it it's how people want to keep it. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. tis the season to donate. how to >>> we're just a day away from learning where that new casino will be built in the county. one is from mgm. they want it built at national harbor. >> along with it comes construction and traffic. folks along oxon hill road are not looking forward to that. tracee wilkins is live in oxon hill with more on this development drama. >> reporter: they are not looking forward to it because they have had so much of it over the last few years. i can tell you, as a native prince gorge it's getting ready to change more. >> it's not to make life easier. >> reporter: he's lived here 15 years and remembers how oxon hill road used to be. >> still traveled, but wooded, quiet, peaceful. >> reporter: it's not the case anymore. between tanger outlets, national harbor and the street scape project, oxon hill road is much more than a country road. >> all these people here, most likely, they are going down to waldorf. they are just using this as an alternative to 210. >> reporter: 210 where traffic is

get whatever benefits you possibly can out of t and then run. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news4. >> or my tactic, practice say nothing in the mirror before you go out. >>> most babies will get it before the age 26789 coming up, the new vaccine that could stop a common and life-threatening a common and life-threatening illness in infants. [ female announcer ] we eased your back pain... ♪ ready or not. [ female announcer ] ...so you can be up there. here i come! [ female announcer ] ...down there, around there... and under there for him. tylenol® provides strong pain relief and won't irritate your stomach the way aleve® or even advil® can. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol®. >>> in news for your health, a puppy day can keep stress at bay. that was the idea behind bringing 16 service dogs in to hang out with georgetown law students. the pause for paws organization says dogs can help students get through those stressful finals period. all the dogs also provide therapy for wounded veterans, the visually impaired and people who have suffered stroke he is. >>> wel

get whatever benefits you possibly can out of t and then run. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news4. >> or my tactic, practice say nothing in the mirror before you go out. >>> most babies will get it before the age 26789 coming up, the new vaccine that could stop a common and life-threatening ♪ [ male announcer ] we all deserve a good night's sleep. thankfully, there's zzzquil. it's not for colds, it's not for pain, it's just for sleep. ♪ because sleep is a beautiful thing™. ♪ zzzquil. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. >>> in news for your health, a puppy day can keep stress at bay. that was the idea behind bringing 16 service dogs in to hang out with georgetown law students. the pause for paws organization says dogs can help students get through those stressful finals period. all the dogs also provide therapy for wounded veterans, the visually impaired and people who have suffered stroke he is. >>> well, now to new research that could save the lives of some babies. nih scientists say they are pretty close to finding a vaccine that could prevent a severe respirato

liz crenshaw has this warning. >> every day is a gift for the nokes family.years ago melanie and her husband weren't sure they would get the chance to watch their daughter come home from kindergarten. >> her prognosis was five years which right now we are at 4 1/2. >> lily has an incurable form of brain cancer. the struggles for the family, not just emotional. >> we couldn't do it. we had to live with my parents. we lost our house. >> the family reached out for help to brave a nonprofit that raises money and awareness about childhood cancer. >> we provide for families that need them, gas cards, grocery cards. we do home repair and i am movements. >> tom mitchell started still brave after losing his own daughter to cancer. helping 10 to 15 families at a time he says every day he sees people asking for help, sometimes with darker motives. >> immediately i saw red. i was angry. i was very angry. >> she knows that better than anyone. her son christian had a profile on a different fund-raising website, giveforward.com. describing his terminal heart condition and a

for shoppers getting counterfeit gifts could be the least of your problems. >> i'm liz crenshaw. holiday shopping is in full swing. the five questions you need to ask before saying yes to >>> if you were in a check out line, you probably heard the pitch, sign up now for the store credit card and you save 20%. >> before you sign and save, listen to liz crenshaw. she has a warning. >> it's called instant credit and who doesn't want to save money around the holidays? before you say yes to a new store credit card on the spot, do ask yourself these questions. >> do you have a rewards card with us? >> reporter: you have heard the pitch, you are checking out, the clerk says get 15% off today's purchase, just sign up for the store credit card. the instant money savings deal may sound enticing as your cart fills up. >> people go out and shop, sometimes for themselves or for friends. >> reporter: the co-founder of credit.com says there are questions you need to ask before signing up to see if it's really a deal. >> in the moment i wanted 20% off. >> yes number one, how generous is the sign

. >> rorter: i'm liz crenshaw. a way to comparison shop for the best deal without leaving the store. my story is coming up. >>> we are looking at rain across the area. got me choked up a bit. maybe a snow flake >>> police are investigating a rape in silver springs. scott macfarlane is at the live desk with more. >> it happened friday. police released surveillance video of a person of interest. look at your screen. police want to talk to this woman seen leaving a star. they want to talk to her in connection with the rape in silver spring. a woman was grabbed by a man while taking out the trash, then sexually assaulted. it's not clear what she has to do with the rape case but they want to talk to her as soon as possible. at the live desk, i'm scott macfarlane. >>> get ready for company on the roads if you are traveling for christmas. this could be the busiest travel season ever. the roads will be more crowded. chris shows us one gift to expect if you are driving home for the holidays. >> reporter: even if there's a r

liz crenshaw joins us live with an important report. is sidewalk salt toxic for dogs? >> and the pat collins snowman challenge. make a snowman, no matter how big or small, and tweet us your picture. pat collins joins us live next with how the challenge is shaping >>> sure, folks had to deal with slushy sidewalks and roads today and had to maneuver around salt and snowplows and had to put their pipers up so they don't stick to the windshield. you probably do that, too. while a lot of people see trouble when they see snow, others see joy. >> my kids are all psyched. so we'll be sledding this afternoon. >> i could do this all day. i love it. >> every day? >> well, not every day. >> as san turner said he's a native new yorker, so this is his kind of weather. >> most children in our region got to enjoy a day off of school, and the snow that fell today was perfect snow for building a snowman. news 4's pat collins is live with a challenge for all of . >> reporter: this is the official pat collins snow stick. not only can you use it to measure snow, but it also has markings th

plus -- >> i'm liz crenshaw. what are things to watch out for buying gift cards this holiday season? that's the question. the answer >>> prince george's county police are joining forces with the law enforcement to help families in need this holiday season. police will be giving away food baskets to families throughout the county. they will be stationed on new hampshire avenue from 6:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. this event is open to the public. last year, more than 1,000 families dpgot holiday gift baskets. >>> how can you reduce your heating bill? why do stores change their return policy around the holidays? it's friday. let's ask liz. hey, liz. >> nice to see you. >> let's go to the first question from cheryl in laurel, maryland. she writes, she heats her home with electricity and has seen an increase in the bill. is there a way to keep the costs down? >> we turned to pepco for the afternoon. there are easy ways to save money on the electric bill. first, you have to set your thermostat to 68 degr

for all this information, head to our website, www.nbcwashington.com/liz crenshaw. >>> meanwhile, the post office is in the act of processing 607 million pieces of mail today, making it the busiest day of the year compared to 528 million pieces on an average day. this is the day they hope to get the holiday cards in the mail. delivery services are picking up packages being mailed out as well. >>> a long time holiday tradition. she visited youngsters and staff in northwest d.c. and brought first dog bo along. she read the classic holiday book, 'twas the night before christmas and took questions from the patients. >> my favorite christmas treat to eat. oh, that's good. that's a hard one. i like pumpkin pie. is that considered christmas? what? that's your favorite? pumpkin pie. do you like whipped cream on it? yeah. the president loves pumpkin pie. >> when asked what she was getting the president, she said he asked for workout clothes. she continued the holiday tradition for first ladies dating back to truman. >>> holiday shoppers may be focused on getting gifts, but we'll tell you about

liz crenshaw joins us with advice. >> do grab your shovel by the way. many jurisdictions require that you shovel that public sidewalk outside your house just hours after the snow has stopped falling. here are the rules region by region. folks in loudoun county have the shortest deadline. residents are required to shovel public sidewalks of snow and ice within six hours after the snow has stopped falling. d.c. residents required to clear public sidewalks of snow within eight hours ploeg the end of a snowstorm. arlington, prince george, montgomery all have a little longer, 24 hours to remove the snow from public sidewalks adjacent to your property. in fairfax prince william county, no law requiring homeowners to shovel those walks. both counties require that people shovel the sidewalks for safety. with temperatures tonight expected to dip into the low 20s and even teens in some regions, there are steps you can take to prevent pipes in your home from freezing and causing serious damage. j.m. peterson plumbing says frozen pipes can cost tens of thousands in

. >>> i'm liz crenshaw. what are the rules when it comes to traveling by air with food and gifts?s the question. the >>> in the next hour, the first streetcar will be loaded on the new tracks along h street. >> this is the all important testing process before they begin carrying passengers next year. >> tom sherwood joins us live with the details and the street closures about to take place. tom? >> reporter: people have been out here taking pictures. the streetcar arrived at the staging area a short time ago. it's a major step in the new era of transportation for the nation's capitol. after years of planning and testing, the first d.c. streetcar began moving into position for the inaugural test run on h street northeast. local citizens welcome the chance to ride as passengers maybe in early spring. >> i think it's a great idea. i think it's an improvement for the neighborhood and for the other generation coming here to washington. >> my opinion is they need to do something to coordinate the trolleys with the bike shares. it's a dangerous issue now but i think it could be very good

. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. how do you get a letter postmarked from the north pole?hat's the question. the answer is coming >>> how do you make sure your christmas tree lasts through the holidays? how do you get a letter from santa postmarked from the north pole and does liquor have a shelf life? >> a holidayish edition of ask liz. >> a lot of folks are headed out to christmas tree farms. how do you make sure your christmas tree will last throughout the holidays and prevent it from becoming a fire hazard. >> you simply need to keep the tree hydrated. once you get it home, place the tree in water as soon as possible, no later than eight hours after the trunk is cut. as a general rule, there should be one quart of water per inch of stem in diameter in the christmas tree stand. check the water level often. some may take in a lot of water, especially in the first few days. keep the tree away from heat sources such as fire sources, heat vents and sunlight. turn off the lights when you leave the house and go to bed. >> next question comes from ann in virginia. ann wants to

liz crenshaw has the stories. >>> if you have a student loan and have had trouble with the company that handles it, listen up. the consumer financial protection bureau will start supervising company that is manage loans on behalf of lenders. the companies called student loan servicers manage the accounts and process the payments. cfpb has been regulating the banks. now the supervision has extended to non-bank student loan servicers. regardless of whether the loans are federal or private. 50 million borrower accounts will be covered under the new regulation. it will be better able to ensure bank and non-bank services are playing by the same rules. >>> if a big screen tv is on your holiday wish list, you might want to ask for something else. kiplinger announced the list of things not to buy during the hol dais. topping off the list, the brand name big screen tvs. hold off until the end of january, before super bowl. it's when you get the best deal on those. march is the best time to buy luggage since sales slowed. if you want to spruce up your living room, hold up on the new couch. a bett

liz crenshaw wants to make sure you get the most bang for your cyberbuck. don'ts. >> reporter: more than 129 million shoppers expected to shop online monday, chances are you'll abthe work, at home in front of your computer monday sk sk scouring for deals. dos and don'ts. a sight to be seen, crowds fill the stores as shoppers rush to spend holiday dollars on black friday. for those who prefer to shop with the click of a mouse, cybermonday is right around the corner. in fact, half of all americans say they will shop online this cybermonday, according to nielsen. if you're planning to spend, here are dos and don'ts to get the most for your money online. first do, do plan ahead. make a list of gifts you intend to buy, that way you can avoid impulse purchases and focus on getting the best deals on particular items. to get the best price, deal news.com says don't wait for cybermonday for deals on tools, hardware, or appliances. the site says you'll find the best deals on those this weekend instead. also, don't plan to buy electronics or tech gadgets on cybermonda