Transcripts For WRC News4 At 6 20150108

Morning where its really going to start feeling better around here. So inan extreme night again, harsh start for us tomorrow morning, but a pattern change youre going to like. At least were going to get on the other side of the freezing mark. Well talk about that and how long we could hang on to the pattern change. Thats all coming up in a few. Thanks, veronica. A man trying to thaw out some frozen pipes ended up igniting a fire in his virginia home. Hes not the only one using Desperate Measures trying to stay warm. News4s Kristin Wright joins us from fairfax with more on that and how firefighters protect themselves during times like this. Reporter doreen just how bad this bitter cold is depends on how you ask. Al and his wife braving the bitter cold. Yesterday i took a walk because i like to walk after breakfast. And it went okay except for the wind. The wind just ruined it. I had to cut my walk short. Reporter and today, did you take your walk . No. Reporter the impact of the deep freeze farreaching. Brutal for even the bravest. Especially when you get wet and stand out in the cold. Reporter a homeowner in fairfax used a partible heater to try to thaw frozen pipes in the basement. The insulation caught fire. Firefighters have to think about hypothermia hypoth im wearing long johns under my station uniform and two shirts. Reporter they rotate crews in and out of the cold. They cant always wear gloves. Sometimes theyll take their gloves off to manipulate changing those tools out. Changing a saw blade on a chain saw. Reporter the equipment is cold. This tool 16 degrees. A tank 18. Water from the hoses turns to ice. Treacherous, but manageable for some. Doing fine. Im retired, so i dont have to go out if i dont want to. Reporter in Fairfax County firefighters told us today that fire on ruby they were at today was the second started in it that way by someone trying to use a portable heater to thaw pipes in just the past 24 hours. So they remind everyone to be very careful when trying to stay warm. In fairfax, Kristin Wright, news4. Thanks kristin. For the second time this week Fairfax County School System is under fire. Officials initially today called for a twohour delay, because the Road Conditions had improved. But then several bus drivers couldnt report to work and a number of the buses wouldnt start. That raised concerns over the amount of time students would be standing at bus stops. And because of that concern, the decision was made later than normal. We recognize that any kind of change beyond what was reported is cause for angst, and certainly inconvenience for both our parents, our students and our staff. But we had to err on the side of caution today. School officials stand by their decision and as we mentioned at the top however broadcast, because of the cold conditions Fairfax County will be on a twohour delay. Fairfax county schools on a twohour delay tomorrow. That is the focus of our survey. The question do you think its too cold for the kids to go to school . Hundreds of people have weighed in. Most saying yes. Too cold for those kids to go to school. He has a history of Mental Illness and was off his medication. Thats what police say drove a man to ram a dump truck into two parked Police Cruisers. Now this new Surveillance Video is revealing what happened before the attack. News4s Darcy Spencer joins us from police headquarters. Darcy . Reporter doreen were live at Prince Georges Police county headquarters where they released that incredible video late this afternoon. You may wonder what was this all about . The chief tells me that this suspect was fixated on the idea that police had somehow harmed his brother. But the chief says that simply wasnt true. This man arrested after allegedly ramming two Prince Georges County Police Cruisers and confronting the officers. Surveillance video shows them at the top right part of your screen running to a snowy field. Off Camera Police say one officer pulled his gun. The other a baton. But they never had to use their weapons. At which point, he approaches the suspect, turns them around and places them in handcuffs. There was no force used at all. Speaks volumes to the training our officers received, and how vigilant they are. And how tactical they are in their response to situations when they arise. Reporter the Surveillance Video shows the dump truck driver smashing into the cruisers in a Shopping Center parking lot. Before it happened he had an exchange with those two offduty officers. He keeps making reference to his brother was shot in d. C. And somehow fixates on our officers. All of this didnt happen but in his mind it did. Reporter then those officers asked him to leave. They ask him to move his truck along because the traffic is starting to build up behind him and they say have a nice day, sir. At which point he says were about to have a nice day. Reporter that is when he allegedly circled back around and slammed into the cruisers. The officers had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. Its by gods grace these officers werent killed. This is police video of the man who was behind the wheel of the dump truck, identified as gene brandon. This individual has a history of Mental Illness. He was not on his medication. Reporter the suspect is currently being held without bond on assault and attempted murder charges. Were told that he will receive a complete Health Evaluation at the jail. If you would like to see that Surveillance Video, the entire thing, you can check it out at our website, nbcwashington. Com. Reporting live from palmer park Darcy Spencer, news4. Thank you, darcy. The house was destroyed. A man is in the hospital with Second Degree burns from a townhouse fire in the alexandria section of Fairfax County. Chopper 4 flew over the house along holly hill road. It took 75 firefighters to stop the flames from spreading after that fire broke out this afternoon. The house was left charred, and damage to the surrounding houses was evident, as well. No word yet on what started that fire. If you walked out of the courthouse in fairfax today, you would have seen an unusual sight for that county. Dozens of protesters in front of police headquarters. Theyre demanding transparency in the shooting death of john gear. Northern Virginia Bureau reporter david culver talked to residents reacting to the chance chants for justice. We are out here today to demand justice for for transparency and information. Reporter despite the harsh cold they walked in circle after circle trying to send a message to Fairfax Countys police chief in this building. Hands up still shot like the hands up dont shoot. Its almost the same thing. Reporter this is latakia gray just leaving the courthouse with her two kids curious about what this group was protesting. Theyre interested. They felt the need to know, what the signs meant. Reporter most of the signs carry john gears name. In august 2013 Police Responded to his springfield home called there for a domestic incident. The mother of gears two kids warned there were weapons in the home. For 50 minutes, police negotiated. Then a single shot by officer adam torres. Gear unarmed, bled to death. But for 16 Months Police refused to give details. Its been really a joke of an investigation. Theres been very few questions answered. Reporter it wasnt until earlier this week we learned the shooting officers name and that only came after gears family filed suit and a judge demanded Fairfax County police turn over the information. This protester wants torres to be held accountable, but warns not all cops are bad. That would be totally ignorant to say. Reporter she and her two children out of school because of the weather, but their mom says theyre still learning an important lesson. School was closed today, so now they had history. Reporter i did reach out to police. They referred me to the county spokesperson who told me they have no more to add in this case tonight. Meantime the department has until the end of this month to make public the rest of the information in gears shooting. In fairfax, im david culver, news4. New at 6 00 tonight, Jesse Matthew is the man linked to the disappearance to a student at the university of virginia. Her name was Hannah Graham. Matthew will go on trial in two months in an unrelated case in Fairfax County. A sex assault case. But there will not be a camera in the courtroom for those proceedings. As our virginia reporter chief, julie carey, reports, the judge denied the medias request after prosecutors said the victim was strongly opposed to any cameras. Jesse Leroy Matthew jr. Reporter this hearing may mark the last time a Television Camera will document the case against him. Matthew goes on trial in march on attempted murder and sex Assault Charges for a 2005 attack on a 26yearold woman. Hes also charged in charlottesville, in connection with the disappearance of uva student, Hannah Graham who was found dead last fall. And dna suggests the link to more Morgan Harrington found debt in 2010. News4 asked the court to permit cameras at matthews Fairfax County trial. But from the start, the medias attorney acknowledged the camera would be turned off when the victim took the stand. Its a sex offense case and there is no question even if the judge allowed cameras in this case he should turn the camera off when the victim testified. And so there was never any debate about that. Reporter but prosecutor ray morrow says the victim even fears being seen walking through the courthouse doors. She lives in india, and prosecutors are counting on her to travel to testify. I promised i will protect her privacy as much as i could. She is really, really vehemently opposed to cameras in the courtroom. Matthews defense attorney also objected to a camera arguing it could make it hard to get a fair jury. Judge david shell turned to vrnl law vrj law virginia law and said cameras are prohibited. Jesse matthew and lawyers are due back in court tomorrow. They want a gag order to keep prosecutors from talking about the case publicly. In Fairfax County julie carey news4. A crib set on fire with a baby sleeping inside. Tonight, Court Documents reveal the bizarre explanation from the childs parents. A manhunt intensifying as we learn of new sightings. Well tell why police are zeroing in on those terror suspects in paris. While theyre beefing up security here in d. C. A cold and kay attic commute. Why some riders could be entitled to a refund. And 20 ways to keep warm in this bitter cold. We posted the list on our nbc washington app. You can check it out during the break, and then share with your friends, if you would like. We thought our cable internet was fast. But, our uploads are half the speed of our downloads so our internet is really halffast. So halffast. Someone did a halffast job posting our vacation pics. Stop living with halffast internet. Only verizon fios comes with speedmatch uploads as fast as downloads. Get a fios triple play for just 79. 99 a month online for two years and get a 400 bonus with a two Year Agreement hurry its your last chance. This offer ends january 17th. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v breaking news here in d. C. This is video of president obamas motorcade going into the french embassy, just minutes ago, where he signed a condolence book to honor those killed in paris. Meanwhile, u. S. Intelligence officials acknowledge differences between yesterdays attack at the Charlie Hebdo magazine. Steve handelsman has the latest. A quick word about the french embassy, the french asked for the u. S. And secret service acknowledged today, it has agreed to provide extra security for obvious reasons at the embassy of france here in the u. S. Located northwest of georgetown. What happened in paris has a lot of lawmakers, a lot of officials here in washington especially concerned, because it wasnt just an individual highly motivated terrorist. Instead, a team of wellarmed apparently welltrained terrorists that in this particular case could strike again. Despite the intensive manhunt, the kouachi brothers were still at large as darkness fell in france. French soldiers rushed to paris, the number one concern, said officials, is another attack. Cherif kind of kouachi was jailed in 2008 for helping send jihad fighters to iraq. He and his brother, said 34 were named as suspects in yesterdays attack because one of them left i. D. Behind. A third suspect turned himself in. But the terrorists soldierlike precision is alarming experts in the u. S. They theorize the cherifs were trained and sent home by isis or al qaeda. So this is kind of the high end of the new genre of attacks, im afraid were going phosphorus for some time now. Reporter maybe some lawmakers fear in america. We have a situation where citizens of the European Union can come more freely to the u. S. Unless thats tightened up thats a danger at home. Reporter Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist said she will not stop drawing cartoons that could offend muslims. If you would like not to see your prophet character yourized do not do stupid things in the name of your prophet. Reporter the eiffel tower lights went off and back on to honor the dead and defy the extremists. U. S. Homeland security said the kouachi brothers have been band from travel to the u. S. For years. They are on the u. S. Nofly list. Im steve handelsman, news4. Thanks steve. The Baltimore Ravens are reacting to new fallout from the ray rice case. Earlier today, an investigator said the nfl should have examined the incident more thoroughly before it punished the before it punished rice who was was a star running back for the Baltimore Ravens. But the investigator says he found no evidence that the league received video of rice punching his then fiancee before it was released to the public. The nfl hired former fbi director Robert Muller to handled the rice case. A short time ago, the ravens issued a statement, saying the team looks forward to cooperating with the nfl on any new policies resulting from that report. You can read the entire report online at nbcwashington. Com. Veronica is here with a check on our weather forecast. I guess if we made it through today, we can handle tomorrow. I think so. Okay. You know at its worst today, wind chills dropped to minus 10 in some neighborhoods. Whew. Exactly. Enough to take your breath away for sure if you were outside. And cars were making strange sounds too. But now tomorrow those wind chill readings in the Single Digits i think in the morning. So we have gotten this biting cold here. The last couple days now. Get ready for just a kiss of cold. The kind we can take. A little easier. Check out your evening planner forecast. Were at 23 degrees now. We drop to 20 degrees by 11 00 p. M. And it is late with this pattern that were in where we could see a few flurries. Were tracking them here over in areas like michigan and indiana. Another weak system thats going to make its way off to the east and stay up to our north in pennsylvania but could deliver a flurry or two in some our westernmost counties around spots like Cumberland Hagerstown and frederick, maryland to winchester. From midnight until early part of the day tomorrow around 5 00 or 6 00 a. M. In fact heres the future weather with our cold conditions tonight. All the white here thats the clouds coming into the area. And that white, the bright and the blue, thats some of the snow upper elevation could see some accumulating snow. Maybe around 1 to 2 inches. But again, nothing more than a few flurries here. I say that because along with this system coming in the wind will start to pick up. So it doesnt take much to push some of those flurries close to us around leesburg or warrenton. We clear out tomorrow afternoon. Yes, still windy. The temperatures climb into the on the other side of the freezing mark by 11 00 a. M. To lunch time. 35 37 degrees. That is going to make it feel better because todays High Temperature was 24 and our wind chills were even lower than that in the teens throughout the day. High temperature tomorrow anywhere from 32 to 38. Those wind chill readings tomorrow midday 15 to 20 degrees what it will feel like. Again, better than today, then 25 to 30 degrees by 4 00. And as cold as it is heres been mighty warm on the west coast. Theyve got kind of the flip pattern on the west coast, where meteorologist Doug Kammerer is lake tahoe, where theyre waiting for the cold. Doug . The cold waiting for the snow. Lake tahoe 4,400 skiable acres. Right now, though 125 available for skiers. We to go took a couple runs earlier. Sierra nevada behind me. The mountains are fantastic. Snow on those mountains, but they really want to see snow on these mountains. Im here in lake tahoe for a weather conference called operation sierra storm. It brings in meteorologists from across the nation to talk about weather, talk about Climate Change and help to relay that to the public. So ive been out here the last couple days. Ill be out here for the day tomorrow too. So hopefully ill be back with you tomorrow night around 6 00. And vj im coming back this weekend, just in time for our next storm sunday into monday. And for the big q a, the health and fitness expo 11 00 a. M. Sunday on stage. Youve got to be there. Dont forget doug. Yeah ill be there for that too. I guess i to come home some time. Im always reminding him about something. Thanks doug. This weekend, close to 40 degrees during the afternoon. Yes, we start out cold in the teens, again, each day. But sunday warm day out of the weekend. Weve got a 40 chance freezing rain sunday. Depends what the system decides to do. This is by no means a major storm at the beginning of the week. Break here on tuesday and wednesday. But again, as i said we go from this biting cold to just a kiss of cold next week. I think we can take that easily guys after this week. Thanks, veronica. He was taking down the Christmas Tree when tragedy struck. What were learning about the deadly attack involving a family pet. And new questions about the future of d. C. s street car programs. A delegate to the Virginia Legislature wants to change the conditions under which you could get a ticket for reckless driving in that state. The Virginia Legislature is considering a bill that would raise the speed threshold for reckless driving from 80 Miles Per Hour to 85. Delegates tells news4 Scott Macfarlane the 80mileanhour rule treats drivers like criminals, and he said it catches people from out of state who are accustomed to higher speed limits. News4 has learned the district street cars on h street have been involved in nine crashes since testing began last october, including one crash just last night. Tom sherwood reports now on the future of street cars. It could change you said new mayor, Muriel Bowser. Reporter emergency vehicles have trouble getting through crowded h street. And vehicles are still getting used to the new street cars being tested before they start carrying passengers. There have been nine fenderbenders since october. There have been no injuries and we have not been cited for any of them. Its a learning curve for everybody and i think people are getting it. People are very excited about it. Reporter mayor Muriel Bowser has supported street cars but in her inaugural address, she says the city has an increasingly tight budget. We know we have ballooning construction costs, and some of our big priority projects and a shrinking Borrowing Capacity that will force us to make tough choices. Reporter bowser has said she wants to explore creating rapid bus lanes throughout the city another threat to street cars. And even on crowded h street some citizens think the street car is unnecessary. Like this man, who has lived here since 1952. Its really unnecessary. Youve got the subway. Youve got buses. Youve got cabs. Youve got bicycles. Now youve got a street car. Its unnecessary. They dont go anywhere. I think theyre doing well. I work right there. I see them passing by. Weve got the bus stop right there. And im just waiting for them to open. Reporter the most recent of nine incidents occurred last night when this car was rearended by a street car. In the district tom sherwood news4. Next flames burst from a crib while a baby is sleeping inside. A mother and father now under the watch of police. Well tell you where their child is now. Plus thousands of commuters trapped on the rails. Metro says cold weather caused the chaos. How it plans to help you out for your trouble. Plus the measles. Spreading quickly in parts of the country. Why disneyland may be to blame, next. Hey guess what day it is . . Hump day hummmp daaay its hump day yeah hey Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike mike mike. Hey he knows hey guess what day it is hey camel guess what day it is its not even wednesday. Let it go, phil. If youre a camel, you put up with this all the time. Its what you do. sigh if you want to save fifteen percent or more car insurance, you itch to geico. Its what you do. Ok. How can i avoid maintenance fees . Why would you want to avoid them . Because i dont want to. You know what . Im gonna bring my maintenance guy in here to tell you all about it. Roddy so, uh, without your fee your checking chamber cant run smoothly. Every time you put money in it causes, uh. Deposit friction. Gotta get some fiscal lube on there. [ male announcer ] its time to bank human again. [ defeated] okay. [ male announcer ] avoid monthly maintenance fees at td bank with a minimum checking balance of just 100. Td bank. Americas most convenient bank. Thank you cable. For the slower internet upload speeds. For making me wait longer to share my photo albums. Thank you cable, because if we never had you. We wouldnt know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. The numbers dont lie. In Customer Satisfaction studies, fios is rated 1 in Internet Speed and reliability, and hd picture quality. Get a fios triple play online at an amazing price guaranteed for two years and get a 400 bonus with a two Year Agreement. Hurry its your last chance this offer ends january 17th. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v next on news4 at 6 00 a 2monthold babn his crib. Someone sets fire to his mattress. The father says it was a ghost. Bitter cold temperatures take aim at metro and make a messy commute, but should you get a refund for that . After a man is killed by his dog, there are important lessons to be learned about adopting any pet. First at 6 30 a series of suspicious fires set inside an apartment, including one underneath a sleeping babys crib. Perhaps whats most unusual about this is the parents explanation. They say their place is haunted. Our pat collins has our report. Reporter do you think its possible ghosts can start fires . I dont believe in that. Reporter do you think ghosts really could set a fire . Oh yeah. Definitely. Reporter here now, this strange ghost story from the city of alexandria. 40yearold marood and his wife charged with failure to report a series of five bizarre fires inside their apartment at the fox chase complex here in alexandria. According to Court Documents obtained by news4 one of the five fires involved the intentional ignition of an infant babys crib mattress and that the infant was asleep in that crib at the time of the fire. According to Court Documents, he told investigatorse believes ghosts were starting the fires. And that he believes his apartment here is haunted. Its unyou clear as to who actually set the fires or who put out the fires. According to the Court Documents, he and his wife never called 911 for help. Instead, later on they asked the Management Company to investigate. The Management Company called the fire marshal, and when the fire marshal got here thats when he told the ghost story. According to Court Documents, the fire marshal seized two lighters. He told investigators no one smokes inside that apartment. Officials say the 2monthold baby is okay. That hes under the care of child protective services. His parents, they say, is out pending further court action in the case. In alexandria pat collins, news4. Breaking news now about a big decision from the u. S. Olympic committee. Out of the four cities they have decided that boston will be the candidate at the u. S. Olympic committee will bid to host the 2024 olympics. This news just breaking out of denver where they met today, and they have decided that d. C. San francisco, and los angeles are out, and boston will be the city of choice, that they will bid for that 2024 process ahead, but we talk more about this decision coming up in sports. Send it back to you. Okay dianna thank you. Turning to our weather now, and whats been the coldest day of the season, the conditions created big problems for people who rely on metro to get to work and school. Adam tuss will have more on that. But first, to veronica with a look at what we can expect tonight and overnight. Hey, vj. Hey there, yeah its been uncomfortable throughout the day today, for being outside for any prolonged period of time. We still see that as we head into the evening and early part of the day tomorrow. Our wind chills at one point this morning down well below zero. Now tomorrow morning, though theyll be in the teens. A few locations could drop to the Single Digits. All as we continue to hold on to this cold air. As the winds start to pick up the actual low temperatures tomorrow morning, around 20 to 21 degrees. Thats the overnight temperatures. But the wind chill readings again in the teens. There it is at 9 00 a. M. Feeling like 20 degrees, manassas. 18 in d. C. But hold on. Were above freezing tomorrow. Well above freezing by the afternoon. Well take a look at this pattern change that will hang on and for how many days. Thanks veronica. The ride home on metro is a lot less arduous this evening than was the attempt to get to work in this morning. The extreme cold caused some rails to crack, and that created long delays for passengers. Reporter adam tuss has more on how metro might make it up to those riders. Reporter a mess of a morning commute. Detailed picture by picture on social media. Up and down the metro system the packed platforms and crowds tell the story. Riders frustrated. Some had to wait for a half hour or more in the cold. Many anxious to get off the outdoor metro platforms, where a lot of this was happening. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. I mean its just really, really cold and i work what it is. Every half hour youve got to get in and out of the cold. Reporter so when there are these kinds of delays should you get a refund. Metro says if you were terribly inconvenienced give their Customer Service center a call. We know it was a difficult ride for riders this morning. Every minute of delay seemed like 15 minutes for 60 seconds of waiting this. Reporter this is an issue in other systems. Yesterday, bostons rail system warning about the potential for cracked rails. In new york city a broken rail cows caused a derailment. Some riders say they want metro to do better and be better prepared. The trains never really run the way theyre supposed to. Reporter as for right now so far, so good on the metro system. Tonight, things seem to be operating normally. Now, we did ask metro, and they say when the temperature does get this cold they will have extra crews on hand. Theyll be watching all night tonight, and into tomorrow. At East Falls Church adam tuss news4. Mauled by the family dog. What were learning about the 87yearold man who was killed by a pitbull he had recently rescued. And well tell you why the court is forcing a teenager with cancer to undergo chemotherapy even though she is very much against it. Nine cases of measles now linked to disney theme parks out west. California has confirmed seven patients with the airborne virus. Utah has two. Health officials think a Single Person who visited disneyland and disneys california Adventure Park started the measles spread sometime between december 15th and 20th. Only one of the confirmed patients has been vaccinated against measles, which can cause coughing fever and a red, blotchy skin rash. Today, judges in connecticut ruled against a girl suffering cancer. The ruling says she must continue receiving treatment against her will. 17yearold cassandra has lifethreatening hodgkins lymphoma. Chemotherapy could give her an 85 survival rate but she considers chemoo in her words, toxic poison. It has received National Attention because of the legal and ethical issues raised. Her mother says she is mature enough to refuse treatment. Its very serious, and my daughter does not want poison in her body. This is her constitutional right as a human being. Reporter the Connecticut Supreme Court disagrees with that. Cassandra has been under state custody since last month. Investigators said her mother allowed her to miss doctors appointments and medical tests. The courts ruling means cassandra will continue to receive chemo. This weekend is the nbc 4 health and fitness expo and there are lots of activities to help you get healthier this year as well as some special guests. Meredith vieira will be there to answer your questions saturday at noon. Also sin theecynthia balely from the real housewives of atlanta sunday at 11 30. Find the latest information and schedules for the expo on our iphone app. Look for expo to go in the app store. Dangerous cargo hauled near homes. Well tell you about the changes local leaders with pushing for in the wake of our iteam investigation. Potentially big news for teachers in Fairfax County. We put details on nbcwashington. Com. And a man was mauled by his dog while taking down the Christmas Tree. Tonight, well tell you about the desperate attempt to save him, and what you need to know before you adopt a pet. A pitbull yesterday killed its elderly owner. As our Mark Segraves shows us, a Frederick County man was taking down his Christmas Tree when the dog attacked. Reporter 87yearold eugene smith was lying on the floor of his home in frederick, taking down his Christmas Tree yesterday afternoon when his 84pound pitbull attacked him. His sons fiancee was unable to get the dog off smith so she called 911. In this instance the officers and deputies were able to get the dog away from mr. Smith and contain him immediately so no shots were fired at the dog. Reporter investigators say the attack was not provoked. Animal control took control of the pitbull and ended up euthanizing the dog. David byrd has rescued pit bulls himself and owns a kennel. Like many dog experts, he says this is not about pit bulls. Pitbulls can be excellent pets. They get a raw deal. But with any dog, youve got to be careful. Reporter experts say, because most dogs that become violent have been abused or neglected in their past there are things people should do before adopting any dog to be sure Something Like yesterdays tragedy doesnt happen to them. When you adopt a dog, you need to do your Due Diligence and find out who the previous owner was, what the circumstances are, how was he raised was he abused do you know that . Find that out. Reporter and thats exactly what reputable rescue operations do. Here at animal control in Frederick County we behavior assess our dogs so we find out if theyre peoplefriendly, dogfriendly animalfriendly much we disclose any history we have on the animal. Reporter in frederick, Mark Segraves news4. Tonight, reaction from d. C. Council about our news4 iteam investigation into dangerous cargo moving through downtown d. C. Last night, Tisha Thompson told us how big the evacuation zone could be if a train derails in the city. Lawmakers say the time has come to make some changes. Reporter Monty Edwards belongs to a Nonprofit Group thats filed a lawsuit against csx to prevent the expansion of its virginia avenue tunnel in southeast d. C. We are one of the few states that does not have a rail plan. Reporter edward says unlike maryland and virginia d. C. Has never put together a comprehensive rail plan. A rail plan would have a safety element, which would have a Safety Office and they would inspect tracks they would inspect the tunnel they would set speed limits. And they would probably coordinate responses to derailments and they would know whats going through our city. Reporter the news4 iteam showed how the Hazardous Materials we spotted moving through d. C. Back up reporter orare as volatile as the csx derailment in baltimore meaning they have an evacuation zone of at least a mile wide. We found the zone includes the Washington Monument the smithsonian, anacostia to the navy yard ten metro stations and all of the federal buildings on the south side of the mall including the u. S. Capitol. Its made me realize how we have neglected this area. Reporter as a result d. C. Council member mary che and others introduced bills this week to create a rail Safety Office. It does not have to come through here. Reporter Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says if he had his way, the chemicals wouldnt come through the city at all. Its not that complicated. Reroute that Hazardous Material that includes the capital. Reporter csx says its very complicated because the federal government determines how to route their hazmat shipments. The tracks involved other types of traffic, proximity to Emergency Response capabilities population density, all of those things are factored into determining what the safest and most secure route is for any shipment of materials. Reporter meaning transporting hazmat this close to the capital is actually the safest way to move them according to their formula. In southeast, Tisha Thompson news4 iteam. Csx told us today its currently evaluating the proposed rail safety legislation, and will provide comments as the d. C. Legislative process moves forward. To see if you live or work in the evacuation zone head to our website, nbcwashington. Com, and click on investigation. Veronica is here with a check on our weather. How low is it going to go tonight . Tonight we head down to 20 degrees. But its always about the wind chill reading. And the wind chills tonight are going down to the teens, Single Digits. Were talking about a couple more very cold mornings but at least for the afternoons we feel better starting with tomorrow. Take a look if youre going out this evening. Your forecast, there it is. 20 degrees at 11 00. And after midnight were going to start to see the temperatures creep upward a little bit. All as clouds increase. So cold and plenty windy across the area. Storm team 4 radar scanning the area. It is dry right now, but it is off to our west here where were tracking snow. This system making its way eastward and it will be bringing us a few snow showers. Maybe some flurries to the north and west. Around frederick, around 7 with the wind that steps in. We could see a flurry or two. No accumulation. The temperature 29. Up to but its going to be windy. So it will feel like were in the teens, again. 31 to 38 the range in temperatures tomorrow. For anything going on this weekend, including health and fitness expo maybe winterizing around your home. Sunday a good day for that. As we get into this pattern change and start warming up. Yes, sunday temperature close to 40 degrees. And then its next week that we get into a few chances to see freezing rain or rain. Keep you updated on that. Thanks veronica. A lot more coming up on nbc nightly news with Brian Williams tonight. Tonight, the ongoing manhunt in france and what it means, perhaps, for the rest of us in cities like washington, d. C. The duck and cover earthquake drills going on not in Southern California but deep in the heart of texas. And the United Airlines employees who refuse to fly because of something they saw written on the fuselage. Finally, doreen thank you for always being so kind so sweet when i visit there. And jim, i cant believe what you forced me to say on television yesterday. Remember vance, life is long. You know what they say about pay backs. The wonderful thing about brian, he really can take a joke. But im not sure hes joking on that. A lot of you, if you missed yesterday, he had some pretty strong opinions about how washingtonians deal with snow. Correct observations i think, most people would agree with. You can see it on facebook. Facebook our website, probably. Every other kind of thing, what have. Okay brian, bring it. Take your pick. All right. If approximate you want to go to the olympics in nine years, you will not be able to do it by getting on metro. Diane is here. All right, guys. A big announcement about the 2024 olympic games. Whats next now that boston has been chosen as the nominee for the u. S. Bid, and the caps getting ready to face off against the flyers. And its a special moment for the this is the xfinity sports desk brought to you by xfinity, your home for the most live sports. There is never not controversy about hotelsting an Olympic Event in your town city whatever. But for us i guess its moot huh . Yeah im kind of upset about it. Losing anything who cares what it is. At least look at the bright side. No traffic, right . So sboon boston will have the bid. The United States Olympic Committee announced a few moments ago. So officially d. C. Is out. All right. So when is the last time you did anything 23 times in a row . Cant think of it. I can. You dont want to know. Its not for public. Anchored 23 shows in a row. Oh my gosh . I dont even know what that means. All right. Caps goalie Braden Holtby can say he made 23 straight periods, a franchise record. They play the flyers want to in philly. So holtby has really excelled over the last 15 games. 11 wins in that stretch including a performance in the victory over toronto last night. Holtby quite the iron man these days. His 22 straight starts date back to november 18th. But holtby struggled against them in the past in his last eight starts against philly. He has given up 14 goals, all caps losses too. But hey, 2015, undefeated right . Nfl now. New redskins gm Scott Mccloughan will formally be introduced tomorrow at redskins park at noon. As for some of the coaches who might be working for him, the redskins meeting today with longtime nfl coach, wade phillips. Phillips has experience as both a head coach and defensive coordinator. Also worth noting the giants have asked permission to interview skins secondary coach Raheem Morris for their open defensive coordinator position. They fired their guy. And former skins offensive coor is now out in cleveland after just one year with the browns. Hes now among several candidates who could fill the head coaching vacancy with the buffalo bills. The nationals without one of their starts for report of spring training. Multiple reports say he will undergo arthroscopic surgery tomorrow. His rehab would last two to three months. He battled shoulder soreness last year but got cortisone shots. College hoops. The terps looking for their sixth straight win against purdue and the victories coming in impressive fashion. The terrapins coming off a 28point win. The it may be a new league but for her, it doesnt matter much. When you talk about coming out 20 and having you know convincing wins you know that we had to work hard for against ohio state and nebraska its been no different than being in the acc. Its just been great competition that we have really enjoyed. And Doreen Brenda told us she is willing to give a pep talk. I told her we wanted one. In the nba, a special honor. Fans are going to the game against the raptors and will get an action figure. Thats on the 31st. The team gave a first loo today via a vine account. Hes missing the mohawk. The pants are a little tight, though. Im not really sure if i like that. Yeah. I dont think thats all natural there. He gave his thoughts after todays practice. I think it looks pretty cool. Obviously, hes missing two things but i think it looks beefy. What do you think . What exactly is it missing . Ill tell you later. Ohoh. He likes mortified. I know i know well thats all right. What were they saying . I dont know. I like it though. Yeah. You know good for him, because he deserves an action figure and more. On the broadcast tonight, manhunt. The frantic search for two brothers on the run after a massacre in paris that sparked world outrage. Tonight, police are chasing a trail of clues doortodoor and deep into the woods as we learn that both suspects were known to the u. S. Also, the threat assessment here at home. How many people the u. S. Is watching and how difficult it is to track them as security gets st duck and cover, the earthquake drills going on not in Southern California but deep in the heart of texas where suddenly the ground wont stop shaking. And fighting back, the United Airlines employees who were fired after refusing to fly because of a message they saw written on the plane. Nightly news begins now. From nbc news World Headquarters in new york, this is nbc nightly news with Brian Williams