day. >> now, the opm says a large number of employees can be trained to perform their duties from home. and still keep the government running while not actually being in the office. >> the tax compromise passes the senate. now it heads to the house. yesterday, the senators overwhelmingly approved the measure which extend bush era tax cuts as well as long-term unemployment benefits. president obama is now urging the house not to change the senate-passed bill however some democrats say the cuts for the wealthy need to be scaled back. the house could vote on the measure as early as today. as promised, we want to get back to kristin fisher for the latest on that aspen hill fire where we hear, kristin that, a space heater may be at fault. >> reporter: yeah, we know, andrea, this is why firefighters are always warning about space heaters in the winter. this is exactly why you need to be so careful. if you are indeed planning on using one in the freezing

temperatures right now. now, in this case, check this out. this fire apparently started right there in the basement ground floor apartment. that is where the fire started. that's where that space heater allegedly was. then it quickly spread to the two apartments directly above it. escalating this to a two alarm fire. now, montgomery county firefighters had to rescue several people from their balconies but incredibly, only one person was injured although nothing life-threatening. that person was taken to the hospital after inhaling too much smoke while trying to get out of the burning building. three apartments damaged. two significantly, one minor smoke damage and ten people have been displaced because of the fire and it makes it even more of a sad story because we have nine days to go until christmas. you always feel for the families that get displaced this close to the holidays. back to you. >> thank you, kristin. we're doing far too many of these stories. >> the army doctor refusing to

deploy about president obama's birthplace. >> the snow hasn't started but the ice sure has. it has shut down one commuter route. we'll explain more after this. ice breakers mints with icy-cool flavor crystals. ice breakers. stay cool.

weather first with meteorologist howard bernstein. >> cloudy and cold. we've got teens and 20s. snow is on the way. it will stick on anything that is not treated with salt or any sort of snow-melting chemicals. here is your day planner today. we'll be watching the snow breaking out here later on this morning. 9:00, possibly some snow by then. i think maybe a little bit later in the metro. temperatures will be slow to climb. only in the upper 20s with one to maybe three inches of snow. we'll break down the snow totals and everything coming up in a few minutes. richard andrei has your time saver traffic. >> a good morning once again. it looks like on the inbound gw parkway, no problems or incidents past 123 all the way

to the 14th street bridge. all lanes open and no problems. complete look at traffic coming your way at 5:47. mike and andrea? >> sounds good, richard. a weather-related commute for this morning as well. do not count on taking whites ferry across the potomac. ferry between leesburg and poolesville shut down yesterday because of ice on the river. you can see it right there. and a recording plane says the ferry is still closed. this comes weeks after the service interruption after one of the ferry's cables snapped. today, metro's board is expected to vote on funding for a key vast improvement. its finance and administration committee gave preliminary approval earlier this month to start replacing nearly 400 track surface on the red line. a circuit fault is cited as one of the factors in the june 2009 red line crash which killed nine people. trains have been operating in manual mode since the crash. the project will cost $10 million. the government is outlawing

something that is in many baby nurseries across the country. >> plus, meet the local kids expressing some very generous thoughts in their letters to santa. >> here is a look at who's celebrating a birthday today. he founded the poverty law center. "60 minutes" correspondent lesley stahl is 68. steven bochco is 67 today. this guy was on law & order. benjamin bratt is 46. you may recognize her from the narnia movies. actress anna turns 21 today. we'll be right back. happy birthday.

>> we start with weather first with school closings and delays. first in maryland, schools in calvert, charles and st. mary's

county are closed. >> in virginia, caroline, king george, shenandoah, warren and westmoreland counties all closed. paige county schools however, two hour delay. >> we're just beginning with the list of school closings and delays. the season is upon us. here's howard. >> snow is moving in. [no audio] >> cloud picture there from looking up. it is overcast right now. let's get you going. bus stop forecast. just keep snowing. >> momslikeme bus stop forecast. extreme southwest viewers here. out toward harrison. other areas. you may start picking up snow in the next how were or so. we're going to check with our newest member of the weather team. 15 to 25 out here.

temperaturewise. but the winds have died down. so, no problems for the morning commute. our day planner though. we've got snow on the way. 8:00, 25. it will be snowing by midday. in fact, before noon, most of us will see some snow. light to moderate snow through the afternoon. 4:00 p.m., 28. by 8:00, still in the upper 20s. winds fairly light out of the south-southeast. maybe northerly tonight as the storm passes. winter weather advisory up for everybody. they start southwest at 8. 10:00 a.m. toward manassas, noon up north but they all expire at 9:00 p.m. tonight. annie is our weekend meteorologist. show joins us from the weather center. she's tracking the weather for us. what do you see? >> good morning, howard. we're seeing snow returns on there. let's take a live look at the doppler 9000 hd. these, what you see in blue around new market, harrisonburg along 81 down toward charlottesville. this is not hitting the ground just yet. it is evaporating. we're waiting for the

atmosphere to moisten up a little bit. we can track the snow that is falling on the titan. we do see some areas farther to the west. we're probably going to see the snow falling. on titan, we'll see the snow creeping closer to the metro area. howard, some areas getting maybe at most several inches of snow in some areas. >> the problems are that's cold right now. even if it is not treated, it is going to stick. 22 here in washington. light northwest wind. however, there are the suburbs. the snow is coming. you can see it from indianapolis and at charleston, west virginia. as you were talking about the snow in southwestern virginia reaching the ground. we'll take a few hours to moisten up. on the future cast here, by 1:30 this afternoon, we may have an inch of snow already in manassas. about a half-inch or so in frederick. we go through the afternoon, 3:00. 1.3 for us. frederick, virginia, by the way is closing also. we're just getting word in frederick county, virginia. that's up toward winchester.

closing. 1.1 for them by 3:00. down south, we'll see the higher totals even by 5, we're pushing two inches. we see the light blues popping up. locally, three inches of snow. we could be over 2 here by the time this goes. not a big storm. the biggest thing we've seen so far this winter. some light to moderate snow at times. this afternoon, 29. upper 30s tomorrow and saturday. the weekend system, it is sliding south and east. i pulled it off the map. a little more snow possible next tuesday, tuesday night. hey, it is 5:48. richard andrei take it away. >> snow, we get the all clear. no major problems reported in the area. i-95 looks to be a quiet drive still at the early hour from the prince william parkway heading on up to the mixing bowl. beyond that point, northbound on 395, we see a little bit of slowing from around duke street going up to seminary. beyond that point, it is a good drive into the 14th street bridge. taking a look at inbound new york avenue, we roll well there. minor signal delays at the most

heading to the times building. we still have some ice in the district to look out for along sections of the rock creek parkway. do look out for a little bit of a problem there. although traffic does get by on the entire rock creek parkway at that point. also taking a look to prince george's county, no problems along route 4. route 5 or even along 301. all lanes open in both directions. more traffic now will be coming your way in just a few minutes. look out for that at about 6:00 straight up. andrea, mike? >> thank you, richard. making news at 5:49, a nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a detroit-bound flight last christmas is due back in federal court today. umar will be arraigned on two new charges, conspiracy to commit terrorism across national borders and possession of a destructive device. an army doctor does an about face. lieutenant colonel terrence liken refused to deploy to afghanistan because he has doubts over whether president obama was born in the united

states. however, he told jurors he was wrong and would now deploy if possible. jurors start deliberating his punishment today. the government is outlawing something many families have in their homes right now including me. dropside cribs. consumer product safety commission has voted unanimously to ban the manufacture, sale and resale of these cribs which have been blamed for 30 deaths of young children in the last decade. santa says his elves have been busy in their workshop making toys. but some youngsters don't want them this year. >> instead, they're asking for the bare necessities that all of us need. hats and shoes and coats that can shield them from the bitter cold we've had especially in the last few days. lindsey mastis caught up with one of santa's helpers to find out why she thinks this year's list looks a little different. >> santa, what i want for christmas is -- >> reporter: what do you think anthony wants? a, video games?

b, an ipod or c, none of the above? his answer? >> my room is like full of toys. so, i just want to take some out and give it away. >> anthony and his classmates in northeast washington are writing letters to santa. and many of them aren't asking for much because they don't need much. >> there are lots of kids less fortunate than me. >> asking for clothes, shoes, boots. >> lorie chapman is one of santa's helpers. she's at the post office in brentwood reading all of santa's letters. >> believe it or not, a lot are looking for the necessities. >> some of the letters are heartbreaking from a little girl with three older brothers. she said her mom lost the house because of a scam. they were homeless but now they're together and all she wants is some christmas cheer. >> it is a reflection of the people just in need this time of the year. >> chapman says the economy has taken its toll. and kids know that.

she is sharing letters with people in the community that are willing to help santa out and get these kids what they need. as for anthony, he decided to ask for just a little something. >> a guitar and to love my family more. >> in northeast washington, i'm lindsey mastis, 9news now. >> if you would like to participate in the letters to santa program, contact your local post office. we are in the final week of the toys for tots drive. if you have an extra toy you would like to donate, they're being collected this morning at union station. the coca-cola polar bear will join marines to help take donations from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. travelers and guests are all invited to drop off new, unwrapped gifts. if you can't make it to union station this morning, you can still help us out. toy drive 9 is collecting new, unwrapped toys at area fire stations through december 22nd. look at all of the toys we have in our studio right now. don't bring them to us though. bring them to the fire station

so that we can help make this a merry christmas, happy holiday for other kids in our area. >> there they are. check them out. >> it is coming up on 5:53. we'll answer our question of the day coming up. >> plus, the stars of meet the parents comedies preview the third film in the series. it premieres tomorrow. lots of lotions promised healing.

this one actually does it. [ female announcer ] gold bond ultimate healing lotion. nothing feels like it, smells like it, heals like it. gold bond. this stuff really works. . >> snow on the way. here is our future cast today. low to mid-20s by 9:00. plenty cold to support accumulation. we'll see snow toward stanton. by 9:00 a.m. the snow will be marching north and east. by the lunch hour, it is over the district. much of the metro will be seeing the snow to the south. light to moderate snow at times. we're also looking by 3:00, upper 20s here. even this afternoon and this evening, 5:45. snow areawide. we're thinking one, two, maybe

three inches by the time this thing pulls out. by midnight, things are starting to break down and overnight, we'll see it clear out. better days tomorrow. get ready. snow is moving in a little bit later. mike and andrea? >> now, it is time to answer the question of the day. >> a recent study found that when people are dieting, they cheat with one certain food and they use this food as one of their cheating items. what do you think it is? >> the choices are a, doughnuts. b, cookies or c, mac and cheese. get this. as we're munching on cookies because this is our confession moment, the answer is a. when most people cheat, it is with doughnuts and not just one but a few doughnuts. >> except when missy the florida director makes cookies from home and brings them in. >> i never would have thought of doughnuts where with cookies, you can make them right at home and have them all the time. >> well, amid the parade of serious movies coming out just in time for oscar consideration, the third film

in a popular comedy franchise opens this weekend. >> we see these guys and we start laughing. ben stiller and robert deniro star in little fockers. >> i'm watching you. >> well, i have eyes, too. >> so? >> i'll be watching you watching me. >> ready or not, the fockers are back! >> it is turkey time! >> in time for the holidays, the family that can't seem to get along is mixing it up again. [ screams ] >> this installment finds ben stiller's character trying to prove he can be the family's next patriarch. >> greg, are you prepared to be the god focker? >> are you laughing? >> yeah, i know. i was making -- >> no. what took six years for you guys to bring us another one of these? >> really just figuring out what the reason was to do it again. >> this time, kids are in the mix. a recipe for disaster.

and humor. >> i have got this. >> whoa! >> other returning cast members include owen wilson, barbra streisand and dustin hoffman who this time around, finds himself going through some changes. >> i'm going to master the art of flamenco. >> you picked a hell of a time to go through manopause. >> do you believe in manopause? >> yes, i do. >> you're too young to experience manopause. >> well, you know, sometimes i think there are rare cases when it hits early. i could be one of those cases. >> will there be another focker movie after manopause? >> really? >> all right. >> and those wacky fockers could be back on the big screen if this installment does as well as the first two. betty nguyen, new york. >> thank you for watching 9news now. it is 6:00. i'm andrea roane. >> i'm richard hydeck. richard is in for traf