Transcripts For WRC News 4 Today 20100217

coming up on "news4 at 5":00, the toughest stuff facing students that may happen before they get to school. fire fight ners prince george's county travel underground for a tight rescue. how they think a dog anded up stuck in a manhole. at 5:55, the truth about the dangers of fad diets. "news4 today" starts right now. slow motion, expect more stop than go during the morning commute. it's likely to be another brutal drive. good morning everyone. welcome to "news4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm eun yang. it's wednesday, february 17, 2010. the federal government is open on time today. dwoe have a few school closings and delays to tell you about. in virginia, fauquier county schools are closed. the following schools have a two-hour delay, alexandria city, prince william county, culpepper county, frederick county schools, fredricksburg, king george county, orange county, page county and spotsylvania schools also have a two-hour delay. staff ford county, loudoun county in wind chester schools are both delayed one hour. >> frederick county schools are closed with a two-hour delay. prince george's, anne arundel, howard and washington counties, charles county schools are on a one-hour delay. in west virginia, berkeley, jefferson, min ram and morgan county schools are all closed. hardy county schools are on a two-hour delay. meteorologist tom kierein is in the storm center with the latest on the forecast. >> it's wicked winter of '09-'10 continues with snowshowers now coming down from the north and will be with us from time to time. right now on radar we are getting a little light snow in northern montgomery county and western houk. that stretches into frederick county maryland, washington county, maryland, along interstate 70 and to the east of 270. elsewhere it's partly cloudy to mostly cloudy now. it's cold. temperatures are in the upper 20s to mid 20s in many locations, although low 20s in prince george's county, and the temperatures now in the eastern shore from lewis, delaware, down to ocean city, in the upper 20s and out in the mountains it's just near 20 degrees where they have winter storm warnings. looks like they could get several more inches of snow out there today. we'll have a brief dusting adds we have an upper level disturbance coming through that may trigger a few passing snowshowers. highs reaching the upper 30s. the blustery northwest winds will still before with us today. mostly cloudy tomorrow, a brit warmer. welcome sunshine for friday and saturday. jerpry, how is the traffic? >> a quiet start all and all. it could be a tough commute, what little snow that melted yesterday refroze overnight. plenty of ice to deal with. right now pretty quiet along 95. the trucks are lining up at the weigh station. at the beltway in college park, the scene of yesterday's terrible accident, so far very, very quiet with the travel lanes open. another day to be vr, very safe. eun and joe, good morning. >> good morning, jerry, thank you. >> thanks very much. get ready for another rough morning out on the roads today. >> combine that with the snow and the fact that most of the federal government and most schools are open on time today and you could be in for another nightmare. megan mcgrath is live in tyson's corner with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. if you have already been throughout driving in it, you know howdy traffic and the rush hour has been. it just keeps going and going. a number of different issues here, and they're still working on the situation. you can see behind me all these big snow piles that are everyone. the transportation departments are still trying to get rid of all the snow that has accumulated in some cases on the major highways, they're out there with the front end loaders and dump trucks and literally hauling the stuff off the roadways. that creates traffic tie-ups. you still have a situation where you're driving along and you might all of the sudden getting your lane pinched by a snowdrift that has gone into the through lanes. that causes everyone to fear into the lane beside them. that's not a good situation obviously when you've got a lot of traffic out on the roadway. this has all resulted in serious traffic tie-ups. rush hour going in and going home has been terrible in the last couple days. we are not expting any significant improvement as they continue to work and clear the snow and get the lanes fully open. as you mention, the federal government is open today without delay. we have a number of school systems that have reopened, and today they are not going to have a delay. they're going to be on time. that's going to add to the traffic during rush hour. we've also got a situation with canal ro ts morning. the overhead ectronic signals that talk about the lane configuration, they are not working properly this morning. we're talking about chain bridge and arizona. let's take a closer look at the configuration you shld be following, again, because the signs are not working. between 6:15 and 10:00 a.m., two lanes inbound and one lane outbound. that's how you should be traveling. all other times, one lane inbound and two outbound. again, they are having trouble with the electronic signs that normally tell motorists what to do. so follow that configuration. they're working on the situation and digging up some wires buried beneath the snow trying to fix them. hopefully they aisle get them up and running soon. again, give yourself extra time. it's going to being another bad day out there. >> thanks very much, megan. school is back in session in fairfax county, but buses are still having trouble getting downside streets still covered with snow and ice. the county canceled late buses that take kids home from after school activities as a precaution. fairfax county schools will open on time today. in spotsylvania county officials at chancellor high school have canceled classes for the rest of the week because of the snow still on top of the school building. the roof of the gym is almost at its maximum weight-bearing capacity. contractors will work to shore up the roof and remove the ice and snow. an unusual method of clearing snow may have caused a fire in rockville. montgomery county fire officials say workers on the roof were using propane torches to melt the snow when the roof caught fire. firefighters arrived on the scene quickly, but they had to dig out the nearest hydrant also covered in snow. firefighters are asking residents to do their part in keeping the neighborhood safe. >> mark the high drantd. if you feel real energetic, get out and shovel out the hydrant because it makes a huge difference in terms of time. >> one person was take tone the hospital for smoke inhalation. damage is listed at $1.5 million. toyota is lookth at the power steering mechanism on corollas. toyota executives took out a full-page ad in several newspapers today apologizeding for their customers. today the ad said we apologize from the bottom of our hearts for the great inconvenience and worries we have caused you all. back here in united states toyota has begun idling plants in kentucky. workers can take a vacation day or come to work for additional training. more nonproduction days are possible for the next few months. this move is meant to prevent dealers from building up too much inventory on their lots. toyota is not the only company facing recalls this year. dozens of companies have recalled everything from cribs to tires to jewelry. that's why today the chairman of the consumer product safety commission will deliver an address on the state of product safety. ynez tenenbaum will include a message to the steer itself about their responsibilities to american consumers. our time right now is 5:08. 29 degrees out there. still ahead, a tight squeeze for prince george's county firefighters. >> they had to go underground to rescue an adorable dog who had a terrifying fall into an uncovered manhole. is aspirin a weapon in the fight against breast cancer? what new research has found. another freezing morning. signs of time for weather and traffic on the 1s at 5:11. a cold start to this wrnds morning on radar, a little light snow in northern montgomery county and howard county, fed rick and washington county. the area in dark blue there is a snow shower, maybe laying down a brief dusting from the northwest to the southeast. temperatures are cold n. the 20s around the region. 26 in washington. highs today should make it into the upper 30s to perhaps 40 in a few locations. snowshowers are possible this morning through mid afternoon and a blustery wind as well. a tad warmer thursday, friday and saturday. jerry, how is the traffic? >> we'll head out and take a live look around the ar. wrun big choke point is right here. 66 and 15 headed for the roosevelt bridge. right now very quiet. another morning we'll have to watch it very, very carefully. again, what melted during the day yesterday, what little melted yesterday refroze overnight. we're looking at icy conditions, particularly far right lanes and far left lanes, something unfortunately we'll have to get used to. along the 270 corridor, pretty quiet, frederick to rockville so far this morning. >> thank you, jerry. 5:12. 29 degrees out there right now. ahead, a new battle -- a new weapon in the battle against breast cancer perhaps. firefighters lower into a manhole not to save a man, bau dochlth how they discovered the little guy. a message to the white house. what a new poll says about the good morning everyone. i'm kimberly suiters live in the newsroom with this morning's top stories. first off, two hours to drive 15 miles? that was yesterday. this morning's commute could be challenging once again. today the federal government opens on time. so do some of the areas largest school districts including fairfax and montgomery counties. with many lanes still narrowed by snow banks, aaa does not expect an improvement in traffic flow all week. students in prince george's county will finally return to class today. schools opening two hours late for the rest of the week. in some areas bus stops still have not been shoveled and some streets around schools have not been plowed. at marlton elementary in upper marlbo marlboro, pathways have been dug in the grass so kids don't have to walk in the street. school officials have asked for extra police officers and crossing guards near schools. now back to you in the studio. >> thanks very much, kimberly. new your health this morning, about the potential benefits of aspirin. a lot of people already take aspirin to prevent heart disease. now doctors say aspirin could also stop breast cancer from reoccurring. a harvard review of 4,000 breast cancer survivors found women who took two to five aspirins a week lowered their odds of getting breast cancer again by 50%. scientists say the clinical trials are needed to verify the aspirin benefit. people should talk to their doctor before taking any drug. president obama may not be up for re-election for a couple years, but a new poll shows he may be in for quite a fight in 2012. the cnn opinion research poll shows 44% of registered voters says he deserves to be re-elected, 52% says he doesn't deserve a second term. 49% of americans approve of the job the president is doing. 50% disapprove. it was one year ago today that president obama signed the stimulus bill into law. the administration promised the $787 billion would create jobs. today the administration will deliver a report. republicans and many americans wonder whether that money made any difference. brian mooar is live on capitol hill. good morning, brian. >> reporter: good morning, joe. vice president biden went to hard-hit michigan to deliver a preview of the report card he'll give to president baumer later this morning. >> the recovery act is working. >> reporter: on the first anniversary of the $787 billion stimulus plan t obama administration is defending it as money well spent. >> the act has succeeded in helping pull us back from the brink. >> reporter: today president obama is delivering a status report. the bottom line is all about jobs. >> we've already made the largest investment in clean energy in history as part of the recovery act, an investment that is expected to create more than 700,000 jobs across america. >> reporter: the white house argues the stimulus has created or saved two mill junk jobs. but republicans strongly disagree. and with unemployment still just below 10%, many, many americans are highly skeptical. the stimulus, one year later, big bucks but still no bang. and after the president talks, members of his administration will be heading out around the country to spread the word about what the stimulus has actually done. it's being called an all-out sales pitch. live on capitol hill, brian mooar, news4. joe? >> brian, thanks very much. in prince george's county firefighters came to the rescue of a desperate dog gone. >> the little guy fell 20 feet down a cold, dark manhole. as news4's craig melvin reports, the lucky dog might still be below ground if a man didn't trust his own dog instincts. >> reporter: you'd be wagging your tale, too, if a few hours earlier you found yourself in this position. this guy, also had one heck of a day. >> i was this close to covering it up. we were going to put something over top of it. last second we noticed it was in there. craziest thing. >> reporter: ryan blankenship is walking his dog in laurel and they stumble upon this manhole, a snow plower had apparently knocked often a cover. >> blankenship and that perceptive dog of his went back to the hole. >> couldn't see it, but we noticed there was a dog, we called authorities. >> reporter: when prince george's county technical rescue shows up and sees the 5-year-old lab-chow mix at the bottom of the hole, they set up their equipment and find the smallest guy with the best hands. >> they have an assignment, know what to do and they do it. >> we had about a 16-inch hole to go through initially. >> everybody loves their animals. >> once he caught that human scent, he knew help was coming. he popped up and was kind of licking at my feet. >> reporter: a short time later he was at the county animal shelter perhapsing and posing for the county, waiting for his bath and checkup. >> coat seemed to be dirty, not that well cared for. no identification, no tags,o microchip. at this time we don't know who owns him. >> and we don't know how long he spent at the bottom of this manhole. but thanks to a passerby who trusted his dog's sixth sense and well-trained rescuers, he'll be wagging his tail for years to come. krig melvin, news4. >> i hope he gets adopted. >> i think he will. >> what an ordeal. a check on traffic and weathering to. we'll start with tom kierein in storm center 4. >> viewers who live in montgomery, frederick and howard, looking out the window seeing snow falling wondering what the heck is going on. it's just a passing snow shower, not a major storm. but certainly a little skiddish this winter abo anything that falls. just light snow northern mgs county into western howard and a narrow band across south centl frederick county, maryland, into washington county, maryland. it may be leave ag brief dusting in its wake as it passes by. temperatures in the 20s around the region. montgomery county is in the upper 20s, so is fairfax and arlington. washington in the mid 20s. prince george's county in the low 20s. we'll have maybe little sun back this afternoon after a few passing morning and early afternoon snowshowers. the winds will be blustery as well, gusting tour round 30 miles an hour later this morning and this afternoon. highs reaching the upper 30s. but it will feel colder than that with the wind gusting. tomorrow should be mostly cloudy and a tad warnler. afternoon highs low 40s. low to mid 40s own friday and saturday with lots of sunshine. as we get into sunday, increasing clouds. monday we could get a freezing rain and snow mix. that's the way it looks now. up in montgomery county authorities dealing with an accident. the ramp of doom, on 370 westbound, the ramp to go 27 southbound, somebody slid off the roadway, smacked into the jersey wall. unfortunately, let that be a lesson to all of us, that it is still quite icy. on 270 from frederick to rockville, all the way down, so farrellively well. along interstate 66, there had been overnight construction. they should be picking that up. in the meantime might be a little sluggish. eun and joe, back to you. >> the poor guy on the 370 ramp went off just before i got there this morning. i saw him sitting in the snow bank. rough way to go. thanks very much, jerry. our time right now is 5:22. the special investigation into marion barry is coming up next. >> what he's saying i his defense and where he goes from here. why kevin eubanks could be leaving his long-time roll. >> a little dog takes home the top prize at the (announcer) this sparkling glass was washed with the extra drying boost of finish jet dry rinse agent. the glass behind it wasn't. for sparkling dishes, try finish jet dry. we think you'll see the difference. most consumers do. finish. the diamond standard. best in show at the 134th westminster kennel club is going to be the scottish terrier. >> a new top dog this morning, no stranger to the title best in show. this is sadie the scotty. she won best in show last night. she was the favorite. this is 4-year-old sadie's 112th best? show. the finals included doberman pincher, toy poodle. as jay leno gets ready to return, his long-time band leader gets ready to step aside. kevin eubanks is planning at least a part-time split from "the tonight show." eueubanks has expressed an interest in personal touring and recording opportunities. he will be there on march 1st when jay leno returns to "the tonight show." he has been "the tonight show" band leader since 1995. astronauts are taking in absolutely spectacular views of earth this morning as they crank open shutters inside the international space station's new $27 million observation deck. astronauts began looking out the windows on wednesday. the central round window is the largest ever flown in space. it was exposed first. station commander jeffrey williams say it is view is absolutely spectacular. the observation is deck is part of a new movement the space station named tranquillity. ahead, a troubling story in leesburg, why police say someone turned their snow rage on a good samaritan. what marion barry is saying about the special investigation that could lead to criminal charges. drivers will be seeing red this morning as in brake lights. another awful commute is expected. a schek of the early morning traffic and your weather nex with the verizon fios multi-room dvr, whatever you record here yocan watch in up to six different rooms. if you record hockey... ...you can watch it in the basement. yes! snowboarding in the bedroom? yes! or ice dancing in the kitchen. yes! ♪ i'm not sure why i said yes... that's -- that was weird. [ male announcer ] the amazing multi-room dvr your whole family will love and two times more very satisfied customers than cox. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. recurring nightmare. the morning commute is expected to be a mess once again, possibly worse today as more people try to get to work and school on time. good morning everyone. welcome back to "news4 today," i'm eun yang. >> good morning. i'm joe krebs. it's wednesday the 17th of february, 2010. the federal government is open on time today. the areas largest school systems, fairfax, montgomery counties and the district all opening on time as well. we have a few closings and delays to tell you about. fauquier county schools are closed. the following schools on a two-hour delay, alexandria city, culpepper and frederick. fredricksburg, king george county, orange county, page and spotsylvania, also have a two-hour delay. stafford county schools are delayed two hours as well. and loudoun county and wind chester city schools are both delayed one hour. in maryland frederick county schools are close washington, d.c. a two-hour delay. we have prince george's county, anne arundel county, howard county and washington county. charles county schools are on a one-hour delay. in west virginia, morgan county schools closed to day. har dee county schools, west virginia, are on a two-hour delay. let's get the latest with the forecast. good morning, tom. >> complicating the commute, patchy ice. what did melt yesterday froze back up on untreated surfaces. watch out for that, especially on the ramps. we have light snow falling from passing snowshowers from washington county, from frederick into montgomery county. this is moveing to the south and east. we'll have perhaps this activity continuing off and on here this morning and winterly afternoon. these passing flurries and snowshowers may be putting down a brief dusting. it will be sticking on untreated surfaces because it is below freezing. in the 20s all around the region to near 30 near wind chester. elsewhere it's in the mid and low 20s in many locations, eastern shorp right along the atlantic beaches, in the upper 20s there, partly cloudy out of the mountains. getting snowshowers and maybe enough for several inches of snow as they have winter storm warnings out through central west virginia and western maryland. we have a disturbance in the atmosphere that's spinning away over ohio right now. that's going to be zipping over us here. it may be triggering a few more passing snowshowers winterly afternoon, highs reaching the upper 30s. northwest winds will be gusti to 30 miles an hour. it's going to be a gusty, windy, cold raw day with passing snowshowers and flurries. a tad warmer thursday, friday and saturday. how is the traffic? >> heading out to update you on 270 which is for the moment incident-free. hopefully it will stay that why for a while. on the ramp from westbound 370 to go south on 270, the flashing lights, that ramp now closed because of an accident. let's head over and see how we're doing in the district. for the most part we're okay. even body takes it very cautiously through northeast along new york avenue, southeast looks pretty good as well. on the rails this morning, quiet start, metro, vre and marc all reporting no early issues. it could be another nightmare commute. crews are still working to clear the leftover snow from the sides of the roadways. today the federal government and several major school districts reopen on time for the first time in over a week. news4's megan mcgrath joins us from tyson's corner with more. >> reporter: good morning. it igoing to be another rocky rush hour today, both in the morning and the evening. we're really not expecting significant improvement for the rest of the week. there's just so much work to be done. that's not to say that you aren't going to notice some improvement as you make your way into work this morning. there were a number of place that is were choking points for me yesterday. as i drove in early this morning, i noticed they had cleared away some of the snow in that spot, freed it up a little bit. then i encountered other problems areas that were just as they were the day before. the crews are out there. they are working. they are removing and hauling away the snow out there on the major roadways. but there is so much work to be done that it's going to take several more days. in fact, experts are predicting that we're going to have a very, very rough go during the rush hour periods for the rest of the week. we've got the federal government returning on time today. several school systems back in class, and today they're on time. that means more cars out there during the morning rush hour. so it is going to be a long, long ride for a lot of people. we've been talking to commuters. they say it really has been terrible. >> it's been an hour and 45 minutes to go about six miles, is how far it is. fortunately i live not too far from here. but i decided before the commute tomorrow i better gas up and be ready to go. >> feels like i just got in one place and ient this way and that way and this way and that way. no one was stopping, no one was going. i didn't even know where i lived anymore. >> reporter: and if you use canal road, you should be aware that the overhead electronic signals about the lane configuration are not working here today. between chain bridge and arizona be aware those signals are not working. here is what you should do. between 6:15 and 10:00 a.m., two lanes are going inbound, one lane outbound. all other times of the day, one lane inbound and two outbound. but again, those signs that tell you when that change is made, they're noft working at the moment. they're trying to fix them. they're digging up some cables buried under the snow trying to make the repair. they're not there as of yet. unfortunately, i hate to say it, not any major improvement for your rush hour if you're about to leave the house here this morning. some improvement here and there. but just because of all of the choke spots, all the snow that is in some cases gone out and stolen portions or entire lanes, it's just going to take a while for them to get to all of those choke spots. until they do, we can expect bad rush hour commutes. eun, back to you. >> unbelievably bad. megan mcgrath in tyson's corner, thank you. school will start on time in fairfax county. classes started two hours late yesterday. here is an example of one of the reasons why. this bus struggled to get down a side street still covered with snow and ice. the county canceled all late buses that take kids home from after school activities yesterday as a precaution. all this traffic can be frustrated for anyone. police say one leesburg man went way too far taking out his frustration. they say craig van dusseldorf hit another man helping a stranded driver on monday. a number of cars were waiting for that vehicle to be cleared. investigators say he drove u u from the back of the line nearly hiting to good samaritan. police say the two argued and he then hit the other man in the legtion. he's now charged with assault and reckless driving. the man accused of killing chandra leavy is asking for his trial to be moved somewhere other than d.c. ingmar guandique says he can't get a fair trial in washington. he's charged with murdering the former federal intern who van ishd in 2001. he remains were found in rk creek park one year later. they want the case moved from d.c. court to a federal court outside the region. marion barry can face more legal trouble, allegedly for securing a $15,000 contract for his ex-girlfriend and taking a cut of that money. a special investigation was launched last summer after that woman, donna watts brighthaupt accused barry of stalking her. it led to a review of the contract that was awarded to her. the review found barry broke conflict of interest laws by failing to disclose his relationship with watts-brighthaupt. barry says he did nothing wrong because there are no rules aut earmarks. >> then one who engages in it, cannot, cannot be held accountable for violating something that didn't exist in the first place. >> itould be several weeks before the d.c. council votes on whether to send this report to the u.s. attorney's office. a former police chief from prince george's county has pled guilty to selling a police handgun. according to prosecutors, david ike el burger junior sold a glock 27 handgun from the truck of his police cruiser. the former police chief of morning side pled guilty to the illegal sale and theftment he was fired in october after allegations surfaced. if convicted he faces up to six years in prison. 5:38 is your time. 29 degrees. wet and scared, but safe. >> firefighters go underground to rescue a dog stuck in a tight spot. see why they think a manhole was left uncovered. the truth about fad diets. are they really dangerous and do they really work? that's coming up at 5:55. next, we tried to stop him, but tom is still talkingbout snow once again, as in snow fallin good morning. time for weather and traffic on the 1s at 5:41. it's cold, 26 degrees in washington. on radar a little light snow in montgomery and frederick county. maybe a leaving a brief dusting. heading to the south and east. whatever is falling is sticking on untreated surfaces. it's below freezing around the region in the 20s. late toerp day a blustery wind, maybe another passing snow shower, highs reaching the mid and upper 30s, a tad warmer thursday, friday and saturday. how's the traffic? >> off we go on 95 headed towards lorton. noerly hang-ups, fredricksburg to the capital beltway. let's see if it continues on the beltway ioxon hill. right now from 210 down we're okay. 210 at ft. washington an accident and snow, cleanup operations continue in all jurisdictionless. watch for the heavy equipment. eun anjoe, bark to you. >> thank you, jerry. 5:42. 26 degrees. more trouble for toyota. >> what new potential problems the company disclosed overnight. plus the never-ending crusade to lose weight leads people to crazy die et cetera. ahead, the truth about the dangers of fad diets. it is back to school forl students in prince george's county. what awaits them as they head dinner's ready! it's french's crunchy onion chicken! (announcer) for a quick and easy dinner crush frch fried onions. dip chicken in egg. coat with onion crumbs and bake. when dinner's made with french's french fried onions, everyone's happy. french's. happy starts here. look for it in the canned vegetable aisle. i'm kim berply suiters live in the newsroom. here are the morning's top stories. first off, a new poll shows president obama may be in for quite a fight in 2012. a cnn opinion research poll shows 44% of registered voters say president obama deserves to be re-elected, but 52% say he doesn't. the survey also finds that 49% of americans approve of the job the president is doing, 50% disapprove. one year ago today president obama signed the stimulus bill into law. republicans and many americans asking whether that money made the difference. the administration promised the $787 billion would create jobs. today the president will deliver a status report. toyota executives taking out a full-page ad in several japanese newspapers today. the ad reads, we apologize from the btom of our hearts for the great inconvenience and worries that we have caused you all. they also announced the possibility of new problems with the power steering in the popular corolla models. rush hour at noon? two miles in one hour. that was yesterday. this morning's commute, however, will be challenging once again tochlt day the federal government opens on time. so do some of the areas largest school districts with many lanes still narrowed by snow banks and various exits shut down. aaa does not expect an improvement in traffic flow all week. suddenly i'm feeling very lucky that we all drive in at 3:00 in the morning. back to you in the studio. >> that's one of the best parts of this job. thanks very much, kimberly. classes finally will be back in session in prince george's county today. students head back to school after more than a week off because of the snow. news4's tracee wilkins is live in largo, maryland, this morning. how are things looking out there. >> reporter: joe, not looking too good. we're at kettering middle school. you can see the middle school behind me. let me show you what some of the sidewalks are looking like. here you have a sidewalk partially plowed, not all the way down to the end of the sidewalk. then take a look over here at this sidewalk, completely blocked by snow. that's like a six-foot snow mound, and kids are going to have to go into the street. we've been driving around kettering this morning, thand is basically what we've been seeing throughout the neighborhood as you can see, sidewalks that are covered and have not been shoveled, and that's where the little ones are going to have to walk if they're going to get here on foot. there's still a lot of work to be done here. prince george's school has decided to go ahead and open up this week starting to day with a two-hour delay all week long. now, the superintendent put out a call to parents and also civic associations and the ptas asking folks to get involved and come out and shovel sidewalks and get these neighborhoods ready for the little ones. but, of course, there's still more work to be done. it does look like they're going to have some help with the problem. >> we always have safety concerns. safety is or first priority for our students. what we've actually done is spoken to the county executive, jack johnson, and he has graciously agreed to to allow some of his police officers to increase their presence at busy intersections tomorrow morning or whenever our kids return back to school so they can assist our kids in assuring they get to school safely. >> reporter: police are supposed to start working around 8:00 a.m. again, a two-hour delay all week long. in addition to intersectionless, they'll also need them here in the streets as well. a lot of ice from all of the melting. it's a slippery situation throughout kettering. it's going to be a mess for a lot of kids heading back in prince george's county. i'm tracee wilkins live this morning. back to you all in the studio. students in stafford county, virginia, are back in class. officials are warning it m take longer than usual for kids to get to school. they say some buses may not be able to navigate their normal routes because of snow and ice. students may have to catch their buses on nearby street corners. they're asking parents to make sure that the kids get on the buses safely f. you have questions. call the county's department pupil transportation, 540-373-6095. today may actually be the first day back in the classroom for hundreds of northern virginia high schoolers, even though school was back in session yesterday. that's because a school day wrestling tournament was held yesterday. last week's district tournament was snowed out. state high school athletics officials refused to delay the start of the state tournament that begins friday. that meant wrestlers bypassed districts and competed in this rare super regional meet. >> we couldn't get this tournament done without some sort of impact in that sense. the principals were cognizant of that and agreeable, pretty much unanimously in the region that they could forego today for this. >> other high school sports events around the washington area were also impacted by these historic winter storms. in montgomery county about 400 events were affected, just half of those will be made up. the drama continues to unfold in vancouver. after another day of close competition, the americans are in second place in total medal count. germany leads with a total of nine including three goals. team usa has eight total medals, two gold, two sill verp and four bronze. france is in third place with seven. canada in fourth place with five. tonight americans are hoping to wind gold in the skiing and snowboarding events. nbc's bob costas has preview. >> tonight in prime time, the biggest u.s. names are in action. lindsey vonn makes her debut. shaun white defended his gold in the half pipe. shawn any davis races in 1,000 meters, where he is a o world record holder. apolo ohno has a chance to stand alone as the most decorated winter olympian ever. that's all coming up tonight in prime time. see you then. >> the olympic coverage here on nbc4 begins at 3:00 this afternoon and goes until 5:00 p.m. prime time coverage picks up again at 8:00 p.m. and lasts until 11:30. 5:51 is your time. that means time for weather and trafficing to on your 1s. >> here is meteorologist tom kierein. as we try to get back to some semblance of normalcy, we have a little light snow falling. don't be alarmed, these are just passing snowowers. it is snowing lightly east of interstate 270 and into western -- northwestern howard county and across a large area of frederick county, maryland. this area of dark blue is coming down harder from just to the east of 270 near damascus and then across the frederick county line near frederick where you see the dark blue, this may be laying down a brief dusting on top of what has already fallen. certainly on untreated surfaces it's going to stick. what melted yesterday has frozen right back up again. from tenley town to seat pleasant, annandale and bethesda, temperatures in the 20s. these are the latest windchills. they're in the teens. the winds are gusting to around 20 miles an hour. you do need to layer up. you'll be standing outside for a length of time. eastern shore out of the mountains near 20 degrees where they have winter storm warnings for upslope snowshowers. they could get several more inches there. here, laying down a brief dusting as an upper level disturbance moves in from the midwest. may be minor flight delays around the graix from passing snowshowers as well as the northern rockies. a pretty settled weather pattern for the nation. chance of snowshowers winterly to mid afternoon with a blustery northwest wind. by nine theer 30, upper 30s by mid afternoon. sunrise about an hour away. sunset at 5:48. then overnight tonight we'll have the cloud cover beginning to break up a bit. by dawn tomorrow we'll be down into the mid 20s. then on thursday, looks like a mostly cloudy day, still a bit blustery with highs a bit warmer into the low 40s. they may make it to the mid 40s on friday and saturday. morning low ins the 20s. sunday increasing clouds with highs near 40. we could get a little rain and perhapsreezing rain, a little bit of sleet and snow, little bit of a wintery mix. does not look like a major storm, but certainly a nuisance on monday. jerry, how is the traffic? >> we'll head out and check things out. the ramp from westbound 370 to southbound i-270 remains closed. there was an accident, car slid off and hit the embankment. now crews are waiting on sand and salt trucks. once they do, it will reopen. 270 itself no early hang-ups. this was one real choke point, lower 14th street between the bridge and say about independence. right now it looks like we're doing okay. we'll have to watch the far right lane throughout the morning. be very, very cautious heading out. grab that big old economy-sized bapg of patience because you'll need it again. >> where can you get one of those. >> get one with the handles because you'll have to care ri it a long way. >> thanks, jerry. seems like a new diet craze hilts the market before you can get through the last one. the fad diets may help you lose weight in the short term, but they pose dangerous health risks in the long term. >> some of them are outrageous. some of them are merely foolishness. >> reporter: the diets lure you in with a promise of a slimmer new physique, whether low carb, low fat. this doctor says their lies the problem. >> the more strange the diet t more fat the diet is, the more restricted it is in terms of selection, the more likely you are to be nutritionally at risk. >> dr. frank says the basic principle of good nutrition is riety. eating any one time of food for an extended period of time could lead to bigger health problems down the road. he say ins the short term not one diet is anymore dangerous than another. even a fad diet can be effective in losing weight. the longer you stay on it, the greater toll it takes on your health. >> anybody who tells you this is a sure way, this is a certain way, this is a guaranteed way of losing weight, should be avoided, because there is no such thing. >> reporter: that's why so many doctors and nutritionists recommend that rather than diet, change your lifestyle and learn good eating habits you can maintain for the rest of your life. >> if you want to develop the skills in how you can direct your attention to eating. you've got to eat carefully. you've got to eat thoughtfully. you've got to pay attention to how you eat. >> that is the other big problem with fad diets, that they're too difficult to maintain, and all that weight you might lose in the first few months, you're bound to gain back, often twice or three times as much. dr. frank is interesting. i asked him what he's for breakfast? two slices of pizza and a danish. he'll eat salads and steamed fish and exercises every day. you can eat whatever you want almost as long as you remember to put variety in there. >> i think i've heard him say before it's calories in, calories out. you have to have fewer calories in and more e pended in terms of xer sifz. >> get the variety, make sure it's colorful and interesting in terms of what you're eating. >> nutritionally, very, very important. a scare at a fairfax church where a day-care went up in flames. the fire began yesterday morning at the high view christian fellowship church on hunt road. several children of the church preschool were evacuated. no one was injured. the fire started in a room next to the sanctuary. crews contained the fire before it reached the main sanctuary and vestibule area. investigators are trying to find out what caused the fire. workers clearing snow om the roof may have sparked a house fire. workers were using propane torches to melt the snow when the roof caught on fire. firefighters arrived on the scene quickly, but then they had to dig out the nearest hydrant which was covered in snow. one person had to be taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. damage to the house is estimated at $1.5 million. firefighters rescued a dog that fell 20 feet down a cold, dark manhole t. lucky dog might still be below ground if not for a man who trusted his own dog instincts. ryan blankenship was walking his dog in laurel when he stumbled upon an open manhole. a snow plower had apparently knocked off a cover. he was supposed to covering it up. at the last second he noticed the dog. >> once he caught that human scent, he knew help was coming. he popped up and was kind of licking at my feet. >> he was at the county animal shelter perhapsing and posing for the camera just before his bath and checkup. he has no i.d., no tags, no mike ships. at this time we don't know who owns him. we expect to find an owner soon. president obama announced the first federal aid because of snow in our area. he declared december's blizzard of 2009 a disaster in virginia. the storm between december 18 and 20 dropped about two feet of snow on much of the xhorn wealth. with his disaster declaration, the president offered federal aid to help recovery efforts in northern virginia. stay with us. "news4 today" continues right now at 6:00 a.m. >> we'll be right back. stop and go. stop and go. that's what your morning is going to seem like today. get ready for another nightmare commute to start even earlier this time today and just when you thought we had enough, meteorologist tom kierein says we can see more snow today. >> good morning. welcome to "news4 today." i'm eun yang. >> good morning to you. m joe krebs on this wednesday, 17th of february 20rks 10. the federal government is open on time today. some areas largest school systems including fairfax, arlington and montgomery counties are all opening on time. we have a few school closings and delays to tell you about. in virginia fauquier county schools are closed. the following schools have a two-hour delay, alexandria city, prince william county, culpepper and frederick county schools. fredricksburg, king george, orange county, page and spotsylvania have a two-hour delay. stafford county schools on a two-hour delay as well. loudoun county and wind chester county schools are delayed one hour. in maryland frederick county schools are close washington, d.c. a two hour delay. prince george's, anne arundel, charles county schools on a one hour delay. berkeley jefferson, mineral and morgan county schools are all closed. hardy county schools are on a two-hour delay. our time is 6:01. let's get our first look at weather in the 6:00 hour. >> here is tom kierein. good morning. good morning. viewers in montgomery and howard and frederick, washington counties waking up and looking out the window, seeing a little snow falling. let me emphasize it is a little bit of snow that is falling coming from the north and west. these are going to be passing snowshowers from time to time throughout the day. right now where you see this area of dark blue, just to the north of gaithersburg towards damascusnd across the frederick county line, that narrow band, that's coming down a little harder mabel leaving a brief dusting. this is all heading to the south and east and coming out of the northwest, picking up moisture out of the great lakes. that combined with an upper level disturbance may give us passing showers. in parts of charles county around la plata, near 20 degrees in montgomery, fairfax, arlington counties in the 20s. 27 in washington. highs upper 30s, blustery wind and passing snowshowers today. how is the traffic? >> on the beltway northern virginia, both directions on the beltway near braddock road moving along pretty well. again, any ramps are going to be potentially treacherous, particularly anything that did melt yesterday refroze overnight. be very careful out there. let's head over and see how we're doing. left side, that's the inner loop as i don't come down from 210 heading toward the bridge. there was an overturned pickup truck, 210 near ft. washington, authorities putting the wraps on that. when you get in your car today, like jerry says, pack your patience. yesterday we saw a lot of traffic. it looks like we could see the same thing to do with the govement and several major school districts opening on time for the first time since the snow. it could be another nightmare commute. news4's megan mcgrath joins us from tyson's corner with more on the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. with all the folks headed out to work and to school on time this morning, that's going to mean more people out there on the roads during the morning rush hour and everyone bunching up and leaving at the same time. not a great situation here. we still have major trouble spots. we are seeing some improvements, some areas that were an issue yesterday are no longer an issue today because they've been cleared. that's not the case for all of the trouble spots. we are not expected significant improvement for several more days. in fact, the rest of this week is just going to be bad. crews continue to work on clearing and hauling away all the snow. as they toil, commuters sit and stew in traffic. rush hour has been horrible this week, and significant improvement is not expected for a few more days. >> it's been an hour and 45 min touts go about six miles, is how far it is. so fortunately i live not too far from here. i decided before the commute tomorrow, i better gas up and be ready to go. >> feels like i just got in one place and i went this way and that way and this way and that way, and no one was stopping. no one was going. i didn't even know where i lived anymore. >> reporter: motoristion should expect longer commute times for the rest of the week. the federal government and some school systems are now operating on time, and that means more cars on the road during the early morning rush hour. if you drive on canal road, you need to be alert. the electronic signs that indicate the change in lane configuration are not working properly. so this is what you need to do in terms of canal road. these electronic signs again not working. so between chain bridge and arizona, between 6:15 and 10:00 a.m. you'll drive two lanes inbound, one lane outbound. all other times it's going to being one lane inbound and two outbound. just be alert. if you drive through that area, you're going to notice those electronic signs are not telling you what lane is going in which direction. so you're just going to have to be alert and aware and go with the flow here and follow the configuration despite the lack of signs. as you make your commute in, be aware that we still have plenty of spots all over the area where you're going to suddenly find the snow pinching off your lane. we've got merge areas that are no long tler as well. although we have seen some improvement, it's a slow go. eun, back to you. >> megan mcgrath in tyson's this morning. thank you. today will be the first day back to schoolor students in prince george's county. classes were canceled yesterday because of the snow. school officials asked the parents to help in clearing the sidewalks and bus stops. students will get to sleep in a bit for the rest of the week. classes are beginning twoours late today, tomorrow and friday. ? spotsylvania county officials at chancellor high school have canceled classes for the rest of the week there because of the snow still on top of the school building. the roof above the gym is almost at its maximum weight-bearing capacity. contractors will work to shore up the roof and remove the ice and snow. school officials in stafford county are asking for parents' help in making sure their kids get to school safely. they say buses may not be able to run their normal routes because of snow and ice on side streets and cul-de-sacs. students may have to catch buses on nearby street corners. officials want parents to supervise anything. if you have any questions, you can call the county's department of puch i'm transportation, 540-373-6095. new today, toyota says it is looking into more problems, this time with the power steering for the corolla model. the automaker's president made the announcement in tokyo this morning. toyota has been forced to recall millions of vehicles over the past few months. now toyota's president says he wants to focus on beefing up quality control. automaker executives took out full-page ads in several japanese newspapers apologizing to customers. it reads, quote, we apologize from the bottom of our hearts for the great inconvenience and worry we have caused you all. it was one year ago today that president obama signed the stimulus bill into law. the administration promised the $787 billion would create jobs. republicans and many americans are asking whether that money did make a difference. today president obama will deliver a status report on how many jobs were created. >> we've already made the largest investment in clean energy in history as part of the recovery act, an investment that is expected to create more than 700,000 jobs across america. >> the white house argues that the stimulus has created or saved two mill junk jobs. republicans strongly disagree and with unemployment still just below 10%, many critics are skeptical. coupled d.c. councilman marion barry face new criminal charges? he's accused of breaking the law by securing a $15,000 contract for his ex-girlfriend and taking a cut of that money. a special investigation was launched last summer after that woman, donna watts brig-brighth accused barry of talking her. the review found barry broke conflict of interest laws by failing to disclose his relationship with watts-brighthaupt. he said he did nothing wrong and it could be months before the c. council decides to send the report to the state's attorney's office. crews on the scene of a dead house fire. it began less than an hour ago in the 5200 block of east capital street. the fire began in the basement where firefighters found heavy fire conditions. firefighters found a body in the basement. firefighters tell us the victim was bedridden at the time. we know nothing more about the victim at this stage, but the cause of the fire -- and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. east capitol street is closed in both direction because of this fire. 6:08 is your time. 26 degrees. ahead on "news4 today," the cheap and effective way to keep breast cancer from coming back. she is lil, but still the top dog. find out who walked away with the best in snow at the westminster kennel club. get ready for a crowded commute today. tom kierein is talking more snow. your weath good morning. back to work and school. time for weather and traffic on the 11s at 6:11. 27 degrees in washington. on radar a few flurries, light snow in northern montgomery county to the east of interstate 270, into howard county as well as frederick county maryland. that is passing to the south and perhaps heading towards prince george's county, another half hour or so. temperatures all around the region are below freezing. what's falling is certainly sticking. highs today in the 30s. a few more passing snowshowers possible later today. a bit warmer thursday, friday and saturday. how is the traffic now jerry? >> time to take a live look. chopper 4 on the capital beltway on georgia avenue, we're doing okay for the most part. watch the merge lanes as that could be a potential issue this morning. looking very carefully. we had word that georgia avenue just inside the beltway, crews were removing ice and snow backing things up just a little bit down from forest glenn. let's head over and take a live look. this is where we're really watching things. the merge coming in on the suitland parkway headed up toward south capitol street and the douglas bridge this morning. yesterday was very, very tough mergeing on. on the rails we have delays on marc rail, ten minutes on camden 841. vre, fredricksburg, 300 and 302 slightly delayed. metro rail is looking good. back to you. starting to think about spring? find out when this year's white house easter egg roll will be held and how you can get your tickets. olympic drama heats up the ice as men's figure skating takes center stage, and two of the game's biggest stars get ready to shine today. li good morning. i'm kimberly suiters. here are the top stories in the news today. we want to start with breaking news. we've just found out east capitol street is closed in both directions because of a deadly fire. the fire started around 5:15 in the morning at a home in the 5200 block of east capitol street. the fire began in the basement where firefighters did find heavy fire conditions. the fire was knocked out quickly, but firefighters also found a body in the sement. the victim had been bedridden. toyota executives took out full-page ads in several japanese newspapers. the ad reads we ap pom jazz from the bottom of our hearts for the great inconvenience and worries that we have caused you all. they also announced the possibility of new problems with the power steering in the popular corolla model. one year ago today, president obama signed the stimulus bill into law. republicans and many americans asking whether the money made any difference. the administration promised the $787 billion would create jobs, and today the president will deliver a status report. joe, back to you in the studio. >> thanks very much, kimberly. from the ice to the hills. the high drama continues to unfold in vancouver: after another day of competition the americans are in second place in the medal count. germany leads the medal count with a total of nine medals. team usa has eight medals, two gold, two silver and four bronze. today the americans are hoping to pick up a few more. michelle franzen joins us live from vancouver with a preview. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, joe. certainly yesterday it was a long delay before action at cypress mountain. team usa lost out when it came to the snowboard cross. at night in men's skating, it was a night of star gazing on ice evan lysacek became america's best chance of skating into gold since 1988. >> what a great moment for my family and friends to share in. hopefully i can give them one just as special on thursday. >> reporter: u.s. champion johnny weir while germany abbott stumbled to a disappointing 15th. disappointing does begin to cover the finish for lindsay jacob ellis. four years ago this jfall cost her gold. >> i do so many competitions a year. it's unfortunate that the rest of the world only sees this race and four years ago. >> reporter: team usa hockey hoepsz to give the public something to remember, while the women are now 2-0 after rolling over russia. in curling the u.s. teams took a slide in the first round and may now need to sweep in round two. skiing star lindsey vonn will finally test that injured shin in the women's downhill today. t snow border dubbed the flying tomato is looking to be a beesed this time around. >> i guess i'm deemed shawn "the animal" white now. >> as the men get set to go full throttle in the half pipe. >> reporter: today we have speed skating under way including speed skating with apolo owner leading the way to hopefully another medal. as for weather, joe, in the coming days, it's supposed to be sunny and clear, not only here in vancouver but all the way up to whistler. that is important because they've got key events that were canceled earlier this week they'll have to make up. >> sunny and clear and cold, i hope, for those skiers. >> reporter: should be. >> thanks very much, michelle. you can watch the americans chase those god medals today on nbc4. bob costas has a preview of today's coverage. tonight in prime time the biggest u.s. names are in action, alpine starp lindsey vonn makes her vancouver debut in her best event t downhill. shaun white defended his torino gold in the half pipe. shawn any davis races in 1,000 meters, where he is both the world record holder and defending olympic champ. apolo owner chases his seventh medal and a clans to stand alone as the most decorated olympic medal winner ever. the olympic coverage begins on nbc4 at 3:00 this afternoon until 5:00. prime time coverage picks up at 8:00 p.m. and will last until 11:30. encouraging new research today of another potential benefit of aspirin. a lot of people take it regularly to prevent heart disease. doctors say aspirin may stop breast cancer from spreading. a review of 4,000 breast cancer survivors found women who took two to five as spins a week lowered their odds of getting breast cancer again by 50%. >> it bears out, then this might be one more thing that women with breast cancer can do to live longer and better. >> i absolutely would be interested in having my patients take aspirin if this, in truth, will prevent them from dieing from a recurrence. >> scientists say clinical trials are needed to verify the aspirin benefit. people should talk to their doctors, of course, before taking any drugs. the date is set for this year's white house easter egg roll. this year's event may not be quite as sweet as in past years. this year's theme is ready, set, go to promoteealth and wellness. that could mean less candy. the roll is set for monday, april the 5th, and you can enter the lottery for the tickets if you haveids 12 years old and younger. the lottery will run from february 25th through the 28th of february. you can find out more information by going to www.recreation.gov. 6:21 is your time now. time forraffic and weather on the one sgls so that's what grass looks like. wow, it's green i guess. hopefully we'll be able to see it by easter. boy, with this snowpack in place, i wonder. right now we are getting a little more light snow as we look at radar where you see the light blow getting light snow east of interstate 270 into howard county and frederick county. little bands where it's darker blue, perhaps a brief dusting there. elsewhere cloudy and cold with temperatures right now in the 20s. it's 27 degrees in washington. we'll have highs today in the 30s with a blustery northwest wind, maybe a passing snow shower through early afternoon. partly sunny tomorrow. a bit warmer, mostly sunny friday and saturday into the mid 40s. now jerry, how is the traffic? >> we'll head upstairs, a live look at chopper 4. far left side of your screen, that's the southbound spur. center of the roadway that's the vehicles headed toward old georgetown road t. twinkling lights to the left t school bus parking lot. all the buses warming up to go pick up the young-ins today. still dealing with the ramp situation on 320. east citol street and buenning road, doing okay here. as we have reported, east capitol street is closed between southern avenue and division because of that fatal building fire. the investigation is under way. one more stop, there's the ramp from westbound 370 to go south onto 270, the flashing lights, the ramp remains closed. it's iced over. we've already had one accident. sand and salt trucks are headed over there right now. eun and joe, be careful out there folks. the frustration of being stuck in driveer was too much for one driver, why he's accused of attacking a good samaritan in the middle of the street. a long commute will get more chaotic for drivers in d.c. this morning. great scott-ee, the dog that wowed the ju good morning. well come back. the dalai lama is on his way to washington. he left from india. he'll leave with president obama tomorrow at the white house. china opposes the trip and is warning of consequences. it hasn't specified what it means by that. president obama postponed a meeting with the dalai lama last summer ahead of a summit with china. there is a new top dog this morning. she is no stranl jer to the title best in show. >> best? show is going to be the scottish terrier. >> this is sadie the scotty, she beat out 2500 peer breeds. this is 4-year-old sadie's 112th best in show ribbon. the competition in final ring included a doberman pincher, french bulldog and a toy poodle. breaking news in d.c. a deadly fire shut down east capitol street in both directions and get ready for another chaotic commute. why the long backups you're looking live outside in maryland and virginia. toe day the federal government is open on time, as well as many schools in the area. that means a lot of traffic out there. combine that with the fact that there's still snow on the ground and fewer lanes of traffic. it could be an awful commute. >> given the weather could be the commute from hell, michigan. i'm joe krebs. >> it's eun yang. wednesday, february 17th, 2010. the federal government is open on time and some of the largest school districts including fairfax, arlington and montgomery counties and the district are opening on time. >> a few closings and delays to tell you about. fauquier county schools are closed. alexandria city, prince william county, culpepper county, frederick, fredricksburg, king george, ourng county and spotsylvania county schools all with two-hour delays today. stafford county, add to that list also with a two-hour delay. loudoun county and wind chester city schools are delayed one hour today. in maryland, frederick county schools are close washington, d.c. a two-hour delay. we have prince george's, anne arundel, howard and washington county. charles county schools on a one-hour delay. hardee county schools are on a two-hour delay. many of our viewers in montgomery county waking up and looking out the window and seeing a little light snow falling. let me emphasize it is a little lighsnow where we see the area of light blue on the radar. there is light snow east of interstate 870 and up into frederick county as well. there are a few flurries in southern washington county and maryland. these are slowly drifting to the south and east. temperatures are cold. we've got the wind gusting to around 20 miles an hour. windchills are down into the teens now. temperature is 27 in washington, mid 20s, prorng, montgomery, arlington counties. highs in the mid and upper 30s. maybe a passing snow shower a few flurries winterly afternoon with a blustery northwest wind. it's going to be a raw, cold day. welcome sunshine for friday and saturday into the mid 40s, as we get into next week, sunday partly cloudy, but monday we might have a little bit of light snow, perhaps some rain, maybe a little sleet, it looks like a mix and a light mix at that. jerry, somehow the traffic? >> tom, take a live look and see how things are progressing along interstate 66 headed for the beltway, loaded up as is typical. inner loop past 66 up to route 7, lanes are squeezed just a little bit because of ice and snow. they're usable but everybody is definitely slowing down. be aware of that. elsewhere we'll check out traffic up in damass over at main street, just down from jimmy cone, not serving any ice cream today. i'm concerned about the turn lanes. you can see ice and snow taking up the turn lane. one more stop, we'll check things out on the rail. marc brunswick trains 872 and 874 are delayed. vre fredricksburg is having problems with 300, 302 and 304. metro rail right now is doing all right. back to you. we have breaking news now in southeast washington. crews are on the scene of a deadly house fire. the fire started less than an hour ago at the home on the 5200 block of east capitol street. fire began in the basement where firefighters found heavy conditionless. the fire was knocked out quickly. firefighters found a body in the basement. they tell us the victim was bedridden at the time and we don't know anymore information about the victim. the cause of the fire has not been determined. east capitol street is csed in both directions because of the fire investigation. that's only adding to what is expected to be a very rough commute this morning. yesterday we saw a lot of traffic on the roadways. it looks like we could see the same thing all over again with the government and several major school districts opening on time today for the first time since the snow. it could be, yes, another nightmare commute. news4's megan mcgrath joins us from tyson's corner with more, especially with a story about canal road which sounds particularly hazardous tod without the signals working. >> reporter: that's right. they have the electronic signals that tell you about the change in the lane configuration which happens during rush hour. they're not working today. you heard we've got road closures because of that fire. all of this combined with the bad conditions out there on the roads because of all the snow that is still laying around. now at least we had in the last few days sort of a staggered situation because some people weren't going in. others were going into work and school two hours late. today we're start rg to see that go away. the federal government and several schools, they are on time today, so you're going to have a lot of people out there on the roads at the same time early this morning. so we are not expecting any improvement in the rushl hour situation really for the rest of this week. crews continue ork on clearing and hauling away all the snow, and as they toil, commutersit and stew in traffic. rush hour has been horrible this week, and significant improvement is not expected for a few more days. >> just a mile backup. slow-moving, and hope it gets better. >> how much longer is it taking you? >> probably about another 30 minutes. it's been -- taking a toll on me. >> the key is to get out there early. >> get out there early and you'll be fine. if you get out late, get stuck, that's a problem. but just get out early and you'll be fine. >> reporter: motorists should expect longer commute times than usual for the rest of the week. the federal government and some school systems are now operating on time. and that means more cars on the road during the early morning rush hour. if you drive on canal road, you need to be alert. the electronic signs that indicate the change in lane configuration are not working properly. and so if you take canal between arizona and chain bridge, here is what you need to do here. between 6:15 and 10:00 a.m. this morning, two lanes will go inbound, one lane outbound, at all other times it's one lane inbound and t lanes outbound. usually you have the electnic signs reminding you of that configuration. those signs are not working. be alert and remember to go with the traditional configuration even if you don't have that sign. joe, back to you. schools may be back in session across our area, but that does not mean things are completely back to normal. buses like this one in fairfax county are havin trouble getting downside streets, still covered with a lot of snow and ice. yesterday county school officials canceled all late buses that take kids home from after school activities as a precaution, schools there started two hours late. fairfax county schools will open on time this morning. president obama announced the first federal aid because of snow for our area. he declared december's blizzard of 20 09d a disaster in virginia. the storm between december 18th and 20th dropped about two feet of snow on much of the common welths. with his disaster declaration the president ordered federal aid to help recovery efforts in northern va vafrnlths you've heard of road rage. a leesburg man is facing assault and reckless driving charges. craig van dusseldorf was in one of several cars waiting for a stalled vehicle to be cleared. they say he drove to the front of the line, nearly hitting a man trying to help the driver of the stalled car. police say the two men then began to argue and van dusseldorf hit the other man. officials say a crew trying to clear snow from a roof might have started this house fire in rockville. they say the workers were using, yes, propane torches to try to melt the snow when the roof caught on fire. one person was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, the fire caused about a million and a half dollars worth of damage to the hospital. the man accused of killing chandra levy is asking for his trial to be moved somewhere other than d.c. wop reports ingmar guandique says he can't get a fair trial because of pretrial publicity. he's charged with murdering the former federal intern. her re mains were found in rock creek park. his lawyers want the case moved from d.c. superior court to a federal court outside of the region. coming up, d.c. council member marion barry is in legal trouble again. why he's accused of misusing taxpayer money. firefighters in prince george's county race to rescue a dog stuck in a manhole. why a snowplow is to blame for this whole ordeal. tom kierein is talking about more snow. your weather and traffic together are next. good morning. time for weather and traffic on the 1s. 27 in washington on radar. a little light snow that is now drying out in montgomery county and washington counties to the north of washington. partly to mostly cloudy now. cold. temperatures only in the 20s to teens in a few locations. we'll see it climb into the mid and upper 30s later today with a blustery northwest wind. maybe a few flurries or snowshowers. warmer thursday, friday and saturday. how's the traffic? >> for the most part we are seeing pavement around the area. that is very good news. chopper 4 sho us live pictures of the interstate. be careful, the on-ramps and off ramps could be very difficult to deal with this morning. let's update you. latest information along interstate 66 to the roosevelt bridge not bad. one more stop this go around, change bridge, cleeb road looking pretty good. we have the bw parkway jammed on ken nith worth down to east capitol street. east capitol street is closed because of the building fire, southern avenue and division. that has everything stacked upcoming in from maryland. >> what a mess. thanks, jerry. 6:42 is your time. 27 degrees. how starbucks is getting involved in the coffee wars brewing between two fast food giants. more damage control for toyota. why the troubled car company is considered another recall, this time for the world's best-selling car. what students in prince george's county can expect as what does it take to stand out from the ordinary ? to succeed in a place with the highest level of intense competition ? an incredible 3g network. for 3g web browsing and video downloading, get almost 5 times more 3g coverage than at&t. right now, buy a droid eris or palm pixi plus and get one free. verizon. proud sponsor of us speedskating. it's expected to be another tough morning on the roads tochlt day the federal government opens on time as do some of the areas largest school districts with many lanes -- we do still have school closings and delays to report to you this morning. in virginia faulk keerp county schools are closed. the following have a two-hour delay, alexandria city, prince william county, culpepper and frederick county schools. fredricksburg, king george, orange, page and spotsylvania county schools also have a two-hour delay today. stafford county schools on a two-hour delay as with well. loudoun county and wind chester schools are delayed one hour. >> in maryland frederick county schools are closed to day. with a two hour delay, prince george, anne arundel, howard and washington. charles county schools are on a one-hour delay. in west virginia, berkeley, jefferson, mineral and morgan county schools are all closed. hardee county schools on a two-hour delay. students from prince george's county finally do return to school today. the kids haven't been in classes there for more than a week. tracee wilkins is live in largo with what parents and students can expect today. >> reporter: we're here at kettering middle school. this is a school that is within arounding neighborhood here. i'll show you what it looks like out here. these sidewalks are absolutely covered with snow throughout most oft kettering. you'll see some some people have done some shoveling. here we have a snow mound that is at least six feet high. but let me show you, if you're a kid walking to kettering middle school, you need to get out at least this far in the street in order to get up this driveway if you're on foot. this is a major issue. because most of that road down there is really single lane even though it's supposed to be two lane. we're looking at traffic issues coupled with walking issues. there's still a lot of working to done. we're looking at drivers needing to take their time when driving on the roads today. prince george's county has signs in the area reminding drivers that today they'll have kids back out on the roads with them. the supintendent put out a call to neighborhood associations and also ptas to try to get involved and do some shoveling in their neighborhoods and clean up the sidewalks. help the school system out so the kids can safely get to school. it looks like they are going to have some additional help. we always have safety concerns. safety is our first priority for our students. so what we've actually done is spoken to the county executive jack johnson, and he has graciously agreed to allow some of his police officer to increase their presence at busy intersections tomorrow morning or whenever our kids return back to school so that they can assist our kids in ensuring that they get to school safely. >> reporter: so they're going to have police working out here as early as 8:00 a.m. parents, you know, if you see an area that looks like you could use an additional officer, you may want to let them know about that. like i said, a lot of these two lane roads are down to single lane roads because of all the snow. these kids are not going to be able to wk on sidewalks all the way to school. drivers and parents have to working to to make sure everyone gets to school safely this morning. i'm tracee wilkins, live in largo. back too you in the studio. thanks very much. students in stafford county are back in class. school officials are saying it may take longer for kids to get to school. some buses may not be able to navigate their normal routes because of snow and ice on side streets and in the cul-de-sacs. officials say students may need to catch buses at nearby street corners and they're aing parents make sure students get on the buses safely f. you have questions, call the county's department of pupil transportation, 540-373-6095. now, in spotsylvania county officials at chenz her high school have canceled classes still on top of the school building. the roof above the gym saul most at its max mum weight bearing capacity. contractors will shore up the roof and remove the ice and snow. d.c. councilman marion barry is denying allegations he broke conflict of interest laws by awarding a contract to an ex-girlfriend. an independent investigation found that the former washington mayor secured a $15,000 contract for donna watts-brighthaupt and took a cut of money for himself. the investigation was launched last summer after watts-brighthaupt accused barry of stalking her. no charges were filed. tins dent led to a review of the contract awarded to her. barry claimed he did nothing wrong, claiming there are no rules about earmarks. >> one who engages in that, cann cannot, cannot be held accountable form violating something that didn't exist in the first place. >> it could be several weeks before the d.c. council votes on whether to send the report to the u.s. attorney's office. today president obama will deliver a status report on how the $787 bill yun stimulus package is working that. bill was signed into law a year ago. courtney reagan joins us live with more on what the president might say. good morning, courtney. >> reporter: good morning to you. i can't believe it's actually been a year. president obama will speak about the u.s. economy today at 10:25 a.m. that happens to fall on the one-year anniversary of his signing the $787 billion stimulus bill. on tuesday the measure helped prevent an economic free fall and has created or saved twro million jobs. republicans are striking back saying the stimulus bill has been poorly managed and executed. i'm sure it's all going to be up form debate today. toyota says they will fit all new vehicles with a brake override system, adding a safety measure against the sudden acceleration problem behind the company's recent massive recall. toyota's president telling reportsers he will head a task force to improve quality control. he admits the company may have grown too fast. toyota won't attend congressional meetings later this mend, sending the north american chief. bk signed a deal with starbucks to sell its see al's best brand coffee. prices range from $1.00 to $2.79. customers will be able to add vanilla and mocha flavors. it's part of burger king's attempt to revamp. i just tried the mcdonald's new brand. i liked it. >> part of your duty to go around and sample all these. >> have to --' yaul opportunity coffee drinker. >> courtney, thanks very much. prince george's county firp fighters rescued a dog that fell 20 feet down a cold, dark manhole. the man was walking his dog in laurel, noticeed the open manhole, then spotted the chow mix inside and called for help. firefighters came out and chose the smallest among them to lower into the hole and grab the dog. they say a snowplow had apparently knocked off the cover. firefighters say the little guy was very happy to be back above the ground. >> once he caught that human scent, he knew help was coming. he popped up and was kind of licking at my feet. >> the dog went to the shelter perhapsing and posing for the camera before his bath and checkup. he has no i.d., no tags, no microchip. at this time we don't know who owns him. >> he has one heck of a book to write. let's go to tom kierein in storm center 4. >> let me just say at the how the set i don't see any big winter storms in the foreseeable future. >> thank you, tom. >> i know what you're thinking, for the love of moses malone, i hope he's right. i hope i'm right, too. that said, we have a little light snow in frederick county. as we look at the radar where we see the blue, just a few flurries up that way. it's now dissipating. we had other snowshowers that were putting down a little dusting up that way. now it's improving. as we look at the temperatures, in the middle and upper 20s. winds a little blustery. so windchills in many locations are down into the teens. so layer up this morning, off to work and school eechlt earn shore now in the 20s. winter storm warnings for the highlands with snowshowers that could give them several inches of new snow. there is a little disturbance coming from the ohio valley. that will zip over later this morning winterly afternoon and may give us a passing snow shower with a brief dusting and blustery winds, too, gusting to 30 miles an hour, as highs reach the mid and upper 30s. sunrise just a few minutes away. sunset at 5:48 we'll have a little sunshine in and out later today as well. part li cloudy tonight, down into the mid 20s tomorrow morning. partly to mostly cloudy, still a bit blustery, should make it to around 40 or so. maybe even the low and mid 40 gs that. will be wonderful on friday and saturday. average high this time of year 48. we've had about the last three weeks in a row now colder than average. increasing clouds might give a plix of rain and snow and sleet. jerry, somehow the traffic? >> we'll take to the air, chop perp 4 checking out sxwer state 66 right at the capital beltway. another downside to all this snow and the many snowstorms we've had, vdot has yet to have the time to actually go out and reconfigure this ramp which was supposed to have been done last month. hopefully in the near future the ramp from 66 east to the inner loop will get reconfigured and ease this congestion we see headed in from fair oaks. pleti edsel passing duke street up to the 14th street bridge, lanes are all open. 14th street looking much better today than yesterday. crews did a great job in the overnight hours. if you're heading in that direction, looking all right. south awful town, no hang-ups to report either direction to and across the woodrow wilson bridge. a live look at the roadways now, it is expected to be another very messy commute with many schools and the federal government opening on time today for the first time since all this snow. it's going to being crowded out. there man mcgrath is in tyson's corner with a check on the roads. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. we are not going to see the staggering of people out there during morning rush hour as we've seen in days past because you've got the federal government going back. some of the school systems are back. today they're going to be actually on time. so that's going to mean that folks are going to be out there basically at the same time. we have improving situations on the roads. they've been out clearing the roadways. i have noticed areas that were problems yesterday that have been taken care of overnight, but not every troubled spot has been tended to. there are so many of them out there that they are still working. so there are plenty of spots where suddenly the snow will pinch off a lane, you'll have a merge area that's not there the way it should be. we're not expecting a major improvement until the end of this week or possibly into next week. 6:56 is our time. an update on breaking news. a deadly fire in d.c. from kimberly suiters in the newsroom. >> good morning, joe. the latest on this deadly fire. breaking news in southeast washington. you need to kw that east capital street is closed in both directions because of this deadly fire. the fire started after 5:00 in morning at a home in the 5200 blk of east capital street. firefighters did find a body in the basement. firefighters tell us the victim was bedridden at the time. again, east capital street shut down at this hour. joe, back to you. >> thanks, kimberly. that's "news4 today." thanks for starting your day with us. >> join us tomorrow morning at 5:00. we hope you have a great day. ♪ [ sniffs ] morning. you got in pretty late last night. dad, i'm not sixteen anymore. still, it was late. well... you're not gonna have to worry about that anymore. yeah, why's that? ♪ todd's a lucky man. ♪ the best part of wakin' up... ♪ that's what i told him when we talked last week. ♪ ...is folgers in your cup

Related Keywords

Alexandria ,Al Iskandariyah ,Egypt ,Stafford County ,Virginia ,United States ,Vancouver ,British Columbia ,Canada ,China ,Delaware ,Spotsylvania ,Suitland ,Maryland ,Charles County ,Howard County ,Rockville ,Prince George ,Russia ,Washington ,District Of Columbia ,King George County ,West Virginia ,Fauquier County ,College Park ,Prince William ,New Brunswick ,Arizona ,Morgan County ,India ,Frederick County ,Jersey ,Rockies ,Canada General ,Japan ,Tokyo ,Damascus ,Dimashq ,Syria ,Germany ,Fauquier ,Ontario ,Kentucky ,Loudoun County ,Rock Creek Park ,Gaithersburg ,Michigan ,Pincher ,Alberta ,Ocean City ,Denmark ,Prince George County ,Leesburg ,Marlton ,Fairfax County ,Ohio ,Capitol Hill ,Spotsylvania County ,France ,Annandale ,Montgomery County ,Americans ,America ,French ,Danish ,Japanese ,American ,Montgomery Arlington ,Ryan Blankenship ,George Anne Arundel ,Dalai Lama ,Courtney Reagan ,Marc Brunswick ,Michelle Franzen ,Anne Arundel ,Moses Malone ,Jack Johnson ,Craig Melvin ,Ynez Tenenbaum ,Kevin Eubanks ,David Ike El ,Joe Krebs ,Marion Barry ,Ingmar Guandique ,Chandra Leavy ,Eun Yang ,King George ,Megan Mcgrath ,Lindsey Vonn ,Berkeley Jefferson ,Bob Costas ,C Ingmar Guandique ,States Toyota ,Jeffrey Williams ,Jay Leno ,Lindsay Jacob Ellis ,