right now, topper's tracking some arctic air that will bring a drop in temperatures. plus, a health alert. new hope to turn back alzheimers, after surprising test results. the saddest moment in my whole life was when i found her. >> when these local parents found their daughter passed out on the floor, they discovered the dark truth about underage drinking and drugs. liver cancer, central nervous system damage, and increased risk of impotence. >> those are just a few of the long term effects of alcohol abuse by kids. 9 wants you to know what a local couple learned about their teenage daughter when it was almost too late. let it be a wake up call for all of us. >> it's probably the saddest moment in my whole life was when i found her. nothing has ever come close to what that was like. >> emily and greg learned their teenage daughter was drinking when they found the straight a student athlete intoxicated and

barely conscience. >> it was just shocking to me how out in the open it really is, and how oblivious the parents are including us. >> they are oblivious no more. >> i think she's 15. >> i think people think that if their kids get good grades, they have friends, they seem relatively happy in school, that that's a proxy for everything is okay. >> lie after lie after lie and we want to trust our children. that's what makes it so hard because these are good kids for the most part. >> what is especially shocking is how their daughter was introduced to alcohol. >> we have found out that her very first drink was taken on a school sponsored field trip to another city, and she said all four of the girls in her room actually drank to the point of passing out, vomiting all over the room. >> you're angry at your child. you're angry at the

authorities. >> giving your child privacy is crap because that's what's killing them. >> i wish i'd taken away her phone more often when she was asleep and read through all of the text messages because these kids are text messaging each other constantly about where they drop the alcohol off or the drugs off, are your parents home. >> and it's all unfolding in one of the nations most wealthy areas. >> it's a disease of affluence. to these kids a hard day is not being able to go to a party. they have no idea what a hard life is. >> you have the ability to put into a gps to take custody of your daughter. >> i think they all feel entitled to a good education, to have a phone, entitled to have a car, entitled to go out. they all feel entitled to use their money or parents money to buy alcohol and drugs. they don't know what hard is and if we don't show them, when are they going to learn it? >> and some of these kids are good at hiding their alcohol abuse; however others could

exhibit a cluster of signs. these are the things parents can be on the look out for. changes in friends, behavior and dress. change in attendance or performance at school and it is important you shouldn't jump to conclusions based on one or two signs especially with teenagers of course but it is that cluster effect that you want to look for. if you go to our website, wusa9.com, we'll have some tips on talking with your kids about alcohol and in fact it's even broken down for you by age- group. tonight the alexandria fire department is mourning the loss of paramedic joshua weisman. he died in the hospital today from injuries he got last night while responding to an emergency call. the paramedic is alexandria's first death in the line of duty in more than a hundred years. today the cities fire chief said weissman was known for going the extra mile even when he was off the job. >> one mother wrote that josh revisited her home after responding to an accident in her home that involved her mother-in-law and her young son. josh reassured the mother that

her son had been thoroughly checked out after being involved in the home accident when the boys grandmother fell ill while holding the boy. that was the kind of person josh was. committed, dedicated, professional, to the end. >> weissman was among the first responders handling a car fire last night on i-395 in arlington. investigators say he jumped across a guard rail and fell through a gap in the roadway and landed far below in four mile creek hitting his head on a rock. >> as we've seen with this tragic story, in just a split second the tables can turn for a rescuer and it happens a lot more often than you might think. >> ken molestina is live with a closer look at the dangers first responder space. ken? >> reporter: what happened to paramedic weissman is an illustration of a horrible hazard these first responders deal with on a daily basis. a memorial has been set up in front of the fire house as the

mood has spread throughout the fire and ems community and tonight we're learning more about the dangers of this job. >> there's a saying in the fire and ems service. your most important call is always the next one. that's because the job is always different and so are the hazards first responders come across. >> you never know how your day will start and the type of things you'll run into. >> deputy chief seth kelly is with the rescue squad in montgomery county. like alexandria fire, they too serve a jurisdiction that has many major roads and highways similar to the area where paramedic weissman plunged to his death. according to chief kelly working emergencies on the road are the most dangerous jobs they are called on to do. >> we've had several instances where our apparatus has been hit, very dangerous for us responding to any of those highway. >> in this photo you can see a car crumbled underneath a chevy chase rescue truck. had the truck not been there to stop the out of control car the rescuers would have been crushed. wednesday nights tragedy is just another example of things

that can go wrong. investigators are still trying to figure out what caused joshua weissman to fall off the overpass and land in a rocky creek. >> we're all human beings. >> meanwhile the mourning is under way for a paramedic who died doing what he loved. >> many times that happens. it's a very sad day so we send out our thoughts and prayers to the family as well as the department. >> according to the national ems service website, 19 paramedics died last year in the line of duty. >> speaking of the line of duty ken we know you spent some time as a first responder. you talked firsthand about the dangers out there. >> the one case that comes to mind didn't take place in a roadway but we were responding to a patient who overdosed on some kind of a drug and when that patient came to, he came back with a lot of strength and became very aggressive with us and he began to fight us during the process of all that i did take a punch to the side of the

face. >> thank you, ken. it was another emotional day in the lacrosse murder trial in may 2010 by slamming her head against a wall. the lawyers tried to convince the jury the horrible bruising on her body was actually caused by medics trying to recess it tate her. they argue that love died in part from taking the prescription drug aderall and drinking alcohol. mike burns testified today that just a few months before her death he was at a party when he found her with his arm around love's neck and she was screaming for help. >> the yardley love trial is putting a spotlight on dating violence. 40% of girls between the ages of 14 & 17 know somebody their age whose been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. and 25% of teenage girls report verbal physical emotional or sexual abuse. now a local mother who lost her own daughter to teen dating violence is trying to help keep other young girls from becoming victims. lynn russell knew her daughter was in an unhealthy relationship but she really

didn't know how dangerous it was until her boyfriend strangled and stabbed her to death. >> we found out how much forment she's endured with threats and manipulation and just general fear that she lived in. >> she's now created the website dating abuse stops now and that website is full of information including early warning signs of relationship violence. other victim stories, and how someone can get help. log on to wusa9.com for a link. tonight, this teacher is behind bars accused of offering far more than an education to a teenager. montgomery county police say ash are campbell, a teacher at the prominent montrose christian academy had a lengthy sexual relationship with one of the school students. investigators say the student was just 16 when the relationship started in the fall of 2010. they say the student and the 27 year old had sex numerous times inside her car at a park.

all this coming to light after the school got an anonymous e- mail last friday. campbell taught kindergarten. former presidential candidate herman cain seemed to equate liberals with "stupid people." now this happened today when cain spoke to the conservative political action conference meeting right here in d.c. >> we must outsmart the liberals. we must outsmart the stupid people that are trying to ruin america. >> [applause]. >> okay then. >> we outnumber the stupid people, trust me! i count on them. >> well you may recall that cain dropped out of the race for receipt publicly can nomination after a handful of women alleged he sexually harassed them. well it looks like a bell that allows private adoption agency toss discriminate against potential families will become law in the commonwealth. today the virginia state senate

passed legislation allowing private adoption agencies to deny placing children in homes that conflict with their religious or moral beliefs including opposition to homosexuality. the house of delegates already passed a similar measure and the governor is on record saying he will sign it into law. today the federal government announced a $25 billion settlement with banc of america wells fargo, jp morgan chase, citigroup, and allied financial. the settlement allows homeowners who far more than their homes are worth to refinance at lower rates or reduce their debt. about $1.5 billion will go to 750,000 borrowers who lost their homes through foreclosure between september 2008 and the end of last year. >> this isn't just good for these families . it's good for their neighborhoods. it's good for their communities and it's good for our economy. >> the settlement only applies to loans the banks hold themselves, not to loans held by fannie mae and freddie mac

that has allotted them. the state of oklahoma is the only one to opt out of the deal and will not receive any money. so let's take a look at how this money breaks down locally. the district is eligible for up to $40 million. virginia attorney general says commonwealth residents who experience foreclosure abuse will get about $479 million and another 409 million will go toward modifying the terms of existing loans and virginia will get almost $70 million of that. maryland is set to get $960 million in its share of this major settlement. topper? well, we were above average today, 47 and not too bad. clouds to the south, clear skies to the north. here is your wake up weather and i think by tomorrow morning we will be clear. 26-36 at 5:00. 24-34 at 7:00, and a little bit of ice on the windshield and temperatures in the 30s by 9:00. we'll come back and talk about snow in the forecast and not one day but two days in a row over the weekend. still ahead tonight, claim

your cash. we've got more names to share, and if you see yours, there's a check already waiting for you. plus, a health alert. scientists say they've never seen anything like it, a drug that reversed alzheimers in animal tests. that's coming up.

shocked and amazed, that's how the lead scientist of an alzheimers study describes the drugs unexpected effect in reversing the disease. this is actually a cancer drug already available in studies on mice, it helped clear out the amyloid plaques that build up in the brain with alzheimers and six hours after mice got the drug, levels were down 25% ultimately going down 75%. the scientists at case western say they've never seen anything like it and will begin clinical trials in people very soon. alzheimers patients and their families have been excited about the suppose ed breakthroughs before and have ultimately been disappointed. even so, gary nurenberg found one extraordinary couple who believes hope is essential when you live with alzheimers every day. >> reporter: sometimes you don't need music when you've been married for 43 years, you

can make your own. bob blackwell was the cia analyst and manager for 30 years, and that's him with the first president bush who wrote at the retirement, blob blackwell is one of the brightest men i've ever worked with. >> [laughter]. that was wrong. >> he has his sense of humor but words can be tough to find. >> if something is just there, i can try to get it, but it's hard to get. >> bob knows his 97 year old mother has alzheimers. >> it's tough. >> but when asked if he has symptoms? >> not that i know of, but maybe there is something out there, but i don't, i haven't run into anything or somebody hit the robot, anyway. >> bob and carol write a blog about alzheimers for usa today. >> people really can't understand it unless they are living with it. it is very difficult. it's a horrible disease, just

horrible. it doesn't stop and it's very hard. you never really adjust to it. you think you've adjusted to one stage and then things change and you have to readjust again, so it's never off your mind. you're never free. >> and that surprise finding this week on that new drug that might reverse the disease? >> we've heard again and again a lot of the trials have failed, so i will give anything for a cure but i guess i want to wait and see what it really does. >> skepticism but tempered skepticism. >> i think people have to live and hope. you can not give up even though things are discouraging and trials fail, there's one out there that will be the cure. there is one out there, so i think we can't give up but they sure got to find a cure and hopefully before 2025 or next year would be nice, [laughter]. >> tomorrow would be good. >> tomorrow would be super. >> can't you just hear that music?

[laughter]. 9 news now. >> tomorrow would be good. well, red hot explosions of lava are spewing from europe's only volcano, italy's mount aetna lit up the sky with a pretty impressive display overnight. this is one of the several eruptions so far this year but geologists say no risk to the population. just a nice show. we can live with that. >> with can. topper is back, good to see you my friend. >> thank you. not a bad day and 47. you can't complain about that. >> we could. >> it's funny because i was thinking gosh, where's my coat? >> [laughter]. >> i forgot my coat. >> we got used to the 50s. >> i know and the trouble is now when we go down to the 30s it's going to feel super super cold and so get ready. i'm putting that out there. let's start with a live shot, this is our live weather cam, live shot of the capitol. very nice and we have high mid level clouds over the district and points south but it's clear up toward fredrick. 41, that's keeping the temperature up a little bit too, and dew point is 31, pressure is steady at 30.20 inches of mercury, winds

negligible out of the south at about three. well here is the deal. we're looking at a dry morning commute, and even the evening commute, the clouds will come in tomorrow but it's going to stay dry for the evening commute as well. snow or rain friday night and in fact we'll probably see rain south of town, probably see that change to snow before ending late late friday night, so if you have plans late friday night after midnight, be careful. things could get interesting by the pre-dawn hours on saturday and then with the arctic air, more snow showers coming in saturday night and the roads will get a little bit slick. won't take much as temperatures fall throughout the day on saturday and really fall saturday night so tomorrow morning notice there's no clouds anywhere, so you'll need your sunglasses in the morning but then as we get into the afternoon hours, high mid level clouds approach the mountains and then by evening, clouds will be thickening up. it will be dry, a little bit of snow will go back into oakland but it won't get in here for a while. but if you are out late

tomorrow, this is about 6:15 in the morning on saturday, most of it is snow. you folks in southern maryland will probably have all rain showers with this but the district will see rain turning into snow overnight tomorrow and into saturday and i think most of this will be gone by about 7:00 or 8:00 on saturday and we may see more activity coming in saturday evening. i don't think this is really going to be quite representative of the snow showers. i think the snow showers end saturday morning and come back saturday evening and saturday night so for tonight clear to partly cloudy and cold, a one to two blanket night, 24-34 with light wind and tomorrow morning should return mostly sunny, cold, dress inlayers. you'll be peeling them off throughout the day, temperatures in the 20s and 30s and then by afternoon clouds come back, a little bit milder, light jacket will take care and it will be dry through the evening commute, high temperatures around 50. so we'll break it down. to start cold, 24-34 but then just chilly by noon and partly cloudy 45-49 and by evening 47-

52 and clouds really beginning to thicken up. now, the next three days, saturday, friday night we're looking at rain and snow showers ending on saturday, a break saturday, more snow showers saturday night, temperatures falling like a rock on saturday afternoon and we'll be lucky to make the freezing mark on sunday. so the next seven days, temperatures rebound pretty well on monday, back to the low 40s but then a little bit of snow is possible next tuesday, we'll watch that and we're back to 50 on wednesday and 54 on thursday. >> top, thanks. >> flakes out there. >> uh-huh. so what would you do with an extra $1000 in your pocket? that is the average amount of money people are getting from our claim your cash list. this is money that comes from perhaps an inheritance, insurance policy or just a safety deposit box you forgot about. all you have to do to claim it from state and city treasury but you do have to know if you're on the list and we're the people in the know. so here you go.

all of you just may have some cash coming your way and if you heard us read your name or if you want to see if your name is on the list go to the claim your cash headquarters simply by logging on to our website wusa9.com and look at our consumer page. plus, we're running more names in the bottom of your tv screen throughout our newscast. kristin is here with sports. what's happening? >> oh, an exciting night, derek you and i were watching the caps game. >> yes, it's a heartbreaker. heartbreaker in d.c. the capitols blow a two goal lead, to close out their game with a loss. find out how that happened, plus tiger in cali. the pressure is there but would he buckle? those coming up next.

oh, tonights capitols/jets game was rather interesting, yet very exciting one. four goals were scored in regulation, all within the final 10 minutes of the game plus the ever exciting shoot out. now if only the outcome were a little different. capitols hosting the winnipeg

jets, scoreless in the third, alex gets the rebound off the glass and look at this shot, right up in the corner. nice, now the 23rd goal of the season and caps lead 1-0 and then went up 2-0 before the jets took off and kane gets the piceance and watch this from center ice, deflects and goes in, that was 12 seconds from the other one. they scored two goals in 12 seconds and they tie things up in ot, and cannot get the game winner to go, so they go to shoot out and caps need this one, matthew hesitates but cannot get a clean shot. caps lose, it was hard. it was wimpy, lose 3-2. >> now to the hardwood, virginia tech visiting miami. the hoakies had a tough time holding on the ball, in the second down 11, eric green turns the ball over to jones and brian brown with the

offensive rebound and hoakies go down in miami 65-49. >> america hosting lehigh. 18 points, 17 boards, both career highs in his first career double double. good night and outblasts lehigh, 71-62. >> go eagles. >> time to announce the winner of the high school game of the week poll. you all chose a boys match up between the hilton bulldogs and the undefeated garfield indians. we'll have highlights tomorrow night at 11. >> today at public el beach the national pro am onlookers didn't seem to care who was leading. all they wanted to see was tiger woods and his first u.s. tournament this year. spectators were lined up 10 deep at every green to catch a glimpse. here he is going for an eagle on 11 and you can't see it underneath, it sits on the lift. you can't see it underneath the temperature there but it sits on the lip. couldn't get the eagle but otherwise a good day. here he gets a board it. he shot four under 68 and

what's considered really the hardest course. he's still five back from the leader though. >> finally this isn't something we've seen because of the lack of snow but a little winter intertubing. do not try this at home. they're on the street. catch, cars going by. >> how fast they going? >> fast! and then to get around a car, they just go to the other lane. >> oh. >> that is so not a good idea! >> that's stupid. >> yes. >> aka, stupid video. >> okay, i was hoping something was going to happen. it doesn't? >> no, that's about as stupid as it gets, derek. >> i thought it was going to be something.

there are those who already belong to the mile high club. >> yeah, but then there are others who may need a lot more frequent flier miles. if you've ever been on a flight and you met somebody you really liked but you just couldn't connect you have another shot at the website. it's called "we met on a plane" and it allows you to enter the flight number, destination and other relevant info, you look for that passenger you talked to in row 12, post a message and if you're lucky you can reconnect with that special someone. >> can we say stalking? >> [laughter]. >> just get a number while you're talking to them. goodnight, everybody. we're going to debate this. >> bye!

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