here is a lye look at the beltway, 695, wilkins avenue. traffic patterns are building. you are able to drive at posted speed on the beltways southwest side. >>> it wasn't fun or pretty, but the ravens have advanced the title game sunday and mh&ua date with ]hjthe new england patriots in massachusetts. final score was 2013, over the texans and a huge game for veteran, lewis and reed. sherrie johnson is live with fan reaction. >> reporter: we are here at mt bank stadium, the heart of all the excitement, all is quiet now, i was out here yesterday and the people were excited, everyone was beyond belief. they had purple pride everywhere. the fans, we are ready to move on now to foxboro. we are going to take on a tough team. the fans say we are ready. it was a close victory, but a victory nonetheless. tense moments for fans but the ravens pulled off a win and now we are headed to the afc championship. >> we got to do better to beat new england. we were lucky today. >> it wasn't the ;qñbest performance but we got enough to beat new england next week. >> reporter: all right. n

i'm tracee wilkins live this morning.ack to you in the studio. >>> a billionaire history buff will donate $7.5 million to help repair the washington monument. the national park service will make the announcement today. the monument has been off limits since the august 23rd earthquake. megan mcgrath is live on the national mall with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, joe. it's one of washington's biggest tourist attractions, but the washington monument has been closed since it was damaged in that 5.8 earthquake back in august. the price tag to fix the monument, $15 million. congress kicked in half of the money, but then told the park service to raise the rest. a single donor has come forward, david rubenstein a local fill lan t fiphilanthropist has come forwa with the money. there is some issues with water seeping inside. there's some serious damage, far too unstable to allow visitors inside. the actual repair work is expected to take about a year. so even though the money has been raised, it will be a

news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live from northeast washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. police are here, they're maintaining the perimeter. that's what an officer told me a while ago. they have a report of a suspicious package on the tracks here beneath the new york avenue bridge, just east of florida avenue here. kind of where the bridge crests and they're here and also working with amtrak. evidently amtrak received a call for a suspicious package being placed where here on the tracks. they are investigating. they have not found anything yet. they are saying at this point there's no reason for alarm but they are continuing their investigation. we're here live. i'm tracee wilkins, back to you all in the studio. >> thank you very much. >>> the time is now 4:38. ahead on news 4 today, all kinds of excuses. the latest reason the captain of a doomed cruise ship is giving for how he got off the boat. >>> not over yet. the new concern you can expect weather and traffic on the 1s. >>> good morning. time for weather and traffic on the one

i'm trace wilkins. news 4. >> a reunion 70 years in the making. it starts in a concentration camp in the 1940s and picks up in a hospice room in leesburg, have virginia. >> i have the nightmares. >> katherine is haunted by the memories from 70 years ago in a nazi concentration camp. >> american soldiers rescued katherine who was 7 years old at the time with her family and the concentration camp. she wrote a book about her experience, dreaming of a day she could thank a soldier who saved her and so many others. >> to shake the hand of a soldier who knew exactly what we went through and who saw the horror. >> she miraculously accidentally saw a rescuer at the nursing and rehab center inialli leesburg, virginia. >> he is recovering for pneumonia in the same room. his hat displays his world war ii purple heart. >> i said i was in germany and then we started talking more. >> she found out he was one of the soldier who is rescued christians and jews at the camp. >> it was an honor to do it. it was great people. >> at last the moment she waited seven dec

tracee wilkins live this morning. back do you all in the studio. >> tracee, thank you. >>> coming up on 4:55. still ahead this morning changes could be in store for websites you visit a lot. why new web addresses could be mrl than a dot-com. >> what's your excuse for being late to work. a new survey >>> so if you use facebook, you may want to take a closer look. paid advertisements are now popping up in news feeds and they look like normal posts. critics say some people will click on stories that are ads. they'll only have ads that the person hat use order liked. >> forget dot-com or.org dot-ing or. they will now allow you to change the end of your website to whatever you want. the move could be particularly helpful to businesses which can use the domains to reflect their expertise, but web experts warn that could change the change -- the changes could be very confusing to consumers. >> now you're gong to have to remember the something, the dot, and something you have never heard before. there's going to be pluses or

i'm tracee wilkins, live in northeast.to you all in the studio. >> thank you very much. >>> a centreville, virginia, man is in custody this morning charged with fairfax county's first homicide of the year. police accuse benjamin walker of killing his roommate in their home on gunther court. officers say walker came to a jail yesterday and reported a woman dead inside his house. when police arrived at that home, they found leslie's body with trauma to her upper body. police arrested walker a short time later. they aren't saying why they believe walker killed her. >>> today we expect to learn more about the man charged in a series of home invasion robberies in montgomery and prince george's counties. police arrested 33-year-old kevin ray saturday after tracking him down to the outer banks. ray, who is a registered sex offender, is facing charge in three home invasion robberies and two sex assaults last week in bethesda, temple hills, and wheaton. this morning, ray is back in police custody in montgomery county. police will h

news 4's tracee wilkins was at the awards ceremony and had this report. >> reporter: on september 1st, 2010, lives were saved inside of the discovery building inside silver spring. there were a lot of people who contributed to the outcome of that day, and today one of them was honored. >> amazed not just by his bravery but his instincts, what he did. and that reflects the character and quality of the individual but also the training of the institution here in montgomery county. >> reporter: the officer was actually off duty when the call came. he said he quickly went back on duty and instincts kicked in. >> being able to gain access to the building by some of the discovery employees that recognized me. from there, i was eight to get a tactical advantage coming up from the rear and seeing the subject with his apparatus and gear and being able to relay that vital information. >> reporter: today the officer was presented congressional badge of bravery, an award acknowledging his sacrifice and quick thinking. he credits that all to good training. >> the stuff that we've been training for,

i'm tracee wilkins live this morning. >>> a new video is sparking rage around the world. it shows four marines urinating over dead taliban fighters. the video posted on youtube shows four u.s. marines urinate on three dead taliban fighters in afghanistan. the men are believed to be from a sniper team out of camp lejeune. marines say they're investigating the video and marines involved could face criminal charges. >>> the south's first primary is nine days away, but gop candidates are already raising the heat in south carolina and it's getting personal. >> i like being able to fire people that provide services to me. >> we hired a lawn company to mow our lawn and they had illegal immigrants who were working there, so we went to the dpaep and said, look, you can't have any illegals working on our property. i'm running for office for pete's sake. >> that's a ad. gingrich and rick perry launched high-budget campaign wars in the state against the front-runner in hopes of slowing his momentum. romney's camp says that they are ready for the attacks and they're prepared to launch

those delays continue around to wilkins avenue. over to you, charlie. >>> we begin this morning with developing news of an autistic boy attacked at a bus stop and the entire thing caught on tape. abc 2 new's linda stow is here with the disturbing video and what's expected to happen now. reporter: charley, the boy who was attacked says he's going to try to go back to school today. police also say they'll charge the boy who hit him with second- degree assault. this video we are about to show you is disturbing. watch how the boy is bullied at the bus stop. the video was posted on facebook. it shows 11-year-old caleb coola, a sixth grader at elkton middle school getting punched in the head while everyone at the bus stop cheered. caleb says he's been bullied since the first grade. he has autism and adhd. caleb's parents say they have made dozens of requests for help but the school system didn't do anything until last year when the school asked them to fill out a report saying their son had officially been bullied. his parents say he'll

tracee wilkins, live in southeast. back to you. >> thank you very much. >>> a northeast washington community is coming together to remember a baby abandoned in the cold and who died. they are now trying to prevent it from happening again. last night, neighbors gathered for a vigil. the little girl was found sunday on the steps of a home on channing street northeast. she was wrapped only in a thin towel. d.c. officials are reminding residents about its safe haven law. >> it was a tragedy that a mother or father who clearly was in great distress was not aware that there are safe havens that are designated throughout the city. >> infants 2 weeks old or younger can be left at hospitals, fire stations, and other places designated as safe havens and will not face criminal charges. >>> a helicopter crash killed six u.s. marines in southern afghanistan. the nato military command in kabul says the helicopter crashed in the helmand province. officials tell nbc news that there were no signs of hostile fire at the time of the cras

money in the cayman islands when you asked and why do it why do exactly sam seeder of william wilkins thanks so much for being with us thank you for having to appreciate to understand what exactly mitt romney romney isn't pain for with his tax dodging we have to the story of joe republican we'll get into that right after this. oh here it is years ago john get gray wrote a piece called joe republic and here's a quick summary of it joe gets up at six o'clock in the morning fills his coffee pot with water the water is clean and fresh because some tree hugging liberal thought for water quality standards he takes his daily medication it's safe to take because some stupid conny liberal thought to ensure their safety and that they worked as advertised his medication is paid for by his employer's medical plan because a liberal union workers fought for the paris's morning breakfast bacon and eggs safety eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry joe dresses walks outside take a deep breath carry breezes clane because so environmentalists liberal thought for

this is wilkins avenue. the southwest corner checks out fine. 95 in the area of joppa road, traffic is light down towards the beltway northeast. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. back to. good morning. >> president obama on the road this morning. >> the president is pushing his plan that it laid out earlier this week. kate amara has more on the story. >> good morning. this is been doing cross country campaigns. republicans have been in florida. the president has been in iowa and arizona. >> hello, arizona! >> the road trip sales pitch continues today. pushing into colorado. today he will focus on energy. wednesday it was tax breaks for manufacturers who bring jobs back to the u.s. >> i want these guys to keep growing and growing. and higher and higher. >> also on the road, his republican rivals or hitting back. >> he made the case for rick santorum to be the head of the republican party. >> with the titanic, they could not see the icebergs. we're headed towards it. >> newt gingrich said the plan would

joining me now is sam cedar to the majority report co-host of the ring of fire radio and rebecca wilkins senior counsel on federal tax policy at the institute of taxation and economic policy was citizens for tax justice sam glad to have you both with of saying let me start out rebecca with you as a tack a tax expert can you explain exactly what romney's doing in the caymans and i understand some of this has to do reading the wall street journal piece today with his ira and that there's a secondary tax i want to get stuck in my mind that's a four letter acronym and you probably know that he actually is able to avoid a certain amount of taxes by having rusher well first i have to say it's kind of hard to know for sure what he's doing because he hasn't released his tax returns at and he's told us he's going to release his returns and april which presumably means us two thousand and eleven returns which at makes you wonder what's on the two thousand and ten return that we're never going to say but we do know that he has a substantial amount of investments in the cayman islands and bank capit

in northeast, i'm tracee wilkins. back to you in the studio. >> thank you very much. >>> 5:03. new developments overnight on a luxury cruise ship that ran aground near italy. we've learned search crews found a passenger's body. it comes after authorities investigate the captain's actions and try to figure out what went wrong. news4's angie goff joins us with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. with news of another passenger found, the death toll now stands at six. this morning, rescuers face rough and cold waters as they work to save or at least recover more bodies of those still missing. >> ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please -- >> reporter: this is video taken by a passenger during the chaotic evacuation. crew members tried to calm people rushing to lifeboats. we're going to go to a live look at the "costa concordia." it hit a reef off the tuscan coast friday night. you're looking at live pictures. 16 people are still missing. among them, two americans from minnesota. survivors say the situ

tracy wilkins has more. 3467 u.s. park police enter the camp. occupiers check tents to make sure no one was sleeping. they enforced the no camping rules on monday and are threatening to arrest anyone found sleeping. occupiers are waiting for the police to evict the group enmass. when police came this morning they weren't coming to kick them out. >> we can't allow stuff like this. we hope you'll come to compliance, and we're requesting you take the tarp down. >> reporter: police wanted the protesters to take down what they call the tarp of dreams. a tents like structure they put up yesterday afternoon over the park's statue. what does the tarp represent? >> to us, it's the idea we can't sleep here. it causes us a lot of grievance because sleep is our time to we recuperate. >> reporter: a group of occupiers are at the federal courthouse in d.c. supporting a suit filed against the department of interior, seeking a temporary restraining order against the camping ban in force with police. >> we had a petition gathered in two days, a day and a half. s

i'm tracee wilkins live this morning in northwest.you all in the studio. >> thank you. >>> a would-be robber got more than he planned for when he tried to rob two off-duty d.c. police officers it happened tuesday night at this sunoco station in maryland. police say 51-year-old sandy stancil threatened the officers with a knife and tear gas. that's when the two d.c. officers identified themselves and the suspect ran away. he was caught. >>> police in st. george's county are trying to find a man who robbed an employee at for the foote school. >>> and the spotsylvania sheriff is warning parents after a man in his 30s or 40s was spotted following students home from school yesterday evening and waited outside their home force a while as the kids went inside. the sheriff's department will add patrols in the area. >>> today major changes are coming to the department of defense. defense secretary leon panetta will announce huge cuts to the defense budget as part of president obama's restructuring plan. as many as 80,000 troops will be cut and

tracee wilkins live this morning. eun, back to you in the studio. >> tracee, thank you. >>> the fda says it will soon release a batch of original juice from canada. it will be the first to make it onto the u.s. store shelves since health regulators started testing all of it for the fungicide, which is illegal in the country. the chemical is often used in brazil to fight mold on trees there. the fda began testing orange juice after the company alerted the government after traces of the fungicide were found in juices in brazil. >>> it turns out all the studies touting the benefits of red wine may not be true at all. a researcher known for his studies on red wine falsified his data more than 100 times over seven years. it's not known whether the irregularities were significant enough to alter the study's conclusion. >> so there's dot-com and dot-org and dot-net. how about dot-huh? starting today your website may get a new name. they will now allow you to change the end of your website to whatever you want. that move coul

a lot of people taking it slow because of the rain, but, really, 69345 at wilkins avenue bunched up. take it slow. a lot of rain. the temperatures are warmer than they could be and we're not seeing rough freezing spots. >>> bail denied for a harford county 16-year-old accused of killing his father and dumping the body in the pond. we go to roosevelt leftwich. >> reporter: it was the first court appearance for robert richardson the third. he's accused of shooting to death his father. his half sister and mother were in court to show his support but they had nothing to say. the 16-year-old will remain in jail. the judge felt richardson would be a flight risk. he shot his father last monday and dumped his body in a pond. a pretrial hearing has been set for the 17th in harford county circuit court. reporting live in harford county, roosevelt leftwich. >>> we have an update on the dog that was thrown off a balcony sunday night from two stories up in owings mills. today we checked in on the dog. he was taken to the fall lts road an -- falls road animal hospital. animal control said the dog

news4's tracy wilkins talked with the man who found the baby. >> reporter: that one-month-old infant was found here on the steps of this house, and for anyone who was out last night or early this morning, you know it was freezing cold. now, d.c. police are trying to find the baby's mother, and they're starting right here in the neighborhood where the baby was found. >> it looked like a toy at first because the legs were just dangling out. >> he was walking home late last night when he discovered a newborn in a towel on his neighbor's stoop. he called his dad to help. >> i had to grab somebody else to make sure i wasn't seeing something else. >> reporter: his dad brought the baby in their home, held her to his chest and tried warming her with his body heat as they called 911 for help. >> i picked her arms up to see whether she was frozen stiff. no, she wasn't frozen stiff, but she wasn't far from it. >> reporter: he says he tried performing cpr, but there was no response. >> i didn't see any signs of life. but when they got her into the ambulance, they were working on her, and i figur

i'm tracee wilkins live in northeast. back to you in the studio. >> awful story. thank you. >>> an italian cruise captain is accused of showboating and causing a ship to run aground killing people. the costa concordia ran aground thursday night. ships often come near t

29, southbound lanes, see more traffic flow as you make your way through the columbia region. 695, wilkins, crowded on the beltway, the travel pace moving well between catonsville and pikesville. if you plan to travel on 50, chesapeake bay bridge, a live look at 50, st. margarets, westbound shutdown on the bay bridge with a stalled car. >>> ravens are advancing to the afc title game next sundays and a date with new england patriots in massachusetts. they won yesterday 20-13, behind a defensive game led by veterans lewis and reed. sherrie johnson is live with all new fan reaction, lot of happy faces this morning. >> reporter: that's right. we are here live at mt bank stadium. the heart of where the excitement kicks off. this place was packed with people. purple everywhere, place filled with purple pride. we are moving on to foxboro. as we go to face off against a tough team, patriots. the fans say we are ready. that was a close victory but a victory nonetheless. tense moments for fans. the ravens pulled off a win and heading to the afc championship game. >> lieu sis the man. we kill it. new

here's 695 and wilkins avenue.oop is a bit heavy through the catonsville region making your way past baltimore national pike. and heading into downtown these are the conditions making your way past gee treat and west mulberry street. >>> a prime suspect in the natalee who will way murder -- joran van der sloot will be in front of a george later this week. time to check out what's in store for 201. we will have a preview. it's 5:52, 28 degrees. and good morning, maryland. >>> a guilty plea for the murder of stephanie flores in a hotel in lima peryiew. he is considered the prime suspect of natalee holloway and has been investigate. -- >>> more refined versions of popular gadgets are among the tech offerings debuting at consumer electronic show in vegas. among highlights tablets and lap tops and cars more connected tocyberspace. >>> automakers and enthusiast from around the world will converge on motor city for the north american international us ato show. more than 3 dozen never before seen automotive product will be

news4's tracee wilkins is live with developments. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.e're told that he's actually inside of an apartment building. i want you to look behind me. you're not able to see that apartment building from where we are, but this building is the building that's blocking it. you can see that police have this entire area blocked off here to this corner of capitol hill here in southeast. has been closed off. we're talking about 12th and k toward penn and 14th toward l street. so you can see here again police are still on the scene. now this is how this started. it actually began in alexandria, just off of telegraph road. we're told police were following a vehicle, ran the vehicle's plates and found a number of warrants for the driver. they tried to pull him over, and he accelerated. three police cars ended up joining in this pursuit from fairfax county. eventually this person crossed over the wedge, bailed out of -- the wilson bridge, bailed out of his vehicle. he ran into a building located in the 1000 block in northeast. the emergency response team

tracee wilkins live in northwest. back to you in the studio. >> thank you. >>> turning to the weather now. and this springlike conditions we have out there. storm four meteorologist tom kierein joins us with our first forecast for midday. >> good morning, barbara. that's a live view from the city camera. we have sunshine coming through, high clouds now. there's the kennedy center for the performing arts on the banks of the potomac river. right now temperatures are beginning to hit the 50s throughout much of the region. and it is into the upper 50s, near 60, already in fredericksburg and southern maryland, over towards charlottesville. stanton, virginia, 61, petersburg, west virginia, 63 and that mild air should be sweeping north. right now around washington, we are in the mid 50s and in montgomery, fairfax,al ton, prince george's counties, 51 is rather cool with a bit of a breeze coming off of the cold waters of the potomac. reagan national airport. elsewhere, we are into the mid 50s and do have some high clouds drift

news 4's tracee wilkins with that story. >> reporter: a suspicious man in a red, rusted, dented pickupas reported in the area of clairmont elementary school in alexandria on december 19th, 20th and 21st. students walking to and from school reported the man waving and watching them. >> apparently the guy pulled up in a truck and sat a fairly close distance back and just kept his eye on them. at one point he waved at them and was just clearly monitoring timing, who was there, and assessing the situation. >> reporter: then two additional, similar incidents were reported last thursday and this past tuesday. fairfax county police have stepped up patrols in the area. no child has been touched or injured in any of the incidents but parents are concerned and taking precautions just the same. >> i think it's a threat but i think you have to, like any threat, you have to be cautious and you just have to keep doing what you do every day and make your children aware of it. >> it's a little scary but at the same time i feel, you know, confident with the fairfax county and the security here. as you

news4's tracee wilkins joins us live at the montgomery county police department with more on this distinguished honor. tell us what's happening. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. every time that these public servicemen are honored, they're always very humbled by it and saying i'm not the only person that were involved, there were lots of people there that day, and of course that's true. but when an officer receives an award like this one, it is because his bravery and his decision making stood out. on seth 1st, 2010, lives were saved inside of the discovery building in silver spring. there were a lot of people who contributed to the outcome of that day, and today one of them was honored. >> not just for his bravery but his instincts, what he did. that reflects the character and quality of the individual but also the training of the institution here in montgomery county. >> reporter: the officer was actually off duty when the call came for a suicide bomber entering the discovery building. he says that he quickly went back on duty and then his instincts kicked in. >> being able to gain access t

i'm tracee wilkins live this morning in southeast. back to you all in the studio. >> tracee, thanks so much. this is the latest in a string of 7-eleven robberies in the washington area. two armed robbers hit a 7-eleven store on rhode island avenue in northeast washington two weeks ago. it shows the robbers taking out a cash register and pointing a gun at the cashier. one is also seen robbing a 7-eleven store a few blocks away on bladensburg road just a few hours later. >>> this morning we expect to learn the names of two young people killed in a crash that happened as many were still ringing in the new year. five people were in an suv when it slammed into a tree on jones bridge road in bethesda just before 3:00 a.m. new year's day. police say a man and a many would, o woman, one riding in the front seat and the other in the backseat died. we spoke to one man who was friends with both victims. >> he was definitely my closest acquaintance, and like we always used to spend time over at each other's houses. she was cool. she was cool, lik

tracee wilkins has more from overnight. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.p a few new symbols to show park police what they think about the possibility of being evacuated off of this federal space. we'll take a look behind me. one of those signs is actually this large sign that says "high noon, usa park police showdown." this was put up yesterday. this was in anticipation of the park police possibly coming in and moving everyone off of mcpherson square. n a mass evacuation. that didn't -- square in a mass evacuation, but that didn't happen. nothing else has happened overnight. u.s. park police have been checking tents for sleeping occupiers and rep minding protesters that the two occupy d.c. sites -- at the sites that there is no camping rule on the federal sites. a park police spokesman, sergeant david schlosser, said officers began enforcing the camping ban yesterday. while he would not give a specific date and time for eviction, he said the camping ban also includes having bedding materials like sleeping bags and blankets on the site. the national parks s

traffic flow around the beltway, you should be in good shape around that entire west side this is 695, wilkins avenue. on this camera, fog is out there, extra caution on your morning drive. >>> could your child's lunchbox being putting them at risk for being poisoned? expandable lunchboxes are being recalled. it's due to the freezer gel packs. they are made by california innovations and sold at costco from may 2007 through september of 2008. the company says a dog died after eating one of the gel packs. >>> 29 electoral votes are on the line in florida. hopefuls continue as they battle one another for the top spot. five things to know on this tuesday morning before heading out the door, herman cain will deliver the tea party rebuttal to the state of the union address. he dropped out of the primary in december. president john f kennedy's library will release secret recorded meetings and phone calls today. providing a window in the final months of his life. include discussions of strategys for reelection am hearing for a man who shot ronald reagan will pick up today. a judge will decide if hinkl

tracee wilkins has details.morning. >> reporter: the merritt -- the mayor is taking this seriously. after having the health department investigate, he think it's a matter of safety not only for people residing there but also for the rest of the residents in the district of columbia to have these folks moved out as soon as possible. the occupy d.c. protester moved on to mcpherson sghar october. it's one of two camps. the other located at freedom plaza. in a letter to the national parks service yesterday, mayor vincent gray suggested mcpherson protesters move to freedom plaza where conditions are a bit cleaner. he's saying that there's been a surge of rats in and around mcpherson square, including in the food areas and also in the tents where the people here are living. he's also citing that there are serious wishes how they are getting rid of waste and also the food products. that's contributing to the rat issue. he is worried about the possibility of serious disease starting here in this camp. according to the a

in northwest washington i'm tracee wilkins. news 4. >> gabrielle giffords had a full day of events today, one of her last days as a member of the house of representatives. giffords visited a food bank and also met with survivors and supporters who were at the scene of the shooting in arizona a year ago. among them was a woman who wrestled the gun magazine away from the alleged shooter jaret laughner. giffords announced yesterday she is resigning from congress this week in order to focus on her recovery. >>> presidential politics now newt gingrich and mitt romney along with their two remaining rivals will face off tonight for the first of two debates before the florida primary. they're campaigning today and it signals the debate may be a clash of accusations and acrimo acrimony. steve handelsman is at the debate site in tampa with the latest. >> reporter: tampa, florida, day one of a former front-runner's comeback bid. polling second in this state after losing south carolina, mitt romney is going after newt gingrich on personali

tracee wilkins is live in chinatown with the budget breakdown. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're looking at a lot of changes and a lot of proposed increases. and general managers saying that he wants to make sure that metro is the safest system possible. that's going to mean more money coming out of everyone's pockets in an attempt to try and enhance safety for riders and also, again, pay for all the change. metro's general manager and ceo, richard sarles, subpoena mitted his operating -- submitted his operating budgets yesterday. the $1.6 billion operating budget is $116 million more than last year's. and he proposes paying for it with increases for everyone. an average 5% increase on average for smarttrip users during peak rail fares with the elimination of the peak -- the peak surcharge. he's also suggesting reducing discounts on off-peak route fares, a dime increase on local bus fares, and a 25-cents increase on parking fees. the budget also includes a proposed $53 million, an 8% increase from maryland, d.c., and virginia. the mo

in northwest, i'm tracee wilkins, news4. >>> 11 minutes after 11:00 is our time now. coming up, the republican front-runners battle it out in florida just hours ahead of that state's primary. who are the latest polls have moving ahead. >>> new worries of environmental threats this morning at the site of the cruise ship accident off the coast of tuscany. stay with us, we'll be right back. what makes the sleep number store different? the sleep number bed. with the sleep number bed, it's not about soft or firm. it's about support where you find it most comfortable. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. on a traditional mattress, there is no adjustment. you get what you're buying that day. with our bed, you change the setting to something you like. this way, if you change your mind once you get home you can adjust it. wow! that feels really good. it's hugging my body. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. your body changes over time. the bed can adapt with you. not only does it work for you today, but it

tracee wilkins is live there now with the latest.e, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eun. we're here on capitol hill, and police are investigating what happened here. you can see they are still inside of a 7-eleven. detectives in there as well trying to figure out exactly what occurred here. we're told that at 4:40 this morning two men went into this store and robbed it. at least one man had a gun. both men were wearing ski masks. they escaped. police are now looking for their suspects here. there are no reports of any injuries. that's the good news. the investigation into what unfolded this morning is just beginning. i'm tracee wilkins live this morning in southeast. back to you all in the studio, eun. >> tracee, thanks for that update. >>> we're following a developing story out of southern california. this morning investigators are looking for a man they are calling a person of interest in a series of fires. los angeles police released this security video. take a look. you can see a man dressed in black there. police say he

. >> the demonstrator andy wilkins had into it and it left no chance but to go into the end to the ymca. >> we go back the way we came and they wouldn't let us leave. they arrested everybody. >> earlier police rounded up protesters out of condo development. as police closed in, demonstrators pushed over the fence and made their way to the street. >> it became clear that the objections of this crowd was not to peacefully assemble at march but to seek an opportunity to further criminal acts, confront police and repeatedly attempted to illegally occupy buildings. >> apparently occupy oakland is also given some financial pinch. they've been asking online for help and raising bail for those who were jailed. >> we just cruised by the plaza down there by city hall and they are continuing the practice of democracy. they have decided against moving tonight and they are concerned about people as they await orders and they have problems they want to deal with but they are pretty quiet tonight. >> also on display, i shield the police and was used by demonstrators to protect themselves from officers

news 4's tracee wilkins has the story. >> reporter: pepco customers packed the hearing room in protestrupted with demonstration. as pepco executives prepared to defend their requests for a rate increase to the d.c. public service commission. pepco's evidence was stacked in boxes and organized in notebooks piled high on table tops. pepco's d.c. customers adamantly protested the utility both inside and outside of the hearings. >>> pepco was the only d.c. headquarter company featured in a report put out by the u.s. public interest group and citizens for tax justice. it claims pepco is 1 of 30 fortune 500 companies paying more for lobbyists than it does in federal taxes. in the past three years pepco holdings, pepco's parent company, received 817 million in tax refunds and earned 882 million in profits. members of the activist group our d.c. alleged that this was all happening as pepco cut its work force. they say these are just some of the reasons for the commission to deny pepco's request for a higher rate. pepco officials say it was a result of the u.s. government changing the tax code

news4's tracee wilkins reports from northwest washington. >> reporter: the mayor is citing everything from an increased rat population to living conditions as reasons for why protesters of occupy d.c. should leave mcpherson square. he's saying that their being there is not only jeopardizing their own health and safety but the folks that live in d.c. since october protesters with occupy d.c. have called mcpherson square on prominent k street their home. it is one of two camp it is group has created in d.c. but it is also the one drawing the most criticism. >> we are here, we are the 99%. just like you. and we are your representatives. capitol hill won't represent you. so we, the people, are representing ourselves. that's our whole reason for being here. >> reporter: d.c.'s mayor, vincent gray is speaking out against the cam in a letter sent to the u.s. park service yesterday. gray cite results from a department of health inspection of the camp as reasons for why the park service should close the camp. he said hypothermia and possible death at the cam are a concern. he said the camp is

i'm tracee wilkins live in northwest. back to you. >> thank you very much. >>> that march is going to make it pretty tough to get around today. there are several road closures beginning at 9:30 this morning. they include parts of maryland avenue and 1st street northeast. 3rd and 4th streets northwest and 7th street southwest. beginning at 11:30, parts of f and 12th will shut down for the prayer service at the verizon center. the closure will last about an hour. a few more roads will shut down at 12:30 this afternoon. they include part of constitution and pennsylvania avenues, as well as 3rd and 6th streets northwest. the march should wrap up around 5:00 this afternoon. but that will likely have an effect on the evening rush hour. metro will also re-route some bus routes today to deal with these rolling road closures. >>> this morning, a fire displaced at least nine people in montgomery county. the fire broke out last night inside a townhouse in the 2000 block of laytonsville road in silver spring. firefighters say the two

tracee wilkins live this morning in southeast. back to you in the studio. >> thank you for that report. we will continue to follow this story. right now metro's board is meeting to discuss its general manager's new budget proposal. main topic of discussion is a 5% fare hike. megan mcgrath has the budget breakdown for us. >> reporter: good morning, barbara. this is a $1 opinion 6 billion budget and it contains money that would allow neft to hire about a thousand new employees. it also has money so they can aggressively replaces can a lators and money so that they can improve safety along the metro system. now where is all of this money coming from, you may ask? some of it may come from the pockets of riders. ask about fare increases and you will find plenty of unhappy riders. >> i think it is ridiculous. we, you know, we use this transportation every day. things aren't operating properly. >> i think it is not good. i think it is -- people can't afford it. it is hard times. >> i'm not upset but will pay because it is cheaper than dr

tracee wilkins joins us now live from suburban hospital in bethesda with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. of course, this is exciting news and for anyone who had a loved one experience a heart attack already one that has been in the presence of someone who is experienced one you understand that you have just seconds to make this thing right. in montgomery county they tried to have people taken to the hospital within an hour and a half from the time they call 911 until they arrive and are in the surgery room. they want that to be an hour and a half. well in the past, it has taken them about 75% of the time to get that right. now they are doing it 99 to 100% of the time. all because of this new tool. heart attacks happen in minutes. and for those who are lucky enough to recognize what's happening, the time between when you call 911 and actually arrive at the hospital is critical. and shouldn't be wasted. >> decrease in time saves lives. >> reporter: updated ekg is now capable of transmitting heart rhythm data and vital signs to the hospital. the pati

. >> with this camera, i shoot pictures of people who don't drink wilkins coffee. >> i'm ready. else? >> well, a lot of people don't know that many muppets got their start in television commercials. you know, a lot of actors get their start in commercials, but that's the same thing for muppets. when jim henson started working in television, he got the opportunity to make some television commercials and ended up making hundreds throughout the 1950s and '60s. and some of his characters for those commercials went on to bigger careers. cookie monster, for example, started as a puppet in a snack-food commercial, and rowlf the dog, who's the pianist from "the muppet show," got his start in a purina dog chow commercial. >> these drawings by henson are called "storyboards." they show the dialogue and action in a production before it's shot. the next step is making the puppets come alive by giving each its own unique character. >> a lot of what comes from the puppet, or the personality of the puppet, is not really just in the fabric and the fleece or the foam, it's also the performance,

smft we are looking good on the north side and southwest signedlooking at 695 and wilkins. checking drive times still in good shape. your outer loop will take 7 minute at this time. over to you. >>> a win was declared in the iowa gop caucuses and the results came in after 2:30 and doesn't get closer than this. it was former massachusetts governor mitt romney declared the winner over rick santorum. land so is here are all new details. >> reporter: minutes ago whoa learned rom mi will arrive in new hampshire to get ready for the primary this. he won out the focus and says the results shows americans win and he told supporters he is going to change the white house. it came down to the wire in iowa gop caucus. santorum making a last-minute surge. rom mi knelled onto vct -- romney held onto victory by a hand full of votes and told supporters it's time to move on. ron paul and newt gingrich told supporters he will care county campaign no matter the iowa outcome. bachmann says she is staying in the race but it may be it for rick perry who is returning to they canas to rethink the

this is what it look like southwest side wilkins avenue no troubles to report.and traveling on the top side of 695a. good drive passing due lanny valley road and for those of you taking mta marc trains brunswick lines a 20 minute delay heading to the rockville region. >>> crowd -- all part of the gridiron sing off. ray rice's party. rice was there on the drums and duet with tory smith. it was a fun night for the ravens to let loose and leech also did take a listen ♪ achy breaky heart ♪ >> achy breaky heart. all right. it was a good time had by all. so ray rice and crew having a great time. we told you about this yesterday. about the tickets for the big game for january 15th. at one click but they were on sale yesterday at 10 and if youwere hoping to buy tickets you may be out of luck. they sold out in 14 minutes but stub hub have some for sale but tough pay a pretty penny. the cheapest tickets are more than $200. the most expensive is upwards of $2,000. so in preparation for the game poe and the ravens impound crew added a splash of -- ground crew added a splash

frank snow, howard university, was named to italy, earnest wilkins became assistant secretary of labor and the most significant posting. they have argued that this is just symbolic. but this is the thing that you cannot argue with. black faces appeared where none had ever been before. the important skis dissting that must be noted that while eisenhower clear and unwavering there's endorsement to social equality was weak and in revealing letter to the republican national committee presidential committee chairman meal, eisenhower suggested that one of the guiding doctors of the republican party should be, quote, equality of all citizens before the law. meaning the political and economic right of no citizen should be jeopardized because of his race or his religion. the obligation. law was to protect social rights. but in ike's view, those words were opened to interpretation and debate. the president believed that he was addressing the most important concerns of blacks. as sherman adams related one time, eisenhower told me that he disagreed with his southern friends that negro were primari

news 4's tracy wilkins talked to the two men who found her. >> reporter: that 1-month-old infant wasound here on the steps of this house and for anyone who was out last night or early this morning you know it was freezing cold. d.c. police are trying to find the baby's mother and starting right here in the neighborhood where the baby was found. >> looked like a toy at first because the legs were dangling out. >> emanuel douger was walking home around 11:30 last night when he discovered a newborn lying naked barely wrapped in a towel on his neighbor's stoop. he called his dad for help. >> i was in shock. i had to grab somebody else to make sure i wasn't something something else. >> reporter: his dad brought the baby in their home, held her to his chest, and tried warming letter with his body heat as they called 911 for help. >> i picked her arms up to see whether she was frozen stiff. no, she wasn't frozen stiff, but she wasn't far from it. >> reporter: he says he tried performing cpr but there was no response. >> i didn't see any signs of life but when they got her into the ambulance

news4's tracee wilkins has details. good morning. >> reporter: this is coming from the head of the city. the mayor saying there are serious issues with this camp behind me. he's citeding everything from a rat infestation to the possibility of disease spreading here as reasons to get these folks out of mcpherson square. the occupy d.c. protesters have been camped out at mcpherson since october. it's one of two camps, with the other being located at freedom plaza. in a letter to the national parks service dated yesterday, mayor vincent gray suggested mcpherson protesters move to freedom plaza where conditions are a little cleaner. there's been a strong surge of rats in and around mcpherson square since this camp was set up. according to the associated press, a california u.s. representative has also expressed concern about the camp and questioned why the parks service has allowed the camp to stay here. a spokesman with the parks service says the protesters have a right to free speech, and it must be protected. so we don't

in northwest, i'm tracee wilkins. back to you all in the studio. >> thank you. >>> if you're headed to downtown today, the march is bound to affect your commute. angie goveff is here with more that. >> the march for life events that are happening right now are going to make -- i don't have a prompter. sorry. >> we will get back to that a little bit later. but again those events downtown could affect your travel in that area so be careful. we'll check on that again shortly. >>> good news this morning. not as much freezing rain as expected and now temperatures have started to climb. tom kierein joins us with the first forecast. hey, tom, good morning. >> good morning. welcome back. we've got a lot of fog here this morning. we've had this fog really developing and thickening up around dawn but it's been gradually dissipating. we also have had some pockets of freezing rain. all of this is associated with a large front that is spreading rain from southern canada all the way down to georgia. it did trigger some tornadoes in