thursday. here is a look at the wednesday day planner. temperatures today will be climbing toward that 50 degree mark thanks to the cloud cover. mid-40s at noon. upper 40s at 5:00 and again just a stray shower north and west will be possible later on today. sunrise at 7:18. you can see the clouds and the showers we've been watching this morning. they're in ohio. they're approaching west virginia. the clouds are going to make it. no doubt about that. the showers though, they'll have a tougher time crossing the mountain but some of the models are suggesting north and west, we'll see it. look at the temps down to 30 in manassas. unlike yesterday, we don't have teens on the board. we have 30s, even 40 in annapolis. 36 in culpepper. 40 in cambridge. look at the highs today, 40s in the shenandoah valley. low 50s down south. here in washington, a high right around 50 degrees. let's go to monika samtani at 5:00 a.m. with an update on timesaver traffic. >> i sure do, howard. rise and shine. it is 5:00 in the morning. things are looking great around

town. i'm going to start off first with the west side, whether you're coming in on route 7 or the toll road through leesburg or 66, everything is fine. in fact, look at that, 65 miles per hour at the fairfax county parkway. all the way inbound on 66 as we head for the beltway inside as well. no problems to the roosevelt bridge. a live look now on the northbound side of i-95 in springfield. a bit of volume building. all of these people get an early start from fredericksburg. all of the lanes are open. we'll take a look as well at the 14th street bridge on the northbound side of i-395 looking good, all is well up into downtown this morning. coming up in my next report, we'll go into maryland at 5:09. mike and andrea? >> thank you, monika. the national transportation safety board has spoken. now, we'll see if state lawmakers across the country listen. >> they're recommending that drivers be banned from all cell phone use behind the wheel, even if you have a hands-free device. 9news now reporter surae chinn joins us live from the story. i think she's behind the wheel.

good morning, surae. >> good morning. i am behind the wheel. you know this. all of you guys know this. that distracted driving is an epidemic. now, the ntsb is targeting your cell phone. they're even targeting your bluetooth. this is really the most comprehensive recommendation that we have seen so far when it comes to cell phones and all personal electronic devices, even using your cell phones with those hands-free devices, the only exception would be for emergencies and your gps. >> that does apply to bluetooth, hand-held, hands- free. it is both the visual and the cognitive distractions and the manual distractions we're concerned about. >> now, this, what you're watching is a powerful psa running on networks across the country showing people or their friends who have caused wrecks or have been in wrecks. they either died or caused someone else to die because of texting behind the wheel or some other type of distracted

driving using their cell phones. there is already a texting ban in both -- in all three maryland d.c. and virginia. mike, andrea? >> surae, are there any ideas on how localities would enforce a total cell phone ban? >> this is a tough one, really because the ntsb is only making this as a recommendation. they really don't have the authority to make this into law but they're hoping that individual states will really take this recommendation seriously and then put it into law. we'll see if that happens. >> it will be a tough job if it can be done. thank you, surae chinn, reporting live. >> d.c. police have identified an armed man who was shot and killed by officers during a confrontation monday night. police say it was 20-year-old michael ez eke yell eps was high on pcp and firing a gun into the air in a northeast neighborhood. authorities say he was shot after he refused the orders to drop the gun. the police department says the internal affairs department is investigating the shooting now.

he did it yesterday and jerry sandusky's lawyer says his client also plans to waive his arraignment hearing on january 11th. the former penn state defensive coordinate her a preliminary hearing scheduled yesterday but sandusky only stayed at the courthouse for a few minutes, long enough for his attorneys to waive the appearance. his accusers were prepared to testify that sandusky had sexually abused them. sandusky's attorneys say he will fight the charges and will not negotiate a plea. an investigation is underway into what caused a fire at an historic site into leesburg, virginia. greg hudson sent us this video last night's fire. a horse barn. it is the former home of westmoreland davis, elected virginia's governor in 1917. the park also houses an international equestrian center. fortunately no animals were inside the barn and no people were hurt. a bill to extend payroll tax cuts past the end of the year is on the way to the

senate. but the democrats on that side of the hill say the bill is dead on arrival because an item house republicans included in the bill they passed last night would speed up a controversial oil pipeline project critics say threatens the environment. >> we've passed a large bill that contains many of the priorities of our caucus and the white house. we've worked to find common ground. >> wasting time catering to the tea party folks over there when she should be working with us on a bipartisan package that can pass both houses. >> a 168 million americans could see their paychecks shrink without the extension. in retaliation, democrats are threatening to hold up a critical year-end spending bill. if that bill doesn't pass, there could be a partial government shutdown at midnight this friday. it is 5:05. time for the latest "your money" report. jessica is off. we have the headlines for you. the markets aren't looking great today. the major exchanges in asia

closed down and europe isn't looking much better. this follows losses in the united states on tuesday. here at home, the dow fell 66 points. nasdaq dropped 33 and the s&p 500 was off 11. well, the ceo of one of the best known companies in the world headquartered in the d.c. area is stepping down. bill marriott is not retiring altogether. he's going to become executive chairman of the worldwide hotel chain that bears his name. marriott is handing off the day to day duties of ceo to arnie sorenson. marriott headquarters is on democracy boulevard in bethesda. here is another sign the weak economy is hurting holiday sales. according to a nationwide survey, 6% of those who celebrate christmas say they'll wait until january to do most of their holiday shopping. they say they simply won't be able to afford most of the gifts they would want to give until those after christmas sales kick in. now, if you are shopping before christmas, you'll be able to do

it almost around the clock at 14 macy's stores. those stores will open for 83 hours straight starting december 21st. most of the stores are on the east coast and in the midwest including the one at tysons corner center in virginia. >> the d.c. teen that won a national championship gets honors from the mayor. that story is coming up. >> coming up as well, donald trump backs out of a commitment to a republican presidential debate. we'll tell you why. >> plus, the u.s. postal service delays the start of a plan to close thousands of its processing facilities across the country. we're back in just a little bit.

>> welcome back. coming up on 5:09 this wednesday morning. it is cold out there but not as cold as it has been the last couple of nights. a little bit more cloud cover and that will be the case today. more clouds and even a stray shower chance north and west of town. our day planner calling for temperatures to be climbing into the 40s here pretty quickly this morning. in fact, mid-40s by noon with mostly cloudy skies. winds south to southeast. by 5:00, we'll be cloudy and again, at times, shenandoah valley, northern maryland, we've got a chance for a stray shower or two into the afternoon. we'll go to monika samtani with timesaver traffic. >> thank you so much, howard. good morning, everybody. here is a live look at 395 at duke street. traffic is moving well. all construction moved out of the roadway. lanes are open up to the 14th street bridge. coming up, we'll go into maryland at 5:17. mike, back to you. thank you, monika. >> making news now, police in belgium are trying to determine what motivated a local man to

open fire in a busy market place in lege tuesday killing at least four people there. then investigators searched the home of the 33-year-old and found the body of a woman at his house. he had prior defenses. he wounded 125 people with bullets and grenades before he killed himself. >> now to campaign 2012 news of a possible high profile independent candidate. donald trump says he will no longer moderate a republican presidential debate in iowa because he's re-examining the possibility of running for president himself. the debate was already in jeopardy since only two candidates had agreed to take part. the postal service has agreed to briefly delay closing more than 250 mail processing centers and 3700 post offices around the country. the closings were supposed to start early next year. now they won't happen until at least mid may. the postal service is expected to lose a record $14 billion

next year. are you scrambling to finish up some last-minute holiday decorating? that rushing around could put you at greater risk for an injury. details on that coming up at 5:34. >> at 5:23, the capital zoo tests himself against the top teams. >> howard has cooler temperatures in the seven-day forecast but does he have any precipitation?

good morning and welcome back to 9news now. it is 5:14 this wednesday morning. howard bernstein has some precipitation in the forecast. >> in the form of rain around here. a shower possible today out west, western maryland, up north. stray shower. better chance we'll all see some scattered showers on the day on thursday before a chilly weekend ahead. but big weekend. last shopping weekend. hydeck has been down for a few weeks. a lot of people still have to get it done. weather will cooperate for that. it will be chilly but dry. let's get you going with a look at the bus stop forecast. it is a chilly one. partly to mostly cloudy skies. not as cold as the last couple of mornings with temps in the 30s to lower 40s. sunrise not until 7:18. next thursday, we've got the winter ol cities, we'll -- the winter solstice. we'll start adding day length. the real long night and short days, the darkest time of the year around here. our day planner, we're expecting a good deal of clouds

today unlike yesterday. mid-40s by noon. upper 40s to around 50 for the high. a couple of spots south into the lower 50s. you'll notice the wind. out of the south and southeast at 5 miles per hour or less. and just a stray shower can't be ruled out. i think we stay dry in the metro. knot of town, some of the moisture you're seeing in ohio and indiana, this stuff can -- maybe make it toward the shenandoah valley or areas along and north of i-70 a little bit later toward midday. right now, it is quiet. a lot milder than yesterday. look at the 40s in west virginia down toward roanoke. it is 47 degrees. the chilly air we had, that's up to the north and east now with temperatures in the 30s and even much of new england has warmed significantly since 24 hours ago. remember, we had upper teens yesterday morning. locally, we're down to 32 in gaithersburg. college park also at the freezing mark. while it is 38 in springfield. manassas, the cold stuff at 30. centreville is 34 along with haymarket at 33. here in town, we sit at a

relatively balmy 40 with cloudy skies. calm winds, dew points in the 30s and the barometer holding steady at 30.41. high pressure is nearby us across pennsylvania. look at the jet coming up toward chicago with moisture. this will delay air travel in chicago potentially minneapolis but also through columbus. some commuter flights that go through columbus will be delayed as well. going down to atlanta or up toward boston and new york, shouldn't be much in the way of weather problems today for travelers but we will watch all of the moisture out to the west as it wants to move east. we'll have a tough time making it. do you notice every now and then, a speck or two of green. maybe getting to even frederick here later this afternoon and this evening as it can hold together better chances, to be up in pennsylvania. this moisture there, that moves our way for thursday. so, tomorrow, scattered showers any time late morning into the afternoon. we should be ok for the early morning rush on thursday.

50 today. stray shower north and west. tonight we're back in the 30s and low 40s. tomorrow, mid to upper 50s. drier friday, cooler, 50. the weekend looks chilly and dry. friday night, south of us. mid-40s saturday and sunday and another chance of rain late monday into tuesday. let's go over to monika samtani with timesaver traffic and thankfully pretty quiet, still. >> it is pretty quiet still. all of the overnight construction has been cleared up. if this is the time you head out to work, i think you'll be good to go. we'll first take a look at the northside of town. no problems to report on the beltway between 95 and college park around through silver spring into bethesda. let's take a live look at new hampshire avenue. again, nice and quiet here. few people out but no big deals. 95 looks good in from baltimore. no problems on the bw parkway. let's take a live look at route 4. pennsylvania avenue. south side of town, no problems at the andrews air force base area down into oxon hill and the wilson bridge. route 5 and route 301 doing

well from southern maryland. if you're planning to take trains back over to the graphics, metro, marc, vre, everything is running on time. we'll go into virginia at 5:24. andrea and mike? >> thank you, monika. short season, even shorter preseason. wizards are trying to gel before their abbreviated season gets underway. >> d.c. mayor vincent gray honors the national pop warner football champions. more on that coming up in sports. >> before we get there, let's take another look at the question of the day. seven out of ten of us plan to do this every weekend. it is one of these things. is it... >> here is a response from the facebook.com/wusa9 page. lynn nicodemus wrote i say b. catch up on sleep. >> log on doing facebook.com/wusa9 page. we'll give you the answer at 6:00. yeah, i'm married. does it matter?

you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing, jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪

if you go outside early with the dog for a walk, it won't feel as bad because temperatures aren't nearly as cold. 30s as opposed to 20s and upper teens where we were starting with partly to mostly cloudy skies. we'll have a good deal of clouds today. want to point out some rain at 9:00. a cold rain. some of that may sneak in toward the shenandoah valley. we'll have the clouds as our temps reason in the mid-40s. this afternoon, an isolated shower can't be ruled out coming across northern maryland. highs upper 40s to low 50s. even a sprinkle or two possible north at 6:00 p.m. andrea and mike? back to you. >> thank you, howard. >> some of d.c.'s youngest football players are honored for national championship win. >> plus, the caps test their recent improvement against one of the league's top teams. just how improved are they? kristen berset has highlights in sports. >> good morning, everybody. since dale hunter took over as head coach of the capitals, we've seen glimpses of a team that started the season 7-0,

more aggressive play, more hunger on the ice and a little bit more goal scoring. one thing we haven't seen is victory over an elite team. alex ovechkin and the caps taking on the first place flyers last night trying to change that but they didn't protect the net very well at all. here, down 2-0. wayne simmons gets the goal. they go up 4-0. but the caps didn't give up. jeff halpern gets his third year of the goal to avoid the shutout. that was about all that they could do last night. caps lose 5-1. the wizards have been in camp less than a week. they also spend a lot of time together off the court. already, the different personalities are starting to shine through. starting to make close relationships. it is those that will help them get through the season. >> this year, it was the marshall heights. [ cheering ] >> the marshall heights got a special treat yesterday. they won the pop warner super

bowl this weekend in orlando. and d.c. mayor vincent gray honored them yesterday with a pizza party! they beat a team from california 34-6 to become the peewee national football champs. they were 15-0 this season. >> that will do it for your morning sports, i'm kristen berset, have a great wednesday. a group of current and former washington redskins help make christmas a lot merrier last night. they signed autographs from people who donated to children's national medical center. they donated toys. the toy drive was held at nordstrom's in dulles town center. the donated toys will provide presents for kids spending the holidays in the hospital as well as some other charitable groups. >> if you're putting the finishing touches on your holiday decorations, exercise a little caution before you go all out. that story is coming up. >> federal safety officials say even hands free isn't good enough when it comes to preventing death from distracted drivers on their cell phones. a quick check of the commute

now. monika? >> mike, on the northbound side of i-95, we're taking a live look in springfield. traffic is moving well. volume building from the occoquan to springfield. more on virginia roadways coming up in my next report at 5:29. you're watching 9news now. we'll be right back.

i'm andrea roane. >> how you doin'? it's wednesday. we're almost there. before you know it, weekend is going to be here. and then here's monika samtani. she'll tell us how to get there by car. >> before christmas. >> the last full week. >> i know, i know. >> full week of fall. >> right. >> december 22nd. 12:30 in the morning, just after midnight. >> we'll be around. >> winter solstice. >> it won't be a bad day for

december. we will have some clouds. temperatures up toward 50 degrees. normal high is about 46, 47. maybe, just maybe a couple of folks may see a shower well west of town. here is a look at our day planner. temperatures climbing into the 40s by lunchtime. we're 40 now in town. lots of 30s in the suburbs. upper 40s for the drive home with a high today right around 50 if not a few spots in the lower 50s. later sunrises of the whole year at 7:18. there is rain in the ohio valley. it is moving southeast and some of this might just make it across the mountains later this morning into the afternoon. but right now into the next several hours, no problems. temps a lot warmer than yesterday. 40 in washington. it is 40 also at the naval academy. 38 down at the pax river naval air station. mid to upper 30s, shenandoah valley. how about your high temperatures this afternoon, they'll stay in the 40s north and west. culpepper and fredericksburg, perhaps 53. around 50 here in d.c. let's go

to monika samtani. >> we're still running pretty much incident free all around town. i don't want to speak too soon. if you're heading out the door right at this moment, things are looking fine. we'll go to the west side of town. no problems to report on the dulles toll road coming in from leesburg, route 7 is pretty much the same story. 123 in the tysons area. 66 as well. south side, everything is running inside the beltway at the speed limit as you head up in toward the district. live look at the american legion bridge. on the west side of town, just a bit of volume across the river. no problems leaving bethesda or tysons corner. let's go back over to the northbound side of 95. everything is running at speed and all lanes are open. no problems to report at all up into springfield and last live look at 395 at edsall road inside the beltway at 395, planning to head up to the 14th street bridge, looking good as well into downtown. coming up, we'll take a look at maryland at 5:38. back to you guys. >> as u.s. troops complete

their withdrawal from iraq, there is new violence there this morning. >> a roadside bomb exploded in central baghdad killing two policemen and wounding five other people. iraqi police say it appears the bombing was targeted toward a patrol car that passed near baghdad hotel in the center of the iraqi capital. iraqi security forces say they are ready to contain insurgents as american forces continue to leave. in local news, a woman convicted in a deadly hit-and- run accident has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. 31-year-old davidson was convicted of negligent homicide, drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident. davidson hit and killed a 24- year-old woman near dupont circle last year. but kept driving to her home in chevy chase. davidson may face more time if prosecutors re-try her on the more serious count of voluntary manslaughter. even hands-free cell phones aren't good enough according to the national transportation safety board. the ntsb is recommending a ban on all cell phone use behind

the wheel. they say it will save lives. 9news now reporter surae chinn is live in bethesda with some reaction to the story. good morning, surae. >> good morning, mike. the only exceptions are emergencies and using your gps while driving. can you imagine not being able to use your bluetooth anymore or any other hand-free devices? that's exactly what the ntsb is recommending right now, banning all personal electronic devices. the ntsb says no e-mails, texts, updates and calls are worth a human life. and people are sounding off. >> we're concerned about the enforceability of the law if it were to become law. if the public will is not there, it won't be enforceable. >> i will tell you that 50 years ago, people said drunk driving couldn't be enforced. we had people who said seat belt laws couldn't be enforced. cops are smart people. i'm confident it can be enforced. >> while investigators point to

this chain reaction pileup in missouri. this one was just awful. a 19-year-old lost his life sending 11 text messages in 11 minutes before slamming into a truck that caused two school buses to collide. he and another teen were killed. 38 people were injured. you know, a lot of people use their hands-free devices, use the time behind the wheel to do their work, actually. and so, folks will just have to find another way to do that if this becomes law. mike? >> meaning pull over. thank you, surae live in bethesda this morning. >> d.c. cabbies get the green light to raise fares by 44%. now, the initial fee of $3 would stay the same. that's where the meter starts under this recent proposal. the per mile rate, however, would jump from $1.50 to $2.16. several additional charges would be eliminated under this proposal including that luggage fee or additional passenger fee. those will go away. there will be a 30-day comment period before the fare increase

goes into effect. the higher fares could start as soon as february 3rd. if you drive an electric vehicle, there is a new place where you can charge it in the district. the first public trick vehicle charging station in georgetown is in the 3300 block of m street at the pmi parking garage. the station opened tuesday and for the next three months, drivers can charge their vehicles for free. after that, there will be a fee of up to $1.50 per charge. it is 5:34. time for another "your money" report this morning. jessica is off. the holiday season is here and that means lots of lights can go up around a lot of people's houses but that could be painful as far as prize is concerned. >> the consumer product safety commission is warning would-be decorators holiday injuries are on the rise as andrea mccarren reports, the season can be anything but merry if you're not careful. >> this happened unintentionally. >> in 1997, gerald lange's mother-in-law made a simple request. >> she called me to the window one snowy day and asked me

would i buy her a little reindeer and put him out in front of the window. she called me back about 30 minutes later and told me how lonely the reindeer looked. this is the rest of the story. >> reporter: that launched an annual tradition. >> not every holiday decorating story has such a happy ending. last year alone, more than 13,000 holiday decorators ended up in the emergency room. patsy rankin tried to decorate her front door with holiday lights. she ended up decorating a cast after a visit to hospital. >> how did you break your ankle? i said i was putting up christmas lights. you're the third person and how tall was the ladder. i said oh, no, there was no ladder. >> it was just two steps. now, the executive chef and owner of patsy's restaurant has a wheelchair, a knee scooter, a month off her feet and weeks of physical therapy ahead. >> i don't know if i'm ever hanging lights again. i've had people offer me now to do it for me for the rest of my

life. i think i'm going to take them up on it. [ laughter ] >> reporter: patsy's ankle may be broken. her sense of humor remains intact. andrea mccarren, 9news now. >> on a serious note, most holdy decorating injuries involve falls from ladders and cuts from broken glass ornaments. there are services that will put them up for you! >> take advantage of them. >> we had one colleague who fell off and had a minor concussion. a new exhibit is on display at a cottage where president lincoln mingled with union soldiers during the civil war. more on that next. >> you don't have to go far to get an up-close look at the inner workings of the nation's busiest post offices.

>> it is pretty good especially with the winds being near calm in most areas. our day planner calling for cloudy skies. most live cloudy skies. temperatures will rise into the mid-40s by noon. near 50 this afternoon. north and west of town, there may even be a stray shower later. a better chance moves in for thursday. i'll have more on that and your weekend forecast when i see you in about five minutes. right now inside monika samtani has timesaver traffic. >> traffic is slowing down now on the southbound side of i-270 between urbana and hyatts town. here at falls road, just the volume but no delays to speak of down to the point where the lanes divide. coming up, a closer look into maryland at 5:47. >> an exhibit is opening at abraham lincoln's cottage at the armed forces retirement home in northwest washington. the exhibit called seat of war includes historic images of civil war, some of which have rarely been on display. president lincoln and his family spent summers at the cottage at up shir creek.

it was opened after a $15 million renovation. >> ever wonder how much work goes on at the boassments there is an eye-popping exhibit called systems at work. it gives viewers a glimpse into the inner workings of a high tech mail facility that processes 36,000 letters an hour! the museum is located right across from union station. as the remaining u.s. troops come home from iraq this month, today, the president and first lady will be honoring some of them for their service. we'll tell you how next. >> plus, a horse racing record is achieved at the track in laurel, maryland. >> let's see who's celebrating a birthday today. former walt disney president michael ovitz is 65. >> bill buckner is 62. he played 20 years with the astros, craig biggio is 46. and high school musical actress vanessa hudgens turns 23 today. happy birthday if it is your

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good morning! welcome back to 9news now! it is 5:44 on this wednesday morning. a nice morning outside. but changes are on the way again. >> we've got a front coming. this is going to bring rain showers here. maybe one or two today but a much better chance tomorrow. it will dry us out for the weekend and bring another shot of some chilly air. but you know, nothing horrible. this la nina pattern continues and for us, it generally means the storm system will track through the great lakes. we'll be on the warm side of them and an occasional shot of chilly air. what you see is what you get. let's get you moving this wednesday morning with your bus stop forecast. temperatures a lot warmer than they were yesterday morning as andrea was alluding to. 30s to low 40s out there. especially south and east. sunrise, 7:18. we'll call it partly sunny. probably more like mostly cloudy in many areas this morning. in fact, the day planner calling for partly to mostly

cloudy skies. mid-30s at 8:00. mid-40s at noon. even this mid-30s, right in the reagan national, might be on a little bit on the cool side. this afternoon, we're going to push toward 50. 4:00 p.m. temperature, 48. winds, how light. out of the south and southeast. winds will not be much of a factor and that means no real wind chill to talk about. in the weather headlines, we've got a stray shower today. up toward the shenandoah valley, northern maryland and western maryland, those areas could see it. i don't think it is going to happen here in washington. scattered showers on thursday. everybody could generally be expecting those ahead of a front that's going to come through. it will dry us out for friday. the next wave friday night looks like it will stay south. behind that, well, more chilly air moves in for the weekend. should be dry saturday and sunday. which is good news for that last weekend of holiday shopping. satellite and radar, we've got clouds and rain out to the west. still, clouds have moved in here over d.c. still some breaks here east of the bay.

you head into ohio and kentucky and west virginia. got some showers, some on the hefty side. and maybe just a few of those across the mountains later this morning into the afternoon. 37 in winchester and cumberland is at 36. southern maryland, 38. 34 easton. fredericksburg, 36. got 36 also in cross junction north of winchester. thanks, steve for calling that in. this morning in town, we've got 40s with cloudy skies. wind dead calm and the dew point at 34. so, no wind chill to talk about. we like that in december, not talking about the wind chills. 50s in kansas city and little rock. the warmth is coming up into the middle of the country with colder temperatures into the rockies. the storm system. when i switch it to satellite and radar, you'll see what's going on with a big dip in the clouds across mexico, texas, up toward the twin cities in chicago. this is where we've got the rain. texas, oklahoma, moving toward over here, travelers today, i'm afraid this is going to cause some delays. you'll notice in the northern edge, we've got snow for the twin cities, parts of northern

wisconsin. around here, the clouds are coming. while the rain looks like there is a lot of it, a lot of it is not going to make it the way everything is shaping up now. we'll see some of it travel south and east. just sneaking in the shenandoah valley. might clip western and northern maryland here during the afternoon. i think pennsylvania up to new york have a better chance of seeing showers than down here south of the mason dixon line. as we head into tonight, partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. quiet tonight. tomorrow morning, pittsburgh, back toward lexington, kentucky. a line of showers there. that approaches us toward the middle of the day. with showers. and then that pushes through during the afternoon. we clear out some tomorrow night. that front really doesn't get through until overnight thursday night into friday morning. behind it, drier and chillier, maybe some mountain snow showers and we hope though because ski areas want to open this weekend. at least they can make snow if it is cold enough if we're not going to get any from mother nature. tonight, we're down in the 30s and 40s, tomorrow, mid to upper 50s. friday, 50s. it will be dry, partly sunny and the weekend, chilly.

but dry. look at the highs in the mid- 40s. nighttime lows 20s and 30s. let's go over to monika now. how is it looking outside? >> i was planning to take my son skiing in pennsylvania. >> call and make sure they're open. they're planning on it. >> they're making snow, right? we hope we can go. >> if you're going outside right now, there is one accident, the first one on an interstate. first, the bw parkway, route 50 inside the beltway through cheverly is fine. the accident is southbound i-95 at route 32 in the right lane. sky 9 is headed that way as we speak. hopefully i'll have that for you shortly. keep in mind as you're heading southbound on i-95. northside of the beltway, no problems in through silver spring. 62 miles per hour at georgia avenue. on the outer loop of the beltway, right here through silver spring and in through bethesda, no problems on 270 right now. just a bit slow in urbana. let's take a live look into college park if you're heading on the south side of the beltway, no problems to report

as you head down toward new carrollton and oxon hill. last live look at connecticut avenue at bradley boulevard in the bethesda chevy chase area, we're look good here as well. coming up in my next report, we'll go into virginia. back to you guys. thank you, monika. what would your life be like without metro? well, the transit system thought it was important enough to spend $200,000 on a study to find that out. >> they say the study was meant to quantify the agency's impact including things like higher property values and more tax revenue for the area. the kind of information metro can use when it is lobbying for more tax dollars. and while riders say metro is a necessity, most would have preferred the study money go elsewhere. >> fix the escalators, use it to fix the elevators, need more access for the handicap. >> i would add another line in another area. >> a whole nother line? >> got it. >> what color would it be? >> pink. >> who in their right mind

would build metal escalators that are exposed to ice, snow, rain and heat? it is one of the reasons why they're breaking down all the time. >> ok, so, there are a few opinions out there. metro spending $150 million to replace its aging escalators. in fact, for the first time in more than a year, all three are working at the foggy bottom metro station and they began working this month. making news now at 5:50, the united nations high commissioner was to refer syria to the international criminal courts to investigate possible crimes against humanity. the death toll from government forces attacking pro democracy protestors is believed to have surpassed 5,000 people. amazingly, no one was hurt when some demolition did not go as planned in india. hello! wow! authorities realized the five story building was weakened by some nearby construction. they evacuated the area just in time. the building collapsed into a

vacant lot before it could be imploded which was the original plan. a record-tying performance tuesday in laurel, maryland, the horse rapid redux won its 19th consecutive race in one calendar year matches the mark set by triple crown winner citation in 1948. rapid redux's owner and trainer may now retire the 5-year-old horse. the war in iraq started almost 9 years ago. at its height in 2007, 1670,000 troops -- 170,000 troops were deployed there. >> the remaining forces are coming home this month. >> president obama will meet with some of the troops who just returned. susan mcginnis reports. >> reporter: president obama heads to fort bragg, north carolina today. a military community that has seen its soldiers repeatedly deploy to iraq. the president will talk to troops who have recently returned and thank all forces who fought during the nearly nine-year-long war. >> we've given the iraqis an

opportunity to have a democracy and to be successful. it is now time for us to bring all of our troops home. >> the last u.s. combat troops in iraq are scheduled to be out by the end of the year. and the president is spending the week marking the end to the war. the president says in total, the war will likely cost the u.s. more than $1 trillion. and he says history will tell whether or not going into iraq was a mistake. the deadline to pull u.s. troops out of iraq by the end of 2011 was actually set by the bush administration. former vice president dick cheney says the iraqis have made major progress in the past few years. >> they've got a democracy established. it is not perfect by any means. there is a lot of work to be done. they've -- they're clearly much better off than when saddam hussein was this charge. >> both the bush administration and the current white house wanted some u.s. troops to stay behind for security but the iraqis ultimately said no. >> it is important for us to continue to have a security

partnership with iraq but it is not going to be with our folks based inside of iraq. >> the last few thousand remaining troops are packing up equipment. many are hoping to be home by christmas. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. it is 5:53. we want to take another look at the question of the day. it is seven out of ten of us plan to do this every weekend. is it a, go to a movie. b, catch up on sleep or c, check work e-mails. >> one of the responses from our facebook fan page, westerner said f, go fishing. >> i like that. >> log on to the facebook.com/wusa9, leave your response. we'll reveal the answer in about an hour. they performed all over the world. this morning, top maryland choir is headed to 1600 pennsylvania avenue. that story is coming up. >> that's exciting. >> plus, the auction of elizabeth taylor's jewels leads to a world record price for a

piece which was also worn by an english queen. monika, quick check of traffic. >> . >> take a look at this. southbound on i-270 after father hurley boulevard, an accident causing this back-up trying to get through germantown. i'll have details on this accident coming up in my next report. o

for those of who you have no concerns about money, the auction of elizabeth taylor's jewelry collection wrapped up today in new york. a fierce battle last night led to a world record auction price for one of taylor's necklaces at get this, $11.8 million. the necklace is named la peregrina and features a huge rare pearl. it was also owned by a queen mary tudor of england in the mid 1500s. >> it is a necklace! >> mary had a problem with her necklace. and her neck. >> they have traveled to france, italy and spain and performed at carnegie hall. today, members of renowned maryland choir are making a much shorter trip but it may be

even more prestigious. the baltimore city college choir will sing at the white house! reporter ron matt reviews their trip. >> reporter: some members of the baltimore city college choir are going to the white house for two performances. >> the chance to even be in the building with the president is absolutely mind-blowing and i'm really excited to do it. >> it is so much i'm thinking about. mainly, the fact that we're performing at the white house. >> reporter: choir members are excited. and director linda hall is bursting with pride. >> the choir members have been working very hard in the last few months in preparation for not just the holiday season but in preparation for performances such as this. >> about 20 of the choir's 95 members will be able to make the trip. >> especially with barack obama being in office, i was just ecstatic about the situation.

>> so, they'll leave the castle on the hill headed to d.c. >> i always knew we would get something big but i never knew it would be the white house big! >> we're lucky to be invited. blessed to be invited. i'm really excited. ♪ i'll be home for christmas ♪ >> reporter: a dream come true! ron matz, wjz, eyewitness news. >> the acoustics made it sound absolutely angelic. >> oh wow! wish we had that. >> i still have the chills. >> thank you for watching 9news now at 6:00 a.m. good morning, i'm andrea roane. >> thanks for joining us, you made it to wednesday. i'm mike hydeck. glad you're here. here's monika samtani. traffic momentarily. >> what will today and the weekend look like? howard bernstein gives us a little preview in weather first. >> not bad at all today. more clouds. winds are light. maybe a stray shower but a bettha