victim's purse, it still had all her cash and valuables inside. gardner denver says her neighbor's home was broken sba about four years ago -- broken into about four years ago. >> from the first appearance, she proceeded to hide her pocketbook. and i think them not finding it upset them and they took vengeance out on her. if she comes back, i'm going to get her a big hug. i hope to go and get her, i'm going to go see her again tomorrow. because she is my neighbor. >> reporter: police are now reaching out to the public, asking for folks to help them catch this suspect. anyone with information should call prince george's county police right away the victim will likely spend the holiday in the hospital, but she is expected to be okay, leslie? >> a terrible story and obviously a lot we don't go.

a christmas wish comes true for firing ems in kc. three firefighters missing in a burning home have been found and they are alive. >> a may day call went out around 8:00 this morning while crews were fighting a fire. kristen fisher has the latest from the scene. >> reporter: it turns out these firefighters were never trapped, as initially feared. what happened was they lost communication and then one of the firefighter's pack alarm accidentally went off. a pack alarm is something every firefighter wears and it goes off when they are stationery for too long. in this case one of the firefighter's pack alarms went off when he was inside the basement of this burning home. >> basement fires are bad. because number one, we have to put firefighters down the stairs in a fire that is below you, it is like a chimney. all the heat and smoke want to come up the stairs. we are putting our firefighters

in harm's way. >> fire everywhere and smoke pouring out of the house. >> reporter: leia washington arrived to find out it was her mother's home on fire. her mom had escaped, but her home is almost a total loss. >> we are just trying to get her and get her in better spirits. we are going to have 30 to 40 people for christmas dinner so everything is in the house. >> reporter: as for those three firefighters, a two-alarm fire was called and the rapid intervention team was sent in to rescue them. one was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, as was an elderly next door neighbor. >> we are happy to have mom safe and her dog is safe. and everything else, we'll pray for. >> reporter: now the two people that were taken to the hospital, the firefighter and the elderly woman next door, both are

expected to make a full recovery. as for the washingtons, they have lost most of their christmas presents just two days before christmas. but they say they are just grateful they have each other. kristen fisher, 9news now. what a story. the cause of that fire is still under investigation. this one is just hard for me to believe. but there was pushing, there was shoving. each arrests. even pepper spray all over a pair of shoes. police had to get the crowds under control at shopping malls in our area and all across the country. surae chinn shows us the chaos. >> >> reporter: the newest air jordans are the hottest sneakers you can get your hands on, according to the people who stood in line for hours. for some, it paid off. people passed near the entrances of shopping mall overnight. >> there were probably 500 people waiting for them.

>> reporter: at westfield montgomery mall, lorenzo got lucky. >> i have been here since 4:00 in the morning. >> reporter: why are these so special? why did you have to stay out here and get these shoes? >> these are the number one jordans. everybody wants these. these come out every six years i would say. >> reporter: across the country the same scenario, folks lined up overnight pushing their way through the doors of the indianapolis mall. police even had to use pepper spray in seattle. >> my mouth is on fire. >> reporter: with only about 23 pairs to give out, lorenzo was randomly picked in a lottery and paid 190 bucks for the size 9 air jordan concord. how happy are you right now? >> real happy. >> reporter: the thing about this is, you'll never catch lorenzo wearing them. >> known.

got to keep them mint condition. >> reporter: surae chinn. 9news now. at least four people by the way were arrested out at lake forest ball in gaithersburg, three for disorderly conduct and one for assaulting a police officer and one other note. twitter was all abuzz this morning with a rumor that an 18-year-old was killed in dc. police have no information about any murders over these sneakers. police rushing into a law school after a fight breaks out. this video shortly after the brawl on wednesday night. it happened at connections school for the arts. up in baltimore. the school was playing core doza high from right here in northwest dc. both players and fans are out on the court trying to pick up the pieces. no injuries or arrests there. a spokesperson from dc public schools says they are reviewing the situation to figure out

exactly what went wrong, and they will discipline anybody who was involved. >> we have got an update now on the stabbing death of a woman outside the old post office building. police have caught the man who committed the crime. they say the suspect is maurice leo hawkins. he is 54, accused of killing a 54-year-old baltimore woman. her body was found on the steps of the old post office pavilion. police now linked one man to at least two of the seven eleven robberies. look at the surveillance photos just released today. in one of the cases police say this fellow hit a worker with a rock. it happened on allentown road in washington. you could get a reward if you come up with help or knowledge to catch a thief. aaa says about 84 million persons plan to drive this christmas and new year's.

that is about a 2% increase from last year all right. the other group said if forecasts are correct, it will be the highest volume on the roads in the past decade. on the other hand fewer people will be flying. the group airlines for america projects a drop in travel for this past year. that is actually a blessing at our area airport. scoot broom it is shaping up to be one of the smoothest holiday periods in a very long time. >> reporter: if you are looking for chaos, we cannot deliver it today, i'm standing in front of the busiest airline and there is barely a five minute line here. things are going really well at all the region's airports. in fact all across the country, one factor great weather and the other factor you just mentioned. not as many woman out there. if the job is to keep them moving today it's been working.

>> a lot of people traveling out of town. it seems like everybody is having a good day. pleasant travel today. >> reporter: lines manageable. security functioning. travelers so relaxed they have got their feet up. >> i am relaxed. just waiting on my flight. >> reporter: the story at bwi today is similar today is typically one of the busiest of the holiday period. the weather is good. flights are full but on time, and one reason for all the smooth sailing is there are fewer people in the system this year. air fares are up about 16% forcing the number of passengers down just a click. 1% fewer are flying this season the last about 20,000 fewer in the system today. and it shows. >> reporter: what was traveling like today? >> very smooth. one of the easiest travel days we have had in the last few years. >> there is something else that is going really well. that is the tsa this holiday

season is not forcing kids from the age of 12 and under to take their shoes off. with so many families flying this time of year that is actually speeding things up. so the tsa helping the situation too and all systems are go. let's hope the weather holds for the back end of this holiday weekend, scott broom 9news now. thank you scott. amtrak expects to end its record setting year on a good note. a spokesperson did not have an exact number of passengers it will have for christmas and new years but the rail service typically sees a spike. amtrak carried an all time high 32 million passengers this year. inner city buses are expected to be very full over the holidays. some 32%. in fact the study out at depauw

university says curb side service where passengers are picked up on street corners grew the fastest of all travel modes. what will the weather be like if you are heading out this season. you are a little more bundled up than yesterday annie? >> reporter: yeah temperatures definitely falling tonight. it will be a colder night compared to the last company of mild nights we have had. temperatures in the 30s. as far as the precipitation is concerned, we are looking at lots of high pressure in the area. the east coast fairly quiet. temperatures in the upper 40s around downtown. 46 in manassas. 50 in fredericksburg. farther north in hagerstown. 42 degrees a lot of us really will get down into the 30s and low 30s around town. last minute holiday shopping tonight. partly cloudy and cold conditions with lows in the 30s.

i have your redskins forecast and christmas forecast coming up a little bit later we have breaking news at a town house facility in sterling. they found something that appears to be a pipe bomb outside one of the homes this afternoon. the device was taken away to be detonated at another location. as far as we know, no one has been injured. still ahead tonight a heads up for all you last minute holiday shoppers out there the best time to buy may be tonight after midnight. get your caffeine ready. we'll tell but it. you might love this warm weather, but what's it doing the to the plants? >> it mean spring blossoms in the win officer and what about the cherry trees? i'm peggy fox and i'll have the answers, coming up. up next, dozens of u.s. troops from our area come on home from the war zone just in time for the holidays. we'll be back.

happy holidays uncle john and cousin denzel and his wife, karen. we miss you and we love you. there were some emotional reunions today at joint base andrews.

families and friends turned out to welcome dc air guard members returning home from afghanistan. about 175 members of the air guard, 113th wing arrived at andrews today. the 113th wing became the first air guard f-16 unit to conduct work in afghanistan. prince phillip, the duke, is 90 years old. he was attending the royal family's christmas festivities when he got sick. the hospital says precautionary tests are being done. a 5.8 quake rocks christchurch, new zealand. it sent items tumbling off store shelves and rattled residents's nerves. shoppers could be seen running from buildings. the quake also triggered mud

slides, covering roads and covering homes. our unseasonably mild weather is playing tricks on the area landscape. >> especially with christmas a couple of days away, the trees, the plants the flowers, they are thinking it might be spring. peggy fox joins us live from mcclain with more on the winter blossoms. >> it is the time for christmas trees. could it mean spring blossoms way too early? i went out to find out. >> it is not christmas like. >> reporter: usually two days before christmas, we are bundled up inside around the decorated trees. >> i just came from california so it is basically the same in california. >> reporter: usually we are not seeing things like this. spring bulbs pushing through the

ground. daffodils threatening to blossom too early. >> a little bit concerned that with the on and off with the weather like this, that, the trees are going to get nined and we may not have good spring blooming. >> reporter: david i don't, said don't worry. >> reporter: spring blooms will send their leaves up, even in the late winter and during the fall. then spring the flowers would bloom just as you expect. >> reporter: those bulb and his cheery trees can't bloom until they get a certain amount of very cold weather. >> inside of her is an embryonic flower. it is not going to bloom until it has met minimum chilling requirements. >> reporter: rest assured the blossoms will come when they are supposed to. there is plenty of time to plant more bulbs, for bigger color

this spring. >> i have tule lips and daffodils. what do you think? >> glad to know our blossoms are going to be okay peggy, thank you. >> are you going it complain about the mild weather too? that is all we hear from topper. >> reporter: you know it is what we see in late march. it is very unusual. we did get cooler today, temperature around 59 here at reagan national. the cooling trend does con. then we get mild again as we head into christmas. i'm going to start with video quiet most lay cross the country. except for albuquerque, new mexico. all that snow falling. black ice everywhere, it has been a mess. more snow expected, especially in the higher elevations of new mexico. through tomorrow seven more inches possible. some of the snow will be moving into the texas area over the

weekend. so folks in new mexico and texas may be getting a white christmas. i'm going to zoom in here into the new mexico area where we have snow falling and where you see these areas in white. especially the higher elevations getting us snow. also rain in parts of central texas and you know they need this rain. that is welcome relief. their christmas present for the weekend. here's a look at the mid-atlantic and in our area hey, it is quiet thanks to that ridge of high pressure. much of the east coast is quiet. a lot of folks are getting into town and we are going to see this quiet weather pattern con into the weekend. temperatures are falling 5 in bethesda. 46 in college park. 5 in an nap list -- in annapolis. chilly, then milder. dry and cold for tonight, sunny

saturday. but chilly. that means chilly for the redskins game. christmas day though, dry and milder. so for tonight what can you expect? you have holiday shopping, bring out the jackets, partly cloudy and cold. saturday morning partly cloudy and cold. you will need your jacket. northwest winds ill be 5 to 10 miles per hour. afternoon lots of sunshine but chilly, highs around 45 degrees with a northwest wind at 5 to 10 when you fact tore in the northwest wind that is a colder wind. highs around your saturday afternoon right around average for this time of year. 46 in downtown, 45 in college park. 46 toward the bay in annapolis. here's your saturday day planner. a cold start in the morning, chilly at noon with lots of

sunshine. mid-40s by 5:00. i hope you are in the sun for the vikings redskins game. temperatures near 45 degrees. chilly saturday, christmas is dry a little immediater in the 50s. we are watching tuesday a little system to the south of us. bringing us a chance for showers right now. after that then, high pressure is back in the region, dry and pleas ant the rest of next week. temperatures in the mid-40s by thursday. it is not white but it is going to be nice, anyway. the extension of the payroll tax cut is finally a done deal. coming up, why house republicans say holding up its passage was still the right thing to do. up next, police are hoping new surveillance video would help lead them to the identity of the geezer bandit. i like just saying that. we'll be back.

new information tonight in the case of the serial bank robber known as the geezer bandit. authorities in southern

california released this surveillance video from a bank robbery earlier this month. investigators say it shows the geezer bandit getting away in the parking lot whether a dye pack explodes. a couple cars pass by, as do two people on foot. the fbi is looking for those witnesses. eventually geezer runs off and investigators say that supports the theory that the suspect is actually a younger man wearing an elaborate hollywood mask. the bandit is responsible for 16 bank robberies dating back to august of 2009. in florida police say they had no trouble at all catching one beer drinking bandit in tampa bay. jon wood digital sainterred up to a bar, ordered a beer and then robbed a nearby wells fargo bank. then he came back to finish his brew. the 52-year-old man was arrested right there at the bar. tonight he is being held on $10,000 bond.

an itinerary change left relatives of a nine-year-old girl panicked when a plane arrived in new york and she wasn't on it. >> reporter: the family of clowe boyce says southwest airlines did not inform them when the girl had to unexpectedly change planes. the records showed her landing a la guardia airport when she was still in baltimore. >> it was the scariest moment of my life. >> reporter: the airline eventually called the mom and told her an employee took her off the plane in baltimore to rebook her because the flight she was on was overcrowded. the airline was apologize and given the family a refund. southwest's policy on un company minors aims to avoid these kind of situations by booking them only on flights where they do have to change planes. you are running out of time

to do the holiday shopping. we will tell you why night time could be the right time. >> reporter: i'm danielle nottingham on capitol hill. tax breaks for millions of americans. up next, the vice president takes a shot at mitt romney and the gop presidential candidate fires back at the obama administration. we'll be back.

the iowa caucuses less than two

weeks away, and gop presidential candidate mitt romney is taking shots. but not from his own party. vice president joe biden wrote an op ed in the de.register. the quote would double down on the policies that caused the greatest economic calamity since the depression. romney fired back saying both biden and president obama do not understand what it is like in real america. >> reporter: you wonder hear fantasy land he lives in. he needs to get out and meet with people. he seems to think he and his president have made things better. >> right now ron paul is leading the polls in iowa and he has been targeting newt gingrich with a series of negative ads. gingrich has been falling in the polls in iowa. his campaign is focusing on states that vote after iowa and south carolina. president obama signed the payroll tax cut extension after congress passed the short-term

measure this morning. that deals spares 160 million american workers a tax hike that would have hit them the first. >> reporter: president obama signed the payroll tax cut extension after both houses passed the bill friday morning. >> i want to thank all the members of congress for ending the stalemate and making this happen. >> reporter: the measure spares about 160 million american workers a tax hike come january 1. it also extends unemployment benefits through the end of february. the deal comes after house republicans bowed to pressure for political parties. >> this last year has been a knock down drag out fight. there is no reason to do that. >> reporter: house republicans did not like the two month extension. but they changed course so they would not be blamed for a tax hike going into an election year. >> we knew when we got into this fight the politics were against

us, but that it was the right thing to do. the agreement is seen as a political victory for president obama who waited until after the deal was done to join his family on vacation in hawaii. this is good news, just in the nick of time for the holidays. i want to be clear though, we have a lot more work to do. >> reporter: the deal means the average american worker gets to keep $20 a week in their paycheck. all sides say they want to reach a year long deal on the issue when they return to washington in january. danielle nottingham cbs news, washington. a u.s. congressman from virginia is breaking the rules by saying merry christmas to his constituents. congressman sky rye dell represents the hampton roads area and this year he was determined to disobey the congressional committee order

that there be no christmas or hannukah greetings from congress. so he put together this video that does exactly what he is not supposed to be doing. >> it is good and prop and right and constitutional for me to look into the camera and say to all of our friends and family across the second district and the great commonwealth of the of virginia and the country. merry christmas and happy hannukah. >> this is america, and we cherish and value our right to express ourselves and our faith. >> reporter: the congressman's holiday message has gone viral on youtube. he thinks the committee is overstepping the bounds. ready, set, shop. it is down to the wire. have you finished your christmas shopping yet? apparently a lot of you haven't. this is sky 9 over tyson's

corner. jessica doyle reports stores are burning the midnight oil to accommodate all of them and you. >> reporter: these last minute shoppers browsed the aisles all night long, taking advantage of the special extended hours at the macy's at tyson's center. one of the macy's to stay open all the way through until 6:00 p.m. christmas eve. >> i work long hours so i wait until the last minute to shop. >> reporter: this minute retailers have been stretching out their hours to draw in as many shoppers as possible. in a first toys r us is staying open 112 hours straight until 10:00 p.m. christmas eve. shoppers at macy's are finding discounts from 20 to 70% off. >> these were hanging out so i

grabbed them. >> that hard to buy for american can feel even harder to buy for. >> comfortable pajamas. gift of fragrance. if you riley want a -- really want a very special treat. diamond stud earrings. a slim fit suit and slim tie to update any suit and new, single serve coffee makers. >> the biggest gifts the deep discounts, that extra saturday to shop, and the extended hours at so many stores. because shopping early in the morning or late at night means you are not really fighting the crowds for parking spaces or for the register. jessica doyle, 9news now. if you waited until the last minute to finish up, don't feel bad. you have a lot of company. consumer reports estimates as of

last sunday 25% of us hadn't even started shopping yet. yeah some of us have some work to do. if some of the gifts you actually received missed a mark this christmas and you need to make a return, it might be easer. this year you may find longer return periods, fewer restrictions and cancelled fees on electronics that have been opened. so here's a look at some return policies. most retailers give you 90 days to bring back what you don't want. target has a 45 day return policy for electronics. wal-mart 15 to 30 days from december 26ing. but macy's has no cut off date. restocking you don't have to deal with them for apple, best buy, sears, radio shack. if you leave home without your receipt, target wal-mart and toys r us will likely be able to help you. but remember, would you that piece of paper or e-mail link,

you may only get the current selling price. steve? >> reporter: we'd like to correct a mistake we made yesterday. we inad volterra -- we inadvertently posted part of a washington post story. we regret the error and removed it from our website. a woman is beg fog whoever has. don't forget we are always on at wusa 9.com. stay with us. we'll be right back. 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. ♪

caught on tape a woman in yorkshire, england. the woman gets off the train and look at this. somehow slips backwards and falls between the train and the platform. amazingly, she was rescued very quickly. she had only cuts and bruises. police are now using this

videotape as part of a campaign to warn people don't get so drunk and go out on a station platform. teen sensation miley cyrus was caught on tape swearing at a fan while vacationing in costa rica. it happened while making her way to a waiting helicopter. the pair tried to excuse themselves from the fans when one of them called cyrus a name. incident is the latest in a string of controversies to taint the once squeaky clean reputation of the star. cyrus side on twitter -- said on twitter i can't tolerate that kind of rudeness. george michael thanked his doctors for seeing him through a bout of touch and go pneumonia. he said he was not supposed to speak for very long and was

still recovering from a crakeeotomy. the singer had been in the middle of a european tour when he became ill. a groggy music student from taiwan in hot water tonight after leaving a rare violin on a bus from philly. it is worth over $100,000. the taiwan cult mur organization loaned her the violin. philadelphia police say that instrument can be returned to them no questions asked. we sure hope it is. tis the season for cough and his colds and stuffy noses. how about natural remedies? we'll have a holistic holiday health alert. and it is going to be a cold night to bundle up. a look at your almanac, cooler today and breezy. that is still above the high of

45. we did pick up almost three tenth dollars of an inch of rain. up next an unusual emotional family reunion in a hockey arena full of fansful look at that.

hi, i'm amanda currently stationed in guam. i wanted to say hi to my family in virginia. happy holidays to everyone, i miss you and i'll see you soon. a military dad's surprise return from kosovo scores big with his christmas loving hockey loving family after weeks of preparation sargent thomas lawler pulled off a surprise in front of a packed arena. check it out. >> the bobcats game they are going to take my girls out on the ice and let them try to

shoot a puck at the goal and i'm going to be the goalie. when they are all done i'm going to take the mask off and show them it is me. >> what would it be? >> for my daddy to come home. >> did you wish really hard? what do you think? goalie, can you help her? >> it is good to be home right now. i'm excited to see my wife, jamie and the girls. >> i was so shocked. but it is the best christmas ever now. the best christmas present i've ever had. >> oh, that is really, really great. sargent lawler is home for ten days before he returns to kosovo for another nine to ten months and he is not sure if he will

make that return trip a surprise or not. derek? >> i never get tired of those stories. leslie. >> now we have to talk about coughs and colds sore throats and stuffy noses. it is the time of year for all that kind of stuff anita brickman introduces us to a holistic decision to share with us holistic remedies. >> who among us is doing that right now? as we husband and bustle during the holidays, we tend to sleep less and don't always eat foods rich in vitamins and antioxidants to replenish or bodies. then we head to gatherings full of people and germs. dr. tilley williams is a physician who practices in northwest dc. she doesn't prescribe drugs, but recommends certain herbs and minerals to make the immune

system stronger. >> it is antimicrobial. >> reporter: williams says most people take garlic pupments instead of eating a lot of the herb itself. whether it comes to ginger, she says buy it whole and enjoy. >> it heats up the body so it increases circulation. you can cut it up and boil it in some water and make a nice tea with it. >> reporter: recent studies also conclude that products containing zinc, can help a cold. few things can flush out the sinuses like a netty pot.

>> it clears out the mucous. >> the natural way to decongest yourself? >> absolutely yes. >> tilley williams is a physician licensed to practice right here in washington, d.c. she is not a medical doctor and cannot describe medication. interesting things to think about, particularly during this time of year. definitely, and we have had some mild conditions, already seeing some changes as of today. we saw the winds picking up, temperatures are dropping out there. a cold night, definitely bundle yourself up and the kids. if you are heading out to do some last minute hol thai shopping or guests going out to dinner, temperatures dropping to the 30ston. satellite radar pictures. it's been really quiet. a couple of flurries to the far

northeast. thanks to high pressure we are going to see lots of sunshine and fairly pleasant for the christmas weekend. right now temperatures 48 in downtown, 46 in college park. bethesda 44. andrews air force base 47 degrees. annapolis at 50 degrees. our small craft advisory expiring tonight. chilly and milder for the weekend. dry and cold tonight. sunday saturday and chilly. that means chilly for the redskins game. christmas is dry and looking to be a little bit wilder. partly and cloudy cold a two blanket night. mid 30 around downtown but low 30s in gaithersburg. partly and cloudy and cold. a northwest wind at 5 to 10. lots of sunshine but chilly, highs around 45 degrees which is where we should be for this time of year. our zone forecast oakland 37.

cumberland the lower 40s. winchester downtown 46 andrews air force base. here's a look at how your saturday breaks down. lots of sunshine by noon. 38 to 40 degrees, chilly by 5:00. chilly tomorrow, but christmas day milder in the 50s. monday upper 40s, cool we are lots of sunshine. here's a look at your 7-day forecast. we are talking about pleasant conditions. tuesday a system to the south and west of us that could potentially bring us a chance for showers. right now if i have to give you a number 30% or so. add to that high pressure back in control and seasonable conditions for wednesday and thursday and even 50s friday. so it is quiet weatherwise for the holiday weekend. >> no sight of any flakes in the forecast. >> not for us, no. time now for our high school sports feature of the week.

kristen with the story of a high school athlete giving back. thank you, derek according to the national adult literacy survey, 42 million adult americans can't read. it was a startling fact like that, that helped jump start a reading and mentoring program at south lake high school eight years ago. the man behind the idea former south lake basketball coach and local legend wendell bird. dave owens has his story. >> three hours from tipoff. most would consider this a pretty unusual pregame routine. game film? no. how about books? a lot of them. each week before their basketball became, south lake comes here to hunter's woods elementary to shed light on something more important than hoops. >> it is great to be popular. but if you don't have the hit that issy, you can't even do that. >> reporter: in other words, readers are leaders. but instead of teachers telling

them that, these student athletes show them. >> it is like a friend. a friend brother relationship. >> cool idea. >> reporter: and this is the man who started it. if you know anything about hoops and the dmv, you know former south lakes coach wendell bird. he has won titles and coached some of the greats. it is an impressive wall of fame, filled with memories of wins and notable players people around here would know very well. but bird was working on something outside of basketball and its impact would go far beyond wins and losses. reading. why? >> of the united states, we are behind. >> reporter: that is how readers are leaders was born. bird wanted to put the true power of sports to work. show kids that when fingers touch pages, great things can happen. but is it work something. >> last year, i never used to like reading. >> reporter: it appears so.

dave owens, 9 sports now. all right. thank you, dave. the readers are leaders program has spread to over 25 schools in northern virginia. they are geting to launch at their first school in prince william county. for the 9 sports, derek back over to you. >> reporter: coming on 9news now at 6:00. we submitted a freedom of information request about crime and metro. we'll tell what you we found out. it is a story you'll only see on channel 9. plus you'll find out about efforts to keep a caffeine inhaler from reaching the market. plus we'll hear from silver spring native ben stein and what he loves about christmas. where

police in prince george's county are looking for clues to a brutal assault in capital heights. a 70-year-old woman was severely beaten as she slept in her bed in the 500 block of drum avenue. we'll be getting to that story in just a few minutes. ben stein has the story on silver springs and christmas. >> reporter: my wife and i celebrate christmas big time. i'm sure we have more decorations than anyone near us has. why? on a superficial level it is because the outside lights on the tree and the fire are

festive. i awe no reason why general tiles should have all the fun. i still don't. having those lights on the tree is what i always wanted. but i love christmas for much more basic reasons. christmas is about something huge. you can be saved if you simply make a contract to believe in god and some add, if you act right. it has nothing to do with how you were born or into what tribe. this is a revolutionary spring of the human spirit. this is why christmas is such a joyous time for people jews or creativions or anyone else who want to believe we christians can be for goodrich, no matter what happened in our past. not the retail numbers, that is why christmas is such a great time. the lights and tree and shopping are nice but a dominant culture

that says love and peace are the highest values, that is what i want to honor. i don't honor retail sales numbers. i honor the forgiveness of and spirit of love. that is christmas for me. merry christmas everybody. just how safe are you when you are riding metro? in the last fiscal year riders took 350 million trips on trains and buses. our andrea mccarron went searching for answers. you are here to tell us what you recovered. >> reporter: a few months aggie covered an alleged assault on a metro bus. i wondered how often does this happen? we never hear about it. i used the freedom of information act to get information. >> reporter: metro delivered a sea of information to us, including data on all the assaults and incidents at parking