this is the 9news now at 11:00 p.m. story rundown. the show starts now. a big new twist for some voters in virginia who could lose the right to change their minds. >> also, bitter cold on the way. will it arrive this holiday weekend? >> but first tonight, a local mother abducted and sexually assaulted while her one-year- old watches from the backseat. >> this is 9news now. >> if there is safety in

numbers, washington's chinatown neighborhood aught to be one of the safest places in town. >> that idea is in serious doubt to tonight as police are looking for the man who carjacked and sexually assaulted a woman and sadly, it all happened while her toddler was in the backseat of that car. ken joins us now live from downtown. ken. >> yeah, you know it really is disturbing. it all happened last night at 7:30 down here in chinatown in front of the verison center along the 700 block of f street. it's an area that is usually packed with people. the female victim had just left a parking garage when according to police, a man forced his way inside her car. he held her at gunpoint and forced her to drive away to an unidentified spot before raping her. he did it in front of her 15 month old son. >> that's a random occurrence. >> here's what is so shocking about the allegations. a woman was taken from this area at this same time last night. take a look and see how packed it is right now.

these folks are here for a hockey game, but told yesterday the streets were just as packed for people showing up to watch wrestling. >> that's extremely scary. >> i would have expected someone to notice it and help her. >> the brazen act caught the attention of not only those who frequent the area, but police right now say they have very little suspect information to go on. >> the description we have is a black male wearing dark clothing. a mustache and medium complected. he talked with a southern drawl. >> they do believe the sexual assault happened somewhere in d.c.'s fourth district, where exactly, they are still trying to figure out. it wasn't until an hour after the reported kidnapping that the woman was able to call for help. >> we are still trying to sort out the exact facts of what happened. this is a traumatic incident for the woman and there are issues with interviewing someone right after the fact. >> again, the description for the suspect still rather vague.

he is being described as a black man with a southern draw. he had a medium complexion and had a mustache. police are hoping with so many people out here in this area, somebody may have seen something and they can offer a tip. a tip that would lead to a resolution in this case. live in chinatown, 9news now. >> new at 11:00, a montgomery county family will not get to spend in their home. in silver spring. fire investigators say it was an electrical fire and it caused an estimated $225,000 worth of damage. thankfully, no one was hurt. >> we'll be right here passing on results to you from the iowa caucuses. the leader there has changed more times than beyonce in concert and who knows what is going to happen over the weekend. gary has the friday snapshot on the first voting of the presidential campaign year. >> all right, trust iowa. >> trust iowa to be unsettled

to the last minute. the latest, but of course it could still change within hours. romney and paul in a dead heat with santorum surging. no kidding, the poll says 43% could still change their minds. so to repeat -- >> trust iowa. >> trust, but didn't object to the tough guy threat from the governor of new jersey sounding like a guy from the sopranos. >> you don't do what you are spotsed to do, i will be back. jersey style, people. i will be back. >> different tough guy moment friday from the former speaker of the house in front of a mother's group. >> my whole emphasis on brain science comes indirectly from dealing with, you know, the real problems of real people in my family. so it's not a theory. it's my mother. >> gingrich's mother suffered from bipolar disorder. reminding voters of hillary

clinton in 2008 when tears helped humanize a candidate perceived as cold. >> we were just dropping in. >> one time front runner, michele bachmann refrained from criticism from romney, maybe looking at an eventual number two spot. her former campaign manager explains it was a theory that if romney became a nominee, he would need her to get tea party support. romney is teaing off on the candidate who is not a republican. >> he's in hawaii right now. we're out in the cold and the rain and the wind because we care about america. he just finished his 90th round of golf. >> so far, republicans in iowa had more front runners than the marine corps marathon. the key here may be that number of undecided is four days out. 43% saying they can change their minds. which means in the next 96 hours, all of the candidates know they have a chance to pull this thing off. and all the candidates know they simply can't afford to do anything stupid. anita. >> lots to watch.

gary, thank you. without knowing who the republican candidate will be come november, a new measure is aimed at making sure some of you vote a certain way in virginia. it is called the loyalty oath pledge adopted by the republican party of virginia. it would require voters to cast ballots in the republican primary to promise they'll vote for the republican nominee in the general election whoever that is. delegate robert marshall of manassas is a conservative republican, but he says his party is wrong on this one. >> and to tell people you have to, right now, decide on march 6 that whoever is nominated in june in florida will be your choice, i don't think ronald reagan would have gotten the nomination under those circumstances. >> make sure i'm making an educated system. an educated vote is better than a hasty vote. >> it is a slippery slope if we start a loyalty oath. >> about this very issue went

unanswered tonight. tonight, there is a push to shut down a popular d.c. bar after a double stabbing happened right outside its doors. this went down last night at the mood lounge on 9th street in northwest. that's right near the d.c. convention center. both victims are expected to be okay. d.c. council member wants the place shut down for good. a fight inside the bar led to the attack outside and evans is calling for emergency three-day closings for this new year's weekend. despite the violent crimes, d.c. police say washington is poised to mark its lowest murder rate in nearly half a century. detectives say murders are down 18% from last year. there's been a total of 108 murders in the city and that is the lowest since way back in 1963. what's more, detectives boast of a closure rate of 94% and that is far better than the national average. >> 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. >> overall crime is up 2% over last year and thefts are up a disturbing 13%. new tonight, two maryland doctors who have been performing abortion face murder charges. steven and nicole riley are in jail in new jersey and utah, but they operated at a clinic in elkton, which is now closed. police say they found several fetuses inside a freezer. the murder indictments have not been made public and it's important to note that late term abortion is legal in maryland. but we understand prosecutors plan to use what's called the viable fetus law. that law typically comes into play when a suspect is accused of murdering a pregnant woman. before you decide to drink and drive tomorrow night at all, consider this.

last year, 154 traffic deaths in maryland were alcohol related. virginia had 211. while the district had five deaths. 31% of all traffic fatalities in the u.s. involved drivers impaired by alcohol and the percentage jumps to 60% during the new year holiday. to help you stay safe on the road, call 1-800-200-taxi. the washington regional alcohol program sober ride service runs between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. every night through january 1. it covers the cost of a cab ride up to $30. new tonight, l.a. police will pay $35,000 for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of an arsonist. overnight, somebody torched more than a dozen cars, damaging homes and parts of homes across hollywood. firefighters from all over the l.a. area had to respond during the four hour long on slot. one witness said he heard an explosion before he saw the flames shooting into the air 30 feet high. still ahead tonight,

sometimes the same thing that can make you laugh can also make you cry. >> so, grab a seat for our year in review. break dancing gorillas, heart racing rescues and a lot more. that's coming up. >> and your new year's weekend forecast looking absolutely nice. mild conditions will continue. here's your saturday wakeup weather. temperatures only getting down to the 40s. a slight chance for a shower early in the morning. otherwise mild at 10:00. 46 to 51 degrees. it will be breezy throughout the afternoon. i have your forecast for new year's and a big cooldown coming up. wellwood and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> i'm in germany. >> and we would like to say happy holidays to my family in takoma park, maryland. happy holidays uncle john, my cousin, and his wife. we miss you and we love you.

the washington, d.c. veteran's affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> afghanistan, i want to send my family happy holidays.

miss you all, be home soon. okay, less than 25 hours and counting until the start of 2012. perhaps a million people or more, the place tomorrow night is new york's times square. to watch the crystal ball drop. today the crews put it through a practice run, making sure the 32,000 lights are ready to glow on time and heck, what's a party without balloons? blowing up 25,000 of them. >> we went all day yesterday, about ten hours and we have been here all morning blowing them up. >> if you want to grab a good spot in times square, there's still time. folks won't start congregating there until 11:00 tomorrow morning. >> that's early. here locally if you are looking for a fun new year's event, the party starts at noon at the george washington memorial. 100 performances all day long,

plus other activities, face painting, story telling, and magic. >> we're going to have a laser light show and 6,000 different balls are going to be shot in the air to celebrate the new year and there will be prizes associated with the balls as well. >> cool, the event is nonalcoholic. tickets are $20. kids under 12 and members of the military get in for free. for a full list of other events, go to wusa9.com. now, as you know, tomorrow is a holiday that often comes with some legendary expectations. but derek says sometimes that just means there's nowhere to go but down. >> yeah, anita. i remember the first time my brother and i tried to stay up for new year's eve midnight culmination. that's the two of us on the right. i'm two years older, but i'm the one who couldn't stay awake. when i woke up, i just knew i missed out on something big. some sort of great spiritual transition as the calendar

rolled over. i'm still missing out. we try to make it into a big deal. we have all the parties, resolutions, and lord knows the gym is going to be awfully crowded for the next few weeks. but after a while, it starts to feel forced, doesn't it? dare i say it, new year's eve is over rated. i mean, think about it. independence day, we celebrate america. labor day, nobody goes to work, and even halloween is just a party celebrating candies and costumes all just as advertised. it's new year's eve as the holiday with the unreasonable expectations. not only does it have to be the biggest party ever, we want that stroke of midnight to be this tran moment. and over indulging as we try to make it happen. but why not scale back those delusions new year's eve for what it can be. that is, a chance to get together with people you like. drink some champagne and have a

good time. now that, that's worth staying up for. anita. >> well said. did he say disappointment in the same reel? his vocabulary keeps growing. >> i completely agree. it is over rated. >> what's not over rated is the forecast. i mean, for end of december going into january, anita. temperatures are going to be mild. the mild trend continues through tomorrow, through new year's eve, and new year's day and then the real big changes come where temperatures are going to plummet. so enjoy it while it lasts. here's a look at your current conditions. temperatures, 49 degrees. it's 11:00. annapolis 50. etch fredericksburg in the mid 50s. get out to the suburbs in the mid 40s. we'll cool down a little bit around d.c. to maybe mid 40s, but not a whole lot going on. here's a look at the national picture. we zoom in here, this area of

low pressure starting to weaken. dropping in mostly rain and not cold enough to bring snow into parts of detroit, even cincinnati. a very weak snow season for a lot of locations across the country. and we are basically, potentially pick up moisture and maybe see a couple showers overnight and into the early morning hours. this year is a lot of it is not hitting the ground. so we are looking at a slight chance for some showers that will be passing through. for your saturday morning, not as cold compared to the last few mornings. mild and brisk for saturday afternoon. new year's eve is looking mild. great for all those party goers and the cold air arrives just in time for after new year's. we'll take it if it's after the party weekend. here's a look at your future cast. again, a slight chance for some early morning showers. hopefully while you're sleeping and we'll see the winds picking up and it should be dry. partly sunny conditions. basically a mixture of sun and

clouds. so overnight as you are sleeping, mostly cloudy, not as cold. lows in the 40s. south winds at 5 to 10. partly cloudy and chilly. early shower possible. dress in layers as temperatures will start to get back up into the 50s in the afternoon with partly sunny skies, brisk and mild. it will be gusty, up to 25 miles per hour. winds out of the west at 10 to 15. it's the warmer wind that will help push out these temperatures. basically mid to upper 50s. arlington 58. d.c.57. bowie in the mid 50s. also we have a small craft advisory for parts of the bay. your day planner after a relatively mild start to the morning, it will be breezy at noon. 48 to 53. 2 will be mild. it's going to be great. partly cloudy. dry temperatures in the 40s. chilly, but not too bad. and new year's day, mid 50s, lots of sunshine. here's a look at your next seven days. mild trend continues through sunday. monday we will definitely feel the temperature drop.

lower 40s. it will be windy. blustery conditions tuesday and wednesday. some cold air moving in. when you factor in that windchill, it will feel like in the 20s and teens on tuesday and wednesday. snow flake there. no big storm expected. maybe a couple flurries, otherwise a good weekend to do all your outdoor stuff before that cold air gets in here. >> we were warning you. >> thanks anny. >> one of the best parts of our job is showing you amazing video. >> from a break dancing gorilla, here's a look at some of the most memorable images of 2011. >> a fiery crash in utah between a car and a motorcycle turned a group of bystanders into heros. they manage to lift the car and pull the biker to safety. he escaped with broken bones and road rash. this teen should star in a psa against drinking. he had a few too many and tumbled off an escalator. believe it or not, he suffered a fractured elbow, but he learned a valuable lesson. >> don't do it.

>> a wal-mart shopper in houston chased a trio of beer thieves as they left the store. even jumping on the hood of their car. she slid off as they drove away, but tried the door handle. police caught the suspects. >> and in another death defying stunt, this tight rope walker in china lost his footing in high winds at more than 320 feet in the air. he eventually pulled himself back up. it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a jet man soaring over the grand canyon. he got going as fast as 190 miles an hour. later in the year, he spent some time soaring alongside a pair of swiss fighter jets. extreme surfer likely set a world record when he cought a 90-foot wave. hang ten. some unique animals went viral this year. like zola, the break dancing gorilla. millions on youtube caught his moves. and this lion is in colorado who seemed to find a one-year-

old zoo visitor pretty appetizing. there was a bird, or is that a bat on a delta flight? and a cat stuck atop a 30-foot cactus. it spent three days before it figured out how to get down on its own, or maybe the news chopper did the trick. workers tried to net this deer which somehow made its way into the seal tank at connecticut's maritime aquarium. all the animals got through the ordeal unharmed if a bit shaken. this biker was more than shaken when a massive antelope knocked him off his wheels. he was left with a concussion, whip lash, and more than 10 million hits on youtube. reporters became the story in 2011. >> get it out. >> this sports reporter was nearly backed over, but still finished his report. >> back live here in tucson and just barely. >> and this anchor terrified his news team with a tarantula.

>> i'm jim reporting. >> he did not give him a chance. >> i will punch you. >> some good memories, especially that jet man. >> that was good stuff. awesome stuff. speaking of awesome,. >> not this year, but he got it done. he got it done tonight. taking care of slow starts all by himself, people. special agent number 8 says this. nikki backstrom getting into it as well. and why mason got tossed from this year's game. it got worse. next. this is an rc robotic claw.

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

and now, 9sports with dave owen, the best sports in town. >> here's a question. why the caps had so much trouble getting started against the buffalo sabers. i don't know. hard to say. the last two times the teams met, buffalo jumped out to large leads and coasted. some of the caps called those efforts embarrassing. they call this, derek, the members only.

check that out. easiest goal he'll ever get. first time since october 29, he had two goals. nicholas joining the century club. his 100 goal of his career. caps winning it 3-1. the sweetest sensation says i had payback on my mind. had a 4-0 lead. i think we did a good job. >> could you understand that? no, me either. watching the washington wizards is a painful experience these days. they blew a 21 point lead. they lose by 18 in atlanta. but wait, it gets worse. check this out. the wizards forgot to put roger mason on the active roster. somehow, the team didn't catch it, mason went into the game. you can't do that. automatic ejection. then it got worse. putting the thing down, flipping it and reversing it. bucks win by 21.

102-81. how about some good news. george mason, ryan pearson went crazy. first a crossover, that was pretty good. later on, a little flush there. career high 35 points. patriots win. 84-76. that's a quality win for the patriots. virginia hosting win with towson. tigers in a tussle here. chris walter, something is going to get you. within 3. but then virginia pulling away. malcolm from the corner. virginia goes on to win 57-50. big east basketball, the hall giving bob higgins. pirates up 25-12. they roll 67-48. finally tonight, this is funny. we know angry soccer dad. he has been yelling at the refs and his kid all day long. now he's going to take it out on the chair.

bad idea. chair wins. chair wins. >> he deserves it. >> that's right. look at the replay. taking it out on the chair. >> the good news on the chair is rarely did they hit back, but this one didn't get the memo. >> slip and slide. >> we'll be right back. ♪

[ female announcer ] during the holidays, there's a lot to get done. and safeway select appetizers help you rise to every occasion. ♪ from delectable to amazing. there are over 20 affordable safeway select appetizers ♪ to make all of your gatherings just as merry as can be. ♪ only at safeway. ingredients for life.

all right, here's to a new year and maybe the nats because the wizards and the caps. >> i think the nats may be our team. >> you don't know what can happen in 2012, right? optimism. and we're going to see you on the other side of the new year. thanks for joining us.