ward five doesn't want to be home to where the marijuana is grown. >> we're look at our wards getting better, moving forward. not being a dumping ground. >> reporter: when several council members held a meeting following the resignation of ward 5s harry thomas last week, they got an earful of all of the proposed sites where medical marijuana will be grown. some say ward 5 has enough on its place. >> -- plate. >> and when we look at it overall, we have the problem of all of the licenses from the strip clubs coming from the ball park and want to -- wanting to locate in ward 5. no one is doing anything. when you look at waste transfer stations, three of them and that is a serious burden of ward five. >> and on tuesday -- there was a move some fear would delay the medical marijuana program. >> i heard the concerns that this would lead to greater crime, et cetera. i don't believe that is true. >> in a compromise, the council members agreed to limit the number of cut vacation sites in all wards. -- cultivation sites in all wards. still, those in ward 5 will continue to fight. >> we want non

represented ward 5 for three terms. harry thomas jr., ward 5 councilmember since 2006. here now from councilwoman alexander. >> my thoughts are with ward 5. you know, let's hope they get their representation. we are going to move forward. >> reporter: ward 5 is one of the largest in the city with 74,000 people. it's bounded on the north by eastern avenue, on the south by florida avenue, on the west by north capital street and on the east by the anacostia river. vincent used to represent ward 5. he's at large now. he says he'll act as a foster councilman for that ward. >> it's my intention to call a meeting of the ward 5 leadership and see how we move forward. >> reporter: let me correct something i said. it came as a result of information not indictment. that means a plea agreement would be forthcoming. this is uncharted waters for the city. it's unclear what impact this will be on the people of ward 5, what impact it will have on the people of our city. back to you. >> pat collins reporting. thank you, pat. >>> the thomas investigation is one of three major scandals be

our ward 5 community of. reporter: they're anxious to make sure the new ward 5 council member has priorities straight. >> better schools, no crime, good clean streets, economic development. so i'm just hopeful that someone welcome forth and give us some things that we need in ward 5. >> now once the board of elections gets an official resignation letter from harry thomas, jr. they have five days to declare a council vacancy and the process to schedule a special election can begin. that will take place 114 days after that letter is received. candidates from any party will have to collect 500 signatures from ward 5 residents to get on the ballot. >>> another big story we're working tonight, this former soldier is under arrest accused of trying to join a terror organization. craig baxam made his first appearance in court today. fox 5's bob barnard working this one now. >> he's 24 years old, a product of prince george's county accused by federal prosecutors of trying to join the somalia- based terror organization

represented ward 5 for three terms. harry thomas jr., ward 5 councilmember since 2006. here now from councilwoman alexander. >> my thoughts are with ward 5. they, you know, let's hope they get their representation and we are going to move forward. >> reporter: it's one of the largest wards in the city with 74,000 people. it's bounded on the north by eastern avenue on the south by florida avenue, west north capital street and on the east the anacostia river. vincent used to represent ward 5. he's at large now. he says he will act as a foster councilman for the ward. >> it's my intention to call a meeting for the ward 5 leadership and talk through this matter and see how we move forward pursuant to the law. >> reporter: this is unchartered territory for the city. it's unclear how deep the impact will be for the people of ward 5. the people of our city. back to you. >> pat collins, thank you, pat. >>> the harry thomas case is one of three scandals investigated by prosecutors right now. mayor gray's campaign is under investigation for corruption allegations. his campaign st

his ward 5 seat now up for grabs in a special election that must be held in the next 114 days. in his statement released around 8:30 tonight thomas writes, "tomorrow morning i will plead guilty to committing two federal crimes. i am resigning my position as a member of the council effective immediately. i made some very serious mistakes and exhibited inadequate and flawed judgment. i take full responsibility for my actions. i am truly sorry." the feds say thomas stole $350,000 in federal grant moneys from the city and failed to report the income on his tax returns. d.c. council chairman kwame brown appeared on our newscast an hour ago. >> i'm disappointed, very hurt. i've known him for a long time and what he did was wrong. it was absolutely wrong, unacceptable and he has now taken responsibility by saying that what he did was wrong and that he did actually do it and it's time for the healing process to begin. reporter: one former u.s. attorney for the district of columbia says a prison sentence is likely to be part of the plea deal. >> i think it has to be. i think he has to d

moving on as a ward and as a stronger ward. but i also asked debbie steiner, a long-time activist and she says you know, we can't really make it happen in the short time period, in the four months we have before the special election. so, while she is calling on a vigil or she's calling on some kind of unity formation for all of the members of the ward to get together and say we need to move on as a unit at this point. the process to begin filing begins today at 8:30. it ends february 15th. andrea, mike, back to you. >>> delia gonsalves reporting live from northwest. >> another big computer outreach involving the virginia technologies agency, for five hours yesterday, virginia state police be could not perform background checks, run fingerprints or register sex offenders. last april, state police lost internal and external communication capabilities for a week during a software update. and an outage in august 2010 crippled several state agencies for days. >>> thur thursday, federal agents raided the d.c. offices of cogent commun

they must unite to this now divided ward. >> the date of the special election for ward five that is open to all voters regardless of political party who are registered to vote in ward five. >> is unity possible in the short time span we have before the next election? >> definitely not. >> but you know, the thing is this. it is going to be a step by step process. right now, where we currently are is everybody is jockeying for their position to see how they can get this particular seat. in order to be in control. >> that's debbie steiner, a long-time community activist in ward five. a former anc commissioner herself. we sat down yesterday at a cafe in the area and talked a bit more about her goals for the ward. as she said, very divided at this point. but hoping to move on and beyond this corruption scandal. we'll have more from her coming up in a half an hour. mike? >> thanks, delia. delia gonsalves live outside the wilson building this morning. >> well, the idea of legalizing pot and making money off it is being kicked around in the virginia state delegates -- by its virginia state deleg

nicholas sposato of those essentially losing the ward he knows angry and hurt >> my particular ward noer my particular ward voting against suffered a huge blow of losing 80 percent today most handed to neighboring aldermen >> on fair process i have seen people bragging about being there for hours and hours on this thing i was literally in their two-three times each time >> compromise plan lacks transparency and openness plan by this administration >> ald. bob fioretti lost his also planning to sue denied mayor emmanuel pushed it through with parliamentary mayor measure wanted the process put to bed and saw chairman dick mell to that back room deals under way digging their heels maintaining compromise was key leading black leading black caucus with 2 less wards and hispanic gaining three reflection of our changing population >> not what aldermen 100% satisfied with the final match the final word they received everybody had to give an >> chairman dick mell as the end result of the citizens shortchanged when a ward is ripped apart getting something accomplished grassroots level next to im

running but says the ward is now deeply divided after thomas' corruption conviction. the next leader, she says, must work to unite the community. >> right now where we currently are so that everybody is jostling for their position to see how they can get this particular seat in order to be in control. >> even though there's no official councilmember seat for ward 5 now, all constituent services are being addressed by council chairman kwame brown. >>> the last day to register to vote for the special election is may 5th. >>> there was a large police presence around the clairemont elementary school this morning in alexandria section of fairfax county. parents and police are on the lookout for a man who has been approaching children. investigators say all five incidents happened within the past month. so far, no youngster has been harmed. however, parents want this person caught before something bad happens. >> just the fact that he's approaching kids is kind of scary. >> police are looking for a white or hispanic male in his 30s, with a goatee. driving a red pickup truck

this is a serious bird on ward 5.. >> reporter: on tuesday, councilmember vincent original introduced emergency legislation to limit the number of cultivation sites in ward 5, a move some feared would delay the medical marijuana program. >> mr. chairman, i've heard the concerns that this would somehow lead to greater crime, et cetera. i don't believe that is true. >> fay compromise, the council members agreed to limit the number of cultivation sites in all wards. still, those who live in ward 5 say they will continue to fight. >> as i said before, we want none. >> reporter: what happens scene of the accident. ? anc commissions are will hear prosecute residents would live in the areas where marijuana will be grown and then sold. there will be a report to a committee and then on to the full council. some believe that marijuana could be distributed in d.c. by the end of the year. in the district, matt ackland, fox 5 news. >> thank you. >>> coming up, an action-packed thriller at the box office. that is up next on fox 5 m

thomas resigned his ward 5 council seat.y 3rd. >> also tuesday, the d.c. board of elections formerly declared thomas' ward five seat vacant and scheduled a special election for tuesday may 15th. >> all in favor? i. >> thomas cleaned out his offices over the weekend. the ward five seat is located in northeast washington. the special election could draw a dozen candidates or more. all vying to fill the final three years of thomas' term. local residents are anxious to vote. >> it's for the people. hopefully we get a better leader for this ward. >> reporter: tom sherwood, news 4 washington. >>> still to come, some doctors say the joke about being addicted to the internet may be truer than we know. >> i think it's wonderful, because these are stories that should be known, they should be heard. >>> the widow of a tuskegee airman >>> two local elementary schools are among six in maryland being honored. the rachel carson school has made significant advancements in school assessments. 98% are efficient or advanced in reading and math

a resident of ward five, the ward is being overburdened with a lot of undesirable projects.ou have the cultivation centers and dispensaries at some point it's going to break. >> after some negotiation, the bill passed unanimously. the councilmember plans to introduce legislation limiting the number of strip clubs. >>> when the broadcast continues, a mystery illness leaves a dozen students sick in upstate new york. >>> the queen of southern cooking comes clean. why paula >>> welcome back, everybody, i'm doug kammerer on a very warm afternoon. temperatures well above average by 15 degrees. right now at the airport. winds gusting to nearly 30 miles an hour, a little bit on the breezy side. we have a frontal boundary still shower activity associated with that front. a few showers still trying to make their way through the area. don't put away the umbrellas just yet. overnight tonight, chilly. by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, 36 in gaithersburg, we will see the cold. windchills could be in the upper 20s when you wake up and step out the door, it could be around the freez

- fill his ward 5 seat on the council. >>> tonight on the news edge at 11:00 we're live in ward 5 with constituent reaction. >>> right now let's bring in wtop political analyst mark plotkin. mark? >> yes, brian. >> good to see you. >> good to see you. >> i've been in this town 12 years and in this seat the last nine. i'm absolutely stunted at the lack of outrage out there. -- stunned at the lack of outrage out there. has washington grown numb to the incompetence and outright stealing of elected leaders? >> i think there is outrage. maybe it's not voiced to the point it should be, but i think there is a cloud over the entire d.c. government. >> does it make them all look inept? >> more than inept. it's another thing to be corrupt and stealing from city funs. kwame brown was just on, the chairman of the party, he has a cloud over his reputation. he's being investigated by the u.s. attorney. there is a presumption of innocence and i'm going to go with that presumption of innocence, but there's a cloud over the mayor. the mayor is being investigated by the u.s. attorney. we don't know what

ward 5 doesn't want to be home to where the marijuana is grown. >> we are looking for ward 5 being betterall the proposed sites in ward 5 where medical marijuana will be grown. some say ward 5 has enough on its plate. >> when we look at overall, we have the problem of all the licenses from the strip clubs coming from the ballpark wanting to locate in ward 5. no one is doing anything. when you look at the waste transfer stations, three of them. that is a serious burden on ward 5. >> reporter: on tuesday, councilmember vincent orange introduced emergency legislation to limb the number of cultivation sites in ward 5. a smof some feared would delay the medical marijuana program. -- a move some feared would delay the medical marijuana program. >> i have aheard the concerns that this would somehow lead to greater crime. i do believe don't believe that is true. >> the councilmember agreed to limit the number of cultivation sites in all wards. still, those in ward 5 say they will continue to five. >> as i said before, we want none. >> reporter: what happens scene of the accident? anc commissioner

george ward and fordham in ladies hoops. tara booker, book it booker. you like that? no, you don't like that one? all right. lady colonials hold on to the win. you don't like that book it booker? >> not that one but the others were good. >> every team, every sport becoming more serious about taking care of its players when injuries to the head are a concern. one of d.c.'s own is dealing with it right now. that's nicholas baxter who got nailed in the noggin on tuesday. he's been out of the lineup since. it looked like he was going to play tonight and even went so far as to say he thought he was ready but after this morning, the team's taking extra precautions. >> we've all seen, you know, what happens if you put a guy in too earl little or if he's not feeling right. it's just potential for a lot more energy and a potential for turning a molehill into a mountain. >> caps and san jose with highlights. >>> you want to give us a recap? >> yeah, hey, a little cooler tomorrow. no upper 60s and 70s for sunday. temperatures near the upper 40s and 50 degrees. wet by wednesday.

the emergency law says ward 5 will have only 1 marijuana store. live from northeast washington, sam ford, abc 7 news. >> still to come, a disturbing discovery from a maryland home of house police looking for the homeowner. >> the main piece of evidence in the murder of a local corrections officer. >> the first ever national plan to fight alzheimer's and it could lead to a breakthrough for millions of families. if >> the martin luther king at national memorial. what is written is different than what ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] combine a pnc cashbuilder visa credit card with a pnc performance select checking account and get up to 1.75% cash back for just about every purchase. learn more and apply today at pnc.com/cashbuilder. pnc bank. for the achiever in you. >> learning more about the growing controversy surrounding the martin luther king, jr. memorial. >> the quote taken from a speech is not written exactly how it was said. jennifer donelan has spoken with those closest to the memorial and is in the new firm with the latest tonight. >> the inscrip

we will come together as a ward and we will move forward. reporter: and as we reported last night, sources tell us again this evening there is no formal plea agreement in place as yet, no court date or press conference scheduled at this time. harry thomas jr. and his legal team expect to neat with prosecutors, negotiations to continue as soon as tomorrow. >> so if harry thomas resigns at the end of the week, what happens to his seat? what happens to his constituents? >> the seat is vacant for a while. there's a special elections not just open to democrats, but to all voters and of that special eve leks when his term expires -- election when his term expires, in the general election they'll have the contest to fill his seat, kwame brown said today guard 5 residents is one of the highest vote -- ward 5 residents is one of the highest voting wards in the city. they will be taken care of and have representation. >>> the temperature at reagan national airport this morning dropped as blow as any day all last winter. topper is in the weather center

cultivation sites in ward 5.ove some fear would delay the medical marijuana program. >> mr. chairman, i heard the concerns that this would somehow lead to greater crime, etcetera. i don't believe that is true. >> in a compromise, the council members agreed to limit the number of cultivation sites in all wards. still, those who live in ward 5 say they'll continue to fight. >> as they stated before, we want none. >> what happens next? a and n commissioners will hear from residents who live in the areas where marijuana will be grown and then sold. there will be a report to a committee and then on to the full council. some believe that marijuana could be distributed in d.c. by the end of the year. in the district, matt acklin, fox 5 news. >>> three days until south carolina's primary, and the hopefuls were back on the campaign trail. front runner, mitt romney received the brunt of the attacks, but rick santorum seemed to be the main target today of newt gingrich and rick perry. >> he lost his state for reelection, bu

50 wards ... the democrats in the state legislature in indiana are facing steep fines ... the gop lawmakers are pushing a bill allowing people to work it unionized companies without having to join a union or pay union dues ... if the democrats continue hold up the legislation they may be subject to fines ... >>governor of wisconsin scott walker faces a recall election with nfl at signatures that are mounting ... he became a target when he stripped collective bargaining rights from state workers after signing labor legislation ... there's more coming up in this hour of the midday news stay with us for many, nexium helps relieve heartburn symptoms caused by acid reflux disease. osteoporosis-related bone fractures and low magnesium levels have been seen with nexium. possible side effects include headache, diarrhea and abdominal pain. other serious stomach conditions may still exist. talk to your doctor about nexium. chicago with today's business headlines ... things are looking better for sears today

his role in ward 5, peacemaker. >> many ward 5 residents believe we must reestablish a sense of unity in our ward 5 community. >> reporter: they're anxious to make surety new ward 5 council had he been has priorities straight. >> better schools, no crime, good streets, clean streets, economic development so i'm just hopeful that someone will come forth and give us some things that we need more in 5. >> reporter: audrey burns, fox 5 news. >>> what is in a name. ask new parents jay-d and beyonce. >> blue ivy what is they chose to name their daughter. they are not the only celebrities to have interesting names for their babies. we'll talk about that coming up. or the pantech breakout for $49.99. our lowest price ever. get the technology you love, on the network you deserve. now get twice the data for the same low price. hurry in, this offer ends january 15th. verizon. i don't want healthy skin i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour mois

and the ward 5 family to talk to each other about our current void in ward 5 d.c. council leadership. >> thomas will be sentenced in may. he's facing up to four years in prison. >>> we're following a developing story out of west virginia. we just learned that three men who disappeared in a greenbriar, west virginia, cave, are safely out of that cave. they had plans to spend the night in the cave but when they didn't come home, their parents called police. details about what happened are still coming in. but earlier in the day, authorities thought the men had probably gotten lost since that cave stretches for more than 13 miles. >>> a police captain in fredericsburg, virginia, is an administrative leave after being arrested for having inappropriate contact with a teenage boy he met online. his name is brent taylor. he was arrested this weekend in stafford county after police picked up a 17-year-old walking along warrington road. police say the teenager told officers that taylor picked him up in fairfax county and took him to a hotel in stafford. taylor is in charge

i sat down with long time ward 5 activist debbie smith steiner who is not running but says the ward isy divided after thomas' corruption conviction. the next leader she says must work to unite the community. >> right now where we currently are is that everybody is jockeying for their position to see how they can get this particular seat in order to be in control. reporter: even though there's no official council member seat for ward 5 now, all constituent services are still being answered heading over and being addressed by council chairman kwame brown. outside d.c. board of elections and ethics, delia goncalves, 9 news now. >>> d.c. councilman marion barry is having minor surgery today at sibley hospital. his office says the operation involves the urinary tract. the former mayor is expected to be released tomorrow. he is 75 years old and barry has survived prostate cancer, also had a successful kidney transplant three years ago. barry is running for a third consecutive term in the ward 8 council race. >>> tuesday's vote on a controversial measure to fight online piracy is being postpo

he'll look out for the interests of the ward 5 constituents there. a lot of people are going to be keeping a close eye on things in ward 5. again, harry thomas jr. due in court later on this morning at 11:15. eun, back to you. >> megan mcgrath live in northwest for us. megan, thank you. >>> and news of thomas' resignation and plans to plead guilty to two felonies have been particularly stunning to washingtonians who elected him in the first place. take a listen. >> i'm kind of shocked he would be involved in embezzling. >> it just caught me by surprise. i'm really -- i'm speechless. >> it's what politicians do, it seems to me. these days, at least. it's like a lot of people are getting caught up in corruption things. >> i'm really sad about it honestly. it's a sad situation when you vote people into office and then they abuse your trust like that. >> news 4 has learned that ward 5 democratic leaders will meet on monday night to talk about moving forward. stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com for continuing coverage of the harry thomas jr. case. we'l

i told him i would meet the editor of ward caroll. he said they have great video is. >> that is what our signature things. >> videos that explode that's what is the point of ward carolmilitary.com? >> it has blossomed into the entire military experience. the suit think about joining are in. it is about beef benefits, palatable exclamations of your benefits. we have comprehensive news coverage. we have a lot of videos and entertainment stuff, the reviews done by actual fighters to see if they are realistic. and a myriad of other features. the user home loans, the bills. it is a lot. it is the entire military experience. it is a lot. >> no. it says we have 10 million members. what does that mean? >> a member signed up for free. but basically, they give us their e-mail address and status. that is it. that is all it takes to be a member. since we were founded in 2000, we aggravated -- aggregated. it is a big audience. it is a high impact. >> no. we wanted to talk to you about some of the basics of the military. before we do, where did you

the city's ward 5 taking it on the chin. just days ago, the ward's former councilman pleaded guilty to embezzling taxpayer money. now another ward 5 leader accused of spending city money on himself. the former neighborhood commission chairman is facing charges for misusing $28,000. fox 5's wisdom martin is investigating this one. >> we are talking about tough times. the charges are access device fraud or using an atm to access city funds. william resigned last summer after allegations of missing funds came to light. >> former chairman, william shelton is now charged with fraud. >> regina james replaced shelton in september for four months. >> it was very upsetting and people were very angry. >> the u.s. attorney's office filed an indictment charging shelton with a debit card to access city money. >> the reality is, we hold the public trust. >> where did this money come from? head of the d.c. office of advisory neighborhood offices explain. >> those commissions are made up of commissioners, one for every 2,000 people. the cit

today i want to apologize to those i let down, including my constituents, neighbors, friends, and ward 5, the residents of this city. my fellow council members and government officials who serve this city. >> diverted taxpayer dollars intended to serve the children of the district of columbia for his own personal gain. rather than facing another four- year term. mr. thomas will face the pros tect of serving three to four years in prison. >> remember that former council member thomas bought with the money that he took from the district. it was $60,000. well, he traded that in on a chevy tahoe. and recently if you remember, the federal government took that tahoe, they took a motorcycle, they plan to sell both of those expensive items to repay the district some of the money that harry thomas is accused of taking. once again, an agreement was worked out earlier today between thomas and the prosecution. it has been in the works for a couple of weeks now, that thomas would serve 3 to 4 years in prison. but it is up to the judge. the judge has the final say. that won't be decided in the harry

who live in ward 5 will continue to fight. >>> we are looking at our ward getting better, moving forwardmping ground. >> advisory neighbourhood commissioners will hear from residents who live in the areas where marijuana will be grown and sold there will be a report to a committee and then sent to the full council. some believe medical marijuana could be distributed in dc by end of the year. >>> a fight to legalize medical marijuana is linked to safer driving three researchers found the states that have legalized marijuana saw a nearly 9% drop in traffic deaths the report goes on to say alcohol consumption appears to play a key role apparently the number of young people drinking has decreased in states where medical marijuana is legal. >>> 7:27 a.m., 42 degrees looks like boxing champ, lamont peterson is headed back to the ring for a rematch. details. >>> a symbolic vote in the house involving president obama's debt ceiling proposal, peter fenn and jim will join us to talk more about that and an update from the campaign trail. >> another live lookout side, windy conditions across the reg

. >>> kenyon mcduffie hopes residents in ward 5 give him a serious look running for the ward 5 council seat vacated by harry thomas, jr. he's the first person to file for the seat this afternoon. >> i'm running because the folks in ward 5 are clamoring for change. they want new fresh positive leadership. they want somebody who will usher in a new day for ward 5. >> mcduffie is a native washingtonian, graduated from wilson high school, attended howard and earned his law degree from the university of maryland in baltimore. >>> concern tonight for serious responders in d.c. -- first responders, in fact. a life saving drug this is short supply and some in circulation right now expired weeks ago, talking about lied capable. a top d.c. medical official -- about lidocaine. a top d.c. official says although it's past expiration, the drug is still safe. reporter: we received this picture from a concerned first responder. look at expiration date. we're told this is lidocaine, a life saving drug used almost every day in the district. >> right now lidocaine is one of those main anti-arrhythmic dru

department plans to issue up to ten cultivation registration and five dispensary registrations without ward-by-ward guidelines. >>> president obama and the first lady attended a concert last night honoring civil rights leader dr. martin luther king jr. ♪ >> the obamas attended a "let freedom ring" tribute to dr. king's legacy at the kennedy space center. musician bobby mcfarren, students from georgetown university, and members of local church choirs sang at the event. >>> 4:38 is our time now. ahead on "news4 today," hanging on by a thread. the dramatic rescue after an accident left a mother and her daughters dangling over this ravine. >>> plus, new concerns about those full-body scanners we see at the airport. why a new round of tests for tsa screeners has some questioning their safety. >>> our roller coaster road continues in the weather department. we'll have warmer temperatures. >>> weather & traffic on the 1s. good morning, 4:41. back to school with rain passing through the region. moving west to east the last several hours. the radar showing sprinkles in washington and prince george's county,

last night, leaders met with presidents from ward 5.he terms of the medical marijuana law these centers could open in the city. six of the seven centers are in ward 5, and many residents are not happy about it. >> it is like teasing a dog with a piece of steak. >> you do not think it should be here? >> you need to move it down on pennsylvania avenue. >> yesterday the council struck a compromise saying that no more than six centers could be located in any ward. an emergency bill to restrict how many centers can be located in the northeast will come up for a vote next tuesday. >> turning to vote 2012, there are new developments that will affect the virginia voters. last night, the republican party authorized the state election board to delete a loyalty oath from the presidential ballot. it would require the voters to support the gop nominee in november. republicans and democrats criticized it, calling it unconstitutional. and attacks among the gop presidential rivals are intensifying. three days before the primary. >> yesterday rick santo

brown told reporters that residence of ward 5 in his words are going to be taken care of. despite thomas's legal troubles. >> this thomas investigation has been going on for months and sources say it could be nearing an end. >> my integrity -- >> reporter: the ward 5 councilmember thomas has struggled to combat allegations he misspent more than $300,000 in city furnds on his own lavish lifestyle. the investigation began earlier last year when d.c. attorney general irving nathan got thomas to agree to repay $300,000. but without admitting legal wrongdoing. last december 2, federal agents swarmed over the house in northeast washington, spending much of the day there hauling away expensive vehicles. and other items. now several sources tell nbc 4 that the federal authorities are nearing an end to their possibility criminal case against thomas. with the councilmember increasingly distracted from representing his northeast ward 5. d.c. council chairman kwame brown was asked tuesday if thomas could still be a productive member of the council. brown responded in a way that sugges

. >> what's next in ward 5?ill be a special election on replace harry thomas jr., who stepped down after pleading guilty to charges of embezzlement and filing false tax returns. last week, activists and leaders got together in ward 5 to determine how to fill the void. how do you think they'll be able to do that? his shoes won't be easy to fill. >> well, this is my home ward. this is something a little personal for me. the reality is, there are at-large council members who are just as responsible to citizens and are there ward representatives. association it's my hope that all of the at-large members of the council will do just little more in terms of their constituent service work to help meet the needs of the residents of ward 5. the reality is, they're elected by ward 5 voters as well, and they need to step up and do the right thing. >> well -- >> there's another issue here, though. eleanor norton wants to shorten the time from next may to make it a lot sooner when they replace the fella who left. and the fact

. >>> it is another scandal for washington's ward 5 neighborhood. federal prosecutors are charging the ward's former chairman of the advisory neighborhood commission with fraud. william shelton is accused of using an amplet nc debit qard to access city funds for personal spending. prosecutors say he misused $28,000. the charges against shelton come just days after ward 5 councilman harry thomas, jr. pleaded guilty foam bezelment. >>> police in maryland are looking for a man who useed a credit card stolen during a terrifying home invasion. a masked man forced his way into a house on barredden road in bethesda yesterday morning, sexually salted the house keener and tied up the home owner and her teenaged son and robbed them. >>> the u.s. government is stepping up testing of orange juice after a potentially harmful fungi side was found in juice imported from south america. we have a report. >> reporter: the food and drug administration testing all orange juice entering the united states. the move comes after low levels of a fungicide was discovered. th

ward fled the scene but troopers say media coverage let them identity him. >>> the department of natural resources promotion to catch the snake heads appears to have been a success. anglers caught 81 in a contest to help get rid of them. one, dutch baldwin caught 266 them using a bow. using a bow. that guy is good. another man caught a 16-pound snake head also using a bow. the dnr is promoting them for seafood lovers to help get rid of them. >>> there was a sign of winter today in the area. flurries fell in westminister and we caught them all. that was actually what they call lake effect snow and it called down in a hurry with temperatures in the 50s into the low 30s. how cool will it get for tonight? wyatt joining us now with the forecast. >> reporter: it'll be a lot colder at 20s. with the winds letting up later, it's wind chill in the 20s already. north and west i tell you can see what is left of the lake effect streamers, briefly moved out of pennsylvania and reached down into western maryland including clipping carroll county. those are a done deal now. zoom in, look at the wind fro

. >> reporter: norma ward has counseled domestic vie len violence for years and has heard a lot like lopez. >> her reasons are sometimes -- the battered woman syndrome of i'm accepting of this, this has happened but he is a good father, a good husband, we are goingo to work on the marriage, make it work. a lot of times it's the minimizing it. it's like it's not that bad. >> reporter: ward said it's not unusual for battered women to stay in abusive relationship out of guilt, shame and fear. >> he may threaten to take the children and they fear they won't have support. they will an out cast. >> reporter: court documents show a neighbor reported the alleged abuse after videotaping lopez who showed up crying with bruises on her arm. she said lopez was upset because her husband cussed at her and threatened to take their son. lopez said she questioned whether madison has an axe to grind but ward suggests she may be looking after lopez. >> for some reason you know someone felt that maybe they are protecting her. i think it could be they are trying to save her life. >> reporter: they have re

coming up at 6:00, reaction from riders. >> derrick ward reporting. thanks. >>> today, a fairfax county woman learned her fate for killing her granddaughter. carmelo della rosa was sentenced to 35 years in prison. she was found guilty of killing her granddaughter. she said she lost her mind. today, she spoke to the court. julie carey will have a live report with what she said in her sentencing today. >> was it really freezing? bone-chilling cold a couple days ago? things turned around, haven't they? >> in no time at all. will it last for the weekend? that's the important question. the man with the answer, doug kammerer. doug? >> a lot of people have been asking me and begging for snow. i think even the snow lovers out there who haven't seen snow yet are still enjoying this. 60 degrees outside right now under mostly sunny skies. the sun just went down. mostly clear skies with winds south-southwest. just absolutely gorgeous on this friday. we told you it would be fantastic. storm 4 doppler radar showing things are all clear. don't expect rain today. a f

. >>> another scandal for washington's ward 5 neighborhood. federal prosecutors are charging the ward's formedder chairman of the ad sites neighborhood commission with fraud. william shelton is accused of using a anc debit card to access funds for personal spending. ding. >>> the council wants to know why there was no government oversight to stop harry thomas from stealing in the first place. jim graham says he is reviewing a thousand audit documents. he will denext week if hearings will be held. >>> police in maryland need your help fining a man who may be behind two armed robberies. officers want to talk to a guy who used a credit card at a cvs stolen hours before. a masked man forced his way into a house in bethesda. he sexually assaulted ahousekeeper and tied up the home owner and her teenaged son and robbed them. >>> a toddler found alone in a freezing cold tent at the occupy camp in d.c. is in protective custody this morning. map who says he is her father is facing charges. an occupy protester heard the 18-month-old girl crying. the woma

you can see there is this area of heavy rain south ward into marin county. and there the north bay there is some heavy down pours. there are showers and areas of rain into santa cruz mountains and parts of the south bay. heaviest weather is still to come. >> thank you. >> and residents near a wildfire that destroyed homes are facing a new threat. officials say there is a storm that could cause flash flooding. there more than 10,000 people were evacuated. >> there is fire moving very, very fast. i would say they did a good job in holding number of damaged structures down to 26. >> and there is a san bruno family planning to return home tomorrow. the deadly fire forced them out 16 months ago. there is a house that is gone replaced by a dream home. >> and that is a home over there. a 2500 square foot house that is one of the first homeowners to return to a house that has been rebuilt prt ground up. >> this is a family room. we're short of furniture but we're ready for sunday. >> and bill calls tomorrow a milestone. and their old home had extensive damage. they

if thomas does resign, we're told a special elect will be held in ward 5. i talked to the board of elections and they say they have been planning and preparing the last week or so, expecting some type of resignation to come their way. and this is not going to be cheap, brian. we're told at minimum, the special election here in ward 5 will cost at least $300,000. >> and the s. >> couple chairman expects to receive harry thomas' resignation soon and showed concern about his coworker. >> and right now, i pray for harry thomas and his family. right now, he will focus on the family and do what is best for the family and the city. that is probably the best thing to do. >> reporter: mayor gray told us he is calling for thomas to step down. >>> couple men thomas came to our studios last summer to defend him. we posted that introduce with the latest developments on www.myfoxdc.com. >>> and a bittersweet sendoff for national guardtrops this morning. family and friends gathered at the armory in southeast d.c. to say farewell to 79 local troops deploying to afghanistan

i'm pleased that we've reached a conclusion here and that the residents of ward 5 will have a chancecouncil member jim graham says the city youth program that funneled grant moneys to harry thomas was simply out of control. >> it's exa

in ward 5, we found a profound sense. sadness over what could have been but that he is doing what needs to be done. >> i think he is doing the right thing. i think he should have done it sooner versus letting it come to this especially for his family. but i think he is doing the right thing for the -- for himself, his family and for all of us who live in this ward. >> i'm disappointed that he was not able to represent the ward in the way in which it deserves to be represented. and he is not able to continue his term. >> reporter: , a special election will be held to fill his seat. he is likely to face prison time. he is due if federal court at 11:15 this morning. if a statement, thomas said that he, quote, made some very serious mistakes and exhibited inadequate and flawed judgment. that is the latest here from the federal courthouse. back to you. >> thank you. >>> d.c. council chairman kwame brown spoke for fox 5 and several times, he said it is time for the healing process to begin. but wtop political analyst mark lot k

a special election likely held in may to fill the vacant ward 5 seat. with thomas' probe over, attention turns to the two other high profile criminal investigations. one into the mayor's 2010 campaign and possible illegal use of campaign fund. and the separate criminal probe into kwame brown's, 2008, council campaign spending. >> people are really concerned. now we are looking forward to two possibly elected officials under a similar cloud of doubt. >> the mayor and the chairman have each denied wrongdoing. prosecutors at this point aren't saying anything. jim. >> tom sherwood. thank you, tom. >> breaking news in fort washington, maryland. where a fight broke out at a high school basketball game. it happened at friendly high school. the scuffle in the stand. tonight, a student, assaulted an officer in the bleachers. they both fell. another officer tried to assist the first one. and deployed pepper spray. five students arrested. the officer who fell was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. >>> metro is trying desperately to figure out why parts of wh

ed, ward to, larry mcentee, ward 3, pete, ward 4. meg representing board six. scaap kelly, ward seven and pat ryan, ward 8. kolevar city employees that are here today also stand okay. now, anyone who serves on a city commission and advisory board and oversight board, and a match three subcommittee or one of our trusts, if that fits any of your categories, please come stand and now let's give our council and city staff and committee volunteers a round of applause. [applause] an amazing a group of people. you may recall last year i spent quite a bit of time talking about all the national acclamation that we were receiving. we were receiving honors on so many best of list this seemed like a good idea to take stock and mentioned as many of them as we could. this year i want to mention just one list and then i want to drill down and kind of explore what it might mean. last month, the urban institute took a look at the 100 largest metro areas in the country and ranked them for economic security. now, economic security takes them into consideration and for factors, un

the 75-year-old democrat has already served two terms representing ward eight. he told "the washington post" that he might not serve his entire term and he hopes to transfer that seat to his son, christopher. >>> the occupy d.c. protestors in mcpherson square are taking the park police to court. they want a judge to prevent police from evicting them or removing their belongings. protestors claim that police have taken items without warning and without giving protestors a chance to get their items back. right now, a judge's order requires park police to give 24 hour notice if they want to clear the area. and there is a law against camping or sleeping in the square. but police have not enforced it. >>> for montgomery county schools, the math simply doesn't add up. the county has asked the state legislature for $184 million to help upgrade and renovate aging school buildings. but the state is offering only $24 million. >> we have about 2500 more kids every year coming in and it is important that we have facilities that they need to meet that growth. >> the county p

a public school principal and my father, a former council member who served as a representative of ward 5 with great distinction that our community has become great. it is this legacy of service that i hope to live up to again. >> reporter: harry thomas, jr. is free on personal recognizance. he's due back for sentencing on may 3rd and he could get three to four years in prison. his attorneys will ask for about half that. his colleagues are left stunned by the scandal. harry thomas, jr. is the first elected d.c. official convicted of crimes committed while in office. >> i think sadly that i don't think that there's a lot of credibility regarding ethics with d.c. council right now. >> reporter: to him me wells had these comments about harry thomas trying to recapture his seat on the d.c. council. >> in d.c., we really don't want to limit voters choices, but in a case where someone has so violated the public trust with a criminal enterprise to take public funds and utilize the office seemingly for that purpose, it really gives you because to say that maybe this is a case where we need to r

dennis wideman to joel ward, it's ward's fifth goal of the season. his first since november 5th.the game at 2. moments later, karl alzner tries to clear it. dan boil keeps it in, ahead to joe thornton, a sweet pass to patrick marleau. take another look. a turnover turns into a goal for san jose. the sharks beat the caps 5-2, ending washington's four-game win streak. up next, the caps play the kings in los angeles on monday night. >> thank you and thank you for joining us. "nightly news" is next. see you at 11:00.

of representation for the residents of ward five, council members' ward, of course, i spoke to councilperson kwame brown. he told me if this resignation does take place, the city will hold a special election and they will have to refill that seat. harry thomas' ward five council seat within 114 days. we'll have much more from kwame brown in a half hour. andrea? >> thanks, delia reporting live outside the wilson building. >>> in national politics, the republican presidential hopefuls have moved on to new hampshire which holds the nation's first primary next tuesday. but the field is now all male. minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann dropped out yesterday after her disappointing last- place finish in the iowa caucuses. the 55-year-old bachmann spent considerable time campaigning in ohio, the state where she was born. >>> in virginia, newt gingrich, jon huntsman and rick santorum are joining rick perry's lawsuit to try to get on the primary ballot in the commonwealth. a u.s. district judge in richmond granted their motion yesterday. harry filed the suit after his campaign failed to get the

said thomas could offer to resign, perhaps reduce the charges, possible fines and prison time the ward 5 council member is accused of stealing $300,000 in city grants and spending the money on himself. thomas has agreed to repay the city but degeneva said the feds could nail thomas on tax evasion charges. >> it makes sense that it unin mr. thomas' position would be negotiating -- that someone in mr. thomas' deposition would be negotiating the at this point for the simple reason when you reach a settlement with the city where you basically admit you shouldn't have taken the money, at this point wheey is t inevitably the federal government has to look at that and treat it as a criminal matter because it's simply too much money. reporter: we spoke to ward 1 council member jim graham tonight about harry thomas' possible resignation. >> there's a lot of complex emotions at a time like this, you know, but one thing i'm absolutely certain of is council member thomas is now going to do the right thing. he may have done the very wrong thing, but now he will do the right thing by the people of t