becoming gusty tomorrow. things are pretty good so far. 270 traffic running freely from hyattstown to germantown. 95, there was construction southbound, south of springfield, that was going to be the right side. construction on 95 in maryland has cleared up. all lanes open getting past 212. no accidents on 66 or on the toll road or anywhere on the beltway. back to you. >> thank you. the threat of snow could have an impact on the holiday travel weekend. and as people preparing for backup plan. courtney robinson is live at reagan national airport with more. >> good morning. just the threat of a potential ly terrible winter weather has some people changing plans while others say they are sticking intto it. >> we are watching the forecast in trying to determine whether we will be safe traveling. >> some are wondering. >> its could get pretty bad, roads. i'm worried about that. >> from the roads to the skies, most travelers we spoke with say they are sticking to their plans to go home for the holidays and preparing for wild ride. >> we will be with family on christmas day. >> about 2.2 million washington residents will travel this holiday season. many of those will be traveling by car. that will prevent potential problems if we get snowy weather. it will prevent problems at airports like reagan national with delays and cancellations. something that a lot of people are looking into, to see the forecast as soon as they can. california's governor declared a state of emergency for parts of the state inundated by six days of rain. the threat of mudslides forced authorities to evacuate houses in the foothills above los angeles. it was too much for an arizona house swept away by rising water. the "don't ask, don't tell" policy will get a step closer to ending. president obama will sign a bill repealing the 17-year-old ban on gays serving openly at a ceremony at the interior department this morning. then it will go to the pentagon to be implemented. and in congress there's a possible foreign policy victory ahead. meanwhile, dance and pray will spend part of the day focusing on education. he will name five people to positions in education and other areas. the new administration takes office on january 2. tempers flared at a town hall meeting in morningside last night. the issue is, a corruption scandal involving a member of the town council accused of fixing red light camera tickets. brianne carter is live there with details. >> good morning. this stems from an investigation. the police chief said after he noticed there were irregularities pinza and bedlight camera system, he said at the center of this is councilmember a foster. last night inside the town hall meeting a number of residents were there as they listened to council member regina foster speaking. she was fired from her day job as the clerk of the police department after the police chief said evidence surfaced that foster was erasing red light camera to its former south and for her husband. her attorney says that is not the case and they would like to see the allegations. residents last night decides on both sides of the issue. the police chief and foster say that they will continue the fight. brianne carter, abc 7 news. the d.c. medical examiner says the death of a man outside a nightclub was a homicide. ahmed mohammed died in october. four employees as well as the co-owner of the club were initially charged, but charges were dropped. the attorney's office has not decided whether to file new charges. court action involving two local terrorist suspects, a grand jury indicted antonio martinez, he's accused of plotting to blow up a military recruitment center near baltimore. a magistrate denied bond for awais younis, accused of plotting an attack against metro on facebook. that agency is conducting random bag searches. they began yesterday at college park and braddock road stations. it says the inspections are not related to any threat. if people refuse, they will be barred from its entering the restoration or boarding buses. an on-line petition has been started against these searches. it's in the 30's outside. >> still ahead, more trouble for a fallen hollywood star, the han's on lindsay loew showdown at the betty ford clinic. >> and lawmakers deciding on a major part of the president's foreign-policy. >> we will be right back. welcome back. 5:09, to check on traffic and weather every ten minutes. >> everybody is wondering whether we will have a white christmas. sounds like the forecast is shifting. >> it always does a little. snow on christmas, very slim chance. the forecast has shifted to a sunday and monday. live triple doppler seven shows a few snow flurries. the areas of white on the screen are mainly midlevel clouds. ostburg, that is only clouds. highs today in the high 30's with morning cliouds. sunny and gusty to model. gusty and the rest of the workweek and even through christmas eve. tied temperatures today in the mid to upper 30's. that will be the same on christmas. a chance of snow on sunday, lingering into monday. something we will have to watch. now to the jim russ. things look pretty good on 95. southbound traffic going away from us, there was a war zone between springfield and newington. in good shape on 395, 66 as well. 270 in maryland, no delays getting through hyattstown. the beltway looks good all the way around the city. no accidents on the beltway on 95 or via baltimore-washington parkway. back to you. >> thank you. 33 degrees outside. >> coming up,my spcae has -- my space has a makeover. >> and details in politics. >> people taken hostage at a welcome back. checking our top stories, six straight days of rain and taking a toll on the western united states. the storm has led to flooding and mudslides and people have lost their houses. the system could bring snow fall to the d.c. area by christmas evening. some people in our area are changing their holiday travel plans. a morningside town council member is under fire for allegedly fixing bedlight camera tickets. regina far was far from the police department as a clerk after the chief said that she raised tickets. scary moments in north carolina when the woman with a gun walked into charlotte tv station. the building was evacuated and the zweig team took the woman into custody. no one was injured, but the station went dark for an hour. the "start" treaty is expected to be ratified and president obama will sign the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." mike has the latest. >> good morning. since the midterm shellacking, president obama is seeing some success. lawmakers are poised to ratify the new pill nuclear arms treaty with russia. that is one of the president's top priorities. the treaty would also decrease the number of warheads, long- range missile launchers, as well as heavy bombers. republicans are concerned it would jeopardize u.s. plans for missile defense in europe. democrats believe they have enough votes. the tax compromise package has passed for democrats and there is the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell". critics are pounding the president for not coming out and publicly supporting the 9/11 first responders bill. that is expected to be on the runway and taken up after the "start" treaty. released census figures showed virginia's population increased 13% since 2000. maryland's population grew 9%. d.c. went up 5.2%. this is the first growth for d.c. in 60 years. any seats in congress could be lost as a result of the census. army specialist was a graduate of brunswick district high school. a service will be held for him in manassas today from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. of votes by maryland racing commission yesterday, rejected a proposal by the owners of pimlico to conduct live racing next year. there will not be horseracing at either of the tracks next year unless an agreement is reached. goesotorola's smart phone 4g and there's a review of the revamped myspace. the horizon says it will have a new smart phone made by motorola and will run on the fastest mobile network around. the phones are expected next year. myspace has a new focus, information about entertainment. it was not able to keep up with facebook's popularity, so id can be used to share information about the music and movies. >> i found it very easy to navigate. it's now has a cleaner look and it gives people a very easy way to jump into the website if they are not members of myspace. >> those are your technology bytes and i am a vinita nair. if you are trying to decide when is the best time to travel, we are hinging on your forecast. >> you want to plan ahead. to have everything ready to go. looks like christmas day will be a worry free, just increasing clouds. the prospect of a white christmas is something people would like, but this no chances have shifted to a sunday and monday. that is what we will keep an eye on. this is live triple doppler seven. the areas of quiet in west virginia and in charles town and south of martinsburg and winchester along 81 is where we have areas of light. and western maryland hancock, these are a couple level cloudls. there are possible snow flurries this morning and clearing by this afternoon. a frostburg resident says it 35 rm.is wa at the freezing point in cumberland, past several mornings in the '20s. here's a look at some of the radar action. most of that is not snow fall, a dust cloud cover. -- just cloud cover. we will clear out today and have sunshine. it looks like the development and progression of a storm has been delayed. that means christmas should be cloudy with a chance of snow on sunday and monday. still unanswered questions with the accumulation or precipitation type, but we will keep you updated. tied temperatures today in the upper 30's. very windy thursday and friday with temperatures in the mid to upper 30's, same story on christmas. looks pretty good on 95 north of town. this is toward how or county, about 100, traffic running nicely. no accidents on 270. the pace is good towards the lane divide near hyattstown. 95 in virginia running freely. no accidents northbound from woodbridge toward springfield. back to you. >> thank you. 5:21 is the time, 33 degrees. >> coming up next, the washington capitols are on a roll pin the right direction. that's coming up. >> today on "oprah," grammy nominee susan boyle, today at 4:00 on abc 7. we've 0 yuba gratitude. the lesson you gave us on the basketball court paid off. >> that is the women's basketball coach from university of connecticut, joking with president obama last night. the huskies defeated florida state to win the ncaa record, 89 straight games. the washington capitals had almost forgotten what it was like to win because they have lost eight straight games. >> they are back on the right track with two victories in a row. >> something finally woke up the capital's on sunday against ottawa. they have a two-game winning streak. here comes adjacent on the break. he still finds the back of the net. that creates a much needed rally for the capitals. they are two to one in the second. alex is hit there. the capitals win this one 5 to 1. the losing streak is still burned into everybody's mind. >> when you lose that many games, we need to be at the top of the division and the top of the league. we are not selling for two wins here and there. >> that's a look at your morning sports. have a great day. 5:26 is the time. the news continues after this. >> the disappearance of a former redskins cheerleader, the latest on that search and an update. >> frustrated residents speak about a red light camera controversy. you will hear lose at the center of it, coming up. >> adam caskey in the weather center. could it be a white christmas? live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> we will pray for the best. >> what the threat of snow means for your holiday travel. good morning, washington. it's wednesday, december 22. i am alison starling. >> i am scott thuman. for the possibility of a white christmas, let's go to traffic and weather every ten minutes. adam caskey has the forecast from the weather center. >> the extended forecast will change. that happens. we have shifted the chance of snow from sunday to monday. they are shifting the track of the storm. that delays are chances of snow to sunday and monday. christmas will have increasing clouds. it's not looking like a wet christmas or a white christmas. in western maryland and parts of west virginia and charlestown and loudon county, areas of white on the radar. that's mid-level clouds. no reports of snow hitting the ground. we cannot rule out a snow flurries. warmer temperatures today compared with the past few. it's 35 at reagan national, a 30 at manassas, and 32 in martinsburg. high temperatures today near 40 with afternoon sun shines. becoming breezy today and tomorrow. gusty on thursday and on christmas eve. in fairly good shape as the traffic. springfield on i-95 north bound looks fine. no accidents on 66 or the beltway to tyson's corner. maryland, 270 slowing near hyattstown. all lanes are open. b-w parkway looks good. wilson bridge running freely. american legion bridges as well. college park and silver spring in good shape. back to you. >> thank you. california governor arnold schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for parts of his states that have been hammered by six straight days of rain. there have been mudslides and people had to evacuate their houses in the foothills near los angeles. look at this video. it washes the houses away. now the system could cause trouble elsewhere. >> this could bring wintry weather across the plains on thursday, there could be icy weather even south of chicago. >> the storm has dumped 10 feet of snow in the sierra nevada mountains of california as well. thousands of people will be hitting the road for the holiday weekend, but the threat of snow fall could make returning home a little tricky. courtney robinson is that reagan national airport with how people are making backup plans. >> good morning. it's a terrible thing to after think of a backup plan when it comes to holiday travel, but that is what people are having to do. 2.2 million washington residents will get out of town this holiday season. 94% of them will travel by car. that does not bode well when we talk about the fact that we are potentially going to get some wintry weather on sunday and monday. that would be when you are coming back to town when you have to deal with that, possibly treacherous driving conditions. also dealing with airport delays. that is something travelers will also talk about. some say they are watching the forecast and paying attention because they are driving. it will be easy enough for them to change their plans. a lot of people say it's christmas and we are going home regardless. back to you. >> thank you. looking at the day ahead, it's the beginning of the end for the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military. president obama will go to the interior department this morning to sign a bill repealing that 17-year-old ban on gays serving openly. after that it will be up to the pentagon to implement it. d.c. mayor elect vincent gray will make an announcement regarding education today. he will name five people to positions in education and other areas. he will succeed the canadian since each on january 2. ian fenty.dri the d.c. council has approved a 10-year extension on rent control laws. a ticket scandal was a hot topic at a town hall meeting last night in prince george's county. a member of morningside council faced tough questions about her role in a corruption scandal. brianne carter is live at the police station with more on this story. >> good morning. a lot of discussion at the town council meeting last night. this investigation started when the police chief eugene mills noticed irregularities in the red light camera system. >> i am truly upset, the way things are going in this town. >> frustrated morning side residents reacted as councilmember regina foster spoke. >> i have never violated any laws or policies of the red light program. >> she was fired from her day job as a clerk at the police department after evidence surfaced as she was embracing red light camera tickets for herself and her husband'. that theattorney says chiefs was wrong. >> we would like to see the allegations. >> residents are taking sides. >> if anybody is under investigation, they don't need to be spending my tax dollars. >> she is being harassed and it has gone to far. -- too far. >> the police chief and mrs. foster say they will continue the fight. >> thank you. las vegas police are reviewing information in the disappearance of a former redskins cheerleader. deborah flores-narvaez accused her boyfriend of assault weeks before she disappeared on december 12, but jason griffith has not been named a suspect in her disappearance. there was an emotional tribute to in northeast d.c. store owner last night for a 46- year-old raj patel, and killed in a robbery at the newton foodmart. police are looking for two murder suspects. metro will resume random bag searches today. they began yesterday at the college park and braddock road stations. this is not related to any particular threat. if people refuse, they will be barred from entering the rail station or from boarding a bus. 5:36 is the time. >> a battery accusation and a breach of trust. lindsay lohan is back in the headlines. >> there is a new nuclear treaty and there's news on the health care front for 9/11 first responders. >> we are with the washington ballet and we are performing the nutcracker at the warner theatre. come to see us. good morning, washington. >> 5:40 on wednesday morning. looking at live super doppler 7 snow machine. that is not snow falling. if you see snow falling, drop me a line. acebook.com. we are in the 30's. frederick is one of the cold spots at 28. one degree above freezing in annapolis. there's morning cloud cover. isolated snow flurries north and west of town. high temperatures approaching 40 degrees, like yesterday. becoming gusty tonight's through tomorrow and through christmas. becoming a blustery with a wind chill factor the next couple days with high temperatures in the mid to upper 30's. snow chances have shifted from christmas day to sunday and monday. we will keep updating that. started to get a few slow spots on the interstates. 270 in rockville is not bad. it was a little slow in the hyattstown area. let's go to virginia. so traffic in manassas on 66. heavy traffic on 95 heading towards route 123. springfield is not bad. looks pretty good getting past the beltway. 395 is not accurate wilson bridge looks good. back to you. >> thank you. 5:41, 34 degrees. >> coming up,, one in a million troops to a mcdonald's drive- through. we will explain. >> 2011 vehicles, the latest safety report. >> the doors open. lawmakers get ready to hand the >> the doors open. lawmakers get ready to hand the white welcome back. let's check our top stories at 5:45 on this wednesday morning. this is the sixth straight day of rain in parts of the western u.s. and its leading to flooding and mudslides. some houses have been washed away. the same storm system brought snow to our area and it has some people thinking about changing holiday plans. on morningside town council member faces questions about allegations that she fixed provide camera tickets. regina foster was fired as the clerk for the police department for allegedly racing tickets for herself and her husband. she denies wrongdoing. south korea has lit a massive steel christmas tree within sight of north korea, for the first time in seven years. north korea has condemned this ceremony in the past. south korean troops have prepared for a new drill near the border. lawmakers today will take care of unfinished business. president obama will go to his vaca