-- mcginnis, cbs news, washington. >> the vice. says he is working with the justice department as well. they want to see if the. can take some steps to limit gun issues through executive order which would not require the congress to pass new laws. in the commonwealth, nearly four dozen people have been named to virginia governor bob mcdonnell's school security task force. it includes state and local leaders, public safety experts, parents and students. the panel will review safety procedures in the aftermath of the connecticut school massacre. governor mcdonnell wants to submit the panel's safety- related proposals with a final report to lawmakers in june. gucontrol is a key issue up for debate in the latest session of the maryland general assembly. some of the proposals include a ban on assault weapons, improved record keeping of gunshots and limits on how much ammunition a magazine can carry. president obama wants jack lou to be the next treasury

secretary. he's the chief of staff right now. before that the 57-year-old was director of office management and office. he's also a former citibank executive. if confirmed he will replace tim geithner who is stepping down. his confirmation process is not expected to be too difficult. labor secretary hilda salicious resigned her post and is expected to return home to california. she won praise from the labor unions for aggressive enforcement of wage and hourly laws. business groups have criticized her, though, for the same reasons. a d.c. police officer has been arrested and charged with first degree child sex abuse. wendell palmer is a 22-year veteran of the force now on leave pending the outcame of -- outcome of this criminal case. it's happened again in louisa county, virginia. an earthquake. around 6:30, a 2.0 magnitude quake shook the county. it was the epicenter of the

huge quake we all felt in august 2011 2011. boston, massachusetts has declared a public health emergency all because of this amazing flu that's sweeping the country. this year's flu season started earlier and is hitting harder than it has been in recent years and that's putting a strain on the health care system. >> it's not just massachusetts. 44 states are reporting widespread flu. nationwide the number of people going to the hospital with flu symptoms has doubled in the past month. >> reporter: the flu hasn't been this bad in boston in years. more than 700 cases have been confirmed so far and statewide 18 people have died. city health officials are preparing for it to get worse. >> in the last two weeks alone, we've doubled our number. so if we continue at this rate to see you in cases, we'll have an explosion of flu in the city of boston. so we really need to get ahead

of this at this point in time. >> reporter: but it's not just massachusetts. cbs news confirmed that 44 states are reporting widespread flu. nationwide the number of people going to the hospital with flu symptoms has doubled in the past month. >> we are seeing in our region patient volumes and patient acute levels, that is, the sickness level of these patients, greater than the peak of the h1n1 flu especial dependic we had -- epidemic we had about three years ago. >> reporter: while this flu season had been a moderate to severe one so far, it's still withinwhat they consider to be a normal range, but there are still months to go before it's over. this year's flu vaccine is considered to be a good match to this year's flu strains. it is not 100% effective. christine's entire family got the vaccine but her 8-year-old son alex got sick anyway. >> as a mom i was very disappointed that he got the flu because i had to fight him tooth and nail to get the flu

shot. >> reporter: still, doctors say those who get the vaccine and still become sick usually suffer fewer complications. cbs news, new york. >> to help prevent more cases of the flu, the city of boston is offering free flu vaccine at many local health clinics. it is 4:34. if you're just waking up, here are some of the other stories making news. a judge will decide if james holmes will stand trial for the colorado theater shootings last year in aurora. prosecutors showed the judge photos that holmes took on his phone just hours before the shooting. they showed guns, body armor, and a gas mask neatly laid out on his bed just before the shooting. the defense presented no evidence saying the preliminary hearing was not a place to, quote, put on a show and present a partial defense. today former penn state assistant football coach jerry sandusky is due back in court. he was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison after being convicted on 45 counts of child

sex abuse last year. sandusky's attorneys plan to argue they weren't given enough time to prepare his defense. cautiously optimistic, that is how the redskins are describing the mood of the team after hearing the results of rg3's knee surgery. dr. james andrew says the procedure on the right knee was successful and gives him the best opportunity for a long professional career. dr. andrew says griffin should be back on the sideline or the field six to eight months from now. >> that's good news. it's 4:35. spring or january? it can happen. what season are we in? howard is back in two minutes with today's warm forecast. >> more layoffs possible for another wall street firm. >> and your most beloved piece on the monopoly board could soon become a thing of the past. 9news returns in two minutes.

we've got a good start for you today. it's 4:38. looking outside. good visibility. clear to partly cloudy skies across the region. average temperatures in the low 40s by 9:00. upper 40s by noon. more clouds this afternoon than this morning. high temps upper 40s to low 50s. rain on the way and warmer temperatures as well. we'll let you know when all of that is going to happen in five minutes. >> here comes monika with timesaver traffic. on the northbound side of 395 at duke street, you can see all lanes are open. both the main and hov lanes heading for the 14th street bridge. looking good downtown. all the potomac and anacostia rivers are incident free this morning. i'll be back with more details on traffic coming up at 4:47. mike, back to you. it is 4:38 right now. first your money segment ever the morning. jessica is off this morning. more layoffs are coming to wall street. morgan stanley is expected to cut 1600 jobs or 6% of its work

force. that's roughly half of the cuts being in the united states and coming from the firm's investment banking division. in december it was citigroup announcing layoffs. they did 1100 workers with pink slips. looking at the numbers on stocks yesterday, they rose for the first time in three days. the nasdaq was up 14. s&p 500 was especial close to 4. insurance giant aig, american international group, has decided not to bite the hand that feeds it. it will not go into a shareholder lawsuit against the united states government. yes, the same u.s. government which rescued that company from near collapse back in the 2008 financial crisis. it must be noted though that aig was legally obligated to consider joining this lawsuit that is brought by the former c.e.o. maurice greenberg. he claims the terms of the 182 -- $182 billion tax funded -- taxpayer funded bailout wasn't fair to shareholders. we know the construction headache commuters are dealing

with in tysons corner in the name of progress. now you can add taxes. officials have approved a tax zone. land owners in the area will pay up to 7 cents for every $100 of their property's assessed value and that will take place over the next 40 years. opponents say that tax is going to hurt the growth in tysons. >> it's damaging the very people you're trying to attract to tysons. who wants to buy a business or condo in tysons corner when i can go a mile away and pay less tax. >> it's important that people benefiting from the redevelopment are also participating in funding. >> the chairman says right right now the general assembly doesn't allow them to separate residential and commercial taxpayers. delia goncalves will tell us what the board of supervisors is doing to try to help property owners in the region. we all have our favorite

monopoly piece, right? whenever a family plays at our house, i'm usually the top hat because that's the one left over after everybody else chooses. but your favorite piece may be replaced. hasbro is holding a contest to eliminate one of the eight tokens and replace it with a new one. they have some choices you can choose from. the cat is a possibility. a diamond ring, a guitar, a toy robot, or a helicopter. if you'd like to vote, it starts on tuesday on facebook and it will stay open till february 5 and then they'll choose. >> do you have an idea of what you'd like to see? >> guitar. >> how about you? >> i don't know. i don't really place monopoly that much. >> i haven't played in a long time. >> i'll think about it. i have till february. what's taking so long? commuters want to know. >> members of a local advocacy group speak out about the delays related to one of andrea's favorite projects. the silver spring transit program. we'll tell you what they want

local leaders to do to try to fix this debacle. 9news is back with your weather first.

good morning. welcome back to 9news now. 4:44. we ask the question. is this spring or is this winter. howard is here to tell us what's going on. >> winter is taking a break about a week or so as we get into the latter part of next week, looks like things are going to turn colder. there are signs as we get into next weekend, even around the inauguration day, can be kind of chilly around here. just consider that. we'll be talking temperatures this weekend which could be pushing into the 60s, maybe 70 in a few spots by sunday. >> stink bugs will return. >> i caught one in the house

yesterday, andrea. but next weekend, it will come back. here's a look at the bus stop forecast this morning. we have partly cloudy skies out there with temperatures -- big range -- in the 30s. we'll go from mid-30s to mid- 40s. call it partly cloudy and chilly. sunrise way off here at 7:26 this morning. we will see some sunshine this morning but i think more cloudiness this afternoon as temperatures recover to about 50, 51 for that high. as we get into the evening hours, back in the mid-40s. we'll be back in the 30s tonight and another coolish day tomorrow before a big surge of warmth for the weekend. look at the satellite and radar. these clouds in and out of the region here but lots of rain out in texas, the mississippi valley. this is great news but we need more of this on a regular basis. the drought conditions on the mississippi river have affected the barts traffic. cold air just off to our north and northwest pittsburgh in the low 30s along with detroit,

chicago in the 20s. there's cold air but 40s and 50s just south. this is that swinter battle we were just talking about and we are seeing right now. comfortable temps for this time of year. 45 in gaithersburg. 41 in cumberland. fredricksburg is 38, one of our cooler spots this morning. and here in town as we look out on our michael & son weather camera, good visibility. skies are partly cloudy, 50 degrees. and with a northwesterly wind at 8 miles an hour. but that's national airport. they're a little warmer than most of our reporting stations right now and the barometer is way up. pressure is high. good thing because it's blocking this storm system from coming in our direction. lots of rain and snow coming in toward the northwestern part of the country again. this has been a really big rain maker in texas. all of this moisture flowing right off the gulf of mexico, right up the mississippi river valley. around here we saw a front come through yesterday afternoon. it did have a few sprinkles with it. that is long gone. behind it high pressure is

built in so it's going to force that storm more to the north than in our direction. as we look at our futurecast, showing not that much in the way of cloudiness through at least midday but more clouds this afternoon. i want to widen the picture because that storm system out west, we're going to watch it track toward the midwest, not toward us, but we'll continue to see clouds stream in our direction. so tonight looks like a mostly cloudy night. temperatures back in the 30s. how about your friday? friday looks as if we'll have clouds. dry weather for the morning but the afternoon commute, if you're going to get away tomorrow, maybe go on a little weekend trip, look at the rain that will be moving into the afternoon. so tomorrow will be a yell loy alert day -- yellow alert day for the afternoon and evening rain showers that will slow down your commute and maybe interfere if you have any outdoor plans. once that passes the weekend looks good. today 50, chilly, mix of clouds and sun. tonight back in the 30s. afternoon rain or showers tomorrow, 51. but saturday we're going to poke up into the warmer air,

64. sunday 68. locally 70, especially toward fredricksburg and culpeper. by monday, though, a couple of showers, 60. then cooler air back in the 40s tuesday and wednesday look kind of wet around tuesday. 4:47. let's check in with monika with timesaver traffic for you. howard county, old frederick road is currently closed between route 29 and bethany lane because of an accident and downed wire. that's in howard county. let's take you over to virginia first. on the northbound side of i-95, things are looking great from woodbridge to springfield. there are no delays on 395 to the 14th street bridge. let's take a live look outside and show you what the road looks like right now. it's early enough that you don't have any delays at all as you head for the beltway right here on i-95. both the main and hov lanes. back to the maps this time on 95 coming in from baltimore. this looks great. no problems coming in basically from 32 all the way down. wb parkway looks great. no problems on route 29 from columbia. a live look at the beltway in college park. as you travel on the outer

loop, the top side of your screen, heading past the 95 interchange into silver spring, all lanes right now should be open. construction should be cleared. speaking of silver spring, three groundbreakings and 15 years after it was proposed, the silver spring transit center is still not done. the latest hangup for the project is a dispute over whether the concrete flooring is safe. the state of the art $112 million complex on colesville road is two years behind schedule. local activists like andrea reason i'm sure -- like andrea roane i'm sure are calling on the county council to conduct hearings and demand answers. >> it's been going on for four years. commuters have been commuting from four and five blocks away where the bus stops have been relocated when in actuality a metro station is supposed to have their bus phase right at

the door. >> when complete, it's designed to bring metro, marc, ride on and other transportation options to one single site to downtown. the current price tag is more tan three times more than the original $35 million estimate. ddot has unveiled its plans to replace the frederick douglas memorial bridge in washington. you might know it as the south capitol street bridge. those in charge of taking care of it pointed out signs of age and deterioration of the span over the anacostia river. mayor vincent gray says a new bridge is key to the revitalization of the waterfront and replacing the span is expected to cost more than $660 million. the city has already begun acquiring new land for the project. i'll be back with more traffic coming up at 4:55. >> thanks, monika. it is 4:50. new research suggests there are more health dangers connected to the chemical bisphenol a or

bpa. there is a possible link to exposure in children to higher risk of heart and kidney problems later in life. the food and drug administration banned the use of bpa in baby bottles and sippy cups last year but companies still use the chemicals in aluminum cans. surveys show by age 6, nearly 92% of children have some trace of bpa in their urine. bpa exposure has already been linked to childhood obesity, hormone problems, and asthma. researchers in boston have made a troubling discovery. doctors say about 4% of adolescents admit to planning or attempting suicide. they talked to nearly 6500 children and teenagers. most suicidal kids have already been diagnosed with a pre- existing mental condition and are receiving treatment. if one d.c. lawmaker gets her way, healthy snacks could be coming to a vending machine near you according to the washington examiner. new legislation from ward 3 council woman mary chea would

require all 4,000 vending machines in d.c. buildings to provide healthy snacks. researchers at george washington university say new technology does not beat the old fashion version of exercise. a new study expird active video games -- compared active video games to physical education classes in school. children use more energy when it came to going to p.e. class. your eyes are the key to being trusted. that's according to a new survey that says people with brown eyes are considered much more trustworthy than those with blue eyes. people also said men with bigger mouths and larger chins -- jay leno -- were more trust worthy than men with narrow faces. trust may soon be a major issue for hundreds of students attending a local training

school. they may be in for the shock of their lives later this morning. coming up at 5:05, the school which crushed the dreams of thousands of students. it is 4:53. time for the question of the morning. this is funny. >> according to men's health magazine, 25 % of men say they do this when they have a bad day, whether they have blue eyes or brown eyes. they a, lift weights, go running, b, break something, or c, talk to their significant other. right. >> i used to break something but i've grown out of that. go to our facebook fan page. weigh in. >> notice it wasn't talking to a significant other. >> we'll have the answer in our 6:00 show.

4:55.

your weather first on this thursday morning. partly cloudy skies out there. you'll need a jacket with temperatures in the 30s and 40s. we'll drop off to about 41 here by 9:00. more sunshine this morning than this afternoon. 1:00 temp 49. winds comfortable today as well. northeast, northerly at 5, 8 miles an hour and highs around that 50-degree mark. let's check in with monika samtani and find out how things are going for you this morning. not too bad on the west side of town. things are looking good at the american legion bridge. all of your western thoroughfares look good as well including 66 and the dulles toll road. westbound 66 at the connector road, construction should be clearing up. i'll be back with more traffic and a look at maryland roads coming up at 5:01. 4:56 now. for the first time since 1996, baseball writers of america elected no one to the baseball hall of fame. many of the players on this year's ballot were implicated in the steroid scandal in baseball. in order to make cooperstown -- [indiscernible] here's how some of the limb

fathers, the former luminaries of the sport did. roger clemens 37% in change. barry bonds 36%. sammy sosa12%. mark mcguire 16%. those two guys mark mcguire and sammy sosa were credited with bringing baseball back. the closest player to make it was craig biggio, 68.2 but still short of the 75% needed to get to the hall of fame. an all-star musical lineup will participate in president obama's second inauguration ceremony. beyonce will sing the national anthem at the inauguration. kelly clarkson will perform "my country tis of thee" and james taylor will sing "america the beautiful." the white house had a hand in picking the singers. right around 8:30 this morning during the cbs this morning show, the 2013 oscar nominees will be announced. the 85th academy awards will be on the air february 24. >> fans had their say with the peoples choice awards.

edward lawrence has a recap of the show. >> reporter: the peoples choice awards started with a bang. the big bang theory caley hosted. >> if you're going to go out and represent these women as hosts, then you've got to find the fight deeper inside -- deep inside of you. >> reporter: the big bang theory gives fans a feeling of real empowerment. >> the characters in the show speak to anybody who has ever felt like an underdog. >> reporter: the awards include movies, television, and music. >> these awards aren't giving out to people because a bunch of people in a room decided to. this is -- these awards are given out because the people have voted. >> reporter: fans voted overwhelmingly for emma watson as favorite dramatic movie actress in perks of being a wall flower. taylor swift won best country

artist. adam levine has a leading six mom nations in television and music categories. he only won once. it was actress sandra bullock who won a first in a new category. they voted her favorite humanitarian award. >> i'm blessed to be able to do what i do because of what you allow me to do and that allowed me to write a check and be a really good cheerleader. >> reporter: the big winner of the night? jennifer lawrence. she won for favorite actress and favorite movie went to "the hunger games." we have some advice for taylor swift but we'll write it down at another time. good morning. thank you for watching 9news at 5:00 a.m. i'm andrea roane. >> she's very successful and they're just jealous. >> she's a cougar in the making. >> how can you be a cougar when you're in your 20s? >> all the boyfriends are teenagers. >> just ng