we are dealing with him and get more information and we will interview her in addition to canvassing the area to see if there were other witnesses, see if there is any video. all of those types of things we are following up on. >> here's the troubling part, police have very little information that they are working on. as far as the description for this suspect. he is a black male who speaks with a southern draw. he has a southern accent. he has a medium complexion and he does have a mustache. aside from that, that's about all they have as far as a description. they are hoping someone out here saw something and knows something and will give them a call. we're live downtown, 9news now. >> thank you. >> meantime, two men are stabbed outside a bar in d.c. and now a council member says enough is enough. he wants the place shut down. it is the mood lounge northwest near the washington convention center. council member says a fight inside spilled out on to the street last night and led to the stabbing. both victims are in stable

condition. evans says the mood lounge has a history of trouble. he is calling for an emergency three-day closure for new year's weekend. he also wants the place out of business permanently. >> despite all those crimes, they are poised to mark the lowest murder rate. >> murders are down 18% in the district. some critics say these statistics are inflated. delia is live outside police headquarters with more on the numbers game and what police are saying about it. delia. >> reporter: police and kathy lanier wrapped up a news conference telling us her side of the story and the figures they gathered so far. the last couple of day, 108 murders this year. the largest that we have seen in the district since 1963. >> as 2011 winds down, d.c. is a safer place to be. according to the mayor and police chief. >> when i started here in 1990, the two things that used to really bother me is that we were known as the murder

capital of the world and the city of unsolved homicides. our detectives and our police officers have done an amazing job in turning that around. >> 108 murders, down 18%, and a 94% homicide closure rate. that beats out the national average of 65%. but the president of the fop claims overall crime is on the rise. he blames the occupy d.c. movement for draining resources. >> in fact, there's been a double digit increase in violent crimes and jour all crime overall crime in the city. >> based on the time of year, but to blame that on occupy is crazy. >> and the chief credits the community for keeping the crime numbers low and is now asking the community once again to help in the police's effort to continue their positive trend. police are rewriting district boundary lines because of the increase in boundary areas. >> it made my police resources

not evenly distributed. >> this is going to be good for public safety. we had a respectful disagreement and we'll see what happens. >> the chief goes on to thank members of the community who live east of the river. she says with their help, they have been able to cut the murder rates east of the river in half. coming up new at 6:00, we'll take a closer look at the numbers and some of the challenges that plague this department, including these two outstanding murder warrants. back to you, derek, anita. >> lots of different viewpoints. thanks for breaking it down for us. >> one group of occupy protesters is taking on a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of d.c. city leaders. their call to have d.c. vince gray went unanswered. jonathan joins us live from mcpherson square with more. >> reporter: some members have taken on a new name and they have also taken on a new

mission. washingtonens have had no voting representation. they say they are part of the occupy to vote movement. they are met and organized from the occupy d.c. group. now, they are taking on a different cause. they want d.c. to have voting rights. adrian has been on a hunger strike for 23 days. he has already lost 20-pounds and some of his friends have vowed not to eat for 51 days. >> 51 days allows us to show that dream for the 51st state for district of columbia and also to show that 51 people are willing to give food up, to give up substance for 24 hours. >> 63-year-old joyce robinson paul says she'll sign a pee addition for d.c. state hood. >> you know, we don't have a say in in addition. we are not -- we don't have a

voice in the national legislation. >> the organization did invite mayor vince gray. the mayor was a no show. >> i'm very, very disappointed he did not show up. he voiced support for this issue many times, getting arrested himself. i guess he had a schedule conflict, which doesn't make sense to us very much because public schedule is absolutely clear today. >> the mayor does support the occupy group and was once arrested alongside the protesters. his reason for not showing up today? >> i don't know anything about it. i didn't know i was invited. >> i just answered that. >> i also talked to the mayor's handlers and they stressed that the mayor does support the occupy group. he had other issues he had to tend to. live from mcpherson, anita, derek. >> thanks jonathan.

>> latest polls from iowa show mitt romney holding on to his lead with ron paul close behind. danielle in des moines where there was an emotional moment in the final countdown to next week's republican caucuses. >> reporter: anita, so far, there aren't any major shakeups on the campaign trail today, but the candidates were out again hitting the ground hard trying to win over voters. crowds bundled up in the iowa chill to hear a candidate with a campaign that is heating up. >> this race is not just about replacing president obama. important as that is, it's also a race about saving the soul of america. >> mitt romney brought along a powerful ally. new jersey governor, chris cristie, a star among conservatives. struggling in 5th place, newt gingrich broke down at a cafe in iowa sharing memories of his mother. >> i would say to her that i will do everything i can as a

candidate to be worthy of ourselves. >> the emotional exchange brought applause from the crowd of mostly mothers. michele bachmann has fallen even further in the polls and drew just a handful of sports in north western iowa. >> our effort wasn't to bring crowds out, we were just dropping in. >> this hasn't been a typical year in the leadup to the caucuses. national debates rather than face to face meetings with voters have driven the polls. but handshakes are all the candidates have left before tuesday night. after a poor showing in 2008, romney is making a final push to finish strong. >> he made a good decision to come back and be part of this community and be part of iowa. >> i can't remember the last time i went out of my way to see a political candidate. >> but ron paul and rick are close in the polls. they spent a lot of time on the ground here and their campaigns expect that to pay off. >> romney is leaving for new hampshire this evening, but he will return to iowa tomorrow to

continue campaigning. in des moines, iowa, danielle nottingham, now back to you, anita. thank you danielle. rick perry is holding a number of meet and greets in iowa today. a new poll puts him in fourth place, sliding gingrich into fifth. well, outside are many lawsuits or challenges going on. only two gop presidential candidates who will appear on the virginia primary ballot, because they failed to get enough signatures to qualify. the republican party of virginia is requiring voters to sign a loyalty oath. meaning when you vote in the march 6 primary, you also pledge to vote to with whoever the republican nominee is in november. surae is here and has been looking into this. loyalty oath? really? >> this has become interesting. people are talking about this. when it comes to voters and lawmakers within the republican party, they are asking this, how can you impose a promise when there is no front runner,

no clear front runner. no nominee, no republican nominee, and you are basically cornering people's conscious. >> why would you tell people you are going to vote for a ghost at this point? >> robert marshall of manassas is going against his own republican leadership in virginia on this issue. >> to tell people you have to, right now, decide on march 6 that whoever is nominated in june in florida will be your candidate. >> seeing the debates, to lock into a choice without seeing how it transgresses takes the freedom of an educated choice away from the voter. >> for independent voters and mother of three, she may stay away from the virginia primary because of the loyalty oath. >> it would dissuade me from voting in primaries to make sure i'm making an educated decision. an educated vote is better than a hasty vote with little information. >> it sends a message that they are not welcome. i don't think it's smart for the republican nomination to do

that. >> signing a promise for november doesn't make sense. >> look what happened over the past two months, the things that have come out. how do we know what's going to happen a year from now or nine months from now? that's crazy. >> mitt romney was my governor at some point. i don't know if he's the right guy as i look at these people. if i were to, let's say, vote for him in march, would i necessarily want to vote for him depending on how things changed in the economy. i think it's a slippery slope we're going down if we start a loyalty oath. >> delegate marshall says the motive may be top republicans trying to steer the outcome. >> i think it's an outrageous thought. >> i tried to get in contact with the republican party of virginia. many calls, many e-mails, no return calls or e-mails at this point. but really when we are talking about the legality of this, people are questioning this. you have to, in state code, talk about 90 days out from the primary. i talked with the state board

of elections, they adopted this december 3. so they are well will be 90 days or outside of the 90 days, but delegate marshal says he is going to fight this. >> how would you ever enforce this? say i don't follow it, so what. >> that's something that you can't enforce this, but delegate marshall says when people sign something, those voters are going to think, we are going to be deterred or not deterred to follow what we signed. >> surae chin, thank you for that one. back to you in the studio. thanks a lot, we have a 9news now commuter alert for you. if you plan to drive in the tyson's corner area tonight, very important. people traveling on spring hill road will not be able to cross route 7 because of construction there. connected to the dulles metro rail project. that roadwork will start at 11:00 tonight and last until 5:00 a.m. you can look for detour signs to get you around that road closure as we head into the weekend. anny. >> a pretty nice day today. temperatures getting into the 50s as we are finishing off the

year and december. temperatures right now, 50 in downtown. 48 in manassas. get ready for the mild weekend and new years before crazy cold weather arrives. >> also ahead, still in search of that special someone to kiss at midnight this new year? you're not alone. find out where more and more people are turning as they look for love. it's that time of year again. getting ready for new year's eve at times square. i'm drew in new york. that story coming up.

melwood and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> hi, my name is staff sergeant nia. i'm stationed in korea. i would like to say happy holidays to my mom and dad, marlene and eric and my sisters barbie and kel in woodbridge, virginia. all right. preparations well underway over in new york's time square. >> they do that. they are putting the finishing touches on the crystal ball. drew has more on the big party from the cross roads of the world. >> three, two, one. happy new year. >> the new year's eve ball in times square was raised in place for a practice run friday. the 12-foot wide, six ton center piece of the celebration

was hoisted 130 feet above number one times square. its 32,000 lights and crystal triangles were tested ahead of saturday night's big show. and what is the party without balloons? they are blowing up 25,000 of them here one at a time. >> we went all day yesterday, about ten hours. and we have been here all morning blowing them up. >> the pastry kitchen is working overtime at the marriott hotel. they are making 10,000 pastries. only part of the preparations for a gala, just a stone's throw from the crowd outside. >> we start planning new year's eve probably the day after new year's eve. >> so now just about everything is ready for saturday night. the only thing missing, the more than 1 million people who will fill up times square for what will certainly be the biggest celebration of the year. >> we're from san jose, california, and we are here to spend new year's eve in new

york. >> we will be here. >> new york is definitely the place to be for new year's. i'm so excited to see how it is. l.a. doesn't compare to this. >> it may be new york's party, but the whole world is invited. drew, cbs news, times square, new york. wow. okay. over the top pop singer, lady gaga will have the chance to drop the famous crystal ball. here in our area, there are several public new year's eve parties plans. d.c., maryland, and virginia. lindsey mastis has one celebration that is fit for the whole family. >> if you're looking for a family friendly event, you'll want to check out first night alexandria. crews are already setting up for the big event. you can roam old town with your kids, there will be face painting, story time, magic, clowns, a moon bounce, and a fun hunt. >> we have 18 different venues. over 30 performers and over 100 performances.

>> the party starts at 1:00 in the afternoon. if your children are planning to stay up in the midnight, you'll want to come here to the george washington memorial. >> we're going to have a laser light show and a 6,000 different balls are going to be shot into the air at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the new year. and some prizes associated with the balls as well. >> event is alcohol-free. tickets are $20. kids 12 and under get in free as well as active members of the military. back to you. >> it is going to be mild, right? let's hope so. >> this weekend is looking great. we have some big air mass of arctic cold air coming this way. it's going to hold off until after the new year's eve party. so ladies, you can wear your fun dresses. it will get chilly at night. temperatures in the 40s. here's a look at your new year's eve forecast. i know you want it. temperatures again, the 40s. it's going to be dry for new year's eve. new year's day, mid 50s with lots of sunshine.

this is a pretty good new year's eve forecast, considering it's the end of december, going into january. we are liking that. let's take a look at snow in fargo, north dakota, where they have not had measurable snow in a long time. this has been a weak snow season across much of the country, including fargo, north dakota. they got some measurable snow. not a whole lot. the plows are working and looks like they are enjoying that snow because much of the country is so far up north where it hasn't had a chance to produce snow for a will the of those mountains and ski resorts. all right, in our area, what are we expecting? temperatures in the mid 50s around downtown. 51 in arlington. college park at 52 degrees. in reston at 48 degrees. if you have dinner plans tonight, a jacket will be required. but not the really heavy duty jacket. so, it's going to be mild for the weekend. i'm calling it crazy cold.

tonight, not as cold. mild and breezy for your saturday. dry for your new year's eve and get ready for that arctic air to come in. not a bad idea to get those humidifiers. you may want to use them for next week. late tonight, a slight chance for some light showers to go through. they won't be lasting that long and again, it's only a slight chance. saturday, we should be dry through new year's eve. another mild day is in store for us. tonight, mostly cloudy, a lake shower possible. lows in the 40s. not 30s. south wind at 5 to 10 miles per hour. temperatures around downtown, mid 40s. manassas lower 40s. winchester 40 degrees. now tomorrow morning, as you are starting off the day, dress in layers, it will be chilly with temperatures in the 40s. afternoon, the winds will be picking up. a brisk afternoon, gusts up to 25 miles per hour. the highs will be 55 to 60 degrees. in cumberland, upper 40s. winchester mid 50s. manassas, all in the mid 50s.

in downtown, temperatures around 58 degrees. near 60 for andrews air force base and pax river. here's a look at your seven-day forecast. mild the whole new year's weekend. great weekend to get rid of that christmas tree. i'll be doing mine on sunday. clean up those holiday decorations outside. look at the cold air impacting us by tuesday and wednesday. 32 is the high for tuesday afternoon. it's going to feel cold. snow flake on there, a slight chance for flurries. no big storm, though. >> we're going to get out this weekend for sure. >> thank you. all right, still ahead, some familiar float sponsors not going to be around for this year's tournament of roses parade. it's all about the down economy. we'll bring you the story. >> have you noticed any changes in your skin. it may be time to call the dermatologist. details up next in a winter health alert. >> besides the wrinkles? >> yes, besides that.

we know indulging around the holidays can be bad for your waistline, it can also be bad for your skin. in tonight's health alert,

advice from an expert on year end skin care. >> how is your skin doing? >> people with skin problems often get flairups this time of year. deidra is one of them. facial redness. cold, dry air and holiday eating can bring on outbreaks. >> if you add the holiday party food and a few glasses of red wine and an extra cup of coffee, then indeed the dietary elements flair. >> acne patient says her skin breaks out more often as the weather turns colder. dermatologist suggests switching to different skin care products. >> but i think that we may want to think about using something that is maybe not as drying because that can contribute to your breakout. >> jennifer crane's issue is on her scalp. she has psoriasis. leading to redness. staying indoors affects these patients. >> patients don't get as much light exposure, which is very

beneficial as part of the treatment of psoriasis. so between the dryness and the lack of light exposure, patients very commonly will flair. >> now there are treatments available and if your skin is bothering you during the season, it's best to seek out a dermatologist, get help and get on the right skin care reg reg amine. you could be paying for it in the morning. many people will wake up on sunday with a hang over on new year's day. but what really triggers that sickening feeling after we drink too much? >> drinking causes you to produce more urine and that dehydrates you. that causes the headache, nausea, fatigue. it also irritates your stomach lining, making nausea worse and it lowers your blood sugar, which gives you that shakiness and that sense of being out of it. >> well, there are new hangover remedies on the market this year, including one called

blow fish. they looked at it this morning. a mix of aspirin, caffeine, and an antacid. doctors advise moderation is the best way to avoid the hangover in the first place. >> that indeed would be good advice. we cannot stress enough that if you head out to celebrate on new year's this weekend and find you had too much to drink, don't get behind the wheel. just call 1-800-200-taxi. the washington regional alcohol program's sober ride service runs between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. every night through january 1 and it will cover the cost of a cab ride up to $30. i'm scott broom. coming up, you heard of cybermonday for online shopping. how about cyber friday for online dating? also ahead, police go on high alert after someone sets fire to a dozen parked cars out in hollywood. but up next, new signs the u.s. economy is rebounding as we

head into 2012.

stocks ended this year on a down note. the dow finished the day down 69 points to close 2011 at 12,217. the nasdaq dropped 8 points and s & p 500 fell 5. on this final business day of 2011, there's some positive news on one of our nation's biggest economic issues, jobs. >> alexis tells us there's another sign no matter how you're feeling that conditions

may be getting better in 2012. >> the u.s. economy is ending a year of uncertainty on a positive note. fewer americans are filing new claims for jobless benefits than at any time since the end of the recession. a sign layoffs are easing. >> we are certainly seeing momentum pick up in the economy that is a really good sign 2012. we have seen the job market improve. >> year began with 9% unemployment. it peeked at 9.2% in june and fell to 8.6% last month. companies like the ambros group which provide personnel services can see the difference. >> we added on 20%. and then we are already slated to add on another 10% next year. >> struggling housing market is showing signs of life. the number of people signing contracts to buy a home last night hit the highest level in more than a year and a half and 5% of households say they plan to buy a home within the next

six months. and shoppers spent a record amount of money this holiday season as consumer confidence reached a six month high. >> we're coming into the year with a lot more momentum. we will need that momentum. >> those head winds include the continuing debt crisis in europe. china's slowing economy and partisan gridlock in washington. >> thanks for that story. now mcdonald's was the big winner. its stock on the dow jumped 31% in 2011. bank of america, they were the worst performers, plummeting 59%. >> the holiday tradition is shrinking this year due to the economy. some familiar floats will be absent from next monday's 123rd tournament of the roses parade. sprinklers, budweiser and the cities of long beach, california, have all withdrawn from the parade. it's all about the benjamins. >> we did our very, very best

to try to raise the funds to pay for the float. the economics, i mean, the businesses are hurting. they want to go ahead and if they had any additional available dollars to use it for other purposes. >> certainly when you have cities where there are major financial issues going on, putting a float in the parade seems like not necessarily the best use of resources. >> can't really blame them, can you? the smallest of the four california companies that build floats also shut down, but the remaining float builders and parade organizers say even with the slow economy, the rose parade remains a big draw for the advertising. anita. >> if you're looking to meet that special someone on the internet, right now is a pretty good time. traffic at online dating sites has been peeking. and it's an annual phenomenon that happens before new year's eve. >> you heard of cybermonday for online shopping. call this cyber friday for online dating.

traffic at online dating sites is up between 15 and 20% in the days and hours before new year's eve. simply put, there are a lot of people who don't want to party in the new year alone. >> it's really helpful, because it gets you out of your circles. >> susan is a maryland based certified life coach who says the new year can be especially charged for people looking for love. >> it's not surprising. i think people think new year, new beginnings, kind of new attitude. you are sort of, let's get rid of the past. past relationships, and you know, people are pretty hopeful. >> the period between christmas and valentine's day is the busiest time of year for online dating according to match.com. e harmony is using this weekend to promote a free communication weekend, looking for new customers to try it out. and then there's craigslist, where new postings appear by the minute. please, someone, make my new year's happy, which is where the certified life coach says

be careful about your expectations. >> some people think oh, if i'm in a relationship, i'm going to be happy. it's really not the best approach to take. you want to be in a good, happy, healthy spot in your life before you go really looking for that relationship. because you're going to attract where you are. whatever it is you are is what you're going to be attracting back. >> even so, if you consider that online dating really is a numbers game, right now the numbers are up, which means so are your chances for success. scott broom, 9news now. >> once you found a date for new year's eve, you have to find some place to take him or her. if you are meeting a blind date, pick something busy for safety. lindsey mastis previews one of maryland's public celebrations. >> there's a huge celebration planned over at the national resort here in the national harbor. it's called big night d.c. it features 15 theme party areas,

including karaoke, club music, and rock and roll. drinks, food, give aways, and party favors are included. tickets start at $150 per person and they are nearly sold out already. you have to be at least 21 to come and don't forget your id. by the way, if you plan to drink, you can always stay here at the hotel or you can take metro for $10 each way. a shuttle will pick you up at the king street metro. it is sponsored in part by metro mix. back to you. >> sounds like a lot of fun. three lucky people in virginia will ring in the new year as millionaires. all 330,000 tickets in the virginia lottery's new year's millionaire raffle, they are sold out. the final one was sold at 2:08 this afternoon. three of those tickets will win $1 million each. six will win $25,000, and 300 will each win $500. the winners will be announced on the lottery's website on new

year's day at 2:00 p.m. >> speaking of new year's day, starting on sunday, finding one of those 100 watt lightbulbs is going to get tougher. we'll tell you why. but up next, the police officer finds a drunk man sound asleep behind the wheel of his car and it's on fire. don't forget, we're always on. not on fire, but on at wusa9.com. >> always on.

caught on tape in florida. a woman dragged nearly 40 feet trying to keep the robbers from taking her purse. a guy tries to grab her purse, but she won't let go. but she ends up having to. somebody drags her across the parking lot. police caught the person after this car crashed into a fence. they are looking for other suspects. authorities believe the same group is behind three other robberies. the woman looks like a tough fall, but she only has a few cuts and bruises. a man is rescued from his burning car by police and arrested soon after. >> this is dash cam video of the fire and rescue early yesterday in grand rapids, michigan. authorities say that 32-year-

old allen blake rested his foot on the gas pedal and well, that tends to make the engine race and the car burst into flames. the officer jumped into action. >> first thing i saw was a plume of smoke. the whole street was covered in smoke. initially, i didn't know what was happening. when i pulled up, i saw the car was on fire. i grabbed ahold of him and he came with me. so i knew he was okay. but i got him to the other side of the street where he was safe. within a couple minutes, the whole car went up in flames. >> good job, officer. after rescuing him, well, of course he placed break under arrest, charged him with driving under the influence. arrested a 22-year-old suspected of setting cars on fire, lots of them. this is video of one of the fires that burned several cars. a dozen different vehicle arsons. the calls started coming in just after midnight and

continued until 4:00 a.m. some of the fires spread to apartment buildings and homes, but no one was hurt. >> that is not the holiday present you want. route fans celebrating a local championship clashing with police last night down in chile. 5,000 people poured into the city square right after the game. and they destroyed barriers and threw rocks. dispurse the huligans. >> beginning this week, certain lightbulbs will be taken off of store shelves. we'll explain why. anny. >> we got 10 degrees above normal for the high temperature today. our almanac, 54 degrees the official high at reagan national. average high is 44. not quite enough to beat a new record. record high is 70 on this date set in 1990. a mild new year's weekend. up next, rumors are hot about a possible new version of

the apple ipad. can't wait for that.

the washington, d.c. veteran's affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> this is sergeant first

class andrew currently stationed in korea. i would like to wish my wife, christina, my daughters caitlin and megan and my two sons nicholas and zachary a merry christmas and happy new year. okay, that new ipad you have been looking for. it could come out sooner than expected. the rumors are swirling around after a report out of taiwan that apple could announce the ipad 3 as soon as next month. our partners over at u.s.a. today sites digit times that apple will reveal two new versions. 9.6-inch screens. apple reportedly be hoping to step up its competition with the kindle fire. most experts were not expecting a new version until march or april. this weekend may be your last chance to buy a 100 watt lightbulb. >> they are being phased out by a new law.

it is the biggest lighting change for consumers in more than a century. >> in the beginning, there was darkness. then came fire. it wasn't until the 19th century that artificial light was first generated. the big leap came in the 1880s when thomas edison lit homes across america with the bulb. for the next 130 years, incandescents ruled the night, the road, and especially the christmas tree. but today, the last glowing filaments are burning out. beginning with the new year, federal law will require all lightbulbs to be 25% more efficient. leaving edison's beacan late night fun in the dark and to the compact fluorescent. >> you may install a lightbulb when your kids are born and it

will still be burning when they go to college. >> this one is about $9 and this runs about $2. >> concerns over prices have even reached the campaign trail. >> i believe in liberty for lightbulbs. >> many consumers complain the newer bulbs don't look right. >> there's a push back from a lot of people who say i'm sitting in my living room. i want a warm comfortable light. i want it to be warm. >> some of the early compact products, they were not ready for prime time. they buzz. they had lousy color. they made everything grayish green. >> so while they aren't winning any prizes. >> this lightbulb does everything that consumers are used to. >> recently won $10 million from the department of energy for work in a leading alternative. led lighting. >> we have integrated led lights behind fabric panels. >> a warm glow, similar to a

standard 60-watt incandescent. they fit anywhere and are powered by 9-watts. while it will continue to burn bright in the near future, the most storied invention may be headed into the light. >> nature of technology. it has a light time. a start and an end. it's time to end. >> but with 4.7 billion sockets in the u.s. alone, the future looks brighter than ever. >> earlier this month, republicans in congress managed to eliminate all funding, which was signed in 2007 by then president bush. >> all right. we are kind of excited about this weekend we have coming. not just because it's new year's eve, but because the weather looks gorgeous. >> timing of the mild weather is perfect, because everyone will be out doing parties, cleaning up the holiday decorations outside their homes and we are looking at mild conditions through your new year's weekend. then the big changes come this way in the form of really cold arctic air. but enjoy the weekend.

all right, here's a look at your satellite and radar picture. area of low pressure out to the northwest and the great lakes region. because of this, we have a slight chance for some passing showers really late tonight and early tomorrow morning. now right now, temperatures 50 in downtown and arlington. 48 in college park. sterling at 50 and as for the bay and annapolis in the mid 40s. temperatures will not drop a whole lot tonight. now it's going to be mild next couple of days. then crazy cold. tonight not as cold. saturday mild, but breezy. dry for your new year's eve party and celebrations. then get ready for that arctic air to come in. here's a look at the future cast. a slight chance for a passing shower tonight. won't produce a whole lot. that shower chance is with us early tomorrow morning. after that, we'll see dry conditions. a brisk saturday while temperatures are mild. tonight, mostly cloudy, not as cold. a late shower possible. lows only in the 40s around

downtown. mid 40s. 41 in leesburg. annapolis in the mid 40s. and then for the morning, dress in layers because it will start out chilly and early shower possible and then in the afternoon, the winds will start to pick up. gusting up to 25 miles per hour, but partly sunny. west wind at 10 to 15 miles per hour. highs around mid 50s, close to 60 degrees. in downtown, 58, bowie 57. annapolis close to 60 degrees. can you believe these numbers? here's a look at your seven-day forecast. not only mild and brisk on saturday. same deal for sunday into new year's day. monday lower 40s. also breezy and blustery monday, tuesday, wednesday. with that cold air mass coming in. tuesday's high is 32 degrees. i have a snow flake on there. no big storm expected. but maybe a couple flurries. the big change will be the cold, cold air by tuesday. >> firing up the fireplace. >> good time to do that. >> all right, time for

tonight's high school sports feature of the week. dave owens is here with the story of one girl's basketball team still looking for that elusive championship feeling. dave. >> derek, it's a good one. most high school student athletes taking a couple weeks off. but not in forest high where the basketball never seems to stop. you see, success, nothing new to the lady brewens, but they are looking for more. >> when it comes to girl's basketball in virginia, very few do it better than forest park in woodbridge. this banner says it all. and that's just the last nine years. >> great players have been through here. all the kids that come here, feel a loyalty to the groups that were here before them. >> all that is missing for this group of girls is a state title. the brewens were on track for it last season, but fell to the eventual champs. >> it was a good feeling to get there. because it worked hard.

came to practice every day. >> especially fell short, but we're not done yet. >> gives me an inner drive where i don't want to see my seniors cry because they lost. >> the dynamic duo have been tapped to leave this team to the title game. >> the greatest part is they compliment each other. what one does really well, the other one can counterwith something different. so that makes them very valuable as a pair. >> the brewens lost five seniors from last year's squad to graduation and have struggled early on in the season to find their identity. but to these girls, a state title is well within reach. >> definitely think we have brought enough talent in that we think we can reach the state tournament again. >> no matter what type of team you have, we are confident. it comes with forest park. >> in woodbridge, kristen bur set, 9sports now. >> all right, thanks a lot, kristen.

college recruiters have long since taken notice of forest park, but the carp tear who you saw in the piece, she headed to the university of dayton next season. brianna mason has committed to the university of virginia. all right, dave, thank you. still ahead, it may look like a horrible blizzard, but that's not snow. we'll tell you what caused that chaotic scene. then, later on, we are starting to learn which sears and k mart stores are going to be shutting their doors. >> and after 30 years, nasa space shuttle program ends in 2011. a look back at its history coming up.

taking a look back at 2011 tonight, we hit the final frontier. it's done, it's gone. and as the retired fleet is moving on to a museum. america is looking forward to the future of man space travel. >> elizabeth shows us how that could come from the public and private sectors. >> ten, nine, eight, seven. >> first nasa space shuttle blasted into orbit april 12, 1981. it was the launch of 30 years of u.s. dominance in space. the shuttle program ended on july 21, 2011. when atlantis touched down at the kennedy space center after its final trip to the international space station. nasa's shuttle was the first reusable spacecraft, which launched like a rocket orbited

like a spacecraft and landed like a plane. more than 600 crew members traveled on 135 flights. >> each mission was different. each was exceptional and challenging and expanded our capabilities as a nation and a world. >> but the program did not come without its human cause. space shuttle columbia broke up on reentry in 2003 and in 1986, challenger exploded just after liftoff. >> we will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning. as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye. >> in 2004, president george w. bush issued new directives for u.s. space travel, which included a plan to end the shuttle program. >> it is time for america to take the next steps. >> until nasa develops the vehicles to replace the shuttle, american astronauts will need to hitch a ride aboard russian rockets to reach the international space station. the end of the shuttle program

meant nearly 8,000 jobs at nasa, but the agency is looking toward the future. >> there is no question about our leadership in exploration in space flight. we have been the leader for many decades and that will -- we will maintain that leadership. >> nasa is working on its next human spacecraft, o'ryan, which is designed for deep space exploration. the agency hopes to have humans on or near an as tried and plans to send astronauts to mars in the 2030s. >> please welcome the future space travel. >> private companies will also play a major role in the next generation of men space flights. already sold tickets aboard its first space flight and space exploration technologies has a contract with nasa to supply cargo to the international space station. it plans to eventually fly astronauts as well. >> we want to make space accessible to everyone.

that's a revolutionary change. it's incredibly exciting. gh while the trip to space will remain out of reach for most americans, the next 30 years of space travel will certainly look different from the last 30. i'm elizabeth reporting. >> and if you want to spend some more time looking back at 2011, we have you covered. log on to wusa9.com for a photo gallery of the year in review. this is 9news now. 18% drop in number of murders in the city this year brings the district to its lowest homicide level in 48 years. but despite that good news, the fraternal order of police claim officers are being taken off of the beats they should be on to dell with the protesters downtown. >> 9news wanted to know the chief's take on all this. delia. >> the police chief tells me there are challenges in our city, but balancing crime fighting and protests is not one ofem