prison sentence and now two families are left torn by a senseless crime. >> i hope both families can find the peace in their hearts. in campaign 2012, the four g.o.p. presidential candidates met in mesa, arizona last night, a final debate before important primaries next week in arizona and michigan. >> which take place february 28. that's followed by super tuesday on march 6. susan mcginnis has more. >> reporter: rick santorum spent much of last night's republican debate in arizona defending himself. >> you don't know what you're talking about. >> reporter: the former pennsylvania nor is in a high stakes battle with -- senator is in a high stakes battle with mitt romney. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> reporter: it wasn't only romney going after santorum. >> he's a fake. >> reporter: ron paul argued santorum is not a true conservative. >> this idea of being fiscally conservative now that we're

running for office and we're going to repeal something that we did before, it loses credibility. >> reporter: the crowd booed santorum more than once, including when he tried to defend his vote for the no child left behind education bill. >> it was against the principles i believed in but, you know, when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team for the leader and i made a mistake. >> reporter: santorum attacked romney for supporting a bailout for wall street but not for the auto industry. >> when it came to the auto workers and the folks in detroit, you said no. i believe in markets not just when they're convenient for me. >> no way would we allow the auto industry in america to totally implode and disappear. >> reporter: newt gingrich focused on the president including this swipe at how he handled the bailout. >> what he had i thought was an unprecedented violation of two years of bankruptcy law by barack obama to pay off the uaw. >> reporter: last night was the

last chance to see the candidates face to face before the next round of contests. susan mcginnis, cbs news, washington. several members of congress have received threatening letters and investigators say more are on the way. the letters were addressed to the lawmakers' district offices, including speaker of the house john boehner's. the letters contained harmless powdery substance but steve colbert and john stewart messages warned the letters may receive a letter that macon obtain poison. the virginia house of delegates pass add bill which would require women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion. but before the vote, delegates made a big change to what had been a very controversial piece of legislation. the new version says no woman will have to undergo an internal ultrasound. only an external ultrasound

will be required. delegates allerred the bill at the urging of governor bob mcdonnell. he oppose as woman's right to an abortion but said the government should not be in the business of forcing them to undergo an invasive procedure against their will. a former d.c. commander connected to the now infamous charlie sheen police escort is taking legal action. he plans to file a whistle blower lawsuit against the district. they provided sheen an escort last april with their lights on and officers led the actor from dulles airport to his performance at constitution hall. after the story made some headlines, he testified before the d.c. council that celebrities often get police escorts like this. a week later he was demoted. he claims the demotion came as a result of his testimony. today marks six months since the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit our area. it was centered in louisa county, virginia which is still

dealing with the damage. it also cracked parts of the national monument and the cathedral. the repairs could take years. yesterday the cathedral announced it raised $7 million of the estimated $28 million it needs to -- $18 million it needs to make the repairs. activists say more than 70 people died yesterday during bombings in homes and other rebel strongholds in syria. an american war correspond dent was one of two journalists killed. rebels are working to take down the assad government. the united states will take part in an international conference tomorrow to talk about a strategy to end the violence. the president of afghanistan is appealing for calm amid continued protests over the burning of islamic holy books. for a second day demonstrations flared in several cities. as many as seven people have died in clashes with afghan

security forces. the american embassy -- [ inaudible ] the u.s. has apologized for burning of the copies of the quran. here's a look at some of the other things making news. police in bremerton, washington say an 8-year-old girl was scriptually wounded by a -- critically wounded by a gunshot at her elementary school. a student brought a gun to the school and it went off in a third grader's backpack. police are trying to figure out how he got the weapon. divers in italy have located about eight more bodies aboard that capsized cruise ship off the italian coast of the the costa concordia tipped on its side after hitting a reef last month. 17 bodies have been recovered, 11 more still missing. italian news reports say the body of a 5-year-old is among those discovered but it will be sometime before they're actually recovered.

the superintendent of the upper big branch mine in west virginia is facing conspiracy charges for allegedly defrauding the federal government. gary may is the highest ranking employee to face criminal prosecution for the mine disaster. federal documents allege macon spired with others to -- may conspired with others to conceal the dangers in the mine. 29 men died in the explosion in april 2010. our time is 4:46. at 4:41 honda announce as new recall. at 4:49, a long daily commute could eventually lead to cardiovascular problems. we're back in from minutes with -- in two minutes with your weather first. you're watching 9news now.

>> woman: don't forget the yard work! >> o.k. >> announcer: with citibank's popmoney, dan can easily send money by email right from his citibank account. >> nice job, ben. >> announcer: well played, dan. well played. citibank popmoney. easier banking. standard at citibank. it is 4:38. we've been seeing some showers during the overnight period

push through so watch out for a couple of wet streets out there. showers in west virginia. i think most of that is going to fall apart before if make it is here but -- it makes it here but we'll watch it nonetheless. 51 degrees right now at national airport. 52 college park. some areas in the 40s like manassas down to 436789 leesburg -- to 43. leesburg we've got 45. that's mild for this time of year. our day planner shows plenty of sunshine. a little bit of a breeze out of the west and south. may gust to 20 at times but generally in the 10 mile an hour range. by noon we'll be 60. you want to take that lunch time walk around the tidal basin, i think you'll be in good shape. by this afternoon 3:00, 64. highs to mid- to upper 60s. might flirt with 70 but the party is coming to an end soon. i'll have the seven-day forecast in just a few minutes. over to monika with time saver traffic. we're going to take a look at the beltway south side of town at route 4, pennsylvania avenue. no problems through oxon hill to the wilson bridge right now.

looking good out of fort washington, clinton and brandywine as well. coming up in my next report, another look at maryland roads at 4:47. 4:40. time for the first your money segment of the morning. >> we start with a look at wall street. so much for dow 13,000. stocks were mostly lower a day after the dow crossed that 13k mark for the first time in nearly four years. investors do not appear to be convinced that a second bailout for greece will -- [indiscernible] the government is investigating bank overdraft fees. the new consumer watchdog agency will ask banks to provide information about how the fees affect consumers and how they market overdraft protection. consumers currently pay anywhere from $30 to $35 each time they bounce a check and that adds up to millions of revenue for the banks.

odyssey minivans are be be recalled because the rear doors can fall on people unexpectedly. this has happened at least twice. the problem affects minivans from the 2008 and 2009 model years that have power lift gates. 4:41. the fda debates giving dieters a new weapon in the battle of the bulge. we're back with that story. plus more on your weather first in two minutes. we'll be right back.

good morning. welcome back to 9 news now. we say it's february 23 but howard says it's more like april 23. >> you want winter, you have to go to colorado. i was in steamboat springs for

a weather conference. in the last 14 days they've had 83 inches of snow. they've had 48 inches in the last three days alone. >> ski country is happy. >> oh, my goodness. they're doing great. around here we're dealing with allergies. mold spores are low. that's kind of coming in a little bit several weeks ahead of schedule and temperatures way ahead of schedule. it's going to get chillier by the weekend. here's a look at our bus stop forecast. this morning, mike, i'm not even wearing the middle weight jacket. i just have the fleece. >> i saw a mosquito yesterday. >> i believe it. probably hanging out with that stink bug. incredible. partly cloudy, mild. 40s and 50s. sunrise at 6:50. then the day planner, well, sunshine, 52 at #k. by noon -- at 8:00. by noon 50. gusts 15 to 20. a bit breezy at times but delightful this afternoon. we'll be at least 64. we're going to be between 65

and maybe even 70 in a couple of spots south and west of town. then this evening the clouds start to roll in 8:00 into the upper 50s. we're going to stay pretty mild tonight. lows will be in the 40s and low 50s. i mean very mild. this morning we're watching one batch of showers which came through earlier. that's now out in the atlantic. what's left of it coming across interstate 77 through areas in central and western west virginia. but this is going to have a tough time crossing the mountain. if it does areas in the shenandoah valley, i think we'll get a few clouds from this. i'm not terribly concerned with this line of showers. i'm more concerned with what's coming in early friday. our temperatures will be more like april with temperatures way above average. close to 15 to 20 degrees above afternoon. showers will be returning tonight into friday morning. friday morning pretty sharp cold front is going to come through. it's going to be giving us a lot of wind. we could have gusts topping 40 miles an hour in the afternoon.

warm, though, because it's still going to be in the mid- 60s into the morning, even midday hours where temperatures really start to drop off friday afternoon into friday night and by saturday it's going to feel a lot more like february around here. this morning we're at 49 degrees at the pax river naval air station. easton 46. our weather watcher in bowie coming in with 51 along with baltimore. we have a 48-degree reading from prince frederick. mid-40s for the shenandoah valley. fredricksburg 48. looking outside on our weather camera, good visibility on the capitol this morning. 51 degrees with mostly cloudy skies reported. dew points in the 40s. remember the other day it was in the 20s so a lot more humidity has returned to the overall atmosphere. that's going to help get us some showers later on tonight. the cold is out west and north but nothing terrible. here we are later parts of february and we don't have that much of the country actually below freezing or way below freezing. 31 chicago.

there's casper 26. it's up here where the snow has been flying. we have teens in the mountains. then you look to the south. little rock to nabville in the 50s. -- nashville in the 50s. at ran is in the 60s -- at ran is -- atlanta is in the 60s. you've got the cold and you can sort of see the clouds diving southeast. a sign of the cold returning and of course the other sign is the green over the blue. the rain over to snow on the radar in the dakotas. so the cold air is coming back and it will be arriving here as i said late tomorrow. today we're looking at these leftover showers this morning out to our west which will be diminishing as they move east. we'll put our future cast in motion. again we've got this weak boundary up to the north. this is not much of a front as the next system that will be coming. i stop the clock at 8:00 p.m. we're okay here but look along interstate 64. these showers which are going to lift north toward us tonight. by tomorrow morning 7:00 a.m., we've had the showers around. still some showers around ahead of the front which is going to blast through here in the morning hours and the winds are going to kick.

could be gusting over 40 miles an hour. and here comes the cold back. we'll make some snow up in the ski areas for friday night. this will give them another decent weekend. if you have ski plans, i know it's really warm but get out there. out to wisp, seven springs, all of them, even the local ones, liberty, white tail, that's monika's favorite. she may be out on the slopes with you this weekend if she can get up there. 67 today. tonight we've got the showers around into early friday. 65 tomorrow with the falling temperatures in the afternoon. very windy, blustery saturday. rain or snow showers possible on saturday. sunday 48. then back in the 50s by monday. monika santami, you like seeing at white tail and liberty as well? >> i like both of them and they're easy to get to. the people are so nice and friendly. just love it. we were there last weekend actually. things are looking great all over town. no problems on the beltway. most of the construction has been cleared up. all the main corridors to the

north look great including 270, 95 out of baltimore, route 29 as well. if you're planning to head over to the wheaton area, i'll show you a live look. just north of the beltway again in wheaton looks great. very light. no problems to report here on university boulevard, route 355. they're all great from the north heading down to the beltway this morning. let's go back to the maps. this time over to the west side of town. dulles toll road out of leesburg 66 out of gainesville, no problems. we'll take a close look at the american legion bridge. no problems to report. both loops of the beltway across the river here. coming up in my next report, another look at the big picture at 4:55. monika usually shows us a picture like this full of traffic and it can be harmful for your heart. a report in the journal of medicine and science in sports and exercise looked at data on almost 8,000 men over 20 years. the results showed men who spent ten hours per week in a car or more than 23 hours watching tv and driving combined were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

if you have a long, stressful commute, doctors say change your routine or possibly telecommute one once or twice a week. a diet pill's safety concerns derailed this in the past but thats that changed. >> reporter: marian said he tried just about every diet but could not lose weight. >> family and friends were convinced that i must have been doing something wrong because why wasn't it coming off. >> reporter: she weighed more than 200 pounds when her doctor put her on a combination of to drugs. the appetite suppressant and another drug. >> within the first year i lost over 50 pounds. >> reporter: the new diet pill combines both those drugs. a study found obese patients taking it lost an average 10% of their body mass. but the fda rejected this drug back in 2010 concerned about potential side effects,

including heart problems and birth defects. but at today's hearings, the makers of the drug presented encowrning new findings -- encouraging new findings about the drug's safety. >> one of the outcomes of the studies that have been performed on thousands of patients said all of the cardiometabolic risk factors seemed to improve. >> reporter: the fda has not approved a new diet drug more than a decade ago. people like her need more options, she says. >> there are these two medications that work so well for me and i would think it would be amazing for more people to be able to have access to this medication. >> the fda's panel recommendation is not binding but the agency usually follows its advice, especially when the vote is this definitive. the food and drug administration is expected to make a final decision in april. 4:51. if you are a facebook friend, you've already seen it but for everybody else, here's the question of the morning. >> slightly more than 10% of

people admit doing this at work at least once a month. is it a, crying, b, taking work supplies home, or c, fighting with a c-worker -- co-worker. >> log on to the facebook fan page and like us while you're there. we'll have the answer during the 6:00 hour. george car ruthers built his first telescope at the age of 10. that was original the beginning. he went on to earn his ph.d. in engineering in 1964 and then began working at the u.s. naval research laboratory. he invented the far ultraviolet electrographic camera which was used in the 1972 apollo 16 mission. this invention revealed new features in the earth's far outer atmosphere and deep space objects. he recently taught at howard university. log on to wusa9.com for more in black history.

welcome back. 4:55. your weather first on this april-like morning. i know it's february but get ready for some warm temperatures. low 50s by 9:00. by noon 60-ish. we'll be in the mid if not upper 60s before the day is out with a 63-degree reading for the ride home. changes by the weekend. let's go to monika. very light in the main and hov lanes to the 14th street bridge. a couple of accidents in maryland. i'll have that next for you at 5:01. the ground was broken wednesday for the national museum of african-american history and culture.

president obama and a lot of dignitaries and celebrities gathered in a tent on the national mall to mark the start of the construction of the smithsonian's newest edition. they are still looking for more artifacts to help tell the complete story of the african- american experience in our country. >> the generations will remember the sometimes difficult, often inspirational but always central role that african-americans have played in the life of our country. >> the legislation creating the national museum of african- american history and culture was signed in 2003. by then president george w. bush, his wife former first lady laura bush was on hand for the ceremony yesterday. the u.s. slavery museum plan for fredricksburg has filed a reorganization plan to deal with its finances. the museum owes creditors about $7 million. under the reorganization plan, the museum hopes to raise at least $900,000 in the first full year of fund raising with donations increasing by 50% in the following years. there have been more honors

for adele and her grammy award winning album 21 but it's what she did while accepting the latest award at the brit awards that's raise something eyebrows. the host cut her off and the singer responded by giving the host the middle finger. now adele, the host, and the tv station are all apologizing. the host and the station apologized to adele for interrupting her and adele says she's story if she offended anyone but she had -- certain certainly. we know from her anderson cooper interview she has a saucy mouth as well. >> if you haven't seen her, go on the website. lindsay lohan was back in court. and conan o'brien will keep his desk job for to more years. >> reporter: lindsay lohan is walking with a bounce in her step. the judge overseeing her probation says she's in the home stretch and may only need one more court appearance. she has 14 community service

days and five more therapy sessions related to a 2007 drunk driving conviction. >> march 29 if you successfully complete everything that's asked of you, the beverly hills case will go bye-bye. >> reporter: lohan is scheduled to host saturday night live on march 3. jennifer aniston now has a star on the hollywood walk of fame. the television actress turned movie star says this is a great moment in her life. >> i am utterly humbled and grateful. >> reporter: her new movie opens friday. when the oscars are handed out sunday night, there will be no mention of the kodak theater. with kodak in bankruptcy the academy will refer to the venue as the hollywood and vineland center. the statuettes made the first stop in new york city. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: melissa leo opened the oscars grand central exhibit at the historic train decision. it allows fans in new york city to be the first to see the actual oscar statuettes for

best actor and actress. she won for her supporting role in "the fighter" last year. they'll be on display through sunday. conan o'brien will keep his desk job for at least two more years. his shoko fan will be extended through april 2014. he's averaging 1.1 million viewers a night. i'm edward lawrence for cbs news, los angeles. we're on the desk for at least another hour and a half. good morning. thank you for watching 9news now at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. we're here for two hours. >> it almost is friday. i'm excited about that. i need more coffee. i'm mike hydeck. glad you're here. here's monika santami. she has traffic. >> here's howard. going to be a great day if you like spinning-like weather except -- spring-like weather except the allergies are up. thanks, tree pollen. a little early. weather wise let's get you going with the day planner