violent crime on metro has prompted transit police to step up patrols all over the subway system. today at l'enfant plaza, a show of presence as transit officers board trains, check them off, and get off again. the step on, step off program is about security and a sense of' r reassurance for officers. >> they will step on, make sure everything is okay, check with passengers to confirm that, and then step off. >> reporter: it will take some time to see whether policies like this deter crime on the system. it's up slilly this year over the same time last year. now, stay away orders are nothing new to metro, but this is the first time they've gotten them against juveniles and it will be in place at least until these kids go to trial in april. now, coming up later on news4, we will talk to people about how they feel about the stepped up presence of metro police stepping on and then stepping back off the trains. we're live in l'enfant plaza, derrick word, news4. chopper4 just arrived over the scene of a very violent accident. check out the live pictures. this is on route 1. this accident has closed the main lanes of route 1 at buckman road. at least five cars are involved in this accident. they are trying to move some moving vehicles around on a shoulder. it looks like all the lanes are closed right now, but at least five cars. don't know the extent of injuries at this hour. we are following this from chopper4 and on the ground too. stay with us for updates. the man who shot and killed his cousin before he barricaded himself into a home for more than 24 hours is going to spend the next 18 years in prison. roosevelt robinson pled guilty earlier this year. he killed his cousin over a dispute over a piece of jewelry. he barricaded himself for 30 hours before officers to the father -- >> he deserved more than that. i just feel hurt. [ bleep ]. they supported a pervert. >> that's the dad of one of the teenage girls assaulted by a former d.c. police officer shouting after sentencing today. that officer will spend 18 years in prison. one girl was assaulted inside police headquarters. the other inside a church where he also served as pastor. news4's mark segraves was in that courtroom where the father had to be escorted out by security. >> reporter: outside the courthouse today, angry words from a man who says his daughter was one of the victims. >> ain't enough time. he deserved more than that. >> reporter: as the judge handed down the 18-year sentence today, the man stood up and began yelling and cursing saying darrell best should die in prison. court-martials forced him out of the courthouse. best cried as he apologized to the court today, but judge reggie walton was unsympathetic saying, i have a hard time as a father of a daughter, how a man who professes to be a man of god can do what you did. more than 40 members of best's church were in court supporting their former pastor today. one of the victims' sisters told the judge, there are no apologies or any sentence that can ease the pain. beps pl best pled guilty to sexually assaulting a teen girl inside police headquarters just down the hall it from the chief of police office and assaulting a second teenager inside his church. best also pled guilty to child pornography for pictures of the girls found on his phone. as he sentenced best, judge walton said, i have concerns to what extent he poses a danger to young girls when he gets out. in addition to the 18-year sentence, best will have to register as a sex he's out of prison and will be restricted from ever being around minors. coming up at 6:00, the penalty the judge wanted to impose and why the former police officer didn't get a tougher sentence. at u.s. district court, mark segraves, news4. he thinks the government and he is going to make america great. what i know is america is already great because of the american people. >> you need a strong, tough leader to restore america's greatness, and this is the best person to do that. >> what a difference a few months can make. this afternoon a surprise endorsement for donald trump from his former rival new jersey governor chris christie. news4's chris lawrence is here with that and reaction from trump's main challenger from last night's debate. >> like they say, it's not personal, it's politics. donald trump says he's got a lot of endorsements coming in, but happy about, and chris christie says he believes in a potential head-to-head he thinks trump has the best chance against hillary clinton. now, the pair caught a lot of people by surprise making this endorsement before they appeared before a huge boisterous crowd at a rally in if the worth, texas. christie says he thinks trump is the best person to get the country back on track citing his experience as an executive. senator marco rubio, who went after trump's in last night's debate, thinks the endorsement -- it didn't surprise him. >> chris is an articulate guy. donald probably leads a lifeline after last night so he called in chris christie. i respect that. i have more than my fair share of endorsements. >> what i'm doing is endorsing the person i believe is the best person to defeat hillary clinton and restore american jobs, restore american prestige around the world, and restore the faith and confidence of the american people again in the fact that we are an exceptional and great nation. >> and when he was asked about being a potential running mate christie said he plans to finish his term of governor which runs through january of 2018, but trump added, quote, but he does have talent. jim, wendy? >> chris lawrence. and we have learned that donald trump made donations to the campaigns of two u.s. house members from our area, virginia congressman barbara comstock and maryland congressman andy harris. according to federal election commission filings, both received $1,000 from trump. it was in 2014 for comstock and harris' re-election campaigns. and i'm david culver in haymarket, virginia, continuing our team coverage of decision 2016. we came here because with all the heated rhetoric we've been hearing in the debate thus far, we wondered how are virginia voters really taking this all in. what do they care about and, well, what is having an haymarket and prince william county and we share that with you ahead on news4 at 5:00. today a major decision on that proposed controversial merger between pepco and energy giant exelon. regulators voted 2-to-1 to allow the merger to go forward, but as tom sherwood tells us now, there are some conditions. tom? >> jim, it is a historic decision, and those conditions are not seen as that serious. an audience packed the d.c. public service commission downtown. for two years pepco and energy giant exelon have fought for the psc to approve their $6.8 billion merger often against loud opposition. at first critics of the deal were delighted when the psc today appeared to block the merger for a second time in six months. >> the motion is carried. >> reporter: commissioner surprised the audience moving to approve the deal with modest changes for community benefits and solar power. please indicate by stating yes. >> yes. >> chair notes no. >> only betty ann kane voted no. power company executives say the deal will hold down rates for several years and allow better management of pepco but they stopped short of claiming victory today. they have two weeks to accept the new conditions. >> we need to study the order more closely and once we've had a chance to digest the new conditions that were put in place, we'll have more to say about it. >> reporter: but on the wamu radio politics hour, merger critic mary che flatly said opponents had lost. >> this was a great loss. >> reporter: mayor muriel bowser who supported the recent deal ruling. under the merger there should be no rate increases for about three years. this has been a long, tough fight, and now it's essentially over. >> wow. all right. big news today. tom, thank you. >> we'll learn more in the coming weeks and months about how the rate payers will be effected going forward. >> i know we haven't heard the last of this. >> no, this is a whole new world for pepco. >> can't wait for the bill. thank you, tom. we have a developing story this evening. right now there are nine confirmed cases of the zika virus in protect women in the u.s. the centers for disease control says all of the women were infected overseas. three of the babies have been born, one has a brain defect. two of the women had an abortion. two had miscarriages. the cdc is also looking to confirm whether ten other pregnant women in the united states also have the zika virus. virginia governor terry mcauliffe just announced a new task force to help stop zika. it will be led by the virginia virginia municipalities on mosquito surveillance and control. the goal is to have a plan in place before the start of mosquito season, may 1st. nice and sunny. it's chilly, but as long as that sun shines, we're good. and the wind, only when the wind blow that is it feels really cold. much better this weekend though. see you this afternoon. >> that's chief meteorologist -- all righty. >> there goes the selfie stick. >> like i said, until the wind blows, you're fine. >> and then -- yeah, you've recovered. >> yeah, he did. hey, doug, you're in the storm center. how windy did it get out there today? >> we've seen winds gusting to 40 miles an hour this afternoon, and, you know, i was out there as i was walking from my car into work, it really wasn't all that bad. the wind wasn't blowing too bad and with the sunshine, even though temperatures are cold, it didn't feel that cold, but as soon as that wind blows, man, it changes things. temperature at 38 degrees right those are the temperatures. take a look at the current wind gusts currently. 31 miles an hour in d.c. 22 in fredericksburg. 24 in leesburg. these will calm during the evening hours but the windchills are already in the 20s. so it's going to be a very cold night tonight. one more chilly night but a much nicer weekend setting up, and then winter not over yet. we're going to get into the 60s, but then possible more winter coming up. i'll show you when and in my full forecast, guys. >> thanks so much. newly released dashcam video has local police sounding off. one of their own is hit by a drunk driver and the accident happened after the suspect had already been convicted. and it's an election website war. why some chris van hollen supporters are being steered toward his competitor. new controversy tonight in the tight race for u.s. senate in maryland. a live picture from chopper4. at least five people have been injured. this accident has closed the road there, and it looks like all of the lanes are closed. we're following this story. we'll have much more after the break. the presidential hopefuls eyeing battleground virginia as super tuesday looms large and near, folks, but what are voters thinking tonight? david culver caught up with some in haymarket today. >> reporter: amidst the grind of coffee and the consumption of sweet treats, welcome to haymark haymarket's cupcake heaven and cafe. a surge of sugar needed these days to coat the often bitter back and forth of the campaigns. >> they're not so much putting their own opinions out there but more so saying your opinion is wrong and my opinion is right. >> it's the shame for our country to have, you know, people naming one another in such way and so mean. >> i don't believe the candidates are really talking about the issues. i believe they're just fighting right now. >> reporter: anita kane says she watches the debates hoping for next door inside the fashion forward salon, we met a rather frustrated diane gray. she's yet to hear the candidates' take on the issues she's most focused on. >> education is a big one for me, and i haven't heard any talk really about education. immigration is important to me. >> reporter: and just across the street that bears the first president's name we met chuck graves inside giuseppe's italian restaurant. >> i don't waste a second of my time watching the debates because i don't think they really matter. >> reporter: still he like everyone we spoke with planning to cast a ballot on super tuesday and again in november. now you have got an iea of how voters are perceiving this campaign season thus far. coming up on news4 at 6:00, you will hear who some of them are leaning towards if they had to vote for president today and why in some cases they're crossing party lines. in haymarket, david culver, news4. and we're keeping track of both parties' here to virginia in our nbc washington app. open it up and search candidate tracker to find out where you can see the candidates. well, virginia would defy the pollsters if the vote of some of the state's newest voters holds true. students at broad run high school held a mock election as part of loudoun county's effort to register students who are eligible to vote. across the county, more than 2,100 students registered to become new voters. >> keeping up a lot with the elections, and everyone is just super excited. a lot of times our government teacher mr. ahern, he has to kind of quiet us down after talking about it because everyone is just really excited to get out there and to vote and to have the our voice be heard. >> so who won the student mock election? bernie sanders and marco rubio. well a website domain is stirring up some controversy tonight in the tight race for u.s. senate in maryland. typing in chris van hollen.org will not take you to the instead, it redirects to you congresswoman donna edwards' campaign site. her campaign tells the capitol gazette it has no connection to the redirect. a spokesman for the van hollen campaign says it's confident misleading voters with these kind of tactics only reinforces / van hollen's campaign site is van hollen.org. listen up, this is your chance to save some money if you're looking for a new car. we have the list of which ones will be the least expensive to insure. plus, a sex assault in mt. vernon and the suspect is still out there, but police just released new information and it could lead to an arrest. and doug is already tracking our next chance of a possible storm and your weekend weather is all in his full forecast next on news4 at 5:00. and developing right n an irs investigation into a security breach we reported last may is much larger. investigators just wrapped up a nine-month-long investigation which reveals nearly 400,000 additional taxpayers' accounts may have been compromised. we're talking about the irs transcript application. the investigation found potential access to taxpayers' accounts occurred as far back as the app's initial launch. the period of january 2014 through may 2015. the irs says it is working right now to notify people affected by mail and those taxpayers who will receive free identity theft protection. at the li desk, susan hogan, ve ♪ you like being picture perfect. you should want your banking to be too. stop into td bank and we'll help set you up with picture perfect banking. new customers, open a checking and savings account and you can get a polaroid cube+ video camera on the spot. your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. you want to stay free from artificial preservatives. and your debit card wants to stay on a diet. fill your cart with small victories like giant's nature's promise brand. great prices on over 800 items. eat well for less. only at my giant. it has been a cold day across our region. high temperatures only in the upper 30s to around 40 degrees. windchills in the 20s all day. take a look at this shot right here. pretty nice looking shot. again inside out, if you're lo too bad. one thing you don't notice there is the wind and the cold air, two things of note here, here is nats park. the in accordancnats at spring . and over here fedexfield. so you have both of them in line with each other. fed ex, of course, talking kirk cousins, maybe a tag coming down today. here i am doing sports again. i'm sorry, carol, i'm sorry, jason. i apologize. my fault. 38 degrees, sunshine across the area. 36 by 7:00 dropping to about 32 degrees by 11:00. it's going to be a cold night. if you're going out on friday night, dress warm for sure. look at the windchills. 27 in frederick. look at winchester, down to 21. 26 down towards the south around the warrenton area, around gainesville and fauquier county. upper marlboro, waldorf and laplata, it's cold everywhere. that's the way it's going to be this evening. the wind will calm as the sun goes down, but temperatures 30 20s. so bundle up for sure. no rain, no snow to talk about. that's not going to be the case. we did see a lot of snow the last couple days over towards snowshoe in west virginia. that persistent northwest flow brought them 14 inches of new snow. yeah, you think that's going to be a good place to go skiing this weekend? you betcha. continue to see the cold. that's why we have the cloud cover here. but the cold will slowly shift out to sea and behind it we've got a very nice weekend. tonight it is cold. 29 d.c., 25 gaithersburg, 25 down to the south. now, again, this is the temperature, not the windchill. so starting off tomorrow morning will be quite chilly. but this weekend looking good. exercise, no problem. i made these all green earlier. they should all be green. there's no red here at all. they should all be green. hiking, biking, warmer on sunday. skating, ice skating, perfect for this. it will be a perfect weekend. i think veronica got in the system and messed that up. >> no, i didn't. >> i saw you. 46 degrees on your saturday. 60 degrees coming up on plenty of sunshine there. look at the nice temperatures sunday, monday, and tuesday. speaking of veronica, she may or may not be back at 5:45. she'll talk much more about the rest of the workweek, including, yeah, guys, a couple storms next week. >> don't make us come in there and separate you two. >> thank you, doug. a day some people thought would never come. >> now the streetcar is finally about to operate in d.c. >> unbelievable. >> news4 got to test drive the new d.c. streetcar today. what riders can expect when the service finally launches tomorrow. plus, a hero in those deadly tornadoes in virginia. one man, how he survived when a twister ripped him out ever his home. this police dashcam video shows a montgomery county officer struck by a drunk driver who had four prior convictions. why was he still driving? this is chris gordon in montgomery county w you're watching news4 at 5:00. >> well, take a look at this police dashcam. it captured the moment a drunk driver swipes a montgomery county police officer during a traffic stop. that officer injured but he survived. >> he did survive, and the driver who hit him has now pleaded guilty in the case. tonight many people are still upset. as news4's chris gordon reports, they wonder why a driver with multiple prior convictions was behind the wheel in the first place. >> reporter: this police dashcam video taken last october shows officer michael murphy at a traffic stop hit by a passing suv. despite rib injuries, the officer pursued the hit and run driver down clapper road. >> you hit me with your car and you didn't stop. i had to chase you down. >> i heard the noise -- >> you heard the noise? >> i apologize. >> you almost killed me. >> reporter: i spoke with officer murphy earlier this week. >> we tried several prior times, six or seven, for suspected dui, and he has suspended or revoked license. >> reporter: the driver, 35-year-old lenwood saunders pleaded guilty. his sentence, three years for driving under the influence and cocaine possession. he has at least four prior drunk driving convictions so why was he still behind the wheel? >> here is the reality. this man did not have a license. this man was suspended. this man was not driving his own car. >> these are just some of the montgomery county police officers hit by drunk drivers in the last three years and i spoke with a prince george's county police officer injured so badly he was given a 1% chance to live. >> it took me a year to learn to walk all over again. the sad part is i'm laying there watching my family looking at me crying. i can't do anything for them. >> reporter: the maryland general assembly is considering noah's law which would require ignition interlocks to be used by but would a breathalyzer have stopped lenwood saunders from driving drunk the night he injured officer murphy? that part of the story coming up at 6:00. in montgomery county, chris gordon, news4. a fierce fight over how you get your beer and wine in montgomery county came to a sudden halt today in annapolis. montgomery county is the only local jurisdiction left in the nation that still has a government-controlled monopoly on all of the alcohol sales. well, following a news4 i-team investigation into some serious problems with theft and deliv y deliveries by the county's department of liquor control, the county council asked state lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow some privatization. but today that's lawmakers representing the county said there's not enough support to get it passed and voted to back the bill. >> is that correct? nothing? >> evidently that is correct. >> okay. that's great. i'll tell my constituents. >> well, i think we did something. we moved unfavorable on the bill np. >> yeah, right, we accomplished nothing. let's put it that way. >> she was one of only two lawmakers to vote against the move. the rest want the county executive to create a new task force to study liquor control delaying any changes until at least next year. paying for car insurance, it can be costly. that's why consumer reporter susan hogan joins us from the newsroom. she's working for you with the latest least expensive vehicles to insure. what are they? >> that's right. the national highway traffic safety administration says it's no surprise a minivan has taken over the top spot. insure.com released its annual vehicle and this year it names the honda odyssey the least expensive, an average of $1,100 a year. that's the lowest annual premium of all vehicles insure.com looked at and it's the odyssey's first time in the top spot. rounding out the top three on the least expensive to insure list, honda's crv lx two-wheel drive and the dodge grand kara van avp. what's the most important to insure? it is the dodge gt viper averaging a whopping $4,000 a year. back to you. jason pew here in viera, florida, the nationals have had three different managers the last four seasons. in 2016 dusty baker will lead the way and the first order of business for the skipper, getting to know his players, even his most valuable player, bryce harper, who he's referred to as royce on several different occasions. >> man, that and my wife, she's like immediately got on me and my son. he's like his name is bryce. i said i know what his name is. and then she said, well call him harp. i said i don't even know if he likes harp, but i'm used to being in the military and baseball. they go by their last name. i'm trying to get to know these guys and calling them by the first name. evidently i'm messing up. i got it now i think. >> we know how eager you are to get back in the game. this has to feel great for you. >> i was happy where i was and satisfied. i just am happier now. it's another chance to win. i mean, this is about as close as you can get, you know, to coming in on top. let's face it, all the other stop that is i have made, i came in on the bottom and had to take us to the top. so i'm starting pretty close to the top. >> reporter: this nationals club hoping to be on top at the end of the 2016 season. as one player s satisfied until they bring home a world series title. from viera, florida, i'm jason pugh, news4 sports. coming up next, an alert from police in fairfax. we have new developments on a manhunt after a se xu advisor and team who understand where you come from. we didn't really have anything, you know. but, we made do. vo: know you can craft an investment plan as strong as your values. al, how you doing. hey, mr. hamilton. vo: know that together you can establish a meaningful legacy. with the guidance and support of your dedicated pnc wealth management team. for a cup of coffee just because you're a woman. so why does congress think it's ok that women get paid 20% less than a man for doing the same job? i'll fight for pay equity, to protect planned parenthood, now some politicians will belittle this as a women's agenda. more proof that we just need more women in congress. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message. tonight we've learned that another woman was sexually assaulted in the alexandria section of fairfax. police tell us she was walking near richmond highway and claiborne avenue wednesday night. a man approached her, inappropriately touched her and then exposed himself to her. she ran away. >> this comes days after another fairfax county sexual assault just three miles away. police have now named a suspect in an attack on blankenship road. edwin ponce martinez is wanted in connection to a burglary and a rape on saturday. police say he may go by the name ground-level window or door. here at the live desk we're following breaking news out of washington state. five people are dead right now after a man started shooting inside his home outside seattle. sheriff's deputies say he called 911 and told the dispatcher he shot and killed his own family. one girl did survive. paramedics were able to rush her to the hospital. deputies negotiated with the man for about three hours before a s.w.a.t. team came into the home and that's when the man killed himself. deputies say this appears to be a domestic incident. jim, wendy? >> chris lawrence, thank you. forget the money. how about a trip out of this world? >> maryland live casino may be offering up a deal of a lifetime but it may be hard to cash in. >> reporter: for the first time in over 50 years, d.c. street cars set to pick up passengers. i'm street in northeast. we for a cup of coffee just because you're a woman. so why does congress think it's ok that women get paid 20% less than a man for doing the same job? now some politicians will belittle this as a women's agenda. more proof that we just need more women in congress. i'm kathleen mathews and i approve this message. well, it looks like it's actually going to happen tomorrow morning. d.c.'s long troubled streetcar program will actually start carrying passengers. i feel like i want to say allegedly. the mayor will officially kick things off at 10:00 in the morning. just kidding. today we got a chance to take a test ride along the new h street line, this is in northeast. our transportation reporter adam tuss is there live to tell us how that went. adam, you once outwalked this streetcar. has it picked up the pace? >> reporter: you have to keep your fingers crossed, wendy. absolutely. it certainly has picked up the pace. the last time street cars rolled in the city, 1962, but check it out. the streetcar is up there. it looks ready, and now the real test is beginning for the street cars. they face the real world. out here on the a controlled environment. cars, pedestrians, cyclists, everything you could imagine that will be sharing the road with the streetcar. here is a tip, parking here, put your mirror in. it will be a learning curve. today though a test ride gliding down h street in northeast, a smooth ride. on a good day the d.c. streetcar could get from oklahoma avenue over by rfk stadium to the other end of the line at union station in about 20 minutes, but, of course, that's without any delays. delays are inevitable though as the streetcar will be blocked mostly by cars. just today the streetcar had to stop twice as accidents ahead had to be cleared up and opinions, let's just say there aredéi! plenty of opinions aboe streetcars. >> i hate them. and they ain't even started running. >> it's not going to help me. it may help other people. >> reporter: but for raymond patterson, a lifelong resident of h street, someone who remembers riding the old street >> it's going to create jobs, see. if they got something that's going to create jobs and help the people out, it will make the place a better place to stay in. >> third and h doors opening on the right. >> reporter: the streetcar is touted not just as a transit line but something that will spur economic development. that has already happened here. h street has changed. the next chapter in this long saga though starts tomorrow. now, you should know when the streetcar starts service tomorrow, it's going to be free to ride. it will be free for the foreseeable future, but what about down the line? how are you going to pay? coming up at 6:00, i'll tell you about some of the ideas being tossed around, guys. >> adam, the man said he's happy because it's going to create jobs. is it going to create jobs? >> reporter: well, i don't think anybody can dispute the fact that h street has changed quite a bit, wendy. you know, it looks certainly different than the way it looked just a few years ago. so f and restaurants and businesses coming into h street, that certainly has already happened, and a lot of people talk about street cars as economic development tools. that has happened here. whether or not it proves effective as a transit system will all have to wait and see. >> okay. >> stay tuned. >> we're talking big picture. thank you, adam. maryland live is ready to offer you a chance at a prize that is literally out of this world. the casino is launching a new contest that will allow live rewards card members to earn entries for a chance to win a trip to space. that trip would be with one of the several companies now testing space flight and would be subject to faa approval. drawings will be every saturday during the month of march. >> okay. that's a little out of this world. >> it is. >> a little farfetched. >> i'm not going to hold my breath for that one. >> back on earth, we have a pretty good weekend coming up. >> we said this is going to be weather with s because jim wanted to provide that. there will be things you will like and there may be things you won't want any part of because it's the end of winter and people are like, really, really? we'll start with this evening. this evening if you're going out, out on the town we have tonight and we've got saturday night for you. 30 to 35 degrees. so it's still going to be cold but at least the wind will be easing up. check out saturday night. 36 to 39. not nearly as cold, but you're still going to need a coat and it's still going to feel like winter during the overnight period. it's during the afternoons where we're going to see a warming trend. windchill temperatures now, they're plenty cold, in the 20s. under the 30 degree mark, so subfreezing everywhere. when we wake up tomorrow morning, the actual temperature 26 to 30 degrees, but with a lot less wind and sunshine. it's going to be a pretty nice day for tomorrow. so your wake-up forecast, not too bad at all. and a lot of folks talking about the snow we got over the last 24 hours. i know, not here. it was all about the rain a couple days ago. behind it we've got the cold and there was snow out in west snowshoe right there where you see that dark blue blob there, 14 inches of new snow. so they've got a really nice base, and for going to the ski resorts, nice conditions, especially out in west virginia with that fresh snow. western maryland too. if you plan on going hiking, your recreational conditions as well as washing the car, you have got the green light for everything. great for hiking both days and you can even hand wash the car on sunday. our temperature going up to 60 degrees. won't feel so bad when you stick your hand in that bucket of water. 45 in manassas and warrenton. 46 your temperature on saturday in d.c. 45 around olney and gaithersburg. not too bad with a few clouds around the area. it's saturday that we'll have a partly sunny sky. sunday we'll have more sunshine, and temperatures will really start to soar, but check out where we're going to be at lunchtime on saturday. right at 42 degrees. we're 45 at 5:00 and the real change, sunday when we get into the mid-50s, upper 50s to around 60 degrees so sunday is looking nice and mild. a few locations south of fredericksburg around stafford could hit 60 to 61 degrees. we're mild going into the early part of next week. wednesday it's looking like rain, and, in fact, falling temperatures too, especially if that weather front comes through early enough. so rain likely, chance for some thunderstorms, maybe even some strong ones. then at the end of the week, back to winter. 36, rain, even some snow. doug has more on that coming up on news4 at 6:00. >> all right, v.j. thank you. the names are levi coffin, ha harriet tubman and william still. aaron gilchrist is hosting four special for black history month this week and here is a preview. >> reporter: there were many whose names aren't as well known but their actions are in no way less important. historian c.r. gibbs tell us how an incident known as the pearl affair gave life to a movement. morning fairly early in the month slave owners are going to get up and they won't smell any biscuits baking, won't snell any bacon frying. the hearths have been banked and they're still cold. this is the largest mass escape attempt by water in the history of the underground railroad. and more than 70 people, men, women, and children, were able to secretly sail out of the wharf in southwest and make it 150 miles down the potomac and just almost as they begin to make that left turn to freedom, their sails grow slack. the wind becalms itself and they have to pull into a place called cornfield harbor, but it was the organization that put this move together. there were people, aaron, whose job it was to make sure that all of the escapees, i in particular places but not too many at the same place at the same time because people had to be constantly on guard less they be betrayed. and ultimately a black hack driver would betray a portion of the people on board the pearl. >> and the people obviously involved in the pearl affair were not able to make it to freedom, but did that become a moment or sort of a story that transcended that moment and became encouraging to other groups of people who would try to get away to freedom later on? >> folks needed examples of resistance. they needed -- you couldn't be guaranteed. frederick douglass once wrote in his middle autobiography "my bondage and my freedom" that everything you had was at stake once you decided to make that run, and you might make it, and you might not, but such was the desire for freedom that you took the ultimate prize, freedom. >> join aaron gilchrist tomorrow morning as we celebrate black history month with a special program "journey to freedom." learn more about harriet tubman and the underground railroad in our washington region tomorrow morning at 9:30 on news4. the parents, the students, the teachers, they have all spoken regarding new names for the gwyneth park high school's stadium and the new football field in brandywine. they're going to be called mary p. cunningham stadium and delegate james proctor jr. football field. cunningham a beloved educator in the area for 44 years, procter caught there as well for 32 years. they are still searching for their prized possessions, but one virginia family hit by the tornado found one thing that was irreplaceable. an amazing story of survival is straight ahead. and thin all new at 6:00, you can call it a sign of the tisms preserve the storms are gone but several virginia families know that it will be a long time before their lives are back to normal. one tornado killed three people south of richmond. >> and another killed a man in appomattox county. reporter rachel lucas talked to one family there who lost so much, but they still have a lot to be thankful for. >> reporter: it's now hard to imagine that anyone used to live here, but up close you will see small treasures of what these families used to call home. >> right there where you see all the cinder blocks, that was our foundation. >> reporter: joshua and tracy morgan's mother's home is completely gone. joshua was away at work when the storm hit. tracy was next door in her home that was also damaged, but that was the least of her worries. they knew their brother was asleep at their mother's home. >> as soon as everything was gone and that's when it was panic mode trying to find my brother. >> reporter: for an hour and a half they couldn't find him. >> we kept looking and he got pulled out of the living room and got thrown against the brick house that's right there and then wound up in a neighbor's house but he's in the hospital. >> his dog woke him up, and i guess the wall started to come down and then he got just torn out of the house. >> reporter: despite his injuries, their brother was saved, but the family member who saved him didn't make it. >> and the sad thing is the little dog that saved his life, we found her dead just a little bit ago. so we wrapped her up and we're going to bury her in a little bit. >> reporter: their family has lost everything but they say they still have a lot to be thankful for. >> some people have nothing and then i just thank god for what i do have, and it's his birthday so it's his birthday present, cleaning up this mess. >> today is my birthd >> reporter: although their possessions may be gone, their brother will make a recovery, and now that the storm has passed, they still have each other. >> i'm glad my family is whole, so that's all i could ask for. so many things taken for granted. it really makes you look around and know what you have and it means the world. now at 6:00, donald trump once again proves his mastery of the news cycle. one day after a debate in which trump took some solid shots, he announced a major endorsement, new jersey governor chris christie. >> news stole the spotlight from trump's republican rivals and tomorrow's democratic primary in south carolina. steve handelsman joins us live from columbia, south carolina, with today's political twist. steve? >> reporter: twist is right. hi, doreen. good evening from columbia. right, the democrats do have their face-off, their primary, here in south carolina tomorrow, but they had to take a backseat today to much bigger news. these two republicans, they seem like unlikely aes >> the next president of the united states, donald trump! >> reporter: no warning, chris christie and donald trump just showed up together in if the worth. >> america, america must have a strong leader again that can restore american jobs, that can restore american confidence, and donald trump is just the man to do it. >> reporter: and trump can beat hillary clinton, christie said. >> and i think that this is the one endorsement that i felt very strongly about i wanted to get. >> reporter: before he dropped out christie had battled trump. now the fight is for super tuesday. >> i want texas to be trump country on tuesday. >> reporter: last night's debate was fiery. for ted cruz winning at home on tuesday in texas is a must. >> if donald trump is our nominee, hillary will be very difficult to beat. >> reporter: marco rubio is in super tuesday attack trump mode. >> the charade is up. this is a con job. we unmasked him last night, and let me tell you, it's time for you to unmask him as well.

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