erika gonzalez has the story. >> reporter: they sat. they stood.was a line that wrapped around the student union of the university of maryland. what would make thousands of students wait for hours? puppies. and lots of them. >> oh, i love you. i just want to take you home. >> reporter: student government association president says he was inspired by george mason law school's successful move to help students destress with puppies and decided to do the same. >> any school is stressful, no matter what your major is, it's crunch time. this is the first days of finals. >> i was exhausted and mentally out of it. i was tired. i had to take my 8:00 a.m. now, i'm excited and dying to see all these puppies. >> they are so sweet. i have an exam in two hours but i don't mind being here. >> reporter: even i had a case of puppy love. but, how does puppy pandemonium sneak up? just ask michael. you found this through facebook? >> yes. my friend put it on my wall. >> reporter: all things social, they used facebook and twitter to get the word out. thousands confirme

erika gonzalez, news 4. >> was that mike's american grill? that's a plug there. motley says this christmas is something he'll cherish for years and years to come. >>> another family reunion happened. a reunion eight years in the making. it starts with a pet in virginia and picks up 2,700 miles away. shomari stone has the conclusion. >> reporter: a special moment for chris and her daughter elaine. >> good girl. >> reporter: it wasn't always happy times in fredericksburg, virginia. their dog ran away eight years ago. >> it's an awful feeling when you let your dog out and they don't show up for breakfast ten minutes later. it's a sickening feeling. >> reporter: they put up flyers and checked shelters. >> after awhile, the acceptance kicks in. the dog is not going to come back. >> reporter: a woman found the dog 2700 miles away from home. animal control found a microchip inside her and called the family with the good news. >> i thought somebody was playing a joke on me that knew me from years past. two or three hours later, we found out it wasn't a joke. she was flow

erika gonzalez is in alexandria now, erika? >> thanks, jim, good evening. it is cooler now than it was this morning. as far as the rain is concerned, it's let up. it's drizzling on us. it was pouring an hour ago. that means v-dot is one step closer to taking on to the streets and getting ready in anticipation of tonight's winter storm. one to two inches of rain has fallen over the d.c., maryland area causing massive potholes. >> this situation here, you can't do anything to fix it. make it safe for when the weather gets better. >> some as large as five feet by two feet wide, more than a foot and a half deep. the rain caused creeks to rush and swell. authorities are reminding everyone to avoid flood prone areas. don't drive-through flooded roadways and attempt to cross flooded streets. remember the saying, turn around, don't drown. it's the change from rain to snow that has v-dot ready to take to the streets to prevent accidents. snow is key at v-dot. we prepare as early as june. >> reporter: northern virginia added $20 million more to its budget and added m

erika gonzalez is live at the field tonight. hi, erika. >> reporter: good evening. it's getting chilly out here. it's going to be good football weather for tomorrow. this game dates back to 1890. 83 games played in philadelphia. it's the half way mark between annapolis as well as west point. tomorrow will be the first time here at fedex field. saturday afternoon, thousands will pack the house to witness game 112 of army versus navy. >> okay, it starts here. it starts today. >> reporter: first, it's a tradition that goes back 30 years at the naval academy. >> let's go! >> reporter: they said they would run the unlucky company off the yard. today, the state of maryland has officially declared this weekend running of the ball weekend. each year, a new class of athletic men and women face the daunting task of running 120 miles with the pig skin. the distance from here to philadelphia. it's the last go around for senior alex jackson. >> we band together. it's a way to boost moral. it's a lot of fun. >> not for these guys. >> it's a bad week to be on exchange. >> reporter

erika gonzalez, news 4. back to you. >> thanks. >>> investigators are trying to figure out what led to the crash in montgomery county this morning near blunt drive in germantown. both drivers had to be taken to the hospital. they are expected to be okay. >>> a dramatic day today in state college, pennsylvania. former penn state assistant coach jerry sandusky, hauled away in handcuffs, again. a new grand jury report accuses sandusky of abusing two more boys. we have the latest. >> reporter: mr. sandusky, any comments? anything you would like to say? police led jerry sandusky away from home following new charges of child sexual abuse. allegations by two new accuser who is told a grand jury they were abused by sandusky. one in 1997, the other in 2004. the former coach was free on bond following the initial arrest on november 5. that stem med from charges he sexually assaulted eight young victims all of whom he came into contact with through the second mile charity, an organization he founded to help disadvantag

erika gonzalez is live outside a k-mart where secret santas are hard at work. >> reporter: yes, they are. secret santa was first spotted in indianapolis a long, long way away from the north pole and recently in virginia and here in maryland. what is he doing? paying off the debt of those with lay away plans. >> paying bills and stuff. we get what we need but sometimes it's good to have what we want. >> reporter: tiffany is one of millions of americans going through hard times. with three kids and only one source of income, she began a k-mart lay away plan in october to make sure her kids would have some of the things they would ask for for christmas but money was hard to come by. >> $20, $30, what we could do. >> she stood in line to make a payment. the man behind her began to make small talk. >> it was his turn, he let me go ahead of him. he said i would like to take care of this for her. i was so happy. he told me merry christmas. we gave each other a big hug. i have been on cloud nine ever since. >> reporter: he paid more than $100, clearing the debt of one of her lay away account

in annandale, erika gonzalez, news 4, washington. back to you. >> thanks, erika. >>> thousands of women across the country and in the d.c. area took part of a nurse in in target. it started when a woman was asked to move for nursing her baby in a store. she was covered up, in a secluded spot at the time. she complained to the corporate office. they reacted with indifference. this woman in virginia wanted to show her support. >> it's not easy. it's a hard thing nursing a baby. it's incredibly difficult. we do it, you know, with friends, with family members who don't understand. i don't want any special treatment, i just don't want people to look at me cross eyed when i feed my baby next to my sister using a bottle. >> the manager said they strongly support women who want to breast-feed and they can nurse babies anywhere in the store. >>> the president of a pain management clinic in chantilly, virginia says he is innocent. he is innocent of the charges against him that came down in an indictment. he's accused of selling massive amounts

live at tyson's corner, erika gonzalez news 4, back to you. >> thank you. >>> prince george's county is lagging behind maryland when it comes to the health of residents. it's a report by the robert wood foundation. they ranked 17th out of 23 counties. montgomery ranked second. infant mortality, obesity and violent crime and rates of graduation. they looked at how long people live and how they feel while they are alive. >>> for the second straight year, d.c. is topping the list of best cities for business. the market watch study compared 102 cities taking into consideration how much business is concentrated into a region and whether they boost the local economy. washington was praised for job growth. the top five, boston, des moines, minneapolis, st. paul and omaha. >>> marriott's worldwide headquarters in bethesda. bill marriott jr. is stepping aside. we have the report. [ applause ] >> reporter: bill marriott jr. is stepping aside, not retiring. they named a new ceo, addressing hundreds of employees at the headquarters. >> i have been with the company 60 years in june and ceo 40 yea

erika gonzalez reports. >> reporter: they sat. they stood. it was a line that wrapped around the student union of the university of maryland. what would make thousands of students wait for hours? puppies. >> where you going? >> reporter: lots of them. >> oh, i love you. i just want to take you home. >> reporter: student government association president says he was inspired by george mason law school's run at helping students destress with puppies and decided to do the same. >> any school is stressful. no matter what your major is, it's crunch time. today is the first day of finals. >> i was exhausted and out of it. i was tired. now, i'm just excited and literally dying to see the puppies. >> they are so sweet. i have an exam in two hours but i don't mind being here. >> reporter: even i had a case of puppy love. how does puppy pandemonium sweep through 27,000 undergrads? you found this through facebook? >> yes. one of my friends put it on my call. >> all things social, they used facebook and twitter to get the word out. thousands confirmed the

erika gonzalez has the report. >> reporter: shots have been fired.hree gunmen on the loose at the annandale campus. they set fire to a car in a garage and shot a police officer. police arrive within minutes. they draw their guns, storm the campus. it's too late. six students, an officer and a gunman are all dead before authorities can take control of the situation and arrest the other two shooters. this isn't real, though. it's all a drill. >> it's one thing to have a theory of how these things are going to take place. it's another thing to run through the events they are going to be faced with. >> reporter: drills like this are a state requirement. this is the largest nova has done with 90 student actors and 60 police officers from multiple agencies. commander joe hill with the fairfax county police department says police are working on finely tuning their response efforts in these emergency situations. >> one of the gaps we discovered is communications. how do we talk to george mason, virginia state and the responding units. we covered that gan. we

i'm erika gonzalez. i'll have more on this story, coming up. >>> i'm staff sergeant evans serving in kabul, afghanistan. i would like to say happy holidays to my family. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices... in more ways than ever. and our networks are getting crowded. but if congress frees up more wireless spectrum... we can empower more people to innovate... putting momentum behind our economy. and we can reduce the deficit... with more than thirty billion dollars paid by america's wireless companies. it's simple -- more spectrum means more freedom. for everyone. >>> our wednesday's child today is a lovely 17-year-old who has had to deal with real tragedy in her life. >> she's overcome that difficult time and is looking forward to her future and hoping to do some great things today. with the guidance of an adoptive family she hopes to find. >> barbara harrison takes us to meet crystal. >> you love to dance? >> yes. >> i think you are going to enjoy today. >> hi. >> nice to meet

erika gonzalez is here with the story. >> hey, pat.rs recommend exercise, tea or deep breaths to help relieve stress. what about holding a puppy? >> yeah. >> i don't know about you, but i'm getting an a on my finals. >> reporter: their faces unlike any other. warm coats enticing to almost anyone, but particularly stressed out students. it's puppipalooza. this is a two-hour event to help students destress. >> any school is stressful. no matter what your major is, it's crunch time. i think everyone is worried. >> it's probably the best stress reliever in the world. you can't tell me, it doesn't bring a smile to your face. >> how dus puppy pandemonium sweep through a campus of 27,000 undergrads. you found this through facebook? >> yes. my friends said we need to go to this. >> they used twitter and facebook to get the word outs. there's a line wrapped around the student union. how do you explain that? >> everyone loves puppies. >> even i got my fair share of puppy love. jessica has her first exam tonight. instead of cramming, she's here p

erika gonzalez, thank you. >>> lawyers deliver their closing arguments today in the military trial of private bradley manning. he released documents to wikileaks. a military prosecutor says he broke the nation's trust. today, mannings defense attorney accuses the army of strong arming him. he's facing a sentence of life in prison. >>> let's go to house speaker john boehner talking on capitol hill. have they come to an agreement? >> the senate will join the house in immediately appointing with instructions to reach an agreement in the weeks ahead on a full one-year payroll tax deduction along with unemployment reforms, an extension of unemployment and the so-called fix for two years. we expect there will -- these members are work expeditiously to complete the one-year extension all of us want. we will ask the house and senate to approve this agreement by unanimous consent before christmas. the middle class families and small businesses are struggling. they are making sacrifices and i think this agreement will help our economy. one important provision in this measure that i want to high

i don't think that's necessary. >> reporter: erika gonzalez, news 4, washington. >>> zuckerman says it's the kind of comment that sensenbrenner made not realizing how public it would go. >>> a homeowner surveillance camera catches a burglary in progress. it may be linked to another one in the neighborhood a few minutes earlier. this video was taken monday in silver spring. other surveillance video shows a green suv. in that case, neighbors witnessed a man also in a green suv. if you recognize this intruder, call police. >>> police in fairfax county are looking for a man sneaking into people's homes and stealing purses, credit cards and electronics. he does it while the residents are home and asleep. derrick ward has the report. >> reporter: there have been 11 burglaries since april. police believe the same person is responsible. some occurred in vienna. never too far from route 7 or fairfax county parkway. police released this video at a maryland business that shows the man they believe is behind the burglaries. >> he's taking credit cards from the homes and going to maryland to use them

erika gonzalez explains why. >> reporter: nothing brings in the new year like a sky full of flash and lights. >> oh my gosh, huge, huge lights. just, you know, grandiose displaces of sparkly, shininess. >> reporter: this year, they will have to go without. this, after a series of accidents after fireworks displays. a new state law requires more space between fireworks and spectators. there is a trade off, though. >> we are going to have lasers and lights. it's going to be great. timed to music. projected right on to the ma sonic memorial. >> reporter: she calls them engineering geniuses. the same company that does the pyrotechniques for the ravens will do this. jasmine and kirk drove in from new york. they will join in for the first time. >> we want a mellow first. >> reporter: that's what they will get, geared toward families and those not wanting to drink. they will offer 100 performances over 18 venues from 1:00 in the afternoon to midnight tomorrow. not to mention, arts and crafts for $20. look for the logo. jasmine admits, it won't be the same. >> it's disappointed it goes from b

erika gonzalez found a few lay aways paid off at k-marts in northern virginia. >> reporter: secret santas spotted in k-marts across the country. virginia is no exception. >> just got me teary-eyed. i thought it was great. i said i'm going to do that. >> reporter: choosing to stay anonymo anonymous. she heard how people were paying off lay aways and it struck a chord. she did the same at a k-mart in virginia and paid off $100 for someone she doesn't know. why help a total stranger? a simple answer for this secret santa. >> gives her a better outlook on life. >> reporter: secret santas started invading this k-mart two weeks ago. one man alone cleared $500 in lay away items. >> it's just catching on and helping out people you don't know. >> hard to believe? ask tiffany. >> it's a big relief that the kids are going to have everything they asked for and a little bit more. >> reporter: she was standing in line at the k-mart in manassas to make a payment when a man took care of it for her. >> i took out my book to pay my lay away. he said i would like to take care of this for her. i was so happy

in prince george's county, erika gonzalez, news 4. >>> there's about to be a new late night food choice a burger joint or diner. it's called the hamilton. it's the 14th restaurant of the popular collides restaurant group. it's a 1,000 seat venue open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. it's located at 14th and f street northwest. the old sight of the borders bookstore. before that, garfields. new condos, retail stores and late-night workers in the downtown area provide the incenti incentive. it will officially open sunday night. >> good news. >>> coming up, a man is arrested. bilking him out of $200,000. >>> the suspect accused of firing an assault rifle into the white house. >>> >>> a judge in pennsylvania has ruled that two officials at penn state will stand trial for allegedly lying to a grand jury. that ruling came after testimony from mike mcqueary. he says he saw jerry sandusky doing something wrong and sexual in a shower at penn state back in 2002. he says he made it clear to school administrators that what he saw was inappropriate behavior. >>> the federal government will not shu

in northwest d.c., erika gonzalez, news4, back to you. >> bizarre story there. thanks so much. >>> the southwest part of kansas virtually shut down by the massive snowstorm. about ten inches of snow has fallen. storm already blamed for at least six deaths. slippery roads, low visibility, making driving very dangerous. highways are closed in parts of five states including a 70-mile stretch in southwestern kansas. many people having to delay their christmas travel plans. >>> closer to home, oh, it is just lovely out there. we are having a beautiful december. >> we are. warm one at that. cloudy day and didn't keep the temperatures from rising, though. chief meteorologist doug ram ron is in storm center 4 with our first forecast at 5:00. this is going to be the story of the week. warmer temps. >> big time. once again, we have been so warm this month. especially when you compare it to what we saw last december. extremely cold. this december very, very warm. we are out there right now sitting at 51 degrees. plenty of cloud cover out there. winds shifted out of the eas

in northwest d.c., erika gonzalez. >>> two college students say they plan on renting a car so they can continue their travel home for christmas. >>> a prince george's county liquor store owner was sentenced today to nearly four years in prison for his involvement in an ex-torngs scheme with former county executive jack johnson. he was ordered to 46 months in police son and three years of probation. he operated several liquor stores in the county includitic liquors in hyattsville. he conspired to pay johnson in exchange for acts of liquor license and permit inspections. >>> new cameras are up now at carroll creek lindh yard park in frederick and police he that will help prevent crime. two new high resolution cameras are now recording 24/7 there. the park has seen a rise in vandalism and local police are hoping the added set of eyes can stop bad behavior. the city of frederick is paying $12,000 price tag. >>> it is a debate gone on for years. what's the best way to redevelop the alexandria waterfront in old town? the council plan revealed earlier drew strong criticism and now as julie ca

i'm erika gonzalez. welcome to news 4 on this sunday, december 4th. >> an intruder got into two apartments. both incidents happened near 36 and o streets northwest within minutes of each other. here's darcy spencer. >> reporter: police are investigating two incidents where intruders were found inside apartments where georgetown university students live. they both happened friday night west of campus. the first happened just before 10:00 p.m. in the 1400 block of 36th street northwest. a student says she was sitting in her living room when a man jumped out of a closet. when she asked why he was there he said he was looking for a party and ran. >> i'm just really shocked and kind of terrified actually. we're being extra careful to lock our doors. >> reporter: about 30 minutes later, just around the corner in the 3600 block of o street northwest, a group of students had a real fright. an intruder wearing a scream mask was in their home. >> i start screaming bloody murder, 911, police. he ran out through the

erika gonzalez was there for the emotional reunion that brought christmas early for one family. >> reporter: thanks a lot, vance. tonight a night one gentleman thought would never come, seven months in the making. after a 15-hour flight, his plane arrived at reagan national airport. >> it hasn't hit me but it's going to be the first christmas i will not ask for anything. >> reporter: he's been overseas in afghanistan, serving in the marines for the last several monies. it was his first tour of duty. >> i've had a dad and a brother over in vietnam but a son is very different. and we're just so thankful he's home. >> reporter: his mother admits there were days she didn't think she'd ever see her son again but with every prayer, a glimmer of hope. >> i had to accustomed myself to the fact that any day we would get the knock on the door saying that he would not be coming back. >> reporter: but you didn't get that knock? >> no, we did not, but someone did. >> reporter: motley's father, a former marine himself, is happy to see him home but says he can see the effects of the war all over his face.

at tyson's corner, erika gonzalez, news 4. >>> the district rolled out new equipment to show how theto deal with the threat of a snowstorm. >>> not a bad evening. welcome back, veronica johnson here. we are at 48 degrees right now after getting up to 50 degrees. the temperatures throughout the area are currentry running two to seven degrees up from where they were yesterday at this time. by tomorrow morning, right in d.c., 39 degrees. the start for the temperature, 41 over in annapolis. a couple locations that will dip down around freezing in frederick county. areas around 270 will dip down. elsewhere, above the freezing mark. 38 to 39 degrees to the south and east. tomorrow, mild. 55 to 58 degrees. fredericksburg 60 degrees. the southwest wind is going to pick up throughout the day. it's going to pick up with the advance of a cold front. a little bit of rain after 2:00 tomorrow. not much we are going to get out of the system. a quick dose of it. i's in and out. you would think we would clear out but we're not. a high of 50. wind hanging on. 46 for saturday. 47 expected on sunday. by

i'm erika gonzalez. >> i'm angie goff. >> jerry sandusky is speaking out about the allegations againste repeated the assertion that he is innocent and all the sexual abuse allegations are simply not true. jay gray has the story. >> this weekend jerry sandusky is speaking out. >> i didn't do those things. >> the embattled coach sat down for a wide-ranging interview with "new york times" reporter joan becker. >> he's trying to get his story out there. >> a part of that story, his explanation of what penn state officials knew about the allegations and what they did. he said former athletic director tim curly, facing perjury charges, approached him with concerns but never went any further. >> i still have my keys. >> and sandusky said legendary coach joe paterno never discussed the issue. >> i don't know that he didn't know. i know that he never said anything to me. >> he was very loyal still to coach paterno and very upset. talked about being very upset that he had been fired over this whole thing. >> another regret, how he answered this question. from nbc's pwoft costas and his only othe

erika gonzalez has the story from arlington. >> reporter: it start ed four years ago as a small project. >> i never imagined this would become what it's become. a lot of it has been the kindness of strangers. >> reporter: treats for our troops started with sending left over halloween candy to servicemen and women. >> sometimes we sent them ten boxes and they share it. >> reporter: the project invaded her home. she used the minivan to make deliveries until monday night. >> i said where's the van. it took time to process the van was gone. >> reporter: by the time she came outside to take her boys to school tuesday, it was no place to be found. it has 50 pounds of candy boxed ready to be shipped. >> it's the time. it's the time we spent doing this that would rather be taking it to the v.a. or bethesda for the wounded warriors. >> reporter: they got away with one of her debit cards she left in the van and rapped up $2,000 of clothing in bowie. police are calling it a crime of opportunity. >> it's an issue of a suspect walking through a neighborhood and trying every door of every vehicle on

i'm erika gonzalez. i am suspending my presidential campaign because of the continued distraction, the continued hurt caused on me and my family. >> one of the other republican candidates, newt gingrich said while it is sad he suspending his campaign, he helped make the rest of the field feel better. >> whether you liked it or disliked it, it raised the general level of the discussion and got us to the right level of positive will ideas in a way that i thought really enriched the debate and was illustrated by the amount of support he gathered around that hand and around his candidacy at that point. >> now, because cain suspended his campaign rather than simply ending it he is still legally

i'm erika gonzalez. many pundits say he's throwing in the towel in his bid to be president. >>> and people are lining up for this morning's nbc washington pnc bank community shred. you can join them at prince georges community college. we're going to tell you what you can bring and what you should leave at home. >>> the weekend is here and the sun is shining, that is excellent news for all your outdoor activities. i'll give you a complete check of your weekend forecast and when the next chance of rain will be coming up. >> all that and more when you >> all that and more when you join us for at bank of america, we're lending and investing in the people and communities who call greater washington, d.c. home. from supporting an organization that helps new citizens find their way... to proudly supporting our washington redskins... and partnering with a school that brings academic excellence to the anacostia community. because the more we do in greater washington, d.c., the more we help make opportunity possi

i'm erika gonzalez. >> i'mage ye goff.y giordano is speaking out about the disappearance of his travel companion robyn gardner. >> gave an interview to "dateline nbc" last night. he last saw gardner while snorkeling. the gaithersburg man says they were getting deeper in water but struggled to get back to shore because of winds and current. giordano also talked about a visit to a bar. he fiercely defended accusations that he did anything to harm gardner. >> while you were having lunch, at one point you get out and go to the car, and come back and you have something in i had blue cup. >> um-hum? >> what is that? >> it's just juice we had. >> juice, not alcohol? >> no. >> the two of you weren't consuming alcohol? >> we had a drink before we left the hotel. >> why go to the car to get juice or anything when you're at a bar and they have things to drink there? >> i went to have a cigarette actually, but, you know, took my cup, filled it with juice and came back. >> did you put something in robyn's drink? >> absolutely not. >> i

i'm erika gonzalez. >> i'm angie goff, it's saturday, december 3rd.y giordano spent four months in an aruban jail and now speaking out about the disappearance of his travel companion robyn gardner. >> the maryland man was released tuesday and gave an interview to "dateline nbc" last night. he last saw gardner while snorkeling. the gaithersburg man says they were getting deeper in water but struggled to get back to shore because of winds and current. giordano also talked about a visit to a bar. he fiercely defended accusations that he did anything to harm gardner. >> we occupied two chairs and we met another couple. >> an aruban prosecutor says there are inconsistencies in giordano's statements and he is the prime suspect in gardner's death. authorities say they plan to extradite him when they're ready to charge him but didn't indicate when that might happen. >>> in and interview with the "new york times," jerry sandusky denied charges he sexually molested young boys while coaching there. >> the allegations are false. i didn't do those things. i'm not