mostly cloudy skies around the city area right now. but it is that wind chill that you will have to contend with. it is feeling like 34 degrees at andrews air force base. a little warmer toward the water. we're definitely in for a very brisk day today. in fact, we'll have that sunshine but our highs should only make it up to about 46 degrees. it will feel a couple of degrees colder than that throughout the day. tomorrow is when the rain arrives. not a whole lot of rain but some off and on showers through much of the daylight hours on your tuesday. then we dry things out on wednesday. bullet keep our temperatures seasonably chilly in the 40s for most of the week. monika? >> just wiping the sleep out of your eyes, just getting out of bed and you're watching this morning, i'm happy to give you good news for a change. the beltway looks great. we're going to head over to the west side. there are a few people who need to go to work. this is what it looks like for you on the dulles toll road. mostly green. 66 all green out of gainesville. that means it is a go all the way to the beltway and inside the beltway as well.

let's take a live look at route 7. no problems to report. on 66 inside the beltway to the roosevelt bridge, you will be just fine. back over to the maps, this time, we'll head all the way to the east side. bw parkway, no problems as you head in from baltimore. no problems on route 50. you have a bit of the yellow here right around the beltway. no big deal. rest assured you will be absolutely fine. let's take a live look at route 50 if you're coming in from the bay bridge near the beltway and through cheverly, the lanes are open. no incidents to deal with this morning. coming up, we'll take a look into virginia at 6:11. mike? >> all right, monika, thank you. >> it is a holiday today for a lot of people but for those people who are off from their traditional jobs, it still could be work because it is time to head to the mall and return the gifts and find some new deals. jessica doyle is live in chevy chase where she is ready to shop. good morning, jess. >> i would love to shop! i can't wait until the stores

open up. mike, we're starting to see some signs of life. our first employee of the morning has showed up for opening up at 9:00 a.m. this morning. this nice young lady is here quite early. now, at bloomingdale's behind us, the store is going to open up a little early. it will be open at 8:00 a.m. from 8:00 a.m. until noon, they'll be doing the door buster specials. this is being termed megamonday. it is the third biggest shopping day of the year. because everybody is coming in and they're making those returns. and a lot of folks, about seven in ten are expected to pick up something while they're making a return or an exchange. now, we caught up with d.c. resident sandra gomez. she doesn't plan on doing a lot of returns today. she's going to do some r & r and that means shopping. >> rest a little bit. it is my last day being on vacation so i have to go to work on tuesday. i think i will probably go and check the christmas savings

probably 50%, 75% off. >> i will not go early. whenever my body feels like waking up, i will wake up. >> i'm with sandra, if you don't have to wake up early, don't wake up. there are lots of incentives to get you out of bed early. at bloomingdale's, i mentioned 8:00 to 12:00, a door buster special. an extra $50 off men's coats. loman's across the street, an extra $20 off coupon and 50% off certain items from 8:00 to 12:00. kohl's, that opened up at 5:00 a.m. stores in the area, they'll be doing door buster deals all the way to 1:00 p.m. you'll want to hospital is coupons today. if you have some interest in picking up some after christmas sales. good deals throughout for you. if you want them. with that, mike, i'm going to send it back to you in the studio. >> jess, before you go, we see

the preliminary numbers from black friday and some of the preliminary numbers from retailers saying this has been a solid season so far. can that eventually translate into green arrows on wall street, do you think? >> it would be nice if it did. they're predicting this christmas is going to be up about 3.2% higher than this time last year. record sales on black friday, record sales on cyber monday. a lot of people have actually turned around returned some of the things because they did pick things up so early. i was talking to a market strategist over the weekend, i know that sounds strange and he -- he is predicting we're going see maybe a 3% top for the top in the first couple of weeks of the year. that's one person's estimation. we have to settle out with europe. there are estimatations it will bring good things. >> thanks, jess. we'll talk to you in a little bit. >> friday morning, we showed you all of the people waiting outside the area malls to buy shoes. nike "air" jordan retro concord

shoes to be exact is what they're called i guess. they retail for $180 a pair. we looked on ebay for the heck of it. a pair of size 12s going for $750. they're sneakers, people. i'm just sayin'. the widow of a virginia tech police officer killed on campus says she is amazed so far about the outpouring of support she's received since the murder of her husband. officer deriek crouse was shot and killed during a traffic stop on december 8th and people do not know why. police do not know why ross ashley killed officer crouse and then eventually killed himself. in the days that followed, tina crouse said she has received gifts, letters and more than $150,000 from a charity set up by two virginia tech students. she tells the roanoke times that "in all of the ugliness that's happened, i've never felt more beauty in my life." she plans on returning to cosmetology school next month.

>> today marks the day 101 for the occupy protest movement. one of the few protests left but going on is here in washington. the everyone campment at mcpherson square just blocks from the white house. it stayed relatively peaceful there with park police and protestors keeping the peace together. that has drawn some new people into the district. >> well, there is not any real viable occupy in the midwest. and it was either this or wall street. and wall street sounded like they were in trouble. this place would have had it together. and so it is a little warmer, too, frankly. >> occupy protest organizers tell us here in d.c., about 75% of the camp cleared out for the holidays. they're hoping to regroup for the new year. quite a christmas present in maryland. one lucky person is holding a $125 million powerball ticket. it was sold at a liquor store in elkton which is in cecil

county right near the delaware border. derek tells us who is cashing in. >> on telegraph road in elkton, wesley's has been selling liquor for decades but never has the buzz been this strong. >> mind-boggling. to have this thing happen to us. >> john wesley can't believe his family-run business just sold the $125 million winning powerball ticket. he proudly showed us a copy of the winning numbers. the ticket automatically earns his store $25,000 but after taxes, the winner walks away with nearly $52 million in cash. >> john knows many of his customers and says the powerball winner has already called the store to confirm his numbers. >> one of my employees talked to him and he said he think he has the ticket here. they said asked the number. he said i will be in about two

days to see you. >> this is only the second time that a winning powerball jackpot ticket has been sold at a maryland store. >> we spend every christmas eve here. and on our way out, my husband bought a ticket. >> wesley's regular carrie hoped she was the winner but not so. now she and the rest of elkton wait to find out whose christmas wish is coming true. >> there were a lot of people in and out yesterday. i hope it is somebody that really needs the money. you know. it is a lot of money. it is going to change their lives for the better, i hope. but a great christmas present. a really great christmas present. >> now, as you heard derek say, that was not the first big winner in maryland. back in september, a hartford county cashed in $108 million lottery ticket. wow. pretty cool. ok, time now, 6:08. we'll show you an ann designed to help children with autism learn new words. it was designed by a dad who wanted to help his own kids. up next, a check of the monday

forecast. your weather first when 9news now returns. stay with us.

welcome back, everyone. it is 6:11. we're looking at a forecast today that will stay on the chilly side. although we some cloud cover this morning. we'll get some sunshine working in here by 9:00. temperatures will remain in the 40s until we get to about midday. we should peak around 46 degrees but we're keeping a brisk wind the entire time. monika? >> we'll take a live look at 95 in virginia. coming up from lorton all the way to springfield and on to 395. very light this morning. no worries as you head into downtown. using 95 and 395. coming up, another look at area roads at 6:18. >> thanks, monika. >> it is now 6:12. here is a check on what's making news this morning. islamic militants have claimed responsibility for two deadly christmas day bombings at a church in nigeria. at least 35 worshippers were killed and 52 others were injured. police in connecticut say five members of one family were killed in a fire christmas morning. among them, a 10-year-old and

7-year-old twins and two other adults. two people did manage to escape. pope benedict xvi called for peace across the world during his traditional christmas address. the pontiff urged catholics to remember the poor and suffering this holiday season. >> well, you've heard it so maybe times, the saying there is an app for that. well, a virginia dad has created an ipad app to help children with autism. as stephanie harris reports, the first two kids getting help are his own. >> you air talk is the name of the app. joe hill created for his sons who both have autism. >> i wanted something a lot of families could use. >> this is what he came up with. nouns and verbs appear like flashcards on the screen. kids touch the picture to learn a word. >> potty. potty. >> or put them together to form simple sentences.

>> i want to open the potty. >> doctors concur kids with autism connect with this kind of technology but warn it shouldn't be their only tool for learning. >> when you're initiating language, this is a good thing to start learning how to do something but you're still going to need eye contact with the person you're talking with. >> parents like that children hear their voices and it is simple to use. >> want to add a word, you just hit nouns or a verb and you just hit add. and you type on the image. >> next to the picture, joe took this one of our video camera. he clicks use then types the word camera, records his voice and hits save. >> camera. >> talk about camera. >> theoretically, you could add a new word every day. and expand your baby's vocabulary the way joe says his

kids have. >> that was stephanie harris reporting. a doctor thinks this app could eventually be used to help stroke patients relearn language and help toddlers build their language skills. all right. big weather time. olga is in for all of the shoppers, you're heading out. windbreaker maybe in addition to everything else you layer up this morning. >> a little bit of a coat layer because of the wind chill we have working right now. we'll see some sunshine today. so, it is going to be a pleasant day. it will look gorgeous. we have the sunglasses with you as well. but because of the northwest winds, it is going to feel chilly and brisk most of the entire day. especially this morning if you're getting the early start for those door opening bargains, it is going to be quite cold. our temperatures are in the 40s. we'll hover right around the lower 40s through the 9:00, 10:00 hour. sunshine kicks in by noontime, we still have a bit of a breeze working. temperatures should be a little bit closer to 44, 45 degrees toward the middle of the day. reagan national should make it up to about 46.

even 50 in the southern zones. it won't be a bad day but with the winds brisk at 10 and 15 miles per hour and then the gusts higher than that, we'll see the opportunity for wind chill-like conditions throughout the day today. so, here's what you need to know over the next 24 to 48 hours, cold and brisk start today with the sunshine moving on in. we'll keep it chilly the entire day. tomorrow, clouds move in and along with a rain chance coming into the extended forecast. satellite and radar staying on the quiet side for right now. but with the sunshine working in today, we're going to see a little bit of a bump in our current temperatures over the next several hours. but be prepared for that wind chill as you step out this morning. the next three days ahead for us, looking pretty good for us. we'll see the breezy conditions for today but overnight lows at least are staying above freezing for tonight. when you start off on your tuesday commute, we'll see some sunshine in the morning but we'll fill in the cloud cover

by tuesday. midday to late afternoon. i think the rain will start to arrive. it is not a lot of rain but it will be constant off and on showers through much of the daytime. we'll dry it out on wednesday and thursday. monika? >> well, overall, i'm happy to say if you're one of those like us that had to go to work this morning, it will be a very easy ride all around the beltway. we'll take a look on the northside of town. look at all of the green no problems out of frederick. i-70 heading to 270, everything is fine to the point where the lanes divide. let's take a live look at 270. this is what it has been looking like since i got here before 4:00 this morning. along 270, no issues whatsoever. all lanes are open. no construction to worry about as well. and no hov restrictions. we'll take a look back at the maps. this time, we'll go all the way to the south side of town. the beltway looks great through annandale. and on 95 coming north from the

occoquan river, we'll take a live look into springfield again. no hov restrictions to worry about at all in virginia. the only place is route 50 in maryland. that's always the case there. by the way if you're taking metro this morning, it does open at 7:00 in the morning and it will run until midnight. we'll take a live look at the 14th street bridge. if you're heading into the downtown area, using 395, you will be ok right into the northwest corridor. in fact, all of the corridors, potomac and anacostia crossings looking great. mike, i will help you out with today's morning lights. all month long, we're showing off photos of holiday displays sent in by you, our viewers. >> friday morning we showed you pictures from the jeffrey family in west virginia. and i said i wanted to see more and the jeffries came through! because we didn't see the arch. look at this. it is amazing. lights up their driveway. you can see the house down at the end. the jeffries sent in shots of the great nativity scene in lights. they confirm yes, they do have

35,000 lights outside their home. >> 35,000. >> 35,000. william jeffries says he does it all to make people smile. >> if you want too see any of the homes we feature this december, just go to wusa9.com in the search bar at the top of the home page, just search morning lights. the time is 6:19. coming up next, the wizards get ready to tip off their season tonight. >> first, let's get another check on the question of the morning. according to a "usa today" poll, americans eat 100 pounds of each of these every second. is it chocolate, salt or cheese? >> i think it would be our selection. this past weekend. >> i know. our facebook friends are not taking the day off. ing red says it has to be b, salt. we eat more chocolate and cheese than that, especially with me around. >> i wrote a list of the cheeses i ate. we were comparing notes. gouda, brie, jalapeno, cheddar. >> keep your guesses coming. we'll have the answer coming up

at 6:49. we'll be right back.

welcome back. i'm olga breese in for howard bernstein on this monday morning. it is cold outside. temperaturewise, we're doing ok sitting in the 40s. breezes out of the north andest in that is making it feel much more chilly. inside the beltway, mainly into the 40s. our day planner will feature cool temperatures throughout the day today. we're looking at plenty of sunshine by late afternoon but the northwest winds will hold us into the middle range pushing the upper 40s by late day. >> announcer: now, 9 sports with kristin berset. the best sports in town. >> good morning, everybody. here's your first look at sports. while much of the nba spent the holiday on the court, the wizards had one extra day to prepare for tonight's season opener. they host the new jersey nets to kick off the shortened season. the last three seasons the

wizards have missed the playoffs and finish at the bottom of the division. but with the season full of back to back and some to back games, the wizards feel their youth gives them an advantage. >> the people with young players, if you had a lot of them, you'll say they have young legs, they can recuperate pretty quick and then bounce back. >> i think it can help us because we're a young teen. au season, playing five games in one day. it can be tough at times but i think it should help us, younger team with younger legs. >> to yesterday's nba action, heat at mavericks in dallas. an nba finals rematch. this one all miami. pay back time? dirk stolen back the other way. lebron to wade for the flush. heat won by 11. it didn't even look nearly that close. bulls at lakers, kobe nursing a wrist injury. 1-point game with under 10 seconds. rose shakes fisher for the crossover and the floater. nice!

bulls up 1. you know they're going to kobe. drives baseline. gets rejected. bulls win 88-87. bears fighting for their playoff lives in green bay taking on the packers. it was the aaron rogers show. off the play action, rogers with time airs it out to a wide open jordedy nelson. 55-yard touchdown. 8:00 later, rogers, 6 yards scored to james jones. second for jones on the day. five total for rogers as the packers roll 35-21. that's your morning sports. remember, wizards somebody opener tonight -- season opener tonight. we'll have full coverage. i'm kristin berset. have a great monday. >> up next, learn what the number one topic was this year when it came to facebook status updates. plus, an update on the presidential campaign newt gingrich trying again to get on the primary ballot in virginia. before we head to break, here's

a quick check of the commute. monika? >> a nice look at the american legion bridge on the west side of town. volumes are light along the west side between 66 and 270. more good news on area roadways coming up in my next report. you're watching 9news now. we'll be right back.

6:29. thanks for waking up with us this monday. this is the place you can always get your weather first.

live look at friendship heights. clear sky. 38 degrees here right now. thanks for starting your day with us. i'm mike hydeck. andrea and howard are off this week. olga breese is live on the weather terrace bundled up hopefully because it is chilly. >> it is indeed. this is not the morning to forget your hat or gloves. although we have a very high, thin cloud deck outside, this breeze is something else this morning. with our temperatures in the 40s, it is feeling like the 30s with the wind chill. our day planner will feature a lot of sunshine when we get to midday and late afternoon. with highs only in the middle range and pushing toward the upper 40s, it will feel much colder than that all day long. i'll have details on the seven- day forecast in just a couple of minutes. now, let's take a look at traffic. >> we'll start off with the beltway, olga. looking good as i've been saying since we got here early this morning. there have been no problems to report all around town on the beltway. we're going to take a look at the gw parkway. in fact, let's take a live look at 270 first from germantown

here at middlebrook road. no problems really the length from frederick all the way down to the point where the lanes divide. let's go back over to the map at the gw parkway. no problems to report as you head down to the 14th street bridge. 66 to the roosevelt bridge. live look at the 14th street bridge heading into downtown actually using 95, 395. even down in fredericksburg, all lanes are open. no construction to worry about. vdot canceled that for the holiday monday. we're going to take a live look if you're planning to head into downtown using the sousa bridge. no problems to report here. we're look good on all of the potomac and anacostia river crossings. mike, all this week at this time, i'm going to bring you the tops of 2011. can you guess what the top subject of facebook status was this year? >> hmm, the top. topic of conversation on facebook. >> exactly. >> what was the top thing? >> would it be --

>> can you guess? >> snowmageddon, beyonce pregnant. >> let me tell you, number five was the death of steve jobs. number four, charlie sheen. definitely. winning. in third, the casey anthony verdict. number two, the packers winning the super bowl. and number one, the death of osama bin laden. who can forget that, right? on may 1st, when that news broke, 10% of facebook statuses posted in english were about bin laden's death. not on the list, the controversial redesign of facebook itself. i'm still on the fence about that. >> a lot of people complaining. >> they keep redesigning. >> the whole time line thing. >> you know what, i posted something about bin laden that night, too. it was such a shocking announcement. the sunday night. remember it? >> wanted to get the word out. >> as a newsy, you do that. cool. glad you're here, monika. >> well, now we look ahead to campaign 2012 and the race for

the republican nomination. it seems to get a little bit more complicated. the iowa caucuses are a week away and the new hampshire primary is the week after that. former massachusetts governor mitt romney has a commanding lead in the polls there in new hampshire. "boston globe" and the una survey found, 39% of likely voters in new hampshire support mitt romney. another 17 favor ron paul. john hudson is the only other candidate in double digits with 11%. however, the same poll finds 46% of those voters are still undecided on who they would choose. newt gingrich said he's now exploring options to get on the primary ballot in virginia. the former house speaker failed to submit enough signatures last week to qualify. gingrich says he thought he sent in the 10,000 needed to get on the ballot. the g.o.p. says he didn't. texas governor rick perry failed to make the virginia ballot. virginia will hold its primary on super tuesday which is march 6th. police in richmond want to find a killer and a kidnapper. they say he first murdered two

people on christmas eve and then stole a car with a 2-year- old boy inside. the child was found ok and is with relatives now. edward lee obamaer jr. and robin cheryl class were killed. police are looking for the man they say killed them. 27-year-old jamal lewis clemens. they say after the murders, clemens stole the car not knowing the 2-year-old boy was in the backseat which set off an amber alert. the boy was found and given back to his mom. ok. 6:34. we're watching your money. a lot of us will be spending it shopping today. whether it is bringing something back or look for the deals after christmas, or picking up a gift santa didn't bring to your house, jessica doyle is live with the post- christmas shopping rush. >> good morning, jess. >> good morning, mike. the scene lined me, sephora is starting to get the day going for all of the shoppers coming out later.

they're inside. they're putting up new signage. there is a sign on the front window that says i'm dreaming of... for the retailers, they're dreaming of a strong finish to the holiday shopping season. now, today, they're terming megamonday. they say this is going to be the biggest return and exchange day of the year. also expected to be the third biggest holiday shopping day of the year. now, we caught up with d.c. residents sandra gomez. she is not planning on doing any returns today but she does want to shop. >> i don't like -- i purchase stuff, if they don't fit me, oh, well. i don't like to go back and return. i don't like that. >> reporter: but you will buy something. >> yes. i will. >> reporter: now, the stores have been extending their hours and they also have some door busters to get you out the door so you can come in with your returns and maybe pick some stuff up. believe it or not, 70% of the folks who actually returned something will buy something

while they're back at the store. bloomingdale's right behind me here opens up at 8:00 a.m. and from 8:00 to noon, they're going to be doing some extra specials. loman's across the street, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00, they're doing specials. kohl's eped up at 5:00. they're going to do specials until 1:00 p.m. target opens at 7:00 a.m. this morning. just a couple of stores to get you going. thinking about some of the deals that could be had in the stores this morning. mike, i'm going to send it back to you. >> jess, we heard the retailers do a large chunk of their business in this sort of shopping time. what about after christmas? is there still a good percentage of revenue they get in the day after or a couple of days after christmas? >> very much so. the holiday shopping season as we well know is the most critical season for the retailers. black friday was coined because they got back in the black. there is some speculation whether or not that's the case anymore. i will tell you that the industry analysts say about 10% of total holiday sales happen

after the gifts are opened, after you figured out what you like, what you didn't like. those gift cards get redeemed so the next couple of days are actually quite important for the retailers, 10% of total holiday sales will take place then. >> fingers crossed that will help the economy. thanks, jess live in chevy chase this morning. if you look at the calendar, you might see something that says boxing day is today. what is boxing day? have you ever looked it up? it is a holiday celebrated in britain, canada and australia and other countries formerly under british rule. it got its name because people who went to church on christmas day would put money in a box for the poor and the box would be opened the day after christmas, december 26th. also many servants had to work christmas day so the 26th, their rich employers would give them boxes of gifts or leftover food. these days, it is just the day after christmas. >> weatherwise, it will be a good day today! sunny skies, highs in the mid- 40s. up next, a look at the new

year's eve forecast. and in nine minutes, the amazing story of one girl's christmas request from santa. you do not want to miss this story. we'll be right back. >> did you know you were asking for something that was kind of tough? >> yes, but -- well, it is tough to go around the world in one night! >> that's true. >> and i never wanted anything more than that.

welcome back.

6:43. we're back with your weather first. it was warm here for christmas.comparatively. check out how they celebrate down under in sidney. they packed the beaches. santa has all of the santas have their hats and red and white speedos. of course, it is summer there. 79 degrees on the beach. oh, my goodness. that would sound wonderful right now. really, it was not bad at all. it really wasn't bad. >> we did well. we got away with some pretty good weather for people traveling around, maybe hitting the road or having some folks come into town. everyone got where they needed morrow could be a wet day. things might be tricky on the commute tomorrow morning. today's weather though, we're getting the sunshine moving on through. the sky is now clearing. we're seeing a little bit more of those brisk breezes so far this morning. that's going to continue through midday. but by late afternoon, the northwest winds are really going to hold us down. by about the 12:00 hour, most of us should get out of the lower 40s and into the middle

40s by 5:00 or 4:00, our daytime highs should be reached at about 46 degrees. then starting at 5:00, we'll begin to back on down as we clear our skies to partly cloudy overnight tonight. here's how we're looking for the short term. your weather headlines, brisk and cold start for this morning. we'll definitely see a lot of sunshine into the afternoon but keep in mind it will be chilly. you want the jacket and gloves with you. milder weather is on the way coming our way for tuesday. satellite and radar is really clearing out nicely. we have mainly clear skies around washington, d.c., a few clouds off into the mountains but things will be fairly nice in toward the afternoon. the wind gusts, few hefty ones still at 20, 25 miles per hour. but for the most part, the wind gusts are starting to improve as we head to the later hours of the morning and into the afternoon. we should be quite normal. currently, we're at about 45 degrees for college park. 42 for rockville. 42 out toward fairfax as well. much warmer by the way. that feels like temperature is

definitely on the chilly side. with the future cast forecast model, quiet throughout the day today. then for tomorrow, we start out with clear skies overnight. we'll begin some clouds by early tomorrow morning. but by tuesday, your commute should be dry heading out in the afternoon though. with rains move on through and stay with us through much of the evening clearing out by about 10:00 p.m. a look at the extended forecast moving past tuesday with the rain into wednesday and thursday. even friday is pretty good as well. temperatures push in toward those lower 50s but by saturday, new year's eve, we hit a high of 58 degrees. on new year's day, we keep it dry and near 50. monika? >> i'm going to use your words, olga. quiet and uneventful a good indication of what you're going to expect when you hit the roads if you're commuting to work. great day to commute. no problems to report. live look actually down in alexandria at route one between the wilson bridge and i-95 taking a look at the live

picture at route one. no problems to report here as you travel between the two points, 95 and the wilson bridge. 95 is looking great as well. we'll go over to a map. springfield, northbound 95, no problems from the occoquan river as you head up into springfield, the length to the 14th street bridge, everything is running smoothly. this time, we'll take a look at the west side. 66 looking great from gainesville toward manassas and over to the beltway. no problems on the dulles toll road. as you head in from leesburg, we're looking good in the tysons area. i know that will get busy with shoppers a little later this morning. here's 66 at the east falls church metro. metro does open at 7:00 this morning and then they will continue until about midnight. now to a truly amazing christmas story and proof that the best gifts don't have a price tag. >> so glad you stayed with us. this is one of the stories you definitely do not want to miss this morning. steve hartman has a lesson in

holiday spirit. >> reporter: when santa showed up at tar river elementary, near raleigh, north carolina -- >> you all been good? >> he not only brought gifts, he brought every second grader the exact toy they had asked for in their letters. >> did everybody get what they wanted? >> yeah, obviously! >> thank you! >> every kid that is. but stephanie arnold. >> who refused to ask him for a single toy. >> dear santa, my daddy is in iraq. could you bring him home for christmas. >> that would be the best gift of all. >> did you know you were asking for something that was kind of tough? >> yes but, well, it is tough to go around the world in one night! >> that's true. >> and i never wanted anything more than that. >> bethany's dad, arnold is a contractor in iraq. he's been working on that country's much-needed

electrical infrastructure. >> i understand that he has to stay and help people. >> she's only seen him two weeks in the last two years. >> but i do miss him a lot. >> last time they saw each other, while he was on leave in germany, they exchanged these key chains. >> this is his heart. she carries his while he holds on to hers. >> the next time i see you, i'll give your heart back. >> unfortunately, bringing two hearts together at christmas isn't always a government priority. which is why this year, bethany decided to appeal to a higher authority. santa. >> she even asked him again at school. >> santa, for christmas, i want my dad to come home. >> and that is when her wish began coming true. that's when she got her heart back. and that's when this santa revealed to all of us the true meaning of christmas.

>> daddy! >> there's not a toy in the workshop that ever got this kind of reaction. >> you sure you don't want something else? >> just so happy that you're home. >> reporter: not a bow big enough to wrap the joy. steve hartman, on the road near raleigh, north carolina. >> that's what matters. >> i need a tissue. that was amazing. >> ok. >> collect ourselves. >> that's right. >> let's answer the question of the morning this morning. according to a "usa today" poll, americans collectively eat 100 pounds of which one of these things every second? >> it wasn't our answer. >> we said cheese. >> the answer is a, chocolate. >> we ate a lot of chocolate, too. >> we did, too. >> but it totally comes in second. >> this year. >> to the 17 kinds of cheese i added to random things.

we have a check of the news before you go coming up next.

time now is 5:53. we have mainly clear skies. 6:53 we have mainly clear skies. we'll see sunshine through midday and late day. highs making it into the middle range. going to feel much cooler with the wind chill moving on through. we will pull in some rain tomorrow in the forecast. monika? >> i'll take it olga, thank you. 6:53 this monday, december 26th. here is a check of the news. "the washington post" reports an outside firm is going to investigate the suspicious standardize the test scores among d.c. public school students. our partners at "usa today" reported that in march more than 100 d.c. schools had unusually high rates of erasures on exams leading to questions about the test results. >> montgomery county is seeking

a $1 million grant to bring capital bike share program there. if approved, 29 stations would be set up throughout the county. several stations will open in rockville and shady grove next year. the wizards tip off their season tonight at verizon center. d.c. hosting the new jersey nets starting at 7:00. they're hoping for a better season than last year's 23-59 performance. we'll have one more check of weather and traffic when 9news now returns. stay with us. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast,

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of president obama yet? the first family is in hawaii celebrating christmas. watch the little baby right there. stuck his finger right in the president's mouth. this is just an 8-month-old. he didn't know what he was doing. he doesn't know it is the president. the president has two kids of his own. he was fine with it. got a big smile out of it. >> the parents didn't stop him either. >> adorable. >> he handled it really well. >> you cannot stop a 8-month- old. >> olga? >> we're a little breezy this morning. we're working sunshine later this afternoon. highs in the middle range 40s for most of us. it will feel cooler. not working in the rain until tomorrow. it will be a little bit wet and messy into the afternoon. but temperatures will be cooler behind that next system thursday and friday, we dry things out. wednesday and thursday, we dry things out. by friday, we have a slight chance of rain. so far looking good. >> been a little lonely out on the roadways. like mike said this morning,

hello, are you throughout? this is what it looks like on route 4 pennsylvania avenue heading down to oxon hill. guess what, there is an one accident out of white hall, route 210 at swan creek road. here's 95. how often does it look like this at 6:59 in the morning looking good from the occoquan to springfield. on to 395. last look at 270, the same story as you head down from frederick to shady grove road and down to the point where the lanes divide. olga and i will be back in 25 minutes with a live update on traffic and weather. >> olga, we were talking about the weather forecast, the 'skins on sunday. >> it is going to be a little bit on the cool side but at least it is going to be dry. >> join us tomorrow at 4:25 to 7:00 a.m. learn when you can recycle your christmas tree and what you should do before you put it out on the curb. these guys will be back in 25 minutes with weather and traffic. hope you have a great day, everybody. take care.