. >>> here at home, convince the gray is sticking with police chief kathy lanier.uring a news conference for announce his public safety team, gray cited an 80% approval rating along with declining crime in the city as reasons to reappoint lanier. paul wagner has more. >> she has been a success in addressing issues of crime in the district of columbia. and frankly, i spent about and hour and a half with the chief in the recent past and we had a great conversation. a lot of it was not only about crime fighting but our respective views of the city, respective views of children, juvenile justice, all those issues that impinge upon crime in the district of columbia. >> reporter: kathy lanier was just 39 years old and the commander of the special operations division when adrian fenty hand pick the her to be top cop. four years later, lanier is in the position to see the homicide rate continue to fall. overall crime is down as well. >> we have done a lot better at being more efficient because of technology. we have done a lot better at reducing our response time and impro

in 2006 cathy lanier became the first female police chief in d.c. and she is known for a tireless work ethic and responding to residents and showing a personally to crime scenes. her approval rating is close to 80%. it would be unusual for vincent gray to replace there. homicides in the city have reached a 43-year low. detectives are closing homicide cases and under great which is well above the national average. vincent gray will appoint a new ellerbe, whokenneth l. levin has close to 30 years of experience. these announcements are expected today. >>> safety and security will top the agenda when metro's board meets this morning. the board members will be updated on escalator repairs and the search for a general manager and will vote on a plan to replace track circuits in 59 train control booms -- rooms. that was blamed in a crash last year that killed nine people. >>> there's no evidence that fewer d.c. residents are driving to work. 14% of commuters from the area are using public transit. that is of from 11%. the percentage of solo drivers has dro

police chief cathy lanier will be reappointed. also, the mayor elect plans to appoint a new fire chief. if in 2006, cathy lanier became the city's first police chief. she has served 20 years and has been known for a trellis work ethic and responding to residents and sewing up personally to crime scenes. corroborating is that 80%. d.c. mayor is typically bring in their own sheets even if the siting police chief is popular. they're closing murder cases at a rate well above the national average. vincent gray will appoint a new fire chief with 30 years of experience. kenneth ellerbe is coming from florida. the announcements are expected to be made at 1:30 this afternoon. >>> safety and security today will top the agenda when metro's board meets this morning. board members will be updated on escalator repairs and the search for a general manager and they will vote on a plan to replace track circuits in 59 train control rooms. it was a circuit malfunction that is blamed for last year's red line crash that killed nine people. >>> there's

police chief cathy lanier.megan mcgrath is live in police headquartersn northwest washington with more on this news. megan, good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning, eun. that's right. vincent gray later this afternoon is going to be making two key public sety appointments. and news 4 has learned thatray will be keeping chief cathy lanier as the chief of police here in the district of columbia. now, lanier has been talking to the transition team for quite some time. she's made it very clear that she considers herself to be a reer employ ear here in the district, and that she wants to keeper st, and she, indeed, will remain the police chief here. now, lanier joined the department in 1990. she's the first female police chief. gray will also announce the replacement of fire chie dennis ruben later this afternoon. news 4 has learned that the new fire chief will be kenneth ellerbee. ellerbee h been with the department for awhile. he was the former assistant chief here in the d.c. fire department. he did

. 10 peopleht out of approve of her. >> she has reduced crime. >> for lanier, it has been a busy four years. crime is down, murders are at a 43-year low, but she's been a hugging chief. >> it is astounding that somebody has an 80% approval rating. >> cathy lanier was pleased. >> we have made so much progress. i am very happy. i think this is a great team and i think there is a lot of excitement with the incoming administration. >> not everyone was happy. the union chairman, for one. >> it's a bad message. it is one of the reasons that we are losing police officers. >> for folks in the hallways, more hugs for the chief. >> mayor elect vincent gray announced a new fire chief -- kenneth ellerbe. he left last year to become chief of the sarasota fire department. he is coming back home to run the d.c. department. there will be a new attorney general. that man -- his name is irvin nathan, counsel for the u.s. house of representatives. he said he was taking politics of the attorney general's office. paul quando was named as the deputy mayor for public safety. >>> coming up, the woman who cam

mayor elect vincent gray will keep cathy lanier as police chief. he has reportedly asked kenneth ellerbe to return from florida to lead as the fire chief. >>> some democrats said they will try to make changes to the tax-cut bill. some republicans say that could lead to a compromise -- a compromise with president obama to fall apart. >>> prince george's county looking for a man who shot his girlfriend while she was holding their baby. the suspect is still sending threats to his victim even while on the run from bilal. >> the 26-year-old crawford was shot and left for dead after an argument with the poor or friend. jeffrey easley is still on loose. >> she got shot four times, in the face. >> police are looking for the 24-year-old williams. he was on probation when he allegedly shot his girlfriend what she held their 01-year-old baby girl. >> this man might to do anything. he might kill her mother. >> be argument was over money. >> he shot me. i want to get myself better. >> not one police officer has contacted the family since the shooting. she says

s paul wagner and mayor elect vincent gray announced his public safety team today including cathy lanier, keeping her on as chief. >> mayor gray said he felt with cathy lanier and said he felt a synergy between the two and he said that he feels like they can really work together, ha in this conversation that they had -- that in this conversation that they had that they seemed to be on the same page with community policing and basically the crime strategies that they're going to use in the city. we talked to her outside and i asked her about having to work now in the city and fighting crime under the current fiscal state that we're in. >> we've done a lot better at being more efficient because of technology. we've done a lot better at reducing our response times, improving service. now the challenge is to keep going that way regardless of what happens with the budget. >> i know cathy lanier told you she's going to continue on with one of her more high profile crime fighting strategies. what is that? >> all hands on deck. she's been using that for the four years that she's been the top cop

lanier has been talking tohis transition team for some time.considers herself to be a career d.c. employ ear that she wanted to stay on the job and we have learned that she will stay in her post. laer joined the department in 1990. she's the first female police chief. now gray will also announce the replacement of re chief dennis reuben. now news 4 has learned that the new fire chief will be kenneth ellery. someone that folksin the department are already familiar with. ellerbee was a former assistant chief in the d.c. fire department. he left to become the fire chief at sarasota county, florida. now he always kept hisouse here in d.c. ward seven and again he is going to be appointed later today as the new d.c. fire chief. now, vient gray will make the formal announcementuring a press conference later on this afternoon. but, again, two very high profile, very important positions. and we're gng to learn more later on this afternoon. eun, back to you. >> all right, megan mcgrath in northwest washington. megan, thank you. >>> former british prime m

you know i did. >> reporter: chief lanier has clashed with the police officers' union.t backed gri for mayor and was disappointed with his choice. >> we're disappointed. here's the problem. we have 300 less police officers than we did, or positions than we did a year ago because have budget cuts. they haven't talked about that. >> reporter: for the fire department, gray named kenneth ellerbe as chief. he is a former deputy chief here who last year became chief in sarasota, frida. he said he would address long standing friction. >> t first thing i plan to do is treat everybody fairly. some of the disparity has come from unfair treatment. i'll work the union representativ and see what we can do to make it a beer fire department. >> reporter: he also named the lawyer as the city'sew attorney general. the veteran safety add cat was name deputy mayor for safety and justice. a cabinet post fenty had done away with. om sherwood, news4. washington. >>> police are testing brownies that may have been tainted with drugs and passed out to children at a schoolin prince george's coun

mayor elect vincent gray will reappoint cathy lanier to chief of police today. the official announcement is expected to be made at a news conference this afternoon. lanier became the first female chiein city history when she was chosen by mayor adrn fenty in 2007. she has been with the department since 1990. we've also learned that gray will name kenneth ellerbees the city's new fire chief. ellerbee is a former assistant fire chief here in washington and currently serves as the chief chief of the saraso county fire department. he still owns a home in alabama in ward 7. ellerbee will take over for chief nnis reuben who announced he willot stay past the end of his contract on january 2nd. >>> marion barry can breathe sier. his stolen car has been found, safe and sound. on saturday, barry parked his car outside the patricia harris education center in southeast. the car thief didn't have to work too hard, though, as barry left the keys in the ignition. the 2002 jaguar was recovered on tuesday in ward 7. no one's been arrested. barry so had a car stolen back in 1993.

police chief cathy lanier.he latest is coming up. >>> plus cold and flu season is here in virginia and we are getting hammered already. how you can fight back against getting sick. that's next. >>> and holly is tempting our sweet tooth with the owners of dipped and delicious making the holiday goodies. we'll check in with her coming up.  >>> making headlines at 7:24. cathy lanier's future still in question but word is she's expected to keep her job when vince gray takes office. according to the washington post, gray will not replace lanier come january. right now she has 80% approval rating in the city and crime is down. gray hasn't made an official announcement yet but said he will name more cabinet member this is week. >>> hundreds of thousands of federal workers will not see the tax break that most of us would if the tax deal on capitol hill goes through. we're talking about workers that pay into the civil service retirement system. the president's tax cut deal calls for a 2% redu

according to the "washington post," gray will not replace lanier come january.he has an 80% approval rating in the city and crime is dolls down. gray hasn't yet made an official announcement but says he will name more cabinet members this week. >>> a federal judge in virginia ruled the government cannot require americans to buy health insurance. the lawsuit was filed by virginia's attorney general, ken cuccinelli. two other judges have already ruled it constitutional. >>> an official vote expected on the tax bill. a test vote by the senate yesterday passed without much trouble. after today's vote, it is bill goes to the house where resistance has quieted down a little bit. the bill would he can tend the bush era tax cuts an unemployment benefits. >>> we have much more straight ahead. up next, an update on the metrodome roof repairs. we'll get an update on that. >> dow was up big yesterday. nikkei up a bit overseas overnight. >>> swedish authorities have tentatively identified a suicide womanner who set off two explosions in stockholm over the weekend. two blasts

he asked police chief cathy lanier to stay on and he picked kenneth ellerbe to be fire chief. >>> a d.cffice is being renamed. president obama signed a bill making the post office at massachusetts avenue and northeast washington after a civil rights leader dorothy -- she died earlier this year. >>> the snow we are dealing with across the region. in coastal virginia, plows hit the streets early. some serious accidents in the norfolk area. a fedex truck slid of the highway. in ohio, a lighthouse looks like an ice sculpture. it's beautiful. >> it really is. from a distance. >>> the snow is so finished. icey patches are the big story. our doppler radar. down to the southeast of our viewing area is where the core of the storm is now. a couple flurries but nothing more than that. 27 and 21. that was it for the high and low today. 1.5 inches of snow officially at reagan national airport. 21 degrees and gaither bsburg. skies will clear later tonight, and temperatures will fall. they will get into the teens. icy patches will be a problem all night in early tomorrow. the cold air continues to pus

mayor-elect vincent gray is sticking with the police chief cathy lanier.ring a news conference, gray cited an 85% approval rating with the declaiming rate as reasons to reappoint. >> reporter: vincent gray said a recent meeting convinced him there was a synergy, his word, between the two of them. >> and that they share the same views on children and juvenile justice and community policing. he's impressed with the crime- fighting strategies and said she can do better. >> she's been a success in addressing issues of crime in the district of columbia and, frankly, i spent an hour and a half with the chief in the recent past and we had a great conversation. a lot of it was not only about crime fighting but the respective views of the city and respective views of children, juvenile justice. all of those issues that infringe upon crime in the district of columbia. >> reporter: cathy lanier was 39 years old and the commander of the special operations division when adrian fenty picked her to be top cop. four years later, she's in the position to see the homicide r

the big question is will he keep kathy lanier as police chief.ent is planned for 1:30 this afternoon actually at the reeves center in northwest d.c. >>> there is a battle brewing over money between the school district and the county. the school present is asking for an extra $82 million but the county is already facing a $300 million shortfall. the superintendent suggests cutting back on overtime and maintenance. if the county doesn't come up with the cash, the schools risk a $7 million penalty. >>> in virginia, governor bob mcdonnell announced millions of dollars in budget cuts and savings on the chopping block. the commonwealth will also continue a state-wide hiring freeze an eliminate other vacant positions altogether. the governor says taxpayer will save $4 million from taking advantage of low interest rates in the issuance of recent bond packages. >>> we have more straight ahead in our business beat. we'll beht back. oh, i see. a throne for the tv... room for movies... your workout gear... non-stop football... it's a man cave! the boys next

many communitynd buness leaders have beenrging gray to repoint lanier. crime is downnd she has public approval. >> we had two very lenhy conversations. both mo than an hour. we both felt comfortablehis was a good fi >> the appntments need tobe approv by th council. to sherwood willave more coming up at 6:00. >>> in a few days, metro wil search passengerwith carry-on bags. >> reporter: met says this new plan i based off program already inplace in new york, boston, as well as union station when boarding amtrak. with this new plan, metro will found place the unannounced checkpoints system wide where authorities willrandomly slect passengers to searc their bags. the searches wi be conducted by metro police in cnjunction with transportation security administratn fficials. they will be go at the erances. police will be using high-tech equipment as well canins. metro says for t passenger, ese carry-on passenger will not be opened orearch unless the tests indicate further inspection is need. this comes on the heef last week'sarrest of a 25-ye-old arlington man w

he rose to become to lanier director of the -- to become culinary director.now has his very own restaurant. >> he is at the top of this game. this summer he opened his own restaurant in central berlin and was awarded a michelin star two months later. its also been given 18 points in a restaurant guide. he loves being his own boss. >> i'm answerable to no one apart from the banks and my guest. we always have a responsibility to our guests. we have specific ideas about house staff, how they are trained, and what we give the guests. if we fail to deliver, we accept responsibility. but when we do deliver, we are the ones you get to take the credit and we are very happy -- who get to take the credit and we are very happy. >> he brought his team to open his own restaurant. he has a sterling reputation, and everyone wants to work with him. not only does the already have one michelin star, he has been given an esquire. he is tipped to get an additional start next year. >> it was not a great surprise to get the star, but i was pleased to be awarded an esquire. to be t

. >>> the mayor-elect is also expected to announce he will keep cathy lanier as the city's police chief. we first reported this to you this past weekend. sources tell 9news now the two met earlier this month. violent crime rates have dropped in the city since lanier took control of the force. >>> the school subject in florida says god protected him when a gunman opened fire at a meeting tuesday. >> that superintendent called the confrontation surreal. it ended with the gunman dead. >> we show you what happened and this whole thing was caught on tape. >> i don't want anybody to get hurt. >> reporter: the superintendent of schools in panama city pleas with a man who pulls out a gun at a school board meeting but the man identified by police as clay duke refuses to back down. >> please don't. please don't. please. >> reporter: he doesn't hit anyone. but he keeps shooting exchanging fire with the district security chief before turning the gun on himself. >> on the ground. freeze. >> reporter: by the time s.w.a.t. team officers enter the room, itself gunman was lying on the floor. no one else

according to the washington post, gray will not replace lanier come january. right now crime is down. gray hasn't made an official announcement yet but said he will name more cabinet member this is week. >>> the mayor elect is trying to fulfill a campaign promise. vincent gray claimed he wanted to bring jobs to the district to reduce the high unemployment rate. he's trying to make good on that. he hosted a job creation summit at a downtown law firm. karen gray houston was there. >> reporter: willie may madock is looking for work. we found her outside of an unemployment office in northeast. she's frustrated. >> there are not that many jobs out there for the skills i have. >> reporter: that's the same complaint of many standing in unemployment lines around the country. >> they say you are oar qualified -- over qualified and then under qualified. it's like a catch 22. >> i want to thank the university presidents here. >> reporter: inside the law firm arnold and porter, vincent gray looked for answers and got responses from business leaders about obstacles they en

police chief cathy lanier is expected to keep her job after a mayor-elect vincent gray takes office. he could still change his mind. many credit her with reducing crime in the cigarette her approval rating among d.c. resident is about 80%. >>> news from around the region -- a super shuttle driver is accused of driving fast and furious through northern virginia. the driver drove up to 95 miles per hour from i-96 in arlington to dulles airport as they morning and crashed into four cars and ran some off the road. he was hired just a few weeks ago. >> he was talking about his uniform and how he wanted a uniform. we were going to get him one and he was very nice. it is still in shock them a mother and her baby were hurt when the vasn rear ended their car but they are expected to be okay. police arrested the 25-year-old near dulles airport. >>> sentencing is under way this error for the man convicted of killing a music producer in prince george's county. raymond brown was shot and killed in 2006 in mitchell bill during a contest the man was convicted in october and faces up to 155 years in

he is expected to reappoint cathy lanier as the police chief. he is expected to name kenneth ellerbe as fire chief. >>> police in prince george's county are searching for the man who shot his girlfriend while she was holding their baby. he allegedly is continuing to threaten them and remains on the loose. john gonzalez has the latest on this situation. >> police say the 24-year-old suspect who got out of prison one month ago shot his coat -- shot his girlfriend all-time said on monday. we spoke exclusively with the victim's family. they claimed detectives have not contacted them for days even though the gun man has. vernell crawford was shot multiple times and left for dead on monday. her family worries about the boyfriend still on the loose. >> she got shot four times. three times in her back and one time in her face. >> police are looking for jerry williams, jr. he was on probation when he shot his girlfriend. >> he might do it to her mother. >> the victim was able to get out a few words through her mother's cell phone. she says the argument w

he declined to comment as did cathy lanier. the attorney general peter nickles referred us to the the motion filed in court. >> and. >>> an arlington man under arrest for threatenning to blow up metro trains. elias yonis is charged with making threats and doesn't face terror charges. a trend -- friend turned him in to investigators base of a statement he made on facebook chat allegedly saying he would put bombs on metro trains and metro said it was updated to keep a close watch. >>> and a developing story out of baltimore right now. investigators working to discover what started a fire that killed six members. they all died of the fire before done dawn. and karen gray houston is at the scene with a look at the devastation. >> reporter: what happened here was simply put tragic -- tragic. neighbors tell us six members of the extended family who live on this house died here and they are the satterfield family. richard and eleanor salterfield, their granddaughter tiara and three young children. a neighbor who lived in this burned-o

mayor-elect's choice to keep lanier is supported by community and business leaders. >> we had two very lengthy onversations, both more than an hour, and i think through tho discussions, we both felt very comfortable this was a good fit. i know i did. >> the police union had mpaigned against chief lan year. these appointments require approval from the d.c. council. >>> julian assange out of jail, but now he has to worry about charges in the u.s. >>> and temperature could make for tricky travel in the morning. >>> >>> more than 1,000 retails are offering free shipping for online purchases tomorrow. stores such as nordstrom's, macy macy's, sears, are all taking part in free shipping friday. they all guarantee free delivery by christmas. some will require a minimum purchase in order to qualify for free shipping. >>> on average, americans gain two pounds every year duri the holiday season. many of them indulge in calorie and fat-laden party foods, as well as lots of alcohol and desserts. tonight, kimberly suitor has a holiday party survivor guide with a former "biggestloser" contestant. >>

. >>> vincent gray is expected to keep chief lanier when he takes office. according to sources gray will also announce his public safety director and a new fire chief. kenneth elserby from florida and former dc fire official is a leading candidate for the job here. >>> the man accused of attempting to set off a car bomb outside of a military recruiting office just outside of baltimore is due in court later today. 21-year-old antonio martinez, known as mohammad hussein is scheduled to appear in baltimore for a preliminary hearing. he's accused of attempting to detonate a fake bomb provided by an undercover fbi agent. he faces life in prison if convicted. parts of the upper midwest are digging out after a big snowstorm this weekend. >> the nasty system shut down highways, grounded flights and caused part of the minnesota vikings stadium to collapse. minneapolis was walloped with 17 inches of snow that proved too heavy for the metrodome's roof. the vikings game was moved to tonight and it will take place in detroit. >>> weather problems are hitting parts of wa

over the weekend 9news now reported cathy lanier has been chosen to keep doing her work as a districtop cop. both appointments will be announced formally by the mayor tomorrow. >>> the tax cut compromise has passed the senate and now heads to the house. liberal democrats are leading the charge against it, but they're not alone. the non-partisan congressional budget office estimates the tax bill will mean a loss in revenue of 893 billion, a price tag some conservatives have raised issue with because congress has not determined a way to make up the funding. >> it's a bad deal for taxpayers. we'll do little to create jobs and i cannot support it. >> this is a bad deal for the american people. and i hope my colleagues will reject it. >> despite the disagreements on both sides, president obama urges the house to move quickly. otherwise, come new year's day, everybody's taxes go up. >>> the house has voted to repeal the don't ask, don't tell policy. since 1993, the policy has barred openly gay people from serving in the military. democratic leaders are now trying to squeeze in a vote in the

gray is keeping kathy lanier as city police chief after he takes office next month. he's also expected to announce a public safety director. as well as kenneth ellerbee who is the current fire chief in sarasota, florida and a former d.c. fire official. he is expected to be named the d.c. fire chief. >>> prince george's county police are searching for the person who fired at an officer last night. it all began around 5:30 when a robbery victim spotted a suspect at the suitland metro station. the victim called police with a detailed description. minutes later, an officer spotted a man matching the description in a parking lot across from the suitland federal center. the officer approached the suspect and says he pulled out a gun and began firing. the officer returned fire. the suspect ran away. >>> federal immigration and customs officials made eight arrests in an alleged drug ring case in the district. investigators say all of the suspects involved are mexican nationals and they all claim to have ties to a mexican drug cartel known as latah nina. they were arrested in

. >> now this morning, kathy lanier is expected to stay on as d.c. police chief. that's sources tell "washington post." she is credited with reducing crime in the city. it is 5:07. 22 degrees. chilly out there. bundle up as you head out. >> that's right. still to come on "good morning washington," in 120 character or less, thank you, 2013's top 10 trends for 2010. -- twitter's 10 top 10 >> it is 5:10 on this tuesday morning. we want to pass along a coum school issues this morning because of the snow. garrett county schools in maryland are closed. morgan county west virginia has a two-hour delay and paige county in virginia also have a two-hour delay. >> a lot of going on weather-wise this morning. let's toss it over to adam caskey. it is 22 degrees out there this morning. >> that combined with the wind, i think in morgsan and paige counties, are delaying is because of the wind chills. they are seeing wind chills possibly as cold as 10 below out west. west of the blue ridge this morning. that could be a contributing factor to that. air temperatures in the teens for

. >>> the official announcement will be made, lanier was chosen by mayor fency in 2007.we learn thad gray will name kenneth elerbee as the fire chief. he currently serves as the ch f chief. >> firefighters say the fire broke out around midnight on hewitt avenue. one person w taken to the hospital with snoek-related injuries. 11:10,an the white house get the obama tax deal passed gn signal. >>> how much snow we can get. >> call if you are able to help the organization strive d.c., how the organization is helping pe >>> it is snowing around the washington region in most areas. 23, our current temperature. we have been expecting the snow, we have ice on the potomac, as you can see. tomill be in in a bit to tell us how long it will last and how much you can expect to get in your area. meanwhile, continuing the 12 days of giving. we will be introducing you to a local organization that needs volunteers and donations, a group called strive d.c. >> it say nonprofit career development center that helps individuals in the d.c. area to get and keep wor volunteers are taking your ca

. >>> cathy lanier is expected to stay on as d.c. police chief as vincent gray becomes mayor. but he could still change his mind. homicide's hit a 43-year low last year. your approval rating among d.c. residents is at about 80%. >>> it is 6:07. a chilly 22 degrees out there. >> a pre-winter storm slams the midwest and now it is looking for a new target. >> plus, the end of an era. but far sitting on the sidelines. >>> i'm christina from langston hughes middle school. we can say good morning in over 50 languages. >> good morning, washington! >>> it is 6:10. if you are just joining us, we have a few school delays and closings to pass along. schools in garrett county, maryland, are closed today. there is a two-hour delay in morgan county, west virginia, and a two-hour delay in page county, virginia. >> there is just enough snow to make things tricky out there, right, adam? >> yes, but even though it is an insignificant snowfall -- out west, morgan, page county, i suspect those delays are because of the cold, the wind chill. going down to 10 below zero at times. this line north of

. >>> incoming mayor convincement gray is keeping police chief kathy lanier. he announced his public safety team yesterday. his reason for keeping the chief, an 80% approval rating and a declining crime rate. he announced kenneth ellerbee will be the city's fire chief. the city council must now sign off the on appointments. >> you heard tuck are say it was no snow did i for the redskins but the weather did force them inside as they get ready to take on the dallas cowboys. the team practiced indoors at lifetime fitness yesterday. it was the fourth time the element have hampered outdoor activity. >>> the wikileaks founder is a free man this morning. but he may be back to his old habits. >>> you remember this. a metrodome collapse. they have to downsize for the game against the bears. why the tight squeeze is putting some season ticket holders at a disadvantage.  >>> australia's prime minister says wikileaks founder julian assange didn't break any australian laws when he released hundreds of secret documents on to the web. assange was released f

sources close to gray tell 9 news he will keep kathy lanier as the dc police chief after he takes office next month. an announcement of her reappointment would happen on wednesday. >>> that's when, according to sources, gray will announce his public safety director and a new fire chief. our sources say kenneth elserby, the current fire chief in florida florida is a leading candidate for the job here. >>> fedex predicts today will be the busiest shipping day of the year and expects to set a company record. kristin fisher is watching the crews in action at the company's facility in northeast washington. good morning, cpi kristin. >> reporter: good morning, i'm actually standing here inside of the middle of this fedex facility in northeast dc and i'm here with the operations manager here at this facility. he's been here for 17 years, i hear, although you don't look nearly old enough. now, greg, we will be talking about what you all need to do when it comes to making sure your holiday gifts are packaged properly so they get to their intended destination without being broken or missed up in a

police chief cathy lanier, the u.s. attorney and john torrez with i.c.e. announced the 9 indicted were trying to establish a pipeline of illegal narcotics from mexico to the district. >> and once there is product and this is one of those trucks -- drugs that takes one use, like the crack cocaine epidemic when it hit years ago, and if the product is here and you can get users to use, it's highly addictive and they deteriorate quickly. our fear has been keeping this drug out of direct and the region. the biggest seizure of crystal meth is less than two pounds. >> the undercover operation was so dangerous, she almost pulled the officers off the case more than once and officials say thela familia drug cartel only sells products outside of mexico and is known to use violence to get what it wants. >>> to a developing story now. the u.s. government is suing dt and -- bp and eight other companies for the gulf oil spill to recover billions of. the companies should be held liable under the oil pollution act for the oil removal cost and damages caused by the spill an

police chief cathy lanier called it savage vigilante justice, but the charges were dropped when the medical examiner's office said it couldn't find evidence that mohammad was beaten to death. shawn. >> why is it taking the medical examiner's office so long to reach a conclusion and what happens if it's not ruled a homicide? >> sure. we don't know for sure why it's taken this long but typically, when a ruling is delayed this long, shawn, the medical examiner's waiting for toxicology results before deciding on a cause and manner of death. if the manner of death is something other than homicide, then it's unlikely the five men will face charges and the truthfulness of the witnesses will be in question. if the ruling is homicide, it's likely charges -- charges will be refiled, shawn. >> you were told the d.c. police haven't been told about the autopsy. is that typical or unusual? >> it's unusual, shawn. the d.c. police are scratching their heads over this one tonight. typically, the detective investigating a suspicious death is the second person to know after the medical examiner. shawn. >> the

police chief cathy lanier announced the arrest of eight people involved with the east coast drug praying. an attempt by the notorious la familia drug gang i mexico to smuggle drugs through atlanta into winston-salem, north carolina, marynd, and the nation's capital. >> the cartel based out of michoacan,mexico, they're notorious for smuggling not only crystal meth but also cocaine. winter of the philosophies in mexico is that they don't sell to their own people. to their own mexico an nationals themselves prefer to have it smuggled in the united states. >> reporter: he praised his officers. >> over theourse of the past three week, i almost pulled the officers off several times. very dangerous. the officers are extremely heroic in their ability to go ouand do what they do to protect people in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the illegal drs includg millions in crystal th were seized in north carolina charging documents say they tracked the activity in to have this house in temple hills, maryland. >> we were abl to disrupt the large scale trafficking organization that was tapting to get a foot

. >> chief kathy lanier says the undercover operation was so dangerous she thought about pulling the >>> investigators in bald say last week's strip club fire was started on purpose. they say the five-alarm fire was not an accident. they are in the yet calling it an arson. the fire destroyed a building that this -- that had two strip bars. nobody was hurt. -- investigators in baltimore say last week's vip club fire was started on purpose. >>> a man -- last week's strip club fire was started on purpose. >>> we want to get a check on the markets. wall street was down slightly. the nasdaq was off more than 10. asian markets are mixed this morning. japan's nikkei rising a point and a half. lightning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world. >>> we are learning more about the florida school board shooter. his wife says he was a gentle giant who was frustrated because she lost her teaching job. ex-convict clay duke how old a school board meeting at gunpoint. he killed himself after shooting at the school board in panama city, florida

and the question is will he keep cathy lanier on as police chief.nd he's expected to name a new fire chief and that announcement expected at 1:30 this afternoon on reefes street. >>> and the tax bill coming but not without changes. they extended the bush era tax cuts. the cuts are set to expire january 1st. president barack obama said passing this bill is critical to avoid serious economic damage. >> i am absolutely convinced that the tax cut plan, while not perfect, will hope grow our economy and create jobs in the private sector. it will help lift up middle class families who no longer need to worry about a new year's day tax hike. >> you'll also -- the deal extends unemployment insurance and the payroll tax. it's not smooth sailing. house democrats have threatened to change the part of the bill regarding the tax cut on estates. >>> the house has voted to repeal "don't ask, don't tell" to end the 1993 law that prohibits soldiers from revealing they are gay. it goes back to the senate. democratic leaders are trying to squeeze in a vote before adjou

pagel declined to comment, as did the chief of police cathy lanier. mr. nickels referred us back to the motion filed in court. i'm paul wagner in the fox 5 newsroom. >>> now let's talk about the legality of this case. joining us to talk further is d.c.-based attorney ted williams. mr. williams, good to have you with us. >> my pleasure. >> let's start with what the law is in the district. when are you considered legally drunk? >> well, if your blood alcohol content is at the level of a .08, you're considered legally drunk in the district of columbia. now there are diversion programs and if your blood alcohol level is below .15, then you can enter into a diversion program where you may not -- you won't have certain criminal records. now if your blood alcohol is a .20, then it's a mandatory five- day jail sentence. >> so can you imagine if you had to do jail time for a conviction, you may have lost your job in this economy, you may not have been able to get another one, you may have lost your ability to get car insurance, the city has got to be in some deep

. >>> sources close to gray say that he will keep kathy lanier as the police chief.expected announcement will come this week. gray will take office next month. >>> the snowstorm in the midwest is affecting flights of national airport today. the early flights to minneapolis, chicago and indianapolis have been cancelled. more cancellations and delays are expected throughout the day. >>> it is coming up on 6:55. >>> we will have more traffic and weather when 9 news now returns. [ male announcer ] itchy dry scalp? get selsun blue for itchy dry scalp. strong itch-fighters target scalp itch while 5 moisturizers leave hair healthy. selsun blue. got a clue? get the blue. >>> welcome back, everyone. winter weather advisory until 9:00 this morning. it has been extended south ward where snow accumulations continue in the areas of f burke over to culpeper and then to la plata and saint mary's county. it is slowly trying to slide to the east. it will continue to do so throughout the morning hours. if there is an accumulation it will be from the metro area south. look at the seven

now we already know gray will keep cathy lanier as d.c. police chief after he takes office next month. sources say gray will announce a public safety director and that kenneth ellerbe, current fire chief in sarasota in a and a former d.c. fire official is a leading candidate for the job of fire chief here. last night it was announced that the mayor accept current fire chief's rubin's resignation. >> and we have you here and we have to ask you about this. >> it's been an honor to serve for mayor fenty and i know mr. gray will do a fine job. but for now i'm looking at what fire positions may be open out there around the country and in the meantime i would expect i've had a chance to do a lot of consulting and training and other related work in the fire and emergency medical services field. soy -- so i think things will work out well. >> will there be a chief ellerbe? >> i don't know. i'm not privy to that selection. i think whoever is chosen will be a great chief and move our organization forward and continuing to raise the bar and quite fra

it is believed vincent gray will reveal he is keeping chief cathy lanier after the two met at least once for an interview. gray is also expected to name his new public safety director and a new fire chief to replace dennis rubin. sources tell 9news the replacement will be kenneth elerbe, currently a chief in sarasota florida but a former d.c. fire official. >>> the tax bill is expected to pass but the question is what will happen when it gets to the house. >> reporter: republicans are urging house democrats not to mess with president obama's tax cut deal. >> this agreement is not subject to being reopened. >> reporter: tuesday senate minority leader mitch mcconnell warned changing the bill could result in no bill at all and taxes going up for everybody. the senate is expected to approve the measure later today before sending it to the house. >> i don't think we're basing what we want to do on threats by mr. mcconnell. >> reporter: following a closed door meeting tuesday night, house democrats still worry the plan favors the river. they want to amend -- the rich. they want to amend certai

pagel declined to comment, as did the chief of police cathy lanier. mr. nichols referred us back to the motion filed in court. in the fox 5 news room i'm paul wagner. >> thank you very much. >>> 7:21 right now. inside the beltway, many people have not felt the hardships of the economic downturn and now we're learning how good some people may have it. what the census is revealing about our area coming up next. >>> and plus a daring robbery at a world famous casino. and what this guy got away with and how it might be tough to cash in. >>> and a stay now becoming a movie. we're talking about dream girls playing at the duke ellington school of the arts and holly has more on this production coming up. >>> police in las vegas are watching casinos to see if a thief is trying to redeem stolen chips. they released this video of the suspect running from the scene wearing a motorcycle helmet. he made off with a million and a half dollars worth of chips from the belagio. the individual chips are valued at between $100 and 25000 dollars. they can't be used as cash. so

the biggest question is what happened with chief lanier. right now she wants to keep her job. has the highest approval rating out of any top city official in the city. so it seems likely that she'll at least stay on for a while. >> can an incoming mayor succeed in doing that, in keeping some people on board or does it benefit to keep some people on board or is a clean slate the best way to go? >> i think it depends on the position. when you get down to the department level, the department head level where you have people like the police chief, it's more about making sure that there is continuity within the agency. when you get to the -- some of the top political positions, you really want your own people in place so that they are on message with what you want. >> we heard other suggestions that came up. we mentioned the idea of work force housing for the city workers, police and firefighters and is that a possibility and is it something that could work or is this just a way for the mayor elect to say, look i want to put some of my own ideas out there? >> it's an idea. i think