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." >>> hello, i'm pat lawson muse. we are going to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them, a major mystery is solved. how a social mix up helped police. >>> puppipalooza hits a college campus. part of a popular study break for stressed out students. >>> first of all, the end of an era. darcy spencer has more on what the end of the war meant for some service members who got a chance to come home. >> reporter: the last convoy of u.s. troops left iraq at daybreak crossing into kuwait marking the end of the nearly nine-year war. >> it's nice to leave. >> reporter: this says it all. last vehicle out of iraq, written in chalk. there were 500 soldiers involved in the last convoy. >> looking forward to getting home. everybody is going to look back and say we were the last ones there. >> reporter: soldiers have to wait five days in kuwait. they passed the time playing cards and games. >> i can't wait to go home. >> reporter: the war has been costly. it claimed the lives of 4,500 am

pat lawson muse joins us this morning to tell us about ps charities. >> good morning. ps charities is an organization that works to support men and women in our military and people who are suffering from cancer. one of the organization's missions is to provide financial assistance to these groups and scholarships. they need your help to do that. the number to call is 202-885-4949. joining us to talk about ps charities is luann dean, wife of a military marine and a breast cancer survivor and michael chandler is executive director of ps charities. welcome both of you to our program this morning. luann, tell us, you started this organization and you had a specific reason for doing so. >> starting ps charities was -- we've always felt like we wanted to give back to the community. after 22 years of my husband serving in the marine corps, he started his own organization. his own company. after a couple years, we said when we have profit and when we can, we're going to give back. we started on a very, very small level giving back to local -- the red cross. and then it grew to

here's pat lawson muse. >> since the 1960s the latin america youth center has grown to help more and more young people. but for that to continue they need your help this morning. the number to call, 202-885-4949. joining us is lori, executive director and elmer diaz, former client and a current staff member. elmer, i understand that you just bought your first house. >> yes. i did. i'm so excited about it. and, you know, i started going to the center as a teenager and before that, i was not -- my life was not going in the right direction. the latin america youth center helped me get on the right track. also helped me build a better relationship with my family. i owe a lot to the latin america youth center and helped me with the resources. i have gotten a chance go back to college and won a scholarship with them and also they gave me a job. and that -- all ties up to me being a homeowner and -- now that i am a homeowner, i'm successful, i enjoy what i do, give back to the community. >> that's a wonderful story. success story. lori, there are many young people like elmer who have come t

good afternoon, i'm pat lawson muse. i'm aaron gilchrist in for jim handly. we start with the wind, 30-mile-an-hour winds in some parts of the area. >> kim is in the storm center to tell us more about this. it's chilly. >> it is. coming off the heels of what was a lot of rain, now the next thing in line, the crazy, gusty winds. we don't have a wind advisory. the winds are strong, blowing around what may be old christmas trees you have put outside. we have wind gusts outside reagan national at 26 miles per hour. gusting to almost 36 miles per hour in hagerstown and annapolis. 24 in camp springs. now, the temperatures this afternoon have been pretty good. we are at 43 right now and 44 at la playda. look what happens when i factor in the wind with the temperatures. 24 in hagerstown. the 40s go away and feel like 35 degrees. the windchill a big factor. we don't have to worry about snow. we are going to stay dry. we deal with the windy weather through 9:00. temperatures easing back from 37 down to 36 by 11:00. chilly overnight. the bright, silver lining is we will

pat lawson is here to tell us about a woman's choice. >> having a baby should be a joyous time, but for those having a difficult home lives or difficult with money it could be a scary time. the woman's choice is trying to make it easier for those in that situation. joining us now to talk more about a woman's choice is the executive director, and little ba ba baby sophie is with us. >> well, the services are free. we help them through the emotional time and financial time. many of our women do not have health insurance so they find it often times a very difficult system to deal with. and we make sure that they get the prenatal care that they need, either by going through the social service system or sometimes actually sending them to private physician. >> tell us how the clinic helped you. when you showed up, you found out you were pregnant. >> so when i was pregnant i head to woman's choice, and i been the to the woman's choice office and they provided me many things, and -- >> all the little supplies that the baby needed? >> exactly. the most important was the medical assistance, and m

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm barbara harrison in for jim handly. what a difference a day makes as pat said. it was in the 60s yesterday, today in the 40s. >> veronica johnson is in the weather center with details. veronica? >> a big drop from not only where we were yesterday at this time, but a big difference from where we were shortly after midnight. temperatures didn't start dropping until the early, early morning hours. in the 60s late last night, early this morning. 64 in manassas and culpeper. now, 15 to 20 degrees cooler. on top of that, we have cloud cover and light shower that is are falling across southern portions of the viewing area. 44 with 45% humidity. a lot of moisture in the air. if you are not getting the rain, it feels humid out there. fredericksburg getting the rain. most of the area is dry. quantico, virginia, richmond area, all that through the northern neck where the rain is making its way from southwest, east and northeastward sliding through. evening showers are going to be around for awhile. in the 40s now. 46 in fredericksb

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. president obama told americans leaving iraq ends one of the greatest chapters in u.s. history. he made the remarks in ft. bragg, north carolina. >> all troops are due out of iraq by new year's eve. we have the story. >> reporter: the gold at the end of the rainbow over ft. bliss, texas, was the return home of 200 soldiers who had been to iraq and now back in the arms of loved ones. >> it's good. it's about time. >> reporter: over the next few weeks at military institutions things like this will play out repeatedly. the drawdown of u.s. troops in iraq is just in time for the holidays. >> i'm happy he's going to be here for christmas. we were not expecting him. >> reporter: it's also just what president obama ordered. he went to ft. bragg in north carolina wednesday to cheer those returning, himself. >> on behalf of a grateful nation, i'm proud to finally say these two words and i know your families agree, welcome home. [ applause ] >> welcome home. >> reporter: mostly, the president pr

>> i'm pat lawson muse. still no deal, yet. the budget wrangling continues on capitol hill. so does the threat of another possible government shutdown. here is a live look at where lawmakers are trying to come up with a spending plan. the biggest blocks, payroll taxes and unemployment benefits. steve handelsman reports the issues will be resolved before the deadline. >> reporter: with government set to partially shutdown saturday, a rare show of cooperation in the senate. a deal on tax cuts and funding government. >> we are going to resolve both on a bipartisan basis. >> reporter: the democrats are tieing the issues into one. republicans need to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits without pushing a controversial oil pipeline. the white house has a countdown clock. president obama stood with workers who need payroll taxes kept low. >> congress needs to make sure 160 million working americans don't see taxes go up january 1. >> reporter: on the key, obama demand -- the white house caved, again. >> the president's priority isn't to raise taxes, it's been to low

pat lawson tells us about second genesis. >> 202-885-4949. their mission is to break the cycle of addiction. thomas barrett is the ceo, and we have a second genesis client. you have been around for 40 years. i know we were talking about you way back in the '80s, and you have done good work over the decades. tell us about the services you offer? >> we offer chemical dependency treatment for men and women as well as for families. and our staff is very dedicated, and we're very passionate about the treatment of this disorder. >> tell us about your clients, where they come from and how many you are able to treat? >> well, at second genesis, we are able to treat over 2,000 clients. it's quite a large patient population. they come from northern virginia, maryland, as well as the washington, d.c. metropolitan area. >> dwayne, you were a former client. a client 15 years ago. tell me the story about the circumstances that led you to the organization? >> i was a substance abuser for 20 years, and ended up throwing away relationships and creating a lot

here is pat lawson. >> today we are spotlighting the greater washington urban league.erence in the lives of people in the washington area, especially with those struggling with the basic needs of everyday life. our phone volunteers are at 202-885-4949, if you would like to make donations or voluntary. welcome back to our guests. tell us about the commodities program. >> thanks to the department of health and the department of agriculture, we can provide for senior citizens a bag of groceries a month. it's a large bag with things that they can cook and things that will last for a while, and they don't have to be home alone starving, and that's the basic part of the program. it's operated out of our building, as well as three other sites in the city. >> it also helps lack tating mothers. >> yes, they are using the wic program. >> david, we talked about how they helped you with the down payment for your first house, and they taught you how to buy a house and be a good homeowner? >> yes, i had to go through a class where they told us about the lenders and how to create a b

here is pat lawson. >> the d.c. people starting to heal from sexual violence. they need your help this morning. the number to call is 202-885-4949. what is the hardest thing. >> breaking their story, telling it for the first time. 202-333-rape is the number to call. there are trained counselors there all the time regardless. >> how many calls do you get? >> about 600 calls a month. >> and once the victims break the silence, what is the biggest need? >> the biggest need is being believed, being told this was not their fault and that there is hope and services available to them and that they can get help and their lives will get better. >> was that the case for you? >> it definitely was. i think after, you know, talking to somebody for the first time, finding a community actually out there of people who had the same experience was really powerful for me to be able to take a step towards healing, knowing i was not the only one and alone, and there are women that were out there that survived the experience and doing wel

here is pat lawson. >> our 12 days of giving focus today is a nonprofit group making a big differencen our community. today we're hoping you can help the group dreams for kids. the number to call is 202-885-4949. >>> you mentioned you have a big party coming up. >> it's called holiday for hope. we have about 700 children registered to come out and we give them two gifts each and a boston market meal. and we need more volunteers all the time to build the bond with these children and to pass out the gifts. >> and most of your children, the ones coming from the d.c. shelter are going to the party? >> yes, they are. we have about 300 children that are scheduled to participate, so hopefully, you know, on sunday they enjoy themselves, and really enjoy this holiday season. >> it's the first year that your shelter has partnered with dreams for kids? >> yes. >> and you mentioned presents. i assume those presents are toys? >> yes, they are toys. we are looking for toys for ages from 5 to 15, so that would satisfy all of the children coming out that day, and a lot of our supporters have been doi

pat lawson muse joins with us a preview of things to come. >> yes. hi, barbara.ike ran italian restaurant. we are following developments on capitol hill which will directly affect your wallet. as the house of representatives balks at that time short-term payroll tax cut passed in the senate. plus, why the toys under the tree this year will be safer than ever. ♪ i did it my way >> also at 4:00, rags to riches story from "america's got talent." then at 5:00, a new trend in holiday giving makes its way to the d.c. area. now a local woman has a whole lot to smile about this christmas thanks to the kindness of strangers at kmart. all those stories and the day's top stories on "news4 at 4:00." >>> we have time for the final check on the forecast. >> beautiful sky around the region. live view from the sky watcher camera and temperatures right now as we approach the moon hour. climbing into the 40s and later today, climbing into the low 50s by mid afternoon. quite a bit of sun. then the clouds close in from the west by late this afternoon and cloudy tonight and tomorrow.

i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm pat lawson muse in for eun yang. good morning on this friday, december 9th. it's a cold morning out there. you will need a heavy sweater or your coat, tom kierein. >> or both. you want to layer up. >> it is frosty cold on this friday morning. good morning. >>> starting off to a clear sky, though, now. we've got a bright moon getting into the western sky. it's nearly full and will be full tonight. right now at reagan national, it's 36. we've got high humidity. so there is a lot of frost. you'll be scraping frost off the windshield. don't use your employee i.d. to do that. try to find an ice scraper before you leave the house. you'll be needing it. and then later today we'll be warming up. but right now it is in the mid and upper 250s from west virgina all the way to the bay and eastern shore. right near the water, it's a little above freeze. we're going to stay below freezing. over the last 12 hours, just a few high clouds drifting in overnight. they've cleared out temporarily. they have a front west and north of us.

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm aaron in for jim handly. here's what's happening right now.ppers crowding into malls hoping for the post holiday deals. some stores are offering up to 70% off. other shoppers are looking to cash those gift cards or return the gifts that just weren't right. >>> republican presidential candidates kick their campaigns into high gear for eight days before the iowa caucuses. romney and perry will launch bus tours. gingrich tries to rebound after not collecting enough signatures to appear on the virginia ballot. he lives in virginia. >>> it's been a busy year for the royal family in britain. they are more popular now than other generations thanks to william and kate. there was a medical emergency. >> the family patriarch, the queen's husband is in the hospital. stephanie gosk has the latest from london. >> reporter: every christmas they come to catch a glimpse of the royal family. this year, the crowd broke a record, 3,000 people. [ applause ] >> reporter: the day was not all festive. the royal entranlg was minus one. the quen's husband, prince phil

good afternoon, i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. here is what's at stake for you if lawmakers can't reach a deal over the payroll tax cut. january 1, the social security tax rate goes back to 6.2% from the 4.2%. paychecks will be $40 smaller on average. long term unemployment expires and doctors face an estimated 0 20% cut in their medicare payments. the clock is running. neither side seems will ing to make the next move. brian mooar has the latest. >> reporter: with taxes set to go up in ten days, president obama called john boehner to turn up the heat. >> the ball is in the house's court. there's a compromise available. >> reporter: they are refusing to pass a senate compromise and are digging in for a bite. the senate is gone away for the holiday. >> all we are asking for is to get the senate members over here to work with us to resolve our differences so we can do what everybody wants to do. >> reporter: they passed the 60-day extension with broad support. >> it's agreed to. >> democrats and the president down are all but daring

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. the funeral took place this afternoon for officer deriek crouse who was killed thursday after making a routine traffic stop at virginia tech. he was a man who loved his family and his job. the man who shot him, a 22-year-old killed himself a short time later. police released no motive in the killing. >>> as the u.s. withdrawal of troops in iraq winds down, president obama is meeting with iraqi prime minister. today, they went to arlington cemetery that marked the americans killed in the war. >>> this is the day delivery companies have been preparing a year for. today traditionally marks the busiest shipping day of the year with cyber shopping and spending up, forecasters predict it could be busiest today. >>> the dow jones closed in negative territory. >>> disgraced former penn state football coach jerry sandusky is preparing to face his accuser in court tomorrow. >> allegations he sexually ab e abused him when they were children. jay gray has the latest from state college, pennsylvan

i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. the u.s. and other world powers are closely watching north korea after news that kim jong-il has died. he was grooming his third oldest son to take over. it's not sure if he has the backing of the military or countrymen. >> reporters removeed from the courtroom. bradley manning is accused of giving hundreds of thousands of classified documents to wikileaks. a hearing continues tomorrow to determine if he will face a court-martial. >> the house is gearing up for a showdown. members are set to vote on the payroll tax extension. house republicans say the two-month extension isn't long enough and they plan to vote it down. it may be too late to compromise. the senate is adjourned for the year. >>> stocks were down for the end of the trading week amid concerns over the euro debt crisis. it dropped 99 points. nasdaq down 32. s&p 500 ended 14 points lower this monday. >>> prince harry is making headlines after finding himself in the middle of an unfolding crime. harry rushed in to help his friend aft

good evening, i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm barbara harrison in for jim handly. a congresswoman sent a formal apology to mrs. obama. he regrets his inappropriate comment. he was overheard at reagan national airport talking about a conversation he had with a woman about michelle obama. he said the first lady should practice what she preaches and referred to her large posterior. most thing the congressman crossed the line. >> i find it to be unbelievable. >> reporter: why? >> she looks to be extremely healthy and has he seen her arms on the first lady? >> i have no idea what the context, but it's unheard of to call her by nonsense. she's doing good work. >> so far, the first lady's office has not issued a reaction or response. >>> news 4 viewers are sounding off on facebook today. here are some of the comments they wrote. lauren wrote one never talks ability a woman's body. two, focus on fixing this country's problems instead of making insensitive unnecessary remarks. kathleen said i don't care for mrs. obama or her husband but insulting someone over their body mak

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm wendy rieger in for jim handly. we are going start with a developing story about a half hour ago. verizon wireless changed their plan. they were going to charge 24 hours after announcing it. >> the $2 convenience fee. they were going to charge two bucks every month to pay bills on the website or by phone. a verizon spokesperson said they listened to customers and decided to ditch the fee. >>> a hollywood couple, yet another one getting a divorce. russell brand is divorcing katy perry. he said sadly, wing our marriage. i'll always adore her and we will remain friends. se filed divorce. they married in india in october of last year. they spent christmas apart and neither one was wearing a wedding ring. >>> now to our outstanding weather as we are finishing up 2011. >> what a way to end a year and start another. storm 4 meteorologist, doug kammerer is here. >> we have sunshine across the area. it is simply gorgeous this friday afternoon. 53 degrees is the current temperature. dew point is 33 with a wind out of the sout

i'm pat lawson muse. i'm jim vance.n has been coming down all day that's caused some travel troubles on the roads and flight delays. getting a break right now. on the way into the studio, chuck, i noticed a gorgeous shaft of light and even a rainbow out there. >> you got that right. a beautiful day outside today. there's the live picture of the u.s. capitol building under a mostly cloudy sky. to the west, skies have cleared enough to let a little bit, the last few rays of sunshine get in and make some beautiful rainbows as well. this is one view of the rainbow we shot a little bit ago. this is the rea

here is pat lawson mute. >> if you are looking at just the right charity this holiday to support this season, the catalogue for philanthropy can help you. it connects them with small community-based nonprofits in the area. the number to call to help is 202-885-4949. welcome back, the executive director of the catalogue, and ms. jefferies with higher achievement. >> we mail to generally high net households and introduce them to small local nonprofits. >> for the first time this year we can read about the charity in city paper. >> the city paper and the catalogue for fphilanthropy teamed up. >> lindsay, you found it in your neighborhood? >> yes, exactly. i had the city paper in our local coffee shop and a lot of our voluntary mentors are finding out about us through the city paper. >> tell us what the mentors do for higher achievement. >> absolutely. our mentors come one night aweek and teach a group of scholars and they develop really strong relationships with the middle students that launch them into high school and beyond. >> tell us how the catalogue got started? >> it got started i

. >> i'm pat lawson muse in for eun yang on this friday morning, december 23rd. here's a look outside as the sky begins to brighten. it's been wet out there this morning. needed the umbrella coming in. tom, we won't need it for the whole day. >> for the next several days, we'll be in a drying and cooling trend. for those pining for colder weather, your wishes have been granted. it will be turning colder as the day progresses. right now at reagan national, just down river to the right, it's at 50 degrees. it's only going to warm up maybe another four or five degrees for the high today around noontime. then get much colder tonight. wind out of the north/northwest 10 to 15 miles an hour. over the next 12 hours, rain coming through. that moving color is rain. now the cloud cover beginning to break up a little bit. still mostly cloudy throughout much of the region. we ought to have sunshine as dawn approaches. sunrise today at 7:24. montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties now in the mid and upper 40s. it's in the low 50s, southern maryland, northern n

i'm pat lawson muse sitting in for eun yang this morning. >> good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. >>> let's take a live look outside this morning. we had an almost full moon all night long. it was gorgeous with clear skies. 38 degrees right now here in the nation's capital. here's tom to take a look at our forecast. >> there is a live picture of that moon, which will have it partially obscured by the earth's shadow predawn tomorrow morning. we may have enough of a clear sky to see a partial lunar eclipse tomorrow morning right before dawn. it's the center of the country that folks will see a total lunar eclipse early saturday morning. right now around our region, the moon is illuminating the frost. i saw a sparkling sort of silvery frost under that moon light before i left the house earlier this morning. right now 35 cold degrees at reagan national. that's one of the warm spots. elsewhere, we are below freezing. we have frost all the way from the mountains to atlantic beaches. right near the bay waters, a little bit above freezing. most locations in the mid and uppe

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. a whole new twist this morning. >> the form he assistant football coach jerry sandusky made his first appearance in a courtroom. but not as long as expected. he walked out just minutes after his pretrial hearing was call to order. jay gray has details. >> reporter: for now, the face to face showdown between jerry sandusky and his accusers will have to wait. >> the best possible defense. to stay the course, fight for four quarters. we await the tub to present our side. >> reporter: sandusky and his attorneys left the on county courthouse this morning after a last-minute decision to forego a scheduled pretrial hearing. >> we decided late last flight that the better part of the tactical maneuver from our standpoint would be to waive today's proceeding. >> reporter: the move dramatically impacts the strategy on both sides of this high profile case. in exchange for waiving the hearing interesting defense says they were promised that prosecutors would not raise bail box provide discovery in

here is pat lawson. >> thanks, barbara. taking care of an older pet can get tough, but house for the heart makes it easier for the pets. we have a sanctuary for older animals. and cher runs the center. >> it seems at the end of the rescue center, they had people saying i had a dog since it waswas 8 years old, and now it's 13, and i can't take care of it anymore. and i rescued just seniors. >> once you walk into this place, you don't want to leave. you just want to go back. the dogs touch your heart. cher's energy and love for the dogs touch your heart, and it's a good way to get a good feeling. you know you are doing something to help something that needs it, and they don't ask for anything in return. >> and tell us about your care for the dogs, includes taking care of their needs as they age, and then you give them a dignified end of life. >> absolutely. usually we let our dogs go with the vets assistants, and when their bodies are put in the container to go for kraemation. the people who touch them, the last time they are

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. it was a tense couple of hours today for some riders on metro's blue and orange lines this morning. after a piece of train came off creating sparks and smoke. >> dozens of passengers were stranded after three trains were damaged. news4 as pat collins is live this afternoon outside of metro headquarters with the latest what went wrong. pat? >> reporter: pat, this turned out to be a three-train event. and the troublemaker is something they call a friction. a metal disc about the size of this reel. it is part of the braiking system and fell off of one of the trains and hit the third rail and then -- two trains coming right behind it. this happened around 9:45 this morning between the plaza and smithsonian station. there was a lot of smoke and sparks. there were a lot of frightened passengers. this is what they had to say. >> we heard noises and the train was moving strange and then there were sparks. >> then you see big old flame and the train stops in the tunnel. >> then all of a sudden

. >> i'm pat lawson muse siting in for eun yang on this friday, december 9th. >>> and this morning onews, the virginia tech community is once again coming together and coming to grips with another tragic shooting on cal pus. this time the victim was a campus police officer shot and killed during a routine traffic stop. investigators say a separate man who wasn't affiliated with the stopped car was the gunman. he was found a short time later shot to death in a separate parking lot. it's still not clear if he killed himself or he had been wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the campus police officer. the virginia tech campus was locked down for hours yesterday as police made sure the gunman wasn't still on the loose. even after the lockdown, students say they are still shocked and unsettled by what happened. >> it's heart breaking. we're all just distraught about it all. we've had several encounters with the police officers, and they've always been polite and nice to us and try to help us. so when one of them goes down, it's really hard. >> final exams which were scheduled for today

. >> and i'm pat lawson muse. i'm in for eun yang this morning. >>> new from overnight, "g" street northwest is still closed between 11th and 12th street because of a blown transformer. this happened a little after 11:00 at the intersection of "g" and 11th. police originally thought it was a robbery at the suntrust as an explosion blew out two windows at the bank. pepco is on the scene working to fix the problem and reopen the area. >>> congress will finally approve an extension of the payroll tax cut just days before it was set to expire. house republicans are bowing to pressure by democrats and fellow republicans in the senate to agree to a two-month version of the tax cut. the senate passed a version of the bill last week. house speaker john boehner demanded a one-year renewal of the tax cut, and he insists that's still the best policy. >> when you look at this, it's another short term extension. this creates uncertainty for job creators. i used to run a small business. i know how this works. and kicking the ca

i'm pat lawson muse. after years and years of lobbying, tax drivers may get a fare hike and a credit card payment option. the rate would jump to $2.16. and the wait time $15 to 25 bucks. cabbies say it's about time. what are critics saying? >> they've been fighting for quite some time. this was a big, big controversy with the cabs. they wanted to push ahead. but fenty, not to say he ignored it, but his administration didn't take it up. vince gray's administration is different. that's the reason why we're seeing this now. vince gray has been more or less -- has aligned himself with the struggles of the taxicab people. but i would say if you're going to have a raise, it's fine. but i think they need to put a lot of emphasis on bettering the cab's service. because we still find pockets around washington where cabs won't go, especially in the black communities. we also find people in the cabs who can hardly speak english and they hardly know the streets of washington. so all of this goes into the pot if we're

. >> i'm pat lawson muse in for eun yang this morning.elcome to "news 4 today" on this friday, december 23rd. it's a wet friday morning. a little brisk out there, but it is december after all. tom, we could use a little clearing later. >> in fact, we get a little sunshine after sunrise this morning, which is at 7:24. and temperatures will be dropping after noontime toda

. >>> pat lawson muse joins us from the news room for a preview of what is to come. >> there will be a news conference to talk about the exact cause of a fire that killed children and their grandparents. we will have that for you. and then on news4 at 5:00, the unprecedented roles that women are playing in the war in the middle east. bridging the gap between communities and groups on the ground. for awful those stories plus the latest on our weather, join us for news4 starting at 4:00. >> thank you, and we will see you soon. and a final check of the forecast. veronica johnson, people want to know about the rain and how much is coming. you said it was going to get nasty. >> yes, and everything is packed and my umbrella is in the car. >> i am not the only one. >> you know, the whole schumah k maker thing, we have the raggy shoes, and my umbrella is in the car. >> my umbrella is at home. you are better than me. >> we have chilly spots in montgomery county and montgomery village, 37 and 38 degrees. we're in the low 40s, and even mid-40s in some spots. and district heights at 42 degrees.

. >> i'm pat lawson muse. here's what's happening.er illinois governor, rod blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison today. before he was sentenced, blagojevich apologized for the crimes and asked the judge for mercy. he'll turn himself in february 16th. >>> police are looking for a couple high school girls after another teenage girl was stabbed outside northwood high school. a 17-year-old student was trying to break up a fight after a basketball game last night. the victim is expected to survive. >>> a dozen protesters were arrested for blocking busy k street during a march downtown today. at least four groups, including occupy d.c. were taking part in the rally. they staged a stand-in and were taken into custody when they refused orders to move. >>> jerry sandusky was arrested today after two new allegations of sual abuse. the latest victims say, like the others, they met sandusky through his charity organization, the second mile. sandusky is charged with sexually assaulting ten boys. >>> a change in the case at syracuse. >>

jim handly and pat lawson muse are both off tonight. >>> dashcam confirmed what authorities thought about the man who shot and killed the university police officer before taking his own life. we have the latest on this investigation. >> reporter: virginia state police say it looks like thursday's deadly shooting was a murder suicide. the same gun used to kill campus police officer was found beside the body of a man suspected of a self-inflicted gunshot. they don't know why the officer was targeted. >> it's very much the fundamental part of the investigation now. >> reporter: thursday, during a traffic stop he made on campus that a man walked up and shot the decorated officer as he sat in his patrol car. dashcam video showed him on tape. >> he ran to the greenhouses where he changed clothes, taking off a pull over top and wool cap and put them in the backpack where he left at the greenhouses. >> the dead suspected killer was found after that. he was not a virginia tech student. while they investigate his motives, the school is mourning the loss of the officer with another vigil set to take

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. here's what's happening at 4:30. republican presidential candidate newt gingrich met with donald trump. he's the only one that said he would appear at a debate moderate moderated by trump. he's gaining numbers in iowa and new hampshire. >> a 15 foot tall shelter that occupy d.c. protesters put up has been taken down. demonstrators resulted in 31 arrests. police respect the first amendment, but the structure was a safety hazard. >>> snail mail is about to become slower. the u.s. postal service announced huge service scale cut backs today including getting rid of next day delivery. officials tell us the cuts are necessary as more and more people turn to e-mail and the internet to take care of business. if the cuts are not enough, saturday mail delivery could be the next thing on the chopping block. >>> stocks made modest gains on monday. the dow was up, nasdaq and s&p 500 closed higher. the gains came following news that france and germany completed a new treaty to help with the euro zone debt crisis. >> there are new

. >> i'm wendy rieger in for pat lawson muse.n california is seeing the strongest santa ana winds they have seen in years. the l.a. area experiencing wind gusts as high as 97 miles per hour. it's knocked down trees, started fires. the winds aren't expected to die down until tomorrow. >> new dismissal policies. a plan that lets government workers leave on staggered schedules or a designated time during blizzards. it's in an effort to avoid the carmageddon that happened last year. >> gary giordano is back in america. he defended himself on good morning america today. he was asked about the call he made to check out the insurance policy he took out on robyn gardner and himself. his attorney asked him to check on it to see if he has to pay for the search. >>> wall street stocks finished on a flat note today. it comes ahead of the government jobs report expected tomorrow morning. the dow was down 25 points, nasdaq down five and s&p 500 off by two. >>> most people have antivirus software for computers and laptops. now your smartphone n

. >> i'm pat lawson muse.are looking into what caused a single car crash that killed two young women in silver spring. a 22-year-old was driving on university boulevard when she crossed several lanes of traffic and hit a brick wall. richards and a passenger were killed. another passenger, an 18-year-old is in serious condition. >> investigators are trying to figure out why a pick-up truck crossed a median last night before colliding with the metro bus. the pike was shut down nearly eight hours. the truck driver is 49 years old from silver springs. >>> polls show mitt romney is the new republican front-runner. ron paul is a close second. rick santorum surged to third place. former front-runner, newt gingrich continues his slide placing a distant fourth. they are adding blitzes and bus tours to change voters minds for the caucuses that take place january 3rd. >>> the dough was up 136 points, nasdaq up 24 and s&p up 13. gains came after encouraging news about the u.s. jobs and housing market. >>> there will be no

here is pat lawson with the news this afternoon. >> we're keeping tabs on the wild wet weather. we will have the latest on the downpour. plus the snow in our forecast. and then they lived in a million-dollar house by a lake and took exotic vacations, so how did one couple collect $100,000 in welfare payments. it's a massive case of fraud. >>> and at 5:00, some are calling it break dancing and others say it's a great workout. can you shed the pounds by busting a move like these breakers. that's starting at 4:00. >> do you think we ought to try that, pat? >> no, i don't. honestly, no. >>> we have time for a final check on the forecast. here is tom. >> my head has been spinning looking at the weather the last couple days and it will be changeable. light rain now locally, getting it and changing over to snow in west virginia and temperatures are mild. we're in the 50s. 55 at reagan national and it will be dropping into the afternoon as the afternoon progresses we will have rain at times and flooding and then in the mid-30s by midnight and by then we will have the rain change over to

i'm pat lawson muse. >> i'm jim handly. right now, the fbi is raiding the home of harry thomas jr.es are looking into allegations that thomas misused $300,000 from a youth program, spending the money on an suv and personal trips. thomas has maintained his innocence, although he's agreed to settle a civil lawsuit with the district attorney and repay the money. >>> al qaeda claims to be holding a rockfeld man hostage. he was kidnapped in pakistan in aug. there was no claim of responsibility until yesterday when al qaeda released a lengthy set of demands to be met in exchange for his freedom. >>> got some good news about the economy today. the unemployment rate is down to 8.6% now. that's the lowest it's been in two and a half years. economists say small businesses are started to hire more. the boost was also helped by temporary holiday hiring. >>> herman cain says he'll make a major announcement tomorrow. he's been reassessing his campaign since monday when a woman named ginger white came forward to say they had a 13-year affair. he says they were just friends, but has also acknowled

welcome to "news4 midday" i am pat lawson. right now, a northern virginia college campus is swarming with police, fire and other personnel. the teams are searching for an armed suspect. it all sounds terrifying, but it's only a drill. the purpose of the drill at northern virginia community college is to better prepare emergency teams. news4's melissa malay is there with the story. >> they call it an active shooter drill to prepare responders if there was a gunman on campus. groups start at gathering 10:00 this morning, the event doesn't kick off until 1:00. >> our radios, channels, they have just been changed and updated and all of the dispatch equipment and communications has been changed. >> reporter: events like this one seem extra important following the shooting at the venlg tech, and the incident on the woodbridge campus back in 2009, a student brought a gun to class and fired at his teacher who luckily was not hurt. >> we have shootings all across the country, and not just schools, because schools are really important t

i'm pat lawson muse. >> four minutes away from the half hour right now.just weeks away from the iowa caucuses. meet press moderator david gregory who will break down the race for the republican nomination. >>> good news for commuteers. the high-tech device that could shave minutes off your commute starting tom >>> good morning, everybody. i'm angie goff. >> i'm chris gordon. welcome to news 4 today on this sunday, december 11th. checking out our top stories this morning, a strong earthquake has struck mexico's western coast in tkpwaoguerrero. it was downgraded to 6.5. mexican president calderon tweeted one person was hurt by a collapsed ceiling. >>> a 19-year-old suspect was first stand when he tried to rob a man at a gas station on new hampshire avenue. they tracked him down to adelphi where officers had to shoot him. the suspect's name has not been released >> and the seven republican candidates squared off in another debate, this time in des moines, iowa. newt gingrich was the focus of attacks throughout the debate but he dished it out as much as he to

i'm pat lawson muse in for eun yang. >> and good morning to you. i'm joe krebs. welcome to "news 4 today." it is friday, december 23rd. the day before the day before christmas. we're taking a live look outside right now. 48 degrees out there. we had some rain overnight. tom says that's pretty much cleared out. >>> this has been a week of suspended reality. we had mild temperatures. got to 62 yesterday at reagan national. got that moderate to heavy rain overnight with rumbles of thunder. now the rain is gone, and the pavement is still wet. so allow yourself some extra time and take it easy. there's still some standing water around the region from the overnight heavier downpours. right now at reagan national, the sky is cloudy over washington. there's capitol hill. national airport just to the right down river, it's at 49. the wind out of the northwest at 5 to 15 miles an hour. that wind will increase as the day progresses. now over the last 12 hours we've had rain come in last night. now it's exiting and on the eastern shore. just a little light rain there. it's c

good morning, i am pat lawson.re on their way. let's go to meteorologist, tom kierein. >> we have a brisk wind whipping down the potomac and blow drying the roads after the night rain. here's a live view from the skywatcher camera. and temperatures in the 40s to near 50. not going to warp up much, only to the mid-50s by noontime and then colder tonight. it will bottom out to near 30 by [ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. >>> good morning. if you have family flying into bwi and taking i-95 to get to you, they will be delayed. right now there's an accident and you are jammed from i-95. i will give alive look at it right now. it's blocking the right side of the roadway and you have rubbernecking delays approaching the accident. ♪ we wish you a merry christmas ♪ we wish you a merry chri

pat lawson muse joins us in the newsroom with a preview of things to come. >> good morning, barbara.ternoon on "news4 at 4:00," top items shoplifters are targeting this holiday season. plus, new twist in the case of a missing florida woman. exclusive interview with the mother of another woman tied to the suspect who died a decade ago. >>> coming up tonight on "news4 at 5:00," the common threats you are likely to face when shopping online this year. also going to tell you ways to protect yourself. liz crenshaw will have that report on holiday hackers. those stories and the day's the latest news on "news4 at 4:00" this afternoon. >> we will be watching. thank you. >>> it is time for a final check on the forecast. here is tom. >> we have clouds over the nation's capital. it is a great monday. don't let that get you down. there's going to be rain tomorrow. >> something to look forward to. >> right. so -- enjoy the clouds while you can. right now into the 50s throughout most of the region. had sun in west virginia. into the 60s now. and there's rain farther west and that area of green and

i am pat lawson. this is a news4 special report about the latest on the virginia tech shootings. of virginia tech yesterday which left police officer, derrick krauss dead. let's listen in now. >> it's our tradition to stray and stay here as long as we can to get your questions answered. i know there are things you want to know that we are not yet prepared to state or to release. let me say that with me on the far right is the chief of the police department, and next to her is the director of public relations for the virginia state police, and to my immediate right, the chief of virginia tech police department. first of all, just a few things. i want to thank you all. i want to thank the extended university community and really the nation for your expressions of condolences that have come throughout yesterday and the evening and this morning. we very much appreciate it. i think you know it's a resilient and tight-knit community, and we appreciate your concern for our welfare. i want to particularly say also that it's fair to say that the virginia tech police department is a very,