. right now 64,000 graves at arlington national cemetery may be misidentified. also, a special christmas delivery by 9news to local kids we met last night. >> it's not christmas without bubba. without his laugh.

>> first the disappearance of shane donahue. 600 days without any information. a home in prince williams county is decorated like a christmas wonderland for a family that cherishes this holiday. >> but the celebration will be muted this year because the boy who used to live there and loved it so much is missing. shane donahue was 23 when he disappeared in march of last year and his family now thinks he's probably dead. still, tonight they are reaching out for help from anyone who might be able to help solve the mystery. gary nurenberg has the story. >> reporter: the sign changes every day. missing 637 days thursday, 638 friday. >> he came in and he said love you, mom, i'm leaving. i said you don't want dinner. no. we've got to go. >> reporter: they got into this truck with a co-worker from an earlier project and disappeared from the face of the earth. hickerson says he dropped shane donahue at a nearby apartment but family members went there,

found the lights on, shane's new contact lenses on the counter and no shane. no word sense. shane, his mother calls him bubba had just been paid. had about $4,000 on him. >> i think the money was the whole primary reason to get the money. because bubba carried his money with him. >> reporter: you think someone took it from him? >> yes. i think the money was the main thing they wanted. >> reporter: hickerson is now serving a prison sentence more gun theft and police call him a person of interest in the case. >> do you think your son is out there or do you have any hope at all? >> i wish i had hope, but it wouldn't be -- they wouldn't do this to me. >> reporter: you seem resigned to the fact that he's gone?

>> uh-huh. because he wouldn't torture me like this. >> reporter: the family has established a facebook page looking for help. police have started the interview over again, reinterviewing all of the witnesses, but no answers so far. >> whoever knows anything that happened to shane, to have a heart and come forward, please, because it's just horrific that we have to live through this. >> reporter: this is still a missing person's case officially, but police are treating it as a death investigation. treating it like a homicide. saying they have no good leads. saying this is approaching cold case status. that is why the family and police want anyone with information to call prince william county crime solvers. you can see all of the deck rakss taking over the house this evening. a family that loves christmas. but this christmas is going to be missing shane's big laugh, the one that warmed so many christmases past. derek and anita. >> thank you, gary. well, new at 11:00, police rush to a high school in baltimore after a fight broke

out. this is a video from shortly after the brawl. it happened at the connection school for the art. the school was playing cardoza high from northwest dc and you can see the players and the fans all out on the court. no word if anyone was hurt. congress has ended the stalemate over the payroll tax cut. >> we were able to come to an agreement. we were able to fix what came out of the senate. >> well, house republicans have signed off on the senate plan to extend the popular tax cut through february with some minor changes. the decision came after the top senate republican called on the house to go ahead and pass the temporary extension and so did president obama. >> it's the right thing to do for the economy. and it's most importantly the right thing to do for american families all across the country. >> house members are now expected to vote tomorrow on the plan that extends the payroll tax cut and some unemployment benefits for two months. and that buys lawmakers some

extra time to hammer out a budget plan to keep them going all the way through 2012. now, as you can imagine, the pressure on the gop to make a deal was simply tremendous, especially from the average taxpayer who was looking at the irs taking an extra $40 out of each paycheck every two weeks. take a look at the break down. for those that make $35,000 a year, that is $700 more. all the way up to those over 110,000, more than 2300 extra dollars in taxes had that payroll tax cut not gone through. thousands of grave markers may need to be replaced or added to to accurately account for the dead at arlington national cemetery. they found discrepancies between headstones and paperwork on about 64,000 grave markers. congress ordered the review last year following charges of misidentified, misplaced graves that led to the firing of the top executive. they found no evidence of further graves, but potentially thousands of minor errors.

caught on tape, a man breaks into a montgomery county home and it's right in the middle of the daytime. take a look at this. it happened back on monday. you can see the fella walk up to the front door of the house in silver spring. he knocked several times. when nobody answers, he steps back and kicks it in. he then gets into the house, but he stays a few seconds, leaves in a green suv. police believe this is the same fella who broke into another home off of burnett avenue. if you have any information about the crime, please call the cops. well, if you are one of the millions of people hitting the roads for the holidays, then virginia state police a message for you. if you see emergency cars on the shoulder, drive by easy. move over a bit. because if not, that is what could happen. that's video from a crash in virginia last april. a trooper was pulled over on the side of the road and the car slammed into tthankfully the trooper was not hurt. but lynne parker was not so lucky.

last october she was working on a traffic stop when she saw a car come barreling towards her right along i95. >> i was standing here and i actually saw the vehicle coming across the interstate at my police car. and in a split second i had to make a decision and i jumped over the guardrail and landed right here in the area. in fact, this broken glass was my back window in my police car. if i had been in the process of getting in my car, most likely i would have been killed. >> this year six state troopers were hit and injured. three of them it happened right along i95 in dale city. the father accused of leaving his 2-year-old daughter home alone in filthy conditions could face up to five years in jail. today a judge ordered anthony vincent's bond be increased to $100,000. he is charged with reckless endangerment and child neglect. investigators say the toddler's mom had been in the hospital for several days. she got worried and called police. that's when officers say they

found the child malnourished and in the apartment. 9news now gets results from a toy story. we told you about a mother who lost her temper while waiting in the toys for tots line. they told her she had to leave empty-handed. last night she apologized for her actions. we relayed the message for toys for tots execs and tonight dropped off the gifts. as you can see, the children couldn't be happier. well, paramedics and firefighters save lives every day, but you might be surprised at how rare it is for them to get a personal thank you. well, today in prince george's county, a little girl and her family decided to put that right. 5-year-old kristina luckett handed out plaques and hugs. they saved her life. >> it's awesome. >> i'm very surprised at the gift i can't. i can't wait to hang it up. >> with a 5-year-old, you just do everything you can.

>> they're part of my family. i appreciate them. i love them. i thank them. >> when you see a firefighter, what do you think? >> thank you. >> that's an adorable little girl. the rescue crew took her to the hospital in the fire truck because they calculated even waiting five more minutes for an ambulance to get there might have cost that little girl her life. well, it is the season for coughs, cold and stuff any noses. how about some natural remedies? >> we have a health alert coming up next. topper. >> well, we hit 62 again today. now we have some rain across the metro area. but, do you know what, it's going to be a quick hitter. it will be out of here by tomorrow morning. maybe a left over shower at 5:00. temps in the 40s. 40s at 7:00. sunshine by 9:00. 47-61. we'll come back and talk about cooler air tomorrow. colder air over the weekend and what that means for the redskins game and for christmas. melwood and wusa9 salute all that serve at home and abroad

this holiday season. >> i'm samuel sxhiment schmidt. >> the year. 2011. this is an rc robotic claw.

my high school science teacher made me what i am today. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪

the washington dc veterans affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all that serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> my name is clifford george stationed here in afghanistan. i want to send happy holidays to my mom, my dad, my sister and michelle george in maryland. happy holidays and i love you. a congressman has apologized to the first lady michelle obama for reportedly saying she has a big butt. the press secretary sent a

letter of apology. the congressman says she had a big butt while discussing her childhood obesity initiative with parishioners at a church bizarre. tonight derek says you guys are doing this again, really. >> he says he's very sorry, and i'll give him the benefit of the doubt. i have a question for the lawmaker. that is why did you possibly think it was okay to say anything about her derriere. think about this. would any democratic law maker have said such a thing publicly about barbara bush's body? a first lady's personal physical appearance was off limit or at least it was until now. and i bring this up because since this president was elected, you and your colleagues have broken a lot of new ground. remember joe wilson calling the president a liar to his face

during his joint session of congress. booing the chief executive is one thing, but you lie. well, in the old days, those were fighting words. and we won't even talk about congressman doug lambboard and the tar baby incident. they are fair game for satire, jokes, it all comes with the territory. let's be real. all of a sudden it seems like some folks, including you, congressman, think it's okay to take the nastiness to a new low. i'm wondering is there something, anything at all, about this particular couple that makes it just a little more comfortable with that. anita. >> good question, derek. well, as we said, coughs, colds, sore throats, 'tis the season for all of that. an expert shares some favorite natural remedies to help keep your body strong. >> first of all, get enough rest. that is one of the main things. >> but who among us is doing that right now?

as we hustle and bustle during the holidays, we tend to sleepless and don't always eat foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants to replenish our bodies. then we head to shopping centers and festive gatherings full of people and germs. dr. kelly williams is a natural pathic physician who practices in northwest dc. she doesn't prescribe drugs but recommends certain herbs and minerals. >> garlic is almost like a wonder kind of herb. it is antimicrobial which means anti-bacterial, antiviral. >> williams says most people take garlic supplements containing the potent ingredient instead of eating a lot of the herb itself. but when it comes to ginger, buy it whole and enjoy. >> it heats up the body, so it increases circulation. you can actually cut it up and boil it in some water and make a nice tea out of it. and it helps with digestion.

>> recent studies conclude products containing zinc can shorten colds by several days and williams recommends her balance products with he can nay shah -- herbal products with ekkhinacea and clearing out the music is what you real -- mucous is what you really need to feel better. >> it really helps with allergies, with colds, it clears out the mucous. >> it's a natural way to decongest yourself. >> absolutely. yes. >> not everybody can do the netty pot thing. saline nasal spray is another thing that helps and vitamin c. dr. williams says to keep your immune system humming with 500 milligrams a day. it may not feel like the first day of winter around here, but it is a much different story out in denver. check it out. a winter storm.

wow. blasted across colorado last night. they got heavy snow. and arctic temperatures to go along with it. the denver area saw about six inches. the mountains got two feet. that sounds all right. >> it's nice and holiday looking if you don't have to drive through it. >> it is. talk about white christmas in denver this year. >> yes. very festive. >> not so much here. >> it will be cooling down. it will be a little bit more like december by the time we get to saturday and sunday. but not much. we're going to trade 50s and 60s in for some 50s basically. all right. let's look at the satellite picture, radar combined. we got a pretty big storm in the east. it's a really quick hitter. had it been snow, it would have been 4-6 inches. but, no, it's rain. big thunderstorms down in the southeast. they at one time had tornado watches out in much of georgia. everything is pushing very, very quickly to the north and to the east. we'll zoom a little bit and you'll see the heaviest rain is just about north of dc headed up towards baltimore and york and

hagerstown. there is still a little rain left, and we'll talk about live doppler 9000. you can access this on our website wusa9.com. hopefully you've downloaded our weather app. here is the heaviest rain. pretty heavy activity through much of montgomery county up 270 through gaithersburg back towards seneca and also over towards rockville. rainfall rates of about half an inch to 3-quarters of an inch an hour. pretty impressive for december. we'll back the radar out a little bit and then put this into motion. what is going to happen in the next hour. this is going to move very, very quickly. heaviest rains then will be found up north of baltimore and up near westminster as we go through the night. all of this will be out of here by dawn tomorrow. temperatures are still pretty mild. 51 downtown. 48 in gaithersburg. 48 in leesburg. 48 in manassas. but even up in hagerstown it's only 46 degrees. all right. here is the deal. dry commutes friday. i think the rain will shut off friday. some roads could still be a

little wet but generally dry. northwest winds pick up. it will dry us out nicely. cooler on friday but a nicer day. we're trading in 60s for 50s which is a pretty good deal for late december. on saturday chilly for the redskins game. we'll trade the 50s in for 40s on saturday but that is average for this time of year. and christmas looks dry and mild. the day part anyway. there will be a storm passing to our south christmas eve and monday has been on and off the map all week. we'll keep you posted. right now it should stay south. rain ending by dawn friday. winds will become northwest at 10-15. and that will dry us out. now, for the morning, partly cloudy, breezy and chilly. 40s and 50s. winds northwest at 10-15. but by afternoon, the winds die down. really a pretty nice day. partly cloudy and pleasant. yes, a little cooler. it would almost have to be after 62 today. high temperatures between 50 and 55. all right. we'll break it down for you. in the morning early 6:00, partly cloudy 40s. partly cloudy and 50-55 by evening under partly cloudy

skies. next three days, again, temps go down a little bit. we're still in pretty good shape for the game on saturday and last minute shopping mid 40s. and then on monday we are back up -- excuse me, on sunday we're back up to 50s. next seven days, next week it hovers around 50 on monday. and then we go back into the 50s on tuesday and wednesday and thursday. and right now there is no storms anywhere to be found. at least in the east next week. so really a pretty nice stretch of weather. anybody traveling or expecting travelers tomorrow, very quiet across the country. >> we love that. thank you, topper. they're partying in georgetown a little bit. >> yes. we thought we would learn a little more about hoyas tonight. i know they were bawling. when georgetown and memphis meant in november, it was fast pace end to end over time drama. hoyas squeaked by that night 91-88. how about a rematch. hoyas doing the running tonight. there goes the hammer. hoyas open the game with a 15-6 run and the route was on.

thompson a little dirvyish. georgetown never trailed. they win easy 70-59. how about that. memphis is supposed to be high scoring. how about that. president battle taking about james madison. don't blink or you might miss tony taylor. he had 12. this is president on president crime. aj davis with 22. gmu up big and they win 62-57. all right. some football. minnesota coming to town. and that means redskins double coverage. my boys and me next.

. welcome to double coverage, everybody. i have my football just like you. [ laughing ] minnesota in town. mitch, i'm going to get right to you. how important is this game? because we've seen the redskins play down the competition before. how big of a challenge is it this week to go out and step on the neck of a lesser opponent, a game they should win. >> it's a great challenge. they have to make sure they step on the neck ever the quarterback. they -- of the quarterback. they have to make sure they get

behind and have to pass. >> absolutely. injury report, dave, you've been at the redskins park all week, toe, leg injury, we don't know how much we're going to see of him. mike shanahan has been quiet. what is the impact there? >> i don't think it hurts them that much. but obviously we'll lose a huge part of the offense. i think we may see a little more passing. >> yes. big news today. matt barkley decides he's going to stay in college. i think that shocked a lot of people. i'm going to ask you both, mitch, first, what was your reaction and how does that impact the redskins upcoming draft? >> at this point they have to really study the quarterbacks they like. it doesn't make them stick with rex grossman. they're going to have to get a quarterback that is going to have impact. >> the problem is barkley staying that's one guy off the board. >> yes. >> and if jones stays, then they have a real problem because buck goes to indianapolis and

who is the next pick. so they may be all of a sudden looking from a quarterback rich draft to a quarterback poor draft when they need a quarterback. >> let's talk about donovan mcnabb. shanahan took a lot of heat when he took mcnabb go. now he is not in the league anymore. is it time to say maybe mike shanahan knew what he was talking about. give him some credit here. >> i would say no. because i've been in the situation. you can be great in one system and terrible in another. donovan had 4,000 yards last year. i don't think anyone says, i think mcnabb is better than grossman or beck. >> maybe we're all wrong. we thought trading for mcnabb was the way to go. they would have had more draft choices. they wouldn't have gone through the rex fiasco, beck fiasco. >> all right. it's time for the free game picks. >> vikings have a big weapon in

peterson. they have a rookie quarterback that is okay. the reds have been better even. i say it's even. >> i think it's even also. when you look at the vikings, they score more points than the redskins. i go even up. >> all right. even. defense, dave, what have you got. >> when the defense played the vikings in 2007, they had great defense. now they have jared allen. washington has a better. >> i'm going washington also. i think when you look at the redskins as a home, it's a better defense. >> lesli frazier versus mike shanahan. >> redskins. >> i go with mike shanahan. >> okay. wow, mike shanahan. predictions i'm going to go 27-10. of what do you think? >> i think the offense won't score as many points. 20-13. >> 17-10 redskins. hey, guys, i appreciate you stopping by. >> merry christmas. >> happy kwanzaa and everything

else you celebrate. 9news now returns right after these messages.

if you're dreaming of a green christmas, this is it. >> get the lawn mowers out. >> good night, everybody.