>> harry thomas, jr., convicted yesterday of stealing thousands of dollars from youth programs while in office, could already be planning for a political come back. hello, i'm bruce johnson. thanks for joining us this saturday. former d.c. councilman harry thomas, jr. won't be sentenced

until may 3rd. societies tell 9 news now he's already talking about trying to recapture his council seat after his release from prison. the district law allows him to run for office again because his admission of stealing $350,000 while on the council, that guilty plea came hours after he resigned from office. >> 51-year-old harry thomas, jr. resigned as parted of a plea bargain with prosecutors, but his resignation from the d.c. council came thursday night, hours before he said guilty as charged to a federal judge on friday. in his comments from the steps of the u.s. district courthouse, he seemed to leave the door open for a return to public office. >> it is through the efforts of individuals like my mother, a public school principal and my father, a former council member who served as a representative of ward 5 with great distinction that our community has become great. it is this legacy of service that i hope to live up to again.

>> reporter: harry thomas, jr. is free on personal recognizance. he's due back for sentencing on may 3rd and he could get three to four years in prison. his attorneys will ask for about half that. his colleagues are left stunned by the scandal. harry thomas, jr. is the first elected d.c. official convicted of crimes committed while in office. >> i think sadly that i don't think that there's a lot of credibility regarding ethics with d.c. council right now. >> reporter: to him me wells had these comments about harry thomas trying to recapture his seat on the d.c. council. >> in d.c., we really don't want to limit voters choices, but in a case where someone has so violated the public trust with a criminal enterprise to take public funds and utilize the office seemingly for that purpose, it really gives you because to say that maybe this is a case where we need to revisit that loss. >> reporter: meanwhile 9 news now learned that ward 5 democratic leaders held their first meeting today to discuss the thomas scandal and map out

a strategy to field a candidate to replace him in a special election to be held in 114 days. >> that special ward 5 election is open to all political persuasions. he will serve the final three years of harry thomas, jr.'s term. depending on the sentence, thomas could be getting out of prison in time to compete for his old seat. returning to our friends and loved ones after couple killed by a hit-and-run driver. trying to make sense of this tragedy. tonight, as the person responsible remains on the loose, the victims are being remembered. ken molestina has the lightest. >> reporter: they were crossing this street yesterday before 7:00 a.m. right when they were hit by that car. now a makeshift memorial sits feet away from the scene. >> somebody did to my aunt. it's not right. [ crying ] >> reporter: emotions were raw as they gathered for a candlelight vigil. they said whoever ran the

couple over early yesterday morning took off, leaving the husband and wife to die. >> i'm very upset. i beg and beg and pleaded for them, please turn yourself in. >> it hurts. it's very depressing to me and to my family. >> reporter: prince george's county police say the two were crossing the street and standing in the center turn lane along the 9200 block of oxon hill when they were hit. the victim's daughter says her father was walking her mother's wife, her stepmother to a nearby bus stop. >> when i got to the hospital to see him, that was not my father. >> what was that like? >> it was terrible. >> reporter: police say thomas died late last night. his wife died earlier today, both at a nearby hospital. investigators are looking for a compact car that sped away after slamming into the couple. meanwhile the family is left trying to make sense of their loved one's deaths. >> i lost my mom 12 years ago, december 8, and she just stepped in and took the role of

my mom. >> two god-fearing christians taken away too soon. >> this is a very busy area and prince george's county police hope someone will provide a tip. if you know anything call authorities. we're in oxon hill, ken molestina, 9 news now. a hunter is shot after being shot by a fellow hunter after 1:00 this afternoon. the two hunters were in the woods near the 9200 block of oxon hill road. the victim was one of five people hunting when she was shot in the stomach by somebody else in the group. all five will face charges. >> at this point, charges will be pending against all five of the persons, because hunting is obviously illegal in our part, anything owned by the park and planning commission. >> the 16-year-old victim was taken tots hospital. we're told his injuries are non-

life-threatening. the 24-year-old airman from maryland has been killed in afghanistan. matthew seatler was among three airmen killed thursday when an ied hit their vehicle. he was from westminster, maryland. he was at peterson air force base in colorado. congresswoman gabrielle giffords is in tucson for the one year anniversary of that shooting that killed six people and left her and 12 others wounded. she walked a hiking trail today to dedicated to the victims. her first stop friday was her congressional office where a ceremony to honor slain staffer. she plans to appear at a candlelight vigil saturday. she is still recovering after being shot in the head. she faces a may deadline to get her name on the november ballot if she wants to run for office

again. it's been a long and difficult year for all of the victims in the shooting rampage. suzy was shot 3 times. she was there with her neighbor's 9-year-old girl. that little girl did not survive. >> one of the things that made me saddest when i was in the hospital was the fear that my friends with children would think that i was toxic. and that they would be afraid to let their kids be with me. >> a walk was held in tucson today near a playground that christina green's parents had built in honor of their daughter. this weekend, the gop presidential hopefuls are in manchester, new hampshire. in a nationally televised debate tonight, they took up the issues of government spending, jobs and whether president barack obama made the right choice in bringing troops home from iraq. ron paul and rick santorum

callinged former pennsylvania senator corrupt for taking money from lobbyists. santorum says the republican party needs to nominate a leader and not merely a manager. romney says he's the leader the party is looking for. >> my experience is in leadership. the people in the private sector who are every day making this country a stronger nation and hiring people, they're not successful because they're managers. they're successful primarily because they are leaders. so he's a big government person, along with him being very associated with the lobbyists and taking a lot of funds and also where did he make his living afterwards? i mean, he came a high-powered lobbyist in washington, d.c. he's done quite well. >> i am not a libertarian. i agree. you vote against everything. i don't vote against everything. i do vote for some spending. i think government has a role to play in defense. >> i'm very much for what the governor just described. create a business. grow jobs.

provide leadership. i'm not nearly as en'nam enomored of a wall street buyout where you can take money leaving behind all the workers. >> mitt romney returning far ahead of the rest of the gop new hampshire voters go to the polls on tuesday. coming up tonight. >> i'm going crazy and i just can't imagine what he's going through. i know he wants to come home. >> a frantic searching underway for a missing rescue dog this weekend. we're going to tell you about that. and the abc's of the financial aid for students. we'll explain when we come back. and it was a pretty toasty saturday, but cooler air is on its way. temperatures will be cooler on sunday. here's a look at your wakeup weather heading out the door tomorrow morning. hey, lots of sunshine. temperatures getting down into the 30s. we'll be into the 40s by 11:00. i've got changes in that seven day. some rain, maybe some snow.

details coming up after the break.

you know, for students, the process of navigating college financial aid opportunities can be daunting. but today, the d.c. council sponsored a college aid

workshop at the john wilson building. high school students got a chance to find out what types of financial aid are available. just as important how to fill out the right forms needed to establish eligibility. there was also the chance to meet with financial aid advisors. dozens of people are starting the new year off trying to get on or stay on sound footing financially. they attended a forum with information on how to stave off foreclosure. the event was in maryland. donna edwards was the host. retirement planning and credit use were also big topics of interest today. >> in this kind of economy where every penny really counts, it's really important for us to be good advocates for ourselves, to have the financial tools that we need and to make sure that we're meeting our obligations. >> participants also had the opportunity to meet with local lenders to discuss refinancing their homes and home loan modifications. the dog trained in search and rescue needs finding himself. tonight, his handler and many

volunteers have been out searching all day. eaves a german shepherd that never returned from a training session in the woods. surae chinn talked with the handler and the desperate search for her dog. >> i can't believe he's not in there. >> an empty crate brings heartache to sonya. >> i'm going crazy and i can't imagine what he's going through. i know he wants to come home. >> reporter: a 3-year-old black german shepherd was at the trail end of his training thursday before receiving full certification as a disaster rescue dog. he got spooked by something in the woods off 301 in bowie. >> reporter: the fact that he went across a four-lane highway, you know, is just -- i can't even talk about that. >> he needs to come home. please. bring him home, home safe. >> reporter: sonya is part of fairfax county urban search and rescue. she's been involved in countless people searches in

haiti, katrina and countless local searches. he was supposed to follow in his dad's paws. >> it's a helpless feeling. i don't know what to do. >> take a good look at dad here, because he is nearly identical. black all over with brown legs. there's a strong possibility that someone has vito already but sonya wants them to know this highly specialized dog has a higher calling. >> this dog is going to save people. i mean, he is going to certify this year with fema. he's going to replace his dad. his dad is retiring. he's going to go on to do amazing things. >> that's my boy. that's a good dog. that's a great dog, actually. >> reporter: in bowie, surae chinn, 9 news now. >> german shepherds are the smartest dogs. if you spot vito out there call 301-655-7643. you can also take him to any law enforcement, fire department or animal control location which have all been made aware of this missing dog.

budget crunch in montgomery county has lawmakers weighing new pay rises and public safety funding. the county is facing a $135 million budget hole. washington examiner reports tonight some council members have pointed to the county's energy tax while others suggest property taxes may be a potential revenue source. county executive said he doesn't know whether he'll recommend a pay raise because the county just doesn't have the money to spare. if you're planning on taking metro this weekend, plan on some delays. metro trains will share a single track along four of the five systems lines this weekend. expect delays of 15 to 30 minutes. of course, you can go to our website, wusa9.com, for a breakdown and get all theinformation. just ahead on 9 news now, a penny for your thoughts? how about a million dollars? we'll explain when we come back. also, what can we expect weatherwise after a saturday that reached 70 degrees? anny is up next with the

forecast. stay with us.

what's a penny really worth? a rare one cent copper coin went for a million bucks in a florida auction this weekend. it was minted back in 1793, the first year the u.s. produced

its own coins. the penny was in excellent shape, showing no wear on its lettering. no word on who bought the coin. got to go home and check. i've got a lot of pennies. what was with the weather today? is it going to be the same tomorrow? >> can you believe it got up to 68 degrees at reagan national? no record setting temperatures, because the record high was 76. but we do have cooler air coming this way. we'll see the changes starting tomorrow. temperatures will not be in the 60s tomorrow. a lot of us struggling to even get into the 50s. so hopefully you enjoyed the toasty conditions earlier today. here's a look at our current conditions right now. temperatures still pretty mild out there. i mean, this is january. winter has been very kind to us. depends on how you look at it. i want some snow. i'm ready for skiing. 50 in downtown. 50 also for andrews air force base. upper 40s in baltimore.

mid-40s in gaithersburg, around 43. culpeper at 39 degrees. we'll be getting into the 30s overnight. hey, it's a great day to be out for brunch tomorrow. lower 40s by 9:00 if you're out there. 11:00, mid-40s. lots of sunshine. by 1:00, 47 under partly cloudy conditions. generally wind should be fairly light, northwest, maybe 5-10 miles per hour in the afternoon hours. here's a look at the east coast satellite and radar picture where we have a little cold front coming through overnight, which means we'll see behind that some cooler air tomorrow and also monday. but you can see we're not looking at any showers for our area. and that could change though come middle of the week. so cooler for your sunday and monday. light rain potentially close to our area for monday. right now the models are tracking it even farther south. i think we really should be dry on monday. safe for now. then wednesday though a very wet conditions.

you'll want your umbrellas by then. then the weekend talking about the possibility for some winter weather in our long range forecast. our futurecast, sunday looks beautiful. lots of sunshine. definitely cooler. monday, may see increasing clouds throughout the afternoon, but for the most part we should be dry. there's a slight chance south of us we could see a couple of showers. it will be really light stuff. overnight, clear to partly cloudy conditions and a one blanket night. lows getting into the 30s. a chilly start for the day on sunday. lots of sunshine as you're heading into church or running errands. grab your sunglasses. winds will be light. afternoon, partly cloudy and cooler compared to today, but still pleasant. highs near 50 degrees. the average high for this time of year in downtown is 43. we'll all be above that. we're going with 49 in downtown. 50 in arlington. upper 40s in rockville. 40 for bowie and annapolis.

45 by noon. our afternoon highs 45 to 50. here's a look at your seven days. a little cooler on monday. tuesday is mild, 55. then wednesday is right now look to be a washout, maybe even an inch of rain in some local spots. and then thursday morning maybe a couple more showers, but we'll be in the 50s. but then look at friday and saturday. much colder, only in the 40s and then saturday a snowflake on there because we have a chance for maybe snow, maybe some flurries. still several days out. we'll keep you posted. >> what a swing. from 70 to 40. gives you something to talk about. football. this is the real deal now. playoff time. >> wouldn't this be nice if the redskins were involved in this right now? i have my lions blue tie. numbers tonight in the nfl wild card game. part of the divisional playoffs are set. see who's moving on, who's going home. georgetown mauled in morgan town. see how west virginia ruled the

day. maryland terrapins getting ready for the real stuff coming up next. alright everybody, get your heads up. now when i was in the military, i learned that if you stand together, you can stand up to anything! no matter where i was deployed, i always knew that somebody had my back! you boys are your own band of brothers! you have each other! just like i had navy federal credit union... 24/7... live customer support! let's go! let's go! 3 1/2 million members. 3 1/2 million stories. navy federal credit union.

of the first period, we are

scoreless out in the west coast. let's get to real business here. wild card weekend. lions first playoff game since 1999. third quarter, saints score making 24-14. watch matthew stafford by any means necessary, he gets into the end zone 24-21. and then i was pretty excited, too. but 1,038 yards of total offense. saints too much. they're moving on to san francisco. they win 45-28. afc wild card texans bengals first playoff ever for houston. andre johnson says i approve this message and i like it a lot. only 90 yards receiving, but 50 of them here. texans up 24-10. and yates, he only through it 159 yards, but he handed it off to aaron foster who shows his bicep. how about that stiff arm. he had a buck 53. texans will come to baltimore after winning 31-10. there are 16 teams in the

big east conference. there's probably only about three to paul rutgers and seaton hall that sort of struggle. even they're scrappy. bottom line there aren't any gimmes in the big east. that's why thompson hasn't gotten giddy about his team's winning streak. thompson had it going on, stroking the 3. that's not enough. give him 4 on the four-point play. he had 20 points. jason clark, show me the suction cup hands of clark. he had five steals and a flush. second half, chuck bryant, he came out of the locker room and he was rolling there. grand theft orange and the stuff. then kevin jones, he was pure. he was 22 points, 16 rebounds. and truck bryant finishing it off, he had 19 points after the half. west virginia winning by 12, 74- 62. virginia tech wake forest acc opener for both. 21 ticks to go. c. j. harris.

there goes my hero. 3-pointer, 55-58, jackets. last shot. brown, robert brown, not that. misses. virginia tech falls to 11-4, 58- 55. acc opener at virginia. three minutes to go. struggled all day long, but he dropped that like it was hot. the three-ball, virginia up 2. miami gets the last shot. gang green, no can do. turned away. virginia survives 52-51. and his successor paul hewitt now at george mason undefeated in caa play. pierson going bowling for georgia state. he misses. mike morrison for the put back. he had 15 points. 14 boards. patriots stand on late rally 61- 58. colgate at american. coach them up jeff jones. double j doing it. charles hinkle doing it well.

he had 21 points. a.u. undefeated at home 82-54. speaking of a.u., the school announced today it is inducting gary williams into its hall of fame. known for his exploits at maryland but began his career at a.u. how about those old black and white photos right there. the induction ceremony takes place february 25th. much has been made of the lack of firepower. mark turgeon has to work with. one leads the acc scoring. can the team go on the road and win. it will be answered tomorrow when the terps travel to raleigh. to win this game, these guys will have to grow up fast, he knows. >> shawn mosely is the only guy that's won at a high level on our team. we don't know as a group, they

don't know as a group, what it takes to win at a high level. >> we will see tomorrow. one of the best high school games in the country. steve turner taking on whitney young out of chicago. how about blackmon. to kris jenkins. up 10 in the third on whitney young of chicago. and of course, tomorrow we've got more nfl action here and raymond will be hosting the playoff game next week. good stuff. >> custom games here on channel 9. broncos and steelers. >> okay. all right. what does it look like tomorrow? cool tomorrow, but lots of sunshine. highs near 50. >> see you back at 11:00. bye.

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thanks, mom. who are you calling "mom"? dunkin' sausage pancake bites, delicious like mom's,