last year fairfax county police recovered nearly $200,000 worth of stolen merchandise. they are at it again this year. erica gonzalez reports from tysons corner mall where thiefs are doing it all over again. >> reporter: fairfax county police say they already recovered nearly $30,000 worth of stolen merchandise this season. but the thieves aren't just local. at $10,000 rolex watch. that's what one man tried to get away with by using a fraudulent credit card at a high-dollar store at tysons corner last week. the store clerk called them after they said that the suspect's behavior was off. that's why retail anti-theft teams are hitting the streets. some are in regular uniform but most will be undercover. dressed like anybody else. >> what we are looking for now in tysons corner, which is the out-of-state crime ring coming into this a. area. tysons corner, fair oaks, fairfax county in general is known for a very wealthy population. >> reporter: what do the professional con artists look like? police say they tend to go for store corners. they are always looking over their sh

reporting live in fairfax county, i'm jane watrel. back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >>> the second big traffic story this afternoon, the 11th street bridge will be open for business. beginning sunday, the first span of the bridge will start carrying traffic from 25 inbound into downtown washington. this morning, the mayor joined transportation officials for a ribbon cutting. it's the largest project v-dot has under taken. when it's finished, it will allow drivers to get on northbound i-295 without having to get off on pennsylvania avenue. >> it's going to be great. i live in hill crest. i have lived there my whole live. the transportation is a nightmare, a true nightmare. >> the inbound freeway bridge opens to traffic on sunday. the bridge is set to open next week and the third span will open in a year from now. >>> the federal government shutdown was set to kick in at midnight tonight p has been averted. they passed a $1 trillion budget bill ten hours before the deadline. it's going to keep the federal gove government running

a virginia code allows authorities to remove the signs along vdot right of ways, except for fairfax countyas exempt from the code until now. the board of supervisors unanimously approved legislation, ending the county's exemption. it's also working with the state to get more illegal signs off medians. >>> several area police departments are investigating a possible hate crime after anti-semitic fliers were found in a northern d.c. and virginia neighborhoods. they first turned up a week ago saturday, but at least two residents on north 25th street in arlington found the sheets lying next to their newspapers. others were found in cleveland park and dupont circle in northwest washington. the fliers came the jewish people have taken over the world and altered the asxis of the earth. >> i have lived here most of my life. i have never seen anything that approximates or any hint of anything that comes off of this flier. it was totally, thoroughly shocking. >> we certainly hear of anti-semitic rants and ravings going on, but we don't think of it happening here. >> the fliers have been turned over

last month nearly 99 candidates in fairfax county blanketed roadsides with their signs. authorities are allowed to remove signs in every other part of the state but fairfax. the county's vote gets rid of the exemption from the virginia code. >>> for the first time, since an fbi raid on his home, d.c. council member harry thomas returned to the wilson building in time for a preliminary vote on the ethics reform bill. thomas sat quietly for hours and refused to answer questions of reporters while the council debated and passed a version of the ethics reform. it requires less spending and more disclosure. it sets an ethics board to impose fines on violators. the council will hold a final vote on this reform bill in two weeks. >>> our time is now 5:37. a message of hate is turning up in neighborhoods around the region. what people are reading when they find this flier at their homes. >>> time for weather and traffic on this wednesday morning. i'm meteorologist tom kierein in stormcenter 4. pockets of heavy rain falling in washington, prince george's county, anne arundel, calv

>> a local college and a fairfax county neighborhood lockdown >> live and then hd. this is abc7 breaking news. >> two breaking stories tonight a college campus lockdown and the surrounding neighborhood in fairfax county, and in just the past hour, from capitol hill tonight, a deal that will most likely to avert a government shutdown. we begin with the situation there in fairfax county where a community was on lockdown for six hours after an armed man holed up in a high-rise. steven is live on the scene with the very latest. >> this all began earlier today when a man on the eighth floor of this building was talking with his crisis counselor. he made some kind of statement to that counselor which prompted the counselor to call police, and thus began this eight-hour standoff. police distended -- descended on the skyline plaza after a call about a man barricaded in his eighth floor unit with a gun. >> this is strange. this is not typical of anyone living here. >> the man's apartment faces northern virginia community college. the college went into lockdown while the stan

county, it's in the upper 20s. it's in the mid and upper 20s in prince george's, fairfax, and arlington counties. some locations have dipped to 20 degrees in the central shenandoah valley. out in the mountains of west virginia and western maryland, northern neck, they're below freezing as well. we've got frost from the atlantic beaches all the way to the mountains. you'll be scraping the windshield this morning. we've got a clear sky here. just a few clouds drifting in from the west. right now coming into northern montgomery county and points north and west there, panhandle of west virginia, shenandoah valley, just a few clouds drifting through. those will be in and out this morning. sunrise at 7:08. we'll be around freezing by 9:00. during the afternoon reaching the mid-50s for a brief time. quite a bit of sun, but some clouds in and out too. then a mostly clear evening, down to near 30 by dawn saturday. saturday afternoon, chilly. highs only in the 40s to near 50. quite a bit of sun. clouds sunday afternoon into the low 50s. should be good football weather for the skins and jets. and then on mo

this person was on the eighth floor and we're toll just before 10:00 fairfax county police were watching from a distance and this happened on the other side of the building. they watched this man as he climbed from his eighth floor balcony down to the apartment below where police were waiting and grabbed him. he was unarmed and we can show you videotape now. they handcuffed him, put him on a stretcher. he was in this ambulance leaving to go get evaluated. you'll see in a moment here some of the people, this is the lobby of this community here. there were dozens and dozens of people cheering on the firefighters and s.w.a.t. team members with the robot that they had sent up on the elevator to the eighth floor when this thing all wrapped up. this happened in the south tower high rise apartment community around 4:15 this afternoon. the man was apparently on the phone with his counselor, made some suicidal threats, said he had a gun and that's when this whole thing started. across the way northern virginia community college's alexandria campus was on lockdown a while. we spoke to a man who li

your travel is 21 miles per hour, and to get from the beltway to the fairfax county parkway that tripill take you 29 minutes to do so. >>> a connecticut woman is recovering this morning after getting hurt base jumping in virginia. she and four other daredevils climbed up this tower, but she got hurt when her parachute got stuck in a tree. not everybody was impressed with the stunt. >> i think it's pretty foolish. that has to be a pretty stupid stunt, no matter what age you are, that's a stupid stunt with all the trees around here. >> i was thinking, wow, i never have seen something like this in my neighborhood and probably not likely to see it again anytime soon either. >> all five of the base jumpers were charged with trespassing, and no word on whether the next potential stunt will take place. >>> she's being called a modern day miracle. a baby born 16 weeks premature and weighing half a pound will be going home soon. she is now 3 1/2 months old and weighs 4 pounds. doctors say melinda is one of the smallest babies born. her parents say they never gave up hope. >> it was just a scar

but at fairfax county parkway, you're jammed. delays start around dale city, and the travel time from the occoquan bridge to the capital beltway, that trip takes about 25 minutes to get there. angie and joe, back to you. >> thanks, danella. >>> nato says five service members were killed in a roadside bomb in eastern afghanistan. we do not know officially the exact location of the explosion or the nationality of the troops. however, a warsaw, poland tv station is reporting that all of the soldiers were polish. so far this year, 530 nato service members have been killed in afghanistan. >>> today attorney general eric holder will lead a memorial marking the 23rd anniversary of the bombing of pan am flight 103. holder will be among the speakers at the memorial at arlington national cemetery. 270 people died when the pan am flight exploded over lockerbie, scotland, 23 years ago today. 189 of those victims were americans. some of their family members will also speak at today's memorial. >>> on the campaign trail today, republican presi

at this fire station and several others around fairfax county, they are collecting. they hope to have an up toys and coats and food to go out to all the families who need them. reporting live, abc7 news. >> thank you. >>> as soon as january montgomery county farmers around nick's organic farm will be turned into soccer fields. the agreement has been extended through august of next year. >>> st. nick rumbled into georgetown university hospital in to the cancer center atrium. how about that? santa gave out toys to kids who are being treated for cancer, hopefully bringing lots of your. >>> most of the showers have moved out of the area. early morning, we are talking 40's. >> warm. >> yes, unlike last year at this time. a look across the river into the city. pupil. temperatures still in the upper 50's to low 60's across the area. it is 62 at reagan national. 63 in manassas. a little milder, the upper 50's, but still above the average highs for this time of year. there you see west of the appellations -- apple actions -- the mountains. the cold front is being pushed throu

what fairfax county decided about its part of the deal ahead. topper. >> well, keep the umbrella handy. we're looking at rain and some of us will be heavy tomorrow. most of the heavy activity to the south of us. we'll tell you how much is going to fall and what that means for both commutes and if that rain changes to snow. >> but first, he spent almost three decades behind bars, now thomas is free and clear. the court ruling that exonerated him is up next. >>> the washington, d.c. veteran's affairs medical center and wusa9 salute all who serve at home and abroad this holiday season. >> hi, this is clarmont barnes giving a shout out to my wife. happy holidays, love you guys. >>> tonight, a virginia man who spent 27 years in prison finally has his good name back. in the 1980s, thomas was convicted of raping three women in the richmond area. in 2009, dna evidence cleared him of one crime and he was released under strict parole in march of this year. today the virginia court of appeals exonerated haynesworth for two of the other attacks. the state c

, most locations in the 50s and around 60 degrees in southern montgomery county, prince george's, the district, arlington, fairfax 60. northern montgomery county beginning to drop down into the mid-50s as is loudoun county south and east of us. it's around 60 degrees this morning. we've got a few breaks in the clouds. quite a bit of cloudiness south and east and farther to the west. there is a disturbance in the atmosphere over the lower mississippi valley. that's going to be drifting off to the east overnight tonight and bring us perhaps a few sprinkles or maybe even a few flurries, especially in the higher elevations. sunrise 7:20 this morning. we'll be down to near 50 degrees by midmorning and then hold steady to around noontime and down in the 40s by midafternoon. by midnight near 40 degrees. it will be this evening from midevening to perhaps around midnight, might get sprinkles and flurries. don't be surprised if we see that. nothing's going to stick. tomorrow cold in the morning, afternoon highs mid-40s, and a blustery wind. more of the same on sunday. and then monday a bit milder with sunshine as we get in

looking at fairfax county parkway as well on i-66, seeing delays as well. the good news is on 66, no accidents to report at this time. angie and eun, back to you. >> danella, thanks so much. >>> new from overnight, a man is in critical condition after getting shot in the head in northeast d.c. it happened around midnight near the intersection of 15th street and "w" street. investigators say a man in his 40s was shot in the head. he was immediately taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. right now police don't have any information on the suspect in the shooting. >>> the family of a man accused of killing a virginia tech campus police officer is offering their prayers and condolences to the family of the officer killed. in an unsigned statement, 22-year-old ross ashley's family did not say much. they requested that their privacy be respected and said there would be no more statements from them. this is the first time ashley's family from spotsylvania county said anything at all. police are still trying to find a motive for thursday's shooting. i

reporting live from fairfax county, i'm julie carey. back to you. >> thank you, julie. >>> jetblue will soon be flying out of reagan national airport. the discount carrier beat out five ore airlines for landing rights in d.c. jetblue paid $40 million for eight slots at reagan national. there will be eight daily takeoff and landing spots. they also haven't said when the flights will begin. >>> coming up next, the prime suspect in the disappearance of the maryland woman in aruba back in front of the camera. we'll find out what brought him to tears. >>> your smart phone may be [ 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. >>> bread is vanishing in a lot of restauran

we're live with the latest. >>> another battle involving schools in fairfax county.p a better eye on students facing backlash this morning. more controversy over surveillance cameras straight ahead. >>> plus: >> fortunately for the republican party this year, probably anybody up here could probably beat obama. >> the gop presidential candidates not only attacking one another, but president obama as well. so how does the race span this morning? we'll find out as fox 5 morning news at 7:00 starts right now. >>> let's head outside right now and te

those are some sprinkles in prince george's county, calvert, northern charles, and across the potomac farther west, southern fairfax, prince william, stafford, spotsylvania, fauquier, parts of southern loudoun county. into the shenandoah valley getting a few sprinkles. western maryland and west virginia, temperatures are around 40. closer to washington, mid-40s in the suburbs. later today, sunrise 7:23, will hover near 50 through the morning, a little light rain off and on. as well through midday, just having a little light rain. near 60 by midafternoon. the rain may get heavier tonight. a look at your evening planner at 5:11. danella has a look at our traffic. good morning. >> good morning. >>> still very light in our area as far as volume goes. not seeing a lot of issues there. if you're traveling along route 50, i'll give you a live look at i-97. volume still again very light. no accidents to report at this time. traveling along the beltway in prince george's county, here's a look at 201. inner loop and outer loop in this area, very clear. not seeing any issues for you. you have a really good travel speed. nothi

montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince georges counties. we have rain way out farther to the west and the ohio valley, western pennsylvania down to kentucky, that's advancing east along a front. we may get a few breaks in and out this morning. overall, quite cloudy, but a bit milder. rain arice arriving mid to late afternoon and off and on through mid evening. as soon as that rain commences, we'll be right back down near 50 degrees fort rest of the evening. cold weather moves in tomorrow through the weekend. we'll look at that. how is traffic? >> keep in mind in you're traveling route 2, your closures are between harwood road and route 255. choppers in the area now not seeing many delays in that area. if you want to avoid it, police are blocking this intersection here. you might want to jump on 468 to continue north or south if that's your commute this morning. and if you're traveling in mcclain, virginia, still seeing westbound georgetown pike at 1234 south. your right lane is blocked there due to the crash in that area and the heavy areas

montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties also in the upper 40s. radar with the clouds showing that area of green. light rain from right near fredericksburg, virginia. charles, prince george's, parts of calvert, and northern st. mary's counties. across the bay near cambridge over towards salisbury, they're getting light rain drifting east. sunrise at 7:22. we'll stay in the 40s to near 50. may briefly get into the low to mid-50s in the afternoon with clouds and a small chance of a sprinkle. sunset at 4:49. a look at the evening planner at 6:11. danella, how's traffic? >>> chopper 4 is live over the inner loop of the beltway where we have a crash at georgia avenue. all that's remaining a tractor-trailer here. police on the scene are in the right shoulder lane. i am seeing relief on the inner loop of the beltway as you make your way towards georgia avenue and drive past the accident here. that's a good sign. traveling i-95 at fairfax county parkway, you are definitely starting to hit the brakes in this area as you make your way towards the interchang

a live view right now at fairfax county parkway. traveling east and westbound on 66, looking good outside the beltway as well as inside the beltway. i'm not seeing any issues for you this morning. this is the view at leesburg pike. traveling east from the beltway to gw parkway, your speed is 61 miles per hour. not so bad. give yourself extra time. the roadways are wet this morning. joe and eun, back to you. >> a word to the wise, if you jump on the roadway and see a car coming, get off. >> thank you, joe. 5:13 now. 59 degrees. >>> ahead on "news 4 today," ready to close the book on a mystery that remained unsolved for decades. to make a commitment is to see things through. confident that no matter what the obstacles we can build something better, together. with the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile, we're making a commitment, to create a stronger network for all our customers. we will invest an additional eight billion dollars and build out the next generation of mobile broadband to nearly everyone in america. that'll mean be

making your way towards fairfax county parkway. seeing delays right now as you start out of dale city. it is stop and go for you as you make your way towards 395. i'm back in ten minutes with another look at traffic. now back to you both. >> danella, thank you. >>> 6:13 is the time. the annual distinction the occupy protesters, gabrielle giffords, and steve jobs are all in the running for. [ 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. >>> 6:16 is our time. jerry sandusky's attorney is apologizing for referring to a gay sex phone line after the former penn state football coach waived his preliminary hearing. during a press conference, joseph amendola said any

and farther to the south from near burke, virginia, and western fairfax county down through prince william county, stafford, and spotsylvania, southern fauquier and eastern culpeper getting a few sprinkles there. this is heading off to the east. so the metro area, immediate area around the beltway is going to be getting a little bit wet over the next hour or so. may be a little dampness on some of the roads. allow yourself extra time and slow down if the road looks wet. just take it easy. right now near 40 in the shenandoah valley and around the blue ridge, farther east it's in the upper 40s to near 50 degrees. sunrise at 7:23 today. we'll have light rain off and on this morning through the middle of the day. highs reaching near 60 by midafternoon. the rain may pick up in intensity later this afternoon. actually this evening maybe a little thunder and lightning with downpours by mid to late evening. tomorrow, cloudy in the morning, might get rain after sunset thursday night into friday morning. a little sun back friday afternoon. still mild. saturday turning chilly, partly sunny. and for c

traveling i-95 at fairfax county parkway northbound, starting to hit the brakes at fairfax county parkwayt seeing any accidents in the roadways if you're traveling in virginia on i-95 in either direction. continuing on to 395, this is the view at edsall. in fact, if you're making your way from the beltway all the way to the 14th street bridge on 395, you're in the clear. seeing a little volume as you make your way across the bridge, no major delays just yet. i'm back in ten minutes with another look at your traffic as well as the rails. now back to you both. >> danella, thanks. >>> a traffic alert as you head out the door this morning. expect slow going in northeast washington if you use benning road to get to work. ddot is beginning the final phase of construction work in the center of the street between 39th and 42nd streets northeast. crews will be stripping the road's surface so it can be repaved. traffic will be moving single file along the sidewalks in both sides. ddot hopes to have the project finished by mid-february. >> those charities who provide emergency services like food and

last month, many of the 99 candidates along fairfax county blanketing roadsides with their signs. ia code allows authorities to take up signs in every other part of the state but fairfax. the county's vote gets rid of the exemption from that virginia code. >>> today two of the most prominent candidates in virginia's senate race will square off. democrat tim kaine and republican george allen will debate for 90 minutes in richmond. kaine, who a former virginia governor, and allen, who a former virginia governor and a former u.s. senator, aren't the only candidates in the race, but they are the only candidates who have done well enough in polls and raised enough money to qualify for the debate. they're looking to succeed jim webb, who is not running for re-election. >>> republican presidential candidate mitt romney has opted out from a debate moderated by donald trump. romney called trump personally and told him he just couldn't make it happen. trump was not happy about the decision. several prominent republicans have urged candidates to skip the so-called trump debate scheduled for l

right w getting a few sprimpg ls here in washington and fairfax county, loudoun county, parts of fauquierculpeper, shenandoah valley, and panhandle of west virginia. montgomery county, howard, and points north getting some showers as well. south and east, much of southern maryland, northern neck, eastern shore just cloudy now. it's mild. we're in the 50s from the mountains all the way to the beaches and around the bay. even locally here. around washington we're in the mid and upper 50s. for the day, sunrise at 7:12. occasional showers through the day. highs reaching low to mid-60s this afternoon. sunset at 4:46. more showers likely tonight. we'll be down into the upper 50s by midnight. then more rain during the day on wednesday. turning chillier. we'll fall from the 50s in the morning down to the 30s by late evening. by then we could have wet snow accumulating on grassy areas north and west of i-95. that would be late wednesday night ending by dawn thursday. then sunny, dry, cold weather thursday through the weekend into the first part of next week. danella, how's traffic? >> good morning

erica. >> reporter: jim, fairfax county police have recovered $30,000 worth of stolen merchandise from the mall and the thieves aren't just local. a $10,000 rolex watch. it's what one man tried to get away with using fraudulent credit card last week. the store clerk called them after they said the suspect's behavior was off. r.a.t. is hitting the streets. >> what we are looking for now in tyson's corner, the out of state crime rings coming into the area. fair oaks and fairfax county in general are known for a wealthy population. >> perhaps i'm too lax about it. i hope not. >> reporter: he admits he hasn't had a problem with credit card scammers but the extra police gives him peace of mind. >> oh, yeah. definitely. you would rather have more protection at the mall when you are coming to give away your money. >> reporter: the typical shoplifter evolved. they are working their hot items into the black market in states as far away as florida, north carolina, pennsylvania and new york. >> even if you have a 30% return on stolen merchandise, if you steal $100,000 worth of merchandise over th

dominion power is reporting 4,400 people without electricity in arlington and fairfax county. nearly 300 pepco customers are in the dark. 91 in d.c., 6 in prince george's county. we invite you to stay with news4 for the latest on the storm. we are on the air tomorrow morning at 4:30 for updates any time of the day we invite you to our website at www.nbcwashington.com. >>> rockville pike at alpine road is back open after a deadly accident. a montgomery ride ones but struck and killed a person at 6:00. an accident reconstruction team is trying to figure out what went wrong and who is at fault. the police have not released the identity of the victim. >>> the search is on for the predator who sexually assaulted a woman in a laundry room. police say the 28-year-old woman was attacked at an apartment complex in gaithersburg at 10:00 this morning. a man followed the woman into the laundry room, pulled out a knife and assaulted her. police only have a vague description of the suspect. >>> a gathering outside the white house marked the end to the day of action by occupy d.c. thousands o

. >> and the search for some people destroyed a holiday display in fairfax county. >> and republican candidates gearing up for a final debate before the iowa caucuses. good morning washington at 5:00 a.m. begins non. -- now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> 5:00 on this thursday, december 14. i am cynne simpson. >> i am pamela brown. lisa baden standing by to help us navigate the good thursday morning commute, but we start with meteorologist adam caskey. >> in the 40's for the most part this morning. the warmest wwarning of the week. --morning warmest morning. we will have a band of rain moving into town. not that much in terms of rainfall. a lot of that will break apart before it reaches us. we will see a few showers here and there. areas of light rain. temperatures in the 40's right now. the upper 50's later on today. near 60 south of the metro. becoming a breezy this evening. temperatures will drop into the 40's tonight. a low 40's tomorrow with limited sunshine. now, traffic. >>> plenty of open roads. 66 greenway, the toll road, at 81, route

traveling on 66, this is the scene at fairfax county parkway.s eastbound traffic traveling away from you. you're at 64 miles per hour, not so bad, looking good both inside and outside the beltway on 66. now back to you both. >> thank you very much, danella. >>> just six minutes away from the start of the 5:00 hour. coming up, just how many of us are likely procrastinating on that holiday shopping. >>> welcome back. this is the final chance for holiday shopping before christmas. many people have turned to the internet for shopping. it's expected to slow down a bit. comscore found online sales up 15% this year compared with last year. shoppers spent $30.9 billion online, and that's up $3 billion from the same time last year. online sales surpassed 1 billion on four days last week. holiday procrastinators, you can find some great bargains before christmas. pricegrabber.com reports 41% of consumers will shop between tomorrow and christmas eve. 43% believe they will find the best discounts. the stores could lower their prices right before christmas.

fairfax county has 11 this year down from 16 last dwreer. there were also drops in montgomery county and prince william count yichl prince george's county was it be only county to see an increase. they've had 94 murders this year. up from 90 last year. >>> if we're heading out to celebrate the new year, be careful. police in fairfax county say they're stepping up efforts to catch drunk drivers. police set up the first drunk driving check point along richmond highway just in time for the holiday weekend. police tell us this check point is part of a broader effort all weekend long to stop drunk driving and make sure everyone out celebrating the new year does so safely. >>> police in maine now suspect foul play was volved in the disappearance of a toddler. police in waterville say that they are no longer treating the investigation into the disappearance of the 20-month-old girl as a missing persons case. they say they have gathered evidence to now classify the case as a criminal investigation. the toddler was last seen two weeks ago while stayin

you don't know which cites their on. >> authorities confirmed that the officer is in a fairfax county jail. at the airport authority says he is on administrative leave. if convicted, he could face several years behind bars. live from dulles international airport, richard reeve, abc 7 news. >> we will stay on top of the story over the weekend. for updates, go to wjla.com. >>> we're learning more about the disturbing impact near the verizon center. ita man pointed a gun at a female passenger and forced her to go to a second location, where he assaulted her, with her toddler in the backseat. john gonzalez has more on the search for the suspect. >> we have the report that the mother and child were each struck by the suspect before the mother was sexually assaulted. there was no event at the verizon center last night the streets were much quieter. you have to wonder if the suspect planned it that way. a violent crime in the middle of downtown d.c. the 28-year-old mother attacked and sexually assaulted in her own car off her baby sat in the backseat. >> i do not think of somebody attacking

it is right after the fairfax county parkway.his accident was moved to the right shoulder but caused delays coming up from newington northbound on i-95. more on this coming up in my next report. back to you guys. >> expect to see less money in your paycheck come january 1st when the payroll tax cut will expire. >> so much for bipartisan. the house rejected a senate deal and the senators have skipped town for the christmas break. >> as tara mergener reports, this isn't good news for our economic recovery. >> this is no secret -- >> president obama is calling out house republicans. >> we have more important things to worry about than saving face. we have people counting on us to make their leaves a little bit easier. >> he wants them to reconsider a two-month extension of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits. the g.o.p. rejected the senate measure tuesday following heated debate. >> is this the new year's gift we're going to give to american people, their taxes will be raised. >> give the american people a year, not two month

. >>> a fairfax county school repoboard is going to vote tonight on whether to allow surveillance cameras after a food fight last year that left people injured. >>> 7 republican presidential candidates will face off in iowa tonight. the debate could be the final time they will share the stage before next month's iowa caucuses. the candidates are do their best to throw new gingrich's momentum off. >>> 46 degrees on this thursday. it feels pretty good. >> off to a good start. still ahead, hollywood's award season officially under way. >> plus, a top-rating record. a new list of safest cars. >> a wet weather is on >>> i am from fairfax county's fire and rescue department, reminding youtube stacy schiff this christmas season. when it comes to christmas trees, there are recommendations in the four languages. good morning, washington. >>> 6:00 then on this thursday. traffic and weather every ten minutes. >> 45 degrees right now outside. we could have a couple raindrops later. >> especially this afternoon locally we will have a few areas of light rain. not much in terms of overall rainfall today

if you're traveling on i-66, we are seeing some delays at fairfax county parkway.y your delays start at right around fair oaks, route 50, as you make your way towards nutley, you're going to have a slow trip. traveling on i-270 that time of morning. take a look at father hurley. definitely hitting the brakes. good news is no accidents on 270 in either direction. >>> any taye laborer resource center opens today. >> reporter: the center just opened a half hour ago. still pretty quiet. we only have one worker who's come this morning. things start to get going a little later in the morning, around 6:45, 7:00 a.m. is what i'm told. previously, day laborers in the area used to gather in a narrow grassy area outside the centerville shopping center, and that caused real concerns about safety as well as traffic flow through the shopping center. basically, what would happen is, when an employer would drive up into the parking lot or in the area, that car would then be surrounded by a number of folks who were looking for work. so it was a rather chaotic system that caused rea

and across fairfax county. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- abc7 breaking news. breaking news from north east tonight. is where an attack leads man into shoot a northeast. tonightolmes is live with the late-breaking details from d.c. police chief cathy lanier. >> the shooting happened a short ago down the terrace. police responding to the call of pcp with a gun. police say they rushed to the scene when they had a call that a gunman was shooting and homes clay terrace. this man did not want to show and he said he heard gunshots and then saw the police officers. heard at least 20. and then you came around. yes. police officers surrounding him with flashlights. he said there were way too many gunshots fired. cathy lanier says that the came face-n scene, to-face with the gunman. he continued to fire. the officers fired their weapons the suspect, and he went down. now, the gunman has not been but people who live iran here said he also lived in the neighborhood. he was taken to a near

those parts of fairfax county and prince georges county, arlington in the mid 30s. the predawn glow. sunrise at 7:07. here is your day planner. a cold morning. it will be near 50 by noon time. and during the afternoon with bright sun into the low to mid 50s. here is the evening planner for this thursday evening. sunset, 4:47. near 40 by midnight under a clear sky. a stone-cold start tomorrow morning. we'll look at that into the weekend & in the next ten minutes. danella, how is the commute? >> chopper 4 is over the scene right now. taillights are as you head eastbound. the accident earlier as 234 business is now in the left shoulder lane, but you're jammed as you make your way from 29 out in gainesville. now on to i-95 in virginia, at prince william parkway, you'll start to see your delays. although at hov, nice and open. if you don't take hov, this is your travel speed right now, 32 miles per hour. and to get from prince will mark parkway to the beltway, you're at 24 minutes to make your commute. 270 northbound, you're nice and clear. not seeing any issues for you

. >>> animal activists went to the fairfax county board of supervisors meeting tonight. they want an end to deer hunts out there. they say a program of controlled hunts is causing more harm than good. there is concern that people could be accidentally shot. one woman who spoke said she and her family walk fearfully in the woods after they stumbled upon a dead deer several times. those in favor of the program argue that deer are road hazards and they can transfer disease a humans. >>> harry thomas jr. made a return to the wilson building today for the first time since his home was raided. he sat quietly as the council debated. an ethics bill aims to restrict spending and require disclosure and establishes anthices board. the council will vote on the bill in two weeks. >>> a political aide to bob ehrlich faces up to 12 years in prison for violating state election law. a injury convicted him of conspiracy. prosecutors say he tried to suppress black vote during the 2010 elections by using robocalls. the calls went out the 110,000 people in prince george's and baltimore befor

if you continue north on i-95, here's the view at fairfax county parkway.eeing any issues for you. travel speed, if you're heading north from the occoquan, you're at 63 miles per hour. to get from the occoquan river bridge to the beltway, that trip will take about 11 minutes. not so bad. i'm back in ten with another look at your traffic. angie and eun, back to you. >> danella, thanks so much. >>> the time now 4:43. still to come on "news 4 today," a chance to help the community change. how developers are letting you have a critical role in the redevelopment of this northeast >>> that was the seen at the occupy protest last night. police used flash bang grenaded to break up protesters who blocked an entrance to a seattle court. some protesters got in small scuffles with people in the crowd. the protest was a larger effort to disrupt shipping along the west coast. demonstrators held similar protests in ports outside krajicek, portland, and long beach. >>> a team that owns the new jersey nets has decided to run for the russian presidency. mikhail prolokov boyc

here's a view of i-95 at fairfax county parkway, heading northbound, getting a little bit busy. no major delays just yet. southbound, you're in the clear. also checking i-66 for you as well. cameras in that area. this is the view at u.s. 50. again, 66 both inside and outside of the beltway, no accidents to report at this time. eun and angie, back to you. >> danella, thanks. >>> 5:02 now. new from overnight, a man is in critical condition after he was shot in northeast d.c. it happened around midnight at the intersection of 15th street and "w" street. investigators say a man in his 40s was shot in the head. he was immediately taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. right now police do not have any information on a suspect in this shooting. >>> today family and friends will say their final good-byes to a virginia tech campus police officer killed in the line of duty. thousands of people turned out for a vigil this weekend for officer derek krouse. he was shot and killed by 22-year-old ross ashley during a routine traffic stop on thursday. ashley killed himself a shor

we aren't capable of doing that. >> dave says the plan makes sense. >> fairfax county employees, and so they are supposed to make the employer contributions to their employee's retirement, just like happens in every other business. >> they are pleased to see the governor's budget designate money for transportation, although democrats dislike where it's coming from. >> folks have gotten to the point where they want to be straight up told, what is it going to cost to fix our roads and let's get busy doing it. moving money from the general fund, all that does is hurt the kids in the class room. it's not really a sound budgeting practice. >> the governor wants to eliminate money that helps northern virginia schools retain nonclassroom staff that competing school systems are trying to hire away. >> on the reduction side of the budget, the governor cut $300 million from medicaid funding. that's going to hurt a lot of people, but one local leader said the governor had to do it. >> medicaid, problem is, it had gone up 300% in ten years. it's absolutely mathematically unsustainable. >> peggy

but that is exactly what unfolded today out in fairfax county. first told you about the church. the iraqi war vet built it for his sons, but the county said no, we want you to tear it down. you can now score one for the little guy. >> they weighed in our favor. >> oh good job. >> the tree house can stay for now. mark promised to build it for his sons shaun and eric when he came home from his last deployment with the u.s. army. he says he unknowingly broke county code regulations by building it in the side yard and feared he would have to take it down. but today, he appeared again in front of the fairfax county zoning board and appealed. it has to come down in five years. >> obviously we have to keep the tree house in good order. the plants have to be maintained. >> a neighbor volunteered to plant these ever greens around the house. >> they brought a crew out and planted these. he was able to tap the generosity of the gardens. they were very generous. >> he also got help from people around the world. more than 1500 of them filled out petitions on

we're one of the wealthiest counties in the country, fairfax and louden county and still one in six childrennia in hunger. their is a tremendous need, a lot of children are going to bed hungry. we serve 2,000 children in the region every day, serve healthy after-school snacks and suppers. we have a lot of kids on our waiting list. >> wow. >> and we need more space, more trucks and more child-friendly foods. >> you know what? we have a bill beg military presence in this area, too. you're telling me we're getting a lot of military asking for help with food, too? >> yes, we started a mobile pantry at one of the military bases in the area. there is significant need there as well. our client comes from all lines of work, and there is need throughout the area. >> unbelievable. well, we want you to remind to you bring your donations here to greenbriar between now and 11:00. we have a ways to go. someone put in two big boxes of naval oranges. they do use produce, but we would prefer your non- perishable items, although they're put to good use and the money donations are very badly needed here. the capi

. >>> a news alert in fairfax county involving prescription medicine. earlier today, police served 13 search warrants to businesses across the cupty -- county. the investigators alleged the suspects to peddle drugs, including pain medicine, birth control pills and antibiotics. some are knockoffs and have a potential of making people sick. >> what we found is most of the medication was coming from central america and not manufactured here in the u.s. or with fda approval and with no oversight from aing if. >> so far -- from a physician. >> so far, no one is arrested. today's drug bust is the result of a nearly yearlong undercover operation is. -- operation. >>> four recent armed robberies in montgomery county have one thing in common: the sawed-off shotgun used to commit the crime. this video is taken at the cvs and it was hit again two weeks later. possibly by the same guy. the suspect is linked to a robbery at the 7-ref on wattkens mill road and the 7- eleven on snoufner school road. police say another man may have been helping the suspect. >>> big sec

this is well beyond that. >> anyone with information is asked to call fairfax county police. the lesters used extension cords to light up 250,000 lights. their electric bill this month, $2,500. >>> and police are on the hunt for thieves who took a baby jesus statue from a storefront in fredericksburg, virginia. police did say there were tire tracks on the grass, proving a vehicle was used in the crime. what is going on this holiday season? people. >> why do people do those things inspect. >>> ahead on news 4 today, no laughing matter. the pictures that have some members of the air force under investigation this morning. >>> putting the latest cars and trucks to the test, which ones are getting the nod for protecting you in a crash. >>> plus, a mild step to our morning as you step out the droid razr by motorola. the droid that wirelessly pulls files, music and movies, all at 4g lte speeds. and introducing the droid xyboard. with an 8 inch hd screen and adaptive surround sound, a home theater for your hands. powered by verizon 4g lte, these droids are too powerful to fall into

. >> wisdom, fairfax county police say they believe the suspect left the country, but they have a good idea of where he may be. johnny is the man accused of cutting women's bottoms as they shopped. nine slashings were reported between february and july. he is from peru. fairfax county police say they received information a few weeks ago that he was possibly spotted there. they are working with officials to determine if he can be arrested and brought back to the u.s. >>> it is no secret the park enforcement in the district is aggressive, but a new report shows the district is writing about 5300 tickets a day. that means d.c. brought in more than $80 million last year on parking tickets alone. recently added new speed cameras, which raised $10 million every year. >>> skate boarding on frederick city property could be a crime. police are asking to make it a criminal offense. right now, it is only a civil. wisdom. >>> a major development on the virginia gop presidential primary tonight. according to cnn, newt gingrich says fraud is a reason he's not on the virginia ballot. gingrich said 15

he was turned over in fairfax county. it turns out faxy was found a half mile from home. his real name is jake. his owners are from upper marlboro. >> a happy ending there. >> we could all use a fur coat like that for the weekend. >> i feel bad for my dog. we took her in and they had to shave her. >> she's an inside dog. she's going to have a sweater on. it's my wife's dog, not my dog. yeah. outside right now, it's on the chilly side. everybody is going to need a sweater because the temperatures are going to go down. not too bad for this time of year, but colder than it has been. a lot of 50s, 60s and a couple 70s over the past two to three weeks. looks like we are going to stick in the 40s for a couple days. 47 degrees is the current temperature now. winds out of the south at 5 miles per hour. current temperature, 46 in martinsburg. 49 in winchester. a report around manassas of 63. wouldn't that be nice. we did get to 50 at the airport today, actually 51. a nice afternoon. closer in across the metro area 45. 46 in camp springs. warrenton coming in at 46 degrees. what are

county now. western fairfax, loudoun, frederick county in maryland and virginia.s down in the low to mid-40s while southern maryland, the northern neck, and eastern shore upper 50s to near 60. farther west, it's only near 40 in washington county into western maryland and parts of west virginia. this all coming in the wake of those sprinkles we had yesterday. we've got the colder air continuing to come in. also a disturbance in the lower left of your screen. that's some rain. it's going to be coming closer to us this evening. as it does move in, we have a chance of precipitation after sunset. between now and then, a chilly blustery day. down in the 40s this afternoon all around the region. won't climb much, in fact, farther west and north where we are right now in the 40s. a chilly day coming up after a couple of balmy days. a look at your evening planner in ten minutes. danella has a look at the friday commute. >> good morning. >>> still seeing big delays inner loop of the beltway, accident at route 7 blocking the right lane. you're jammed as you pass i-66 and mak

d.c., fairfax county, frederick county, prince georges county, and arlington county public schools, all of them say they do not use these weighted belts even for children with autism. the only school system that said that they did use something like this was montgomery county public schools and they say they don't use these weighted belts. they use weighted vests to calm down children with sensory issues like autism. but most of the school systems that we called, very shocked by what was happening here. back to you. >> all right, thank you very much, kristen. >>> up next, we'll take you to pearizona where one of the residents is caught on tape acting like a kid seeing the snow for the first time. and we are always on at wusa9.com. stay with us. we're going to be right back after the break. >>> caught on tape, one arizona resident getting a real kick out of this week's snowstorm. playing in the snow at bearizona at a wildlife park. the snow fell in the northern part of arizona yesterday. the park manager says only a few of the female bears are in hibernation this time of year. i guess it

police say 25-year-old robert morgan from fairfax county climbed the maryland public television towern anne arundel county on wednesday. he suffered minor injuries when his parachute did not completely open on his jump. after a trip to the hospital, morgan was cited for trespassing. this is his second brush with the law in less than a week. he was part of the group that jumped from the weta radio tower in arlington. a woman was seriously injured in that jump when her parachute got stuck in a tree and she fell to the ground. all five involved in last week's stunt have also been charged with trespassing. >>> it could be a very disappointing christmas if you're waiting for a gift that you ordered online from best way. turns out that gift may be arrive after all. the company says it's canceling some online orders because of what it's calling an overwhelming demand for some products. it's alerting those customers of this problem just days before christmas and right in the middle of hanukkah. some of those orders were placed back in november. best buy isn't the only retailer with egg on its

. >>> later today, the fairfax county school board is expected to approve the use of surveillance cameras in high schools. they would be installed in the common areas and in the cafeterias. principals at 27 of the county's high schools are in favor of the cameras. they made the request after a huge food fight. actually two of them last year where school administrators were unable to identify the students who they were trying to figure out who was responsible for starting the fights. according to "the washington examiner," in an article there, 80% of high school ptas also support the move. >>> a fight is brewing between arlington county lawmakers and residents. the arlington county board has unanimously agreed to purchase a building near the courthouse metro and turn it into a homeless shelter. but residents say the shelter will hurt property values and introduce safety concerns into the community. "the washington examiner" quotes board members as saying the shelter is needed to get the homeless off the streets and into permanent housing. >>> police across the river in rockville, maryland