icy roads, blanket the snow and freezing temperatures. today's winter weather caused havoc on the highways. are we finally in the clear tonight? let's go straight to

meteorologist, tom perriello. >> good evening. and finally, we're looking at an end to all of this. a few flurries are still possible in the storm system moving in on schedule. coming in from the west and the southwest, depositing some light snow moving off to the east. i want to show you a regional radar picture. this is what we looked at early this morning, areas of culpepper, orange county, making its way from fredericksburg and then slowly in towards the district and sliding east. that's the way it looks now. even if you break some of the cloud cover as well, can had is not good new -- which is not good news. live doppler 9,000, all is clear. this is some very good news. as we take a look at the temperatures right now, we'll go back to graphics. the temperatures are going to remain below freezing. not just the air temperature, but the ground temperature. that's critical to the roads that were treated, pretreated were a little better than those who have not been treated -- those that have not been treated. and continuing maintenance on the roads need to be taken care of. it'll be some time before we start to see any of this move

away. we'll have more for you in just a few minutes. >> all right, tom, thank you. good idea, bad timing. in maryland, a school bus and snowplow collided after kids were let out of school early at the peak of the snow. in virginia, much of the same as drivers tried to battle slick and icy roadways on their way home. >> reporter: i'm in fairfax county, taking a look at the season's first significant snowfall. 23 degrees and snow on the ground, welcome to winter wonderland. at least for the kids, fairfax county schools dismissed two hours early. for those who had to get behind a wheel, the small amount of accumulation was just enough to cause some big headaches. like for this driver who lost control on tree road. >> what was it like driving so far? >> terrible. just terrible. i mean it's scary. there are a lot of accidents back there. >> reporter: 1,400 plow trucks

were out plowing and salting and sanding the roads. anita brikman small -- a small snowfall, but a lot of people clearing the roads. >> we'll continue to clean it all up. safety is the big priority. >> reporter: i'm scott broom in prince george's county where schools were closed two hours early today, right at the height of the snowstorm. this accident didn't look bad, a banged up front end of a school bus and a back end of a prince george's county plow truck damaged where it was struck when the bus slipped. the jolt between the two big vehicles sent the plow driver to the hospital with back injuries and one student on the bus had a suspected asthma attack. elsewhere, there were dozens of accidents like this one. >> and it just happens so fast. >> reporter: she lost it on a curb on the road. and ended up in the woods, all this right during the time that schools were let out early. streets in front of this elementary were snow packed and

icy when kids headed home right at noon. >> i just want to get my kids home safely. >> call it slick out here. i'm trying to make it here the best that i can and i'm trying to take my time on the ice. >> reporter: good news from the road. a big improvement on the conditions over the past hour. let's take a look at the american legion bridge. traffic moving in both directions as you can see there. next we check out the beltway neither wilson bridge. light traffic there, moving along well. and same story here on i-66 east of the fairfax county parkway. their pavement all moving cars. and we also have good news on i- 95 from the washington baltimore to the baltimore beltway. last hour, that trip took 96 minutes, now it's down to 47. still snow, but a big improvement. viewers have been posting pictures on our facebook page sending them in to the newsroom from today's snowfall. this one from tom cleveland jr., a picture of his backyard

in falling waters, west virginia. what a beautiful dog. his owner, karen, from poolesville, maryland sent it in saying snow days always make for a happy husky. if you would like to share your photos with us, log on to wusa9.com. the next time you ride the metro, you might get stopped and have your bag checked. today, metro announced random inspections of passengers bags, following a string of unsuccessful terror plots targeting the transit agencies. metro and tsa officers will check for any hazardous materials using an ionization scanner, which detects nitrogen and essential elements in mostexplosives. >> we'll swap the outer contents of that particular package. we'll put that swab in this machine. >> metro says that they generally don't need to open items unless the equipment suggests a need for a closer look. if riders refuse a bag search, they won't be able to take that bag into the station. and the program is based on

similar ones in boston and new york city. lowden county authorities need your help tracking down thieves who have hit at least one neighborhood. two men are going around breaking into cars. in one case, they stole emily's suv and went on a joyride before crashing it. the two men were caught on recent home surveillance video nearby. these two guys seen in the video walking around, smoking, checking out a pickup truck. once they realized it was locked, they move on. >> i just can't imagine a bunch of teenagers walking around, just like looking for a car. and to actually steal it, it's kind of scary. that takes it up another level. >> i think we all feel violated by it. they are going into your personal property and taking what they want. and the fact that, you know, a car was actually stolen, it's even more of a concern. >> authorities, they don't know how many break-ins could be connected to the two thieves. never give up. that's the motto that one young

man said has gotten into the toughest times in his life. if there is a will, there is a way. >> there you go. keep breathing. >> he has been an inspiration to all of us. >> he's an amazing guy. grab on over here. >> reporter: what is it that makes him such a role model and an inspiration? >> i was riding a motorcycle in a neighborhood. a car hit me, and i had to get an amputation on my left leg. >> reporter: it was a suspected drunk driver that slammed into the young man, causing his injuries in the spring of this year. but despite being an amputee, the 25-year-old is moving forward and positively influencing all of those he comes in contact with. >> it is okay to lean forward -- okay to lean forward a little bit. i have a little metal in my leg, but i can still train, i can still do, you know, whatever i need to. >> reporter: in fact, he is back to training full time at the fitness first be gym in reston. his co-workers and friends rallied behind him to raise money and help fund the treatment he needed. >> and the numbers were just amazing. they opened up their hearts,

their checkbooks, donating money, signing cards. >> reporter: those same clients said knowing his story makes them change their mind at the gym. >> if i'm feeling a bit tired, i can't make an excuse for not coming out with everything that he has pushed himself through. >> down to your side, just like that. >> reporter: this young man is looking ahead to the future, letting everyone know where there is a will, there is always a way. >> you're going to come to a point where this is hard to, you know, just keep moving. and you can't let that stop you. you've got to finish the race essentially. >> and here is another little nugget about chris. you'll get a better idea of the kind of man he is, anita, telling me just recently, he faced the suspected drunk driver, the man on trial for allegedly doing this to him, he forgave him because he holds no hard feelings towards him, anita? >> i wish more of us could be that way. all right, thank you. brownies are being blamed for sending six local students to the hospital.

paramedics were called to potomac high school right before 11:00 a.m. fire spokesman, mark grady, said that the students had rapid heart rates and feeling sick. he doesn't believe it's food poisoning. a school spokeswoman said that the brownies didn't come from the cafeteria. samples of the sweets were taken by police and the hospital to determine if they were tainted. it's official, dc police official will remain in that job understood the vincent gray administration. you saw the story first on 9news now if you were watching last night at 11:00. the mayor elect said that even though he has been a great part to the fenty administration, the decision to keep her was an easy one. >> four years after becoming the district's top cop, the chief enjoys an 80% job approval rating among dc residence according to a recent poll. the public is confident in her ability, which results from the great progress in reducing crime that she and the police force have achieved together.

>> gray also announced the nomination of kenneth as fire chief. he comes from the fire chief's job in sarasota, florida. the dc council still has to approve these new appointments. still to come. >> a local woman joins 3,000 other women nationwide suing the maker of a popular birth control bill that she said nearly killed her. i'm peggy fox. coming up, hear what the doctor said about the blood clots they found. but first, the makers of some herbal supplements could face some charges under a government crackdown. we'll talk about which one. stay with us.

the product marketed as herbal or all natural, but they actually contain powerful drugs with dangerous side effects. about 48 million americans, that's one out of six of us get sick from food-born illnesses. the agency says that the vast majority of the cases are not really bad, but about 3,000 do end in death. salmonella and e. coli are the

most common culprits. tips from preventing food-born illnesses start in the kitchen, including separating raw meat and produce while preparing foods using different utensils and cooking meat and poultry to the right internal temperatures. snowy roadways caused slow downs for drivers all across our area today. can we expect another hit of winter weather this coming weekend? tom has your full forecast after the break. but first, a local woman sues a maker of a popular birth control pill. saying that it nearly killed her. ñúñú

a bethesda woman who joined thousands of other women across the nation, suing the maker of a popular birth control pill. she is blaming the pill called yas b. >> i was hyperventilating and in pain. >> reporter: that is the second time that green went to the hospital. the first time, doctors thought that this otherwise healthy 41- year-old woman had a kidney stone. she got so sick that she could hardly breathe. blood clots in her lungs. >> you have the largest blood clot that i have seen in my 30

years of practice, and he says i was very lucky that it didn't break apart and kill me. >> reporter: she is certain that the cause of her blood clots is the birth control pill she was on, yas, marketed to young women. >> women in their, you know, 20s to 30s are suffering from this clotting issue. >> reporter: she is suing the company. >> and they developed a synthetic area which is really the culprit here. the premise was that by using the drugs in yaz, it could use less estrogen and decrease the risk of clotting. however, the opposite has happened. >> reporter: studies show it increases the incident of blood clotting. >> they make the birth control pill called yasmin. it is identical to yaz.

representing some 60 local women suing them over both pills. such 3,000 lawsuits over the country. >> some suffered strokes because of the blood clots and in one case, a woman died. >> reporter: in bethesda, peggy fox, 9news now. >> the pharmaceutical company said that yaz and yasmin is safe and produces no clotting. 'tis the season for giving. shoppers are verbally and physically attacking them. >> i have been pushed at, kicked. >> reporter: and one person that said i needed to freeze. >> they will do it. >> they just give you a dirty look and walk in. >> it makes me feel good. it makes me feel like i'm real loved. >> reporter: despite the nasty looks, they will keep coming back as long as there are people in need. this tradition of red kettle goes back 110 years and

donations help thousands of needy people around the country over the holidays. in kansas, an elderly woman used a frying pan to send off an attacker. the 71-year-old said that the man came knocking on her door early sunday morning, drunk, and looking for a space to lie down. she felt sorry for them, let him inside, taking a nap in her bed. but when he woke up, he became aggressive and went after her. >> he tackled her on to the couch. and they continued to fight. and he dropped down to the ground. she was pinned down several times, punching, doing what he could do. he was also punching her is can x-ray tacking her at -- her and attacking her at that time. >> that man now faces a string of charges. a historic white house looks like an ice sculpture in ohio these days. at the mouth of the river, the cleveland harbor west lighthouse is completely encased in ice. look at that. it was built in 1911 and in

1965, it was automated so you don't need a keeper which is a good thing. it uses the solar power light, probably not a lot of sun getting through the ice though. wow, that's hard to believe. >> how would you like to go out there and get the morning paper? >> in our area, the first inch has fallen. >> yes, if you had a bet with someone, today, december 1916. we're all veterans. >> every winter rolls around here, you're like great, here we go. >> a lot of white knuckling going on out there. it was all about speed and how you are breaking and turning and walking. i noticed all the toys we have out here. looking at the salt spreader. we're going to need it. i have not seen that one yet. here is the radar picture. you'll notice a darker blue. now, this is where it came a little heavier and continued to be heavier, moving in very early in the morning hours around 7:00 from the south to the southwest, at about 8:00 or around the culpepper area,

moving across stafford and charles. sot heavier accumulations as expect -- so the heavier accumulations are expected. but it would be a little more, maybe two to three inch totals. farther south, it could be a four here and there. and lesser to the north where you get up near the border, pennsylvania, you're getting maybe half an inch in a few locations, but you can start to see breaks in the cloud cover and that is allowing the temperatures to really fall. 14 already in frederick. when you have snow that has fallen on the ground, then that snow just adds to the chill and allows the temperatures to drop in the clearing skies. so now some snowfall totals and just like in the case we have when you have rainfall, you know, it's not a uniform across the whole area. there are pockets, in which you can get just a little more or less in a few areas, and depending on the photography as well, but this is 2.3, about 2" at mount vernon. dwi, only half an inch here at .4". that was interesting.

in maryland, .5". if you take a look at the outside store, we still have a few flurries here. no room for accumulation, but tomorrow and even into saturday, there will be some melting, but only some. tomorrow's high temperatures, 36. and that is above freezing, but the ground retains the chill longer. so i really doubt that the ground temperatures in many locations would get above freezing or maybe it will for an hour or two. this will be around for a while. so we really have to rely on the treatment, and the maintenance of the road crews that continue to work on this. just give it some time. sunday's storm system, some models say yes, it still wants to come back towards the shore. other models want to keep it far enough offshore and it really does not affect us. this is a day-by-day thing. we'll continue to monitor that, any way you look at it from eastward, there could be some snow. we'll talk about that in a little while. 27 degrees, but the winds are light. that is great news. calm for most of the day, not the blowing and the drifting. here is the lake effect snow to the north. syracuse is reporting 66 inches

this month. the second snowiest december on record for syracuse, we are only halfway through the month. you start to see the clearing here, here is the system. now, it is just rainfall, very good news in the southeastern portions of virginia into areas of northeastern, you know, north carolina. a little light snow. we're now going to see the pattern here, where everything is going to move very quickly across the country for the next couple of days. unfortunately, we remained in the chill. and now, you know, it's got to go back to the first day of december when we hit 65. since then, it's been ridiculous. all right, about 24 for an overnight low, meaning teens in the suburbs, partly sunny, so not a whole lot of warmth with the sun, but we'll get just above freezing. now here is the thee-dayout -- three-day outlook. keep in mind, 47 is the average high temperature. so you go 36, you know, from tomorrow and saturday. we'll keep an eye on the coastal storms to see if it wants to hug our area and bring snow in towards the eastern shore and maybe dc. if it does it, it will be accumulating, but just way too early to tell. the bigger story is this chill. i mean, we can't shake this off. >> no, that does not let off. >> all right, tom, you

mentioned the toys we saw earlier. wusa9.com has teamed up with the marine corp. this year for toys for tots. you can donate a new unwrapped toy at any local fire station. you've got until december 22. we really need your help. if you would like more information, go to wusa9.com, just click on toy drive 9. we'll be right back though. >@

and that's our report. i'll be right back here at 11:00 tonight. the story of a child who became tangled in his seat belt and started to choke. more on this hidden danger what parents need to know about tonight on 9news now at 11:00. don't forget you can log on any time to wusa9.com. i'm anita brikman. we'll see you tonight at 11:00. ♪ ♪

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