brad bell, amedy coulibaly >> -- brad bell, abc 7 news. >> when law enforcement issues and amber alert, a message will pop up on your facebook news feed if you live in the search area. facebook has a network of 185 million users in the u.s. an ohio man is accused of plotting to bomb the u.s. n shoot lawmakers. the fbi agents arrested christopher cornell after he purchased two semi automatic weapons. the authority say that twitter posts were cause for the undercover operation that led to his arrest. his father believes his son is the victim of entrapment. employees at a local business are working in fear after a series of threats both verbal and digital. the constant project comes from individuals who identify themselves as isil militants. stephen tschida has the story. >> the calls have come on a daily basis for five months sometimes several a day. anti-semitic, racist, homophobic rants, threatening mass to structure -- mass destruction torture, and murder. >> sometimes we are very scared, sometimes we are angry. >> they are posted on the internet and phone into the victims over and ov

in alexandria brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad.ather and son are behind bars tonight suspected in a multistate crime spree that left two people dead and two state troopers injured. authorities say 54-year-old edward campbell and his 21-year-old son eric went to a oxford north carolina yesterday. they allegedly set the home on fire and abducted the residents, jerome and dora faulkner. later in the day, the campbells were spotted by police in lewisburg, virginia. when police tried to pull them over, they say edward shot two officers. when the father and son were eventually caught, police found the bodies of the north carolina couple in their truck. police are now looking at other crimes that may be linked to the two men. coming up getting ready for tax time. why some who signed up for health insurance through the affordable care act could get an unpleasant surprise this year. plus a new year a new recall. the latest problems that plague g.m. vehicles. and no charges. why the man who shot former white house press secretary >> in for a

in annapolis, brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. senate majority leader harry reid will have to have surgery on his right eye. you might remember he was hurt in an exercising accident. a statement from the senator's office says the surgery is needed to help him recover full vision in that eye. reid also suffered broken ribs in the accident on new year's day and those injuries are healing well. next at 6:00 charges filed against marion christopher barry. latest in the case against him. and new information about a shooting on a metro bus. one person is in custody but the search is on for a person of interest. >> marion christopher barry was released on his own recognizance a short time ago. he pleaded not guilty to three misdemeanor charges related to an indent at a bank in northwest washington. barry must stay away from the p.n.c. branch where he's accused of threatening a teller and destroying a security camera. barry is a candidate for his late father's ward eight council seat. one person is in custody tonight in connection with a

in annapolis, brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. a tech company founder is behind bars tonight charged with murder. police say 38-year-old min juen shot and killed his ex-wife's new husband. it happened on thursday in the ashburn village community. police say two children were in the home at the time. he is being held in the loudoun county adult detention center without bond. he is the co-founder of the contact management and social networking startup. montgomery county police are investigating graffiti sprayed on a chevy chase home as a hate crime. police say the racial slur combined with the phrase "go home" was sprayed on the garage door on a home in the 3300 block of glenmore drive. a neighbor noticed it this morning. the vandals could have struck any time after 2:00 yesterday afternoon. it's been one week since the deadly smoke incident on the yellow line of metro. and today, friends and family held a memorial for 61-year-old carol glover. the alexandria woman died of smoke inhalation as she waited to be rescued. remembered as

in silver spring brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you brad. the decision not to cancel or even delay school angered parents in several virginia counties. fairfax county public schools sent letters to parents apologizing for the difficulties the decision caused. outrage spread on line as the twitter hash #closefcps came out. even teachers had trouble getting to work on time. >> it was just snow covered slush and you could see where it was still building. it has been awful! >> i'm angry and i think they should have delayed the schools and made a call then. >> fairfax county public school officials said they made the decision early in the morning based on the best information at the time. the school district issued a second statement later in the day apologizing for not cancelling schools. frustration in loudoun county tonight after school officials there opted to keep the doors open. in some cases, buses slid off the roads while trying to take students to school. 7 on your side chris pabst spoke to parents in loudoun county. >> all you have to d

maryland bureau chief brad bell talked with the democrat today about what he'll do next. >> has to do the most significant room in this statehouse. >> after eight years on the job with only five days left in charge governor martin o'malley took time today to tour the restoration of maryland's old senate chamber, the place where george washington resigned his commission as general. >> makes me grateful for all of those people that came before us. >> with his time running out, o'malley set today aside to talk about his legacy and future. it's clear he's proud of his accomplishments. he defends the tax hikes he instituted and even after his lieutenant governor and hand picked anthony brown lost a race for governor to republican larry hogan o'malley accepts no blame. >> made every decision not based on whether it pulls us to the left or pulls us to the right but we've made those decisions on whether or not it serves the common good. >> as for his potential white house run, o'malley reveals only that his decision is not based on hillary clinton's possible candidacy. >> i'm very seriously c

agencies just wrapped up a news conference in virginia outside of roanoke and our maryland bureau chief brad bell is there with the new details just released this noon. brad? >> what's going on is through that mist up there is taylor's mountain southwest of lynchberg and at this moment investigators are literally on their hands and knees digging for clues. we can show you the video of what's going up there right now. investigators tell us they have some new information that poin pinpoints a couple of pieces of ground and they are going over in a very concentrated way those small tiny plots of land and what they're looking for, sadly, is evidence the remains of the lyon sisters. these little girls, 12 and 10 years old sheila and catherine lyons vanished, as you said, from what was called wheaton plaza in march of 1975. they've been covering this case abc 7 has for nearly 40 years. big breakthrough. last february authorities announced this a man by the name of lloyd lee welsh they considered a person of interest. he was a carney passing through that area and matched the description of a man talking

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> all right, brad. thank you. and the pyle family was known throughout that community for hosting fundraisersocal charities. that included events for the cal ripken sr. foundation inside that very home. don pyle described himself as a baltimore county native in an interview with "the washington post" just last october. >> a day set aside to honor a rights leader and his efforts for equality is marred by a local hate crime. overnight, someone spray painted a racist message on the garage door of a home in chevy chase, maryland. jennifer is live there tonight. you told us earlier that family had just moved to that neighborhood. what are police saying about this? >> police are telling us that they have no incidents like this in this neighborhood at all. nothing similar at all! now, we're not standing directly in front of this house because neighbors are saying the family has simply been through enough. this police photo captured the racist graffiti spray painted on a garage belonging to the home of an african-american

i'm brad bell in frederick. coming up we'll tell you what >> a frederick county council member's message to a newspaper sparked a viral story that is spreading around the world believe it or not. >> i know. it's amazing. that message don't ever use kirby delauters's name without permission. maryland bureau chief brad bell is live tonight with what sparked all of this. brad? >> well kirby delauters tells us -- tells through a spokesperson actually says that he was frustrated by what he believed was biassed reporting by the frederick news post and the last straw came when they did an article about his loss of parking spaces here at the frederick county office building. he says his name was in the article and he didn't like it. i tried to talk to frederick county republican councilman kirby delauters today. i went to his house. i asked for him at the business he owns. >> looking for kirby delauters. >> he's not here. >> i e-mailed him and left messages. no sign of him. no messages returned. to be clear, i don't hav

brad bell, abc 7 news. >> you got that right. thank you very much. speaking of delays pepco crews are working to restore power to nearly 6200 people in downtown d.c. the mayor closed reid center and sent employees home because the building had no power. because of the outage is under investigation, the power is expected to be restored soon. there was an electrical incident at 18th street and new hampshire avenue in northwest where the crews are working right now. >> this winter blast hit hard and fast. but a lot of people had a slushy, slow day of digging out. some are still in the midst of clearing their driveways or sidewalks and their cars because it's required by law. picking up that part of the coverage now from northwest d.c. hi, steven. >> hi, alison. the snow has stopped falling. the temperature, though is continuing to drop and this is what people throughout the region are dealing with right now. you have a lot of sidewalks that are not shovelled snow and underneath that, you've got some ice. and of course all around the region, we have plen

i'm brad bell.ing up i'll tell you why people who live here say they fear something like this may happen. >> one person is dead after an apparent shootout on the parking deck of a college park apartment complex. >> and now the first murder this year in prince george's county is igniting controversy among residents. it's all happening in the camden college park apartments on milestone way. maryland bureau chief brad bell is live at the scene. brad? >> this apartment complex is next to the big ikea just outside the beltway just off of route 1. it's very popular with university of maryland college students. this homicide happened in the parking garage of this section all the way up on the top deck. now, just in the last hour or so police released the name of the victim here. the identity of the killer or killers remains unknown. the new year is barely two hours old when police get the call. shots fired. a man down. >> that individual was pronounced dead on the scene. homicide detectives are working to

i'm brad bell.'ll tell you >> maryland's new governor was just sworn in yesterday but larry hogan is already hitting the ground running. >> the republican unveiled his plans for the state budget today. maryland bureau chief brad bell was in annapolis for the big announcement. hi, brad. >> hey, alison. you know what? big project getting a budget together. this is the one for fiscal year 2015. we're talking about f.y. 2016. i want to show you three big books. take a look at this. i mean this is just page after page after page of numbers. that's what these budgets look like. that's what will be delivered to the legislatures here -- legislators here tomorrow. now, hogan and his staff have spent the last eight weeks working on balancing the budget trimming $700 million from the budget to fulfill a campaign promise. now, 24 hours into their term they say they have done it. at noon today hogan held a press conference as he announced the plans of his budget. he says he's going to cut 2% from all state agenc

maryland bureau chief brad bell now there live with the story of survival from that home. brad? we apologize for that report from brad. we lost his microphone obviously and try to get something on that story coming up a little later. new information this afternoon on an explosion that rocked the falls church shopping center yesterday. >> at least two businesses you'll remember, at least the owners tell abc 7 news that they will stay closed during the cleanup there at the eden center. many of the businesses have water damage or they lost ceiling tiles. one restaurant owner says all of the food there spoiled while the power was turned off. the owner of the jewelry store where the explosion happened is out of the hospital. we'll have more, though on her condition and the investigation coming up tonight at 5:00. >> weird coincidence to have an explosion happen there at that jewelry store. >> very unusual. >> get to that when we get more information. let's talk about the weather now. not too bad today, huh? >> no sunny, seasonal. kind of just like mid january outside today. >> that's

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. abc 7 will remain on the scene of that devastating fire tonight as the search for that missing family and the search for answers continues. watch for updates on line at wjla.com and as well tonight on abc 7 news at 11:00. >> leon a man who made millions of dollars starting a social media site is charged with murder. today, a judge ordered 38-year-old minh nguyen held without bond in connection to thursday's shooting death of corey mattison inside an ashburn home. police say nguyen who founded the social site plaxo traveled from virginia to california to kill mattison his ex-wife's new husband. caroline tucker just spoke with the victim's wife and she says her husband died a hero, right? >> alison denise mattison says her husband was a hero every single day of her life including the day that he died. protecting her and her children. i'm going to show you what it looks like here outside their home. signs like this saying "you will be remembered forever." and that's exactly how he's bein

>> and i'm brad bell in frederick. coming up, i'll tell you how a local politician's complaint against his town newspaper has made his name a >> chances are you may not have known the name kirby delotta until this week. >> now he seems to be showing up everywhere. maryland bureau chief brad bell is life live in frederick tonight to explain why this man's name is trending now. what's the story? >> oh it's beyond trending. number one yesterday tweeted story in the whole world, not just the united states the whole world. it it all begins right here. this is the county seat for frederick county. take a look over here. see the parking spaces? it says no parking. that used to be where commissioners could park. now they're councilmen and they changed the form of government and the new county executive said they can't park there anymore. frederick news post did an article about it and they quoted, they didn't quote, they mentioned kirby delotter and some of his complaints. he didn't like his name was in the article. he's had s

brad bell will be there for the announcement. stay with abc 7 and wjla.com and we will have the latest. >> drivers can expect traffic delays tonight as wssc a working to repair a water main break in bethesda. the 12 inch water main broke last night on wilson lane. nearly 100 customers are without water. wilson lane will remain closed in both directions as the work is completed. wssc expects to have water restored by about 8:00 tonight. >> the temperatures were in the 40's today, feeling like a heat wave compared with earlier in the week. doug hill is in the storm watch weather center with what we can expect. >> it looks like we will take aid did been temperatures tomorrow in rebound sunday. the numbers right now, after 5:00, in the 20's and 30's. 20's north and west, hagerstown and cumberland, 31 dulles, 34 men, 37 at reagan national. the wind is a factor. these are sustained winds. that will knock down the wind about three or four degrees. it will be clear and breezy. the temperatures will get colder through the evening. the tem

. >> the morning i'm brad bell.losings and delays you can check the top of your screen or wjla.com. as the morning commute is underway we want to get over to jack taylor. >> moving on -- moving past manassas on a far left side the right side, only getting by the crash. accident continues on 95 northbound near the occoquan. nothing wrong in maryland, 270 southbound, but we will take a peek at the 14th street bridge with the new problem in the middle of the bridge and accident activity blocking the center lanes which has the ability to create delays. the weather did not cause this problem, but at this point he seems dry. but for how long? >> pretty much through the day. south of town maybe a few flurries could start the day but that's it. the wind out of the north, northeast, you can see it shaking on the traffic cam, the wind was a big player in drying up the roads and drawing him closer temperatures from the north and west. low to mid 20's across the metro will be the rule through the day as we hit the high temperat

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you brad. to a house fire story with a different ending here. a neighbor called from a smoke-filled home to pull out a 62-year-old woman to safety. others on the scene went in and rescued her 93-year-old father. this happened in the 6200 block of seminole place not far from where greenbelt road meets kenilworth avenue. stephen tschida has the story. >> at 9:00 this morning, two men driving past saw this house engulfed in flames flames bursting from those windows there. they also looked for the front door. that's where they saw this 93-year-old man struggling to get out. they raced through the door and got him out. from deep inside the house they heard screams for help. one of them crawled on his knees through the flames and smoke to pull that woman to safety. >> i went in and i heard the ladies were screaming for help. and i couldn't even see her and i called her on the floor and said get on the floor and crawl to me. >> the woman was unconscious. she revived once she got out of the home and in

maryland bureau chief brad bell has new video, brad that shows this is a close call for the officers, right? >> it was a close call. this was a really violent encounter. this is a real gathering place in prince george's county. the costco very busy. 11:30 a.m. yesterday morning, let's show you that videotape. we knew there had been some today, we got it. security cameras here at the shopping center captured this moment where you can see the dump truck rounding a corner and accelerating into two police cruisers. you can see if you look carefully the officers just jump out of the way. they were between the two cars bumper to bumper. the dump truck, if they had not seen it coming and if they had not moved quickly, the police chief says they could have been killed. >> it's by god's grace that these two officers weren't killed. just before -- feet, seconds before that dump truck hits the first cruiser, those officers barely make it out from between those two cars. auto>>> the man getting out of the dump truck had been yelling at them saying "you killed my brother". that was not the case. t

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. very sad duty out there. in the meantime, any minute now we're expecting a fresh look into the investigation into what went wrong that day that smoke filled up a metro tunnel killing one woman and injuring dozens of other passengers. latest report from homeland security is expected to focus on why it took so long to get those passengers to safety. live tonight with the story, sam ford has more on the questions left unanswered. sam? >> yes leon d.c.'s report on the incident here at l'enfant plaza is due out today and the city's department of homeland and emergency management is conducting a report and we understand they have finished a report and sent it to mayor bowser's office and we're told it would be out by 3:00 by 4:00 and now we don't know. many questions remain as to whether they weren't able to communicate with firefighters. they accused metro of not providing adequate information. firefighters say it was sometime after they arrived that metro told them that there were people trapped in the train. ear

brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. good advice there. a sterling virginia man arrested last week in an alleged murder-for-hire plot against his ex-wife remains in jail without bond. in court prosecutors gave a detailed list of evidence that was seized in the home including multiple weapons and material about the ku klux klan. he also allegedly described himself with a title used by the k.k.k. that means chapter president. >> well a call for help tonight to find a missing gaithersburg woman who vanished on a cold december day. today marks one month since the last time 69-year-old betty jean queen was last seen. montgomery county reporter kevin lewis explains what's making this search so difficult. >> mary ellen is at a breaking point. she spent the last 32 days praying and fasting for the safe return of her older sister. >> i've often wondered did she go somewhere that something happened to her. >> elizabeth betty jean queen went missing from her gaithersburg townhome december 29th. most of her belongings including her state i.d. were lef

in silver spring, brad bell abc 7 news. >> what a mess. thank you, brad. between 5:00 and 10:45 a.m. virginia state police tells abc 7 news that officers responded to almost 100 crashes in prince william, fairfax, loudoun and arlington counties as well as in the city of alexandria. that included this jackknifed tractor-trailer on i-66 in fairfax county parkway. westbound lanes were closed for an hour and a half. rather, half-hour. while crews cleaned up that mess. the virginia department of transportation says it has more than 850 salt trucks as well as plows working in northern virginia and they will be working throughout the night to fend off any refreeze. >> we will have continuing coverage of this morning's storm throughout this afternoon. at 4:15 we're going to have a look at the flight delays. then at 4:17 we'll take you to baltimore. we'll have a look at the snowfall there. at 4:24, some people taking advantage of the day off to have fun in the snow. then at 4:30 7 is on your side trying to get residents to turn their heat back on before we hit the

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. virginia governor terry mauliffe hopes to be released from a richmond hospital soon. he was injured during a horse riding accident in africa while he was on vacation. mauliffe's spokesman says doctors have drained one liter of blood out of the governor's chest since he checked into the medical center on monday. mauliffe developed those complications after breaking seven ribs around christmas holiday in tanzania during a family trip. >> president obama is in idaho now trying to sell the economic proposals that he outlined in his state of the union address. but as karen traverse reports, some republicans are critical of the president's agenda. >> president obama took off for the traditional post state of the union road trip. while back home, republicans drew lines in the sand on his proposals including a call for big tax increases on the wealthiest americans. >> if he wants to raise taxes it will make it difficult for us to come to some agreement on how we're going to reform our broken

in laurel brad bell abc 7 news. >> all right. thanks, brad. while our area prepares for a few inches of snow the northeast is getting ready for what's being called a potential potentially historic blizzard. for the past 24 hours, people have been sharing stories and photos like these on social media showing stores cleaned out of essential items. and now, people are hunkering down. marcy gonzalez is live for us tonight in new york city with lots more in the city that never sleeps starts to shut down. right, marcy? >> that's exactly right. six states have declared a state of emergency including new york. we already have several inches of accumulation. the flakes already falling. and the worst is yet to come. >> serious blizzard. >> from philadelphia through new england, this massive blizzard is expected to bring up to several feet of snow. >> i'm hoping for less. but i think we're really going to get hammered. >> and the key concern -- the wind. with gusts predicted to be above 50 miles an hour bringing whiteout conditions and the potential for

in alexandria brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. a police chief in georgia is under investigation tonight after shooting his wife. margaret mccollen is in critical condition at an atlanta hospital right now. her husband told a 911 dispatcher that the gun was on the couple's bed. he said it discharged when he moved it earlier yesterday morning. residents in that small community are confident what happened was an accident. >> he does a really good job as police chief. he's out patrolling christmas eve. that means one of his rank and file guys got to be home with his family. good people. >> early reports that margaret was shot twice turned out to not be true. the georgia bureau of investigation is looking into the incident. chief mccollum has not been charged and authorities say he is cooperating. >> meanwhile, no word on what caused what appears to be a house explosion in illinois today. here's the scene in illinois. that's about 40 miles north of chicago. no word yet if anyone was hurt or what caused this big explosion. and snow squa

maryland bureau chief brad bell live at the scene with the latest on the fire that's left six members of a family unaccounted for even at this hour. brad? >> that's really the most important thing to people who know these folks is what is their fate? a tremendous amount of sadness. there's an awful lot going on here in the yard of this place. this is the gate. we come over here and we take a look down the lane past the fence, you can see that's the remains of the structure back there and up above it that big crane. we can show you some video of when they rolled this big thing in here earlier today. this house is so big, 16,000 square feet. they say about five times the size of the normal house. they need this heavy equipment to do their investigation. now, this is being treated, we're told now essentially as a crime scene. not because there is a belief that the crime happened. but because they have no choice because they have no idea why this fire started. >> when they can say i was standing here to saying we have the fire first. everything we do is able to be supported in that act. >

in annapolis, brad bell, abc 7 news. >> brad, thank you. it is now one week to the day of that smoke incident on board a metro train and friends and family came together to honor the one victim. 61-year-old carol glover died of smoke inhalation as she waited to be rescued from the yellow line train. suzanne kennedy is live at the l'enfant plaza metro station with more on today's memorial. suzanne? >> autria carol glover was riding home on that yellow line train from her position as a senior systems analyst, a contract job that she held with the federal government. today, family and friends gathered at the capitol hill baptist church to remember her life and grieve her death. eight people offered their memories of the 61-year-old washington, d.c. native. her son her sister, and her mother told of a woman with unconditional love for friends and family. a devout christian who lived a complete life. >> she's a wonderful woman. she was a godly woman. she was a very sweet person. like they say, very spiritual. everybody liked her she always had a

maryland bureau chief brad bell was in the courtroom today when the man accused in that first accident learned about his fate. >> one of the most emotional moments i've ever seen in the courtroom played out at this sentencing hearing today. the parents of 22-year-old university of maryland student cory hubbard stood up in court and spoke directly to the man who killed their son. they looked at liam adepo and said "we forgive you" and "we hope after prison, you find new meaning in your life." adepo burst out into tears. he was sobbing. the collision happened in january of 2014. it was very early in the morning in the bar district of route 1 next to the university of maryland. adepo was in his car. himself having been at a bar. when hubbard stepped into route 1. he was struck by adepo's vehicle. he was sent flying. he was pronounced dead. adepo drove on and it wasn't until some days later that he came forward to police and admitted that he was the driver of the vehicle. today, he was sentenced to two years in prison for the crime of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death. st

in annapolis, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. we're following breaking news from annapolis. investigators recovered two more bodies from that scene of a mansion fire in annapolis. this a day after two other bodies were found in that debris pile. they have not been identified. monday's fire destroyed a 16,000 square foot home and it's believed that six people including don pyle his wife sandy and their four grandchildren were inside at the time. the cause of that fire is still under investigation. virginia governor terry mauliffe is out of a richmond hospital tonight. he spent three days at d.c. medical center after breaking seven ribs during an accident on a horse. that happened while the governor was in tanzania during a family trip. earlier today, mauliffe tweeted this. thank you to everyone for all of your well wishes over the past few days. i'm back at home and resuming my daily schedule. let's turn now to abc 7 storm watch weather center. we are tracking more winter weather heading our way. chief meteorologist doug hill here

in deale, brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. prince william county police have charged a man in the stabbing death of his stepfather. investigators say that march marlo rodriguez was attacked in his home last night. brian hernandez entered that home, picked up a knife and started pacing around the house. his mother called 911 after police say hernandez began stabbing rodriguez repeatedly. rodriguez died at the hospital and there's no word on a motive. >> and it's time for a look at the day's other top stories now. we have learned some new details about the metro's smoke incident that killed one passenger and injured dozens of others. d.c. officials released a timeline of the emergency calls and dispatch times on monday. the passengers were trapped below the streets of d.c. for more than half-hour after their metro train filled with thick smoke. >> a high school basketball game ends with a double shooting and mayhem on the streets outside. the incident happened around 8:30 last night on martin luther king jr. avenue. 17-year-old

maryland bureau chief brad bell explains the new search in bedford county virginia. >> you can see the f.b.i. agents and sheriff's deputies from bedford county on this hillside now actively digging. they first came here in september. they didn't find anything but now, some new leads have brought them to these specific spots. they are on their hands and knees in the rain and mud looking to solve a 40-year-old mystery. the sheriff says new leads point them to these specific spots. >> the unit will process through a forensic dig. >> sheila and katherine lyon 12 and 10 years old vanished from what was then wheaton plaza in march of 1975. there had been false leads over the years but last february police named imprisoned child sex offender lloyd lee welch as a person of interest in their abduction. that led police to this patch of land which once belonged to the welch family. sources say investigators believe the girls are buried here. a possibility whichrifies life long neighbors. >> my mind won't even go there what their family went through. >> never thought that maybe a predator had pass

in laurel brad bell abc 7 news. >> thank you, brad. now, today's weather wasn't really warm enough for kids to get outside and play. people living near a preschool and 14th street in columbia heights say when the kids do head out to the playground there, the noise is just unbearable. here's more on this fight that's under way there. steven? >> this is what it stems from. this piece of property right over here, you see that small playground, well on a warmer day, most days of the year, it is filled with preschoolers. they fill this playground and the residents say they make a lot of noise and here's part of the reason why. look at what we're standing in. see this small area surrounded by condominium buildings and a bit of a condo canyon. now, the residents say they want to turn this playground into a green space, a communal space. the apple tree early learning public charter school says that it has the right to this playground and there's a heated dispute brewing here in columbia heights. >> we've been here since the beginning and this

maryland bureau chief brad bell will be there for the announcement.stay with abc 7 and wjla.com for the latest on that. from a about senate minority leader harry reid. he was injured in an exercise accident new year's day. hear how he is doing now, in his own words. >> doctors have told me i have to take it easy. i have been doing new congresses for my 33rd year. i have homesickness, for lack of a better term. >> he has a tough road ahead of him. reid said it is not clear if he will ever be up to see out of his injured i again. -- out of his injured eye again. and they say exercise is supposed to be good for you. >> we have cold weather on the way. we were in the lower 40's today. not so much the next 24 hours. but wait until sunday. outside, this is wintergreen. a lot of folks will wake up early and go skiing. they are grooming the slopes right now. 11 degrees. but look at the wind. they are out of the west northwest at 29. if you have plans to ski tomorrow, under love as it will be cold. -- bundle up because it will be cold. today it was 42 degrees.

brad bell spoke with an a.t.f. agent today about what they're looking for there. brad? >> yeah alison you know we've been out here since monday and for most of that time we've been outside the gate of this property. but we've come acrosser side of crab creek to live now, we can give you a look at the activity at the remains of this mansion. and you can see some of the a.t.f. agents and fire investigators walking around there under that big crane. the priority today was to the final two victims in that rubble. we were told at the outset they were optimistic that that would happen. the process is at 4:30 the family will be briefed on the progress made. then after that we'll be told whether or not that was the case. other aspect of this of course is the investigation into what happened here. after all, this huge house has been destroyed. six people killed in this terrible fire. and investigators including the special a.t.f. task force, national response team has been here for several days and what we're hearing is with regard to the investigation, progress is being made. w

on the orange line brad bell, abc 7 news. >> all right, brad. thank you. so this year marks 39 years since metro first opened. and some of the original rail cars are still in service today. the national transportation safety board recommended several changes in the wake of that 2009 crash on metro's red line including phasing out those 1,000 series cars. our question of the day is asking how do you feel about riding metro? and we're going to share a few of your comments from the wjla facebook page coming up soon in about 20 minutes. >> car on the road is a classic, don't know if you can say that about a train you ride every day, you know? >> exactly. very good point. >> yeah. >> tomorrow morning's commute could get a little slippery because we got another batch of winter weather that is heading toward our area. >> wrong time for this to happen once again. doug hill has the word on it. >> start you off with some headlines from the storm watch 7 weather center to show you what we're watching and what we're concerned about tomorrow morning. a light mix of sno

at the woodmore town center brad bell abc 7 news. >> thanks. close call! >> amazing. >> still ahead here on abc 7 news at 5:00 why the cold weather is being blamed for a problem that kept the new i-95 express lanes shut down for hours this morning. >> and a bystander wounded in a police shooting. the big moment victims were preparing for when police officer's bullet hit him in the hip. >> and the demands of protesters angered by the silence of police after an officer killed an unarmed man. >> and i'm horace holmes. just when residents of this southeast apartment building thought they were going to spend their first warm night in their apartments in two months, a setback! >> well there's a setback to tell you about tonight for this apartment community that we've been following. they're desperate for warmth. after spending two months without heat. >> hard to believe on a day like today. "7 on your side" was there as repairs were finally made to the boiler in the building. but now, that boiler has failed inspection. "7 on your side" trouble shooter horace hol

. >> and i'm brad bell in laurel. when we come back, i'll tell you what a police officer saw on one of these signs that's now prompted a warning to all cops. >> and coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00 marriott hotels now dropping its fight over something that all travelers want. >> police are in our area were getting a new warning to be on alert. >> that warning triggered by an act of vandalism. maryland bureau chief brad bell live tonight in laurel with what he's learned on this case. brad? >> yeah this vandalism wasn't in some back alley. it was right here along very busy conte road. one of these apartment complex signs defaced with a chilling message. "kill cops" signed the vigilante. an officer on patrol saturday spots the scribbled sign. the fraternal order of police immediately posts it on their facebook page with the ominous warning to officers. be extra cautious. watch each other's backs. the head of the f.o.p. says he's been watching the anti-cop sentiment sweeping the nation and figured it was only a matter of t

on taylor's mountain, brad bell abc 7 news. >> all right. let's get to an update now on that breaking news we told you about from the top of the hour. the l'enfant plaza metro station has been evacuated. now, we know this is due to smoke. we had a live picture there. we'll try to get back to it in a minute from outside that station. however, the new information is this -- just a few moments ago, d.c. fire declared this a mass casualty incident. now, here's another look at the live pictures. you can see authorities going down into the tunnel at l'enfant plaza. however, this, of course opens up a lot more questions. this mass casualty incident. we don't have much more than that. but we do have reporters on the way to the scene. we obviously have crews there right now. and we will be updating you as soon as we have more information. leon? >> all right. now developing now at this hour alison, dive teams are working on recovering a second black box from the wreckage of airasia flight 8501. the first black box is recovered today and comes two week

our maryland bureau chief brad bell will have more on hogan's budget proposal coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00. >> and this just coming in. turning to the virginia governor now. virginia governor terry mauliffe is out of the hospital this noon. now, we've been reporting that he was injured during a horse riding accident in africa over the holidays. mauliffe's spokesman says the doctors have drained one liter of blood from the governor's chest since he checked into the v.c.u. medical center on monday. mauliffe developed the complications after breaking seven ribs around the christmas holiday on a trip in tanzania. he says he is back home and resuming his daily schedule. staying in virginia they have ordered charles severance to undergo a mental health investigation. his attorneys say that severance may not be able to understand the charges against him. jeff goldberg is in the courtroom today and he'll have much more from today's hearing starting here on abc 7 news tonight. irginia man is in the hospital this noon after an early morning fire in arlington. that fire broke out aroun this m

our maryland bureau chief brad bell sat down with the governor to talk about his last eight years in office and what he considers his greatest accomplishments. o'malley spoke about his 16 strategic goals to move maryland forward. the governor-elect larry hogan will be sworn in on wednesday. we'll have governor o'malley's in-depth interview coming up here on abc 7 news at 4:00. still to come here on abc 7 news at noon though -- >> let's do the right thing. turn the page and ensure our future legacy is one of pride. >> the redskins football season is over. but find out how local fans are now taking part in the team's name debate. plus, we have the details. new details on the extensive man hunt under way after a deadly robbery and police chase. and getting you back outside this noon we will check in with eileen for a complete look at your three-day weekend forecast coming up. >> chris brown remains free this etting his probation revoked. a los angeles judge says the singer took an unapproved trip and failed to complete community service on time. brown is free until at least march 20th.

in millersville brad bell abc 7 news. >> just so tragic. brad, thank you. and one more note here the university of maryland's james clark school of engineering recently conducted a study on christmas tree fires. and it included some video right here. they determined that fires involving christmas trees are three to four times as deadly as a typical house fire. that's because it's typical six can be completely engulfed in flames in as little as 30 seconds. after ignition. >> alison new at 5:00 amber alert suspect behind bars in montgomery county. 26-year-old gary denny of hyattsville is facing multiple charges including first and second degree assault, reckless endangerment and abduction by a relative. police say denny attacked the daughters' mother and took the 5-month-old at gun point from his poolesville home. girl was unharmed and reunited with her mother. >> witnesses to a hit and run are being credited with ultimately helping catch the suspect. surveillance video captured the hit and run as it happened yesterday afternoon at an auto repair shop on colu

. >> brad bell sat down with the outgoing governor today for an exit interview. >> here's the scene that says it all about what's going on in annapolis right now. this is the governor's mansion, it's been martin o'malley's home for the last eight years and take a look at this. the moving vans that are taking his belongings out of the governor's mansion and out of the statehouse and up to his new home in baltimore. the governor announced today that he will become a full-time professional speaker and a part-time professor focusing on government and business matters. he also took time today to tour a part of the statehouse that's under renovation historic part of the statehouse. he said he is not wishful but he did enjoy thinking about his time in office and what an honor it was and how grateful he is to have served in and then he sat down with reporters to talk about his legacy. he boasted of many accomplishments but he also admitted that a couple of things kept him up at night. >> the things that gnawed at me day and night were all of the real stories of people that were struggling to kee

brad bell live in millersville where they just had that news conference. brad? >> alison you know there were so many questions with this fire. it was so terrible. the home destroyed! 16,000 square feet burned down quickly. nobody got out. as you said, the six victims. the grandparents and their four grandchildren. all deceased. there were no 911 calls from the home and now, we know the answer why. anne arundel county officials revealed today that there was a 15 foot tall christmas tree in the home. it caught fire. it was 60 days old and very dry. it erupted in flames and created a situation in that home that was just not survivable. additionally, we know that given the layout of the home and the location of the tree in a central atrium it basically trapped the children. it prevented the grandparents from getting to them. fire officials are making it very clear. without this crishristmas tree, this fire wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad. >> the investigation team has concluded that an electrical failure ignited the combustible material in the area that quic

i'm brad bell in annapolis.up, governor martin o'malley takes time away from packing to talk about his legacy and his possible future plans. >> right now, we're learning new details into what led to monday's l'enfant plaza metro smoke incident. the national transportation safety board just released its preliminary report about the incident that killed one woman and sent more than 80 people to the hospital. richard reid is live at l'enfant plaza with the new information from the report. rich? >> yeah maureen, as you say, this is only a preliminary report. it does give us somewhat of a timeline as to what happened on monday. but also gives us some close-up pictures of some of the specific damage. take a look at some of these pictures that the ntsb has provided here. this is damage to the third rail and the electrical cables. this is about 1100 feet in front of the metro train, number 302 that was stopped on monday. we've also learned about 3:06 p.m., a breaker on the third rail tripped or opened. it wasn't until a

brad bell is live with what else the governor's budget involves. hi, brad. >> hi, leon.nd's budget looks like this big book. this is from this year. about 800 pages of numbers and fine prints. tomorrow, quite literally, they'll be dropped on legislators' desks with all the details. today, we got what governor hogan says the highlights are of this fiscal year 2016 budget and he says he's done something that hasn't happened here in about a decade and he says he's balanced the budget. larry hogan became maryland's second republican governor in a half century yesterday by telling voters he will fix the state's finances. today, he says he is keeping his promise. >> we will stop spending more than we take in. we will stop using the maxed out credit cards and stop raiding the kids' piggy banks and dipping into the retirement account. >> hogan says he and his staff over the last eight weeks have created a budget that will kick in next october which spends no more than the state takes in. >> without slashing agencies laying off workers, and while fully funding education and all o

maryland bureau chief brad bell will have more on that coming up at 5:00. >> it looks like for the most part our area will be spared the worst of this storm. areas to our north though, like philadelphia, new york boston they won't be so lucky. the governors of new york new jersey rhode island and massachusetts have already declared states of emergency. in boston logan airport is planning to close at 7:00. connecticut's governor is banning travel on the roads starting at 9:00. >> everything we know so far makes it clear that you can'tunder estimate this storm. it's going to pack a real punch. this is an all hands on deck activity. coordinated across every city department and agency. >> driving will be virtually impossible in many areas for extended periods of time starting late tonight and through much of tomorrow. >> as many as 50 million americans are in the path of this the worst part of this storm. meteorologist steve rudin is here to pick up our team coverage with a look at exactly what is heading their way. do we feel lucky, steve? >> absolutely. the storm watch 7 team has been ver

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00 brad bell takes a look at the challenges facing hogan and a democratic controlled legislature. >> well, still to come this afternoon, girl scout cookies, you can't eat? hmmm. there's a new way to enjoy this treat coming up. >> a water main break shut down part of a major roadway. when things could finally get back open there. >> why your doctor may give you a prescription to hit gym. it doesn't have to do with your weight. >> marion christopher barry turned himself into police on a warrant this morning and appeared before a judge in court this tt2wút3nú!d! bt@qv+( tt2wút3nú! "a@qf'l tt2wút3nú!d! bm@qm,@ tt4wút3nú!d!" dztq )> we're learning more about the accusations of the d.c. council candidate christopher barry, the son of the late former mayor marion barry. >> this comes after he was charged with three misdemeanors following an outburst last week. he turned himself in this morning before being released this arch

. >> good morning full stop i am brad bell. want to head right over to jack taylor in the wtop traffic center. >> most parts are doing ok, but the outbound lanes of the sweden parkway at stanton road, close right now unfortunately. you will find it -- of the suitland parkway at stanton road, closed right now unfortunately. be careful. 301 northbound through marlboro, we have a crush on the left side of the roadway possibly blocking the left lane at about six or eight vehicles involved in this crash. camera 395 moving up through seminary road, this is just volume, nothing huge, not bad for a friday. not trying to jinx anything. jacqui, how about our forecast? >> pretty good except for the wind. 40 degrees right now temperatures are slowly falling and will continue to do so. windchill advisory from noon until midnight. it is 40 downtown, 35 at dulles and 36 at winchester. i expect the feel factor to be in the 20's. we could get a few flurries here in there otherwise early sunny skies. temperatures will drop down tonight into the

bell bottoms cool again. >> right. >> i'm not sure what that means, but i enjoyed t. bradword last week that she's going to start separating herself from the president. that should be interesting. let's walk over to governor mitt romney. i spoke with ann romney off and off camera saying mitt is not running again and then last week we get this, everybody in here, he tells his friends to go tell their friends that i'm considering a run. what's behind that, dallas? >> well, look, mitt is a good man. i think he ran a pretty decent campaign. i guess the next one would be better. i think mitt and jeb both bring good things to the table. but i don't like that in the last week or so it has already evolved into a seventh grade battle for the harvest fest homecoming parade. what we need is a good battle over policies. the republicans have a unique challenge here that they can talk policy like they never have before. we need to involve the current governors across this country whether it be rick perry who just left, but also saw is a in a martinez, we need a real policy debate and i