west. pretty steady temps at 20 miles an hour. some gusts to 30. they'll finally turn northwesterly late this afternoon and this evening. that will drop temps tonight into the 30s to around 40. that's what we're looking at here. we've got some fog this morning. dense fog advisory till 8:00 up north. when you look at the visibilities, it's not just north where we have dense fog. we have it down at quantico and andrews air force base. leesburg to hagerstown, we've got pockets into loudoun and frederick county as well. we have patchy dense fog. even western howard wouldn't surprise me if they have some fog. monika, good morning. happy thursday. good morning. happy thursday, howard. happy thursday to all of you as well. things are looking pretty good outside. we have the wet road conditions. you know the exit to the inner loop of the beltway, that ramp is a sharp turn. there's a single vehicle accident there. crews are on the scene. it is slowing things down trying to exit to the beltway. the beltway itself not too bad. a live look at the american

legion bridge west side of town. i' not effecting -- it's not affecting the beltway. back over to the maps, this time we're going to head to the southern side of southern maryland. everything fine out of brandywine. a last live look at route 50 at i-97 coming in from annapolis through to davidsonville and the beltway all lanes are open on route 50. coming up in my next report, another look around the area at 6:12. back to you. we begin this hour with an ad on metro. it's just an ad but it's making national news. >> it's not just the ad but a single word on it and who it's aimed at. >> it's at the end of the platform at the clarendon station on the orange line in arlington. this is about a movie which is against president obama's health care law and it reads, "go to hell, barrack." end quote. congressman jim moran want it is taken down.

he says it's not because of its politics but because of its language. >> profanity, obscenity, the kind of cuteness that this -- cuteness that this represent -- crudeness this represents is just wrong. >> the ads are protected by the first amendment and metro is not legally declined to -- allowed to declined ads based on political content. a lot of people have plenty to say about this including our facebook friends. >> here's just a sample of what you're saying. hall writes, -- hal writes this is hateful. i can vote who whoever i like but not to disrespect the president. >> another writes i don't see anything wrong with it all. >> eric doesn't talk about politics, just the first amendment. it is free speech. as popular or unpopular as it is, it's free speech. >> join the conversation by going to facebook.com/wusa9. remember, keep it civil and

clean. you'll remember in 2008 metro buses turned into a religious battleground. an atheist and humanist group fought ads "why believe in god?" metro defended the ads from both sides again citing the first amendment. virginia lawmakers today are going to take up a bill that would allow home schooled children to play sports in the public schools. it's been dubbed the tebow law after the n.f.l. quarterback. >> it's drawing nationwide attention. this is a story that's new this morning. delia goncalves is live in the newsroom to explain it all. good morning, delia. >> reporter: good morning. this has been a long running debate in virginia, but this is the most progress the bill has made so far. the governor says he'll even sign this bill if it makes his desk. but there's a long process before it gets there and lots of debate. yesterday i spoke to a group of parents and their children in loudoun county. they home school their

children. for nearly a dozen years now their kids have excelled in community sports but they know there are limb teagues to their athletic careers. the bill if passed is not a mandate but would just give high schools the option of allowing home schooled athletes to try out for teams. the bill would take effect in the fall and each individual school would have to come up with its own policy and of course paperwork so all players are given equal opportunity. >> i was having a conversation with a friend and he was saying how he felt that home schooled children might take spots away. we were actually at a lacrosse game. i said to him, here's the youth 15 players. only two children that play in our youth 15 program, there's only two home schoolers on this program. so those two future ninth graders aren't going to be taking spots away from anyone.

>> there's two teams in most schools, the juniors and varsity. >> we're not asking them to automatically give us a spot on the team. we're only ask them for a chance to try out. >> the biggest thing for me is to play with my friends and represent the community i've lived in for most of my life. >> that's what supporters say including the children who want to play in high school sports. what do the critics have to say? i'll have more on their reaction coming up in a half- hour. i'll see you then. >> thank you, delia. delia goncalves live in the newsroom this morning. lawmakers in richmond are warning about a possible government shutdown. democrats in the state senate killed the last budget plan on the table. governor bob mcdonnell could put forward a new one, but that's unlikely to happen before lawmakers adjourn march 10. both sides say it could result in partial shutdowns starting july 1 when the existing budget runs out. prince george's county police are trying to find an arsonist, the person who set a fire that injured seven firefighters. it burned a vacant house in

riverdale last friday. while crews work to smother the fire, a blast of wind push add wall of flames into a group of firefighters. 22-year-old kevin o'toole is still in the hospital with critical condition with burns over half of his body. >> i want to say to those who are responsible that you can be assured that you will be apprehended, that you will thereafter be arrested and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. >> investigators say the person who started this fire could be responsible for starting other fires in the riverdale neighborhood as well. tonight metro is holding its third meeting on proposed fare hikes. it's a chance to get your say before the hikes take effect this summer. tonight's meeting is at matthews memorial baptist church which is 2616 martin luther king, jr. avenue in southeast, just blocks from the anacostia metro station. there's an open house starting at 6:00. the meeting begins at 7:00 tonight. it is 6:06.

i am wanting your money. also watching your privacy. starting today, google is making some big changes to its privacy policies. we explain what you need to know. >> reporter: google is scrapping 60 or so different privacy policies across various features in favor of just one, a combined strategy that puts the information google's platform's collective outview in a single place. you won't notice anything major, but the new approach does give google more flexibility to simpg more of their product -- sync more of their products. it says they'll use the information to better customize your search results among other things. you'll see more ads targeted to your frenches though google says -- preferences though gooling says they won't -- google says they won't sell your information to

advertisers. it's a good reminder to review privacy policies of all the websites you use to make sure you're comfortable with the terms. >> you can't use all of google's features and not get tracked but you can minimize the data being kept on you. make sure you're not logged on to google when using the search engine or watching youtube. google might still follow you by using your ip address but it won't be linked to your other accounts. time 6:08. march madness is here. these d.c. high school students are using matt and science -- math and science. cool schools coming your way in eight minutes. howard says the rain is gone. it's going to be a great start to march. your forecast is straight ahead here on 9news now.

we're back at 6:11. at least three more people are dead in the latest round of severe weather. a second tornado hit cumberland, tennessee last night. it followed deadly storms earlier this week in missouri and illinois. north korea will halt its nuclear ambitions in exchange for food. the agreement announced wednesday includes ending the work on long-range nuclear missiles. the u.s. will make sure the

food gets to the people who need it. the costa allegra cruise ship has landed. it lost power three days ago after a fire. more than a thousand people were on board. we've had the wet road conditions and a couple of minor accidents of slipping and sliding going on mainly on the northbound side of the gw parkway on the exit ramp to the inner loop of the beltway. that's a sharp curve there and a lot of accidents do happen there. authorities are on the scene. on the beltway on the west side things are fine. we're going to take a live look first at 270 southbound. we had some fog in the area. now just the volume as you head down from frederick. it will be off and on into the rockville area and to the point where the lanes divide. back over to the map, this time on the northbound side of i-95 where your initial delay begins down at the prince william parkway. you're going to go pretty slow at 37 miles an hour. it's going to be off and on as you head toward woodbridge. a live look in springfield on the northbound side of 95.

again volume forming here trying to exit to the beltway. we'll take a live look a little further north on to 395. still looks good at edsall road. it's going to bunch up at duke street heading toward seminary road. we'll take a look into maryland in my next report. but very some foe foes to share. in fairfax -- photos to share. in fairfax county, they just finished their second annual giving campaign with great success. it's a partnership. over six weekends in january and february, stuff the bus collected 26,000 pounds of food and more than $3,000 for the local food pantry. the thing is most of us think of donating to the needy during the holidays but unfortunately the first two months of the year are traditionally the lowest giving period and that's when the food pantries need help the most. they may do this again in august. it starts on martin luther king day which is national day of giving in case you want to do

this next year. >> makes sense. that's nice. the severe weather already in this part of the country and i've got to say this, virginia has got a statewide tornado drill coming up. they do it every year. they do it on the 20th of march. but in d.c. and maryland, they don't do statewide drills. you need to get your act together, call virginia. just get together. do a regional one. governor o'malley, mayor gray, call mcdonnell's office. they'll help you out. it's a good thing to do. everybody should be doing one drill at least to get ready. i feel better. let's get moving and tell you about the allergy count. you can thank the tree pollen again for sniffling. the numbers are different for different allergens. the mold spores came in at 381. that is in the lowe category. 100 for trees. at the bus stop this morning, we are looking at some patchy,

dense fog. otherwise partly cloudy. big range in temps. from the low 40s to low 60s south of town. sunrise a little less than half an hour. we'll see a good deal of sun today. a good deal of wind too we'll have gusts toward 30 miles an hour. this afternoon winds go northwest. that's going to bring in some cooler air tonight as we dip into the 30s to around 40. the visibilities down to a quarter mile in leesburg. dulles not bad. but look at quantico at three- quarters. an dues we're improving -- andrews we're improving. annapolis down to a quarter of a mile. patchy dense fog. hagerstown is 40. 48 for gaithersburg to 48 also in reston. got reports of fog in the herndon area as well. fort belvoir 48. it's 57 in baden. and in loudoun county, leesburg is at 45. look outside at the michael & son weather camera.

some of the fog around the capitol. it's been in and out. looking better now. you see a few of the low clouds behind the capitol dope. 54 degrees with a southwest wind at 6. that barometer 29.63. there goes yesterday's powerful storm with the rain and thunderstorms. behind it the wind will be the story today and in southern new hampshire they may see a foot of snow from this system. 67 today. maybe 70 south. tomorrow we start around 40. we get to 59. clouds increase late. i think we could get a couple of showers, especially after dark and overnight showers and some storms into saturday morning. saturday afternoon keep the fingers crossed. i think the system may be out of here by midday. sunday upper 40s, maybe flurries sunday night. cool schools time is here. we're going high-tech in the district. felt high school in d.c. is in the spotlight just in time for march madness. we're talking hoops but not in

the traditional sense. a basketball and net are still involved. the differ with this game, a robot built and programmed by the students is the one shooting the free throws. check it out. >> reporter: he's a leader. after four years on the high school first robotics team -- [ inaudible ] >> we're actually the highest ranked team in d.c. >> reporter: he loves engineering and showing the new team members what it takes to succeed. this year the team will build, program and control the robot which scoops in two basketballs very quickly. thankfully they are good at it. >> three, two, one.

>> reporter: what's really cool, the team has some pretty impressive mentors. >> we'll be able to move it. >> reporter: like this engineer from the u.s. department of transportation. >> it's so much fun. i can't tell you how much fun it is. >> you hit it. >> reporter: that's exactly the point. to get students to see how electronics, physics and math can be a blast. >> being able to engage your interests, your major in a practical competition, that's also fun. >> reporter: but being involved in robotics goes way beyond that. not only do they get to apply what they learn but colleges notice if you're in the program too. >> there are certain schools that will give you money automatically just for being a participant. >> reporter: it's a good cling for this senior because she's just one of many students shooting for the stars. >> i want to work on spacecrafts. i plan to work for nasa. >> reporter: first robotics is proving to be their first lift-

off. >> so much at play there. physics, engineering, electronics, computer programming. they learn it all and have a blast. those kids were so involved, it was great. if you have a cool school, we'd love to hear from you. please send me an e-mail and maybe we'll be profiling your school coming up. >> such a great story. >> it was fun. time right now 6:19. next in sports, maryland visits tobacco row and the men's soccer team does something they've never done before. another check of the question of the morning. another new survey. this one says what is the number one food that women crave when they are pregnant? is it a, peanut butter, b, ice cream, or c, pickles? >> bonnie says it's b, ice cream. in particular chocolate chip mint. with one child i craved salad. with another fruit and pickles. with all of them it was ice cream. >> keep the guesses coming.

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welcome back. coming up on 6:23. your weather first. we're taking you outside this morning to the tidal basin. you can see some of that fog on the basin there with the jefferson memorial in the backgrounds. kind of -- background. kind of a neat shot. in just a few weeks you know what those trees will be looking like. i think it will be earlier given the mild winter we've had. it's going to be a mild day for the meteorological start of spring. sunshine and breezy conditions today. low 60s by noon. we'll be in the mid- to upper 60s, maybe near 70 with gusts toward the 30 mile an hour range. over to you. >> thank you, howard. in sports the wizards did a good job of containing the magic of dwight howard last night. >> unfortunately there were four other people on the floor and they couldn't contain anyone else. wizards hosting the magic at

the verizon center. orlando hit 13 three pointers. wiz disarlds lose 102--- wizards lose 102-95. college hoops, maryland visiting unc. the terps could not stop senior tyler zeller. maryland falls to the heels 88- 64. nick fouts had 6 in the loss for the terps. gw hosting la salle. excuse me, gw was -- lost to la salle. american topped army 57-40. up next for the eagles, lee high this saturday. major league baseball could vote on expanding its playoffs. it would add one wild card team in each league. it would be a huge plus for the

up and coming nationals. and for the first time ever, the united states has beaten italy in soccer. the two played in a friendly yesterday in -- yesterday. american wins. the u.s. men will play brazil at fed ex field at the end of may. straight ahead the latest on prince george's county council woman known as speed racer. learn what she's doing after going 105 miles an hour on the beltway. big surprise here. gas prices up again today. been more than three weeks in a row now. learn how much you can expect to pay this morning. before you fire up that engine, let's check on the commute. monika has that. fog an issue here on 395 on the northbound side leaving edsall road toward downtown. also an accident in lorton closes furnace road near lorton road. coming up in my next report, more on those issues at 6:30. you're watching 9 news now. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this was how my day began.

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is. 6:29. we're glad you're here. 52 degrees right now. there's the washington monument. we're headed toward 60 and beyond today so you can look forward to that. >> it's been crazy foggy today. thank you for starting your thursday with us. i'm jessica doyle. andrea roane is off today. i'm mike hydeck.

meteorologist howard bernstein live on the weather terrace. i didn't think there would be a coat on howard. >> i left it at home because we're going well up into the 60s. a bizarre morning as you step outside it's march 1 but feels like april or may 1. it's mild in spots. we have the fog. some areas are still having it, especially where it's been a little colder and by the colder rivers, it's helping the fog. today a sun and breeze. could have winds gusting to 30 miles an hour. look at the highs anywhere from 63 to 68. might even get toward 70 by fredricksburg or southern st. marys county. we have a dense fog advisory till 8:00 a.m. not sure if it's going to last till 8:00 a.m. some areas the visibilities are improving quickly. martinsburg is at 3 miles. leesburg and gaithersburg, quarter mile visibility along with annapolis. watch out for that and enjoy the warmer afternoon. monika is in now. she has a look at your time saver traffic. overall things are actually getting a little bit worse

right now. that's because the fog is settling in and we have wet road conditions and a few accidents to tell you about as well. this first one i want you to know about it west of i-95 here in lorton. furnace road at lorton road. it's closed down with an overturned tractor-trailer in lorton west of i-95. keep that in mind. on the northbound side of 95 incident free but long, slow. stretches out of dale city as you cross the occoquan river. you can see it's slowing down right here as you leave lorton into newington and springfield. we'll take a live look at 395. you can see the fog settling in here. i'll just move out here as you head from edsall road through to duke street and the 14th street bridge. that is what is going to slow you down this morning. back over to the maps this time to the north side of town all the way to frederick on i-70 eastbound between 75 and 27 in new market. there is an accident blocking two lanes right now. i suggest you use route 144 instead. if you're planning to head southbound on 270, you're going to go about 27 miles an hour leaving route 80 toward 109.

we'll take a live look on 270 or actually the beltway here, university boulevard. looks like this on the outer loop leaving the 95 interchange. in my next report another look around town at 6:43. at least three more people have died in violent storms across the midwest and south and tornado season just getting under way. >> that's the top story on cbs this morning. charlie rose joins us live from new york with a preview. this video is just unbelievable. >> it is unbelievable stuff. coming up on cbs this morning, we've got crews fanned out across the heartland. we'll hear from people who feel like they cheated deaths and see the overnight efforts to help tornado victims. we'll have an inside look at new weather technology that saved lives this week. what forecasters can see at night that they've never been able to see before. so we hope you'll join us at 7:00. >> we'll be watching, charlie. thank you. he's live from new york. the rain finally gone if our neck of the woods. montgomery county fire and rescue had to pull two drivers

out of high water last night. two cars got stuck in water. the drivers underestimated how deep the water was. the assistant chief reminds everyone turn around, don't drown. 6:33. should home schooled students in virginia be able to play sports with public school students? after all, the parents pay taxes. >> that's the issue of up for a vote today in richmond. it's a story new this morning here on 9news now. let's go live to delia goncalves. >> reporter: that tax issue, a legitimate one that even the bill sponsor has mentioned several times, but critics say even public school students whose parents pay taxes are not automatically entitle add spot on a team -- entitled a spot on a team either. but home schooled students just want an opportunity to try out for the team. the concern is they'll take spots away from public school students but only a small percentage of home schoolers

would qualify for sports and after the qualifications, there are roughly 13 hoe critics say home schoolers only have to meet six. supporters say that's a myth. home schoolers like campbell niehaus who testified for the people would be subject to tests and certifications. however, he cannot meet the attendance requirements. >> they're definitely held to a higher standard in terms of having to have two years worth of experience and academic progress. >> i've been playing sports with my public school friends for years. i want the chance to keep playing with them and i also think that i would have a better chance to be scouted if i was in a high school team. >> that's what supporters are saying. here's what the critics are saying. parents of home schooled children have voluntarily chosen not to participate in the free public education system in order to educate their children at home. in making this choice, these parents have also chosen to forego the privileges incidental to public education. and the former school superintendent is on the record

as well saying as for priorities, home schooled families should fight first for access to algebra and chemistry, not football and soccer. the general assembly he says should take a knee on this one. of course that's a direct reference to tim tebow. >> this is a hot button issue. some parents in other municipalities where this is happening can pay an activity fee and the kids can play. here it seems they have pretty good opposition. you think a lawsuit could be in the offing? >> that's part of the opposer's side and their argument. they're saying the bill is so broad the way it's written that it opens high schools up to lawsuits potentially by high schoolers who get passed over by home schooled students. but on the flip side since there's always a flip side and the other side has an argument and a rebuttal to that, they say listen, 29 other states including florida as we know already have laws on the books similar to this. there have been no problems there. >> you could pattern it after that if you decide to go in that direction. >> reporter: right. a long debate ahead.

>> there we go. thanks, delia. now to maryland where same- sex marriage will technically become legal today. today governor martin o'malley will sign the bill into law approving it. this is video when it passed the state senate last week. marriages won't be performed in the state until next year at the earliest that will allow opponents to try to get the issue on a voter reason reason dumb -- voter referendum this november. wednesday state lawmakers approved the language to get the petitions under way. prince george's county council woman karen toles wouldn't answer any of our questions about her doing a little nascar on the beltway. toles got a woorng for going -- warning for going 105 miles an hour in a county issued car. she did get a ticket for making an unsafe lane change. the police officer pursuing her didn't have radar or a calibrated speedometer but toles was caught on the officer's in car camera. >> the officer felt that he did

not have enough probable cause to issue the violator a ticket for her speed. preliminarily we don't believe that this police officer afforded anyone any special treatment and in fact we do know that he issued a $90 citation. >> toles released a statement saying she would give up her county car while she takes a voluntary driver's education course. among the things happening today, a sure sign of spring in our region. it's not just because it's going to be in the 60s. it's also the kickoff of the 2012 national cherry blossom festival. this year is the centennial celebration. here's a live look at the tidal basin. you can see the trees really haven't started to bloom just yet, even with the warm winter. a press conference coming up today. we're going to learn the expected peak of the bloom season. the festival will start march 20 going through april 27. it is 6:37. i am watching your money. even with the dow dropping 53 points on leap day, wall street closed out its best february in

14 years. for the month the dow jumped 2.5%. the market pulled back below the 13,000 mark yesterday, but it broke the mark during february for the first time since 2008. also last month the nasdaq briefly touched the 3,000 mark. it hasn't been there in over a decade. the markets are going up. so are gas prices. we just checked. aaa's fuel gauge report regular grade here in the d.c. area now $3.74 a gallon. that's up 7 cents in the last week alone. the national average also $3.74. that's up 13 cents in the last week. in the last year americans spent $2 billion on things that aren't even real. we're talking about items virtual goods. gamers buy them to enhance video games and computer experiences. nearly one in five say they buy them to beat their friends at the game. the sale of virtual goods has doubled in the last two years.

unbelievable. billion dollar idea. 6:38. coming up in mine minutes, an easy way for you to help our troops and their families just by going to the grocery store. >> howard says also we're going to have sunny skies today and highs in the 60s. a look ahead to the weekend is next. but first, davy jones of the on monkees died yesterday at age 66. he was a tv crush for a lot of women in the '60s and may be best remembered for his lead vocals on this song "daydream believer." ♪ cheer up, sleepy jean ♪ who what can it mean to a daydream believer ♪ and a homecoming queen ♪

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welcome back to 9news now. it's 6:43 and 52 degrees. the good news is when you head

out the door this morning, you may not even need a jacket. the bad news is it's all that fog and the wet road conditions that are slowing things down. an accident on the inbound side of i-66 coming out of manassas is sitting on the shoulder causing delays from route in. we'll take a live look outside inside the beltway on 66 at george mason drive. again it's that fog that's going to slow you down this morning. back over to the maps. this time on to the bw parkway and route 50. it's just that slow traffic. in fact route 50 inside the beltway going about 26 miles an hour at route 202 heading through cheverly. we'll take a live look outside right now. here's what it looks like on the beltway through college park on the outer loop. doesn't slow down till you hit i-95. then it's going to be in that stretch toward georgia avenue. 270 again is that slow traffic as you head out of frederick, down into urbana and to the point where the lanes divide. coming up in my next report,

you will see again the area roadways at 6:58. look at us. no jacket. >> it's really warm out here but also howard has been mentioning this this morning. it affects traffic as well. right next to the tv station there's huge level of ground fog which is going to make a real issue this morning. >> we have all this leftover moisture from the heavy rain. some cases two inches yesterday. anywhere that's cold and quiet as far as calm with the winds, that's where you've had some of the fog form. near the rivers and some of those cold pockets. yet up here we have nice blue skies overhead. here's a look at the bus stop forecast for you on this thursday morning. we've got those patchy areas of dense fog. otherwise partly to even mostly sunny. temperatures are running from the low 40s to the low 60s south of town but we're sitting in the low 50s for the most part in an around the metro. our day planner, a good deal of sunshine today as temperatures climb in toward the low 60s by 11:00. mid-60s here by 1:00. we're going into the mid- to upper 60s this afternoon with

winds at times which will gust toward the 30 mile an hour mark. so that could be a problem in a couple of spots. by 5:00 we're looking at 61 degrees. let's talk about the visibilities here with visibilities which are looking a quarter mile in annapolis. up north we've seen a lot of improvement. you'll notice even in leesburg we have visibility at about 10 miles. they had been much worse a little earlier. we're starting to see things break down as far as the fog is concerned. again i don't think it will be around for much more than another hour or so. mid-40s in leesburg. 51 bladens -- laytonsville. college park 54. still 58 in upper marlboro. the fog has lifted around the capitol. 54 degrees. dew point 54 so the humidity high and a light southwesterly wind. we'll be looking at this storm system pulling away. heavy snow across parts of new england. could be a foot in southern new hampshire. tonight is clear. tomorrow starts out all nice and clear. then the clouds start to

increase in the afternoon. by tomorrow night here comes some rain. i think we're going to get rid of the rain by midday saturday. so saturday afternoon if it works out, we'll dry out. today 67. 67. even near 70 in spots. tonight down to about 40 in town. lighter winds. 30s north and west. near 60 tomorrow. we could have a shower late but better chance tomorrow night through the first half of saturday. look at saturday's temperatures. in the low to mid-60s. by sunday we're back in the 40s. much chillier then. jessica, over to you. >> thank you, howard. starting today, there's a new great way to help our troops and their families right here at home. we're excited about this one. it's easy. joining me now is elaine rogers, c.e.o. of the uso of metropolitan washington. we've got jamie miller from giant. thank you to both of you for coming in this morning. you're getting together and working on this problem. elaine, tell us what it's all about. >> we have the greatest partners in giant. thank you. it's really cool. we told them what our needs

were and they actually listened and then said, okay, here's what we're going to do and it's perfect for our uso which it's a donation of one, three, or five dollars. then for $5 you can buy this care one care package for our troops. is that cool? toothpaste and everything else in it for our military personnel. >> jamie, tell us about the care packages and how this program is going to work. if you're a shopper going to giant, what happens next? >> absolutely. as a giant shopper, you'll come into our stores and you'll see a nice display right at the front of the store of the care one packages. they just have kind of basic health and beauty care items. you've got hand sanitizer. you have a toothbrush. you have toothpaste. you have some ibuprofen. just kind of the basic items that our troops are going to be in need of. the customer will purchase the

item. we'll have a collection container at the front of each store. they'll drop it off. we send the boxes to the uso and they're distributed at a number of airports in the area, including bwi and dulles airports. >> it's a real tlc package. you're taking some tonight. you have an event tonight. >> yes. not only are we going to distribute them to the troops but think about it. they're coming back from the desert. they're coming back from afghanistan. they get off the plane after 20 hours of travel and this is what we give them. that's what they need. but we also are going to be distributing these care one care packages to our wounded warriors and their families. so we're going up tonight with actually a friend of yours lou diamond philips and this is the first time we'll take these up to the hospital. there's one young man who is in the icu unit. obviously i don't know if we'll get in to see him but this will be waiting for him when he gets out. this will also be dyes butted

up at -- be distributed up at our hospitals. when families come in to visit their loved once, they don't have anything with them. so it's a great program. >> you're doing the angel's work. thanks so much for coming in this morning and talking about the program so people can get involved as well. >> thank you. it is daily deals time. that's when we save you money. you in the market for a new stove or refrigerator? sears is showing just how much it appreciates its customers by taking 20% to 25% off all kenmore appliances. for example, kenmore 7.3 cubic foot electric dryer normally about $940 on sale now for $752. sears is giving 10% off all the other brands too the deal ends saturday. check out eversave.com offering premium vineyard tour wine tasting at elk run vineyard for 18 bucks. you get a taste of six wines plus a full glass of your favorite and there's complimentary bread and cheese.

this tour usually goes for $50 so with this deal you're getting a 64% savings. and finally some deal find brighten that smile aft wine tour. million dollar smile at lasting looks is offering a 30-minute laser teeth whitening session and a smiling white teeth whitening pen for $49. it normally costs $248 so that's 80% off. pretty cool. >> i like it. a check of the news is coming up next.

welcome back. 6:54. police arrested 28-year-old man

who went into a woman's dorm room last week to steal some things. he also touched her without her consent. he's facing burglary and assault charges. you need a handicap placard or license plate starting today to park at a red parking meter in the district. before today, you could get a warning. today you could get towed. there are 400 of these special meters around the city. tar heels went on a 16-4 run and the terps never record r recovered. they lose 88-64. maryland hosting virginia this weekend. now time to answer the question of the morning. here was the question one more time. according to the new survey, the number one food women crave when they're pregnant is it a, peanut butter, b, ice cream or c, pickles? >> i bet a lot of you thought it was pickles. peanut butter is the answer. pretty neat. one more check of traffic and weather when 9news now returns. stay with us.

welcome back. we're burning up the last of the fog in the next little while. we'll have a breezy, sunny day. highs mid- to upper 60s. near 60 tomorrow. showers tomorrow night through saturday morning but a better saturday afternoon. a quick look if you are taking the marc trains this morning. there are a couple of delays i want you to know about. marc 10, 409 are late. cbs this morning is coming up next. more on the big storms in the midwest and danny devito is stopping by. howard and i will be back in 25 minutes with a live update on traffic and weather. get updates on news, weather and traffic on wusa9.com. we will see you tomorrow morning at 4:25. we'll come looking for you if you're not there. have a great day, everybody.