for tonight no problems either, clear skies, chilly, one to two blanket night, 28 to 30 night. we will come back and talk more about the details and where the bull's eye is going to be. you might be surprised. now to the breaking news about the arrest of an alexandria resident who thought he was about to ignite explosives at the capitol building. >> 29-year-old amine el khalifi was armed with both a suicide vest and a gun, both of which he thought actually worked, but they did not. >> in reality they were duds provided by the fbi in a sting operation that ended with el khalifi's arrest this afternoon. we have live team coverage tonight with the latest on what we know. >> this is just the latest in a series of sting operations where wannabe terrorists think they're working with al-qaeda operatives to attack washington only to find they're working with undercover fbi agents who provide them just enough help to get them indicted. the government has released few

details, but it appears al khalifi was arrested in -- el khalifi was arrested in this parking garage after cnn reports accepting a vest fill with what he believed to be explosives and a -- vest filled with what he believed to be explosives and a gun. the government said both were benign. khalifi reportedly purchased ingredients for the vest bomb. if true, good evidence. >> we've seen this happen repeatedly over past years. when you get a case like this, you want to get not only a sense of intent from the individual and you want to say he wasn't just thinking about it. he was ready to move and the fact he's wearing the suicide vest would suggest to anyone including someone on the jury this guy was going to act. >> reporter: it is a technique the fbi used to catch a massachusetts man who wanted to use model airplanes packed with explosives to attack the pentagon and capitol last september. el khalifi appeared in federal

court at 4:15 this afternoon where he was formally charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction where he was quoted by agents saying he wanted to use a suicide vest so he could kill people face to face. the latest from the courthouse in alexandria, government statement that el khalifi himself came up with the details of the plot and the methods to carry it out, that he wanted to blow himself up inside the capitol building using a mack 10 gun to shoot security and getting as deeply inside the capitol as he could before that vest went off. he made arrangements with a colleague, was really an undercover agent, to push a button for him if he was subdued. the 29-year-old moroccan came to the united states as a teenager and overstayed his visa living illegally in alexandria. the sting operation itself has been underway now for months. >> he's one of those reminders that washington is a frequent target of many. thank you. our team coverage on this

capitol bomb plot continues with our ken molestina. as mentioned, he lived in alexandria where we find ken tonight of. >> reporter: we're here along the 3300 block of wyndham circle in alexandria watching fbi agents and alexandria police come in and out of this apartment complex where we're at now. it's called the point apartment complex. let's show you video of what it looked like behind the gates a little bit ago. 9news was able to get this video of the 33008 building here on wyndham circle. it's believed el khalifi lived on the first floor. police and fbi could be seen standing guard as agents raided the apartment. what they were looking for or what they found inside we still don't know. neighbors i spoke to didn't seem to know el khalifi but were shocked to hear a suspected terrorist who according to authorities had every intention of blowing up the capitol lived right here. >> just that it was all going on right under my nose, you know, like that whole -- what could have happened if that

undercover sting wouldn't have happened. i mean that would have just come right out of here. >> reporter: as we've mentioned, this is an ongoing investigation. let's take you to arlington where we understand fbi agent with the joint terrorism task force have shown up along the 1600 block of south randolph. we understand investigation there is linked to a larger investigation of el khalifi. they did execute a search warrant and agents did interview at least two other men in that location. back out live here alexandria, a lot of folks who are arriving home from work are being greeted by large media presence and the police who are still inside. we understand near raiding the home of el khalifi. -- here raged the home of el khalifi. -- raiding the home of el khalifi. i was told at about the time that the suspect was arrested at the capitol there were muslim prayer services going on inside. so had this actually been an

attack that was carried out we understand that a lot of folks were praying at that time would have more than likely also died as a result of this. back to you. >> ken molestina in alexandria, thank you. a newly renovated high school that just reopened burst into flames today. at least two firefighters were injured battling the fire at anacostia high school shortly after noon. it looks like the fire was started by workers on the roof and tonight we're hearing from one parent who says he warned school officials something like in could happen. our kristin fisher joins us live from the school with more on that huge fire. >> reporter: we just found out that those two injured firefighters had just been released from the hospital, great news there and also as you can see, this fire is now out, but there are still so many questions about what exactly caused this fire, especially since as you said, this school has been under construction the last year and a half and what they've done is sectioned it off so that this part of the school is still open to students, but this part

over here, all the way to your left, that has been closed off. that's what's being renovated and that is where the fire started. a d.c. firefighter is holded into an ambulance after falling through the roof of anacostia high school. >> we had two members injured. one went to the hospital. what i can tell you is they don't have life threatening injuries and are in stable condition. >> reporter: initial reports indicate the fire started on the roof and was fueled by high winds and a large volume of roofing material. sophomore tamika hawkins had just gotten to gym class when the fire broke out. >> it was a lot of smoke like dark black smoke. >> reporter: she was among the hundreds of students evacuated to the football field. >> i was real scared. i called my mother. i was getting ready to cry. people were calling their moyers, taking pictures of it sending it to -- mothers, taking pictures of it sending it to their parents of. >> reporter: incredibly everyone made it out okay, but a security officer at the school was treated for smoke inhalation. >> it's terrible, but i'm just

thankful that we were able to evacuate all of you, people, that everybody is safe. >> reporter: but this parent and former football coach says the students should have never been in the school that's under construction. in fact, he says there's already been two construction- related incidents at this school in the last two years. >> they use a saw with flammable materials up on the roof that got into the heat and duct system, so they had to evacuate the students then. they had to take them out. they had one instance where they busted a sewer pipe and the kids had to eat lunch outside. we're the only school under modernization that they never found swing space for because they said it was a money issue. if our children's safety is just about money, they need to move these kids from this building. >> reporter: so far d.c. public schools has not responded to those allegations and say right now they are focusing on figuring out how to get this school back open. fortunately, of course, this is a long weekend, so they have a bit more time, but right now they don't know what's going to happen tuesday, if they'll have

students here, they have to move them to another building or if school will simply be canceled. they will be in touch with parents over the long weekend. back to you. >> kristin fisher, thanks. for the past two weeks we've reported on the serious problem of underage drinking, putting a spotlight on the issue right here in our backyard. as a result of this series of reports, 9news received a tip this afternoon regarding a local liquor inspector charged today with extortion. scott broom has more on the inspector accused of shaking down a wheaton restaurant owner to make some violations go away. >> reporter: according to court documents, montgomery county liquor inspector carlos grajada was under surveillance not once, but twice when he allegedly took cash from the owner of the matamoros restaurant in wheaton. the owner called police last month after grajada allegedly offered to erase two violation warnings and give advance warning of future inspections

in exchange for $1,000. police were watching when grajada arrived in a county car january 30th and allegedly took his first $500 payment. then thursday detectives were there again and busted grajada after he left the restaurant. in his pocket $500 in cash marked by police. >> from surveillance conducted by detectives it appears that he was driving a county vehicle and was on duty at the time. detectives are now working to determine if there are additional victims. >> reporter: with at least 40 latino owned establishments in wheaton alone, grajada may have had fertile ground. his picture appeared in his agency's 2009 annual report showing teaching establishment operators how to comply with liquor laws. grajada is now charged with two counts of extortion by a public employee, both felonies. he's been released on bond. scott broom, 9 news now. the montgomery county department of liquor control oversees at least 1,000

establishments and inspectors are on the front lines of preventing underage drinking and serving to intoxicated customers. we do have some major developments to tell you about related to our ongoing investigation of a northwest d.c. liquor store that has allegedly been selling alcohol to minors for years now. 9 news now aired a report february 1st about town square market which documented those sales and andrea mccarren is here now after being able to corner a d.c. government official and ask them some very tough questions. >> yes, we did. in fact, deputy mayor paul qaunder prepared for his interview by grilling abra and wanted to know why after two months after it learned about sales to minors at this liquor store that business is still in operation today. >> i was shocked. >> that was the reaction of d.c.'s deputy mayor for public safety and justice to our ongoing reports of rampant underage alcohol sales at town square market on macarthur

boulevard in northwest. >> when i saw the report, i was concerned about this at the time. i was concerned about what montgomery county had uncovered. >> montgomery county police had issued at least 36 alcohol citations over five nights in december, citations to which they alerted abra that same month. remarkably police issued two more alcohol citations just this last weekend, both minors being cited for their third time all for purchases made at town square market. >> i'm not happy about the way the speed at which things have taken and been pursued. >> we asked montgomery county police who are nabbing underage buyers after they cross the district line whether town square market should be shut down. >> absolutely. the whole time we were down think don't think i saw one of age person go into that place. it was just one child after another. >> young people having access

to alcohol is dangerous. it hurts them. it hurts their families, but it brings into play all sorts of danger and it's just unacceptable. >> in the wake of our report d.c. officials are urging residents to report underage drinking or sales to minors. what assurances can you give people who call this hotline that things might move more swiftly? >> my name is paul quander. i'm the deputy mayor for public safety and justice. it's my responsibility. they can call me. >> we know we will. grab pain and piece of paper because you want -- a pen and a piece of paper because you will want to take down these phone numbers. to report underage drinking call 202-329-6347. monday through friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. you can call 202-442-4423 and we will also post those phone numbers on our website www.wusa9.com.

>> now another interesting development is that after our reports abra will now meet later this month at local universities and police from all the surrounding jurisdictions including montgomery and prince george's counties as well as northern virginia. they all hope to figure out the best way to share this type of information so investigations can be more efficient and completed more quickly, certainly more quickly than two months and still ongoing. >> yeah, but there's something you don't see every day and that's a public official taking personal responsibility. you got to like that. >> really appreciate his talking to us. still ahead on 9 news now family members of pop superstar whitney houston gather in new jersey today to mourn the singer's sudden death. did a popular reston zoo drown a wallaby on purpose? that's what these court

documents allege.

only on 9 we're talking

about a popular place for families with small kids who love animals, but tonight the reston zoo is under investigation by the fairfax county police department for possible animal cruelty. peggy fox has just come back and reviewed some court documents. it's kind of disturbing. >> yes, it is. this is a search warrant that police executed yesterday at the reston zoo. they were looking for signs of animal cruelty, specifically the allegation that the zoo's director euthanized a sick animal by drowning it. >> oh, my goodness, that's horrible. oh, my god, disgusting. >> reporter: this neighbor is stunned at the allegations surrounding the director of the reston zoo. it's a popular petting zoo for families which also hosts birthday parties for children. it houses a variety of animals such as goats and camels and chickens and turkeys and until recently a wallaby like this one found on youtube, but thursday morning fairfax county police executed this search warrant after an employee at the zoo said the zoo director

had drowned a sick wallaby as a means of euthanasia. in the search warrant the employee put the wallaby in a crate and later observed the empty crate next to a water spigot with a 5-gallon bucket of water. the employee found a trash bag containing a wallaby which was profusely wet. the director said she euthanized the wallaby by injection, but the officer found no blood at the supposed injection site and noticed the dead animal was wet. the director told the officer that they routinely wash and rinse the bodies. an employee who spoke to 9 news now off camera says she doesn't believe the allegation and supports the director. if the director did euthanize the animal with an injection, that's a problem also for the zoo because the officer who led the search found that the reston zoo is not permitted to perform euthanasia because it has not completed the required

protocol, training and certification required. right here are more problems. this is a list of the drugs police seized and they include ketamine, a controlled substance which again the zoo does not have a permit to carry according to the police officer writing this warrant. even if you have a legitimate reason for using the drugs, you can't just have them without permits and documentation and keeping them in safe places and having people who are trained to use them. >> absolutely. these are controlled substances and can end up on the straits. peggy fox, thank -- on the streets. peggy fox, thank you. >> look at the twinge until his eye. he can't even stand -- twinkle in his eye. he can't even stand still he's so excited. >> we're going to see some snow. it's not going to be a monster storm or a perfect storm, but it's all we got, my friend. we're hanging on for dear life.

let's look outside live at the capitol, just a beautiful evening. the winds have calmed down. we're in pretty good shape and temperatures are quite mild actually. we're in pretty good shape for mid- to late february, 52 downtown, winds calming down out of the north at 10. remember the dew points yesterday in the low 40s? now the dew point is in the mid- 20s. so the air is a little drier, a little more winter-like, if you will, humidity 34%. let's go through the bullet points again. you can keep your saturday night plans, probably will start as rain south and east of town. so calvert county, st. mary's county, even charles county but it will change to snow between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. sunday and the critical times have not changed, 11 a.m. sunday to about 11 p.m. sunday. you can probably still go to church. nothing will really happen big time until the mid- to late afternoon. howie showed you this at noon and this pretty much holds true. we'll give you an idea where the bull's eye might be in terms of a high, the best

chance for snow threat is actually south and west of us. down towards charlottesville and roanoke, they could get just hammered and even into charles county and northern sections of st. mary's and calvert county could end up being the bulls i'm the rest of us have a medium. notice the farther north you go the less chance you have of seeing snow. it's going to be kind of counterintuitive. we talk about more snow north and west, not the case. we showed you new mexico yesterday. we'll zoom into texas and louisiana today because this is the moisture. it will kick off a storm that will develop in the gulf of mexico and that's going to move northeastward into alabama and eventually off the north carolina coast sunday. not a direct hit for us, not a perfect storm, but pretty much all we got. 50 now in bethesda, 51 rockville, 50 great falls and 52 in springfield, even still 51 in arlington, a very nice evening. so more like a march storm. i say that because we're in the 50s now and will be in the 50s

tuesday. grab a coat tonight, still mild and nice tomorrow, no worries saturday night. we had a heavy burst of snow or whatever burst it is, but it's heavy or moderate. the heaviest will be between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. sunday. tonight clear skies, chilly, one to two blanket night, 28 to 38 and still above freezing downtown, winds out of the northwest at 10. for tomorrow morning mostly sunny and chilly, very nice, 30s and 40s, winds north at 10 and by afternoon high clouds come in but still a very pleasant day, high temperatures around 55 and winds southwesterly at about 10. next seven days. we're going to decline sunday a severe weather alert day because of the snow, temperatures in the 30s and falling and we're looking at a bright brisk presidents day with sunshine, temperatures in the 40s. look what happens, back in the 50s tuesday and wednesday with some more showers. so there you have it. right now the bull's eye is south and west of town, not north and west of town. >> woo-hoo. >> kids are going to love this

weekend. coming up prince george's county executive rushern baker explains why he wants to build a las vegas style casino at national harbor. up next how the cost of a laptop could be a deciding factor in the yeardley love murder trial. we'll be right back. deal chicken is working hard to find only the best deals in town. here's today's deal just for you. 50% off nascar driving experience from try it racing. deal chickchicken.com, hatching deals daily.

the fate of george huguely could turn on the price of a laptop. a defense expert testified today in charlottesville that the laptop the former uva lacrosse player allegedly stole after struggling with yeardley love was worth less than $200. that laptop has to be worth more than $200 for jurors to convict him of murder in the commission of a robbery. he's also charged with first degree murder, but that count requires prosecutors to prove he intended to kill his girl friend.

the verdict is guilty in the case of a man charged with killing a maryland state trooper. cyril williams was charged with killing trooper wesley brown in june of 2010. brown was working as a part- time security guard for an applebee's restaurant in forestville. prosecutors say williams was angry about being thrown out of the restaurant and looking for revenge. dozens of police commanders and troopers have been in the courtroom for the trial. caught on tape two gunmen tie up a clerk at a fredericksburg check cashing store on plank road. the suspects robbed the place, tied up the clerk's hands and feet. last time we saw these guys they were running out the backdoor, no word how much cash they got. police in prince george's county are investigating this armed robbery. it was caught on tape at a 7- eleven. this was early this morning at the store on branch avenue in clinton. investigators say the two suspects who as you can see are wearing ski masks came into the store, showed a gun, demanded

money. the clerk opened the cash register and the robbers got away with some cash and depress and they are still out there -- cigarettes and they are still out there somewhere. boat owners in maryland may soon have to shell out more cash to register their boats. the state department of natural resource wants to increase the fees. they say it's because costs have gone up. the increases would depend on the size of your boat. for instance, owners of boats under 16 feet would pay 50 bucks every two years up from 24-dollars. if your boat was larger, you might pay $700. lawmakers must approve those deals before they happen. it's costing you more and more to get your money out of the bank. coming up we'll have some easy ways to avoid those dreaded atm fees. also ahead when monkeys fly, why this monkey took a swing at a zoo visitor. police protect the church where whitney houston's funeral will be held tomorrow. that story is coming up.

security is very tight in new jersey where the family of whitney houston has reportedly gathered for a private viewing of the late singer. tomorrow some of the biggest names in entertainment are expected to attend her funeral. >> we have the story from newark where fans are flocking to say good-bye to the legendary singer. >> reporter: the line of fans waiting to sign whitney houston's condolence book snakes down the street today in

front of wiggins funeral home in newark. this couple flew in from miami at the crack of dawn joining hundreds of others who came to pay their respects. >> our mind was solely on whitney houston, making it here, making sure to be a part of all this because we loved her of. >> reporter: tokens of love are draped from the fences and windows from the funeral home. a makeshift shrine turned into a place to pray. a few blocks away other fans found a place to sing. this is the church where houston will be eulogized tomorrow and also where the legendary singer first found her voice as a young girl in the choir. >> i have her on my ipod. i listen to all her tracks. i was just listening to them yesterday. >> reporter: police are setting up barricades in the blocks surrounding the church. no cars or people will be allowed near the funeral which is slated to be a very private star studded service.

houston's godmother aretha franklin will perform. kevin costner, houston's co- star in the film the bodyguard, is expected to speak. so is clive davis her mentor and despite early reports houston's ex-husband bobby brown was asked not to attend, he'll reportedly be part of the service. >> he should be at the funeral and have a chance to pay all his final respects, too. were houston is expected to be laid to rest near her father. >> all told 1,500 people are expected to attend tomorrow's funeral and you'll be able to watch live coverage on bounce tv. it can be found on our digital channel 9.2 and you can also see the service live on our website www.wusa9.com. it's scheduled to get underway at noon. the seattle college student cleared of murder charges in italy has signed a book deal. amanda knox's deal with harper collins reportedly is worth $4

million. cbs news reports knox might have agreed to write the book to repay her parents for their efforts to free her. knox was acquitted of murder charges in october, this after initially being convicted of killing her british roommate. the book is due out early next year. place your bets, prince george's county executive rusher baker is throwing his support behind a luxurious las vegas style casino. the plans call for the $1 billion gambling house to be built at national harbor. baker talked about the effort on 9 news now this morning. >> bringing a billion dollar casino to prince george's county, a high end retail, having las vegas style shows will make national harbor an entertainment district, which is what it is now, and it will tract and bring tourists to prince george's county that way generating revenues for the county. >> the proposal would have to overcome a lot of hurdles. it is unclear whether the residents of prince george's county would even support such a thing and there is that

maryland general assembly. we're taking a live look at the u.s. capitol where as expected a bill extending the payroll tax cut for 160 million workers and jobless benefit for millions more is now headed to the white house. the measure passed the senate and house today. president obama is expected to sign it when he returns from a west coast fundraising swing. we kick things off tonight in our consumer segment with a recall of infant tylenol. johnson & johnson's consumer unit mcneil is pulling about 574,000 bottles of the grape flavored liquid medicine off shelves all because of problems with a device that measures the doses. the bottle comes with a syringe and it has a protective cover, but that cover can slip into the bottle causing a potential problem with the dose. all week long we've been taking a closer look at money saving strategies you can use that directly impact your bottom line. reading your bank statement these days, it can give you sticker shock. the charges for atms are at an

all time high and millions of people spend hundreds of dollars a year just to get your own cash. so tonight we're going to show you some easy ways to avoid those fees. mike and ashley bernardi clash over atm fees. >> i get mad every time the statement comes and i see the fees that are dollars we don't need to spend each month. >> reporter: he avoids them at all costs. >> i personally go to my own bank so i don't get the fees of. >> reporter: but ashley pays them. >> there's always an instance where i need cash and my atm for our bank isn't around. >> reporter: atm users know use a machine that's not your bank, you'll pay twice, one fee at the atm and a second charge from your own bank, just one traction costing up to $5. >> if you're making one withdraw a week and you pay $5 in total atm charges, you're talking $250 a year you're needlessly giving up in fees. >> reporter: the charges have doubled over the past decade and are now at a record high,

but you can avoid paying them. smaller banks and credit unions reimburse atm fees when their customers use another company's machine. >> you go to any atm and know it's essentially free. >> reporter: larger banks have cash machines with locators on their website or you can download a mobile app to point you to a free atm. >> probably from here on out i won't be going to any other atms other than our bank. >> reporter: a decision that helps the couple's bottom line and their marriage. you can also take the online banking route to avoid paying those atm fees and help your bottom line. since online banks don't have brick and mortar locations, they have a larger atm network. could a trip to the supermarket save a trip to the dentist? coming up foods that keep your pearly whites even whiter. >> very nice outside, still some clear skies and look at the temperatures. is it really possible to snow sunday with temperatures in the 40s and 50s now? it is 52 downtown, 46

gaithersburg and 54 in manassas. we'll come back and talk about that winter storm coming in sunday. up next a man caught on tape getting undressed outside a wal-mart store and then he goes inside and steals socks. that is just freakish. don't forget we're always on at www.wusa9.com. we'll tell you about that thing. you'll want to stick around for it.

caught on tape a man walks naked into a wal-mart and then makes off with a pair of socks. police say surveillance video shows a man who is not svelte strip off his clothes in the parking lot of the store in pennsylvania and kind of walk on inside. once inside security cameras captured the 6' 4 300-pound man sort of sauntering about. he grabs a pair of socks, slips them on. why not underwear, we don't know? authorities had to use a stun gun to subdue him because i would not comply with their orders. 30 -- he would not comply with their orders. 34-year-old brendan taylor faces charges of aggravate ad assault and indecent exposure. look at the monkey swinging around behind that man. oh, then he flies through the air and throws himself at the guy. luckily as you can see there's

a very thick piece of glass there. let's watch it again. it's so fun. the zookeeper says the monkey is the alpha male and feels threatened by tall males but apparently not by very thick glass. go figure. >> scaring the little one. did you see him crying. he's stuck on the wall, poor guy. >> i think he may need a mental evaluation, might be in order. moving on, everything is coming up orchids at the u.s. botanical gardens at the u.s. capitol. >> the annual orchid exhibit opens tomorrow and features orchids from around the world. the exhibit is called orchid mystique and coincides with the 100th anniversary of japan's gift of the cherry blossom trees to washington. in addition you'll also find pictures of north american japanese gardens from the award winning photographer david cobb. >> makes you think about spring. coming up driver versus bicyclist, this is never a good match-up. road rage caught on tape.

but up next it's hit one area of college campus and now we hear of another norovirus outbreak in one virginia elementary school. we'll talk about that plus how you can protect yourself from this very contagious infection. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

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a school attended by a lot of commuters from the university of maryland baltimore county and they say they have a suspected case of tuberculosis that's been diagnosed on campus. the school is working with the baltimore county health department to notify people who may have come into contact with this person so they, too, can be tested. health officials stress the odds of anybody contracting tb very, very low. we have had a couple large outbreaks of norovirus recently at george washington university and at a westmoreland county elementary school. norovirus are most notorious for infecting entire cruise ships, but these super contagious germs can travel fast in any closed quarters like schools. the norovirus spreads through contaminated foods and surfaces touched by an infected person.

hand washing especially after using the bathroom and before eating is a must to prevent these gastrointestinal infections. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and severe stomach cramps. here is another very important point. students should not go back to class until at least 48 hours, that's two days, after the symptoms stop and the kids feel better. let's talk about something more positive. who doesn't want a bright white smile? many people cough up the cash for whitening procedures and on every the counter products, but did you know certain foods can help polish your teeth? 20-year-old kayla krause knows why her smile looks yellow. >> i drink a lot of coffee. >> reporter: she's getting a treatment procedure at her dentist's office, but the doctor says there are other ways to brighten the smile without chemicals. certain foods can act like nature's toothbrush. >> strawberries have acids that

actually naturally whiten your teeth and foods like cauliflower almost have a scrubbing action on your enamel and help remove plaque on your teeth of. >> reporter: he suggests eating oranges and pineapples because they have the same acids and help stimulate saliva which washes staining substance as way. certain foods and drinks discolor teeth more than others. >> tea is probably the worst thing people can drink. there's tannins in there and it just soaks up into the enamel and stains really bad. >> reporter: also on the list anybody red like cranberries and marinara and hot sauces. kayla says she's going to be more cognizant of what stains and what doesn't in the future. here's another bonus. dairy foods, yogurt, cheeses contain pro teens that help prevent harmful acids from -- proteins that help prevent harmful acids from binding to the teeth and have all kinds of minerals to keep your teeth strong. the u.s. coastguard says an oil tanker barge collided with

another barge on the mississippi river and that spilled some oil and led officials to close a 5-mile stretch of that river. it happened about 50 miles upriver from new orleans. the wreck tore a gash into the double tanker barge. nobody was hurt and the leak has been contained. despite being a natural born swimmer, a small penguin at an animal park in china is scared to dive into the water. the little penguin's fear has brought a lot of laughs and one of the trainers tried to help by placing the penguin directly into the water, but the bird frantically swam to the bank the moment it was submerged. i don't know what that means will happen to it later. folks in western maryland are getting excited for this weekend's winter fest, but as you can see in this picture, there's just one problem. yeah, we don't have the picture either. there isn't any snow. the annual festival fins today in oakland. the good -- begins today in

oakland. the good news is it runs through sunday, so topper thinks there's a good chance for snow before the festival ends. >> they'll probably get 3, 4, 5 inches on sunday. we'll get several inches possibly. it's too early to say exactly where the storm will. go the trends are now south. so probably more snow around i- 64 than i-66. i'd say somewhere in between. let's start with live look outside. we're looking at just a gorgeous evening. temperatures are still in the low 50s. this is a live weather cam brought to you by michael and son. 52 at national, winds calming down out of the north at 10, pressure recovering 30.05. the dew point is down to 24. this is more reminiscent of a winter-like atmosphere with dew points in the 20s. coastal storm sunday. keep your saturday night plans. it probably will start as rain d.c. south and east and quickly change to snow between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. sunday. critical times have not changed either, 11 a.m.

to 11 p.m. sunday. we'd like to send out a tweet to give you exactly when we think the heaviest bands of snow will occur. you can follow me at topper's weather. here's our snow threat. everybody has a low threat, moderate to medium threat right around the immediate d.c. area up into montgomery county, but notice the high threat is south and west of us even into charles county back toward culpeper into the i-64 corridor at i-81 corridor where they meet. we'll keep you posted. here's the energy. this is going to be the beginning of the storm. it's a pretty good rain in eastern texas. we had rain in west texas yesterday, east and southeast texas today. that's a good thing. much of the state is dry. we are looking at clear skies tonight, start out clear tomorrow and this system will throw high clouds our way getting into the afternoon. it's going to be another nice day tomorrow. 48 bethesda, 40 arlington, 49 great falls, 46 up in laytonsville, more like a march storm with mild air before and

after the snow. grab your coat tonight, still mild and nice tomorrow, no worries saturday night and here's the heaviest snow band, between about 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. we'll keep you posted. this is the track of the storm. we still have about 48 hours before it hits. clear and chilly tonight, one to two blanket night, 28 too 38. tomorrow morning very nice, mostly sunny, just -- to 38. tomorrow morning very nice, mostly sunny, just chilly, light coat will take care of you. by afternoon clouds come in, high temperatures around 55, winds southwest at 10. next seven days, sunday is a severe weather alert day for the snow, temperatures in the 30s and falling. bright but brisk on presidents day in the upper 40s and then this is what i mean with 50s on either side of the snow. we're mid-50s on tuesday and wednesday, more rain rolling in on tuesday and showers next friday, temperatures again in the mid-50s. there you have it. a few inches are definitely possible. the biggest bull's eye south and west. let's get over to dave on i

wins. >> you've got a story of -- dave owens. >> you've got a story of a school preparing for a special night. >> we often hear the phrase a community coming together. tonight we've got an example. last august a child gets sick, parents take off work to be by her side. money gets tight. nightmare scenario, you bet. that until the rockville high school family stepped in for their coach. frank weaver has walked this hallway too many times and it's hell. six months ago daughter lilly complained about soreness in her arm. >> we're like yeah because you're doing gymnastics for 12 hours a day. >> reporter: they wish, much worse. >> it comes down to the biggest game of your life, either life or death. >> reporter: but this wasn't a fair fight. bone cancer versus 10-year-old, since then lilly has undergone massive doses of chemotherapy, had bones removed from her left arm and endured pain unspeakable for anyone. >> a couple times she said hey, i don't want to do this anymore. >> reporter: dad wouldn't let

her quit. she didn't. weaver and his wife took off work to be by their daughter's bedside, so you can imagine the financial strain, but this is where the story gets a little brighter. weaver's reputation in the area is well documented. he's taught in rockville over a decade. so the school figured he's helped so many others why don't we help him? rockville high banded together to raise funds for the weaver warriors, lilly's pies, lilly's wrist bands, lilly's t-shirts. >> frank cries. people come up and just hand him a check and say here, take your wife out to dinner. >> reporter: it's a journey the family hasn't walked alone and they don't want others to have to either. they began a foundation lilly's hope. its signature symbol? the yellow ribbon. proceeds from tonight's rockville orchard game will go to help the family. lilly won't be there but junior kelly mcty hopes it will be like the pep rally when lilly made an appearance. >> all the students were

chanting lilly's hope and i feel it will kind of be like that again. >> all the students at the game tonight plan to wear yellow shirts, being the official color of childhood cancer. lilly is still fighting. dad says doctors are encouraged how she's responded to chemotherapy, but she is preparing for more radiation. >> dave, thanks for bringing us that story. from a garage near the capitol to apartments in alexandria, tonight we're keeping a close eye on an alleged plot to bomb the u.s. capitol, an update at the top of the hour. an 11% increase in the price of stamps could help keep the postal service above water. will crunch the numbers. first celebrating 50 years of human beings in space, a look back at the day the u.s. made history crossing the final frontier up next.

we are going to talk to andrea mccarren about her series and the strong reaction to it.

it looks like it is go, baby, go all the way. >> monday will mark 50 years since john glenn took his historic trip around the earth and since that first manned flight in orbit we've gone to the moon, even sent robots to

mars. jane yamamoto has a look at what the first two americans in orbit have to say about the space program 50 years later. >> reporter: nasa workers cheered 90-year-old john glenn and 86-year-old scott carpenter, the only two left from the original seven astronauts. on february 20th, 1962, glenn became the first american to orbit the earth. >> godspeed, john glenn. >> reporter: glenn lifted off in a converted nuclear missile called friendship 7 and radioed back what he saw. >> i am in a big mass of some very small particles that are brilliantly lit up and they look like little stars. >> reporter: the flakes were frost from the capsule's water exhaust. his three orbits took four hours and 55 minutes and glenn came home to a hero's welcome, but nasa wasn't even sure how glenn's body would react in space. >> doctors were literally concerned at that time that your eyes might change shape and your vision might change enough you couldn't even see the instrument panel enough to

make an emergency reentry. >> reporter: carpenter followed aboard aurora 7 in may of 1962 and he learned from glenn's flight. >> we knew by then that man could operate intelligently. >> reporter: the two space veterans talked about the past and agreed about america's next mission. >> we make that flight to mars, that will regalvinize people again. >> reporter: the pioneers also paid tribute to their comrades. john glenn said we need five more chairs. >> john glenn says he only recently gave up flying and sold his twin engine beechcraft baron. >> 9 news now. he thought he was wearing a vest packed with explosives but tonight a moroccan man living in alexandria is in fbi custody accused of trying to blow up the u.s. capitol. it's a fast developing story we're following closely tonight