and one more shot south of town, to the fairfax parkway and we'll show you we are -- that's the fairfax county parkway, northbound i-95. and let's go to live doppler 9000 hd. and hearing from folks in swan point, flakes getting bigger. so it's snow everywhere and it is a cold day. weather computer, we've been tracking this since last night and early this morning, as it came in from west virginia, southwestern virginia and it's a mess. down i-81 and places like lexington and roanoke, seeing 2- 3 inches as opposed to here. and in pennsylvania very still going on. and column because, ohio, still snowing. and there are the advisories covering everybody and because this light blue is 3-6, well south of town. we'll break down the specifics. meteorologist anne hong will join me also. and jaycee, back to you. >>> many schools are closing early. we want to give you this important information. right now fairfax and loudoun county schools will close 2 hours early. manassas city and manassas park public schools will close 2 hours early. prince william county schools will close 1 hour early. in mary

at least for the kids, fairfax county schools dismissed two hours early. for those who had to get behind a wheel, the small amount of accumulation was just enough to cause some big headaches. like for this driver who lost control on tree road. >> what was it like driving so far? >> terrible. just terrible. i mean it's scary. there are a lot of accidents back there. >> reporter: 1,400 plow trucks were out plowing and salting and sanding the roads. anita brikman small -- a small snowfall, but a lot of people clearing the roads. >> we'll continue to clean it all up. safety is the big priority. >> reporter: i'm scott broom in prince george's county where schools were closed two hours early today, right at the height of the snowstorm. this accident didn't look bad, a banged up front end of a school bus and a back end of a prince george's county plow truck damaged where it was struck when the bus slipped. the jolt between the two big vehicles sent the plow driver to the hospital with back injuries and one student on the bus had a suspected asthma attack. elsewher

there's an accident between the fairfax county parkway and backlick road. nt to be careful on the northbound side of i-95 in the newington area. overall generally the beltway looks final. we'll zoom in over to i-270 where there is an accident as you -- there was an accident on the northbound side at shady grove road. southbound side you've got this now to deal with as you head down from germantown. about a 25 to 30-minute ride. now to your travel times. on the inbound side of i-66, route 7100 to the beltway 15- minute ride. 495 from 95 around to 270 really only 12 minutes. not bad. 95 in from 216 to the beltway a 9-minute ride. coming up in my next report, we'll update you on the accident down in alexandria on the beltway. >>> 6:32. just a few hours the senate will cast its vote on president obama's tax cut compromise. the deal with republicans would extend the bush era tax cuts and also extend unemployment benefits. but already house democrats say they are ready to fight back. they want to make some changes, especially to the estate tax provision. senate mi

blair will speak at a hotel, the fairfax hotel at embassy row i northwest d.c. the center for global development is hosting this event. blair will talk about creating the africa governance initiative which 0 operates in sierra leone, rwanda and liberia. >>> 4:38 is your time now. 21 degrees out there. ahead on "news 4 today," the freebie that could be coming to two local airports. >>> plus why michael vick says he'd like to own another dog some day. >> a >>> weather and traffic on the 1s early on this thursday moing. i'm meteorologist tom kierein. we have some snow on the way. right now the radar showing it advancing. here's the radar over the last couple o hours. it's moving quickly. in west virginia, snowing now, parts of the shenando valley to near charlottesville, continuing to advance east and all these couies in lavender under winter weather advisory. includes just about all of virginia, west virginia, much of maryland and the district of columbia and eastern shore. cold enough for the snow to stick. we're only in the teens to near 20 degrees now. so we'll

interest of all of us to be aware that there will be enough snow to cause problems even into the metro area so in fairfaxnd randall was added. that is for the likelihood of enough snow to coat the ground, one maybe two inches for some of you. down to the south, there is a winter storm warning in that purple color and more down there where the jackpot is, we will be on the northern edge of the snow. you might get into frederick and you're not in the winter- weather advisory that begins at ten in the morning. some towards the mason-dick online may not get enough to cover the ground. it will just give us a glancing blow but it is the first winter weather advisory. rewill go it again, late morning to early afternoon for this to get going so it spares the morning rush and tapers off tomorrow night and will impact the evening rush and the three inches for central virginia. this will be close to the one inch amount and it is south of dc is the jackpot, the snow will get thick and they will have to treat it. it will be a dry snow because temperature will be so cold. a big streak of snow from the central plains a

the conditions, and delia is in fairfax. we're going to start with you. tell us more about the conditions where you are. >> reporter: well the snow has stop falling here in fairfax county, but it has left behind a small coating of snow on the ground. let's take a look. we're talking just about two inches or so of accumulation. this is pretty much snow that was untouched. it's pretty light and fluffy as you can see, but it's not a whole lot of snow. however, just enough snow to cause some trouble for drivers and for these folks behind me. filling up a whole lot of overtime work for those plow truck operators. 23 degrees and snow on the ground, welcome to winter wonderland, at least for the kids. fairfax county schools dismissed two hours early. >> i guess that they are happy to come out. >> reporter: but for those who had to get behind a wheel, the small amount of accumulation was just enough to cause some big headaches. like for this driver who lost control on the roads. what was it like today? >> just terrible. it's scary, but there are a lot of accidents

the fairfax county police have a warning. if you shoplift, you will get caught. barbara? wendy? back to you. >>> the senate passed president obama's tax cut compromise this afternoon. the package was approved by a vote of 81-19, showing unusually strong bipartisan support. a simple majority of 51 w required for passage. now it goes to the house. it will face stronger on that significant there and t votes may be close. final passage would prevent a tax increase for everyone on january 1. >>> still to come new clues about the guan who stormed a school board meeting in florida. we'll have reaction from those who witnessed and experienced this ordeal. >>> caught on tae. a burglar brags about the crime on the sial networking site. and d.c. police say thanks to the suspects, they have all the information they need torack him down. >>> and they are feeling the freeze in florida. we're live as residents and tourists in the sunshine state brace for another day of really cold weather. forty years ago, he wasn't worried about retirement. he'd yet to hear of mutual funds, iras, or annuities.

>> in the two weeks they were in haiti, the fairfax county rescue task force pulled 16 people from thrubble down there. >>> we'll be right back. because of one word, imagination and reality have merged. because of one word, a new generation-- a fifth generation-- of fighter aircrt has been born. because of one word, america's air dominance for the next forty years is assured. that one word... is how. 1 in 6 amecans live in hunger. at bank of america, we've created the gift for opportunity fund to support feeding america and the boys & girls clubs' efforts to provide hunger-relief. and we invite our customers, associates and communities to help. every dollar you contribute this season can be matched, dollar for dollar. together we can make twice the difference to help support those in need. ♪ >>> president obama took yet another shot at washingtonians and their wimpy weather reactions. >> and i'm surprised you guys are in school because a lot of times in washington, people don't go to school wn there's even an inch of snow. >> the president made those comments while reading to a grou of kids

another car was hit in the fairfax county. they said the bus was traveling up to 95 miles per hour on the 66 it to the dallas access road. the driver alone was arrested. headquarters,le's their speed records are posted. they were shocked when their drivers was accused of speeding and causing four hit-and-run accidents. >> as soon as there is an accident, even the minor one, are drivers are trained to reported instantly. >> the question that remains to be answered tonight is why did all this happened? that is what virginia state police, arlington county, fairfax county, and airport police have gathered to figure out including interviewing the driver and other people who were victims and witnesses to all of these crashes. reporting live in arlington, gail penney dr. abc7 news. >>> new details on the man arrested after allegedly trying to blow up this building. the suspect's mother says he was entrapped by the government. we're live in the baltimore where he arrived in court today. >> for the first time in court, we are hearing an

the bulls eye is south of town toward fredericksberg and toward richmond and southern maryland. doesn't mean to say you won't see snow in fairfax, the district or montgomery but it's from culpeper, down to fredericksberg and into calvert county. so for tonight, no problems. increasing cloudiness and very cold, 16-24 and winds southwest at 10. we'll come back and talk about accumulation and give you an hour by hour breakdown of when it comes in. >>> and preps are under way to keep things safe tomorrow. >> scott broom is live at the parkway with what is going on there. >> reporter: here in prince george's county, montgomery county and the maryland side, not expecting huge amounts of snow, an inch maybe a little bit less than that, so the weapon of choice tomorrow if they need it is under this tarp right here -- salt. tons and tons of salt. just all of the jurisdictions around the region have mountains of this stuff, despite last season's budge you the-busting blizzards. here in maryland the state pretreated interstates with a brine solution. and even in a can be dangerous. this is what happened in frederick when less than an inch

coming across the american legion bridge, still at speed from montgomery county head down into fairfaxd as well. you will fine lanes are open here along 66 as you work your way in from centreville and continue over towards fair oaks and continuing out towards vienna. lanes are open right now with no accidents to report if you are traveling at the wilson bridge. we've got some problems on the roadways if you are traveling the beltway inloop, southbound 95/495 in the direction of the wilson bridge , accident activity is blocking the right side of the highway. >>> crews have been working hard all night getting the roads ready. >> some people will be able to use the internet to track the plowing. stacy cohan is tracking things from the salt dome. >> i don't need the internet to track this. you can see the ask behind me. they have some plows coming in now and theft big loaders that are going to load the salt and sand, the treatment for the roads into these trucks here in virginia. all of of the truck are expected to be on the road at 7:00 a.m. in the district, d-d.o.t. had crews out yesterd

blair will speak at the fairfax hotel at embassy row in northwest d.c. is hosting this event. blair will talk about creating the africa governance initiative, which operates in sierra leone, rwanda and liberia to help produce poverty through better government. >>> 5:38 is your time now. 23 degrees. right now you may need that morning cup of coffee. but it may surprise you how many children rely on a daily caffeine jolt, as well. >> also some incrible video showing just how cold this wintry bla is. what's underneath all that ice? >> and next, inching closer. the snow is almost here. your weather and trafficre next. st ♪electronic santa song ♪electronic santa song i want a robosan 4000. [ mom ] the one no one could get. toy stores are reporting long lines and empty shelves. a robosan 4000. [ mom ] and i mean no one. so i did most of my holiday shopping on citi specials. with the money i saved, i bid onli -and got exactly what he wanted. -a robosan 4000! [ television ] introducing the new robosan 5000. [ mom ] at least for now. [ male announcer ] make your

his dad used to be the commander of the fairfax county police district station. after dalton was diagnosed, fairfax police started escorting santa to visit six kids at georgetown. >> the dodge challenger? >> reporter: this year, santa's elves were dalton's friends from westfield high school. for some, it was the first time they were here since he died. >> and it's hard. >> reporter: he met dalton in seventh grade. >> and -- to see the other people are suffering from what he went through and tame, you know, i know he fought hard. when i think about him, i have the happy memory. >> and you have to live life to the fullest. he was a role model for all of ouren froms. >> reporter: for patients, it helps. >> and there is a lot of good spirit and a lot of joy going around. >> reporter: it remind me it's christmas. because when you in the hospital, you just thinking, you know, what you're dealing with and some, oh, christmas is here and is on the corner. >> reporter: some kids are too sick to make the journey downstairs for the festivities, but don't worry, santa travel

he was take on the the fairfax county jail. the question everyone has is why? he gave an if he gave an explanation for his behavior, police are not saying. >> do we know if when he was heading to dulles there were any passengers in the van? >> we asked that question. an airports authority spokesperson says when the police arrived there was nobody in the van, but that doesn't mean that anyone actually had gotten out before the police got there. when they found the van they found the driver and no one else inside. >> what about routine drug and alcohol testing. did he undergo something like that? >> i'm sure the police are testing film for that. but we do not have any information he may have been under the influence of something. had he been they would have charged him and we would know about that by now. they said there will be additional charges and i searched the on-line court records in the area and found nothing coming back to this man. >> bizarre. thank you. >>> turn to the redskins now, they suffered heart breaking losses in shanahan's first season as coac

the fairfax county center and another in winchester will be able t stay open. >>> a group that oversees safety in the metro system has new power. the tristate oversight committee makes regular safety inspections. top officials have now agreed to suspend or cancel their funding of metro's frastructure cost. >>> the man accused of kidnapping a virginia girl after the murder of her mother has waived extradition to the commonwealth. jerey easley is charged with kidnapping and credit card fraud in the disappearance of brittany smith. authorities issued an amber alert for the 12-year-old last week after her mother was murdered in their home. an alert woman spotted brittany in a california grocery store and called police. >> him for a second but mainly her. and the hair on my arms stood up and we never took our eyes off each other. formally she'd look away or i would look away. i just couldn't. it may be the girl from virginia, the situation doesn't look right. >> her instincts were correct. police moved in quickly. easley will likely be returned to virginia in the next 48 hours. >>> dunbar hi

right now only the city's fairfax in our area has launched the invisible bracelet program but they planexpand it if possible throughout fairfax county and then the region. if you would like to sign up, go to our health page on wusa.com for a link. >>> caught on tape a new tactic thieves are using to steal cars in st. louis. now that is a 1987 blue ford tempo you're seeing right there being pushed down the street by an old pickup truck. police say in the past eight months they have abingdon harford three people for using -- they have abingdon harford three -- arrested three people for using trucks to steal old cars. the owner of the truck said he had plans to donate to it charity. >>> good smother tan in minnesota may think twice before ever offering anybody a ride. the 26-year-old man thought he was doing a good deed when he offered a 70-year-old woman a ride to the bank on wednesday. here's the deal though. she allegedly robbed that bank at gunpoint. and used the man as her getaway driver. the woman is now in custody, and police say she was acting alone. >> a homeowner near denver fina

we are getting snow in parts of prince george's, the district, montgomery, fairfax and down interstaterince william, stafford, charlottesville, this passing to the north. passing snow showers from time to time r the next several hours through midday today. right now temperatures are generally at or a litt bit above freezing. page county schools, opening two hours late this morning. so a dusting to an inch of snow from passing snow showers through midday. strong gusty winds will falout of the 30s to the 20s tonight. highs only near 30 on tuesday. and wednesday, strong gusty winds. winds will die down but still cold thursday into the weekend. and sunday, we might get some snow. stay tuned. jerry, how is traffic? >> off we go. a little samplin folks saying what about us in the district. you're doing fine. live pictures new york avenue inund. no concerns. travel lanes are open. dry pavement northeast into northwest. northern virginia it is definitely a different story along i-95. if you squint you can see the snow coming down now. just arriving inside the beltway, north of landmark, headed

after 65 hours, finally, he was pulled out by some of the guys who were the fairfax county task forceful today he met with his rescuers face to face. he talk about his experience and said he wre letters to his wife and two sons. he was afraid that he may not ever see them again alive. >> i thought this was the end. i really thought that this was, you know, that my life was probably over. i was trying to figure out what could do? if i had the chance toay last things to my family, what i would want to say? >> in the two weeks that they were in haiti, the fairax county rescue task force pulled 16 people from the rube down there. >>> a woman gave birth to a baby girl in a mazda on the shoulder of 270. it happened about 7:00 this morning in rockville. crews were dispatched to i-270 near montrose ad for what was described as an ill then delivery. by the time they got there, the baby was born. a man in the vehicle had received birthing instructions from a 911 operator. mo and baby were taken to the hospital. were told they're doing just fine. >>> still to come, hardly any snow yesterday really

the bridges, ramps and overpasses. also they are warning about prince william county and loudoun county as well. i'm hearing that as well. they are like what we're seeing here. fairfax here, we're in front of marshall elementary. we'll continue to watch the conditions throughout the area and as pamela mentioned, you can watch the school closings at the top and bottom of your screen. >> thank you, courtney. we have a similar scene in bethesda, maryland. streets mostly clear but side streets, snow and ice. of course this is what streets look like in the strict. just like everywhere else. many of the main roads clear, still slush and ice on those side streets. it was a tough trip for some amtrak customers. a train was stranded for several hours after water fell on to the track. crews resolved the problem a short time ago. >> you could encounter some problems if you're trying to fly today. all three of the regional airports are open but officials say there could be flight delays and cancellations so you should check with your airline before heading to the airport. we're going to check in with adam and ali where you can get up to the minute school closings at tbd.com, th

andrews air force base, before the exit for allentown road. there is a backup. fairfax county, snow is now accumulating. heavy volume spotted across the 14th street bridge, but leaving a good pace. in maryland's, no problems along interstate 70, in and out of baltimore, 270 started the roads. back to you. >> thank you. >>> redskins fans have had a lot of rough mondays. yesterday's loss was particularly tough to take. >> they needed a late touchdown to tie game. in overtime. he could not handle the s nap. they lost 17-16.

get ahead of this storm, the snowfall, well, it still caused a lot of trouble for drivers on the road. fairfax county prepared for the snow, even if you didn't. >> all i can expect is the plow trucks laying down layers of salt and sand at beech tree elementary for early dismissal. classes county wide let out two hours early. >> we closed the office >> they are offering options for people. >> reporter: traffic was a nightmare on many roads in northern virginia with a slight accumulation slowing folks down. >> i don't like to drive in the snow, but hey, what can you do? >> what is it like? >> terrible. it's scary with a lot of accidents back there. >> police pulled up to warn drivers of the slick snow turns ahead, but this was too late for this traveler. the car sat abandoned after the driver lost control and drove off the road. >> the road is a little slick. >> we have had crews out there all day, up to about 1,400 trucks in northern virginia, putting down salt and they are plowing where it is necessary. >> reporter: so while crews worked overtime to clear the roads, little ones who got out of

the washington area is the wealthiest region of the country, according to the census bure bureau. fairfax and loudon counties were the highest median incomes in the last five years. our area is more than just wealthy. it's also well educated. five local counties were among 17 in the country which most residents have at least a bachelor's degree. and that makes up for the fact that i think a couple weeks ago or month ago we were named the ugliest in terms of people living in the region. at leaste're smart and rich. >> th will get you somewhere. "time" magazine will reveal its person of the year. >> a list of the current finasts. wikileaks founder julian assange in fir place. and the president of afghanistan, hamid karzai, so made the list, followed by the tea party, the chilean miners and facebook's mark zuckerberg. "time" magazine will make the official announcement this morning on the "today" show. who do you think should be the person of the ear? go to our facook page, news 4 today. barbar writes she's heard of julian assange but it would be terrible if he got it because it would be rew

church, virginia has the highest median income with residents making an average of over $113,000 a year. other two other locals have median incomes over that and they are loudoun and fairfax counties. >>> i'm peggy fox on the grounds of the c.i.a. it's an agency steeped in secrecy but now they have reason to brag about one big secret. i'll spill the beans coming up. >>> but up next, banned. a federal agency starts the process of taking troubled cribs off the market for good. we'll be right back. >>> the consumer product safety commission dropped the hammer on those dropside cribs today. after millions of recalls and the deaths of 30 kids over the last ten years, the agency banned the manufacture sale and resale of these cribs. >> so you have six months in which all cribs have to be sold that meet the new standard and then you will have 18 months after that for all childcare facilities and hotel motels to have the new cribs. >> supporters say the cribs make it easier to put babies in and take them out because of the dropside but the danger is malfunctioning hardware can leave a gab between the mattress and side rail and that is where a child can strangle. you can learn mor

the areas of white is snow, especially in leesburg and chantilly and fairfax and manassas and particularly sali, dale city is an outward into stafford and fredericksburg and southern maryland, a drifting to the east. if this noel taper off later this morning, 1 inch accumulation. high temperatures in the mid 30's. breezy and gusty. tomorrow will be similar, but not as much snowfall. high temperatures near 30 degrees tomorrow and gusty. natt lisa baden. >>> in virginia there's an accident north of the on board burg exit.horn duroch googled through the icc work area. no issues on 270. the beltway seems to be handling its own. more on traffic in a little while. back to you. >> thank you. >>> we are on storm watch this morning. a winter weather advisory is in effect in our area. >> wet pavement and falling temperatures could cause problems for your commute. courtney robinson is live right now. >> good morning. we are looking for ic areas, especially on the roadways. last night beginning at 6:00 p.m., vdot trucks were treating blaze. there was quite a bit of rain yesterday. there was standing w

with you. >> reporter: the last few years, public libraries across the country have been building up their digital book collection. fairfax county has seen the demand double in the last year and is expecting it to climb still. >> we are bracing for the demand because christmastime we expect that santa will bring a lot of e-read evers to a lot of people. >> librarians are familiarizing themselves with the technology and devices. >> we get a lot of questions during the holidays. >> reporter: first thing to know is the kindle is not comparablable. but sony, apple and smart phones are and not all titles are available are. >> not all publishers are allowing all libraries to access the e-books. for us it is great for the customers. budget cuts have meant smaller staff and shorter hours. now digital services allow the community to access the pub like library even when it is closed. >> patrons have to down load free software and may have to wait to borrow popular titles since the library has to buy each copy it lends out but the collection is growing. >> e-audio books, e-videos and e-books. they are creating a virtual library bra

you can see the sheen off the road which will cause problems for drivers. fairfax schools are operated on a two-hour delay. it is not just this robot other neighborhood roads. we have been keeping an eye out. we have yet to seize now applies come on the neighborhood rose. vdot says their main priority is the major commuter lanes to get in and out of the city. >>> thank you. ben eisler is a live in bethesda. >> because it is friday, we will have fun here. this is the word of the day. courtney robinson is cooler than we are here so she is making fun. we saw our first salt trucks for the work of the day is " mitigate." that is a lesson in severity. -- that is to lessen in severity barry we have not seen many salt trucks or snowplows like yesterday. this is wilson lane which is completely clear very the problem has been the side streets. the road to the left as part still pretty covered in snow. it is troublesome for drivers trying to get through. on the above all, despite montgomery schools being delayed, the roads are significantly better. we sell one solid track but

where more than 50% of the residents have at least a bachelor's degree. fairfax and loudoun county are the only three places -- and falls church are the only three places in the country with a median income of over $100,000. >>> the obama white house wants to make sure workers can keep working, even during snow days. the plan requires agencies to let more federal employees work from home during bad weather. last year, the government shut down for days and thousands stayed home on unscheduled leave during blizzards. >>> i hope it does not start looking like that here. >> it will not be that bad tomorrow. it will be a nice, little touch of snow. enough to get to in the mood for the season. a dusting to a couple of inches. we will break that down for you. here is a time lapse of the sun rise over the bay. there go the cumulus does not feel fantastic. it is 31 at reagan national airport. it will probably rise only a couple of degrees in the afternoon hours. look at the wind gusts. 25 miles per hour. it is breezy. the wind chill dropped down into the teens. yesterday'

. >> already some schools making the call, fairfax county and manassas city both on a two hour delay tomorrow. full delays and closures are scrolling at the top of the screen. the fox 5 storm force is covering this storm from the district to maryland to virginia. we begin with sue palka live in northwest. >> reporter: hi, shawn and laura. tonight the snow is over. we got about 1 to 3 inches. those heavier amounts down to our south which you can probably see it's cold out here, lots of steam coming out. it is not windy, but what you can see out here on wisconsin avenue is that the roads, while they aren't snow covered, they're still a little wet and any untreated roads are going to be a solid glaze tomorrow, especially side roads. we can see harrison still has a little slush on it. the temperatures tonight are mighty cold and some areas i would describe as absolutely tanking. let me give you some idea what we're talking about. in the district it's not bad without the wind feeling like florida out here, 25 degrees, but we are down to 7 degrees in martinsburg, west virginia, where the sk

the potential for another weekend storm. i'll have details in a couple of minutes. back to you. >>> thank you. right now, we want to look at what is going on outside. >> paul is live in fairfax with the close look at icy conditions in that part of our area. good morning, paul. >> reporter: good morning. i have to say it is not icy where i am right now. we are right by route 50 in fairfax. the roads are looking great. they are clear. the snow is melting in the turn lane. the only main concern for people on the roads is side streets and sidewalks. be very careful when walking down the sidewalks. the side streets are not plowed. they will be slick with black ice. one thing i have been talking about is people get a bad rap of freaking out when snow occurs locally. i asked a few people if we freak out when it snows here. >> yes. we had 1 1 point -- 1-2" and people freak out. i agree. >> i don't understand it. the problem is i'm from chicago. this stuff makes me crazy when people close schools early and they open school late. >> i agree. most of the schools are closed today. i think that is okay. they are kids and the school buses have a hard time going around. a lot of people lef

the big ones. >> reporter: at this construction site in fairfax we clocked the wind gusting at 10 miles an hour. the windchill about 14 degrees. >> how are you dealing with the cold? >> walking fast. >> reporter: at the keeno christmas tree lot the winds kept customers at home and toppled dozens of trees. >> it has been a problem for us because we can't set them back up without them falling down again. >> reporter: unveiling a new online way to track the progress of snowplows in your neighborhood. here is how the transportation department explained. >> if you're sitting home in a cul-de-sac and trying to make an informed decision of whether you should go to the airport or head to new york you can now look at our map at the progress we are going to show. you can type in your own address to start. the map features a key telling you if a particular street is clear. plowing is in progress or the street is untouched. there is a link to any one of the county's nearly 200 traffic cameras. >> so this places us in a very, very accountable position. >> wind gusts. still howling. wind advisory has been can

the school closings. culpepper, fauquier, king county, closed. fairfax county, loudoun, manassas, two-hour delays. calvert, frederick, montgomery two-hour delays. calvert is closed. >> also want to mention that the federal government is open today. we want to turn to the massive bipartisan tax package. >> not everyone is happy with this deal. karen joins us live with the details. karen, this has been quite a battle now. >> it has been, good morning, scott and pamela. after months of fierce debate and compromise, congress had ensured no americans would see a tax increase on january 1. the plan will extend the bush tax cuts for all americans for two more years and unemployment benefits for 13 more months. it is aimed at boosting the struggling economy. households with an income of about $50,000 will continue to see their $2,000 tax cuts. president obama defended the compromise saying it was necessary to ensure the bill would pass. an important thing with all of this is that none of the provisions of this bill are paid for. as democrats and republicans argue about budget cuts, it will lead to a massiv

these items are evidence collected in the case of an accused shoplifting ring. plainclothes fairfaxounty police officers were tailing two suspected shoplifters in fair oaks mall last thursday when they were called by store security officers to one of the bigger retailers for two other suspects. >> they started stuffing merchandise into the bags. we waited until they were ready to leave. once they exited the store into the mall parking lot, we made the apprehension. >> reporter: in the suspect's car in the mall parking lot, police found plastic trash bags filled with merchandise some of which had come from different malls on the same day. >> they tend to make it an all- day event. they travel from mall to mall and usually hit some of the same store brands. >> reporter: police say members of this gang simply walk into the stores with emmy shopping bags and start filling the bags. the merchandise is later sold off. another group targeted the apple store. police say the suspects used stolen identification documents to open long-term contracts getting very expensive cell phones to deep d

the animal it is breezing. >> reporter: this is chris gordon. fairfax county police are cracking down on shoplifters this holiday season. i'll have a report. >>> coming up interesting capitals desperately need a win. donovan mcnabb dodges the drama but his coach does not. >>> the senate today passed the tax cut compromise with strong bipartisan support. the bill extends tax cuts and unemployment benefits. it now goes through a difficult battle in the house. >>> the defen lawyer for george huguely are questioning the cause of death in the case of a former girlfriend yeardley love. today a doctor call by the dense that theutopsy suggests love may have died of a heart problem, not from blunt force trauma to her head. as the medical examiner has concluded. >>> a nightclub in northwest d.c. could reopen after a man was beaten to death outside of it. it is callhe dc9. the workers at the center of the investigation are no longer employed there. charges against them were dropped. >>> d.c. police have a solid piece of evidence a rekroent home burglary because th

the snow. in virginia, fairfax and loudoun are closing two hours early, prince george's county schools closing one hour early. we will have a list of closings throughout the newscast. and that will be at the bottom of your scrn throughout the newscast. >> our team coverage continues with meagan, live with the conditions. >> reporter: goodmorning, at our location, it has been snowing for an hour. the ground is so cold, the snow that falls is not going anywhere. this is a secondary stree through the area. you can see, there is a lot of snow covering the lanes here. most folks seem to be going to the far left lane, more clear than the two right-hand lanes. we even with that, we are seeing accumulation. the plows have been out there, they knew the storm was coming. fied with salt, sand, they have their people on the schedule. out there on the roads right now. one driver thinks he will have been a long and busy day. >> g out, spread a bit of salt, try to stay ahead of it. it is bad, we will put a plow down and put out more salt. >> you can see, this parking lot is all snow covered we are seeing accu

the first grand will be awarded next year t program is so popular it may start in the city of fairfaxt year. >>> it seems that santa is on his own naughty list this year. at least one macy's in san francisco thinks so. why he got the ho ho ho. >> reporter: where does santa stay in right next to the dollar store on market at the budget inn. let's go in and say hello. [ coughing ] >> reporter: 68-year-old john tumey has been explaining over and over again why, after 20 years as one of the main santas, macy's fired him. >> this couple came in and sat on my knee and i asked them if they'd been good and they said "oh yes" and i said"well that's too bad. you know why santa is so happy and jolly all the time, don't you. they said no, i said well that's because santa knows where all the naughty girls and boys live." >> methot it was a cute joke for grownups, he has been egg the it for 20 years. that couple complained. when macy's called the manager and told her the gig was up. >> they told her to get rid of me right now. >> reporter: really? that's all? we wanted to get macy's side of the sto

traffic was backed up everywhere on 29 and trudging on i-66 and the reason for the early congestion, fairfax county schools and other schools got out two hours early and students were thrilled. >> we were in class and saw snow coming down and everyone got excited and yeah, they let us out early and i didn't have to take a quiz. it was great. >> and what are you doing the rest of today? >> i have to work on my art homework and i do some art work and i like to capture the moment. >> reporter: what has it been like since the snow started? it's been busy and the congestion in this area and -- and everyone is getting gas thinking it's like a blizzard or something. >> we had a lot of trouble dealing with the blizzards and this does not compare to that at all and we're starting to hear problems with schools in outlying areas tomorrow and check with fox 40 news to get the latest on possible school closings and delays and we're leaf at tyson's corner. thanks. >>> let's go to maryland where john henrehan is live along 270 in bethesda and how are the roads there? >> reporter: pretty good. the main road

the. >> two-hour delays inclu fairfax county, loudon county, manassas park city schools and winchester city schools all on a two-hour delay. >> west virginia, here are the schools closed berkeley county, headlamp shire, jefferson counties. two-hour is hardy county and morgan county schools. >>>now, the d.c. schools have not reported any closings or delays. and the full list is running at the bottom of the screen. and of course you can see it at nbc washington.com. >>> and we shall see how the school buses and children fair this morning. a lot of slick spots on the sidewalks still remain, especially after the re-freeze overnight. >> we're down to 20 degreesn much of the region. it's going to take a while all the way through the morning hours before we get above freezing. and it's 26 at national airport. and right near the bay in southern maryland, mid-20s. elsewhere, 20 degrees. quite a bit of cloudiness on this friday morning. light snow western maryland and highlands of west virginia. otherwise, dry throughout much of the region today. sunshine back. freezing by noon time, by 3:00 p.m., 4:

. >> we do want to highlight some of the big ones though. fairfax and loudoun county and manassas city schools are on a two-hour delay. >>> in maryland, prince george's and montgomery yoiptd schools are both on a two-hour delay n west virginia, hardy, berkeley, jefferson and morgan county schools are all on a two- our delay. and the federal government, it is open today. >>> the refreezing may be the issue this morning in addition to the cold out there. >> absolutely. things have gotten hard. >> and possibly black ice out there. >> yes, this is true, will. when the sun gets up, we'll warm up the atmosphere and we'll probably melt off most of what is on the roadways later this afternoon. >>> let's look at current conditions and right now, we're in the 20s. gurvir is not in the 20s. 25degrees at reagan national. >> i can see him in my rearview mirror. humidity, 66%. most of the area in the teens here so a hard freeze. looking at the satellite-radar. some clouds passing through but today will be the nicest day of the week. temperatures will top out in t

we do want to high height some of the big ones. fairfax and loudoun counties and manassas city schools are delayed by two hours. in west virginia, hardy, berkeley, jefferson and morgan county schools are delayed by two hours. the federal government is open today. >>> you know, it wasn't a lot of snow, tuck, but what came down stuck very quickly because it was so cold. i have to tell you, it was a little bit trickier getting home than i had anticipated. >> gurvir and i'm sitting next to you for five and a half hours and you were surprise wrood it wasn't a lot of snow but it was slick. >> nobody was going anywhere fast -- and you were surprised. >> it wasn't a lot of snow but it was slick. >> let's get started with a look at our satellite-radar. it is all out of here. you will see some stars if you head out in the next hour or two. temperatures a little warmer, back in the mid-30s and a lot of sunshine so we will get a chance to melt off the snow that is on the roadways and less wind than we've had around here the last several days. today wi

the 20s. up in gaithersburg 25. out to west, 26 in fairfax and 27 in reston. d these are the straight temperatures. there is not much of a windchill factor tonight. but it's plenty cold. 32 at college park. 26 in laurel, and even 28 over toward davidson and down toward andrews. small weather event but potentially a high-impact. why? because the morning commute is fine but the evening commute could see light snow and it doesn't take much to throw into the monk wrench. accumulation of about an inch and more toward the south, toward fredericksberg, seeing 2 inches and richmond might see 3 or 4 inches. stay off i-95 south. tonight very cold, 16-24 and winds west southwest at 10. so the winds calm down for a change. look at the lows. plenty of teams in the -- teens in the burbs. 18 in rockvilles, 16 in gaithersburg. upper teens in college park and bowie. and plenty of teens to its west. fairfax 19, reston 18. 17 in sterling and mid teens for leesberg, manassas and out toward middleberg and upperville. now there are advisories to the south of town. and this kind of s

the roadway. take you to virginia and in to fairfax. getting word of an accident on 7100. s in the right lane at route 29. inbound 66, you have got slow traffic as you head through manassas and centreville and here's what it looks like there. if you are planning to head to 270. take you there on the southbound side. this is what it looks like from germantown, father hurley boulevard. that will take you to montross road before that picks up. and coming up in my next report we will keep you posted on the accidents around town. >>> it's time for the morning lights every day at this time we are showing off your holiday displays. >> this morning's picture is from cynthia brown. check out her porch, all decked out in the icicle and flow flake lights. she lives in dumfries, virginia. >> e-mail your pictures to lights@wusa9.com. be sure to include your name and where you live. we are also featuring them on wusa9.com. >>> sports is next. we will check in with the terps as they begin to play in the acc. >>> and why bruce boudreau was not happy with his players last night. >>> look at

schools weclosed for the day. >> slippery, of course, all over e place. that includes fairfaxhere were several accides reported. v-d spent much of the afternoon plowing d saing the roads. >> and crews have been working hard to keep snow clear from arnd theapital building. snow plows, snow blowe and old-fashioned shoves were busy along the ste and walkways just this moing. lawmars are still at work trying to find a tax t come prom before christmas. >>> now let's fast forward t the weather. >> the reay good news about that snow, it was a lhtfluffy snow that wesee so often. right now that snow continues to move out of the region and will contue to do so throughout the ening still a few lht snoshowers. how much hav we seen? som areas picking up abo an inch. stll 1.5. back to the st. remmington, about foyou.5 inches. backoward winchester, about thr inches of snow. ederick we saw one report here about a half a inch. weant to continue to seeour reports. goahead and-mail em. i'll hve the the cplete forecast again icluding the five-day. the four-day and the extended comg up. >> thanks.

area is home to some of the country's best educated and best pay people. census data shows fairfax, arlington, loudoun county, howard county montgomery, alexandria and falls church are among 17 places in the united states where more than half the residents have at least a bachelor's degree. fairfax and loudoun counties along with falls church are the only three places in the country with a median incomes of more than $100,000. we are rich. [laughter] >> 22 degrees on this wednesday, 6:12. >> 1 companies discoed is 43 pages. at one company is 43 pages. >> the bitter cold snap, that's coming up. >> one more day in jail for the founder of wikileaks. the latest on the legal battle >>> checking our top stories on this wednesday morning, the bitter cold weather will stick around at least another day. it's taking the big toe. firefighters had a tough time battling the blaze in landover. and dozens of a desperate residents are in the cold after of orla problem at their building apartments. >>> a virginia man was arrested after he used facebook to threaten metro. the fbi said awais younis o

out to the west, 17 in fairfax. 15 in sterling. 14 in leesburg and manassas. these aren't windchills these are actual temperatures. tomorrow morning, partly cloudy. windy. very cold. windchills 0-10. and hats aren't real fashionable but i would put a hat on. teens and 20s to start. winds north west at 15 to 25 and gusty. now by afternoon. partly cloudy. breezy and cold. notice i'm saying windy, breezy. windchills in the teens all day. temperatures will struggle to get to freezing tomorrow. at least make it into the low 30s. westerly winds at 10 to 20. and gusty. today we had wind gusts of 40 miles per hour. washington monument was closed so the wind is not nearly as big as a factor tomorrow. next three days. low 30s tomorrow. windy to breezy. little bit of light snow on thursday. again, primarily late morning and afternoon and actually a better chance south of town. fredericksburg. 34 for a high. a break on friday just chilly. partly cloudy. temperatures in the low 40s. all right, next seven days. saturday cloudy skies increasing very quickly and i think light

but for the most part it is going to look a whole lot better than yesterday. i'm standing in alexandria, fairfax county, this is a main road through here. look at this roadway. you guys just missed this whole crew pass through this intersection. the crews have been doing an impressive job overnight. i have seen at least a dozen snow plows and salt trucks move through this area this morning and it is only 5:00 a.m., so they have done a great job of keeping the main roadways clear. last night we caught up with quite a few people preparing their cars to get ready for this morning's commute. you know, clearing off their windshield, clearing out their driveway from all the snow. you probably are going to want to get to your car a little early, get it running. then of course, it is all about the driving. take a listen to what this one reporter had to say about some of the problems that popped up yesterday. >>> a couple of things we heard many times, people who failed to scrape all the snow off their cars, and people who didn't have their red lights on, especially in the middle of the day, when the sno

> reporter: so beautiful that for three years now she has set out to photograph the best of the best in fairfaxy and document them online. this year about three dozen homes made the cut, another couple dozen getting honorable mention. >> by good enough it has to be big and bright it. has to knock my socks off, really be over the top. >> reporter: the whole thing got started as a class project. the computer programmer had taken a time-out to be a stay at home mom. she went back to school to study web design and created a website based on what is clearly one of our passions. it's a site that gets lot of traffic now. people vote for their favorites. she even has a following on facebook. >> one of our neighbors told us about it, so we decided to check it out. >> reporter: what do you think of it? >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: so many cars stopped by the owner has a system for traffic control. >> it's amazing. it's just to put you in the holiday spirit. >> reporter: holly said she'd gladly take any home off the list if the homeowner objected to the term tacky, but so far nobody has. >> i actually

. >>> the washington area tops the nation in wealth and education according to new census data. fairfax and loudoun counties are the only two counties in the are a median household income over $100,000. fairfax, loudoun, montgomery and howard counties and alexandria and falls church are among 17 places in the country where more than half of the residents have at least a bachelor's degrees. falls church tops the area with 7 out of 1-adults with a bachelor's degree and 39% have advanced degrees. the median income there is $113,000. >>> if you've never experienced a migraine headache they can be debilitating. and the holiday season can be a trigger. and we have a doctor here this morning to talk about how to avoid the triggers. >>> plus breathalyzer tests in the districts dating back years might be bogus. how that might impact thousands of dui cases in the d.c. area. much more ahead. don't go anywhere.  set your pace to island time. rich chocolate over creamy coconut. almond joy and mounds. enjoy more. >>> welcome back at 9:13. breathalyzer tests dating back years might be bog

new data shows our area is home to some of the wealthiest and best educated resident. fairfaxdoun county were the only two in the country with median household incomes surpassing $100,000. falls church city also topped that median mark. fairfax, articling to be, loudoun, montgomery and howard counties along with alexandria and fall church were among 17 places where more than half the residents have at least a bachelor's degree. >>> actor mark wahlberg went through years of training for his latest film cod the fighter. >> he says he had some practice growing up. >> how old were you? >> first grade. being the youngest of the nine, you had to fight to get what you wanted. you always had to fight to survive where i grew up. >>> my name is sonya and i'm stationed in germany. i would like to give a special greeting to my mom wendy gardner who there is for me. i love you, miss you and hopefully i'll see you next christmas. eegoma >>> stephanie's child version of rudolph is a favorite song too. we'll play more view are favorites throughout the morning. you are looking at the fox 5 chr

head on over to see how we're doing at this hour, making the trip on 95 northbound. fairfaxcounty parky, building in volume. i-66 had that problem near cub run over to the shoulder but manassas to centreville is going to be particularly tough after that. looks li we're in better shape, fair oaks headed down toward the capital beltway. out to the rails we go, just seconds ago weid receive word from metrorail there is an orange line disruption at the east falls church station. so there are some delays on the orange line. that just in and we'll keep you updated on that. vre, nodelays. marc brunswick 870, 890, 892 delays and penn 503 also delayed this mning. eun. >> jerry, thank you. and get ready for what could be a mess on the roads later today. vdot has more than 200 plows prepared to keep the streets clear. once this weather -- winter storm arrives. it could be a mess. news 4's tracee wilkins is live in vienna, virginia, wh more on the snow preps. good morning to you, tracee. >> reporter: good morning, eun. vdot spokesmen are saying that they are anxious to show the folks he