everything is clear. there's snow activity toward the border and to the west. seeing pretty good snow there. that may try to move to the east. i'm not expecting much for the rest of the evening. the last couple hours showing precipitation through the region. 43 degrees under cloudy skies. winds out of the southwest at 7 miles per hour. it's bringing our windchill down to 39 degrees. we are going to see a system pass tonight. it's not going to do a lot except warm us up for tomorrow. to the south, the warm spot 47 in charlottesville, 46 in frederick. what can you expect this evening? 38 degrees by 11:00. a chilly night. not as cold as it was last nilgt. partly to mostly clear skies. there are going to be a lot of changes going on the next couple days as we head toward 2012. i'll explain coming up. >> thanks, doug. a week before the iowa caucuses. a power shift in the polls. mitt romney is leading the pack. former front-runner, newt gingrich taking a nose dive. former pennsylvania senator, rick santorum and ron paul have been given new life. steve handelsman is on capitol hill to tell us what it means. steve? >> reporter: i'm close to the capital of the state of iowa. this is des moines. check it out, mid-50s here. ten degrees warmer than washington and the political climate here in iowa is different than it usually is before the caucuses, too. here is how upset they are at the federal government. the libertarian from texas, paul, surged to double the support he had here in the 2008 caucuses. polling second in one iowa voters survey, first in another, ron paul is on a role, slamming big brother government. >> this idea you have to give up liberties to be safe is nonsense. >> reporter: hanging on every word, james, mark and chris. mark switched candidates, again. >> started off bachman, cain, perry, now ron paul. >> reporter: his friend watching, unconvinced. also surging is rick santorum. he's focused on iowa. finally, he's polling third or fourth out of seven. if iowa says you are the guy, pushing us up to the top tier, they won't be able to ignore us anymore. >> reporter: newt gingrich is looking at later primaries. >> i'm 20 points ahead in other states. it would be foolish not to stay in the race. it's a long way from picking a nominee. >> reporter: mitt romney, for the first time, figures he can win iowa. >> i want to make sure your vote backing me is the vote that leads me to become the nominee. >> reporter: his new ad is all over iowa tv. >> the american ideas of freedom need a clear defense. >> reporter: back to ron paul, he run over chris. >> he pushed the right buttons. i'm going to caucus for ron paul. >> reporter: five days for them to change their minds, again. with all the switching, romney figures if he gets 25% on tuesday night, he can win the first republican contest. a few weeks ago, he was barely contesting here in iowa. >> speaking of switching, he picked up someone from bachmann's camp, didn't he? >> reporter: paul did. here is another bit of crazy out here. bachmann, from neighboring minnesota won the iowa straw poll. she was the front-runner here months ago and plummeted in the polls since. she has an iowa chairperson who last night, at the last minute defected to ron paul. that's seen as helping not so much paul, but rick santorum. why? because the social conservatives, the religious conservative that is they are vying for now may trend toward santorum. among the three, he's making sense. make sense, wendy? >> it kind of does. that's what we love about iowa. >> reporter: it's tricky. >> steve handelsman in des moines, thank you, steve. two men lost their lives and another woman injured in springs. the driver of the car lost control on university boulevard around 3:00 this morning. news 4 has the story. >> reporter: the montgomery county accident reconstruction team spent hours thursday morning taking photos, measu measurements trying to determine what happened here. 3:09 thursday morning, the suv was heading east on university coming around a curve when the driver lost control, careened across several lanes, shot up the hill of this front yard, hitting a chain link fence and slamming into a brick retaining wall. 19-year-old tamara johnson in the backseat and the driver were both killed. the woman in the front passenger seat, an 18-year-old was seriously injured. the victim's family and friends were at the scene waiting for word. >> my sister called me crying saying i should come out here because tamara was in an accident. i should come out. so, i jumped up, put my clothes on and rushed out here. >> reporter: the devastating news came just after 5:00 a.m. investigators spent much of the morning working in the closed eastbound lanes trying to determine what caused the single vehicle accident that took two lives, a trail of debris and pieces of the suv littered the roadway. parts of it tangled in phone lines overhead. >> speed, alcohol, seatbelts, the lay of the road, that kind of thing, other vehicles involved. that's what investigators are looking for. >> reporter: she just graduated from high school, working as a waitress and wanted to go to college. >> it's rough right now. i just lost my mom two years ago. i just hope everything would be all right. >> reporter: looking at the aftermath, tough for those who didn't know the victims, neighbors say unfortunately, accidents along this stretch is nothing new. >> life is too short. one minute you are there, the next minute, you know, this happens. >> reporter: police say it could be some time before they are sure if alcohol or speed may have been a factor in the crash. in silver spring, maryland, news 4. coming up on news 4 at 5:00, chris gordon talked to more family members distraught over the deadly crash. we are learning more about yesterday's deadly crash yesterday in bethesda. it happened after a pick-up truck traveling southbound crossed the median and collided with a bus heading north. the driver of the truck was killed. he's a 49-year-old of silver spring. his girlfriend says she heard about the crash but was devastated when she learned he was the one that was killed. >> we were here together and see you later. he said see you later. he called me about 9:58. that is the last time i spoke with him. >> investigators are trying to figure out why his truck crossed the median. we'll hear more from his family, coming up on news 4 at. kim jong un is the country's leader. this is after the meeting of king jung ill. life in the country's capital city stood still for a second day because of the funeral ceremonies. hundreds of thousands filled the city's main square for the memorial today. stocks on wall street ended in the up column after climbing most of the day after enc encouraging news about the u.s. jobs and housing market. at last check, it was up 130 points closing at 12,281. nasdaq up and s&p up closing at 1,263. do you feel like life is so bad it can only get better? if you do, then you have a lot of company. a survey by the associated press and the the gfk group show 70% of americans believe 2011 was a bad year. 29% thought it was a good one. 62% are optimistic about next year. a greater number, 78% are hopeful about what the coming year will bring for their family. the survey of 1,000 adults was conducted two weeks ago with a sampling error of plus or minus four points. smoking often tops the list of top new year's resolutions. we have more on kicking the habit. falling off the wagon is necessarily a bad thing. >> reporter: resolve the quit smoking this weekend and you are more likely to succeed if you accept the fact you are likely to fail. >> it's important not to quit just at new years. if by january 7th you are smoking again, try again. >> reporter: she is president of the american legacy foundation, a group dedicated to help people quit smoking. failures can become learning experiences to see what and who triggers you to reach for a cigarette. write down healthy distractions like exercising or calling a friend when you feel the urge to light up. >> let those you love know you intend to do this. sometimes they welcome it. if they are unkind, find yourself a real support group. >> reporter: going cold turkey is impossible for long term and heavy smokers. they may need behavioral medication. the message is to make your resolution over and over again. >> don't just do it once a year. do it as often as you humanly can. >> reporter: not just the new year, but every year. last year, nearly 70% of adult smokers said they wanted to quit. more than half actually tried to do that. news 4 at 4:00 is just getting started. coming up next, baby watch. ♪ all the single ladies ♪ all the single ladies. people magazine's sexiest man alive has a new girlfriend. ♪ this marriage proposal has gone viral. celebrities endorsing the video. an engagement in malaysia is touching millions worldwide and gaining endorsements. >> tim posted his proposal to awe dree online. ♪ >> tim says she had no idea what was happening and wasn't aware of the cameras. he used poster cards and stood outside the restaurant where he was outside. celebs are in a heart warming way say it's a heart warming way to wrap up the year. the video has gone viral. at least 4 million people have viewed it. a rot of relationships are in the news right now. co-stars in a new movie are heating things up. a lesson in how not to find out your spouse is divorcing you. >> there's a way to do it and a way not to. in beyonce in labor? time tr hould headlines with georgia alfredas. let's start with beyonce. we are hearing she could deliver before the new year. >> it's about time for her to deliver. people at new york's roosevelt hospital say a vip slepty booked the maternity ward. this is new york, it could be anybody. this is about the time she is supposed to give birth. it's possible. michael jordan got engaged and winona judd is getting married. >> they were on tour together. it's good for her. >> okay. there are rumors things are heating up between two co-stars. >> i'm so excited. i have celebrity crushes on both of these, of course bradley cooper is dating the sexiest woman alive, zoey. they are telling friends about each other. so excited for them. i love it. >> nice. >> i know. >> it is weird to break up and hear about it on, like on a website. who is doing that? >> i don't believe this story so much. here is why. deanne sanders were getting a divorce two months ago. how does she not know? she heard about the filing on tmz.com. his daughter is going in on -- she's 18 years old saying she's a gold digging cheater. the only thing she wants to do with dionne is reality shows. plus, she tweeted pictures of boxes that have been packed for three weeks. really, you didn't know? why are the boxes packed. >> ugly. >> and juicy. >> what about the rumors with russell brand and katy perry? >> where there's smoke there's fire. she said hey, we are still together. if we had a dime for every rumor. fast forward to the holidays. katy perry is in a bikini on the beach. he's in london not wearing his wedding ring. christmas is kind of a special holiday. >> the rings usually reveal that. >> yes. the other thing is, after the nanny diaries, you know the best dirt comes from a nanny. the kardashians are having problems with their nanny? >> she didn't get along with the gener jenners. she and christian or the mom had a love/hate relationship. supposedly the girls love her. she got the intimate details about the kardashians. you want to know, i got it. >> usually, may make you sign something. >> they weren't stars then. she was their nanny when she was kids. could get interesting, yes. >> what do you have for tomorrow? >> tomorrow, russ isn't there. we are going to be acting crazy. >> when the cat's away -- >> when he's on vacation, we can't get fired. it's our job to run the show. i shouldn't have said that on tv, should i? >> it's freestyle. >> we are going to do the best job on 93.9. we would never do anything to get fired. >> that's our story and we are sticking to it. thanks so much. >> happy new year to y'all. coming up on news 4, forget tgi friday, what nation is ditching friday and going right to saturday. >> that's an interesting story. if you are planning to go out new year's eve, doug will have the weekend weather outlook. >> follow news 4 online. some of us got snow? >> yes. >> it's about time. >> yes, it is about time. it was the same people who saw snow before, to the north and west of washington. people saying hey, is this going to stick around? how long are we going to see it? is it going to pile up? no. we saw some pictures earlier, at least a dusting in parts of the area. areas south and east didn't see it. we have cleared out across the area. i wouldn't be surprised to see flurries to the west. i'm not expecting much in the way of snow showers this evening. 43 degrees out there now. you can see what's happening temperature wise around the region. we are on the cool side because oftd clouds. 36 in leesburg. frederick not reporting at the airport there. 37 in martinsburg. to the south, a little bit warmer. 46 in fredericksburg and 45 in culpeper. anything that falls here is rain. all the moisture stayed to the north and west. montgomery county, prince george's county, 43. honeytown, 43 degrees as well. storm 4 doppler radar, not too much to show you here. there is still snow along the mason dixon line here toward delaware. to the west, watching this area here, coming through the mountains, most of the time, this falls apart as it makes its way to the east of the mountains. we could see a flake in hagerstown, martinsburg, frederick. that will be about it. this is part of a bigger storm system moving through. a weak storm system. it's enough to give snow showers that will move through tonight. that is going to help usher in some warmer air. it's on the chilly side out there now with the clouds. tomorrow, ahead of another storm system, we are going to warm up nicely with a southwesterly wind tomorrow. 10 to 15 miles per hour. a mixture of sun and clouds during the day. ahead of the front, 5:00, tomorrow afternoon is going to be spectacular. a nice friday afternoon to end the week, maybe a shower late friday night into early saturday morning. most of us won't see that. saturday, the storm moves out. we get mild again. once again, looking at partly sunny skies. a nice day saturday. better saturday night and into sunday. a very good new year's weekend coming up. cloudy, continued cool and breezy. we make the way through the rest of the evening hours. tomorrow, starting off on a cool note with a chilly breeze. windchill between 21 and 28. not as cold as earlier this morning. a mild afternoon. breezy. 51 to 55 degrees. winds from the south at 10 to 15. they will increase late in the day. then here comes saturday and sunday. 54 on saturday. 56, some areas could get to 60 on new year's day. we are going to see a lot of wind on sunday. that wind is going to usher through the biggest change we have seen this season. >> oh, my. >> oh, boy. >> get ready, it is coming. the cold air. >> we have heard it and we believe you. >> everybody is asking for snow. it's not out there. >> okay. can't give us what you can't find. >> true. i'm looking. >> thank you, doug. >> it's not there. still to come on news 4 at 4:00, folks are getting ready for time travel. >> this is the greatest day of my life. >> aw. >> what made it possible for this man to finally welcome back to news 4 at 4:00, i'm wendy rieger in for jim jichl. >> i'm pat lawson muse. police are looking into what caused a single car crash that killed two young women in silver spring. a 22-year-old was driving on university boulevard when she crossed several lanes of traffic and hit a brick wall. richards and a passenger were killed. another passenger, an 18-year-old is in serious condition. >> investigators are trying to figure out why a pick-up truck crossed a median last night before colliding with the metro bus. the pike was shut down nearly eight hours. the truck driver is 49 years old from silver springs. polls show mitt romney is the new republican front-runner. ron paul is a close second. rick santorum surged to third place. former front-runner, newt gingrich continues his slide placing a distant fourth. they are adding blitzes and bus tours to change voters minds for the caucuses that take place january 3rd. the dough was up 136 points, nasdaq up 24 and s&p up 13. gains came after encouraging news about the u.s. jobs and housing market. there will be no friday december 30, 2011 in samoa. it will be saturday. >> seems 120 years ago, traders convinced them to move east over the date line to trade easier with california. it took awhile, but they realized it wasn't a good idea. stephanie gosk explains why there won't be a friday. >> reporter: at the stroke of midnight, they will shift the date line east. there will be no friday, december 30th. >> this week, we are going to be losing a day. we are going to move the date line so we'll be in line with new zealand and australia. >> reporter: the date line runs to the north and south of the pacific ocean. on one side, the first sunset of the day, on the other said, they see the last. confused yet? if it's friday in samoa, it's saturday in new zealand. it makes trading a nightmare. >> we have to come in on sunday. but, otherwise, we have to wait until we come in on monday, which is tuesday. >> reporter: the prime minister said enough is enough. time for a time warp. there won't be births or deaths on the 30th. no car accidents, no school, no workday. employees have been promised to be paid for their lost time. for those who don't like it -- >> if people aren't happy about samoa not being the last place to see the sunset, change our attitude. we'll be the first to see the sunrise. >> reporter: that means, even better, the first nation to celebrate the new year. if you haven't made your plans for new years, this could be the place to go. there will be a large party. once you have recovered from that one, get on a plane, fly an hour east and celebrate again a day later. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. >> where it will be tuesday. we got that. >> we need a chart. police in australia have uncovered a treasure of stolen goods. >> they are worth at least $6 million. police found the items when they raided a storage facility near sydney. thousands of pieces of gold. they uncovered $4 million in australian and foreign currency and silver and several firearms. authorities believe the items were stolen during a wave of burglaries that targeted homes and businesses. two men were arrested. as of next year, you'll be able to see elvis on tour in graceland. the singer's home in memphis. they are launching three exhibits. the first exhibit, elvis on tour opens january with rare photos. in february, the elvis through his daughter's eyes exhibit will open featuring videos from her childhood. the exhibit in march opens with artifacts called icon, the influence of elvis press lee. a man forced to give up his service dog when he moved in northwest iowa. that's because the city bans pit bulls. a federal judge granted an injunction this week setting up a very happy reunion. >> how are you tiger? that's a long wait, huh? >> reporter: he can barely describe what it's like to have his best friend and service dog home again. >> it's great. i have missed him for almost two weeks. it's just good to have him home. >> reporter: in those two weeks, jim struggled because of his stroke four years ago, he's left with limited mobility. snickers keeps him from falling while walking. in his absence, jim has fallen twice. >> he's part of me. it's what -- this right side don't work. but he does. >> reporter: wednesday's federal court hearing brought snickers back with a preliminary injunction. it doesn't guarantee he'll be here for good. >> right now, it's the furthest thing from my mind. >> reporter: they have more important things to worry about like who is hogging the covers. >> he's going to sleep with me tonight, i know that. >> reporter: after taking a few licks, this former chicago police officer is getting the ones he's been waiting for. >> this is the greatest day of my life. >> that was forest saunders reporting. city officials cannot comment about the case because it's in litigation. there's more to come on news 4 at 4:00. did you get a tablet for the holidays? amazon was amazed at how many people bought kindles. amazon says 2011 was the best holiday ever for its kindle ereader than tablet devices. they sold more than 1 million kindles a week. the kindle fire was the best seller of amazon's tablet devices. when it launched three months ago, it was the first true competitor to apple's ipad. it cost more than the other devices, the ipad continues to outsell other tablet computers. today is thursday. let's check out the thursdayly deal. first up is groupon in silver spring. devine fiesta studio has a deal. you can get ten or 20 zumba classes. the price is $29 for ten classes and 45 bucks for 20 classes. there you go. zumba. also, at the movies, there are two deals. for $10, a movie ticket and a large popcorn plus a drink combo. a popcorn drink combo. for $125, a year of unlimited movies. >> usually, that's how much your popcorn and p drink cost. living social offering 50% off. you pay $25 and get $50 worth of food and drink. it's located in woodley park. that looks good. oh, my. an employee quits and gets sued because of how many twitter followers he has. it's a bizarre case. we'll tell you about it. for a few bucks you can buy a bagel store. why is it selling for so cheap? coming up at 9:00, we'll finish the holiday season italian style in dupont circle with authentic italian dishes. >> we're going to meet a group of teen that is [ child ] it's so cool! you can put a force field on him and be invisible! [ child 2 ] i call first player. no. i already called it. [ dad ] nobody's playing anything until after we get our homework done. thank you. hello? test drive's not over yet. [ male announcer ] it's practically yours. [ louder ] hello? but we still need your signature. right now during sign then drive, it's never been easier to get the all-new passat, the 2012 motor trend car of the year, for practically just your signature. that's the power of german engineering. visit vwdealer.com. a lawsuit is brewing in columbia, south carolina over twitter followers. a former employee owes them money because he left the company and took thousands of twitter followers with him. that employee now works for a co competitor. he says he stole for proprietary information. >> wow. that's interesting. my 30,000 twitter followers are all in an uproar over that. >> are they in an uproar over the snow? >> you mean 30. >> my 30 twitter followers. come on. come on. @doug kammerer. i'm trying to get to 30,000. if i do, i'm going to get a car. >> you need to shorten your last name. no one is going to punch all that in. >> you want to see the snow? >> yeah. >> there it is right there. we saw it around montgomery village and loudoun county, parts of the west around clark county, warren county, fauquier keown fi. frederick saw a dusting. don't get too excited. this is not a sign of things to come. colder temperatures for a couple days. 43 degrees is the current temperature now with the wind out of the southwest at 7 miles per hour. current temperatures 37 in martinsburg, 36 in leesburg, 34 in gaithersburg. it is on the cold side where you saw the snow showers. 46 in fredericksburg. storm 4 doppler radar showing where the shower activity is well to the west. still seeing some flurry activity, maybe a flurry or two this evening. i'm not going to mention it here. becoming breezy. 34 to 40 degrees over the next couple hours. tomorrow morning waking up to a chilly breeze. 28 to 35 degrees for the actual temperatures. tomorrow afternoon, i think we're looking beautiful. a fantastic friday. partly sunny, a mild afternoon. breezy late. 51 to 55 degrees. you're thinking about the holiday. how about ringing in the new year here in the d.c. area. i don't know if there's fireworks, do you know? >> i think there are somewhere. >> 39 degrees for a temperature. that's right at midnight. not too cold. winds out of the southwest at five to ten miles per hour. it's looking good there. as far as the coldest day of the season, we have been very warm. the cold air moves through next week. it's not just going to get cold with the deep trough from the east, it is going to get windy. the next four days, 54 saturday. 56 on the first day of 2012. then the first week -- >> yikes! >> i'm not talking that on tuesday and wednesday, the the windchill could be 20 tuesday afternoon. >> that's going to be a shock to the system. >> considering we have not seen highs in the 30s yet, it's going to feel like 20s all day. >> we are literally going to change seasons. >> finally. >> thanks, doug. you know, just 30 miles east of roanoke, in bedford, virginia, there's a tiny bagel business that could be yours. >> the owner is practically giving it away. he's charging $20 for it. you have to ace a 300 word es y essay. >> reporter: doesn't this look yummy? it's one of the many items here. a restaurant that could be yours, get this, for $100. the owner also owns a contracting business that's been taking up more and more of his time. he's decided to let the bagel shop go. instead of selling it, he's going to give it away. >> a lot of people are shocked. $100 and they could own the business. a lot of people don't understand it. >> reporter: he's asking anyone interested to pay a $100 entry fee and submit a 300-word essay answering why they would be the perfect owner for the shop. >> it's the perfect opportunity to not have the initial invesment. >> reporter: they will get all the equipment and $10,000 to help get them started. what is he looking for? >> i would like to see someone energetic, positive, outgoing. >> reporter: and someone willing to put in a lot of work and time. >> you will be doing everything from making the doughnuts and bagels to cleaning floors. >> reporter: so far, the response has been great. while we were there, we met eleanor, who is hoping her son will win. >> i was telling him, i got all the information i need for him to enter the contest. >> reporter: the business is debt free and grosses 15$150,00a year. >> not bad. >> get out your typewriters. >> bedford, virginia. >> it's a pretty place. practice makes perfect. making sure everything works perfectly as the clock hits midnight on news year eve. a pair of twins are shown off for the first time. >> oh! >> they are little. coming up tonight on news 4 at 5:00, the deadline to make donations and get a tax break on 2011 tax return is here. we have everything you need to know to make sure your contribution works. the miracle cyclist. she was training when she was involved in another crash thachlt is when the miracle happened that propelled her into an entirely different competition. help for people whose homes were damaged during tropical storm lee. this is our aww moment. >> aren't they sweet? >> yes, they are. >> this is our first glimpse of polar bear cubs born in china. the two males were born in east china. they are very cute. that's too cute. their parents were a gift from finland. their mother gave birth to a separate set of twins earlier this year. a polar bear giving birth to fwo sets of twins in the same year is rare. they are having trouble surviving with the ice melting up north with global warming, so it's nice to see them propagating the species. >> yes, in captivity, there. preparations are under way for the big new year's eve event in times square. today, they tested the colorful confetti thrown in the air to make sure it flutters to the ground as planned. organizers are starting a new tradition. people write down their new year's eve wishes on post-it notes. they are mixed with the confetti. it will all fall on to the crowd in times square on saturday night. organizers in rio day jannero plan to ring in the year with a bang. they are making sure the forks show is bigger and better than ever. they are loaded with fireworks across the bay from rio. on saturday, they will be floated out to various spots to light up the sky. the show will last 16 minutes and shown around the world. still ahead, a local a remarkable reunion. 70 years in the making. it's a story that starts at a concentration camp in austria and picks up in a hospital room in leesburg, virginia. here is shomari stone. >> reporter: she is a holocaust survivor haunted by the memories of 70 years ago in a concentration camp. >> so deeply embedded. >> reporter: american soldiers rescued her. she was 7 years old at the time. along with her family at the concentration camp. he wrote of a book, dreaming of a day she could thank a soldier that 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. >> reporter: she miraculously accidentally found a rescuer at the heritage hall nursing center in leesburg, virginia. >> hello. >> hi. >> reporter: her husband is sick and a staff sergeant recovering from pneumonia in the same room. he has a hat displaying his purple heart. >> i told them i was in germany and -- >> reporter: she found out he was wup of the soldiers that rescued jews at the camp. >> thank you. >> it's a pleasure. it was an honor to do it. it was great for the people. >> reporter: the moment she waited seven decades for, the chance of a lifetime. >> i appreciate what you have done for people like me. i just want to say thank you so much. >> god bless you. >> reporter: i'm shomari stone, back to you. >> that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. two deadly crashes in montgomery county within hours of each other. one involved a metro bus with several passengers on board. the other two young women killed. we are hearing from the families as police try to figure out what went wrong. new fees for cell phone users. tonight, customers are sounding off. unexpected snow. snow showers coat parts of the d.c. area as an unseasonably mild december comes to a close. good evening, i'm aaron gilchrist in for jim jichandly. >> i'm wendy rieger. we are looking into what killed two women in a crash. >> when the driver lost control of the suv and hit a brick wall. two died at the scene. the other badly injured. this crash happened at 3:00 in the morning near university boulevard. that's where news 4 chris gordon joins us live with more from one of the victim's families. chris? >> it happened here. you can see the tire tracks in the grass in front of me. the car came careening, crashed