coping. >> reporter: i'm mass jablow in northwest -- matt jablow in northwest. parents and students in the washington area say it feels much closer. it just felt different. that's what students all across the washington area, all across the country no doubt were saying about being in school today. >> yes, it did feel different. >> reporter: the first day back in class since 20 young children and six adults were shot to death inside sandy hook elementary in newtown, connecticut. at the clinton christian school in upper marlboro, a special prayer service was held this morning to remember the vehicle tips of the shooting and -- victims of the shooting and the flag outside the school was flown at half staff as were flags outside most area schools. >> i told them i loved them. >> reporter: where a lot of parents described a certain anxiety about dropping their kids off today, even though as a precautionary measure security at many schools was significantly heavier and more visible than usual. >> we did a lot of things with the family this weekend. >> reporter: matt j

we told you before matt jablow has their story as thousands turned up in washington today wanting to be heard. >> stop, stop the cuts. >> reporter: in the shadow of the nation's capital where talks continued today to try to avoid the much-discussed fiscal cliff. >> now is not the time for congress to turn its backs on us. >> reporter: several thousand people came together at the upper senate park to add their voices to the discussion. >> we are here today to demand that our government works for us. >> reporter: the rally was organized by several progressive political groups and labor unions. >> so many of us are already dangling on our very own fiscal cliffs. >> reporter: speaker after speaker hammering home the same point. >> we are here to fight for a good deal for america's families and for students. >> reporter: that fiscal cliff negotiations cannot result in cuts to social security, medicare or medicaid. >> how does that make any sense to you? >> reporter: that wealthy americans should be forced to pay their fair share of taxes. >> tax, tax, tax the rich. >> reporter: when the r

very much on the minds of a few thousand people who gathered today right next to the capitol as matt jablow tells us their voices were loud and their message was clear. >> reporter: in the shadow of the nation's capitol. >> amen. >> reporter: where talks couldn'ted today to to avow -- continue today to try to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff. >> now is not the time for congress to turn its backs on us. >> reporter: several thousand people came together at the upper senate park to add their voices to the discussion. >> we are here today to demand that our government works for us. >> reporter: the rally was organized by several progressive political groups and labor unions. >> so many of us are already dangling on our very own fiscal cliffs. >> reporter: speaker after speaker hammering home the same points. >> we are here to fight for a good deal for america's families and for students. >> reporter: that fiscal cliff negotiations cannot result in cuts to social security, medicare, or medicaid. >> how does that make any sense to you? >> reporter: and that wealthy americans should be forced the

we'll get back to matt jablow's story in just a few minutes.hree large national labor unions will begin a television ad campaign, urging the congress to reject cuts vital to social programs and make wealthy americans pay what the unions say would be their fair share in taxes. >>> with newtown, connecticut,

matt jablow has that story from upper marlboro. >> everybody was a little bit more aware how thankful we were for life. >> reporter: it just felt different. that's what students all across the washington area, all across the country no doubt were saying about being in school today. >> it did feel different. >> reporter: the first day back in class since 20 young children and six adults were shot to death inside sandy hook elementary in newtown, connecticut. >> i want to make sure it's clear that what happened in connecticut by no means means that good doesn't exist. it's just the evidence that evil does. >> reporter: at the clinton christian school in upper marlboro, a special prayer service was held this morning to remember the vehicle tips of the shooting. the flag outside the school was flown at half staff. ♪ we need... ♪ >> reporter: as were flags outside most area schools. >> i told them i loved them. >> reporter: a lot of parents described a certain amount of ant about dropping -- anxiety about dropping off their kids even though security at many schools was significantly heavie

matt jablow has the story. >> standing what is best for us and railing against what isn't. >> reporterhas come at long last for america to stand up to the national rifle association. >> the national rifle association is here to sell weapons and to make money. >> reporter: and adopt meaningful gun control laws good we seem to honor the caliber of our weapon instead of the caliber of our character. >> reporter: the bishop of the catholic diocese, he led a small but passionate group of protesters outside nova firearms in falls church. >> we've seen this before. >> reporter: calling for starters for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines in the bloody wake of the shootings at sandy hook elementary school. >> to allow these kind of guns that have no other purpose but to murder, slaughter innocent people and children is just insane. >> reporter: chuck nesbee completely disagrees fears a slippery slope towards a comprehensive gun ban. he says despite the tragedy at sandy hook elementary, he remained adamantly opposed to an assault weapons ban. >> i disagree with that. >> reporte

matt jablow joinsous live from near the scene with -- joins us live from near the scene with the details. >> reporter: i'm standing now in a neighborhood many residents describe as safe. it happened just after midnight when 14-year-old elizer reyes was walking down the street near his house with two other people. a car drove up and shots were fired hitting the 14-year-old reyes and one of the people he was with. the 14-year-old was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. the other victim is in stable condition. it was a gang-related shooting and the victims were apparently targeted. i spoke earlier today with a woman who saw reyes literally dying in the street. what did you think when you saw what you saw last night? >> it breaks my heart to see violence like that because it's a shame that people shouldn't be that way towards other people. we're all the same at end of the day. >> reporter: should you have any information about the person or people responsible for this shooting, you're asked to call crime stoppers at 1-866- 411-tips. >> hopefully they get some information. >>> another

distance of that cliff we thought it would be a good time to break out the soapbox once again so matt jablow packed it up and headed out to mcpherson square earlier today. >> reporter: what do you do for a living? >> i'm in the government. >> reporter: what do you make of this whole fiscal cliff mess? >> it seems like a against baby- sitting gig in a way. >> i'm really disappointed because, one, our lives are in other people's hands, and if you raise the taxes, how are we going to survive for 201 and on? >> i'm just, like i said, waiting to see what comes up and hope for the best. >> a lot of people don't know that we will automatically see a 2% did he address in our take- home tax. >> are you angry that we're even in this situation? >> not so much angry. just frustrated and, you know, just confused by it all, the lack of willingness to strike a deal should. what would you like lawmakers to give you regarding the fiscal cliff? >> compromise. i want them to come together and fix this problem. >> come together for a common goal. >> we really need a solution here. >> give back to the citizens,

matt jablow has that story. >> reporter: standing for what is best in us and railing against what isn't says the time has come at long last for america to stand up to the national rifle association. >> the national rifle association is here to sell weapons and make money. >> reporter: and adopt meaningful gun control laws. >> we seem to honor the caliber of our weapon instead of the caliber of our character. >> reporter: the bishop of the cath like diocese of one spirit led a group of protesters outside of a firearms store, nova firearms, calling for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines in the wake of the blooding shootings at sandy hook elementary school. >> to allow these type of guns that have no purpose other than to murder, slaughter innocent people and children is insane. >> reporter: chuck disagrees, fearing the slippery slope toward a more comprehensive gun ban. >> what's after that, semiautomatic handguns. >> reporter: the chief firearms instructor, he says despite the tragedy at sandy hook elementary, he remains adamantly opposed to an assault weapons ban. >> i

live in northwest washington, matt jablow, 9 news now. >>> 9 wants you to know about an undercover investigation into d.c. cabs, black passengers and a destination in southeast. investigative reporter russ ptacek is here with me. he spent the past few days on the street with hidden cameras. what you're about to show us is something we know happens, but it's always interesting to see it on tape. >> it's interesting. you tell me about it and people i'm meeting here in washington tell me about it, but i was shocked to see it. take a look as one of our employees tries to catch a cab. this is just off dupont circle. the first person you see is white. right behind him, that's the black guy. you hear that sound. he's locking the door. so he refuses that beach now we have a second staffer, this -- employee. now we have a second staffe this guy white asking to go to the same location. he pulls up. >> hi. how are you? >> doesn't ask where he's  going. he immediately gets in. >> you have the address? >> yup. 1351 alabama. >> same location and he takes off. what he doesn't know is i'm waiting 100 feet dow

live in lewisdale, matt jablow, 9 news now. >>> a drive-thru atm blows up in fredericksburg, virginia, this morning at the virginia credit union on gordon shelton boulevard. luckily nobody was hurt, but it forced evacuation of nearby apartments. the bomb squad spent hours combing the area this afternoon. investigators are studying bank security video trying to find a suspect. the atm was damaged, but it's still working. >>> the clock just keeps right on ticking, 27 days to go until the country could go off that fiscal cliff and unfortunately for all of us both sides seem to be digging in their heels while insisting they do want a deal. if they can't find some compromise before the end of this year, taxes will go up for everybody and some massive spending cuts will kick in. president obama has rejected the latest profile bit republicans because it does not include a -- proposal by the republicans because it does not include a tax hike on the wealthy americans offering instead to close some tax loopholes, danielle nottingham with the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: house members