urage and resolve of the survivors. suivors like shoing victim eric fuller who after calling the accused gunm a quote unhinged lunatic showed up at his parents' house at this to apogize for those harsh words. >> i said som bad things about their son so i thought i would come over here. >> reporter: there's hoperom the university medic center as we. >> gabby opened her eye for the first ti. >> reporte florida congresswoman and gabrielle giffords good friend debbie wasserman schultz was in h hospital room whe it happened. >>e said touch my ring, gabb if you can hear me. e touched his ring, his arm, his neck. it was so unbeliable. >> reporter: some would even say a miracle. >> yes, miracles happen every day. doctors confirmed today, giffords is opening r eyes and has moved both arms and leg now. >> this is a major leap rward. a major milesto for her. and we're hoping that she crosses through many more. >> reporter: hopehat is hoping the victims and this community rvive. a couple of qui notes on the investigation. sheriff's deputies say a black bag found by a neighbor is likely the one jared was spotted with. and in that bag they found .9 millimeter ammunition. the fbi will anaze it. also concerninghe fbi, their crime scene investigation is er at the shopping center where all this happened. and stores could reopen there as early this weekend. live in tucson, jay gray. back to you. >> all right. thank you. we're hearing more about congressman giffords revery. new york senator gillibrand went to vis her in the hospit. >> i was holding her hand and she wa squeezing my hand and moving her arm and movg her leg. you just see she was relevant becoming, trying to open her eyes. you couldee her eyes slowly coming open. her husband couldn't believe it. we didn't know tha she had never been able to open her eyes for a length of time. >> the rt of that interview with senator gillibrand and congsswoman ffords' health will be on "nightly news" tonight. and we'll have a look at how political washington responded the president's speech in tucson last night. local news no there has been 13 homicides in prince george's county since this new year began. there is a meeting now to discuss the violence. todayrince george's cnty + are getting federal assistance to curb the crime. that the collins is at police headquarters with details on their w plan of action. >> reporter: in that buildg behind thatoor at this hour, scores of cops from various jurisdicons. members of a task force here. a task force designed to stop the killing ithe county. it's a troubling trend in prince george's unty. sie the beginning of the year, they're averang one homicide a day. now comes a police action plan. investigative help, hel from the fbi, atf and dea. >> ty're giving us agentsnd we're embedding them in our homicide unit so we ha them working side by side with homicide detectives to work on the2 criminal homicides wve had so far thi year. >> reporter: patrol help. from the maryland sta police. county sheriffs, andownship police departments. why so many murders in ch a short period of time is there some sort of drugar goin on? >> they appear to unrelated. and for the mostpart, random. ouof the 12 micides, we only have two that we can connect. ou of the 12, six appear to drug-related. but it doesn'tppear there is a drug war because we haven't connected one homicide to the other. at least not at this point. >> homicide detectives in prince george's county are worng 20-hour days. 20-hour days. so far, they've me arrests in three ofhe cases. they say more arres aren the way. >> pat collins, thank yo angela is the new prince george's countstate's attorney. her offic has been worki closely with theolice department in an effort to close these murder cases. she grew up in prince george's county and said the numberf homicides in t county so far is dioncerting. >> my concern is getting to the deeper route causes of it and i don't ink any of us can afford to ignore there is a deeper problem and that's what the deep concern is. we have to aress this in a mprehensive way. a real genuine way. >> also talked abo the needs to get guns off t streets. you can watch theull interview on the broadcast vieoint which rs sunday morning at 7:00 right here on nbc 4. fbi ages are investigating suspicious letters today at a u.s. house sorting facility. no explosive devices or hazardous marials were und. the fbi sai there is no direct threat to any lawmaker and that the agency responds to these a routine basis. it is not car t whom the letters were addressed. th fbi says there is no link to last week's letters containing explosives found in maryland and the district. marylan officials have filed a $4 million lawsuit against the federal government over a deadly medevaced hecopter crash. it went down in prince george's county in september of 2008. foureople were kill that day. a year later, federal offials determin that pilot error was the main cause of the accident. now, thgh, the baltimore "sun" repos that marylan officials are blaming two air traffic contl here's were at the nearby andrews air force bhas that crash happened. it accuses the air traffic controllers of negligence. there is newush to allow mo virginia students into is it the colleges and universies. critics say th could back fire. >> reporter: nova is one of the largest community colleges in the country with 73,000 students on its campuses. many fm northern virginia and know how hard it is to get into a state college or university. this student wears sweatirt from williamnd mary. >> my friends applied and it is really difficu to get in and i didn't wa to deal with that much stress and stuff like that. >> out of high school. i wanted to go to george mason but the milk got rejected >> you're still smiling. >> i'm good though. >> reporter: the new bl in the virginia legislae wour ive woul improve theirchances. >> over t next three years, all of our colleges would have to have ateast 75% in state students. they like to have the diverse city and cultural dferences t brg people in from around the country. 75% for a state universit is a good threshold. >> reporter: the intent of th bill is to open more spaces as stat universities and colleges foin state students. bu the dean of ad missions says that may note the result. >> we may not only see growth but we may see fewer. the funding would be eliminated by having less out of state ition coming in. >> reporter: in the meantime, ma virginia students are counting on va's program to allow them to transfer to a four-year state-run college or university >> i knew from the gng i would come here and trsfer. jmu was definitely a possible. >> reporter: in northern virginia, this is chr gordon, news4. >> a similar boil the expand in state tuitions h faed. college and university president said they didot want lawmakers to dictate whom they can admit. coming up, wls of water and mud swept through the streets of brazil. a gunman wen on a violent rampage in maryland. we'll sw you the very firs president did he know archive online. another cold andindy one but tomorrow will be a little better and then much betr this weekend. the redskins general manager going to discuss the future of albert hayneorth. georgetown a maryland heang in opposite directions in college hoops. the caps s their [ male announcer ] rockiout to the big hot pastrami. big. hotpastrami. don't dare call a cover band -- unless you're talkg about covering freshly baked bread with ler upon layer of flavor-packedastrami. this sub lays down power cords of tasteocity with pickles, mean licks of muard and riffs of melty, bubbly cheese. catch 'em before the fresh toasted tour leaves town. subway big h pastrami. crank uphe flavor at subway. in the mountai of the northern part of brazil, floodingnd mud slide have killed more than 350 people, thousands more have beeneft homeless thatrea has received more than amonth's worth of rain in less than 24 hours. many villages have been completelyashed away. one woman warescued from the floodwatersut had to let gof her pet to saveer own life. the president of brazil h approved more than $4 million to prove relief for the peel. vice presidentoe biden had anmotional moment while addressing the troops in baghdad. he appeared to get choked up while talking aut the sacrifices american forces have made in iraq. >> i apologize. i didn't plan onetting emotional but i do not apoloze for the intensity of the feelin that i and so many more americans have for the sacrifices you a your comrades have made. >>ore than 4,400.s. military men and women have died in iraq since 2003. an estimated 32,000 have been wounde american troops are supposed to leave iraq b the end of this year under security agreement. but vice president biden says the u.s. will continue to tra iraqi forc beyond tt deadline. the uss enterprise and its battle group sets il without its former comnder captain owen honors. only one week after he was relieved of his comman the navyets s investigating reports that he produced series of appropriate videos when he was second in command on th enterprise. in 2006 and 2007. the enterprise is headed for the arabian sea to support troop operations in afghanistan. lastnight, president obama called on all americans to help the nation hea from the terrle shootings in cson, arizona. that speech and the sentiment are being wl received. steve handelsman has o report. >> reporter: president obama got back to the white house from tucson with many americans feeling good abo him and his message. >> i thought it s an excellent speech. ihought it was a perfe tone. >> a lot of compassion. and i think it was fro the het. >> the president called the nation to a better place. >> make sure that we're talking with each her in a way tha that heals. not in a way thatwounds. >> it was the barack obama who hadon the white hous >> there was se emotional investment in the speech that w haven't seen in a lot of his other remark since taking the presidency. and it is the broad theme of civility and national healing played to his strengths. >> reporr: since the presidt's party lost in the mid matial elecon, he won a ta deal with republicans. one, a repeal, don't ask, don't tell. one ratificatio of the start treaty. twpolls taken before lt nighs speech put the president's approval at 48nd 53%, trending up. look for his sta of the union in t week to sound like tucson. >> improvements in our cil discourse an how we debate issues will certainly play a role ithis ar's state of the union. >> reporter: the union has been woded. the president seen as a aler. >> the longer he can keep this kind oenvironment where he talk about bringing people together. the longer we're not back t raw partisan politics, legislation, the better for him. >> rorter: but raw reality will soon return in ct, house republicans say next week, they'll resume their effort to real what they dericively call own care. ts has happened t a lot us but you should know the king of spain forgets to put his cell phone silent. king juan carl was aan official reception toreet the ambassadorn sunday when his ring tone of a laughing baby stole the moment. the king had to excuse himself to turn the phone off. it is the second time this week the king has me that mistak he can do what he havene else doesnd look around and say who is that >> that child laugng. that's not a terrible interruption. coming up tonight, an impressive nighttime show from euro's largest active volcan postal rates going up again. fi out how much the nex trip to t post office could cost you. and veronica come back with the forecast. >> reporter: we've got b delays around the reon. 95 right on time. we hit it at6:00. here's the pace inching toward newington. mainline drivs, it impred for you but briefly. you're backn the bridge. headed towd kwanco. the capital beltway is not much better. the lanes are on and we don't have any major accidents but we ve big delays. both sides of the beltway toward 270 and then inner loopill take over and it will be congested througbethesda headed all the way around toward college park. there's aewillionaire in virginia, he is a father of three who moved to the u.s. in search of a bette life and today he got a piece of it. he had a feeling that 2011 would be a good year. he i a native. philippines. he now lives in herndon with his wife and three young kids. on thanksgivingday, he went and boug one new years millionaire rale ticket when he stopped for gas. he checked the numbers on the internet. he sai he needed another set of eyes to make sure that his were working right. >> i couldn't believe it. my wife w sleepg so i have to wake her . if it is the same number. she was jumping around more than me. and i was in shock. >> one can understand why. his wife, it says here sheorks two jobs. maybee ought to sayhe used to wk two jobs. he will pay off the house, invest in th children's futu. he is also an avhave avid nasca. one might expect h in dayna and wherever the circuit goes. >> with three kids, don't know about that. >> take them with him. >> they seem so mild natured. >> he seems so lm. >> i thi necessaryhock. >> you have to be happy for him. retty happy about our weather. a lile sunshine. slightly warmer today. for the next few days, we'll be ching up in the mercury. we like the week for the afternoons. led take a look into what's been ing on today. folk up nort this area, boston, massachusetts, the major highways are clear but not the secondary roads. so they got busy today cleaning up. some of those roads, the secondary ones he been slick with snow and ice. temperate today stayed there. a whole lot of snow. take a look out o wilmington, vermt. 36 inches there. and a foage, too, from rhode land. more of the cln-up underway. this is the thir major storm for them in as many weeks. ? this would be that last storm s storm number four that seemed to kind of miss us. 37, the high temperature for. today below the average o 42. we've had 37 days in a row. 33, the temperature. the windchls throughout the day have been about ten degrees lower. 23, wh it feels like with the west north westerly wind at 14 miles per hour. and look a haymarket, virginia. e windchill, 18 degrees. 21 in loudoun countyork lawsuit with feels like. silver sing with that northwest windhanging directions. some frries around charleston and beckly, west virginia. e closest oneso . throws off the lakes of ontario, erie as well as michigan. then approaching chicago and areas like peoria. that snow associated with our next storm sysm that will be coming our way for the weekend. down south, they sti have snow on the ground. and what that has done is it is really helped to keep it cold. we for the northeast corner of the country, had some of the higher temperatures. 32 now in atlanta, georgia. we are at 33 deees. factor ithe wind and look at the mbers. . louis, feeling like 16 degrees and below zero. veryhortly theren bismarck, north kota. that's what is behind this little low-pressure system here. it willome zipping on along. some flurries in th forecast. some clouds in the foreca. even somsprinkles for the ternoon. the overall weath pattern, a big dip in theet stream. still cold here. what happens by the time we get to tuesday, it willtart riding up the coast just in time. we have to get a bigger system that will come our way. early mond, martin luther king jr. day. we cou have a little freezing rain. maybe some rain/snow mix before we see the rain. rain for tuesday, and me wicked cold athe e of next week with another big drop in the jet stream,ll the way to the south. the next 48 hours,e'll have some clos moving through film. rly part of the day tomorrow. still a fair am of sunshine. then for saturday, some spnkles and flurries. here's a look for the forecast. dropping from 31 to 26. by early torrow morning, less wind around the your. so the windchills mbe not quite as low. look at the temperature. 17 to 21degrs. tomorr at 7:25 for your afternoon tomorrow. a mixre of cloudsnd sun and 32 to 36 degrees, t tempature. again, it will be a little better wh less wind around the area. there's ursaturday. 43 for the afternoon. again, a flur, a sprinkle or two. a good dayo hd to the expo. i think my time slo is noon to 2:00. sunday, 40 degrees, the high. then a lite mixed precipitation formonday. it could make for somecy roads. tuesday, rn at 50 and falling temperatures for wednesday. doreenill be there all through the weekd. >> and everybody with weather questions or complaints. >> that'sright. come see me. but no complats. doug is there sunday. that's when you go wh your complaints >> there won't be any complaints. the weather sounds greator the weekend. cong up, one of the most recognizab streets in the capital. we'll find out why pennsylvania avenue could get a name change. jfk's presidential arcves are going digital. >> reporter: i'm tom sherwood at the mart luther king memorial in the national mall. an emotional tour by some lol officials. coming up in sports, the capitals aiming for more shots to sto their sle. georgetown tumbling down in the standings and donan mcnabb's fure come into focus with the redskins' general manager. host: could itg to geico really save you fteen percent or more on car i woodchucks chuck wood? man: hey you dang woodquit chu (hlaughter) vo: geicen minutes could ou fifteen percent or more onar insurance. funeral services were hel today for the younges victim of e shootings in tucson know arizonon saturday. christina taylor green was only 9 years old. >> police in prince george's county say federal ages are helping them deal with the seri of homicides in the county. so f 13 people he been killed in 2011. agen from the fund, the dea and the atf are now joining the effort to help solve the murder ses. the fbi agents are investigating suspicious letters discovered today at the u.s. house mail sorting facility in capitol heights, maryland. no explosive devices or hazardous materials werefound. the fund says there is no direct threat to any laaker. there was a violent incidt at a homen frerick unty, maryland. one family member was killed work thethers were shotnd unded. >> police say a man opened fire on the family me. then he allegedly jumped in his car and sped away. he crashed a few mile ballinger creek pike. investigators found him dead, slumped behind the wheel. derrick ward has our port. >> reporter: a quiet cul-de-sac in a neighborhood in frederick unty where the predawn peace was shattered by the sound of horror. >> my husband and i woke up. i said is th a gunshot? and he said ye. he came down and looked outside and checd our house and ce back up and said everything seems fine. >> reporter: but everythin wasn't fine. th soon became clear. >> i heard another gunshot. then i heard screamg. >> reporter: s called 911, as did someone inside the home at 6341 lysander court. police say there was the sound of gunshs andcreams on the line and then that linwent dead. police raced to e scene as the suspect, the 26-year-old, was leaving. >> i saw the oldest son that ved here. leaving and getting i his car. he was shoving something in the back seat. then he took off quickly without turning off dow the stet. >> reporter: thevle, the suspect's father, who police say was found exiting the rear of the house. the suspect's sister, a recent graduate of hh school. and hi mother both had bee shot. one was fou in a bedroom. the other on th front doorstep. what is described as the low speed pursuit of the red kia began. >> they attempted to mick a traffistop. the vehicle continued out to ballinger creek park. >> the drive was dea inside the car. police s they observed a trauma head injury but they are awaiting an autopsy report to say for sure if the victim die from the csh or from a self-inflicted wound. >> reporter: the fily is described ideal nghbors on an i