rain is on the way for this evening, mid-evening, after the evening commute. so between now and then, a bunch of clouds. cool through first part of the day. by 7:00 p.m., an isolated shower. and warming quickly into the 50s this evening. overnight tonight in the 60s. we'll talk more about that in about 15 minutes. >> sarah: time now for fast track traffic. let's send it over the danielle gersh. >> danielle: good morning, sarah. happy monday, everyone. let's look at the roads. the zakim bridge, leverett connector looking good. 93 southbound, no problems to tell you about yet. the pike, no problems on the pike. to 495. head eastbound. the expressway, the split to the tunnel, no delays yet. some investigate on 95 southbound as you approach canton. let's look at those drive times if you're getting ready to head out the door. the split to the tunnel ten minutes. into town on the pike 128, 12 minutes, 93 southbound, 128 to well. back to you, guys. >> sarah: the patriots making new england battling the texans in impressive fashion. >> christa: thank goodness. this two-game losing streak was snapped as the pats got back to their winning ways. a welcome party for the pats' star. the gronk with a touchdown all. >> what a job by sheard to not go for the big hit. >> sarah: and houston, you have a problem. the texans knocked down in front of a packed house. 7's kris anderson live in the newsroom with highlights and reaction from the big win. >> kris: we're loving it, sarah. the pats entered sunday in third place in the a.f.c., but that changed once the final stecks ticked down over in houston. new england now controls its own destiny in the race for home-field advantage throughout the postseason thanks in part to that big win on the road against the texans highlighted by the return of big 87. >> and it's gronk making the catch for the touchdown. >> just not a fair fight. to get back on track thanks in large part to rob gronkowski. just two weeks after injuring his knee, the tight end was back on the field for new england, and he scored a touchdown in the pats' win 27-6 over the texans. >> it just felt good to be back out there playing football again, being out there with my teammates, just having a great team win overall. it's always good to make a play, get a up to your, and the icing on the cake is that win. >> certainly there's nobody that i trust more than gronk. he's just a great player. he's great teammate. >> kris: with the win combined with losses by the bengals and bronco, the patriots are now alone in first place atop the a.f.c. standings. >> you have to stay the course and realize there are going to be some battles in the season. you have to persevere through them, and we were able to do that tonight. >> kris: but once again injuries forced several big-name players out of the name. running back legarrette blount devin mccourty hurt his ankle and dominic easily hurt his thigh. despite that the spot managed to clinch a playoff spot. but the team isn't worried about the postseason just yet. >> it's cool we clinched a playoff spot, but we still have tennessee next week and a couple more games. that's what we're focused on. >> kris: the game against the titans are is the final home game of the season. kris anderson, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: breaking news, egypt's chief investigator saying so far there is no indication of any terrorist act in the crash of a russian plane back in october. he released a statement saying they don't have evidence the plane went down because of foul play, but they are still investigating. russia has said that an explosive device caused the crash that killed everyone on board. isis has claimed responsibility. >> christa: happening now, investigators trying to figure out what sparked a deadly fire out in worcester. home, trapping an elderly brother and his sister inside. very sad story for us this morning. here's 7's byron barnett in worcester with the latest on the investigate here today. byron? >> byron: christa, this is a real tragedy. firefighters here in worcester did all they could to knock down the fire as quick as possible here on burncoat street, but they still couldn't save the two people trapped inside. >> i heard the fire trucks coming. i looked out, and i could see the smoke coming up from the top of the house. >> byron: a fire takes the lice of two people on this road at burncoat street in worcester. >> at first i thought maybe it was something at the church, but then we realized it was the house across the street. >> byron: according to neighbors, the two people killed were an elderly brother and sitser who lived in the home for a long time. >> it's heartbreaking. bynes the worcester deputy fire chief says they were able to knock the flames down quickly and get the two out of the house, but they weren't able to save them. give them a shot with the mask, but unfortunately they suck cupped to their injuries. >> byron: according to the deputy chief, this was a two-alarm fire, but that doesn't mean it was dangerous. >> motor vehicle is as fatal as the flame itself. you don't need a lot of fire to create a lot of smoke. the cause of the fire. that's the story live in worcester, i'm byron barnett, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: today closing arguments are set to be maid in philip chism's murder trial after lawyers for both sides wrapped up their case. the jury will begin deliberations. chism is accused of raping and murdering colleen ritzer, his high school math teacher. prosecutors say chism killed ritzer in a bathroom inside danvers high two years ago. ritzer was 24 years old. defense lawyers claim 16-year-old chism was insane when he killed his teacher. >> christa: that runaway red line train will be at the center of a safety hearing later on today. officials are trying to figure out how this train packed with morning commuters took off with and we still have not heard from the operator himself, but we could get some more answers at that hearing that's set for today. let's head out live to boston with nicole oliverio. nicole, good morning. >> nicole: good morning, christa. that meeting will be closed to the public. it's uncareer if the "t" operator will actually be there himself, but the mbta is calling this a fact-finding hearing so they can figure out exactly what happened last thursday. mbta "t" operator david vasquez will be the focus of today's fact-finding hearing into thursday's runaway red line train. vasquez was supposed to be behind the controls. instead sources say he may have manipulated them, allowing the six-car train with 50 passengers on board the travel through several stations without its conductor. vasquez, a 28-year veteran, had permission to get off the train as he tried to correct a signal problem. the mbta says he then put the train in bypass mode, but according to sources close to have tied the throttle down with some type of cord. meanwhile, this morning governor charlie baker will recognize the two "t" employees from the operation control center credited with stopping the train. the dot says those two workers executed what they needed to perfectly, ensuring no passengers were hurt or put in any further danger. so all the department of transportation is confirming right now is that they believe that the controls were manipulated. now, if, in fact, it comes out that the "t" operator did, in fact, put a cord around one of the levers, we're told that's a fireable offense. live at the statehouse, nicole oliverio, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: also on 7, a suspect charged for a double murder in revere is set to appear in court today. police arrested the 36-year-old man from lynn on friday after the two victims were shot and killed inside an apartment building. a third victim was also shot but is expected to survive. >> christa: and the driver man crossing a street in stoughton will face a judge today. police say michael burncoat streets just delivered a pizza moments before this crash happened. he's charged with being on drugs while behind the wheel. 71-year-old joe brady sadly was killed in that crash. the father of four owned a car dealership of brockton and was a member of the new england hall of fame for antique racers. >> sarah: now to the race for the white house. donald trump back at the top of the pack in a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. trump is first choice with 27% support. texas senator ted cruz surged into second place with 22%. he's followed by florida senator marco rubio with 15%. ben carson, who was the front-runner in last month's poll slipped to fourth place with 11%. president's agenda today, the fight against isis, president obama set to deliver a statement on his strategy to the counter-terror group. he'll be meeting with the marble security council at the pentagon. they'll be talking strategy. he'll then deliver statement more ahead on today in new england. more on the pats' big win over the texans, but it didn't come without a price as the injuries continue to pile up. >> christa: battered teen. there on just one station, a raccoon rescue you do not want to miss. you know they even cut power to the neighborhood in order to get this little guy down? >> sarah: but first j.r. is taking us to a galaxy far, far away. "star wars" getting ready to awaken, and so is new england. >> jeremy club you don't need the rain gear until after 7:00 tonight. temps this morning mild, mid-40s this afternoon and this evening 50s. >> danielle: good morning. happy monday, everyone. leverett connector and zakim bridge looking good. coming into town from the north, no problems to tell you about. the expressway a ten-minute drive from the braintree split to the tunnel. a little back-up on 95 northbound as you approach 128 in canton. the "t" is on time. praised as one of america's best mayors who governed as a pragmatist. bernie sanders passed more amendments in a republican congress cracked the gridlock withohn mccain to strengthen veterans' healthcare. bernie sanders. a consistent, principled, and effective leader. building a future to believe in. sanders: i'm bernie sanders >> christa: it is a winter wonderland in northern california, but not everyone is enjoying it. well, these people are. look at that. they're building snowmen and doing a little snowboarding, but drivers had a tough time heading up into the mountains. forecasters say the snow will continue to fall into the week. but that's where you want the snow, in the mountains, right? >> sarah: yeah. we're used to seeing that around this time of year, but it felt like spring in december. i think one of your facebook boosts, j.r., said something like, "really enjoying the spring-like weather this winter." >> jeremy: it's unreal. this el nio is not letting go any time soon, although there are signs by this weekend it's going to turn colder. i don't think that's a pattern turning over. that's brief shot of chilly air. that's for saturday. in the sense of rain gear or rainfall, not much rain today. both commutes i think we can get through with barely any rain. we'll have rain overnight tonight arriving as early as 9:00 tonight until about 3:00 a.m. tomorrow with another round of showers thursday afternoon. but overall, again, we're talking raindrops, not snowflakes. look at the current temps, middle 40s. city at 46. new bedford at 48. nantucket at 51. cloudy skies across southern new england. and there's a storm off to our west. and again for you snow lovers, what you want is the storm to be south of new england, not way over here in chicago, because once again this is going to put us on the warm side of this weather system when it finally does arrive. when is it going to arrive? i think probably around 8:00, 9:00 tonight. notice the band of rain in southern new england. but until then, little if any rain anticipated. so rain gear going out the front door this morning, probably won't even be needed until after so if you have outdoor plans this evening, some holiday shopping or party or into the city with friends or a business meeting, you'll have rain this evening up until about 2:00, 3:00 tomorrow morning. even by early tomorrow morning, we move the rain out of here. i don't think any of the commutes are affected by this weather system next couple days. how much rain is on the way? about one third of an inch to half an inch. you move out of new england, buffalo, 56, they haven't seen any snow yet this season. that's almost the latest ever in buffalo's history. remember last november, they got plastered with all that snow. but no snow yet for buffalo and boston. today cloudy, cool, patchy drizzle. temps 40s and 50s. the steadiest rain from 9:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. mild, 56 to 62. and for tomorrow, a mix of clouds and sunshine. tomorrow is a windy day. it's warm. temps tomorrow morning near 60 degrees. and then settling back into the 50s by tomorrow afternoon. wednesday cool with high a few peeks of sun, but wednesday is a dry day. and your 7 on 7 forecast, notice on the middle of this week, temps running into the 40s and then by thursday, here comes our next chance of rain. temps on thursday in the 40s. >> christa: here comes j.r. the force will be back in hollywood tonight when "star wars: the force awakens" premiers. four blocks of hollywood boulevard have been shut down to set up massive teptsd for this big night. there are three theaters along this stretch of hollywood boulevard. people have been waiting in line so long, i think the minimum 24 hours, but disney will not say which one will be used for the premier. >> sarah: we know opening-day tickets for the movie have already sold out in many places. >> and he's not out in hollywood. he's actually here with us, which is amazing. online auction sites are asking about $100 for some of these first-run seats. i know you're such a huge fan. you cannot wait. >> jeremy: i am a fan boy, like so many other people around the world looking forward to the movie, i talked to folks here in new england over the last few days about, you know, the franchise and what it means to them, so this week we went... we started off our franchise this week by going out and talking the a gentleman collecting "star wars" toys and collectibles. check this out. >> christa: can't wait. >> we have a big owe that and an e wok cookie jar. >> jeremy: david lockwood was ten years old when the original 1977. as a lad living in london, "star wars" toys were not that easy to come by. >> the movie stopped in '83. they were making toys until '85678 i think by then people were done with it. >> jeremy: lockwood says when he moved to boston in 1990 he saw some of those toys he always wanted at a shop in harvard square. his collection began. when the movie came out, i was seven, eight years old and i was >> you and about a billion other people. so now for the grown-up collector, instead of having 100 different toys on your debtsning, you can now have one really great, you know, highly detailed han solo figure. >> that's going to cost you something extra. >> jeremy: about $300. lockwood collected enough that he eventually opened up a somerville store that sells "star wars" collectibles and a whole lot more. but you'll have to pay big time for some of the rarest "star wars" collectibles, like the 1979 mailorder rocket bobafet action figure. a prototype sold for nearly $20,000 at auction. so for collectors at home sitting on a galactic gold mine... >> where there's so much interest right now, the market may be higher than usual. >> that's a real bargain. >> but i would say definitely do your homework. don't assume it's worth a lot or worth nothing. were you like a kid in a candy store? >> i was. i said to david, i remember having that one. he said, everyone had that at one time, but the difference is most of us threw them away. >> christa: he should have saved it. and what condition is it in? >> jeremy: the dog running around, kid brother doing stuff with it you don't want to know. >> christa: by the way, the chewbacca sound was awesome. >> jeremy: brrrr... tomorrow morning's story is really cool. if you buy anything related to "star wars," the artwork on that packaging right here in boston. >> sarah: it's amazing. >> christa: designed here. wow. i can't wait to see that. >> sarah: coming up next, it's the question on everyone's mind: who did it better. this week. >> christa: and a special light display is here the stay in worcester. stay with us. >> it's the tastiest time of year. >> i'm sarah french. i'm cooking up sausage and egg casserole. >> get the recipe for this holiday helping monday at 11:00, >> jeremy: good morning. welcome back. a lot of clouds and cool this morning with pockets of drizzle. we'll have that for much of the day. temperatures 40s and 50s. rainy through detroit, pittsburgh and chicago. this weather system is headed up into new england this evening and then overnight tonight with yet another storm taking shape across the west. they've got snow out, there but by the time it gets into new england thursday afternoon, more rain showers heading our way by thursday. >> christa: we always like a good laugh on monday morning, so it's that time, "who did it better?." >> sarah: today jadiann and a can feel the beat with the blue man group, so pay attention because you have the decide "who did it better?." green may be his color of choice, but this week celtics' feeling a little boy. the challenge, perform blue man group paint drumming act with the cast in boston. >> there's a lot of ritual. >> jadiann: before our time in the spot lierkt one of the blue men, jason mclin, showed us the ropes. our inner kid here. >> the band will start the accompany you to help out in that. it's the time to go bananas. that's a technical term, "bananas." >> jadiann: how does that compare the suiting up for a game? >> pretty good. >> jadiann: it's intense. game time, isaiah. >> jadiann: so they had us actually paint the canvasses. you see the channel 7 logo here. my paint is sticking here. >> i painted a celtics' picture. it didn't come out too well, but it's all about the effort. >> jadiann: i would ask the blue men how they feel right now, but they're not allowed to talk. so maybe they can express how they feel we did. oh, i think that's a good thing. that looks good. >> yeah, we did, we did. we did our best. >> jadiann: they were here shooting a promo a few months ago before my maternity leave, and they were putting their make-up on in the make-up room. it's crazy to see the transformation they have to go through to put those blue man outfits for them. >> christa: can you imagine bath time? the clean-up is intense, but jadiann looked like she was getting into it. >> sarah: that was one of my favorites. now it's up to you to decide "who did it better?." head to whdh.com to vote. we'll have your resulteds tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. >> christa: and coming up next, it was a texas-sized win for t.b. 12 and crew, but could some new injuries be causing problems down the road? we'll take a look at that. >> sarah: plus fire crews race in after flames break out at an apartment complex in southbridge. getting much worse. >> christa: and a 90-year-old man fighting for his life after >> sarah: the patriots leaving heave houston with a win and a few more players on the injury list. the latest on what could be some big losses as the team looks to the playoffs. >> christa: and a war veteran fighting for his life after a car slams into him on a street in revere. >> sarah: and a risky rescue way up high. a critter gets stuck in a very dangerous place. >> this is 7news "today in new england." >> christa: i think we all feel like we're teetering on the edge sometimes on a monday morning. >> sarah: seriously. >> christa: right on the precipice of a new week. we're here to make it easier for you. i'm christa delcamp. ism i'm sarah french. a lot of people staying up late, j.r., watching the pats get their win, and maybe up early this morning to see you "star wars" series. >> jeremy: hopefully so. a lot of fun with that. and great win last night, back on top. boston 46. bedford 46. fitchburg at 44. nice and mild out there this morning. the day will feature mostly cloudy skies. at times through the day there may be a little sprinkle activity or some mist, but nothing heavy or widespread. here's what we are tracking. some showers now in chicago are flying east. they'll be into new england about 8:00, 9:00. there could be an isolated shower on the back side of the evening commute, but otherwise you day is dry. a mild day. temps 40s this morning. 7:00 this evening, warmer, 50s. >> christa: let's see if danielle gersh has good news for us, as well. >> danielle: not a manic monday yet. go outside. the expressway shows volume building as you head northbound. on the map, a little slowing 95 northbound as you head up to canton. route 24 looking good. a little slowing as you head toward the braintree split. and then from the split into boston on the expressway, not bad. still under ten minutes. of course, that will change soon. route 1 southbound looking good. 93 southbound looking good, as well. the pike fine all the way out to 495 so far. let's look at your drive times out the door. the expressway, the split to the tunnel just ten minutes. into town on the pike from 128, 12 minutes. 93 southbound, 128 to the zakim bridge, 11 minutes, and the "t" back to you. >> christa: danielle, thank you. let's get a check of your monday top stories headed back the work. investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a deadly worcester. two people were killed, a sister and brother, at the home on burncoat street after being trapped inside. neighbors say once again an elderly brother and sister here. governor charlie baker will recognize the two mbta workers today who helped stop a runaway red line train last week. meantime, transit officials will host a closed-door hearing this exactly what went wrong. there. also today, closing arguments in the philip chism murder trial morning. the 16-year-old is accused of raping and killing his high school math teacher colleen ritzer two years ago. prosecutors say chism killed >> sarah: the patriots went into houston on a two-game losing streak but walked away with a win. but fans are pumped as the team gets back to their winning ways and clinches a playoff spot. injuries have been major story line all season long, and last night was no exception. kris anderson joins us in the studio with more. >> kris: sarah, those injuries bugs keep biting. the patriots' win coming at a cost. key players suffering more injuries. pats and their fans are hoping this latest round of injuries are minor setback. legarrette blount one of the walking wounded this morning. he suffered a hip injury in the second quarter. injuries started affecting new england's defense. in the third quarter, safety devin mccourty seen limping a bit. injured his ankle on that play. both players left the game to get x-rays. defensive end dominique easley suffered a thigh injury. easley didn't return to the game, but he did remain on the sidelines. maybe that's good to see. we haven't heard much about the status for any of those three one good sign is devin mccourty was seen walking under his own power after the game. so hopefully it's a mild sprain that he can work through. that's the latest live at the england." >> christa: let's hope. kris, thank you. also this morning, a 90-year-old man fighting for his life after danger. he was hit as he crossed the street in revere last night. for the latest on this accident, go to 7's jennifer egan live for us in revere. jen? morning. the man hit here served in world war ii and korea. the police say he was hit around 7:30 last night on maulden street while he was just crossing the street. the driver was anledly woman. police say she did stay on scene. she was taken to mgh as a precaution. the 90-year-old man suffered serious injuries, possibly life-threatening according to police. he was also taken to mgh. neighbors were very shaken up by this accident. they say the man has lived here >> it's sad. sad. scary. it is a busy street. i feel bad for the woman who hit him. as well as if it's an elderly woman who hit him and an elderly man who got hit, it's not a good situation. it's not. it's not criminal or intentional, it's just sad. >> jennifer: while police are investigating the accident, no criminal charges have been filed. we're live in revere this morning, jennifer egan, 7news "today in new england." >> christa: all right, jen. thank you. also two people recovering this morning after a big fire in southbridge. it happened yesterday at the rose mead apartment complex. it had one person hurt as well as a firefighter. it could have been so much worse if it hadn't been for a quick-thinking neighbor who alerted people inside. the cause of the fire is still under review today. >> sarah: now to a story you'll see on just one station. high-wire drama in western mass for a raccoon rescue. the injured raccoon was stuck on top of a utility pole for days, nearly falling at one point. workers of the national rescue league of boston teamed up for save. but the critter didn't make things very easy. >> obviously it's a dangerous situation, so it needs to be done right. >> it was scary when he almost fell. my heart stopped then, but it seemed to be happy ending. >> sarah: once the raccoon was scooped up, he was taken away to be treated. >> a holiday hero saving the day for a couple in leicester after they almost had to pull the plug on this huge holiday display. the decorations are a big hit in this neighborhood, but because of traffic concerns, they require a police detail. the couple was willing to pay for it on their own until their neighbors and some people they have never even met and called the town and offered to foot the bill. >> it's the christmas spirit, touches a lot of people, and in return they gave back to us. >> christa: both the couple and their neighbors say they're happen pi lights will get to stay on for the entire holiday season. not a lot of people getting rest i'm sure with this display going on, but that's great. we're fine. >> sarah: we love it. taylor swift fan, get ready to see inside her world. there's chance you'll be able to shake it off and go behind the scenes of her tour. >> christa: and going overboard in boston. how one group is planning on making a splash to mark an historic tea party. >> sarah: plus find out how a horse who was shot in the leg is getting a second chance at life. >> jeremy: a lot of clouds with pockets of drizzle thlg morning, otherwise not much in the way of rain activity. mild this morning. mid-40s this afternoon, heading for the middle 50s. a warm night tonight with rain. >> danielle: good morning. happy monday, everyone. north of boston things looking good. split. south of town, a little slow on 95 northbound, as well, as you approach 128 and canton. so far the "t" is on on the tip of your tongue with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees. after 12:00 p.m., enjoy any medium latte or macchiato for $1.99. america runs on dunkin'. grdma is shapp y toe here i ar youre quitehe exper ataking pele up the mning. leme show u how grandmdoes it. yo daddy me this wnhe was little y. th is yourad at myouse, whe he hadis first chstmas. thks for ming the ffee. we look wh s up. i'm reallylad you're here m. meoo. lo who' dunkin's newweetlack pepper bacon sandwich, with double the slices of caramelized crispy pepper bacon. it's the bacon experience you've been waiting for. bacon up. >> jeremy: good morning. welcome back. november very warm. month of december, look at all these orange squares. old one day featuring colder than normal temps so far in the month of december. temps running about 8 degrees above normal, and i think overall the pattern is going to hold. now, historically speaking, the city has about 30% chance of a white christmas, you know, giving in a year, but this year i think it's basically slim and none. i think slim has his coat on. this pattern looks like it's going to hold for the remainder of the year. >> christa: j.r., thank you. the trailer for "independence day: resurgence" is out. it picks up 20 years after the original. most of the original cast will return except for will smith. kind of major role there. he didn't sign on for the new film. >> sarah: taylor swift announcing a surprise on her birthday. fans will get a sneak peek behind her world tour broadcast only on apple music. the streaming service will view the film. >> christa: and know and go. gronk making fans forget about his injury. he returns in style. it was a thing of beauty last night, wasn't it? more on the tight end's big night in houston complete with a gronk smash, of course. >> sarah: then wild weather down south when a tornado touches down in the lonestar state. >> christa: and 26 acts of kindness. how one school teacher is marking a tragedy that happened praised as one of america's best mayors who governed as a pragmatist. bernie sanders passed more amendments in a republican congress than any other member. cracked the gridlock with john mccain to strengthen veterans' healthcare. bernie sanders. a consistent, principled, and effective leader. building a future to believe in. sanders: i'm bernie sanders and i approve this message. how do you reimagine "banking"? you start with this... then you make it... nothing like this. someplace more relaxed. with free wi-fi and banking advice... without all the "double talk." and checking accounts with no minimums... or fees. then you design a top-rated mobile app that makes banking as easy as this. that's banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? oliday i can count on someone's kid ing me for santa. i'm so sorry. n sweetie. it's okay. g right when introducing relivery notifications. e more reason is is our season. >> christa: talking about our lack of storm force coverage. no one is come maybing here. >> sarah: it's okay with me. >> christa: two weeks away from christmas and we're getting your day started with all your day's top headline, a little weather, all this good stuff. >> sarah: let's send it over to jeremy rhiner with all that hey there, j.r. sarah. good morning, everybody. maybe a little christmas i wouldn't mind, but i don't have that in the forecast. i think it's going to be christmas. are you still mowing your lawn? i could probably get one more cut in there. today a lot of clouds. and sprinkles, but nothing significant. this is what's on the way. it's raining this morning in chicago quite steadily. that's on the move, moving fast. so it has a lot of ground to cover, but it does arrive into new england mid to late evening. i think we can get through the evening commute without any significant precipitation. so you probably don't need the rain gear today unless you're going to be out and about in town after work, 7:00, 8:00, an isolated shower. a burst of steady rain 9:00 tonight until 3:00 a.m. about four or five hours and then we're done with it. by early tomorrow morning they move the rain out of here. most towns about one-third of an inch of rain. if it was cold, weed be saying about how much snow would this be. we'd be talking three to six inches of snow, but nope. albany 53. pittsburgh 53. it eventually warps up. the warmest part of the day will be this evening and're night tonight. 40s this morning. 50s this afternoon. look at tonight, temperatures jump 56 to 62. tomorrow morning at this time, low 60s. sun, a lot of clouds. a windy day tomorrow. temperatures in the afternoon, head for the 50s. wednesday seasonal. more rain shower activity here thursday afternoon. i have found some cold weather for you saturday and sunday. high temps only in the upper 30s with sunshine. >> sarah: time now for fast track traffic. here's danielle gersh. >> danielle: thanks, sarah. we're slowing down. this is the expressway as you pass the gas tank, stop and go to the split. the drive time already up to half an hour. again, this is the expressway northbound. south of town looking pretty good. 128 slow from 24 to route 3 as you're getting on to the expressway. something to keep in mind there. north of boston we have a new accident. this is on route 1 southbound at lynn street in revere. that's blocking the left lane. 93 southbound looking pretty good, though, and the pike is fine so far all the way back out to 495. let's take a look at those drive times if you're getting ready to head out the door. the expressway, the split to the tunnel, a she drive, just under into town on the pike, 128, 12 minutes, 93 southbound, 128 to the zakim bridge. so far the "t" is on time. >> sarah:. >> christa: if you're a pats' fan, the pats are back the their winning ways. the return of number 87 is the talk of the town. the gronk is back in action, and he did not miss a beat. >> sarah: and he made a big impact in his return to the field. 7's kris anderson with more on gronk's impressive night. >> kris: it's not a fair fight when you're a cornerback trying to defend rob gronkowski. two weeks ago fans were worried gronk may be done for the year after you saw him writhing in pain. turns out that knee injury only cost him one game missed. last night it didn't take long for big 87 to make a huge impact scoring that touchdown. on the pats' second drive, he had 45-yard reception. new england scored three plays later. just before the half, that's what we love to see there, gronk scoring a touchdown to put the he says it was great to be back on the field and help his team get that much-needed victory. >> i just want to be back out there with my teammates, be back out there playing football. when you misus a game, it's just hard to watch. you just want to be out there playing football, making plays. it was satisfying to come out here and get that win. that's all that matters with this team. that's all we wanted to do, come back out, get on the winning track again. and we did that. >> kris: despite that missed game, gronk still has a team-high ten touchdowns. julian end animal second with seven scoring grabs. hopefully he'll be back on the field soon, as well, so tom brady 12 has his scoring threats on the field. >> sarah: this morning police have arrested a man in salem, new hampshire, after he allegedly set his mother's home on fire. home on fire after the two got into an argument. cain has been charged with arson. >> christa: the new bedford police department is mourning the loss of its chief. he died after suffering from respiratory arrest last night. new bedford's mayor released a statement saying, "the city lost an outstanding police chief and great man." >> sarah: friends finally posting flyers all over boston as they continue to search for a missing northeastern university student. dennis njoroge was last seen on november 29th. the 21-year-old's family is hoping the flyers help track him down. >> christa: a miniature horse is getting a second chance. this two-year-old horse max was shot in the leg and needed serious care. an online campaign has raised nearly $11,000 to help him. police in acushnet are still investigating the crime. once max recovers, his owners hope to make him a therapy horse. for the first time since the boston tea party, british tea harbor. tea from london's east india company will be used for wednesday night's reand,ment, the same brands toed into the harbor 242 years ago. the event sparked the american revolution. >> sarah: more news today as the nation marks the third anniversary of the sandy hook tragedy. 26 people were killed, 20 first grade students and six staff members. this is the first time students will be in class for the anniversary. the past two have fallen on a weekend. school officials say they will try to make today as normal as possible for students. not far from newtown, another school is marking the anniversary, and honoring those who died with 26 days of kindness to kick it off. a high school teacher in fairfield connecticut had her students write a letter to a teacher in newtown. >> we're not just remembering something bad that happened. we're trying to counter-thank bad with some good. >> you spread like one good idea disease in a way. that's pretty much the greatest thing you could have. >> sarah: the act can be big or small, like donating food or blankets to the homeless. >> christa: also on 7, los angeles police releasing video of the a deadly officer-involved shooting in a move for transparency here. pictures and video show man with a gun being confronted by police officers. police say they shot more than 30 rounds at the suspect when they say he repeatedly ignored demands to drop his gun. the department says it's prepared for public controversy over what happened. >> the sentiment across america has been critical. that's why we have come out today to try to be as transparent as we can with the information we have, here's what we have and here's what with know, with the caveat that there is more investigation to be done. >> christa: as witness told police the man was yelling exblahtives and fired several also police say a man who was shot and killed by officers at a walmart in pennsylvania was carrying two handguns and a machete. the 20-year-old repeatedly refused officers' orders to drop his weapons. witnesses told police he had been threatening and pointing a weapon at customers. luckily none of the customers was hurt, though. >> sarah: wild weather down south. people are cleaning up in northeastern texas after a tornado hit the area. officials say about 50 homes were damaged or destroyed. people who lived there say the storm was a surprise because the national weather service never issued a tornado warning. >> christa: in the buzz today, it's the night adele fans have been waiting for. the pop star set to take over your tv screen with a one-night-only concert in new york city. the hour-long show was taped last month at radio city music hall. we're told that adele performed songs from her new album "25" including the smash hit "hello." you can see all the excitement right here on 7 nbc. the voice finale at 8:00. then you can catch adele live in new york at 9:00 and catch up with the top stories on 7news at 11:00. so major talent. >> sarah: definitely. in this morning's must-see video, take a look. a little five-week-ole polar bear with quite the snore. i guess you could call it that. the cub was taking a snooze, and it's quickly going viral. zookeepers have been monitoring her since she was born last month. but i like how it says, why -- what do little baby polar bears dream about? >> christa: probably their mom. j.r., this is not exactly like your significant other's snoring. i'm not talking about yours. i mean in general. >> jeremy: exactly. right now boston at 46. norwood at 47. cloudy skies through the day. a few sprinkles or pockets of drizzle possible for both commutes, but nothing significant. you will have some steadier rain tonight up until about 3:00 a.m. tomorrow, about one-third of an information of rain on the way overnight tonight, warm. >> sarah: and there's still another hour of 7news straight ahead. coming up next at 6:00, patriots' nation waking up to a win after the pats' big night in texas. but could some injuries in the game cost them down the line? >> christa: also headed back the worcester where investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a deadly fire. >> christa: the patriots back the their winning ways. >> dwrong making the catch for the touchdown. >> it's not a fair fight. >> christa: a welcome return >> certainly there's nobody that i trust more than gronk. >> christa: brady and the team clinching a playoff spot. also this morning, the investigation continues after a deadly fire in worcester. plus high honors for workers who stopped a runaway train as the driver faces tough questions. a major shift in the race for the white house. donald trump bounced from the top of a new poll. >> christa: and the force is strong in new england. we'll introduce you to a local "star wars" fan with an out-of-this-world collection. >> this is 7news "today in new england." >> christa: i just wanted everybody to know just how bitterly j.r. come baned about doing this "star wars" series. >> sarah: a dream come true. >> christa: we're being a little facetious. good morning, everybody. i'm christa dell -- delcamp. >> sarah: it aired at 5:00, but don't worry, we're going to air it again during the 6:00 hours. >> jeremy: a week of star star and a little weather, too. bedford 46. i'll be honest, when we came up with this idea, i thought, please, no nor easters, no blizzards the week of the premier. i can't handle that. not going the happen. that's the good news. we have a lot of clouds. a couple of pockets of drizzle and mist at any time today. but in terms of any steadier precipitation, this is where it's raining now in chicago. it has a lot of ground to cover. it's going to make up ground through the day. i think we can get through both commutes with hardly any rain, certainly this morning and even this evening, because i don't think we see rain arriving in metro boston until 8:00, 9:00 tonight with a shot of steady rainfall overnight. through the day today, 40s this morning with temperatures this afternoon and evening heading up into the 50s by7:00 p.m. >> christa: let's go to fast track traffic with danielle. >> danielle: this is route 1 in saugus. will let's go to the maps. right at lynn street in revere. the back-up is all the way to walnut in saugus from this. this is blocking the left lane, so something to keep in mind. 93 you're starting to slow down in lawrence. you're stop and go to 128 and then into boston. the pike is not looking too bad back out to 495. we do have another incident to tell you about in mansfield, an accident on 95 northbound right at 495. and then you're slow on 24 northbound. you're crawling from the braintree split into boston over half an hour. back to you, guys. >> christa: danielle, thank you. let's get to breaking news on 6:02 on your monday. jupt's chief investigator saying so far there is no indication of any act of terror in the crash of a russian plane back in october. he released a statement saying they don't have evidence the plane went down because of foul play, but they're still investigating. russia, meantime, has said that an explosive device caused the crash that killed everybody who was on board and isis has also >> sarah: right now investigators are searching for the cause of a deadly fire in worcester. firefighters pulled an elderly brother and sister from flames. they could not be saved. byron barnett is live in worcester with more on the byron? tragedy. firefighters in worcester did all they could to knock down the fire at this home quickly, but they still couldn't save the two people trapped inside. coming. i looked up and i could see the smoke coming up from the top of the house. >> byron: a fire takes the lives of two people on this road at burncoat street in worcester. was something at the church, but then we realized it was the house across the street. >> byron: according to neighbors, the two people killed were an elderly brother and sister who lived in the home for a long time. >> byron: the worcester deputy fire chief says they were able to knock the flames down quickly and get the two out of the house, but they weren't able to save them. >> they removed the victims to give them a shot with the mask, but unfortunately they suck cupped to their injuries. >> byron: according to the deputy chief, this was a two-alarm fire, but that doesn't mean it was dangerous. >> smoke is as fatal as the flame itself. you don't need a lot of fire to create a lot of smoke. >> byron: and still no word on the cause of the fire. that's the story live in i'm byron barnett. >> sarah: the patriots are back on top. with their win over the texans, they reclaim the top seed in the a.f.c. and clinch a spot in the postseason. than gronk. >> christa: he trusts him, everybody really. admit it, you were happy to see gronk back on the field. >> oh, yeah. >> christa: number 87 having a big impact on the game in his return from injury. >> sarah: the pats rolling >> f. >> and it's gronk making the catch for the touchdown. >> it's in the a fair fight. >> no. >> kris: and the patriots are back on top thanks to rob just two weeks after injuring his knee, the tight end was back and he scored a touchdown in the pats' win 27-6 over the texans. >> it just felt good to be back out there playing football again, being out there with my teammates, just having a great it's always good to make a play, get a up to your, and the icing on the cake is that win. >> certainly there's nobody that i trust more than gronk. he's just a great player. he's great teammate. >> kris: with the win combined with losses by the bengals and broncos, the patriots are now alone in first place atop the a.f.c. standings. >> you have to stay the course and realize there are going to be some battles in the season. you have to persevere through them, and we were able to do >> kris: but once again injuries forced several big-name players out of the name. running back legarrette blount left with a hip injury, safety devin mccourty hurt his ankle and defensive end dominique easley hurt his thigh. despite that the spot managed to but the team isn't worried about the postseason just yet. >> it's cool we clinched a playoff spot, but we still have tennessee next week and we have a couple more games this season. that's what we're focused on. >> kris: one game at a time, that's all you can do. that game against the tennessee titans will be the final regular home game of the season. kris anderson, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: happening later today, closing arguments are set for philip chism's murder trial. chism is accused of rapering and murdering colleen ritzer, his math teacher at danvers high, two years ago. his attorneys say he was insane at the time of the murder. a suspect charged for a double murder in revere is set to appear in court today. man from lynn on friday after the two victims were shot and killed inside an apartment building. a third victim was also shot but is expected to survive. >> christa: that runaway red line train the subject of a safety hearing coming up later on today. and as investigators try to figure out exactly what went wrong, two people who saved the day will be honored for their acts. 7's nicole oliverio is live in boston with the latest on what's happening today. nicole? >> nicole: well, christa, the governor wants the make sure he credits the two "t" employees who finally managed to stop that train minutes after it took off. this as the "t" operator will be the focus of a fact-finding hearing that's also happening this morning. mbta "t" operator david vasquez will be the focus of today's fact-finding hearing into thursday's runaway red line train. vasquez was supposed to be behind the controls. instead sources say he may have six-car train with 50 passengers on board the travel through several stations without its conductor. vasquez, a 28-year veteran, had permission to get off the train as he tried to correct a signal problem. the mbta says he then put the train in bypass mode, but according to sources close to the investigation, vasquez may have tied the throttle down with some type of cord. meanwhile, this morning governor charlie baker will recognize the two "t" employees from the operation control center credited with stopping the train. the dot says those two workers executed what they needed to perfectly, ensuring no passengers were hurt or put in any further danger. now the department of transportation has not confirmed that a cord was put around the lever but did say if the controls were manipulated that a fireable offense. live at the statehouse, nicole oliverio, 7news today the new england. >> sarah: there may be a shift in the race for the white house. ted cruz is gaining ground on dump. in iowa cruz now tops trump by register" bloomberg poll. ben carson rounded out the top three with 13%. with seven weeks still to go until the iowa caucus, it's still anyone's game. cruz is also within striking distance of trump nationally in a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll. trump is first choice with 27% support. cruz surged into second place with 22%, an increase in 12 points. he's followed by florida senator marco rubio with 15 points. ben carson, who was the front-runner in last month's poll, dropped to fourth place with 11%. and a new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll released overnight shows both trump and cruz would lose to hillary clinton if the election were held today. the republican presidential candidates will face off tomorrow night in las vegas in the last g.o.p. debate of the year. >> christa: and we have much more ahead on this monday edition of "today in new england." investigators trying to piece together what led to a dangerous drive in revere after a local war veteran was struck in the street. >> sarah: just one station is rescue a raccoon who was stuck high on a utility pole for days. >> christa: "star wars" fever heating up as the force is awakening this week. up next j.r. shows us a local man's incredible collection of memorabilia. you probably didn't want the leave, did you? >> jeremy: those are the toys we have been looking for. we have clouds and pockets of drizzle on-and-off through the day. no significant rain until about 9:00 tonight. a mild day. 40s this morning, heading for the mid-50s this evening when that rain arrives. >> danielle: good morning. happy monday, everyone. a bit of a mess out there on the roads. this is route 1 in saugus. we had an accident that just cleared. still a lot of back-up. 93 southbound, we have a new accident in wilmington causing delays. the expressway over half an hour from the braintree split into boston. we'll be right back. announcer: a horrific terror attack in paris. then, a brutal act of terror here at home. it's time for a tested and proven leader who won't try to contain isis. jeb bush has a plan... to destroy them. and keep america safe. jeb bush: the united states should not delay in leading a global coalition to take out isis with overwhelming force. announcer: tested and proven leadership matters. jeb bush. right to rise usa is responsible for the content `snow what more could you ask for? a beautiful weekend, pats' win, a couple weeks out from christmas. >> sarah: and j.r. gets to do "star wars" stories all week long. >> jeremy: totally excited about this minifranchise we have this week. we'll show you the first story of a bunch just after weather. simple weather story. i don't have arctic air. if you don't have arctic air, you don't have snowstorms in the clouds today. there could be a couple sprinkles at any time during the day. there will be rain on the way for tonight arriving around 8:00, 9:00 tonight with another batch of rain showers for thursday afternoon and thursday evening. but again, rain showers not snowflakes. so your chance of rain most of today is actually quite low. then it does jump mid-evening up until overnight tonight. then tomorrow, wednesday dry. and then thursday, here comes another weather system thursday afternoon with showers. normal high is 43. and here we are at 6:00 a.m. we're 47. worcester 42. nashua at 43. hyannis at 49. clouds, that's the trade-off. it won't be like saturday where we had all that glorious sunshine and temperatures were near 60 on saturday. skies. and it's this weather system here now moving through the great lakes that will move up into new england later on this evening. if you have business travel, you'll need the rain gear detroit, chicago, pittsburgh through the day, even scattered showers down through portions of the east, but for us at 4:00, still nothing on the radar. and even through the evening commute, then we get into about 10:00, we get a little burst of some rain in here until 3:00 or 4:00 tomorrow, and then by 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning rain is gone. we have a storm on the way, but the timing is so that i don't think it will affect any commute this evening, this morning or even tomorrow morning. how much rain is on the way, about one quarter to perhaps one-third of an inch. air, buffalo and d.c., close to 60 right now. so we're in the 40s and 50s through the day, even warmer overnight tonight. tomorrow morning. a warm morning with a mix of clouds and sunshine. it's the windy day tomorrow with temperatures tomorrow near 60 in the morning and then settling back into the 50s by the afternoon hours. wednesday a mix of clouds and sunshine. mid-40s. thursday there's your next chance of some rain and rain showers, upper 40s. thursday afternoon. >> christa: all right. time now for fast track traffic. here's danielle gersh. >> danielle: happy monday. this is route 1, a parking lot. let's go to the maps. our accident on route 1 did clear, but you can see the back-up still through saugus. the good news, once you passs this accident that just cleared on lynn street, you're pretty much moving into boston on route 1 southbound. route 93 very slow, as well. you're stop and go from 495 to 128, and then you're barely moving from 128 into boston. the pike actually looks pretty good, though, back out to 495. no major issues to tell you and mansfield, we still have an accident. this is blocking the left lane on 95 northbound at 495 and the expressway, crawling from the hour. take a look at those drive times real quickly if you're headed tournament door into, town on the pike new york delays. over half an hour from 128 to southbound. back to you, guys. >> christa: danielle, thank you. "star wars" fever this weekend with the next installment friday. someone is really pumped up about this. it's the red carpet premier in los angeles. four blocks of hollywood boulevard covered with massive white tents. the movie will be screened for vip audiences at three separate locations. some are saying this will be the largest movie premier in history. >> sarah: obviously "star wars" fabs can't wait. we all know j.r. obviously one of them. >> jeremy: i am a fan boy if you haven't figured that out. we're kicking off a week-long "today in new england." for an out-of-this-world toy collection. check it out. >> i have a big owe that and an e wok cookie jar to put your e woks in. >> jeremy: david lockwood was ten years old when the original "star wars" movie came out. as a lad living in london, "star wars" toys were not that easy to come by. >> the movie stopped in '83. they were making toys until '85. by then people were kind of done with it. >> jeremy: lockwood says when he moved to boston in 1990 he saw some of those toys he always wanted at a shop in harvard square. his collection began. when the movie came out, i was seven, eight years old and i was collecting many of the toys here. >> you and about a billion other people. >> jeremy: kids could buy action figures, but today toys have grown up, too. >> so now for the grown-up collector, instead of having 100 different toys on your great, highly detailed han solo figure. >> jeremy: about $300. lockwood collected so much he eventually opened up a store in somerville that sells "star wars" collectibles and a whole lot more. but you'll have to pay big time for some of the rarest "star wars" collectibles, like the 1979 mailorder rocket boba fett action figure. a prototype sold for nearly $20,000 at auction. so for collectors at home sitting on a galactic gold mine... >> where there's so much interest right now, the market may be higher than usual. >> that's a real bargain. >> but i would say definitely do your homework. don't assume it's worth a lot or worth nothing. >> christa: that was awesome. >> jeremy: that's the thing. at one time we all had these toys and then we all discarded them. that's why the ones you still have are worth a lot of money. >> christa: you came home with the millennium falcon. admit it. >> jeremy: i still have it. "star wars" toy over the holiday season, the artwork you see on the packaging, there is a design studio in town responsible for all that merchandise artwork. fantastic. can't wait for that. >> sarah: still to come, some patriots' players nursing new injuries this morning. 7's trey daerr has the latest on their condition in a live report from texas. >> christa: and cracking down on hoverboard amid fire concerns. the action that amazon is now taking. >> sarah: also ahead, will jadiann be feeling blue when she challenges a celtics' star the find the beat with the blue man catch holiday-cookie cheer on the tip of your tongue with dunkin' donuts' holiday- cookie-flavored coffees. after 12:00 p.m., enjoy any medium latte or macchiato for $1.99. have you started shopping? just waiting for inspiration to strike. and there it is! done! genius. give the gift of dunkin' coffee. get 3 pounds for $19.99, america runs on dunkin'. >> christa: this morning we're recruiting a celtics' star to complete in a "who did it better?" musical challenge. >> sarah: so jadiann and isaiah thomas hit the stage to see who could feel the beat with the blue man group. to decide who did it better. >> isaiah. >> jadiann: green may be his color of choice, but this week celtics' point guard isaiah thomas feeling a little blue. the challenge: perform drumming with the blue man group in boston. >> there's a lot of ritual so you want big, big arm movement. >> jadiann: before our time in the spotlight, jason mclin, run of the bluemen, showed us the ropes. i feel like we need to channel our inner kid here. >> the ban will start accompanying you. that's the time to go bananas. that's a technical term, " "bananas." >> jadiann: how does this compare to suiting up for a game. i have earplugs. this is going to be intense. >> you're going down. >> jadiann: so they had us actually paint the canvasses. you see the 7 logo here. my paint is sticking pretty well >> i painted a little celtics picture. it didn't come out too well. the paint won't stick, but it's all about the effort. >> jadiann: i would ask the blue men how they feel, but they're not allowed to talk. maybe they can express how they feel we did. oh, that's a good thing. that looks good. >> yeah, we did, we did. we did our best. >> sarah: i think it's glow in the dark paint. it's hard to see. >> christa: so much i love about that, like the shower camp, and jadiann really getting into it. >> sarah: that's an awesome show if you ever get to see it. >> christa: you get to decide "who did it better?." we'll have your results tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. >> sarah: still ahead, a mini horse in massachusetts gets some much-needed help from strangers. a medical treatment for its leg. >> reporter: and a world war ii veteran hit while crossing the road in revere, we'll have discover unexpected treasures, pfor the people who least expect it. find thoughtful gifts at amazing prices everyday at t.j.maxx, marshalls >> sarah: the patriots get their groove back. >> launches one across the field and then it's gronkowski who gets open. >> sarah: rolling over the texan, but the win comes with a cost. >> christa: also this morn, a local war veteran struck in the street. will the woman at the wheel face charges? >> sarah: on just one station, a raccoon rescue. an animal up high on a pole for days, forcing crews to power down. >> just totally shocked. >> christa: and a local family told to turn off the lights until a holiday hero steps forward. >> this is 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: good monday morning, everybody. i'm sarah french. >> christa: and i'm christa delcamp. what a difference the gronk makes. a thing of beauty. we have a pats' win and a good-looking forecast. people are going out to do some holiday shopping later on. maybe a little sprinkle action. >> sarah: through the day a lot of clouds. mild now, boston 47. jaffrey 43. hyannis at 49. not much in the way of rain during the day. it's tricky. i don't have any significant precipitation until about 8:00 or 9:00 tonight from this batch it will move fast, though. so between now and then, cloudy skies for sure. there could be a couple instances where we have a little drizzle or mist or sprinkle activity, but nothing that requires rain gear. until mid-evening. so if you have plans after work, perhaps the holiday party or some christmas shopping, again, showers arriving about 8:00, 8:00, 9:00 tonight, maybe a stray shower before 7:00. then we'll have rain overnight tonight. then it's out of here early tomorrow morning. about one-third of an inch of rain on the way or less. 40s this morning. near 50 this afternoon. 7:00 p.m., we're still climbing. that's when the raindrops begin the arrive at 7:00, 8:00. steadier rain after 9:00. teaches this evening headed for the 50s. >> christa: okay. let's see where we're headed with fast track traffic. here's danielle gersh. >> danielle: we're not headed anywhere fast, that's for sure. the braintree split into boston, south of town we have an accident we're keeping an eye on in mansfield. the back-up is to south avenue. this is 95 northbound right at 495. we also still have a back-up on 24 northbound. you're slow beginning at harrison boulevard. move north of town, you're crawling on 93 southbound from 128 into boston. route 1 we have that earlier accident that cleared, but it's still a parking lot through saugus. and then you're stop and go into boston. from 495 to 128, stop and go on 93 southbound. out to 495 on the pike not too bad. take a look at your drive times. the expressway, the split to the tunnel, 26 minutes. the pike not bad, just 14 minutes from 128 to route 93. 93, is 128 to the zakim bridge, over half hour. on "t" swrerk minor delays tonsil very line. back to you, guys. >> sarah: now to the day's top stories. investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a deadly fire in worcester last night. two people were killed at the home on burncoat street after getting trapped inside. elderly brother and sister. governor charlie baker will recognize two mbta workers today who helped stop a runaway red line train last week. meantime, transit officials will hold a closed-door meeting this morning to try and figure out what happened. there's no word if the driver will be there. >> sarah: the patriots are back on top this morning, waking up division leaders once again, and brady and the team clinching a playoff spot after they rolled over the texans down if houston last night, but we have to mention the hits just keep on coming. the injury ravaged pats losing more key players. will let's head out live to houston with 7's trey daerr. the good news, at least they had gronk bang last night. >> trey: yeah, christa, good morning. rob gronkowski is back in this patriots' offense, and this offense is looking back to form with number 87 in the lineup, but the injury problem still exists. new england failing to finish the game without its starting running back and three of its regulars on defense. cost once again. key players suffering injuries in houston last night. running back legarrette blount the first to leave the game. blount's issue a hip injury coming in the second quarter. then the injury bug hits the defensive side. in the third quarter, safety devin mccourty hurting his ankle. he left the game the get an x-ray. and defensive end dominique easley suffering a thigh injury. easley did not return to the game, but he did, however, remain on the sidelines. we haven't heard about the players' status yet. one good sign is mccourty was seen walking under his own power after the game. coming up a little later on 7news "today in new england," we'll hear from some of the players. rob gronkowski, a huge performance, four catch, going for his number in terms of yards with 87 of them and a touchdown at the end of the first half which asserted the patriots as a for now, trey daerr, 7news "today in new england." >> christa: thanks, trey. ism also this morning, a war veteran tighting for his life after he was struck by a car in revere last night. jen, will the driver of this car be facing charges? >> jennifer: not at this point. the victim is a 90-year-old man and korea. he was crossing maulden street arounden:30 last night when he was hit. the driver was an elderly woman. police say she did stop at the scene. she was taken to mgh as a precaution. the 90-year-old man suffered serious injuries, possibly life-threatening according to police. he was also take on the mgh. neighbors were very shaken up by this accident. they say the man has lived here on this street for decades. >> sad. sad. scary. it is a busy street. i feel bad for the woman who hit him. as well as if it's an elderly woman who hit him and anne situation. it's not criminal, it's just sad. >> jennifer: again new york that driver. police are investigating. live in revere, jennifer egan, 7news "today in new england." >> christa: the new bedford police department is mourning the loss of its chief. david provencher died after suffering respiratory arrest last night. new bedford's mayor released a statement saying the city lost an outstanding police chief and great man. friends and family posting flyers all over boston as they continue to search for a missing northeastern university student. dennis njoroge was last seen on november 29th. the 21 year old's family is down. >> christa: a miniature horse from massachusetts is getting a second chance at life. this two-year-old horse named max was shot in the leg and needed serious medical care. anin' line fund-raising campaign has now raised more than $11,000 in order to help him. once he recovers, his owners horse. for the first time since the boston tea party, british tea will make a splash in boston's harbor. tea from the east india company will be used for re-enactment. this is the same brand they says toed into the harbor 242 years ago. the event is what sparked the mesh revolution and the rest, as they say, is history. >> sarah: still ahead on just one station, a raccoon in need of rescue high atop a utility pole. 7news cameras are there as crews step in to help. >> christa: and these hoverboard just got tougher to buy if you want one. the popular place that's no longer selling them. >> danielle: good morning. happy monday. if you're getting ready to hit the roads, pack the patience. this is the expressway from the split into boston. we're keeping an eye on an accident if mansfield. and 93 southbound from 128 into boston crawling. route 1 we had an earlier accident causing back-ups welcome, to the simply orange tour. this is our plant. these are our workers. and this, is upper management. but what you won't find around here, is any freezing, flavoring, or concentrating. which brings us to our end product. simply orange. honestly simple. that's just the night watchman. >> sarah: now to a story you'll see on just one station. high-wire drama in central mass when a community comes together the raccoon was injured and wasn't able to come down on his own for days. >> christa: e. he even came close to falling when they tried to rescue him. so workers from boston grid and the animal rescue league teamed up for the save. the critter wasn't too cooperative, though. >> obviously it's a dangerous situation, so it needs to be done right. >> it was scary when he almost fell. my heart stopped then, but it seems to be a happy ending. >> sarah: really tricky. >> christa: once the raccoon was finally scooped up, he was taken away to be treated. obviously they had to shut down power to that neighborhood, as well work that. >> sarah: thank goodness he's okay. know and go is next with all the day's top stories. a texas-sized takedown for the patriots. new england clinching their spot in the playoffs. we have a live report coming up next. >> reporter: and tragedy and loss of life in worcester when a i'll have details coming up. >> christa: all right, byron. and the christmas lietles will stay on at this home in leicester thanks the neighbors who are prettied the keurig k200 series brewer. one touch, and unlike life, no mess. your favorites. your way. >> it's 6:45, time to know and go. >> trey: the patriots celebrating a texas takedown. it was a big return for fan no sign of injury. >> byron: plus flames tear through a home in worcester, the fire trapping an elderly man and his sister inside. >> jennifer: the runaway red line, a fact-finding mission today. >> christa: it's one of the hottest holiday toys of the season, but amazon is saying no more. it's time to know and go. >> sarah: we have traffic and weather. reiner with more on your forecast. it doesn't quite feel like december. >> christa: more like october. >> jeremy: a cloudy day with pockets of drizzle and sprinkles here and. there i don't think you need rain gear until this evening. rain gear does not arrive until about 8:00 tonight. dry for most of the day, but there could be some spritzes of rain here and there. then another chance of some rain showers thursday afternoon, thursday night. no know flakes, snow lovers. right now boston at 47. worcester at 42. cloudy skies with our weather system off to our west. as they keep passing to our west, they're going to put us on the warm side of the event. so we'll talk about raindrops until further notice. most of the day rain-free. then we'll have showers arriving 8:00, 9:00 tonight. steady rain overnight tonight. gone by tomorrow morning's commute. so we have a storm system affecting us for the next day, day and a half. not one commute affected by the rain drops. just rain overnight tonight, shift. then there will be rain out there tonight. 40s and 50s across the northeast. rain does warm up as we work through the day. 40s and 50s this afternoon. look at tonight. 56 to 62. are you kidding me? whoa! 7 on 7 forecast, tomorrow mix of clouds and sunshine. 60 tomorrow morning, into the 50s tomorrow afternoon. i have found some cold air for you if you're looking for it. as christa says, we're not looking for it, bro. saturday and sunday, mostly sunny skies, high temps this >> time now for fast traffic. here's danielle gersh. >> danielle: this is route 1 in saugus. an earlier accident cleared. still, you're barely moving on route 1 southbound through saugus. go to the maps. ed 3 southbound also barely moving from 128 into boston. 128 southbound from route 1 to 3 crawling, as well. from lawrence into about 128 on 93, you're stop and go. the pike out to framingham, not too bad. a little slowing, but you're not totally... not a total parking lot. the expressway from the braintree split into boston about half an hour. south of town still keeping an eye on this accident in mansfield. this is blocking the left lane at 95 northbound at 495. the back-up is to about south avenue. take a look at those drive times as you get ready to head out the door. the expressway, the split to the tunnel, half an hour. into town on the pike from 128, not bad. 13 minutes. 93 southbound, 128 to the zakim bridge, about half an hour, as well. on the "t" we have minor delays tonsil very line. back to you, guys. >> christa: danielle, thank you. three games only left in the clinched a spot in the playoffs. a key win here against the texans and the pats also reclaim the top seed in the a.f.c. >> sarah: and the big return of number 87, of course the talk of the town. 7's trey daerr joins us from houston with more on gronk's impressive night. hey, tray. >> trey: sarah, christa, good morning. rob gronkowski back on the field and looking like he never skipped a beat. the patriots' offense looking lost at times without gronk in the lineup, but turning in a 27-point outing in sunday night's win over the texans with gronk helping to make hour the pats did not lose three straight games for the first time in 13 years. now just two weeks back, fans were worried that maybe gronkowski wound never play again in 2015. it turns out that knee injury only causing him to miss a cybil game, and last night it did not take long for number 87 to make an impact on the pats' second drive. turns in 45-yard pitch and catch to set up his first and goal for a couple plays later, they scour on the drive to take a 7-0 lead. just before the break, rob gronkowski scoring a touchdown, manning up over the houston defense. putting the pats up 17-6. tom brady showing a ton of faith in his returning tight end and offering gronk the ultimate compliment after the game. >> offensive football is always trust and anticipation and certainly nobody i trust more than gronk, so he's just... he's just a great player. he's a great teammate. >> just satle -- satisfying to come out here and get that win. that's all that matters. that's all we want to do, come back out and get on the winning track again, and we did that. >>. >> trey: so rob gronkowski really opening up a lot of things for the pats to do. a lot of guys operating well. danny amendola, even brandon lafell struggled at times without rob gronkowski in the lineup, not as much the case on sunday. the biggest part of the night, guys, the patriots getting back in the win column and again avoiding their first three-game losing streak in 13 years. that's a ridiculous stat and a great night for the patriots as they now are in the driver's seat with the top spot in the a.f.c. reporting live in downtown houston, trey daerr, 7news "today in new england." ism breaking news, egypt's chief investigator sayings so far there is no indication of any terrorist act in the crash of a russian plane in october. he released a statement saying they don't have evidence the plane went down because of foul play, but they are still investigating. russia has said an expressive device caused the crash that killed everyone on board. isis has claimed responsibility. >> christa: right now investigators are searching for a cause of a deadly fire that happened out in worcester. crews pulling an elderly brother and his sister from the flames but sadly they could not be saved. let's go to 7's buy aren't barnett in worcester with more on that firefight. byron? this was very much a terrible tragedy. two lives were lost when this house on burncoat street here in worcester went up in flames overnight. neighbors say when firefighters arrived, they could see the smoke coming from the top of the house. they say two people trapped inside were an elderly brother and a sister who had lived in that home for many, many years. there was a big response to the fire, around 35 firefighters fought the blaze. the deputy fire chief says they were able to knock the flames down quickly and get the two out of the house, but it was too late. the two just could not be saved. the neighbors who stood by helplessly said it was heartbreaking to watch. still no word on the cause of this fire. that's the latest live in worcester, byron barnett, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: today we're expecting new developments in the case of the runaway red line train last week. nicole oliverio has more on what's happening. nicole? not be open to the public. operator will be. there he is the focus of this investigation. 52-year-old david vasquez, a 28-year veteran of the mbta, was supposed took behind the controls. instead sources say he may have manipulated them, allowing the six-car train with 50 passengers on board to travel through several stations without a conductor lasting thursday. meanwhile, this morning the governor will recognize the two "t" employees from the operation control center who are credited with stopping the train. the department of transportation says those two workers executed what they needed to perfectly, ensuring that no other passengers were hurt and none were put into further danger. now the department of transportation has not confirmed whether or not there was a cord around that lever that may have manipulated the train, allowing it to go several stations. however, the dot did say if they do find that that is true, that is a fireable offense. live at the statehouse, nicole >> christa: also this morn, a bad accident in revere leaving a life. let's go to 7's jennifer egan. she's there with the latest for us. jen? >> jennifer: the victim is a 90-year-old man who served in both world war ii and korea police say he was crossing maulden street around 7:30 last night when he was hit. the driver was an elli woman. police say she did stop at the scene, she was taken to mass general hospital to be checked out. the 90-year-old man, however, suffered serious injuries, possibly life-threatening, according to police. he was also taken to mgh. neighbors say this was a very sad scene to see. they say the man has lived on this street for decades, too. no charges have been filed against the driver. police are investigating the accident right now. we're live in revere, jennifer egan, 7news "today in new england." >> sarah: later today, closing arguments are set to begin in chism is accused of raping and murdering colleen ritzer, his math teacher at danvers high, two years ago. his attorneys admit that chism committed the murder but say he was insane at the time. a suspect charged for a double murder in revere is set to appear in court today. police arrested the 36-year-old man from lynn on friday after two victims were shot and killed inside an apartment bidding. a third victim was also shot but is expected to survive. >> christa: plus have arrested a man in salem, new hampshire, after he allegedly set his mother's home on fire. police say justin cain lit the deck on fire while hits mother was inside the house. this allegedly happened after the two got into an argument. right now cain is being charged with arson. today the nation marks the third anniversary testify sandy hook school shooting. this is the first time students will be back in class because of the anniversary. the past two years the weekend. school officials say they will try to make today as normal as possible for their students. >> sarah: people are cleaning up in northeastern texas after a tornado hits the area. officials say about 50 homes were damaged or destroyed. people who live there say the storm was a prize because the national weather service never issued a tornado warning. safety concerns are causing amazon to stop selling one of this year's hottest holiday toys. the online retailer has removed some hoverboard from its web site until a safety reward is complete. the move comes after several fires have been linked to the self-balancing scooters. >> christa: a neighborhood leicester. the decorations are a hajj hit in t neighborhood, but because of traffic, a police detail has to monitor the home. the couple was willing the pay for it on their own, but their neighbors and even people they cake care of the cost. >> it's the christmas spirit, you know? this touches a lot of people and in return they gave back to us. >> christa: both the couple and their neighbors say they're happy the light las vegas get to stay on the entire holiday season. i think kris anderson might give them a run for his money. >> sarah: check out his facebook page. he has a whole light inflatable thing going on, putting us all the shame. >> jeremy: if you're not sure where to find it, look for the glow in the disie around 4:10, run to the light. it will guide you. boston 47. norwood 47. cloudy skies for much of the day. rain gear i think on stand-by certainly this morning and even this afternoon. we don't have showers on the way until about 8:00 tonight. and a warm night. temperatures now in the 40s headed for the as this afternoon and evening. low 6s 0 when you wake up tomorrow morning. amazing. how can you not with that kind of weather? and a pats' win. gifts tied wit bear noses, colorful faces up to the top, y ways can you snap, crackle, pop? snowflakes with icing corn feathers, sure look enticing ispies treats, the fun doesn't stop - y ways can you snap, crackle, pop? bazillion ways to make the holidays a treat kellogg's ays can you

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