bryant's road and waldorf and accumulating on the grass surfaces. earlier today it was snowing today, 68 on saturday and snowing today. welcome to a wild january and that is indeed the case. now, let's look at the traffic and i 66, oh yeah, what a mess. i mine, it is freaking people out, i think, because it is starting to snow. come out to the terrace one more time you can see the snow sticking here on the cushions. that is about it. very, very wet snow. not sticking on the concrete around the satellite dishes, but a little bit of snow, conversational snow, we'll come back and let you know if this is going to refreeze overnight and look ahead to what could be winter's big return. let's see if the snow is

having an effect on the evening rush. robert altman has your timesaver traffic. >> reporter: nothing slippery out in the freezing precipitation on the roadways, but taking a law school at the woodrow wilson bridge, you can see damage is done on the interstate. very slow traffic going into virginia on the inner loop and into the maryland area and starting to form up on the left shoulder there. slippery conditions. jumping up toward the american legion bridge, because of the damp conditions and everybody taking it easy. moving over to prince george's county, you'll find the extensive delays mainly on the inner loop of the capital beltway, leaving virginia and silver spring winding through college park and out toward the bowie area on the west side. that is the latest on the roads on the surprise storm here anita, back to you. tonight montgomery county police are struggling to stop a rash of burglaries. ruth leshan is live in

bethesda, which has been especially hard hit. bruce? >> reporter: anita, new year's saw seven burglaries in just one night in this one neighborhood behind bethesda, chef have i chase high school and police are going to have a meeting tomorrow night to try and explain to people at the bethesda chef have i chase regional services center what they are doing to stop these burglaries and what neighbors can do to stop them. >> reporter: police are still looking for the man caught on tape ransacking a silver spring home. but they say similar home surveillance tape in bethesda has already helped them catch a burglar. all told, some 25 homes in bethesda and chef have i chase were hit by burglars in november. another 26 people fell victim in december. anytime you have an increase in any category of crime, in this case burglaries are up 5.7% for the year, it is a concern for us. >> reporter: detectives have been working hard to stem the surge of burglaries. and they are hoping a series of

arrests will help. >> they have

> >> >> >> a personal plea to new hampshire voters from front runner mitt romney. romney man's the phones at his headquarters in manchester, trying to lock in his double digit lead. his rivals are attacking him

for a comment made this morning. >> i like to be able to fire people that provide serves to me. >> reporter: but romney's comments were taken out of context. he was talking about having options when it comes to insurance, not laying people off. newt gingrich says he is abandoning his plan to run a positive campaign. >> you are not able to compete with romney if you are totally positive. >> reporter: ron paul is running second here, thanks to loyal followers, who have his support. >> reporter: what do you think about ron paul appeals to new hampshire residents? >> just the aspect of government staying out of my business. >> reporter: that is a common sentiment in a state where the motto is live free or die. voters here have a history of being unpredictable. >> they don't always go for the front runner, do they? >> not at all. >> reporter: john huntsman is hoping to capitalize on that. >> we are going to turn

conventional wisdom upside down tomorrow night. >> reporter: huntsman, gingrich and rick santorum are packing in at much face time with voters as they can. hoping to finish as one of the top three. meantime, a new survey by the research center shows republicans have mixed view of their crop of presidential candidates, derek, the reviews were more positive toward the candidates four years ago. back to you. manuel gallegos, we thank you for that. meantime at the white house a major shake up today. after just one year on the job, president obama's chief of staff is stepping down. budget director jake loop will take over. many of us will not forget the day a gunman stormed into the discovery building back in september 2010. it was the first time in county history a suicide bomber took

hostages. now a montgomery county police officer who helped take down that suspect and bring those people to safety is getting an award for his courage. >> reporter: the ceremony was held here at the training academy, because it was the officer's training that allowed him to act with such bravery, and save lives. >> it was close. >> reporter: it wasn't until after the chaos, the evacuations and the fear that officer edward paiden realized he had risked his life to save others. >> my colleagues not real blessed none of us got hurt. >> reporter: he was off-duty and had just finished a long swim as part of training for a triathlon when he heard the call. a gunman stormed into the discovery building and he was taking hostages. without a second thought the officer ran in to help. >> while ed's doing all this, the jellyfish stings are starting to swell up. so, if for no other reason, that alone should get you some sort of recognition.

>> reporter: they all can laugh now, because they survived the horrifying ordeal. emergency responders and hostages alike. >> nothing can prepare for you what you actually face when someone is standing there with a gun in your face or they tell you they have a bomb that triggered to detonate at any second. >> reporter: today the 15 year veteran was awarded the congressional badge of bravery. >> due to his instinctive response, he saved lives. >> folks, may ask where are the heroes? where are the leaders today? i think i have an answer. they are right over there. >> that is what we are here for. to serve the community at large. >> reporter: 19 other officers from around the country, also received the award. officer paiden, the only recipient here in maryland. in rockville, delia gonzalez, 9news now. the controversial merit system is paying off for some, we have that still ahead.

snow, occasionally moderate snow across the metro area. temperatures still above freezing. the satellite picture combined, it is going to race out of here. we'll tell you when the snow ends and if we are left with icy spots tomorrow morning. but first, stores across the country are removing two bottles of popular, over the counter drugs from their shelves and

to want a sweeping recall of some prescription painkillers and over the counter pills that could be in your medicine cabinet. it involves four drugs made by powerful opiate pills. they are found in bottles of excedrin, no-doze and bufferin and you could be at risk. >> bottles of excedrin is being pulled off store shelves. the swiss drug maker says the otc pills may include stray tablets from their other products. >> first of all, definitely be concerned about the side effects, if the drugs were mixed. so some of the drugs that could have been mixed, cause a lot more drowsiness than excedrin or bufferin. >> the recall was shut down last month after fda inspectors found problems.

they decided to pull the products after receiving complaints of mislabeled bottles, along with broken and chipped pills. the food and drug finish administration said some of the over the counter pills may have been packaged with powerful prescription painkillers. indict dough pharmaceutical sells the drugs at percocet, and oh pawn that. the fda isn't recalling those painkillers, because the risk of stray pills is low and so many patients rely on those medications. >> prescription drugs are widespread approximate they are used a lot across the country. they don't want to create any kind of irrational fear. >> reporter: experts say look at your medications closely. and if you have any questions, contact your pharmacist. now the bottles of excedrin and no-doze have expiration dates of december 20, 2014 or earlier. the expiration dates on the bufferin and gas ex are december 20, 2013 or before. if you have any of these

products, don't use them. you want to contact the company for a full refund. the hyundai arestaurant that drove off with top honors today. it won this year's north american car of the year award. the range rover evoke won truck of the year. vehicles up for the awards have to be new or have to have major changes to be considered and they are judged by 50 veteran auto journalists in the u.s. and in canada. now you can do more than shop or grab a quick snack at wal-mart. starting today you can get your taxes done there. trained experts from h & r block and jackson hewitt will set up kiosks at more than 3000 of the stores across the country and the service will be free. if you are filing simple tax returns like those 1040 ezs. according to apple insider, you are going to be able to buy your ipad i max at another big box

retailer. the website says apple will open stores inside 25 target locations. follow me now. the store within a store partnership is planned for areas where there are not a lot of people to support a larger apple store. every apple store here is packed. >> i was going to say yeah, you walk in any apple store at any time,. >> they give something away free and they are not. >> you got snow for free today. >> i did. i want to emphasize, this is not a check box here. >> this is totally a check box. the snow of winter 2012. no. you are looking at live pictures in bethesda. see the picture sticking on the cars there this is a great shot of the white house. you can look carefully, it is still snowing pretty good downtown. the roof is covered and the white house lawn is covered. it was a very, very pretty snow and it will continue for the next hour or two, depending on

where you are. temperatures right now 34 at nashville. a dew point 30. winds out of the south. we have snow humidity 87%. a look at live doppler 9000, you can see the back edge of the snow already, essentially to the county line. we'll zoom in a little bit. the darker green. you see these are pockets of pretty heavy snow. got the moderate snow in wheaton, toward rockville and gaithersburg and clarks berg. 123 and now 66 and down 95 south, i want to you get south of town. move further south. it is snowing pretty hard, waldorf from brandywine. some of it indicates where it is snowing so hard it can't melt fast enough and it is sticking to the roads. keep that in mind if you are driving home. if you have visibility issues and you have wet roads at the very least. temperatures 33 bethesda.

34 gaithersburg, and 34 in great falls. 34 also in springfield. here's the deal. snow ending around 8:00. earlier if you are west of town. roads wet this evening. milder tuesday. grab your umbrella wednesday. does appear winter is going to return friday, perhaps with a vengeance. snow and rain ending early tonight, clearing and chilly, 28 to 34. there could be some areas tomorrow morning with the temperatures in the bur bes in the upper 20s that appears to be wet. that may actually be black ice tomorrow morning. take it easy if you go to work very early. 29 tonight in gaithersberg, 30 in reston and 91 in college park. enough to cause minor problems tomorrow morning. mostly sunny and chilly, 30s and 40s tuesday morning. winds westerly at 10. afternoon mostly sunny and milder. light jacket will do it. high temperatures in the the low 50s and winds out of the

northwest at 10. a spectacular day tomorrow. breaking it down, 30s to start, nice by noon. 46 to 51. 4 to 54. milder by evening. here comes the rain wednesday. temperatures in the upper 40s. lower temperatures just a little bit. thursday still nice, breezy, maybe an early shower 50. look what happens in the next several days. look at friday. temperatures with a low on thursday night. 36. temperatures are going to fall pretty much all day. we are holding at 36 on saturday as well. sunday around 40. then another system comes at us next monday, which could be snow and/or rain as well. a little more cold air available that will keep you posted on that with highs in the upper 50s. so it can't go on forever. >> got to feel like winter at some point. >> better for nature if it gets colder too. i'm starting to countdown the weeks. too early. too early. still ahead, a thrill

seeking tourist somehow manages to survive an adventure gone terribly wrong. but up next, a plan to pay commutetor

sky 9 captures the construction of metro's new silver line today. project managers now say phase i from falls church to reston is 60% complete. they say tracks are being lada long some sections of the 12-mile route and transit officials say there has been significant progress at all five silver line subway stations. the lines will aallow passengers to travel on the same train from downtown washington to mcclain and reston and it is scheduled to open in late 2013. if you commute to quantico or the mark center, there is a plan in the works to pay drivers too carpool. the northern virginia regional commission is organizing the program called retime ride sharing t allows commuters to find rides -- it allows commuters to find rides using a smart phone app. the funds are coming from both the state and federal government. eight people are still in serious condition following

this, a deadly tour bus crash in montana. two people were killed and dozens more hurt when the bus hit a patch of ice on interstate 90 in southwestern montana. the accident was one of many sunday morning. a preliminary investigation indicates the bus was going too fast for the weather conditions. the houston skyline has undergone some radical change. wow. that used to be the life insurance building and it is safe to say it has fallen down and can't get up. please says also brought down this. one of two building in ohio. the old conagra grain mill imploded. city officials are considering

the site for a new development. there will be some apartments, maybe condos or retail. you know the drill. still ahead, as sprain may not be for everyone to decrease the risk of a heart attack. dc public schoolteachers are getting a big pay increase, thanks to the new merit pay system. some are even getting bonuses

dc public school's merit pay system pretty controversial. it is finally showing up in some paychecks. this year nearly 500 teachers rated highly effective got a bonus. kristen fish soldier here to talk about this. >> reporter: these bonuses range from $2000 to $30,000. that's not all. if these teachers get a highly effective rating two years in a row, they are also eligible for a permanent pay increase of the that is exactly what happened to teacher tiffany johnson. >> all eyes on me. >> reporter: 299-year-old tiffany johnson has been a

standout teacher at ron brown middle school for seven years. so in this problem right here what is the constant? a year ago her salary was university over 60 grand. but this year her base salary has jumped an up press dented 40% to $87,000. >> that helps a lot. >> reporter: and that is not all. she got a $30,000 bonus two years in a row. >> which clearly tells me that i am working hard, everybody sees my hard work and dedication and is definitely going to allow me to stay here with a clear mind. right here in the district of columbia. >> reporter: retaining top teachers like tiffany and recruiting new ones is exactly what impact plus was designed to do. >> we are feeling, for the first time, we are really putting our money where our mouth is. >> reporter: this year more than 200 dc teachers saw their salary spike, due to a highly effective

rating. but critics of the merit pay system call it unfair. and it is tougher for teachers at schools in low income neighborhoods to get that highly effective rating. great job. >> reporter: but tiffany says she is proof that those critics are off base. >> they really should look at who is really benefiting from the program. it is not the teachers. it is the students. because we are increasing student achievement. >> reporter: nationwide, the average teacher salary is just about $68,000. but anita, get this. this year, tiffany is going to bring in, with her bonus and salary together, $117,000. that is a lot of money especially. >> and that is great. again, you can see where that would encourage the achievement and also the stability of teachers staying in the system. >> reporter: and the recruitment of new teachers down the road. >> kristen fisher, thanks. back to you guys. thanks anita. well, is it bad timing or just a really bad idea? or maybe both? the debate is raging over a

decision to spend millions of dollars to build a brand new president's mansion on the university of college park campus. supporters argue the existing home is almost 60 years old and desperately needs an upgrade. opponents are furious. just a few weeks ago students were told there is no money to fund several sports programs. joining us now to debate both sides of this one is valerie le brawn noi, a first term senator at the university senate and author dave grady is at the university of maryland athletics. you have no money if a track team. no money for men or women's swimming but $72,000. much of the funding is coming from donors. really a choice to fund the new mansion or put their money else where. and the other important pieces are going to create a new space

for donors to feel comfortable in and be invited into the space could really yield a lot of money in the future. >> this sure sounds nice. if i'm a student whose swim team is going away, maybe i don't buy all that. >> understandable. times are tough. for the students that are on the affected sports teams, they can also have the opportunity to raise money friday these same donors. and maybe going forward, they could utilize the space to bring in other donors that would want to bring their teams back. >> maybe the campus really needs this. >> i think it is a big part of it. the timing is a bit dubious. they announced all the programs that are potentially going to be cut if the money is not raised by july 1, track and field. one of them i was on the team at late maryland in the 1980s. i can tell you those of us track alumnus were not happy how it is going. but we understand that they do have to have a new building and new mansion. it is the perception.

we were trying to focus some of us on trying to get the money. we see donors are going to put money into this house and they have to. is there enough money for all of it? i don't know. it is a tough thing. >> reporter: redoing the president's mansion is a touchy subject in good times or bad. didn't they have to do this sooner or late officer. >> this was announce in august 2010. we are hearing about it now. some permits were released and there is some discussion by members of the board. so this has been known for awhile. it is the timing and perception with all that is going on. >> if you can get $7 million to build a mansion, can you get the track and the swim and the polo team going? >> you could. you have to seek the right people out and the right people have to be asking for it maybe in the future you could, but right now, the best use of funds for the short-term, a short- term investment for long-term gain would be to build the university. i guess that is the question. is that the best use of funds? again if i'm a student at the school, having a nice building

to raise moneysy nice. but this is going -- raise money i is nice. we think as a member of the university of maryland community you want to think about the longevity of the university. this could be a way to bring in future revenue streams and create more opportunities for the university to grow, going forward. valerie thanks for coming in. we appreciate you shedding light on this one for us today. >> glad to be here. bye bye guys, leslie. papa john's fired a cashier in new york after she identified a customer as quoted lady chink eyes. this is a copy of the receipt the customer posted on her twitter accounts. papa john's issued an apology, saying this act goes against our company values. still ahead, a celebration of how animals are helping breast cancer patients recover and thrive in today's buddy check. but up next, a woman is lucky to be alive after a bungee

accident in zimbabwe. we are always

caught on tape. a video you really have to see to believe. a new year's eve bungee jump over a crocodile infested river in simple bob way. even more incredible than the failed jump is what happened iconix. >> reporter: it was 360 feet of pure adrenaline. erin's bungee cord snaps 60 feet above the water. >> it went black. straight away i felt like i had

been slapped all over. >> reporter: the current, as you can see, began to drag her toward the rapids. her legs still tied, the 22-year-old australian had to dive down to free her ropes from the rocks. >> reporter: when i was first pulled out of the water they put me on my back. >> so all the water that i inhaled, i couldn't breathe. i made them roll me on to my side. >> reporter: her body is bruise and beaten. language worthy made her recovery in a south african hospital. up until now 50,000 tourists were making that jump every year. a meeting of the israeli committee got a little ugly today. two members in a bit of a heated exchange about the principal of an arab high school. at one point both members told each other shut up, then just

as the woman appeared to be walking out of the room, she went back to her seat and did this. she storms out. >> and you thought those meetings were boring. coming up, why a new york city hospital is being criticized for how it handled the birth of beyonce and jay z's daughter. >> reporter: back edge of the snow work ago cross route 256. up next, should you be taking an aspirin a day to prevent heart attack

you have probably heard aspirin touted as a wonder drug. it can be.

a british team looks at tens of thousands of healthy people with no prior heart disease to. them, taking aspirin regularly didn't lower death rates. >> we know spring works in high-risk or moderate risk. it is the low risk people that we are not sure whether using an aspirin a day or every other day is beneficial. the reason everyone shouldn't jump on this bandwagon. side effects. aspirin can in rare cases cause dangerous problems like stomach bleeding or strokes from bleeding in the brain. >> if you are not a heart patient, talk to your healthcare provider first before you start an aspirin regimen. 2012 is/nine days old. do you have your new calendar yet? look for one of our best buddies. in tonight's buddy check 9 report, andrea roane introduces us to critters for the cure.

this is lad did i. he gets me out of bed and we get out there and do our thing loyalty like that deserves a really special treat. and for kara's lad did i, plus 11 other critters, that treat is their own month and picture with their best friend in the 2012 critters for the cure calendar. >> i believe we had three cats a horse and the rest were dogs. >> there was a lot of research that said if you have a pet, you live longer, it lowers your blood pressure. petting a dog lowers your heart rate. this is basic comfort.

>> reporter: it was the unconditional love of bo's buddy that got trixie through the breast cancer diagnosis. >> i had friends and family, but there is something, on your lap or at your feet, it is one of those things they are there and you know there is love. proceeds from the calendars will support the unspoken side of cancer. the side that deals with the financial and emotional aftershock of a diagnosis. >> you shouldn't be in a position to choose one or the other. get a prescription paid or go to the chemo? you need both. so what we tried to do is make sure you don't choose. you need both. >> reporter: all the women featured in this year's calendar are breast cancer survivors.

but critters for the cure also supports women battling cancer. in addition it offers job training assistance, and helps women who can no longer care for their pets while they recover. andrea roane, 9news now. would you like a calendar? or to donate? there is a link to their website on the help page of our website wusa 9.com and please join me for the critters and couture fashion show at the ballroom in bethesda, thursday, the 8th. more info at critters for the cure on their website. a private 30th birthday celebration was held today for the duchess of cambridge, kate middleton and her appearance with prince william at last night's premiere of steven spielberg's new film, war horse, dominated the front pages of british ta tabloids this morning. topper, stay awake.

her full length gown made a big splash on the red carpet. kate's 30th birthday marks her first birthday as a member of the royal family? jay z is confirming the birth of his new daughter. the song glory made its debut today two days after he and beyonce reportedly gave birth to a girl named blue ivy. meanwhile new york's lennox hill hospital is criticized for how it handled the birth of their daughter. one father says hospital security kept putting the hallway on lockdown, which prevented him and the others from spending time with their newborns. >> they should have gotten more strategic with where they put her. you can't cordon off small children, newborns. who need care. and you are just going to take over the hospital? like you own it? >> reporter: there are reports that the celebrity couple paid about $1.3 million for the entire floor at lennox hill. do you write that out in a full

check? or do you get to pay installments for that? how does that work? >> i'm more concerned about the gowns. >> i was talking about the movie. snow is ending now from west to east. two inches on the ground south of town toward springfield. an old intern sent this to me. very nice, daniel. thank you. looking live now at the white house, this is our michael and son weather cam. you can see the flakes falling

okay? 34 officially. dew point 32. winds light out of the south southeast at 5. here's live doppler. chantilly manassas. good band of snow moving through la plate ta. once you get out to chantilly, you are fine. going 50 to annapolis, going to be snow. temperatures above freezing for the most part. if you are out west, it is going to end before then. milder tomorrow. grab your umbrella on wednesday and winter returns on free.

really turns on friday. upper 40s, maybe left over showers on thursday. still 50. then it could be a pattern change. temperatures in the 30s for highs on friday and saturday. sunday we do it all over again with rain or snow tonight a new college national champion will be ground. the bcs ranking system used to determine who plays for the national title. every season the fairness and accuracy of that system seems to be criticized. we decided to take a closer look at the debate and how the bc s

works. >> reporter: how do you capture this glass ball? not an exact science. fans might have better luck deciphering the prince of darkness. see what i mean? poll sisters make up the part of it. then there is computers. lots of them. six to be exact that take into account all sorts of that. together they spit out a form may. here's the problem. subtivety, how does that sound to you? imagine if other things were determined by the bcs. the pack might not have held up the lombardi trophy earlier in the season. computer models certainly wouldn't have liked that.

things aren't always settled on the field. could change have come to america if elections were determined by the bcs? maybe not. the system doesn't always recognize underdogs and remember before propose wowed the world, hillary clinton seemed to be the front runner. that's right coach, multiple teams, tow to tow on the -- toe to toe, on the field. dave owens, 9 sports now. conference commissioners will actually meet tomorrow to talk about the flaws of the bcs. we may see some changes soon, but i wouldn't hold your breath, derek, over to you. still ahead on 9news now, metro wraps up its sessions in more of their rail cars and brake systems went bad in free from potholes to bottle necks, how do we pay for transportation improvement.

up next, called one of the best small charities in the dc area. we introduce you to community

29 years ago an organization was born in alexandria, all about fighting homeless. community lodging for the poor and recently the nonprofit was named one of the best small

charities in the washington area. today j. c. hayward features it on hayward central i can't i think is it calming or not? and then i say okay, i need to be a strong person and i need to change my life. and i move on. >> reporter: maria espinoza was able to improve her life and provide a secure future for her two daughters. she is just one of many whose lives were dramatically changed by community lodging. >> i have watched families come in, like a family will come in, and the negative look on their face and just sadness. and then after a couple of months they come in and are smiling at me. it is exciting to watch their attitudes change. >> reporter: it is estimated that 10% of all homeless people

in northern virginia live in alexandria. besides providing transitional housing, community lodgings offers youth and adult education. >> my older daughter is 15. she is in seventh grade, she is doing very well and she speak spanish, english and now she speak german and very well with the language. she got aand his bs. each afternoon low income and predominantly latino students come here for after school programs. they get tutoring and english and more importantly, they learn how to avoid gang activity. >> they come in and are demoralized. we work with them, showing them they can save money. they can get better jobs. their children can be educated and they can make it. >> reporter: community lodgings is guiding families to independ expense self sufficiency.

>> what we talk about helping the homeless here in northern virginia and alexandria, there is a dire need. we take families from the shelter and work with them so they are independent. and it is successful. i'm j. c. hayward, 9news now. you can learn more about all the programs offered by community lodgings by going to j. c. hayward's website at j. c. hayward.com. pretty, lightly falling flakes, and then it actually started to stick. how long will it take for winter to go on. topper? >> reporter: it is winding down here in the northwest. really the snow sort of collected on parts of our deck and you know, a little bit of snow here on some of the furniture. very wet snow too. good for snowballs. let me start with live doppler 9000. the back edge of the precipitation is about to 95. about to cross the river here. notice south of wearington