winter storm warnings across much of northern virginia, panhandle of western virginia. the district, into portions of southern maryland. this goes for the rest of today and tonight as temperatures will barely be able to eclipse the freezing mark later today. way below freezing now. northern maryland, northwest virginia, 26 now in martinsburg, west virginia, where we're right at 30 degrees in town. storm team 4 radar. northern maryland out to shenandoah valley all snow now and all snow for the rest of the morning into the afternoon as well. down into southern maryland. see the pink starting to mix in. that's a bit of a changeover to the freezing rain and sleet they'll be watching all morning. travel will get tricky out here on 522, route15, 17, route 7, 28, interstate 66 and 81 also getting slipperier with time. look at this big push of warm air and moisture. all freezing rain and sleet now across central virginia. that's what's coming into the south side of the metro and southern maryland. further north you live or travel, a whole lot more in the way of snow. if you're

the republican from virginia served 17 terms. david culver joins us now to explain why the congressman is not running for re-election. >> barbara, here is what's interesting about this. all of virginia's political leaders work together pushing the relocation of fbi headquarters to springfield. we happened to be there and so was congressman frank you are looking at video. at the time, he knew something his colleagues were not expecting. he announced he will not run for an 18th term next year. he did it via an e-mail distribution. wolf served more than three decades. his service is virginia and shenandoah valley. he wants to retire to focus on human rights and religion issues. >> i think frank certainly put in his time and has acquitted himself well in representing the people of virginia. i'm going to miss him as colleague and friend. >> reporter: the big question for political analysts, who is going to take his tenth district seat? we took that question to local leaders while we were on the hill. we are going to bring their answer

we'll keep a close eye on even more developing on southern western virginia -- southwestern virginia. right now most of it to will say to the southeast of the metro area, but we'll will keep an eye on it for you. it will drop down back to the many overnight in mn areas. isolated showers to this evening, and overnight most everything will move out. our seven day outlook, we will give you a look at how high the editors will get as we move into the weekend. >> thank you. now to a story that you will see only on seven. these he believes are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a woman next to an elementary school after she dropped her child off at school. and happened this morning on 30th place in northeast bc. jennifer donnelly is live from that school with the latest. school is just about 20 yards away, this is the -- where the crime happened. she had just dropped the child off at school combat as she was walking across this bridge, which is not let except for our own light down here, she was forced at gunpoint underneath that bridge. and that is where police say the attack occurred

jefferson came home in 1789, not to stay, he planned to be in virginia for only about 6 months. he wanted to get his own economic affairs in order and he wanted to get his oldest daughter martha married while he was in virginia. then he hoped to go back to france, where he could be an observer of the french revolution that had already begun. when jefferson came home, he knew that a new constitution had been written. he had read the constitution. wasn't terribly happy with it, but he knew that washington wants to be the first president, was the first president in fact by then. and he thought all would be well as long as washington was in office but the longer rejection was in america palmer secretary of the treasury, the same economic program that hamilton had outlined in the continental another agenda hamilton made notes for the constitutional convention and madison broke the news to jefferson of what hamilton said. hamilton said in that speech that he favored a monarchy ford the united states, that he favored that one house of the congress would be anone aristocratic body in es

it would be as dreary as if there were no virginias. >> reporter: virginia o'hanlon would share her story through the years. just listen to this very serious radio interview we discovered. >> first we would like to know your reactions of your letter. >> i took the editorial literally but found it overwhelmingly convincing. >> would you tell us something about your christmas in 1897? was it particularly happy? >> my christmass were so very happy. >> reporter: tonight more than a century later, those windows in new york city telling her story all over again, virginia answering the most important question of them all. >> do you still believe in santa claus? >> i've had much reason to. >> she has much reason to and tonight the proof, look at the radar, the famed norad radar, santa in the air tonight. hope you've been good. merry christmas. good night. >> angry reaction to a christmas eve edict. officials impose another spare the christmas on the bay area. >> a murder of a prominent jewelry maker. >> and the family of a brain dead teen gets a second opinion. and the east bay family whose stole

if you live in these counties, this is all of northern virginia, all the panhandle of virginia, montgomery county, frederick county and maryland. if you live in these areas, this is what you can expect. if you live here, snow to ice, ice accumulations a tenth to half inch. that is a lot of ice. because of that, we are worried about a couple things, first off, icy roads. secondly, branches or trees down. we think we will see power outages. if you live west of i-95, prepare for power outages. make sure you are ready. they could last monday, too. high temperatures sunday of 33. monday, we get to 45. some areas monday morning could be quite icy. we could see a few delays early on monday morning. i don't think we'll see many cancellations. we could see delays on monday morning. the cold air, it sticks around. 40 on tuesday with a chance of light snow. then it's just cold wednesday, thursday and friday. winter making its presence known early. >> so, are poinsettias toxic to your pets? when you have a rebate, do you get charged tax on the original or discounted price? is it worth it to get the l.

the situation is worse in virginia. dough minimum ion says more than 23,000 people in northern virginia are in the dark right now. >>> molette green following breaking news at the live desk. >> we heard a liberal leave policy in effect for city employees. all essential employees must report to work on time unless otherwise instructed. a liberal leave policy in effect for the city of frederick, maryla maryland. back to you. >>> thank you, molette. it is now 4:35. new this morning we are getting a first look at the aftermath of a house fire in temple hills, maryland. a tree fell on a power line. presumably because of the weather and sparked the fire. everyone escaped the single l family home on joyce drive without injury. officials are still investigating to confirm what caused that fair. >>> the winter storm has already tied up traffic this morning. take a look here. two vehicles crashed into one another on the outer loop this morning. despite the off hours, a buildup of traffic did happen on 495 right there near the roc

the two men met your mama central virginia at appomattox courthouse. lee wore a fine dress uniform and vow gentility of the southeasterly. create test crack early and represented the hardscrabble farmers and wage earners had molded in to so formidable a fighting machine. after awkwardly exchanging pleasantries about service in the mexican war, the two men agree to the surrender terms and ended the civil war. in essence, grants term salve for the army of north virginia on there aren't. the promise that they would never again take up arms against the united states. great magnanimity in this relates to the preservation of the labor united the north and south that prepared the way for america's emergence as a world power. this is an edifying story, a comforting one die-cast healing it transcends politics. today i'll tell you an altogether different mathematic story and suggested what happened here on april 9th 1865 is even more significant and fascinating than we've realized. the surrender was inherently political moment i would set the terms of an unfoldi

goodlatte of virginia. the chair: pursuant to house resolution 429, the gentleman from virginia, mr. goodlatte, and a member opposed each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from virginia. mr. goodlatte: mr. chairman, i recognize myself for such time as i may consume. the manager's amendment was developed based on discussions with a cross-industry range of stakeholders, the input of members from the house and senate, the courts and the administration, including the u.s. patent and trademark office. my amendment consists of technical edits and a few modifications that improve the bill. the manager's amendment includes clarifications and edits on limitations of discovery prior to a markman or claim hearing. it can be complied with providing additional discretion for the courts to ensure the provision does not result in reversed gamesmanship. the amendment also makes clarifications to the bankruptcy provisions so that they work properly, ensuring that u.s. law is followed and not fore

they takexd home the virginia 5 state championship. >>> virginia's 6a championship, the centrevillelp wildcats taken the oscar smith tiger. z scoreless in the firs quarter. a.j. turner puts it up inside.q that was a pretty goodok decisi. 52 yards. early 7-0 lead. later on, centreville is getting ñ defense, too.e1okçó deshawnçó mitchell gets to the house. centreville could take axd 14-0 lead. right now they Ñ on top in the fourth quarter, 35-6. >>> got to love this, pop kindergartener super bowl, the whiteout warriors from maryland taking on far westxd from arizo. in theháhird they are already up six. white6ns oaks ellis crawford, nothing but green grass, 66-yard touchdown there for a 12-0 lead in the fourth.çó they are up fourokt ethan fogel gets the touchdown. white oak wins the pee wee i wish i was thatw3 talented as little kid playing football. unbelievable. >> congratulations. >>> let's get the i]seven-day. >> as advertised, it's been saved from the computer so you can see the seven-day zvforeca. it's going to be a nice enough day tomorrow. temperatures in the mid-40s m

jefferson came home in 1789, not to stay, he planned to be in virginia for only about 6 months. he wanted to get his own economic affairs in order and he wanted to get his oldest daughter martha married while he was in virginia. then he hoped to go back to france, where he could be an observer of the french revolution that had already begun. when jefferson came home, he knew that a new constitution had been written. he had read the constitution. wasn't terribly happy with it, but he knew that washington wants to be the first president, was the first president in fact by then. and he thought all would be well as long as washington was in office but the longer rejection was in america palmer secretary of the treasury, the same economic program that hamilton had outlined in the continental another agenda hamilton made notes for the constitutional convention and madison broke the news to jefferson of what hamilton had said. hamilton said in that speech that he favored a monarchies for the united states, he favored one house of congress would be an arrest it -- aristocratic body in w

this didn't happen just in virginia either. but it became a truism in politics, all the young voters, non-white voters, inspired to turn out for the first time in many cases. those voters would show up when obama was on the ballot. they would be there when he was on the ballot of 2008 and 2012. take him off, they were not there. all the conventional wisdom the democrats had, a horrible terrible candidate in terry mcauliffe. president obama was not going to be on the ballot. so the obama coalition was not going to show up. so of course, ken cuccinelli was going to be the governor, no matter how extreme his position. that was supposed to be the story of american politics in this age. but now, here we are at the end of the year, bringing you the news tonight that democrats have officially swept virginia, the obama coalition did show up even without obama on the ballot. they showed up and produced this crazy, never saw it coming, democratic sweep of the old dominion. african-american women turned out. their votes, just by the odds,

right now we want to turn our attention to virginia. i think virginia is where we thought we would see the most impact of this. peggy fox is there. >> live in annandale. >> are you with us on the phone or via live camera? >> reporter: i'm right here. this is route 236 little river turnpike in annandale. and we came here because we heard word that there's a transformer blown. take a look at this. you can actually see some trees on fire in the woods right there. this is at the intersection of little river turnpike and pine crest vista. and a few minutes ago there was a fire truck here kind of monitoring the situation. everything looks dark back there in the woods. i'm not sure if there are homes back that way and if the lights went out but i have seen patches of complete darkness on my way over here from the mclean area. on the way outside, i almost slipped. very, very slick conditions. when you hit your steps, when you hit the driveway this morning, please be careful. use extra caution because it's all ice out here, folks. take a look at

something that didn't fly with the virginia assembly. but he did push for religious toleration, for reform of the criminal statutes in virginia, and many of his reforms were eventually realized. in 1779, with the war effort really suffering, washington came to the conclusion that the best man who had once served in congress, men like benjamin franklin and john adams and jefferson, had left and the congress was suffering in their absence, and washington wrote to george mason in virginia and said, very pointedly, where is jefferson? when his country needs him? and that got back to jefferson, and stung by washington's apparent criticism, jefferson agreed to serve as the governor of virginia, and he served two extremely difficult and not terribly successful terms as the governor of virginia. i think almost any one of the governors would have had the difficulties that jefferson had, but he certainly did have a tempes tempestuous time. for both the time period on the cusp of the 1780s and during the 1780s, were pivotal moments. for hamilton, i

and virginia is just -- georgia is the next state up, right. virginia is just the harbinger. and it really is going to be very interesting to see what happens over the next couple decades throughout the south. because we really are seeing a very big change. takes a while to really evidence itself. >> well, staying in virginia, sam, you touched on it, justice department officials are delaying charges against governor bob mcdonnell and his wife. last week prosecutors told the couple they would be charged in connection with a gift scandal that has plagued the end of his term in office. but his attorneys made an in person appeal questioning the legitimacy of the prosecution's key witness. they also requested the prosecutors wait until mcdonnell is out of office to ensure a smooth transition to governor elect terry mcauliffe. the decision to press charges is not expected before january 12, b 2, but could come as late as february. >> what bob mcdonnell did was stupid.but could come as late a february. >> what bob mcdonnell did was stupid. unbecoming. there is a long history of peop

i've been on the phone with virginia state police all morning long. they tell me right now only one lane gets by. they need to offload the truck that was carrying a load of tires. it's going to be a while before it clears up. keep this in mind. as you head out the door, especially your neighborhood streets, the major thoroughfares seem to all have been treated. back to you. >> thank you, monika. >>> two senators want to make riding trains safer by adding cameras to monitor engineers and the railroad tracks. new york senator charms schumer and connecticut center richard bloomenthal pushed for changes at a press conference at new york's grand central terminal. this comes after a week -- a week after a commuter trail derailed killing four people and injuring more than 60 others. the engineer said he briefly nodded off right before the crash. the railroad supports the use of cameras and cabs to further improve safety. >>> the 85-year-old u.s. veteran who was detained in north korea for weeks confirmed what was reported weeks ago he was not in a jail while

the rest of virginia joined the recount today to determine who won the attorney general's race. the race pits democrat, mark herring against mark obenshain. fairfax and chesapeake and alexandria were given a one-day head start because they had a large number of hand counted ballots. early recount numbers show the loudoun county state senator has widened his lead in the race. >>> president barack obama met with executives from leading technology companies at the white house today. that meeting focused on the troubled rollout of healthcare.gov. national surveillance program. ceo's of apple, twitter, netflix, yahoo! and google were present. a number of them urged the president to curve the government surveillance program revealed by whistle blower, edward snowden. >> the jackpot currently stands at $636 million. but, projected ticket sales may push it past the current record and if there is no winner tonight, the jackpot rolls over past the friday drawing and the jackpot is projected to reach, get this, $1 billion. >> there's going be a winner tonight. ahead on wusa9, hitting the r

festivities begin in southern virginia as early as 1866. on the north carolina border they commemorate april line because as they saw it if we had never been beaten the emancipation proclamation would have been to no avail. the pivotal role as is a liberation would long remain a point of pride within the black communities. george washington williams noted in his landmark history of the negro race in america that at appomattox in the last hour of the slaveholders rebellion the brilliant fighting a black troops in sure the salvation of the union. additional symbolic meaning. for he and his army typified the first families of virginia then made in in sustainable claim that in defeating lee's army they dealt the death blow they insisted that only that the union army victory emanated from a superior virtues loss of the black troops in particular exemplify that virtue. most important, african-american soldiers interpretation of surrender inscribed a civil rights message into the magnanimous terms of the surrender, emphasizing the promise of appom

in virginia $3.16 is the average. down four cents. in west virginia $3.33 the average price for a gallon of gas there. that's down one penny. >>> you may want to go and buy a mega millions lottery ticket. the jackpot is at a $550 million all time high. it's the fourth largest, anyway. it's still growing. tomorrow night's jackpot will be at least the fourth largest in u.s. history. lottery officials say strong ticket sales could make this drawing the largest mega million jackpot in history passing last year's $656 million prize. your odds of winning, though, are slim to say the least. one in 259 million. of course, you can find out the winning lottery numbers right here tomorrow night on news 4 at 11:00. >>> if you have a smartphone and you live in the district, most likely has some damage to it according to a new report by the protection plan provider square trade. d.c. is the clumsiest place in the u.s. when it comes to dropping or damaging our phones, they tell us. joining the district on the list, florida, georgia and new jersey am

. >> one of the closest races in virginia history is decided and gives democrats a clean sweep. republican mark obenshain conceded the race to mark herring. initially 165 votes separated the candidates. they represent an ongoing tilt to the left in virginia and rebuke to the more conservative candidates on the ballot. the first time since 1969 that the top five state-wide races were held by democrats in the state of virginia. >> michael steel, liberals were saying this.

virginia needs judges. the commonwealth needs to fill at least 30 judge vacancies at the circuit and juvenile level. officials have examined the idea of redistricting but say now is not the time. it would cost about $9 million a year. the reason for the shortage virginia lawmakers froze a number of judgeships to save money. >>> this is going to happen on east market street, a helicopter as crews begin for phase three. the chopper will fly and should take about 30 minutes. the weather will determine when it could happen. it could be between today and friday. >>> time for weather and traffic on the 1s. a milder start to your day. hoping we've a nice day ahead, chuck. >>> mild enough to get you going at least for your monday morning. temperatures close to average later on today. again with the clouds around, all we need to worry about is it going to rain. not today. it's a gray start after a wonderful, albeit cold thanksgiving holiday up and down the eastern seaboard. it's not a cold start this morning. curren

we celebrate the gift of healing in a remote part of rural virginia, people come from all around for a free clinic providing medical aid they couldn't otherwise afford. in a coal mining economy hit hard, many have to swallow their pride as they line up for basic care, young women and men. bob woodruff has another look at our series. >> reporter: it's 5:00 a.m. nearly 1500 people have been lining up for the past 24 hours in the parking lot of the wise county fairgrounds in southwest virginia. >> show us your number. >> reporter: they aren't here for a summertime affair. what are you doing here? >> i come to get new dentures. >> i have issues. i have a hole in my knee. >> i had problems with my lungs. i'm trying to see a specialist. >> reporter: this is remote area medical. a traveling health clinic known as brown. and this is stan brock. >> we're heading for the gates to let people in. >> reporter: for the next three days brock and a team of volunteers will turn this fairground that a makeshift hospital providing medical care to more than 2500 people. >> people are showing up. >> repo

the portrait will be revealed tomorrow in richmond. >>> well, virginia is in need of judges. according to a report by the national center for state courts, virginia needs at least 30 at the circuit and juvenile level to keep up with the current caseload. the positions will most likely go unfulfilled for the time being seeing as it would cost the state $9 million a year. officials have said redrawing the district is not an option at this time. virginia lawmakers froze a number of judgeships in recent years, not filling vacancies when judges retired to save money. >>> a chance to get in the holiday spirit. the annual holiday stroll will happen in vienna along church street tonight between lawyers road and mill street. a stretch is closed today. you can enjoy food, hot chocolate and watch the lighting of the holiday tree. this happens tonight from 6:00 to 9:00. >>> the celebration continues as the world begins the sixth day of hanukkah. last night dozens came out including mayor william euille to light the fifth candle in old town. each candlelit represents another night in the

virginia ali. she's one of the most respected and influential people in this town. >> i feel so loved and happy and blessed. >> virginia ali celebrated her 80th birthday today. >> i'm absolutely overwhelmed. >> this is one of the best occasions this theater has ever had. >> long-time friend, comedian bill cosby was in town to serve as master of ceremony. >> is it true you and president obama are the only ones that eat for free? >> i really don't care i offered to pay. that's the way it works. >> they gathered at the lincoln theater to share virginia ali's birthday. and the world will be as one . . >> camille cosby, bill's wife. >> she has always been a consistent friend. so someone who was consistently in integrity about herself and about her work. >> bernie dimjack of george washington university? she's the heart and soul of u street. consequently, she becomes the heart and soul of washington dc. >> former dc council chairman kwamie brown. >> she has a warm heart, cared for the community for a lon

they started at 3:00 a.m., plowing the roads across northern virginia. >> across northern virginia we had 1,900 pieces of equipment out and ready. we were on top of it before it started. >> reporter: snow made for a nice day off for some people. >> in d.c. they go for toilet paper and water. when i was in the restaurant, you went for wine and cheese. >> for this school teacher it's been a good two days off. >> isi miss my students, but i love my snow days. >> reporter: while the sunshine and road crews got the snow off the streets and highways, there were troubled spots earlier this morning including road closures and power outages in northern virginia, but the people we spoke with were ready for it. >> yesterday was really heavy and wet and icy, so it was really hard to shovel. each load was very, very heavy. today it's more powdery, packable and fun to play in. >> reporter: the big question now, what will tomorrow morning's rush hour be like? >> we're concerned about freeze with the temperatures getting down in the teens. we'll be monitoring and patrolling the bridges, overpasses, r

here in the modest central virginia ament of appomattox court house. lee war of fine dress uniform and embody the prod gentility of the south's planter elite. grant dressed casually in a much better uniform representing the hardscrabble farmers and wage earners. after awkwardly is changing some pleasantries about their service in the mexican war the two men agreed to the surrender terms

the snow was moving through west virginia. a lot of that will dissipate as it moves over the mountains. --thern maryland, and alumni and along the mason-dixon line are the best chances of seeing snow. tonight, clear and cold. 19 degrees to 29 degrees. tomorrow, a little bit milder. to 48 degrees. saturday looks pretty good. weather systemd moving in as we head into new year's. things will be relatively quiet. how are things looking on the roadways? >> we are relatively quiet on the roadways. we are probably going to see things pick up as people head out to the stores. we're going to start off, this is a live shot coming into downtown georgetown. street.near m you are good to go. no big problems or delays. it will probably get easy. it is one of those shopping areas in georgetown. the only problem we have right now is in the northeast section of the city. this is along michigan avenue between franklin and irving. there is a water main break that has the section close off. no problems through prince george's or montgomery county

an honor to serve the people of northern virginia and the shenendoah valley. for 34 years. now earlier this year, wolf told bruce leshan he was frustrated with the decision to shut down the government. >> i think it's time to open up to government. >> what does that mean? does that mean you would vote for a resolution? >> i would vote for a clean resolution. >> it's time to stop fighting? >> well, you can fight, but you don't shut the government down. >> the 74-year-old wolf says he plans to focus on human rights and religious freedom. coming up at 5:30, we'll look at who might replace him in congress. >> it's a whose who of the tech world at the white house today. top executives from the country's leading technology companies, many have urged the administration to dial back on the snooping. coem reports from the white house. >> tech giants went to the white house to talk about the troubled healthcare website, but the sit-down with president obama was also an opportunity for more than a dozen companies, including facebook, microsoft, and yahoo! tox press conce

>> thank you. >>> virginia tech has a >>> virginia state police launched a new app today aimed at smartphone users in the commonwealth. see something, say something. you can send police pictures or video of suspicious situations. police chose potomac mills mall to debut the new tool. some worry about privacy issues. >> luxury of being anonymous is slightly taken away from you because they now have your cell phone number and your information. >> no archiving of tips or maintaining a collection data base. >> the app can be downloaded for free. the quickest way to reach them is by dialling 911 or pound 77 especially if it's an emergency. >>> virginia tech has a new president. he's been president of the university for almost 14 years. in june he announced his resignation and agreed to stay until the board found a replacement. sands was the executive vice president and provost at purdue university before accepting the position in virginia. >>> straight ahead, a jogger gets hit by a deer. >>> doug tell us about the snow and ice coming our way. >> it's coming up on sunday. right now, it's just the

virginia animal control doesn't believe there's a threat to the public. the birds may have come across poison or gotten caught in a power line surge. >>> the loose metal rim of a car is blamed for a five-mile back up on i-270 in rockville. police say at least ten cars got flat tires after hitting that rim during the morning commute. chopper 4 captured this video of tow trucks and police videos at the scene. it had southbound traffic crawling. no injuries reported. right now, traffic is moving along. >>> the first brand-new streetcar is about to hit the tracks in northeast d.c. right now, a team is getting ready to move the cars from a testing facility in southeast for the tracks along h street. adam tuss explains, it's the next step in the all important testing process before the cars begin carrying passengers next year. >> reporter: the tracks are ready. the road is ready. even the power cables are in place. now all we need is a streetcar. here in southeast, the streetcars are actually rolling. before the streetcars are tested on h street, they are const

virginia gun dealers made the a lot of money on black friday. more than 3900 individual gun transactions, breaking last year's record of 3856 transactions. gun sales for the year are on track to break last year's record. >> the administration's efforts to fix the obamacare website appear to be paying off somewhat. sources say 29,000 people have signed up for insurance plans on sunday and monday which surpasses the total let signed up for the entire month of october. what there is a new concern that not everyone is on board. a gallup poll released today reveals 28% of those who currently do not have health insurance say they are more likely to pay a fine and sign up for insurance. next, a popular a problem it and so bad it has been declared an emergency. >> temperatures in the 60s, but what comes next will certainly feel like winter. >> that cap star falling fast and the metro division. the redskins face the chiefs. is that politically correct? george washington is ready to battle. it is the acc big 10 challenge. morell hear >> today, president o

could culpeper, virginia become the next detroit? we will take you inside the high-tech vehicle maker that is about to begin production coming up. >> soon it will begin to feel like winter. chief meteorologist doug hill has look at the forecast. >> the terrapins hit the road for the big ten challenge but they are not happy about it. wait until you hear about the wizards. the caps hope to keep streaking against carolina. abc 7 news >> a bankruptcy judge said this clears the way for the city to find a way to shed $18 billion in debt. unions, pension funds, retirees have been fighting a bankruptcy declaration because it means the city will reduce pension payouts. that the cityed must be prepared to defend any deep reductions. >> production begins on a new high-end performance vehicle. the product of two local entrepreneurs. thesey are not building cars in detroit. they are in culpeper, virginia and bringing the jobs with them. kris van cleave introduces us to the invader. , is it a-- is it a car motorcycle? it is kind of both. >> it dri

virginia now has a new attorney general. listen to obenshain today in richmond. >> today is not the time to contest the process or question the results and as we near the conclusion of the recount, i'm confident that the final total today is going to show mark herring ahead. i called him earlier today to offer my congratulations to him. >> as far back as a week after that election herring declared victory saying thanks to voters i've won, today no different. he did speak in richmond a little while ago. we will try and get some of that interview for you later in the show. stuff that's coming in now says basically he never really expected a contested election and he's going to give up his state senate seat effectively january 11th. this does shift the balance in what was an evenly split state senate in virginia. of course, herring and obenshain both state senators and herring now a.g., that's one less democrat definitely shifting the power in that special election. one last thing, another way this makes news is basically this

these are a few scattered flurries out at west virginia and western maryland. farther north and west there are some snow showers in western pennsylvania, but we don't have any trouble problems up and down the atlantic seaboard from maine to florida. just a few of those snow showers in the mountains are going to be driving west, heading toward pittsburgh. you may be driving through some of that, also some in western new york state. elsewhere, it's a dry pattern across most of the nation, just a little batch of snow may be moving out of the dakotas into minnesota with about 1 to 3 inches of snow there. elsewhere, all dry throughout the mountains and on the west coast, here, from california up to washington state. it's a dry pattern. so really no -- not any weather problems traveling, flying or driving much of the country, afternoon highs reaching low to mid-40s around the metro area, but these northwest winds gusting 10 to 25 miles an hour will make it feel colder. we'll have a lot of clouds around and just a slight chance, maybe a 30% chance of a scattered flurr

joining us now is thomas cohen, a former federal prosecutor in virginia. he's now a partner with the law firm of woods rogers. mr. cullen, thanks very much for being here. >> thanks for having me, rachel. >> let me just ask first if i explained there in a way that makes sense. did i get anything wrong or fuzzy there about the legal case? >> no, i think you covered all your bases. i think it's important to remember that these allegation and most of the information that's out there comes from "the washington post." they've been outfront on this story and done a remarkable job. but, again, these are allegations, the department hasn't had the opportunity to speak and certainly governor mcdonnell, who's presumed innocent, hasn't had that opportunity either. we need to be careful when we talk about these things. but, you know, one thing i think is important, rachel, is that this process, essentially, governor mcdonnell's attorney's, to the deputy attorney general, james cole, asking for an audience, and ultimately prevailing upon them to hold off on filing charg

men meanwhile virginia remains at -- meanwhile virginia remains at 7.25 an hour. it will put the district at a distinct disadvantage said the board who is not against an increase, just not one so high and suggest $10 an hour. >> as you raise the minimum wage, there will be a tendency for employers to substitute more qualified workers for less qualified workers and so that tends to work out better for the more qualified worker. >> reporter: gw professor anthony yazer says a better qualified, educated and paid work force will mean a better qualified, educated and paid city. businesses that can afford it will get more productivity. >> if you can't do that, then yeah, if your costs will go up and you'll be less competitive. >> reporter: some district businesses agree saying their cost increases will mean more expensive goods and services for customers, but clothing store owner lewis evrard said a wage increase goes beyond economics. >> i believe morale is the most important thing in the city. >>> sticking on that topic of morale. several business owners told me they w

>> today was declared virginia alie day in the district, tomorrow you might find her next door at ben's chili bowl where she and family have greeted and served customers from presidents to foreign leaders to tourists and regular folk like you and me for more than 50 years. >> and now, we are diverse and we are booming and washington is booming and i just love this city and i love my community. >> that was bruce johnson reporting. ben's chili bowl is no longer the little mom and pop store. there are stores going up in roslyn and eighth street northeast and they have some of the most popular concessions at all of the local sports venues. >>> well all eyes are on the federal reserve this afternoon, some key decisions are expected that could have a major impact on mortgage rate and the rest of the economy, dan caplan is senior mortgage consultant at monument bank joining us now dan good to see you again. >> good to see you. >> it's the final day of two days of meetings, the last session for chairman ben bernanke. do we expect any big monetary changes? >> as carly simon used to sink to that

of virginia. his successor applauding the efforts. this is really where a lot of the real change is going to happen, right, at the state and local level. what can you expect to see, what are you expecting to see and hoping to see on the state and local level? >> let me give you an idea how big a turnaround this is. between 2009 and 2012, it was -- mental health budgets at the state level were basically decimated, really gutted. more than $4 billion in cuts over that time period between 2009 and 2012. so this is playing a little bit of catch-up but also represents a huge turnaround. you are absolutely right because again, you can talk about parity all you want, you can talk about initiatives to reduce stigma, but unless people can get service they need, the mental health professionals are available, none of that really makes a difference to people who are suffering right now, and at the state level and local level is where you're going to see

>> senator, there are 55 counties in west virginia. mitt romney carried every one of them, in part because the president's well-advertised and candidly professed war on coal, which he conducts entirely through the executive branch. is there anything that the marginalized legislative branch under this government can do to stop that? >> well, we're doing everything i can. i'm reaching out to my democratic colleagues. you know, it's hard getting the support i need with that, and fossil fuel here, anything i've said, the facts are what they are. 8 billion tons of coal being burned in the world. >> let me just be clear, do you think the obama administration is trying to kill coal? >> oh, i definitely believe that they are not in favor, and there is a war on coal. they do realize that they have to have it because the department of energy, the eia, the energy information agency, says that, basically, fossils will be needed for the next two to three decades, but why they're trying to shoot themselves in the foot and being in denial, and there

. >> great falls, virginia. >> great falls, virginia. >> we have a special treat here. >> maddie from pennsylvania. >> what did you want from santa

he's a democrat from increasingly red west virginia. to know joe, the former governor of west virginia, i went there just days before the ryan/murray budget deal was announced. he told me what a deal of that type would and would not accomplish. >> is it something that i think is going to fix everything? know, it -- no, it's going to b temporary. >> manchin voted with 54 other democrats and independents and 9 republicans for the deal, calling it an example of what both parties can accomplish when they work together. something rare for the 113th congress, on pace to be the least productive ever. >> you have guilt by association. in washington, it's guilt by conversation. if they see you conversing with somebody who might have a difference of opinion or thought to be too conservative or too liberal and not knowing, may goodness, you've gone over to the dark side. i don't believe we can fix anything if we can't at least talk about it and work together. so i'm always reaching across the aisle. >> more often than some in his party would like.

coming out of maryland over to virginia. great deals at macy's. i love shopping here. >> have you ever done this before? >> never. never done it before, however, i will be doing it again. >> all right. well, thanks for joining us and have a great christmas. yeah. and lots of folks here starting to show up. it was a little slow early this morning but it's definitely starting to pick up. back to you guys in the studio. >> thanks, megan. >> thank you. >>> if you are brave enough to venture to the mall today, you will need to be very patient. >> that's right. finding a place to park can really spark mall rage. you've probably seen it. our transportation reporter watched people battle for spots yesterday in ties sons corners. drivers getting out of cars to hold spaces, other drivers cutting off fellow shoppers when they saw an opening and then taunting the other drivers once they scored that illusive spot. adam made sure they left their animosity in the parking lot when they walked in the mall. >> when i pulled up next to you -- >> that was fine. >> we

all of northern maryland, panhandle of west virginia and northern west virginia as well. a big change in weather depending on a small change in temperature. temperatures at or just above freezing in southern maryland. mid 20s in place across northern maryland and martinsburg, west virginia. if you look out your backyard thermometer and see a temperature in the 20s, you should expect two to three inches of snow or more. if you're 30 degrees or higher, it will be that mix we're fighting all day. we are snow to start pretty much everywhere. bigger problems the further north you live or travel. we're watching out for what could be an icy, slippery mess on monday morning. the biggest risk for icy travel monday morning, 270, all the way from the capital beltway up toward frederick, maryland. veronica johnson showing some of the latest reports on twitter. >> that's right. we start, too, with a look at the radar. we'll come back and show you some of the pictures, photos that you folks have been taking and sending in to us. take a look at the radar right now. down in the south we

it would be as dreary as if there were no virginias. >> reporter: virginia would share her story through the years. just listen to this very serious radio interview we discovered from 1937. >> first we'd like to know your own reactions to the letter. >> i took the editorial very literally but found it overwhelmingly convincing. >> will you tell us something about your christmas in 1897? was it particularly happy? >> oh, my goodness. it was very happy. >> reporter: more than a century later, the windows in new york city telling her story all over again. virginia answering the most important question of them all. >> do you still believe in santa claus? >> i have much reason to. >> reporter: david muir, abc news, new york. >> great story. everybody knows that yes, virginia, there is a santa claus. but to hear the story -- >> i didn't know the back story at all. she said she received a steady stream of mail throughout her life and every time she got mail she would send back the editorial she received saying yes, virginia, there is a santa claus. and she said that letter shaped the direction

joining us now is thomas cohen, a former federal prosecutor in virginia. he's now a partner with the law firm of woods rogers. mr. cullen, thanks very much for being here. >> thanks for having me, rachel. >> let me just ask first if i explained there in a way that makes sense. did i get anything wrong or fuzzy there about the legal case? >> no, i think you covered all your bases. i think it's important to remember that these allegation and most of the information that's out there comes from "the washington post." they've been out front on this story and done a remarkable job. but, again, these are allegations, the department hasn't had the opportunity to speak and certainly governor mcdonnell, who's presumed innocent, hasn't had that opportunity either. we need to be careful when we talk about these things. but, you know, one thing i think is important, rachel, is that this process, essentially, governor mcdonnell's attorney's, to the deputy attorney general, james cole, asking for an audience, and ultimately prevailing upon them to hold off on filing char

stefan, stefan, dumer head of virginia tech's dumer head of virginia tech's biomedical department has been biomedical department has been much. much. >> the mission is not to end >> the mission is not to end football, but understand what is football, but understand what is better. better. research? research? >> we can tell a college player, >> we can tell a college player, what exposure you have, if you what exposure you have, if you are a are a quarterbacker, lion quarterbacker, lion backer - we can tell you what backer - we can tell you what the exposure is. the exposure is. >> that impact simulated >> that impact simulated 100 gs 100 gs of of slartion on the -- slartion on the -- acceleration on the brain. acceleration on the brain. is. is. >> that's the kind of force you >> that's the kind of force you may experience in a serious car may experience in a serious car crash. crash. so right here on this diagram so right here on this diagram you can see the impacts that you can see the impacts that players are taking. players are taking. >> >> this is how professor this is how profess

and central virginia. fredericksburg over to southern maryland, the bay, northern neck is generally in the mid 30s and mid 30s right in washington, northern and western suburbs though, most locations are below freezing on this christmas eve morning. shenandoah valley as well and into the mountains, most locations hovering right around 30 degrees. and the pavement is drying out there for the most part, too. so for the day today you should not have any travel problems. if you're leddi inheading up an the atlantic sea coast, we'll have highs reaching the low 40s this afternoon. by noontime should be around 40. we'll be hovering in the low 40s for a couple of hours mid afternoon. that's when we'll have clouds building, upper level disturbance coming along through along with gusty winds. that disturbance might trigger a few passing snow showers or a flurry. generally from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. after that we will clear out and get cold tonight. the temperatures will begin to drop back down into the upper 20s by midn