this suv. the council member has agreed to pay it all back without admitting guilt. >> other people downtown, they are the ones taking your money. >> if he admits to paying it back, he's not taking it out of my pocket. >> clearly they have solid evidence or this would not be happening. >> you think he cheated the folks of ward 5? >> absolutely. he preyed on those and promised things and it was about instant gratification. >> that last man you heard from, he is a whistle blower who got the ball rolling in this whole case. he told federal investigators about the alleged misuse of money and their investigation began in june. the fbi tells us despite what we saw today, the ten hour long raid, there will be no arrests made today. derek. >> all right delia goncalves. that raid, all that talk at the wilson building today.

gary joins us with that. >> reporter: out of town, the mayor issued a statement saying he supports the investigation. here, the city council chairman called an ill fated emergency council session for 4:00 so the council members could talk about the harry thomas matter in private. they were not saying much in public. >> council members kept walking as reporters tried to get them talking about thomas. >> i feel for his family and his mother. and i hope they are doing well under these trying circumstances. >> qualm brown announced his emergency council session was being delayed until monday because so many council members were unavailable. >> we have issues we want to discuss. but personnel matter. i do think it's important that all the members are here so we can have this type of discussion. that's all i have. >> at least until monday when they try again.

derek. >> gary, thank you for that. moving on now to national politics and presidential candidate, herman cain, who now says he will have an announcement about his political future tomorrow. the republican has been flagged by allegations of sexual harassment and most recently an extramarital affair. he told his aids earlier in the week he is reassessing his campaign. >> growing concerns in a rockville community tonight for a neighbor held hostage half a world away. al-qaeda now says it is holding 70-year-old warren weinstein who was kidnapped in pakistan nearly four months ago. scott broom has reactions from all sides today. >> weinstein's wife, his daughter, their grandchildren spent the day in private here at a home in clarksburg, maryland, today, while friends from his rockville neighborhood shut ired at the news that al- qaeda is now using their neighbor at a bargaining chip on the war on terror. weinstein had nothing to do with. >> tell me about that yellow ribbon. >> it reminds me every day to

say a prayer for warren. >> i look over and i see his guards and i say, dear god, take care of him. >> it's day 112 of captivity for 70-year-old development worker, warren weinstein. but it was not until today that the world finally learned who has him and what they want. al-qaeda revealed the terror group's role in the weinstein kidnapping in an audio message, demanding an end to drone strikes in the war on terror and the release of all al-qaeda and taliban prisoners worldwide. the u.s. state department kept its reactions muted today. >> u.s. officials, including the fbi are assisting with the pakistani led investigation and it is a pakistani led investigation. and we're trying to cooperate them in any way we can. >> weinstein is a veteran, nongovernment development worker who was snatched from

his rented home in pakistan august 13. just two days before he was to return to rockville. >> his work was completely civilian work. it was not government work. >> until now, u.s. officials said they have no idea who had weinstein or why. today's news that al-qaeda is involved is hardly comforting. scott broom, 9news now. >> terror experts believe he was kidnapped by another group and traded to al-qaeda for money or influence. new at 6:00 tonight, police say they are taking down an illegal prescription drug operation in northern virginia. fairfax county police seized thousands of painkillers, birth control pills, and antibiotics that were being illegally dispensed at everything.  in all, the six month operation targeted 15 different businesses. montgomery county may be moving away from passing a curfew for teenagers, but one frederick county community is embracing it.

middletown commissioners unanimously approved the measure earlier this week. it takes effect december 18 and applies to anyone under the age of 18. but there are some exceptions from the 12:01 a.m. cutoff. including minors accompanied by parents or religious events. the maryland task force thinks the state aught to triple the flush tax. the committee appointed by the governor says tripling that next year will help the state meet it goal to help clean up the chesapeake bay. a 2025 target for the state's part in that cleanup. >> president obama and former president bill clinton visited a d.c. construction site to talk energy efficient buildings. trying to draw attention to a $4 billion initiative aimed at creating fuel without costing the taxpayers anything. the money comes from the energy savings over time. >> coming up tonight on 9news

now at 7:00, punishment for a punch. a boston school investigating a seven-year-old for sexual harassment after a scuffle on a bus. why his mom says the punch was justified. we'll have it at 9news now at 7:00. >> can't wait for that story. still ahead in this half hour, good news on the economic front. we'll tell you why there's reason for optimism this friday night. anny. >> and another cold night is in store for us, but the high today is nice, 55 today. average is 51. i'll let you know how much cooler it gets and how much warmer it gets after that coming up. and up next, a popular car company is recalling more than 300,000 vehicles. what you need to know, next.

back now with a consumer alert for honda drivers. the company is recalling more than 300,000 cars tonight. the concern is that the air bag may inflate with too much pressure in a crash and that could lead to injuries or death. there have already been 20 accidents and two deaths in the u.s. since 2009. you can see the list of specific models at wusa9.com. >> new information tonight about the trucker that caused that sticky mess along 40 miles of the pennsylvania turnpike wednesday before thanksgiving. george of maryland was hauling driveway seal ant when one of the valves leaked. she was fined $1,000 today for

failing to secure the load. >> a commuter alert to have you ready for delays on metro come this weekend. six stations on the red line will close tonight at 10:00 p.m. here's the list. brooklyn, takoma, silver spring, forest glenn, wheaten, and glennmonte. free shuttle service will be provided. tis the season to get in the spirit. a look at how some people are getting ahead coming up. but first, a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. there are promising signs for the economy. a new jobs report shows gains that we haven't seen since before the great recession. we'll tell you whether that progress is likely to last. tonight on the cbs evening news. çñ

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back now with an update on that massive fire at a virginia furniture plant. this was the scene in basset last thursday. crane broke into the building and started that fire. he's being held without bond. good news tonight, relatively speaking on the unemployment front, emily schmidt has the details. >> labor department report shows 120,000 new jobs added in november and an 8.6% unemployment rate. it's the lowest in 2 1/2 years. president obama says it's progress. >> we need to keep that growth going. >> there are still more than 13 million people out of work and republicans say that's the president's problem. >> today marks the 34th consecutive month of unemployment above 8%. as you may remember, the obama administration promised that unemployment would not exceed 8% if we passed other bill.

that promise has gone unfulfilled. >> private sector hiring went up in the retail industry, which added 50,000 jobs. but the numbers showed more people dropped out of the job hunt than were hired. president obama puts the ball in congress' court, calling for renewed unemployment benefits and an extended payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of this month. >> it's time to step on the gas. we need to get this done and i expect that it's going to get done before congress leaves. otherwise congress may not be leaving and we can all spend christmas here together. >> it is how washington may begin the election year, focused on jobs because so many americans remain without one. in washington, i'm emily schmidt. >> you're looking for a job tonight, our partners at career builder have a list of companies looking to make a lot of hires right now. at the top of the list, wells fargo, the company said to have 10,000 positions nationwide. about 30 in our area. that includes everything from tellers to underwriters.

sears and k mart hiring more than 1,000 people. 60 locally and morgan stanley smith also has more than 1,000 openings. in our area, they looking for 20 people for jobs like financial advisers. other places include service master, chicco, new york life insurance and tango transport. as you can see here from our set, there are lots of businesses and houses in our area are starting to decorate for the holidays and it seems christmas tree lots are popping up on every corner. >> i'm lindsey mastis in silver spring and the people selling christmas trees this year say tonight is going to be busy. friday is payday for a lot of people and because it's the first weekend in december, it's expected to be busy. >> every year we come to the same spot so that we can look for our tree from last year. every year the tree grows a little bigger. >> these trees were brought in from western virginia and being sold for profit. >> this is good for the economy right now. >> in rockville, volunteer

firefighters are hoping to make money for their station. >> we have all the money, all the profits go toward new apparatus pieces, new fire trucks. >> at the design and build in silver spring, the selling point is the price. >> oh yes, we are home in a $5 tree. >> i'm lindsey mastis, 9news now. >> i will be doing that this weekend. >> you have your tree. >> i did it last weekend. just after thanksgiving. in beautiful weather last week. it seemed like in one day our whole street lit up with lights. >> this weekend is going to be a good weekend to catch up. we have dry weather for this whole weekend. saturday and sunday both looking really nice. a little cool tomorrow. maybe a little chilly for your saturday. but we'll talk more about temperatures. right now, temperatures not too bad. it is cooling down. 51 in downtown. 48 in gaithersburg. leesburg you're down to 50 degrees. annapolis toward the bay just

49. for the water keeping it more temperate. the satellite radar picture showing us, no problems, lots of high pressure. up to the north, we did see some showers come on through. also upstate new york and northern new england getting snow showers. all right, so what are we expecting? sunny and dry weekend. sunny and chilly for your saturday. you want your jacket, especially if you're heading out in the morning and also sunglasses to deal with that sunshine. then showers are looking to arrive next week. another cold front moving through very slowly. here's a look at that cold front. it is way out to the west. you are going to see over the next couple of days, it will slowly come closer and closer. sunday morning still positioned over detroit through indianapolis. and then we put this forward, you can see by sunday evening way out to the west of us into kentucky. i think on tuesday, that's the day we're expecting those showers to come through our

area. so for overnight, clear and cold. two blanket night. lows 27 to 37. a cool breeze out of the north at 5 to 10 miles per hour. so overnight, if you have plans going out tonight, definitely you want to bundle up. get the kids bundled up as well. 37 is the low for d.c. college park, 34. bowie 31. and after the south, 36 degrees. fairfax 30. sterling cold 28. leesburg, manassas, you'll be cooling down to a cold 27 degrees. saturday morning, lots of sunshine, but yet still cold. you want your jackets for sure. temperatures 20s and 30s. the afternoon, spectacular. you want your sunglasses. highs around 50 degrees. our sunset is an early 4:46. get out early to take advantage of the sun. here's your highs for your saturday afternoon. 49 in reston. 50 in d.c. and college park.

bowie 50. annapolis at 10 miles, 52 degrees. a will the of us will be below the average high. here's a look at how your saturday breaks down. so 27 to 37 degrees at 7:00 under clear conditions. by noon, we're still going to be chilly. in the 40s. but lots of sunshine. 5:00, 41 to 46 degrees. all right, the redskins game is on sunday. what are we expecting? partly cloudy and milder. for kickoff, temperatures 49 to 54 degrees as we are playing the new york jets. winds will be a milder breeze out of the south at 5 to 10. that's why sunday is the better day of the two if you like more warmth. your next three days, hear here's how it looks. milder, also be the classic, looking really good. 57 degrees is the high. monday looking nice. that's 60 under partly cloudy conditions. here's your seven-day forecast. all right, so by monday, we're milder at 60. increasing clouds ahead of that

slow moving cold front. as of now, it is time to impact our area on tuesday with some showers and then maybe also first part of wednesday. gradual clear out to partly sunny conditions and much cooler by wednesday, upper 40s. so, enjoy this weekend. it's a great weekend to get outside with the kids. pick out the christmas tree, put the lights up, perfect. >> repeat after me. hokey,hoky, hoky, hoky high. >> it doesn't involve lsu or alabama. how close is virginia tech to playing for a national championship? peggy fox wants to know. we'll tell her. bad news out of redskins park. another player bites the dust. drinking the cool aid when it comes to his team, the wizards, next.

and now 9sports with dave owen. the best sports in town. >> what could have been. that's what they are saying at virginia tech. what could have been if we came to play the night of october 1. peggy, i'm sorry. 23-3. it's the only stain on virginia tech's record if the hokies had won, they would be playing for a spot in the bcs championship game. instead, acc title game is a

rematch with clemson. so we asked frank about it. check out his answer. double fisting to make his point. >> how many times have you played on national tv for a conference championship? and so you know, this is a great experience and one that will always remember. i just want it remembered in a good way. >> should be a great game tomorrow night. bad news for redskins fans. not able to practice all week. he is out of sunday's game. it's his groin, which he injured against seattle in the first half of last week's game. it's been a frustrating season. quote, i just seen snake pit. high school football season coming to an end. several local teams vying for a championship. we talked about gaithersburg. they take on old mill tonight. tomorrow, thomas johnson of frederick will face river hill and also tomorrow, prince georges county, frederick douglas versus middletown. it's been a while since we have seen them, maybe you forgot how

painful it was to watch the wizards. only three teams worse. maybe jordan crawford. could have filed a lawsuit for impersonating basketball players and won. they'll have a chance to make amends soon. training camp expected to continue next friday after the cba is ratified. flip saunders talking about his team drinking the kool-aid. >> the score was three points one way or the other. you're hoping what they went to a year ago is going to benefit them and you're hoping your development of a team is going to give you more and you can put yourself in a position to be a 40 win team. >> season begins right around christmas. all right, a tough loss doesn't deter alex ovechkin for doing great community work. picking up presents for needy kids. $10,000 worth of toys. it's all part of the toy drive

which begins on december 9. good stuff for special agent number 8 right there. >> that's all for 9news now at 6:00. stay with us for the cbs evening news. that is next. >> and at 7:00, derek is here with our area's only local newscast. good night.

>> tonight, now hiring. a surprising drop in unemployment. anthony mason counts the reasons the economy is on the upswing. dean reynolds takes us where the jobs are, in america's fastest growing job creator. lucy craft shows us the wreckage of the fukushima nuclear plant and find the world came closer to catastrophe than we knew. bill whittaker goes into the operating room where hot chemo baths are a promising but controversial way to fight cancer. and steve hartman's on b