hello, you'll j.c. hayward. thank you for joining us. well, the reign of terror may be over in wheaton, maryland because police say they have made an arrest in connection with three daring kidnappings and robberies at a local mall. we have a live report. >> reporter: j.c., 50-year-old henry levi sanders of landover is under arrest and charged with multiple counts of carjacking, kidnapping and robbery. sanders is in custody in prince george's county where he's being held on other unrelated charges of theft and robbery. montgomery county is also charging him with first degree assault for the violent beating of his most recent victim, a 77-year-old man. in all three cases, sanders allegedly approached his victims in the westfield wheaton parking lot in broad daylight. forced them into their cars with a sharp object and then

drove them to atms to withdraw cash. >> on the three victims, of course, they're upset. i do know two of our detectives sat with the last victim last night and his wife and talked to them about what had occurred and just to make sure they were calm and feeling ok. >> sanders appears to be a career criminal. check out his criminal history. in the state of maryland, all of these criminal offenses. here, you can see all of the traffic offenses. he faces a lot of court time, a lot of potential jail time if he is convicted. we'll have a lot more on this case coming up tonight at 5:00. live from rockville, andrea mccarren. >> the so-called east coast rapist appeared in court for the first time in virginia this morning. 40-year-old aaron thomas appeared through a videoconference during a hearing that lasted five minutes. thomas is accused of raping 17

women, over a span of more than a decade in locations along the east coast. thomas was extradited to prince william county yesterday. that's where he is accused of attacking three trick or treaters on halloween in 2009. a preliminary hearing is set for january 25th. gary giordano is expected to board a plane for the united states today. the gaithersburg man suspected of killing his traveling companion, robyn gardner, was released from an aruban jail last night. a judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to hold giordano. prosecutors are expected to appeal that decision. the man let out of a prince george's county jail on a clerical error is back behind bars. 24-year-old frederick scott turned himself into police. he was mistakenly released on a $75,000 bond earlier this month. scott is accused of murdering a man outside a nightclub in

edmonston last march. police are looking for the driver of a white taxi connected to a bizarre accident. the cabdriver refused to pick up a man at connecticut avenue and n street this morning but the man held on to the cab, the cab dragged him away and he struck his head. the man was taken to a local hospital. he is listed in critical condition. he is expected to survive. d.c. council member marion barry is making it official, he's running for a third term in ward eight. the former mayor says that his top priorities are job training, job placement and new development. barry is 75 years old. "the washington post" has reported that barry only wants to serve part of his term and then hand the seat over to his son, christopher. two days after they were ordered to leave, police have

moved in on the largest occupy wall street encampment in the country. nearly 200 people were arrested during an overnight raid in los angeles. bigad she ban has more. >> crews are putting concrete barriers and chain-link fences around city hall park in los angeles where antiwall street protestors camped for two months. police officers raided the camp overnight sweeping through the area and clearing out hundreds of demonstrators. there were a few isolated scuffles but city officials say the massive operation was mostly peaceful. police arrested about 200 people who refused to leave. some protestors linked their arms in defiance. police even used a cherry picker to get protestors down from a tree. >> in my life, i've never seen a more professional, restrained

police force. >> reporter: the park will be closed until it is cleaned up but the mayor says protestors will be able to exercise their first amendment right on the steps of city hall. crews in hazmat suits are sorting through the rubble and debris in the park. officials were concerned that demonstrators may have left hazardous materials behind. so far, no illegal drugs or weapons were found. protestors are expected to hold a rally later today. bigad shaban, cbs news, los angeles. there was a similar scene this morning in philadelphia. protestors marched through the streets after police ordered them from their tent encampment near city hall. police began tearing down tents at about 1:20 this morning after giving protestors three warnings that they had to leave. the action comes more than two days after the deadline for a protestors to remove all structures and belongings. city officials say occupy philadelphia must clear the site to make room for a $50

million renovation project. about 50 people were arrested during this incident. the happen who shot president reagan 30 years ago wants more time out of a mental hospital in order to spend time with his family. lawyers for john hinckley jr. will go before a judge today. hinckley wants longer visits away from st. elizabeth's hospital to stay at his mother's house near williamsburg. government lawyers are opposed to this plan. they call it ill-conceived. the hearing is expected to take several days. back in 1981, hinckley said he shot president reagan in order to impress actress jody foster. it was 18 years ago today that former president bill clinton signed legislation named after one of john hinckley's victims. the brady bill imposed a five- day waiting period for the purchase of a handgun and required local law enforcement

officials to investigate the background of potential buyers. the measure was named after the former white house press secretary james brady who was wounded in the assassination attempt. the supreme court later struck down a key part of the gun control law saying it was unconstitutional. we have a follow-up now to a story that drew a lot of response on wusa9.com. us airways is relenting and will give lynn mccain and her family a full refund on their tickets. mccain bought nonrefundable tickets to go from bwi to belize and then mccain developed stage four breast cancer. and her doctor said she could not travel. well, at first, the airline would only give mccain's family travel vouchers since the tickets were nonrefundable. but after our story, the airline decided to give that family a full refund. the debate over the fate of a treehouse in fairfax county

is over. the county's zoning board said the treehouse can stay. that's a reversal of an initial ruling in the case of mark grappen of falls church father and an iraqi war veteran. he had spent $1400 building the structure in his front yard. he was told the treehouse had to go. someone complained. but he fought back. he took his case along with 1500 signatures of support to the zoning board. today, the board granted him a variance, allowing the treehouse to stay. coming up on 9news now, ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus are slapped with a large fine! we'll explain when we come back. i'm tara mergener at the white house. herman cain is pressing ahead with his campaign but as his support slips, which g.o.p. candidate is gaining?

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prosecutors in ohio are deciding whether to charge a 16-year-old murder suspect as an adult. rafferty has been accused of luring men with fake help wanted ads on craigslist. in order to kill them. police believe they have found three victims and they say there could be more. rafferty is being held near

akron, ohio. his alleged co-conspirator and mentor, 52-year-old rich beazley, is due in court on friday. ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus has been slapped with a large fine for its treatment of elephants. tells entertainment which produces the shows under the big top is being ordered to pay $270,000. the company is admitting no wrongdoing but has agreed to implement new training protocols for circus employees who handle animals. herman cain is attempting to keep the focus on his plans for the nation rather than the problems that have been plaguing his campaign. the questions about cain's behavior with women is costing him support at the polls and it appears that newt gingrich is benefitting. tara mergener has more now from the white house. >> reporter: herman cain is fighting to keep his campaign on track. he is spending the day rallying

supporters in ohio as he takes another look at his strategy. his staffers call it a reassessment following accusations from atlanta businesswoman ginger white. she claims she had an extramarital affair with cain that lasted 13 years. his campaign manager told cbs news this morning his candidate is staying in the race. cain's keeping the focus on policy, not his personal life. >> i'm not a politician. >> reporter: cain's campaign sent an appeal to supporters for prayers and money. this is a trying time for my family, my campaign and me, the e-mail said. >> cain denies having an affair with the atlanta woman but her accusation comes on the heels of sexual harassment allegations that have already cost his campaign. cain's plummeted from first place to third place in several polls. add to the pierce his loss is newt gingrich's gain. new poll numbers show the

former house speaker in the lead by 11 points. >> solutions and focused on the presidency. >> right now, the democrats are using tv ads to target mitt romney, a sipe they think gingrich's gains are temporary. tara mergener for cbs news, the white house. mitt romney calls it a badge of honor to have the democrats targeting him. and he's dismissing gingrich's rise in the polls saying that he's a life-long politician who isn't the best choice for the country when it comes to fixing the economy. coming up on 9news now at noon, it is the season! the white house is getting into the holiday spirit! i'm meteorologist howard bernstein. feeling like it, too, out here. a cold breeze is blowing. we've got temperatures as we go to break down into the 40s. mid-40s. 45 degrees in gaithersburg but 50 in annapolis. i'll be back with the full forecast looking toward the

weekend and talking about even colder weather next week. you're watching 9news now at noon.

well, the white house is getting into the holiday spirit. first lady michelle obama is going to show off decorations at the mansion today. this is video from last year. and today's guest of honor will be military men and women and their families. we'll also be there. so, please join us tonight on 9news now at 5:00. get a chance to see the white house holiday decorations. always special. >> yeah. >> so pretty. >> nice time of year for all of this. >> i'm telling you, the temperatures aren't bad. >> but it is a lot chillier than it was. yesterday, we had the rain. temps dropped into the 50s. today, we're in the 40s. clouds have rolled in. i did not expect the clouds to come out of the mountains. if you were with me early, this

is a little bit unexpected but it looks like variably cloudy will be with us for the afternoon. we're not dealing with what the folks out in michigan are dealing with. check this out! this is in calhoun, branch counties, they had four to eight inches of snow late yesterday and overnight. there was one area, peru, indiana, northern indiana had ten inches of snow from the system. same system that brought the snow to tennessee, mississippi and even parts of missouri. so, yeah, we missed it. we got the rain and the warmth from it. now, the cold has moved in as well. let's show you the day planner for the rest of this afternoon. variably cloudy skies. temperatures, they may stay in the 40s the rest of the afternoon. to near 50. better chance you'll see 50 along the bay and southeast of town. where there is a little bit more sunshine. north and west with the clouds now, low sun angle this time of year. we're stuck in the 40s. with a west to northwest wind, that will feel even worse than that. some of the wind chills staying in the 30s. want to show you what's been going on. we've been watching the clouds here. watch how they march eastward

and southeastward over the last few hours. this is expected in the mountains, to come out to 95 and now into southern maryland headed toward the lower parts of the northern neck. temperatures have actually dropped since last hour. we were 50 at 11:00. we're now 48. 43 in hagerstown. 28 in garrett county. lots of 40s out there when you factor in the winds. wind chill factors are holding in the upper 30s in the shenandoah valley. 38 gaithersburg. 43 in washington. 48 in la plata. a brisk midday out there. officially, 48 with the clouds. dew points out at 32. winds west-southwest at 11. the barometer, this thing is coming up quickly. you're sensitive to that. you're feeling it in the joints today. storm system pulling out of the east. new storm system coming into the northern rockies, northern plains, mix of rain and snow. this is where the active weather is going to be the next couple of days. once we get rid of this guy, we'll stay cool. seasonably cool. december starts at midnight.

average highs around 50 to start month. that's where we're going to be for the next few days. not even the lower 50s. we'll get rid of this. a few snow showers in the mountains over the next six to ten hours. things should quiet down overnight. tomorrow with high pressure building in, and even into friday with the high pressure nearby, looks like a couple of fine days to start december. the weekend looks pretty good, too. but next week, there are now signs that we can get into some of the coldest air of the season by the time we get into tuesday and wednesday. so, in comparison, not bad at all the next few days. breezy today, 50. variably cloudy. tonight, 20s and 30s. tomorrow, 53. friday, 54. saturday looks good but cool. 50. sunday, 'skins are hosting the jets. 58. by monday, we're looking at some showers with a front upper 50s. then on tuesday, if the precip is still around, it could end as a little bit of snow. hey, we've got christmas plants inside and outside. some ideas for you coming up

when 9news now at noon returns. see you in a moment. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone.

one on one today with some great holiday decorating ideas from the district manager of bell nursery. located in burtonsville. they provide all of the fabulous plants and florals to home depot. >> you can buy all of the stuff at home depot. >> it is not expensive. >> not at all. >> let's start with the beautiful orchids. i asked john, look at the blue one. i've seen these. they're so gorgeous.

how do they get to be blue? >> they take a dye and inject it into the base of the stem and it stays for four to six weeks, a really nice color. >> these are gorgeous. >> now, there is a secret. >> there is. >> of how you keep them alive. >> these are the new just add ice orchids. just three times, take three ice cubes once a week, lay them on the base of the plant here and it slowly melts and you water your plants once a week with three little ice cubes. >> no direct light. >> don't put them in direct sunlight. highlight is good. >> i didn't know that. >> they bloom for two months. they'll keep on going. >> see, i wish i had known that before. now, i see you brought some beautiful christmas plants. >> christmas cactus. >> they're beautiful. you have white and pink. >> all colors. >> my mother used to have these and they last a long time. how often do you water these? >> keep it damp. probably about every ten days or so. >> and then every year around this time, they blossom. i have one that belonged to my

mother and it is full of blossoms. i'm always excited about this time of the year. and then we have -- >> traditional african violets. great selection of african violets. >> i never can keep them. what am i doing wrong? >> they require special fertilizer and special soil. when you water, you water from the bottom. in the saucer, you put the water down in the saucer. >> oh, i see. the poinsettias, i love those. those are gorgeous. look at those over there on the end. those are beautiful. they're like red and white and pink mixed in. >> they're called monet. they've been around for a few years but they're getting popular. >> they are lovely. because it is a different color. of course, we have the red. >> traditional red and white. >> the off-white. >> look at the trees. some beautiful trees. these you can use inside and outside, right? >> this is an outdoor dwarf alberta spruce.

you can keep it in inside for ten days over the holidays. if you dig your hole now and save the dirt to where it doesn't freeze, you can plant it after the first of the new year. >> just put lights around it. these are beautiful. i love this. what is this? >> your box wood but it is shaped into a cone. it can be decorated. >> ok. beautiful, beautiful! all at home depot. good prices, right, john? >> absolutely. great prices. >> you can decorate your house. you don't have to have a tree. just beautiful plants. thanks for being with us. come back and visit us at 5:00. have a great day!

>> kevin: hey, mike. >> michael: hey. >> eden: hey, what can i get for you? >> michael: uh, something strong, something very strong. >> eden: i know just the thing. >> michael: no, whoa, hey, oh, no, should i be concerned? >> kevin: (chuckles) no, just a new drink she came up with. >> michael: oh, god, oh, god. that means yes. (exhales) >> kevin: actually, it's really, really good. >> kevin: so what's the deal? why