i'm barbara harrison in for pat lawson muse. >>> and here's what's happening right now.ical records and pharmacy records have now been subpoenaed from whitney houston's doctors. the l.a. county coroner's office says that is standard procedure for any death investigation. meanwhile, reverend marvin wine nans who presided over houston's marriage to bobby brown will deliver her eulogy. houston's funeral will be held on saturday. >>> in charlottesville, the prosecution reds the case today against george huguely, the former uga lacrosse player charged with murdering his ex-girlfriend, yeardley love. today, his teammates testified that his demeanor changed the day love was found dead and he began drinking heavily. the defense begins presenting its case in the afternoon. >>> after months of angry party line bickering, there is a deal on capitol hill to extend the payroll tax cuts and job benefits. republicans backed off their plan to get tax cuts. the president will sign it as soon as it hits his desk. >>> the dow losing about 98 points today. the nasdaq down about 16 and the s

barbara harrison, news4 for wednesday's child. >> yeah. that's too easy, barbara. got to ask again. hey, if you have room in your home or heart for maur or kmeer knower child waiting, call 1-800-to adopt me. i like that jacket he had on. pretty good. >> i don't know about the one with the sequins. >> pull that off. >>> and politics mixed with sports? >>> catholics around the world are observing ash wednesday. today, cardinal presided over mass at the cathedral of st. matthew the postle. it marks the beginning of leapt, a season of fasting and preparation for easter. people received ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross as a symbol of penance and conversion. >>> v dot engineers were inspecting the stability of overhead signs on the highway today. >> ten days ago, there was a close call when one of those signs collapsed on i-66. news4's derrick ward followed the inspectors today. he is live for us along i-95 in fairfax county with more. derek? >> good evening. you know, if you are driving, a motorist on the highway, you are more concerned about what's on

barbara harrison visited with him at his school not too long ago. >> it's so great to see you! hi.diatric center were happy to know that jontaye was going to be a wednesday's child. he's lived at the center most of his life, and at almost 8 years old now, they're hoping he may soon find a permanent family to love him and help him to grow and develop. so glad to meet you. somebody looks like they're a bit tired. did they wake you up to come and meet me? we started early for both of us, but the staff here says jontaye is used to getting up early to go to school each day. >> and he participates in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy at school daily. >> she says he loves school and looks forward to going every day. the horse makes a funny noise, huh? >> he likes to communicate everything through his facial expressions and some sounds. he can be very happy and jovial, and he can have his off days, like any other child. he loves for you to hold his hand or talk to him and rub his back. >> are you a happy boy today? i'm so glad to meet you. i'm happy to be here. staf

barbara harrison visited with him at his school not long ago. >> so great to see you, john day. staff at the wsc pediatric center were happy to know that john tay was going to be a wednesday's child. he has lived at the center for most of his life and almost 8 years old now, they are hoping he may soon find a permanent family to love him and help him grow and develop. >> so glad to meet you. somebody looks a bit tired. did they make you up to come meet me? he got started early for both of us but the staff here says john tay is used to getting up early to go to school each day. >> he participates in occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech therapy at school daily. >> reporter: she says he loves school and looks forward to going every day. horse makes a funny noise noise, huh? >> he likes to communicate everything through his facial expression and some sounds. he can be very happy and jovial and he can have his off days, like any other child. he loves for you to hold his hand to talk to him and rub his back. >> are you happy today? i'm so glad to meet you. i'm happy to be

. >> here is news4's barbara harrison. >> when i first started, i started with no belt, then i started with belt and then i started with gold. >> reporter: 14-year-old tyrell says when he discovered martial arts, it changed his life. >> nice to meet you. i'm master smith. this is master woodson. >> reporter: the team at on the mat in bethesda welcomed tyrell for his first visit there they invited him to show a little of what he has learned and started with a stud tent pledge, tent p tenets of tae kwon do. he has tried to incorporate these in his daily life, in foster care almost his entire life and says the practice of karate and tae kwon do got his life going in a positive direction. the discipline he learned in his first classes got him interested in doing well in everything he does. >> he loves to do chores and he loves school answered is also very shy in the beginning but then he warms up to you and he is talking to you. >> give me one more and let's reset. >> what's your favorite subject at school? >> math. >> are you good at math? >> yes. >> what kind of grades are you making? >>

. >>> as barbara harrison tells us, with these kids, every birthday it is tougher and tougher to findome that they want so much. >> all my life, i never had a family that cared for me. i always wanted to be adopted. >> i still need somewhere to be. >> reporter: like many teams in the foster care system, they have been waiting a long time for a forever family. >> the older they get, the harder it gets to place those children. >> i would like to have a family sweet, nice, you know? >> i really would like to be adopted. >> reporter: sadly, the chances for teens finding adopted families are slim. >> most of the people want the infants, the little bitty kids, the toddlers, which is good and sweet, but our teens are still children as well. >> reporter: some of our teenage wednesday's children were featured when they were very young and they had great dreams then about the families they would like to adopt them. >> they should want to have fun. they should, like, plan all the time, like having laughs. >> reporter: and how is keysean doing now? >> keysean still is looking for that person to p

here's news 4's barbara harrison. >> when i first started, i started with no belt and then i startedite and then i started with gold. >> reporter: 14-year-old tyrell says when he discovered martial arts it changed his life. >> all right, nice to meet you. i'm master smith. this is master wilson. >> reporter: the team of on the mat in bethesda welcomed tyrell for his first visit there. they invited him to show a little of what he's learned and started with a student pledge, the tenants of tae kwon do. >> courtesy. >> courtesy. >> integrity. >> integrity. >> self-control. >> self-control. >> perseverance. >> perseverance. >> reporter: these are the qualities tyrell says he's tried to incorporate in his entire life. he's been in foster care almost his entire life and says the practice of karate and tae kwon do got his life going in a positive direction. the discipline he learned in his first classes got him interested in doing well in everything he does. >> he loves to do chores and he loves school and he's also very shy in the beginning, then he warms up to you and he'll talk to you. >

so, barbara harrison took him for a visit to the textile museum, where they're preparing for d.c.eek. >> reporter: at the textile museum here in washington, they were gearing up to show off some of the designs of ian williams during d.c. fashion week. >> fashion week is actually a favorite where designers show their new clothing to the fashion industry so that people can write about what some of the current trends are. >> reporter: maurice says he doesn't know what the trends are, but he knows what he likes. he had a summer job for the last few years and used his money to buy clothes. >> last year i worked at the maryland food bank. >> reporter: oh. do you like working? >> yeah. it brings money in my pocket to get what i want. >> there are a lot of jobs in the fashion industry, from behind the scenes to designers -- >> reporter: maurice's social worker describes him as pretty shy. >> he's looking at going to college. i think his interests at this point is going for business. >> reporter: before that, he would love to have a forever family, having been in foster care most of his li

barbara harrison, news 4 for "wednesday's child." >> if you have room in your home and in your heartor j.d. or another child who's waiting, please call our special adoption hotline. the number is 1-88-to-adopt-me. or you can logon to our home page at nbcwashington.com. >>> and how about that super forecast? >> ah, yes, we've got a little bit more snow to deal with here late this morning and then that's going to be it, it's going to be good weather for your super bowl sunday. but there is at least another chance of winter this week. we'll talk about that with the seven-day, coming up. >>> investigators say equipment malfunction caused this huge explosion at a propane facility. it happened friday near madison, wisconsin. a truck driver was filling his tanker with propane from a holding tank when a hose somehow got disconnected. the blast shook the ground for miles and flames, as you saw, shot some 20 to 30 feet up in the air. amazingly, though, no one was hurt. >>> well, the improving economy means you'll have to pay more for a car. according to the national automobile dealers associat

barbara harrison, news4, four wednesday's child. >> and if you have room in your home and your heartnother child who is weight, please call our special adoption hotline at 1-88-to-adopt-me or logon to our home page at nbcwashington.com. >>> and when we come back, the susan g. komen foundation and planned parenthood, why are they suddenly at odds with each other. >>> and coming up in sports, he is known for his aptics on and >>> today, the world's largest drugmaker, pfizer, is recalling 28 lot, nearly a million packages of birth control pills. >> comes after the manufacturer found a packing error that could lead to some unwanted pregnancies. news4's doreen again thes letter joins us with details on this. >> hi, jim and wendy. the first thing women should know is that pfizer says nobody will get sick because of this recall. it involves two products, the first is the brand name lo/ovral 28. a typical packet comes with 21 active and 7 inactive tablets but an error caused packages to include too many or too few of the active form. the main risk associated with this is unexpected pregnancy

the former mayor of carmel, california, was all smiles with news4's barbara harrison. he admitted he's better off acting than politicking. >> reporter: who has the most power to persuade, do you think, actor/director, or politicians here in washington? you've had both jobs, politician and actor. >> politicians usually pontificate on all that stuff, but don't usually follow through on it. >> after talking to barbara, clint eastwood helped cut the ribbon at the museum of american history. what an honor. >>> you might not know it, but just down the street from news4 station, there's a wrestling powerhouse. american university is ranked 19th in the country, thanks to just four guys there who are best in the nation. the biggest name, also the biggest wrestler. we're introduced to ryan forress. >> reporter: the rafters at the arena holds just one championship for wrestling. josh glenn's 2010 banner almost got some company last year. in the ncaa finals for the heavyweight division, americans ryan flores leads in the last period. the referee decides ryan doesn't fully complete

this morning, grammer told news4's barbara harrison about his unlikely path to stardom. >> so much funi performed on the street for like three years, so to have a single that hit and be able to go across the country has been a dream. amazing. >> now, where did you grow up? >> i grew up in new york, actually, and then i moved and living in l.a. >> and you were a street performer for a while, is that right? >> for three years. >> and how did you make it doing that? >> you know, just actually get -- paid my rent, burned my own cds at kinkos and slung cds. ♪ fall to his niece, the sand castle sight begging you please ♪ >> the kinko's route. grammer will perform to a sold out audience tonight at the jama java music club in vienna, virginia, but promised to come back for another show in the very near future. >>> late night talk show host jimmy fallon turned the white house into a playground. the comedian joined the first lady to promote the second anniversary of her let's moffittness campaign. take a look. >> we are going to start with a stair race. you ready to this? >> i was born -- [ "eye

we've gotten a few tweets from people wondering why barbara harrison, why does your news anchor haverice tag on her belt? >> a price tag on my belt? >> it's not a price tag. >> it's my security pass. >> that's the way we get around this building. >> in fact, i've been standing outside trying to get into the studio. i'm going to miss the show. i don't take such a great picture. >> i guess everybody thought it was a price tag. >> now we know. we're just responding. coming up next on news 4 at 4:00 we have much more ahead. shirt dresses, leather, leggings marked rebecca taylor's fall collection line. we'll talk to the designer in new york fashion week. >>> plus a man's back yard idea isn't panning out so well. tonight on nbc washington nonstop check out an all new district matters tonight at 10:30. an off the cup conversation with jim vance at a barber shop. his take on what we can all learn from the economic troubles and what we can take away from the individual stories of struggle and resilience playing struggle and resilience playing out in il, any luck finding a c? not yet. i want t

. >> he was here in our studio during an appearance on news 4 midday and told barbara harrison what thebling on this year. >> this year it's going to be actually a big party. instead of having like a sit down formal dinner which makes it boring a little bit. >> yeah. >> you can move around and talk to other people so we'll have more like a grazing party with a loungy feeling. the whole dining room for 1600 people going to be like a big lounge. >> what are we going to eat there? >> small, little chicken pot pies with truffles, lamb chops, the same thing we do here, marinated lamb, we'll have baked potatoes with a little caviar. we'll have wild mushrooms so a lot of smaller dishes you can eat with a fork and a spoon. >> it sounds really good doesn't it? besides feeding hollywood stars, wolfgang puck has several restaurants around the world including the source here in washington. he is also the recipient of the 2012 james beard foundation's lifetime achievement award. that salutes people who, quote, have a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and think. as far as food

and clint eastwood is talking to barbara harrison right now about why he is visiting d.c.nks about washington politics. >>> more check on our weather forecast, doug is live in fairfax. have they installed the historical marker there, doug? >>kammerer. >> where you had your fifth birthday party? >> in the mcdonald's. i had ronald mcdonald out at that thing, it was fantastic, the playground there you have been to the mcdonald's in the city of fairfax. >> i believe i have a time or two. >> you have seen my plaque that's in there. yeah. let's show you what's happening outside right now. a very warm day 72 on february 1st you guys were talking about ocean city maryland, got me confused for a minute. the next couple of days go down a bit. temperatures tomorrow, 16 cooler than where they were today. that puts us 12 above average, simply amazing this weekend, looking okay on saturday, look for a chance of rain late in the day sunday you possibly into the day on monday as well, we will continue to watch that storm for you complete forecast tonight at 11:00. >> all right, thank you,

i'm barbara harrison. it is thursday, february 9, 2012. an alexandria paramedic remains in the hospital today after falling -- from 395 in a freak accident yesterday. joshua weizman fell 20 feet on to a creek. he remains in washington hospital center with serious injuries. news4's tracee wilkins is in alexandria now with the latest. >> reporter: we are standing underneath 395 where paramedic weizman fell. we are right in between the hov lanes and northbound lanes. he fell in between that crack. 20-foot drop into the creekbed. this morning, his supervisors say he was transported in critical condition and right now he remains in critical condition they are sayinging the fact his condition not gotten any worse is a good thing. what happens when in a rescue situation, paramedics are trying to save one of their own. >> it is one of our own. we are trying to take our minds off of that. so we can do our jobs. afterwards, to her, that's another matter. that's where we have to deal with those feelings. >> reporter: 395 is wet and slick last night w

i'm barbara harrison. it is wednesday, february 1, 212. right now president obama is in northern virginia. sheer a live picture. he's at the james lee community center in falls church. he will be speaking about the economy shortly. one of his main focuses today will be a new plan to try to rejuvenate the housing market. and to get homeowners back on their feet. eun yang joins us at the news4 screen with a closer look at his proposal. >> this is something that the president touched on his n his state of the union address. it revolve ace round helping millions of homeowners whose loans are privately held, refinanced at a lower rate, even if they owe more mondayin their holmes railroad worth. about 3.5 million homeowners could benefit from the program. those loans would essentially be transferred from a private lender to the federal housing administration and at a new lower rate. the average rate for a 30-year loan is 3.88%. meaning the average homeowner could save about $3,000 a year. there are some qualifications, though, you would have to

i'm barbara harrison. it is tuesday, february 21, 2012. we begin with what could be a major milestone on wall street today. right now the dow is inching closer to the 13,000 mark. wall street was closed yesterday because of the holiday. and investors are breathing a sigh of relief this morning as european leaders finally reach a deal on a second bailout package for greece. $170 billion deal may help greece on his debt next month. the weak spot in the market today, weak earnings report by walmart. >>> developing story in prince william county now. patriot high school in indianapolis colts i will ha nokesville because of a strong and unidentifiable odor. students are on buses while crews are trying to find the source of the smell. we are going to continue to follow this story and we will bring you more information when we learn it >>> this morning, police in prince george's county are investigating a violent high-speed crash into a fast-food restaurant. this left one woman dead and several others injured this morning. police say the car invo

i'm barbara harrison. friday, february 24, 2012. maryland is one step closer to becoming the eighth state along with d.c. to legalize same-sex marriage. cheers erupted in a senate chamber as the result of last night's vote were announced. senate voted 25-2 in favor of the civil marriage proceed act in maryland. the maryland house approved the measure last week. governor o'malley said he hopes to sign it into law next week but opponents say they hope to get enough signatures to allow voters to decide in a referendum in november. >>> this morning the newly passed gay marriage bill was a hot topic as governor o'malley met with virginia governor bob mcdonnell for a forum about state government. aaron gilchrist joins us from northwest washington where the forum was held and more on what was said there. >> reporter: good morning. the conversation focused mostly on the economy. they talked about job sea sxags about balancing budgets. they agreed that those are core issues for the states right now. they also talked about gay marriage and on

. >>> good morning, everyone, and welcome to news4 midday, i'm barbara harrison. it's tuesday, february 7th, 2012. we begin with a carbon monoxide poisoning that sickened a family of six in prince george's county. firefighters say a call from children's national medical center tipped them off, saving that family's life. it happened at a home in the 8300 block of bernard drive in ft. washington. news4's tracee wilkins reports. >> this family was found unconscious inside of their ft. washington home, and the discovery was made thanks to their sick son who helped them out from his hospital bed. a mom and her three kids were transported might medivac after they were sound suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. >> scary moment. i haven't slept the whole night. >> reporter: he says it all started yesterday evening when the 6-year-old son was playing with his dad. >> he fell off the bed, so i guess it's from the -- from whatever he was breathing. and then they took him to the hospital. they didn't know what was going on. >> reporter: prince george's county fire and em

i'm barbara harrison. it is friday, february 17, 2012. we will have more on that storm in just a few minutes. first, the latest on thes are cue of a 2-year-old girl and her fight for life. the girl was pulled from a house fire in prince george's county. it happened in the 6100 block of hil-mar drive this morning. news4's megan mcgrath joins us with more this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. workers are here at the house. they are boarding up the town home here and you can see just how extensive the damage is. this was a very chaotic scene when firefighters arrived early this morning. some of the residents had been able to get out of the home on their own. but they informed firefighters when they arrived there was a 2-year-old girl trapped in a bedroom upstairs. that little girl is now fighting for her life. >> in the kitchen and spread to the second floor where the residents were sleeping. it was 2:00 a.m. and neighbor bell heard the commotion. >> to see the blaze, blazed up. like that. i was sitting in my neighbor's hou

i'm barbara harrison. thursday, february 14, 2012. and right now roads are closing in anticipation of a funeral for paramedic that died in the line of duty. parts of seminary road, janey lane and parts of west braddock road will be shut down for the funeral and procession. thousands are expected to gather for joshua weissman who died last week. he fell to his death while responding to a car fire in shirlington. the 33-year-old was seven-we are veteran of the alexandria fire department. news4's tracee wilkins is live in alexandria with more for us. >> reporter: good morning. it is hard enough for these officers, folks, who work with the fire and ems department in alexandria to lose a comrade. but to lose weissman, he was a leader in this department who not only helped to train new recruits but also was involved with the task force helping to hape the vision how this fire department would look in ten years. the loss is a major loss. this is just a preview into how the city plans on saying good-bye. this morning, around 9:00 a.m., ladder

i'm barbara harrison, it is monday, february 6th, 2012. we begin this morning with breaking news. police are investigating a shooting after a victim ran into the harris education center on livingston road in southeast d.c. looking for help. investigators believe the victim was shot a few blocks away in the 300 block of livingston terrace. we're told the victim is a 26-year-old man. we do not know his condition at this time. we have a reporter headed to the scene and we'll have an update on the story as soon as we get some more information. >>> moving on to another news now, more breaking traffic news. what's going on? >> we have two situations, the first one inner loop of the beltway you cannot connect to i-95 southbound right now. we have an accident involving a tractor-trailer, also a van that was on fire. the fire is out but right now again southbound i-95, this ramp is completely blocked. the second incident inner loop of the beltway as you approach the interchange, you have an accident that's on the right side of the roadway there taking away it would have your right lanes an

i'm barbara harrison. friday, february 10, 2012. we begin with almost the entire gop presidential field meeting right here in washington today. they are speaking at the conservative political action conference but the front-runner, mitt romney, is also using this trip to capitalize on his relationship with virginia governor bob mcdonnell. aaron gilchrist is at the news4 super screen with more. >> the visit to this area really is a big chance for the republican candidates to touch the core of their base. it started this morning with mitt romney in virginia and a traditionally republican state that voted for president obama in the last election. mitt romney was at a breakfast in northern virginia and fairfax county this morning with virginia governor bob mcdonnell. . it whooesed by the morning virginia technology council and consumer electronics association. this was an opportunity for him to talk to business leaders and the heart of the innovation community. he really zeroed in on what he believes it will take to encourage business g

i'm barbara harrison. it is monday, february 13th, 2012. >>> we begin this morning with the latest on the death of singing legend whitney houston. ♪ i will always love you ♪ >> the coroner's office just moments ago said it could be weeks before investigators know exactly how the 48-year-old died. just a few minutes ago, the coroner held a news conference making it clear, despite internet reports that the cause of death has not been determined and houston's family has not been notified of a cause. >> i had a conversation with the family at the hotel and at no time did i discuss prescription meds or the drowning issue. >> the grammy award winner was found dead saturday in a bathtub in her beverly hills hotel room. but as investigators look for clues into houston's death, some of the music industry's biggest stars are honoring the singer and her talent. nbc's jinah kim has more. >> i just want to say to bhitwhy up in heaven, we all love you, whitney houston. >> reporter: music's biggest awards night turned in

i'm barbara harrison, it is monday, february 27, 2012. >>> we begin with breaking news in ohio. police there say they have one person in custody after a gunman opened fire inside a high school cafeteria in chardon, ohio, not far from cleveland. five students were shot. no word on the extent of their injuries. officials say classes had already started for the day when the shooting happened. school then went on lockdown. worried parents showed up at the school to escort their children away from the school building. fbi agents on the scene believe there was only one gunman. >>> d.c. police are on the hunt for the suspect who sexually assaulted a woman near georgetown university. it. happen over the weekend as a student was walking down 36th street near n street northwest. news4's megan mcgrath joins us live from the scene with the latest on the investigation. how are things going with the investigation so far? >> reporter: well, the investigation is ongoing. they have not found the suspect responsible for the sexual assault. needless to say, the university and students are very con

i'm barbara harrison. wednesday, february 15, 2012. the alexandria fire department will be turning its astengs today and tomorrow to one of its own killed in the line of duty. paramedic joshua weizman died last week when he fell nearly 20 feet from an overpass on interstate 395. news4's megan something grath is live outside the fire department's engine 6 on seminary road with more on how the community is preparing for w weissman's funeral. >> reporter: this is a very difficult time for the alexandria fire department. they need a pew days off of work to attend the various services as well as to heal and mourn the loss of their colleague. to allow that to happen firefighters from neighboring jurisdictions are coming in and basically taking over the firehouses and for the next 48 hours, they are going to be running all of election why's fire calls. alexandria's fire stations are draped in black bunting. a sign of mourning for a fallen comrade. joshua weissman will be laid to rest thursday. the visitation is 5:00 p.m. until midnight tonigh

i'm barbara harrison. traffic alert in the district. crews cut power to traffic signals at dupont circle and traffic control officers are directing drivers at this time. this could make for a messy day at had a busy intersection. news4's megan mcgrath joins us live from dupont circle. has more. how is it looking out will now? >> reporter: barbara, right now it is looking pretty good. it did get a little messy, though, at the tail end of rush hour when they first turned off the traffic signals but if you take a look now, you can see that traffic is running smoothly here. traffic control folks with vdot at the intersections. they are instructing people where to go and when they can go through the darkened signals and doing a very good job. we have seen the congestion in the area ease up. we are expecting things to heat up once again during the lunch hour. that's when all of the pedestrians will come out to get a bite to eat. so people are going to have to watch out for that. this will take, unfortunately, several hours to do. dupont circl

i'm barbara harrison. wednesday, february 29, 2012. we begin this morning with severe weather that has killed three people in illinois and one person in missouri. a strong line of storms swept through the midwest. branson, missouri. what may have been a tornado may have damaged several theaters in the district. emergency crews are trying to get to people trapped in their holmes. the storms ripped through harveyville's kansas, injuring at least 11 people there. this is a birth's eye view of the damage. the town looks like it took a direct hit from an apparent tornado. you can see dozens of holmes destroyed, strong winds knocked down trees and power lines. and again this is just part of a big storm system moving across the country. >>> and taking a look outside right now here in our area, we are getting rain. we are not expecting severe weather. storm center 4 meteorologist tom kierein can tell us what we can expect. good morning, tom. >> good morning, barbara. we might get a little thunder and lightning but i don't think that we are goi

i'm barbara harrison. tuesday, february 14, 2012. we begin with breaking news. the president just started speaking at awn scheduled press conference in helps of spurring congress to act on the payroll tax cut and extend it lou the end of the year. it comes after a failed bargaining session over the weekend. and comes in response to a new republican proposal that would extend the tax cut without renewing unemployment benefits and add the cost to the nation's deficit. let's listen in for a moment. >> means a heck of a lot. means a heck of a lot. that's what this debate is all about. this is what is at stake important millions of americans. this is why it matters to people. it matters a heck of a lot. i'm asking the american people to keep their stories coming. tell us what $40 means to you. if you tweet it, use the hash tag $40. call, tweet, write your congressman, write your senators. tell them do not let up until this thing gets done. don't let taxes go up on 160 million working americans. don't let millions of americans out will looking for work right now and t

i'm barbara harrison. it is wednesday, february 8, 2012. part of our area is under a winter weather advisory today because of the snow headed in this direction. because of that, the federal government is open but has allowed employees to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework. some school systems are also affected. in virginia, fauquier county schools are closed today. frederick county schools in virginia have announced a 2 1/2-hour early dismissal. warren county public schools will have a 1:00 early dismissal today. in maryland, garrett county public schools will have a three-hour early dismissal. taking a look outside right now, gray skies but no snow in the district. at least in the in the metro area now. storm 4 meteorologist tom kierein joins us with the first forecast for today. >> the sky has the fuzzy, gray snowy looking. as we take a look at the radar we can see the area of snow. it is not a major storm but it is snowing now in the shenandoah valley and as well as in western maryland and panhandle of west virginia and farth

i'm barbara harrison. it is monday, february 20, 2012. >>> we begin this morning with breaking news on two deadly fires. fire investigators in prince george's county now say a 2-year-old girl has died after her family's townhouse in district heights caught fire last week. the home was on hill mar drive. the tolleder was rescued by firefighters after being trapped in an upstairs bedroom early friday morning. she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. three adults and a 9-year-old boy escaped. unattended food in the kitchen caused the fire. >>> early this morning a 56-year-old woman died after a fire at an apartment complex in montgomery county. the fire broke out just after 2:00 this morning in the 7600 block of maple avenue in tacoma park. firefighters say a pifl clothes and towels were on fire but the fire was put out by the time they got to the scene. firefighters say a person believed to be the victim's granddaughter was helping her. the woman was taken to the hospital with significant burns

i'm barbara harrison. friday, february 3, 2012. we begin with breaking news. police now say a transgender person who was stabbed at a metro bus stop has died. the stabbing happened last night on east capitol street near sycamore road in northeast washington. police chief cathy lanier says the man that was dressed as a woman was stabbed in the head. the victim was taken to the hospital where he died. police say there were signs of a struggle but it is not clear if this was a robbery or a hate crime. the police made no arrests. >>> and this morning principals across one maryland county are warning students about dangerous games sent three students to the hospital. the warning is going out to all students in charles county public schools. the superintendent already sent a letter to parents about the possible health risk frequent replying so-called knockout or passout challenge. news4's tracee wilkins reports. >> reporter: it is an old-school game that has been made popular again through youtube and facebook and becoming such a serious problem in charles county th

i'm barbara harrison. wednesday, february 22, 2012. president obama is making history at the national mall. helping break ground at the smithsonian's new national museum of african-american history and culture. tracee wilkins joins us live at the national mall with more on the big event. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. it is a historic day. museum that's going to be dedicated to documenting african-american history and also sharing the african-american experience with the world. we will be located right here on the national mall. let's take a look at what's going on inside. we are right outside where the ground break sing being held. felicia rashad is serving as the mistress of ceremonies inside. they are having a musical performance and had musical performances lou outthe groundbreaking ceremony. president obama, first lady, u.s. representative lewis, former first lady barbara bush a number of dignitaries are taking part in this groundbreaking today. john lewis especially has been a champion to this museum, helping to secure bipar

i'm barbara harrison. it is thursday, february 2, 2012. right now, d.c. police are introducing a rewards program that can mean big bucks for those who turn in crooks. tracee wilkins is live in northwest washington with more on this program. >> good morning, barbara. this is a very interesting program. can't wait to tell what you 2 chief is thinking and how to cut down on some of the property crime issues that they have seen here in d.c. you take a look here over my shoulder. outside the studios we are expecting chief tap dan lanier to only out and make a statement -- captain cathy lanier to come out. she is expecting the people to be robbers to turn in people. the city is dealing with a major property crime trend centered around robbers taking cell phones, ipods, aipads. specifically a program in wards 2 and 4. these itemses are stol e e e es sometimes stolen from cars. they are not working that hard. they steal the item as they walk down the street. it is called a snatch and grab. the reward ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 for people that turn in robbers a

i'm barbara harrison. thursday, february 23, 2012. we begin this morning with the weather because interest isn't often in washington that we get to talk about 70-degree temperatures in february. storm 4 meat meet tom kierein joins us with the first forecast. tom? >> springtime in february. indeed. we have got flowers blooming now. daffodils are up. crocuses are up. the temperatures are up as well. right now reagan national at 61 degrees. look at culpeper, they are up to 63, fredericksburg 62. farther west and north we are in the mid and upper 50s now. baltimore now is at 60. it is near 60 right by the chesapeake bay. we have a southwesterly breeze bringing in the warmer weather and we have just a few clouds coming through. we have a delightful blue sky with puff write white clouds coming over us now. and for the rest of the afternoon, you will just revel in this springlike weather. we will have it into the upper 60s to near 70 by mid afternoon. under a partly cloudy sky. light breezes. changing direction from time to time. and does lo

i'm barbara harrison.t snow and farther north. sun back sunday afternoon. danella, how is traffic? >> beltway looking much better. inner loop passing route 1 college park, i was seeing del its here but not now. looking good. travel speed about 49 miles per hour from i-95 to route 50. that trip will take you 11 minutes. outer loop in montgomery county, much better. no issues here as you make your way past colesville road. travel speed 58 miles per hour. travel speed 58 miles per hour. >> coming up on captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hey, everybody. try day friday, february 3rd and hoda and i are delighted to welcome you to our show for national wear red day to support the fight against heart disease in women. >> we are proudly donning our red to raise awareness for the 8 million people living with this disease. we'll deal with that later on in the show. meantime, the super bowl is coming up. >> all anybody can talk about. you're coming. >> yes. we're committed. we're coming to your house be

i'm barbara harrison.t prior to route 50. all of your northbound lanes are blocked. tractor trailer has a car pinned as you can see up against the guardrail. northbound all your lanes are blocked. southbound your left lane is blocked by emergency response. if you are traveling on 395 i-i am seeing some delays four. travel speed now is 32 miles per hour. as you make your way northbound now over to tom with a look at our weather. >> we have the sunshine and we have a bit of a blustery wind coming out of the north. temperatures in the 30s and feeling like the 20s with that wind. later today the wind dies down and highs mid 40s increasing clouds tomorrow. could get some passing snow showers friday might through midday. very little accumulation. cold weekend after that. barbara? >> all right. thank you, tom. thank you, tom. coming up on "news4 captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> all right. here we go! ♪ ♪ ♪ >> great to see you! all right!p> all right!p> >> oh, my gosh. whooo! >> whooo! thank you!

i'm barbara harrison. let's check on the weather now. here is tom kierein.0s, late mere the 50s. sunshine. then cloudy and chillier tomorrow. highs in the upper 30s and low and mid 40s. could get wet north and west of washington. light accumulation on some grassy areas there. elsewhere little light rain and dry after that into the weekend. danella, how is traffic. >> traveling eastbound 66, right around nutley, you are going slow as you head inside the beltway. you are just under speed at 34 miles per hour. roughly from the beltway to gw parkway that trip will take you 18 minutes to do so. traveling i-95, no issues there northbound or southbound. barbara, back to you. >> thank you. coming up on "news4 midday," dangers of body art from permanent makeup to body piercings, skin issues that can cheeseburger macaroni? [ female announcer ] cheeserburger macaroni hamburger helper. now even cheesier and tastier. helpers. forty dishes, all delicious. gives us the most nutritious of gifts. but only when they are ready to be given. that's why green giant picks vegetabl

i'm barbara harrison. >>> good morning.miles an hour. it certainly feels colder than that. then later today though, winds diminish, lots of sun, highs near 50. there's still snow on the ground to or south it may only make it to around 40. tomorrow partly cloudy, near 50. warmer air wednesday, thursday and friday, near 60. could get rain friday. >>> if you're heading out to enjoy the sun, do so now. traffic very light volume. i-270 at west montgomery avenue no issues southbound or northbound. same story making your commute in virginia right now, a look at 66 at fairfax county parkway, no issues east or west on i-66. >>> coming up on news 4 midday, >>> coming up on news 4 midday, a special cooking segment captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hey, everybody. it's fun day monday, february 20th, and guess what? it'sresidents' day. >> how would you know? >> honoring our nation's leaders and some great sales. >> it's a nice day to have off, by the way. it's always i think the third monday in february. so we honor our

i'm barbara harrison.es are approaching 40 degrees as why approach 10:00 and have plenty of sunshine, a bit of a southwesterly breeze should warm us up today into the low to mid 50s. cloudy on wednesday, maybe some sprinkles of rain, small chance of flurries farther west. then sunshine back on thursday and into friday, but a cold weekend to follow. >>> traveling the inner loop of the beltway, a zaent blobbing the right lane and two left lanes causing you to be jammed an van doran. >>> coming up on "news4 midday" we'll get you ready for we'll get you ready for valent captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello, everybody. it's fun day monday, the 6th of february, also known as the day after the super bowl. and the day before the ticker tape parade here in new york. >> new york! >> what a game. >> people were up 5:00 a.m. already selling these shirts at model's. 5:00 a.m. apparently these are going to be the hot ticket. >> well, of course. we want to thank everybody in the boston area for letting

i'm barbara harrison.eveloping. right now as we approach 10:00, temperatures are near 50 degrees. right to you 48 at reagan national. it will continue to climb to around 60 or so locally but then just to our south it may climb to the mid 60s. and then the 50s tomorrow win creased clouds, maybe chilly rain on wednesday. thursday into friday dries out. maybe rain saturday. >>> good morning. taking the outer loop of the beltway and making your way to wisconsin avenue, that accident's now just in the right shoulder lane but you're still slow as you make your way past university boulevard. travel speed about 33 miles per hour. if you're traveling on 395, no issues in this area. northbound you're at 46 miles per hour. just a bit under speed. >>> tomorrow is national pancake day and coming up on "news4 midday," we're going to show you th [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffed with a gooey center toasted up all golden brown then given a de

i'm barbara harrison. gone now. we have lots of sunshine. temperatures are now near 50. later today into the mid, maybe upper 50s for a brief time by mid afternoon and lots of sun. clear, chilly tonight. bit of a breeze this afternoon. settling down tonight near 30 tomorrow morning and increasing clouds saturday, highs mid 50s. then rain sunday morning through midday. changing to snow during the afternoon and evening and accumulating and ending late sunday night. danella, how is traffic? >> beltway has been a problem for us all morning. inner loop of the beltway coming from connecticut avenue you cannot get on the beltway. the accident is almost cleared. still seeing big delays on the outer loop. slow as you make your way towards georgia avenue. travel speed about 21 miles per hour. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. coming up on "news4 midday," we are giving wounded warrior wives a special treat. results of our healing hearts makeovers. you will see the before and you will see the before and after

i'm barbara harrison. , barbara. we have a risk of strong storms later this afternoon. right now radar showing just a few sprinkles to the southeast of washington and southern maryland. but we do have a slight risk of some strong storms, area in yellow south and east washington. higher risk of storms with damaging winds and hail and maybe even an isolated tornado. that would be between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. richmond, 71. rational national at 49. warm air coming our way later today. strong winds tonight into tomorrow. bringing in much colder weather. how is traffic? >> eastbound i-66, seeing delays because we have an accident right at the beltway. blocking two of your right lanes. your delays as you make your way from nutley and head to the beltway. traveling on 395, no issues there. barbara, back to you. >> all right. thank you. coming up on "news4 midday," some of the fashions on displays during d.c. fashion week. during d.c. fashion week. we have a great captions paid for by nbc-universal television ♪ what a

i'm barbara harrison. it has been a tough morning on the beltway. . all the lanes were shut down except for the left lane. that accident is out of the roadway but still seeing delays right around connecticut avenue slow and as you make your way to georgia avenue. taking the outer loop of the beltway, montgomery county we did see rubber necking delays and looks much better now. travel speed for you, 29 miles per hour. over to tom with a look at our weather. good morning, tom. >> good morning. we have high clouds coming in and it will cloud up this afternoon. highs reaching upper 40s to near 50. might have rain tonight and maybe a little wet snow and rain early tomorrow morning. then some snow showers on saturday afternoon as much colder air comes in on gusty winds. and those winds will be gusty saturday night into sunday morning down into the teens. and blustery cold day sunday with highs mid 30s. >> thank you, tom. >>> coming up on "news4 [ female announcer ] what would you call an ordinary breakfast pastry that's been wrapped in a flaky crust stuffe

i'm barbara harrison. if you are driving into the city today expect big delays.te 1. also if you are traveling in northwest we have an accident involving a struck pedestrian. tying things up. this is on blair road northwest and cedar street. avoid the area. crossing 395, northbound, very slow at the pentagon. delays continue across the 14th street bridge. you are at 24 miles per hour and the rain is making things worse. tom, when will it end? >> not until perhaps early afternoon. taper off for a time. right now we are getting moderate rain coming through all those areas in yellow and orange. it will be with us here into early afternoon and temperatures right now are still chilly. upper 30s to low 40s. as we get into the afternoon hours, we ought to warm into the 50s and maybe even low 60s points just south of washington through north central virginia, rain ending tonight. lightning. barbara? >> tom, coming up on "news4 midday," one [ male announcer ] for some reason those five food groups sound a whole lot better when you put them in a taco shell instead of a pyr

i'm barbara harrison.s going to be raining in the metro area for about another hour by 11:00 it should be pretty much pulling east. we are getting moderate to heavy downpours northern neck of virginia. area of red and orange on the radar. moving into st. mary's county and heading east across the lower part of the bay. chilly morning. we are in the 40s now to near 50 degrees. but later today we will get sunshine and should warm us into the 50s and by later this afternoon. and then overnight tonight, we will have it getting colder and we will be down to near 30 degrees by dawn tomorrow. and then chilly weather friday into the weekend. how is traffic? >> good morning. traveling in the district around the u.s. capitol building you can expected some of your streets to be closed due to suspicious package and be aware of that around independence a and constitution, even maryland avenue. avoid the area if possible. barbara, back to you. >> thanks, danella. coming up on "news4 midday," steve hayes shows us how stev

i'm barbara harrison. wednesday, february 22, 2012.s. >> good morning. so far the roads that are closed are madison drive between 12th street and 15th street. also in northwest, 15th street, your closures are between independence avenue and constitution avenue. and also, constitution avenue is closed between 12th street and 17th street. finally, 14th street northwest is closed between independence avenue and pennsylvania avenue. all these closures will last until 12:00. now to tom with a look at the weather. >> shine now. temperatures are near 50. later today near 60. could get rain tonight and then warmer tomorrow, near 70. passing shower friday. but then over the weekend, turning colder, sunshine back. >> thank you, tom. coming up on "news4 midday," stressed out but can't [ male announcer ] are you paying more and more for cable and enjoying it less and less? stop paying for second best. upgrade to verizon fios and get tv, internet and phone for an incredible price: just $89.99 a month for two years with a two-year agreement. it's an

harrison area detectives. >>the grandmother of a 7 year- old boy who was killed in a house fire over the weekend has now also died a 61 year-old barbara scott died yesterday she had been hospitalized with severe smoke inhalation firefighters found her unresponsive on the first floor of a home at 107th and southbury several hours after they put out the fire they found 7 year-old omar tucker in an attic crawl space firefighters believe that he went up there to hide from the smoke and fire to dogs including one found near that boy in the attic also died in the fighter the cause of the blaze is still under investigation >>police are searching for three robbers of a magnificent mile jewelry store the burglary took place this morning at the l make a jewelry store in 909 north michigan avenue chicago police say that the offenders entered the store by smashing a glass door >>an attorney for to mobsters convicted in the family secrets trial are in court today trying to get a new one in 2007 a jury convicted several men including reputed mob boss james marcello and joseph lombardo there were found guilty of racketeering conspiracy that included