upper 50s south. we'll keep warming tonight with more rain and storms. let's go to beverly farmer with an update on your timesaver traffic. >> we're getting busier in the rain this morning. we have a crash reported on southbound 270, south of montgomery village avenue. right side of the screen is the outer loop. heavier volume but not a real significant slowdown. see the brake lights forming around the bend heading into silver spring. no early problems, bw parkway, accidents we had each way on the beltway are gone. upper marlboro for a crash on 301 at village drive, police are responding there. on the clair barton parkway, checking on a report of an accident. moving into virginia on i-66, building volume for you east into manassas getting from 29 to 28 centreville. pace approaching 50. not too bad as you make your way into the beltway and northbound 95, early morning crash between 610 and quantico has been out of the way for awhile. volume there. northbound 95 heading up into dale city and past the prince

william parkway, past the occoquan. all lanes are open. your next check of timesaver traffic at 6:11. andrea, back to you. after half a century on the drawing board and nine months being partially open, the intercounty connector is finally open to drivers from interstate 270 all the way to i- 95. >> on a years, didn't -- 50 years, didn't take long. it opened six hours early. the first commuters are getting a chance to take advantage of it. surae is west of i-95. good morning, surae. >> reporter: good morning. drivers seem to be in a good mood. motorists are honking as they pass by because they know they're on a brand new stretch of the highway on the icc linking gaithers about org to laurel from 370 to 95. we're on the eastern edge of the icc where 95 meets the intercounty connector. in the next week and a half, you can drive this for free. but after that, you will need an ez pass.

if you don't have one of these, you will be billed in the mail for 150% of your toll which means the price of your toll and then some. so, here is a rate sheet that i have for you during peak hours, . during peak hours. of course, if you pick up the icc and any other location not driving the entire length, it will be a lot cheaper. here's what rushern baker of prince george's county had to say about the icc and economic development. >> it makes possible in prince george's county for us to attract and retain jobs here. that is the number one goal that we hope to get out of here. one, more jobs in prince george's county with quality of life. people being able to get back and forth in a timely manner.

>> reporter: well, here's where we're talking about to give you some reference. we're on this side, eastern part, 95, all the way to gaithersburg, most people would have to go to 495 to maryland transportation authority saying it could shave your drive time by 30 minutes. mike? >> thank you, surae chinn live along the intercounty connector this morning. just to give you an idea of just how old the other highways in the region are, get this. the first stretch of the capital beltway opened in 1961. the entire loop didn't open until three years later in 1964. of the original shirley highway from the 14th street bridge to woodbridge, virginia, opened in 1952. that was the first freeway in the commonwealth. interstate 66 inside the beltway first appeared on the master plans in 1940 but didn't open until 1982. in other news, there is no other way to describe it. other than failure. >> the subcommittee designed to cut $1.2 trillion from the

nation's deficit threw its hands up yesterday saying it can't do the job. >> now both parties are scrambling to prevent the automatic cuts designed to make the committee do its job. susan mcginnis has the latest from the hill. president obama is expected to keep the pressure on congress when he heads to new hampshire this morning. >> there will be no ez off ramps on this one. >> monday, he threatened to veto any attempt to bypass automatic spending cuts after a congressional subcommittee announced it had failed to reach a deficit reduction deal. >> the only way the spending cuts will not take place is if congress gets back to work and agrees on a balanced plan to reduce the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion. >> without an agreement, just about every government program faces drastic spending cuts beginning in 2013, including the pentagon. in a statement, defense secretary leon panetta said the cuts threatened to tear a seam in the nation's defense. so, what went wrong? the president says republicans

refused to raise taxes on the wealthy. the g.o.p. is blaming democrats for not budging on entitlement programs. >> our democrats were not willing to cut a dollar without raising taxes. >> ohio senator rob portman remains optimistic saying the subcommittee did agree in some areas. >> hopefully the congress can now move forward on the specific initiatives from the committee to address the very real and bigger problems that we face. >> in new hampshire today, president obama will call on congress to begin with extending payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits. both are set to expire next month but there was hope the subcommittee would continue them. in washington, susan mcginnis, 9news now. maryland congressman chris von holland was one of the democrats on the subcommittee. he released a statement saying....

pennsylvania senator pat toomey, a republican, was also on the subcommittee. he said... later today, people with a group called occupy the highway will arrive here if washington. they walked from new york to d.c. over the last two weeks and will make it to mcpherson square sometime today. they were timing their visit with the deadline. there are no parking signs going up in alexandria's market square. that city is going to host an occupy rally this afternoon from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. they'll have the support of city leaders and police will be on hand to protect any public property. >> montgomery county police are asking for your help in solving another flash robbery. it is similar to the one which made national headlines last

august. this latest one happened saturday night at a 7-eleven along tech road that is just off route 29 in silver spring. it started with a few people and then the crowd quickly grew to more than 50 teenagers and young adults. many of them are seen taking snacks and drinks and walking out without paying. customers at the 7-eleven are outraged. >> i think it was real crazy, man. it was uncivilized, man. >> a few of the teens were stopped by police. but police did collect their information. coming up in five minutes, shopping small this holiday season. learn the advantages to visiting locally-owned small businesses. >> howard says you'll need the umbrella again today. but will it clear out for tomorrow's big travel rush? your weather first is next right here on 9news now.

welcome back. 6:10 on this tuesday morning. we've got light rain showers, drufl and fog out there. mid to maybe upper 50s south as we head into the afternoon. tonight, temperatures continue to rise. maybe a couple of claps of thunder. i'll be back with the seven-day forecast in a few minutes. >> howard, i-95 south coming down out of laurel passing the icc, no real slowdowns heading on to the outer loop. slow into silver spring. your next check of timesaver

traffic comes up at 6:17. mike, back to you. >> thanks, beverly. today marks an anniversary of people of a certain age remember as if it was yesterday. the 48th anniversary of the assassination of president kennedy. >> it is one of the stories making news at 6:11. president kennedy was killed on this date in 1963 while visiting dallas, texas. the city has plans to mark the somber anniversary and dallas is already making plans for the 50th anniversary in 2013. protestors are back in cairo's tahrir square for the fourth straight day. there is a call for a million man march against egypt's military rulers there. they have been in control since the revolution in january. at least 29 people have been killed in the protests. >> oscar ortega will stay in jail for the time being and he will undergo a psychiatric evaluation. he is the man accused of firing a shot at the white house on november 11th. it is 6:12. i'm watching your money.

now, the census bureau reports out of all of the companies in america, with employees,78% of them have fewer than ten workers. that's why there is such a push this year to think small when it comes to holiday shopping, especially this saturday. i'm joined this morning by marie johns, the deputy administrator for the small business association. this is really exciting what you've come in to talk to us about. what is small business saturday? >> it is a great opportunity to focus on those small businesses that really are the core of our economy. in our neighborhood corridors, around our city, around our region. typically, people have been talking about black friday and going out to the big box stores and getting that hot new toy for the season. this year, small business saturday is an opportunity to focus on those smaller businesses in our community and make sure that we're supporting them as well. >> what's interesting about small business saturday, american express conducted a survey with two economists looking at the vibrancy of small business and how they can contribute to the community. they showed that small

businesses create jobs and boost home values. what more can be done to support the small communities? >> president obama came into office focused on making sure that there was more support for small businesses because they truly are the engine of job growth in our economy. you may not know, half of the people working today are working either in their own small business or for a small business. half of the economy. two out of every three new private sector jobs created in our economy come from a small business. we're focused on providing access to capital to small businesses, access to the counseling and technical assistance they need to grow and access to federal contracting if that's part of their business plan. >> we already have black friday. we already have cyber monday. we have thanksgiving which has become a shopping day. what's the payoff for consumers to support the moms and pops on small business saturday? >> i'm looking forward to joining local officials on small business saturday in adams morgan, one of our great small business retail corridors and so we're going to celebrate the small businesses, draw attention to the great services and products that they provide

and for consumers, the small business is really a way of spending money in your neighborhood and knowing that that money is going to help build the economy, help create jobs right where you live. >> sounds great, marie. thanks for coming in this morning. i'll bet they can find deals. >> hope they join me on saturday. >> mike and andrea? >> it will be a good day to shop because the weather is going to cooperate. >> weather looks great. >> i like it. >> 6 0s? >> friday looks good. thanksgiving looks good. >> i love it. >> gotta get through today. it is kind of raw. light rain now but the rain is going to pick up later today. especially on the northside of town in the northern suburbs. hearier showers expected there. where we have the densest fog, visibility is down to half a mile at the airpark in montgomery county. dulles last hour reported quarter mile visibilities. we've got some patchy dense fog and visibilities not as bad

down south this that one, two, three mile range. your bus stop forecast this morning, light showers, drizzle and fog. temps running in the mid-40s north. warmest spot is about 55. down at fredericksburg even and sunrise not until 6:57. your day planner, get ready for clouds and showers, becoming steadier rains later today. 54 by noon. 56 at 4:00. winds mostly out of the east will turn southeast and south tonight at 10 miles per hour. that will continue to push temperatures higher as we go through the evening hours. we'll probably hit our high for the day right before midnight and that may be near 60. looking it he live doppler 9000 hd, some showers out to the west. most of it to the east though. we'll zoom in and show you a few sprinkles nearby. what we're not picking up and what radar doesn't pick up well is drizzle which is too fine, the particles there or the droplets there. you do see a little bit of that down here, down 95 toward dale

city and as you go out west into prince william county on i- 66. south of springfield. shady side into the bay. you see it also toward aldie and west of chantilly. you'll see some of that. steadier drizzle or rain move in here in the next 20 minutes. 50 in town. 54 for tappahannock. 55, warm spot in fredericksburg. reagan national at 50 degrees. our travel forecast today shows that it will be warm down south although charlotte to virginia beach, even to atlanta, chance of showers and storms. some rain north and cold rain in chicago and detroit in the 40s. headed up to boston, you'll be ok once you get past new york. buffalo, clouds and 47. tonight and tomorrow in maine, they're expecting snow from this system that will be bringing us the rain and maybe some storms later on tonight into early wednesday but i think the worst of it will be out of here pretty early on wednesday with some afternoon if not late morning clearing.

windy. morning high of 62 tomorrow after being in the 50s and climbing to 62 tomorrow morning. winds pick up out of the northwest at 15 to 25 on wednesday. clearing us out. thanksgiving day, 58. look at the nice stretch of weather entry, saturday and sunday. high temps into the 60s. nice look at the weekend. how about our commute. it is a sloppy one from wherever you're headed. southbound on 270, state police out of rockville tell me the crash is southbound montgomery village, moved on to both shoulders. no need for the fire department to block the lanes. look at this line-up leaving father hurley boulevard certainly along the way to montgomery village avenue. got a crash in the clair barton parkway before chain bridge initially reported on the left side of the roadway. accident just reported new hampshire avenue at piney branch road. virginia drivers, northbound 95, earlier wreck before quantico had been moved off to the left shoulder. northbound 95 building volume

at 123 from the prince william parkway. no delays getting through newington, springfield check the ride on 395 heading up above the beltway past duke street making your way toward shirlington. briefly at the 14th street bridge, 66, business as usual traffic through manassas, centreville. all lanes open. a crash on 301 at village drive should have police on the scene now. next check of timesaver traffic at 6:24. back to you. just shy of 6:19. the capitals finally snap their losing streak and the georgetown hoyas say aloha from maui. 37% of us guys use these throughout the winter months even if it snowing despite the cold. is it a, shorts. b, flip-flops or c, the barbecue grill? >> william weighs in. i would think the grill would be used much more than 37% because we men are just plain

thick-headed when it comes to our meat. on that note about being thickheaded, i would have to say 37% still wears shorts so a. >> i agree. keep your guesses coming. we'll reveal the answer at 6:53. [ male announcer ] the chicken marinara melt

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welcome back. 6:22. howard with your weather first on this tuesday morning. this damp, raw, tuesday morning. light rain, drizzle and fog. as we look at live doppler 9000 hd, we see the lighter sprinkles there. we're not seeing the drizzle or the 1/8 mile visibility being reported at dulles airport this morning. you may run into some delays if you're catching a flight. day planner, the activity is light this morning, i do expect the rains to be picking up here as temperatures slowly climb into the mid-50s. mike? >> in sports, the capitals got career win number 200 for bruce boudreau last night. they snapped a four game losing streak. of. >> caps were at home last night hosting the coyotes tied at 2 in the third period. nicholas gets the rebound and the go ahead goal.

his sixth of the season. caps win it 4-3. they're still two points out of first place in the division. d.c. hosts winnipeg tomorrow night. >> the old nemesis, he's back. sidney crosby is on the ice. he's the penguin player, cap and glove day. he returned for the first time since suffering a concussion last january. obviously he didn't miss a beat. crosby had two goals and two assists. penguins blanked the islanders 5-0. our weather has been pretty gray and cool, not a problem for the georgetown hoyas, they're in maui taking on 14th- ranked kansas in the first round of the maui invitational. jayhawks cruised past the hoyas. georgetown will play in the loser's bracket. george mason, gw and uva all winners. >> now to monday night football. the new england patriots hosting the chiefs.

new england's tom brady connected with rob for a pair of touchdowns including one score with a little gymnastics action. pay patriots roll over the chiefs 34-3. there it is right there. >> ooh, coming down. on his neck like that. >> he's fine. very talented. >> it is 6:24. still ahead, the first family gets a little bit country. hear some of the performances last night at the white house concert. >> this holiday shopping season, a call for respect in montgomery county. especially when it comes to parking and handy capped spaces. >> beverly farmer has a quick check on our traffic. >> heads up for anybody traveling the northbound george washington parkway on the ramp that would take you to the inner loop. car slid off the ramp. police are responding. here we are looking live at the american legion bridge. more volume on the inner loop. your next check of timesaver traffic at 6:30. you're watching 9news now. stay with us. 3q

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we're back at 6:29. this is always the place to get your weather first. here's a live look at the springfield interchange in virginia. it is going to be a soggy ride today whether you're going to work or heading out of town for the holiday.

49 degrees there right now. well, thanks for joining us at 6:30 this morning. i'm mike hydeck. >> i'm andrea roane. meteorologist howard bernstein is live on the weather terrace with our forecast. >> yeah, kind of miserable out here. it is damp, it is raw. it is chilly. coolness out there and the high humidity, you'll feel every bit of it. they're making fun of me inside for wearing the gloves. let's talk about our day planner today. we're expecting the light rain and showers to give way to steadier rain later on. noontime temps, 54. by 5:00, 56. we'll be close to 60 by midnight. we may have some rumbles of thunder. you can look at all of the active weather coming in toward indiana and kentucky. that's headed toward us. while we've got some breaks now with some drizzle in spots, i am expecting the action to pick up. in fact, live doppler 9000 hd, you see some sprinkles there moving in toward chantilly and centreville, also around win chester on the eastern shore. the rest of the area seeing drizzle. many areas and fog up north.

temps in the 40s to 50s south. beverly farmer, a lot of fog north and wet streets. >> absolutely wet and slick pavement. somebody slid off the ramp from the northbound gw parkway on to the inner loop to head toward the american legion bridge. can't really see that in the shot here at the american legion bridge. you can see heavier volume. headlights heading up toward river road. also on the inbound clair barton parkway, police had responded for a crash reported along the left side of the roadway. maryland drivers, the outer loop of the beltway still slow leaving college park to silver spring and 270 out of germantown, the wreck near 124 has been moved on to the shoulders. virginia drivers, no current incidents northbound interstate 95. sluggish ride heading up past the prince william parkway and across the occoquan and route one. duke street on 395 in landmark. making your way across the 14th street bridge. did have police on the scene. your next check of timesaver

traffic at 6:45. back to you. do you think we've been talking about the intercounty connector for awhile? for maryland's connector, icc are older than metro, the washington nationals and tysons corner center. >> finally today, most of the highway is open linking interstate 270 to i-95. the opening of the link is new this morning. surae chinn is live along the toll road and has what you need to know before you hit the road! good morning, surae. >> reporter: good morning, yeah, half a century in the making, right? we have seen things pick up here and no rain or little bit of drizzle is going to stop the icc from opening and it did open at 12:45 this morning. we have harold bartlett with the maryland transportation authority to talk about hey, we're seeing a lot of headlights this morning. >> we're very happy. it seems like traffic has picked up significantly in the last few minutes. >> let's talk about the expectations. how many drivers are you expecting to see on the icc through the time?

>> when the first leg opened, we had about 15,000 vehicles a day. now that the whole section is open, we expect that to be around 20,000. that number will probably climb to around 25,000 this summer. >> you hope more people will be driving through. >> we hope as many people take the highway as can so we're expecting -- our expectation is that will continue to happen. >> it will cost drivers about $4 for the entire extent. do you expect any tolls to possibly go higher or lower? >> we don't anticipate raising the tolls at this point. as a matter of fact, the tolls have been set at the low end of the range so we want to encourage people to use the highway. >> all right, any thoughts this morning? we're hearing the honking going by. think motorists are pretty happy. what do you say to the nay- sayers? >> i think the highway has proven to be successful. it will cut down on travel time and it will ease congestion on the local roads. we're happy about that as well. >> harold bartlett with maryland transportation authority. 50 years plus in the making and it has been controversial but

so far, we're seeing a lot of drivers taking the road. we'll see that pick up as time goes on. but that's the very latest here, tolls start december 5th, $4 during peak hours for the entire length of the 18 miles. all electronic toll road. >> definitely check it out now for free! thank you, surae chinn live along the intercounty connector this morning. >> now, whether you're driving the icc or any roads in our area, make sure the first stop is at wusa9.com. get live traffic updates 24/7 and check out capras from roads across our region and all over the country. it has been in the news for weeks. the congressional subcommittee tried to reach a deal on the deficit and they just couldn't agree on one. >> couldn't even agree on which room to hold the meeting. they were supposed to be motivated by automatic cuts that would take effect. the cuts may not be automatic afterall. >> more than a trillion dollars in cuts are supposed to come half from democratic programs, half from defense spending but some on the hill want to block

the defense cuts and they have the backing of defense secretary leon panetta. president obama vowed to veto any effort to stop automatic defense cuts and any cuts would not take effect until january 2013. there is still time for congress to come up with another deficit cutting solution. >> soon, new homes could grace a park. an appeals board reversed the decision to bar residents from rebuilding. scores of people living in holly acres mobile home park were left homeless following the floods in september. no word on when the rebuilding will begin. respect the space. that's the message from montgomery county executive ike leggett to people who illegally use handicapped parking spaces. the start of the holiday shopping season is days away, malls around the country will be crowded. advocates for people with disabilities want to remind drivers only to use handicapped spaces if you have one of the

handicapped placards. >> you have to didn't and sometimes park very far away from your destination. >> fines for illegally parking in a space reserved for the disabled range from $100 to $500. you can get your car towed. 6:35. jessica doyle is here with another "your money" report. >> hooking us up with free stuff. >> you betcha. who's watching your money, baby? >> you are! >> the stores are pulling out all of the stops this year. you have the earlier store hours, the door busters, you have the online door busters and now you have three free stuff. our partners at "usa today" report on these freebies including old navy. it will hand out kodak digital cameras worth about $100. these will be to a limited number of shoppers who make a purchase of at least $40 in merchandise. over at jcpenney, they'll hand out 1.9 million mickey mouse

snow globes. sears will hand out limited number of collectible ornaments and seattle's best is offering free coffee to black friday workers. the first 100,000 who reach out via facebook will be sent free samples. the credit card companies and retailers with credit cards are also being very aggressive with their holiday promotions this year. couple of examples for you. american express is offering five times the amount of rewards points to cardholders when they buy from serb brands such as -- from certain brands such as apple and target. a cyberspecial allows discounted items. discover card members will receive up to 10% more cash back when they shop at certain retailers. amazon rewards card allows points through december 31st, just a couple of ways for you to save money. >> freebies equals mebies. >> thank you, jess. >> a campus landmark at george

washington university is closing. the froggy bottom has been on the gw campus for two decades but it will be demolish toed make way for a new school building. don't worry! there is still time to get another round. the gw hatchet reports closing time won't be until 2014. the owners are looking for a spot to relocate. 6:37. want to impress your family with some thanksgiving good manners? >> we'll be joined by an etiquette expert. >> first, country music night at the white house. here is a little bit of lyle lovett's performance. keep it here on 9news now. ♪

weather time now. 6:42. we're going to talk to howard quickly because there's food over there! >> let's get going then! if it is not raining where you are, it is likely drizzling and foggy. it is damp and cold outside. dress for that, south of town, some 50s. not that much better. visibilities are a problem. dulles airport reported 1/8 mile visibility. we've got a half-mile in gaithersburg. some of the densest fog we've got. we're four miles in washington. fredericksburg, a mile and a half. out in garrett county, one quarter mile. your bus stop forecast, light rain showers, drizzle, fog, temperatures from the mid-40s north to 55 down in fredericksburg. a chilly 50 in d.c. and the day planner, a slow climb today with light rain and showers and

drizzle becoming steadier rains as the day wears on. some of the rain could be on the hefty side later. east winds at about 10 miles per hour will turn to the southeast and south tonight. temperatures continue to rise tonight to the low 60s by tomorrow morning. live doppler 9000 hd, scattered light showers west and northwest of d.c. going all the way up to hagerstown and cumberland and east. these guys are pulling away. the showers now into western fairfax county. this is almost a heavy mist drizzle or a mizzle if you like or a light rain in the chantilly area extending down southeastward into areas south of washington, north of woodbridge toward mason neck. this will cross into prince george's county. chantilly, centreville, right toward fairfax and vienna. the winchester area in winchester up toward cross junction. we've got scattered showers. these guys are going into western maryland up toward hancock as well. all of it moving east.

it will be increasing over the next few hours. 50 in washington and easton. 46 in hagerstown. winchester with the showers, 45. it is raw out there. there our warm stuff. 55 fredericksburg and in richmond. a quick look at the travel forecast before we go today. boston is ok but new york, philly looking at some rain with pittsburgh. charleston maybe some thunder. temperatures there in the 770s. -- in the 70s. rain increasing. maybe some thunderstorms tonight into wednesday morning as temperatures continue to rise through the low 60s. winds turn northwesterly in the morning. they'll gust 25 or more in the afternoon as we clear out. for thanksgiving, much nicer. very pleasant. as we look at the rest of the extended forecast, 60s friday, saturday and sunday. good morning, beverly. >> good morning, howard. not so good on the roadways with the wet pavement, poor visibility. east on 66, no accidents but plenty of volume here east of

manassas on the right side of your screen toward the rest area. more slowdowns in centreville leaving fair oaks. getting word of a crash near 50. northbound interstate 95 saw plenty of volume, too, as you head up out of dale city. northbound 95 here at the prince william parkway, northbound route one, you have a problem, too at backlick road. broken down tractor trailer blocking a portion of the roadway. maryland drivers, i-270 with southbound montgomery village avenue. southbound delays begin south of this shot in clarksburg closer to father hurley boulevard. gw parkway on the ramp to the inner loop, slid off the roadway. gotta slow down especially on those ramps. the next check of timesaver traffic at 6:58. andrea, a little early thanksgiving for you? >> we're holding a spot at the table for you. advice for having a civilized thanksgiving. we're joined by blogger and etiquette expert joanna rowe.

looking around at my guests at the table, what are we doing wrong? >> i'll start with the distraction of the cell phone. >> what? >> what? >> oh, my goodness. i'm so sorry. >> during thanksgiving dinner, there should be no checking of game scores and no tablets out. >> the tv should be off also. >> exactly. >> including football. >> no tv. >> the napkin around the neck. napkins are supposed to be placed on your lap. >> then i'll get something on my tie. >> then you take it off. >> grow up! >> so, the napkins on the tie. howard had his elbows on the table. >> comfortable. >> absolutely not. you can have your arms placed like this but not on the table. >> that's no good. >> too casual. >> joanna, why should we care? we're just going to family and friends, it is no big deal. >> it is just so everyone can be comfortable during the meal. a big part of thanksgiving is

sharing in that experience. >> oh, sharing. nice. so, what about -- we were talking about this earlier, what if there are 20 people at the table and you get your food and then people start passing things around. do you really to wait to eat when there are that many people? >> you should wait for a queue from the host or the hostess because they're the ones that work all day to prepare the meal. it is just polite and good etiquette to wait for them to announce when they're ready to eat. >> navigate the table for us. let's say we have more forks and knives off to the side, left or right. how do i know which one to use? >> generally, the rule is to start from the outsigned work your way in. generally, you have a salad and a dinner fork and then you have your dinner knife and your tablespoon and just a regular soupspoon. you'll work your way in. eat from the left. drink from your right. water glass on your right is yours and the bread plate that would probably be near the knife is yours. >> you could write it on your

hands. eat, drink. >> that's a good idea. >> from the outside in. the salad fork is most to the outside, correct? does that mean you have to eat your salad first or if you don't, you have to choose the corresponding utensil? >> no, if you decide to eat your salad later, that's totally fine. >> that's the junior fork. >> or in some cases, they put the salad fork on the inside if it will be later. >> hors d'oeuvre fork? >> there is a smaller fork for hor d'oeuvres. >> what about using your personal fork to serve yourself? >> absolutely not. you do not want to eat and then stick -- use the designated utensil at all times for all of the dishes. no reaching across. generally, the rule is coming from your left to your right but if somebody's right here, of course you can hand it to them. >> me going for the rolls right now -- >> and we've got less than ten seconds. cutting the meat. i see people are stabbing the meat. whatever. >> absolutely not. >> how do we hold the knife and

fork? >> you're supposed to start with your -- actually, your fork on your left and then just cut it and then switch hands. and then eat it. >> you want to do it that way. >> i don't switch hands. all right. >> ok. >> we're ready! >> i think. >> you doing anything thursday? i think we need you at my house. >> cheers! >> joanna, thank you for being here with us. happy thanksgiving to you. >> it is 6:49. one more check of the news before you go coming up next. >> cheers!

damp, cool morning out there. we've got light rain in areas and drizzle and fog. we'll slowly climb to the mid- 50s. rain will pick up today. tonight also with potential will i some thunderstorms mixed in and clearing. mike?

>> thank you, howard. today is tuesday, november 22nd. here is a check on the news before you go. eight university of maryland athletic teams will be phased out unless they can raise $30 million. basketball and football helped fund the other programs but it is not enough money to keep all of the teams alive. federal prosecutors want a substantial sentence for former prince george's county executive jack johnson. a judge could sentence johnson to 14 years in prison for accepting as much as $1 million in bribes. johnson will be sentenced december 6th. georgetown restaurants flooded last spring. they say they're committing to rebuild. tony and joe's and nick's riverside grill signed new 15- year contracts to stay in washington harbor. the owner of both restaurants says it is chance to start anew. >> 37% of men continue using these throughout the winter months. is it shorts, flip-flops or their barbecue grill?

brett gives us his guess. >> c, barbecue grill. >> you're correct. the answer is c, barbecue grill. >> i feel like i want to go cook some barbecue. >> we're surprised because the majority of the guys here said barbecue grill. we thought 37% was low. we thought maybe 50% or 60% use it all year around. i'm one of those people. >> we love it. >> one more check of the news before you go. traffic and weather coming up next.

one more thing, we're back

with table etiquette for thanksgiving. here is a question. thanksgiving is a secular holiday. a lot of people view it as a religious holiday. if you're not religious, what do you do when they say grace at the table? >> be respectful and keep a moment of silence during that time and when it is over, then everyone eats. >> there you go. >> any last pieces of good advice? what to avoid, what not to say if there is anybody with food allergies? >> with food allergies, you might want to ask the host or the hostess what they're cooking and to be mindful or note i have a child that has peanut allergies and if i can bring something for them, if everything is going to have peanut oil in it. another thing to be mindful of is timing. don't be too early and don't be too late. >> i gotta do weather. we have a wet day ahead. temperatures in the 50s. rain could get heavy at times. clearing after some maybe storms tomorrow morning. beverly? >> outer loop of the beltway, already slow and go. not everybody using the icc

this morning, newly opened. the outer loop leaving west. a new crash in the back-up reported near colesville road. we'll keep you posted on. checking virginia, northbound 95 and 395, still a sluggish ride into springfield and landmark. >> early show is up next of course talking about the subcommittee. >> of course, we're streaming this interview on our web site at wusa9.com. in case you need to offer a hint to someone. we'll see you again tomorrow at 4:25. after washington's latest failure is a congressional super committee declares defeat on efforts to reach a deficit deal. who will get hurt the most