Transcripts For WRC News4 At 6 20180101 : comparemela.com

In maryland more than a dozen fires, but no serious injuries. In virginia, two new years day fires, one of them with a tragic ending. Flames raced through this home in annandale, trapping a 94yearold man inside. And tonight we are learning more about the victim from neighbors who captured images of the aftermath. News4s amee cho was at the scene on columbia road with reaction. Amee . Reporter leon, everyone on this street who knew that man says he was sweet and caring. His name was louis, but people called him mr. Lou. Neighbors tell us he used a walker and that may be why he was trapped. There is someone inside. Mr. Lou. Mr. Lou reporter as firefighters battled the flames, one neighbor stood anxiously outside waiting for news of her close friend mr. Lou. Very would later learn he didnt make it. He is inside, inside the house. I saw call, scream. I mean, anybody can grab him. Mr. Lou is small. They can grab him. Reporter she shared these pictures of mr. Lous life, 94yearold World War Ii Army veteran. He had a Birthday Party a few years back and several years before that he married his wife lenni. He was a very nice old man, as nice as they come. Hes such a nice guy. Just a very delightful elderly gent we got to be friends with, and im very sad to see him go. He always call me nash ir, nash ir, i love him. He was humble. Loved my kids. You know, we were always there in his house. Reporter this morning firefighters brafrming the bitter cold for hours to battle the flames. They still dont know what caused the fire. Now neighbors are left to mourn their loss. Im speechless. Im sorry, im heartbroken. Im sorry, its so sad. So sad for mr. Lou to leave us. Hope he went to a better plac reporter fire officials tell us his wife did make it out of the house okay. The cause of the fire is still unclear. Live in annandale, amee cho, news4. Thank you, amee. Devastating story. So sad. Yeah. Intense flames at an Apartment Building in d. C. , but fire crews say smoke alarms helped residents escape safely. The fire broke out on buena Vista Terrace southeast at around 3 00 this morning. One woman says the cold weather played a role as she tried to get out of the apartment. But i had to go back. I had to stay until i had my sons gloves, his hat. Im choking on the smoke. I had to make sure he was warm because i knew it was this cold out here. A metro bus was brought in to keep residents warm while they waited for help from the red cross. One firefighter was injured while battling the flames. He fell through a staircase inside the building. Take a look at those flames. Thats intense. We are told he should be okay. A scene there. Crews in Montgomery County battled 12 fires over 48hour span this weekend. The number of fires is unprecedented as people tried to do what they can to keep their homes warm in this bitter cold. Officials say this fire you see here off dody terrace could have been prevented. This was caused by fireplace ashes that were not properly discarded. No serious injuries in any of the fires thanks to working smoke alarms. In maryland, there is a new law on the books. If your battery operated Smoke Detector is more than ten years old it has to be replaced. To have a sealed in battery with ten year long lifespan. Break those rules and you could face a misdemeanor charge or fine. A devastating start to the new year for a Prince Georges County family. A mother of three stabbed to death in her home. Crime tape surrounds the house on 38th place in brentwood. News4s Jody Fleischer is in our newsroom with how the small tow lesson for her close knit community. Megan, brentwoods mayor says she was just down the street from where the stabbing hand. She went to the scene early this morning to talk with neighbors and the victims family. Police are calling this Domestic Violence and the mayor says too often victims dont get the help they need, then its too late. Family members tell us 23yearold liz mendez was a mother of three who moved here from guatemala a few years ago to be with her boyfriend, the father of her children. But they say he is the man police have arrested for killing her. Brentwood mayor lopez says Domestic Violence is a partly important issue within the latino community. I dont know if its a culture thing, but we dont tend to talk about this until, you know, its so late. Its very hard to get to the trust of the people, especially, theyre not going to look for help. They try to manage themselves with family and friends, but theres no place where these familian help. Reporter she says the murder in her small town on new years morning is a sad start to the year. But one she and her neighbors can learn from and raise awareness. There are agencies, but they are so small in the community is so large. So, its hard to keep up with it. Reporter as of now, police have not released any information about the man they arrested, but they say there were other people in the home at the time of the stabbing and they are talking with them as part of their investigation. Leon, back to you. All right, thank you, jody. Now we turn to a new years tragedy in costa rica. A dozen people including ten americans killed in a fiery plane crash there, it happened yesterday. Investigators were back at the site today to try to figure out exactly what went wrong. A family of five from new york was among those killed. And tonight we know that they had ties to our area. Nbcs tammy lightener has more on the investigation. Reporter burning debris from the wreckage was discovered soon after the single engine plane ricas Pacific Coast popular with tourists. On board two crew members and ten americans. Local Officials Say all of them died in the crash. Among the victims, a family of five from scars dale, new york. Bruce and irene and their sons matthew, william and zachary. Authorities say the plane belonging to the costa rica airline took off from the airport shortly after noon on sunday. Heading to san jose, the capital city, when something went terribly wrong. According to witnesses, the plane suddenly flipped in the air before slamming into a mountain near the airport. So, heres what we know about the family from new york that was on board. Bruce and Irene Stein Berg were on vacation with their three boys when they all died. Irene grew up in potomac, maryland and live in the new york city suburb of scars dale with her husband and their kids. The family recently celebrated the generations of relatives. Bruce steinberg worked in investment banking. His wife volunteered with local jewish groups and charities. The couples oldest son attended Johns Hopkins university. They were on vacation when the unthinkable happened. Inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. They were a lovely family. When i moved in, she brought me a cake. Thats the kind of person she was. Also killed in the crash, four members of the weiss family who lived in bel air, florida. No word yet on what caused the crash, but bad weather in costa rica may have played a role. And we are working a developing story in Prince Georges County for you. A metro transit canine vehicle hit and killed a man today on crane highway at chad ford road in brandywine. We are still working to find out how it happened and who the victim is. Just a few minutes ago, route 301 reopened to traffic. With the start of a new year came much needed relief for a d. C. Family after two little girls who disappeared were found safe today. Police found 7yearold lela mcneil and 11yearold paris may williams. They had last been seen on 12th street in southeast yesterday. D. C. Police are not saying exactly why they left or where they were found. And there is new concerns about safety near Public Schools in our area. The new action being considered statewide to protect your child after an Alarming Number of accidents involving pedestrians. And the tropical depression transz pour tags project for 2018 from the roads to the rails, well look at what it could mean for your commute. Plus Winter Weather making history as it tightens its icy grip across the country. See some of t he before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesnt have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesnt get us all killed, ben. Whats so good about fios anyway . Network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely . Hey. Did you take out the trash . Haha, garbage boy dad, i already took out ben. Its not funny. Gaming is best on a 100 fiberoptic network. So get fios. Now, just 79. 99 per month with a 2year price guarantee with a 2year agreement. Bone chilling cold for the new year, temperatures hit record lows to kickoff 2018. The conditions are also blamed on two deaths due to exposure. The National Weather Service Posted wind chill advisories today from south texas all the way north to canada. From montana all the way east to new england. The brutal weather made history in omaha, nebraska, shattering a record that stood since 1884. Last night, also the second coldest new years eve ball drop in new yorks times square. Hes looking at how people across the country are coping with the bitter cold. Reporter braving single digit temperatures in boston, hundreds traded in their parkas for swim suits. To take parts in one of the citys oldest traditions, a new years day dip into icy boston harbor. Its a great way to start a year. Reporter for some communities in new jersey, those time honored festivities put on hold by the brutal cold. Its too cold and theyre worried about somebody getting hurt. Reporter no dip in cleveland, either, because crews couldnt cut a hole in ice over lake erie. The subfreezing temperatures closing down an ice skating park in des moines, iowa, over the weekend. And in ohio, columbuss annual 5k was on inside. Runners taking to treadmills instead of the streets. We made the Decision Just based on safety factors, the risk of being outdoors for prolonged period of time. Reporter the cold has already turned deadly. In within hours of each other. The medical examiner confirming both deaths cold weather related. And in detroit, where temperatures dropped to 2 below overnight, a man was found dead in front of a church. And forecasters warn the arctic blast is expected to maintain its icy grip on most of the country through the week. Dan scheneman, nbc news. We talk a lot about how much we hate the cold, but its a real thing being out there, not prepared for it can be deadly. Dangerous. You know, it looks like things arent getting any better any time soon. No. As a matter of fact, they could get worse by the end of the week. As cold as its already been, i think we get colder by friday and saturday. Thats actually the coldest air weve had so far in this cold stretch coming up over the next few days. Out there tonight, yeah, a cold night for sure. This is out towards Columbia Heights where everybody bundles up for sure. Youve got everything on. The hats, the coats, the gloves, the scarves. Even my son put [ laughter ] oh, man, i dont know. They always want to wear shorts these days, but not the last couple of delays. Pants for sure, youve got it. The cold air remaining across the area. Thanks for that shot out there, telemundo. This is a beautiful full moon. This is actually the super moon tonight, going on right now, and looks gorgeous for sure. We have another full moon at the end of the month. The wolf moon, by the way. 22 degrees winds out of the west at 10 miles per hour. We had a bit of a wind chill. Temperatures around the rest of the area, 14 in winchester, 16 in baltimore, right now honeytown coming in at 19 degrees. Look at the wind chill, 5 to 10 mile an hour wind makes it feel so much cold e. Winchester down to 1 below, 6 degrees in gaithersburg, 0 hagerstown. 2 in martinsburg, 8 towards patuxent river. Incredibly cold tonight. No snow to talk about. Storm team 4 radar the moisture to the south, this is sleet coming down around the brownsville area, corpus christi. They have freeze warnings in effect. Most of the country as we said not just cold, but bitterly cold. Wind chill advisories from canada to maine to tampa, tampa, florida. Under a wind chill advisory right now. We have those hard freeze warnings all the way down toward the mexican border. Just incredible how thick this cold is and how deep this cold air s. It sticks around. Overnight wind chills dropping below 0. 11 00 tonight, 0 in d. C. , 7 below in gaithersburg, 3 below in leesburg. Tomorrow morning out the front door, it is brutal as the kids make their way back to school, you folks are heading back to work, that cold. Not a good day for lunch outdoors. By 3 00 we rise to the teens for wind chill all day. Yeah, incredibly cold for sure. High temperature 28 tomorrow. Sunny and cold. Not as breezy, so the winds will start to come down tomorrow afternoon. But still going to be a bit of a wind chill have those little wind tunnel effects going on. 28 tomorrow, 35 on wednesday. We get above freezing for the first time in a while. It may be hard to come by. Some of you may stay below the freezing mark. 27 on your thursday. Chance of snow thursday. Now, again, weve been talking about this storm for the better part of a week. I think this storm once again is going to stay far enough off the coast here. We have the cold air in place. But far enough off the cold. Some of the computer models have been trying to bring it a little closer to us giving us some snow in parts of our area creating a big storm for parts of new england. This for the most part will miss us but it is something i will continue to watch. Once again it will be on thursday. A chance of snow, especially east on thursday. And then it just drives in even more dangerous cold. Highs on friday and saturday of 19. Look at that overnight low on friday on saturday morning. A low of 5. Our wind chill could be around 10 below and that could be inside the beltway. Just whoa. All right. Thank you, doug. Its something all of us have, but the thieves are sinking to a new low to get their hands on your smartphone. The brazen crime trend and what you can do to protect yourself. The new year means new laws from a marijuana milestone to a couple calling it quits. There are two types of people in the world. Those who fear the future. And those who embrace it. The future is for the unafraid. All because of you President Trump is on his way back to d. C. Right now. He departed the winter white house minutes ago. He bid farewell to the 2017 with a lavish party at his private club at maralago. Mr. Trump predicted 2018 will be a tremendous year, saying theres much work to be done, but it will be great. Not so great warning for those who got new cell phones or tablets for christmas. Its always something, these thieves. So, those devices are tempting to the eyes of consumers and crooks. An investigation by Scott Macfarlane and the news4 iteam reveals the criminals who target your phones are getting even more brazen. Reporter people running through metro stations, but not to catch trains. Theyre running to catch the pe below ground and above. In a string of recent cases, brazen criminals snatched phones out of people hands. It happened at a donut shop on november avenue. In the summer it was jeannettes phone. I grabbed for the phone, it wasnt there. Mine was taken in church of awful places. Reporter where she is choir director. A visitor grabbed it from her purse. You want to be welcoming because its church after all, and it was gone. Reporter the news4 iteam pulled Police Records in d. C. , maryland and virginia and found something we didnt expect. They report the overall number of phone thefts is actually dropping as Technology Allows more owners to brick or lock their phones rendering them inoperative if stolen. But get this. We also discovered that thousands of phones hiefeists more physical. Is it scare sni after the shock wore off. Reporter she has never seen the video until now after a man stole her phone off capita hill. He hustled offer e street and on a metro train. This wasnt the character of night. No, it was 10 30 in the morning. Reporter her phone was never recovered. No, i didnt imagine t my phone is gone and my bag gone and hes off in a cloud of dust. Reporter they found one pattern. An easy escape route. In recent weeks the crook struck near the door of a cvs pharmacy on 12th street. A pizza shop on u street. As the doors opened at a metro stop. We are holding our phones right out in the open, having ear buds in our ears as we walk, focus ug on too much what is in front of us and not nearly enough on whats around us. Maintain awareness, keep your head at a swivel. Next stop. Reporter he has eyes in the sky watching for wouldbe phone snatchers. Including here at their Security Operations center in landover. And with police scattered on the platforms. But he says riders need to be vigilant, too. Look for other people around you. Are they watching somebody you should be watching . Reporter be aware of people standing too close. Our producer and metro staffer showed how normal it looks if someone is in position to steal your phone. Police say do not do what this passenger did at a green line station. Chase after the man who stole her phone. Watch the video as he weaves through the station, the victim follows him back onto the train before the thief jumped back off. Marianne harding said she never tried to run af him. Snatched the bag off my hand and was gone like a rocket. If i were his age i could never have chased him. Reporter these days shes keeping her eyes up even if others are looking down. Scott macfarlane, news4 iteam. If you have a tip or idea you want our iteam to look into, head to the nbc washington app or the number on the bottom of the screen. Sadly they cant keep you warm tonight. You think its cold, you havent seen anything yet. Doug will be back to tell us when well be struggling to hit 20 degrees for a high. Plus a look at who has the best chance of seeing snow this week. And serious concerns about sidewalks and crosswalks near Public Schools. The new call for action to make sure your kids are safe. President trump back at the white house after spending the holidays in south florida. His response to the growing World War Ii Army<\/a> veteran. He had a Birthday Party<\/a> a few years back and several years before that he married his wife lenni. He was a very nice old man, as nice as they come. Hes such a nice guy. Just a very delightful elderly gent we got to be friends with, and im very sad to see him go. He always call me nash ir, nash ir, i love him. He was humble. Loved my kids. You know, we were always there in his house. Reporter this morning firefighters brafrming the bitter cold for hours to battle the flames. They still dont know what caused the fire. Now neighbors are left to mourn their loss. Im speechless. Im sorry, im heartbroken. Im sorry, its so sad. So sad for mr. Lou to leave us. Hope he went to a better plac reporter fire officials tell us his wife did make it out of the house okay. The cause of the fire is still unclear. Live in annandale, amee cho, news4. Thank you, amee. Devastating story. So sad. Yeah. Intense flames at an Apartment Building<\/a> in d. C. , but fire crews say smoke alarms helped residents escape safely. The fire broke out on buena Vista Terrace<\/a> southeast at around 3 00 this morning. One woman says the cold weather played a role as she tried to get out of the apartment. But i had to go back. I had to stay until i had my sons gloves, his hat. Im choking on the smoke. I had to make sure he was warm because i knew it was this cold out here. A metro bus was brought in to keep residents warm while they waited for help from the red cross. One firefighter was injured while battling the flames. He fell through a staircase inside the building. Take a look at those flames. Thats intense. We are told he should be okay. A scene there. Crews in Montgomery County<\/a> battled 12 fires over 48hour span this weekend. The number of fires is unprecedented as people tried to do what they can to keep their homes warm in this bitter cold. Officials say this fire you see here off dody terrace could have been prevented. This was caused by fireplace ashes that were not properly discarded. No serious injuries in any of the fires thanks to working smoke alarms. In maryland, there is a new law on the books. If your battery operated Smoke Detector<\/a> is more than ten years old it has to be replaced. To have a sealed in battery with ten year long lifespan. Break those rules and you could face a misdemeanor charge or fine. A devastating start to the new year for a Prince Georges County<\/a> family. A mother of three stabbed to death in her home. Crime tape surrounds the house on 38th place in brentwood. News4s Jody Fleischer<\/a> is in our newsroom with how the small tow lesson for her close knit community. Megan, brentwoods mayor says she was just down the street from where the stabbing hand. She went to the scene early this morning to talk with neighbors and the victims family. Police are calling this Domestic Violence<\/a> and the mayor says too often victims dont get the help they need, then its too late. Family members tell us 23yearold liz mendez was a mother of three who moved here from guatemala a few years ago to be with her boyfriend, the father of her children. But they say he is the man police have arrested for killing her. Brentwood mayor lopez says Domestic Violence<\/a> is a partly important issue within the latino community. I dont know if its a culture thing, but we dont tend to talk about this until, you know, its so late. Its very hard to get to the trust of the people, especially, theyre not going to look for help. They try to manage themselves with family and friends, but theres no place where these familian help. Reporter she says the murder in her small town on new years morning is a sad start to the year. But one she and her neighbors can learn from and raise awareness. There are agencies, but they are so small in the community is so large. So, its hard to keep up with it. Reporter as of now, police have not released any information about the man they arrested, but they say there were other people in the home at the time of the stabbing and they are talking with them as part of their investigation. Leon, back to you. All right, thank you, jody. Now we turn to a new years tragedy in costa rica. A dozen people including ten americans killed in a fiery plane crash there, it happened yesterday. Investigators were back at the site today to try to figure out exactly what went wrong. A family of five from new york was among those killed. And tonight we know that they had ties to our area. Nbcs tammy lightener has more on the investigation. Reporter burning debris from the wreckage was discovered soon after the single engine plane ricas Pacific Coast<\/a> popular with tourists. On board two crew members and ten americans. Local Officials Say<\/a> all of them died in the crash. Among the victims, a family of five from scars dale, new york. Bruce and irene and their sons matthew, william and zachary. Authorities say the plane belonging to the costa rica airline took off from the airport shortly after noon on sunday. Heading to san jose, the capital city, when something went terribly wrong. According to witnesses, the plane suddenly flipped in the air before slamming into a mountain near the airport. So, heres what we know about the family from new york that was on board. Bruce and Irene Stein Berg<\/a> were on vacation with their three boys when they all died. Irene grew up in potomac, maryland and live in the new york city suburb of scars dale with her husband and their kids. The family recently celebrated the generations of relatives. Bruce steinberg worked in investment banking. His wife volunteered with local jewish groups and charities. The couples oldest son attended Johns Hopkins<\/a> university. They were on vacation when the unthinkable happened. Inconceivable that a whole family should meet with such a disaster. They were a lovely family. When i moved in, she brought me a cake. Thats the kind of person she was. Also killed in the crash, four members of the weiss family who lived in bel air, florida. No word yet on what caused the crash, but bad weather in costa rica may have played a role. And we are working a developing story in Prince Georges County<\/a> for you. A metro transit canine vehicle hit and killed a man today on crane highway at chad ford road in brandywine. We are still working to find out how it happened and who the victim is. Just a few minutes ago, route 301 reopened to traffic. With the start of a new year came much needed relief for a d. C. Family after two little girls who disappeared were found safe today. Police found 7yearold lela mcneil and 11yearold paris may williams. They had last been seen on 12th street in southeast yesterday. D. C. Police are not saying exactly why they left or where they were found. And there is new concerns about safety near Public Schools<\/a> in our area. The new action being considered statewide to protect your child after an Alarming Number<\/a> of accidents involving pedestrians. And the tropical depression transz pour tags project for 2018 from the roads to the rails, well look at what it could mean for your commute. Plus Winter Weather<\/a> making history as it tightens its icy grip across the country. See some of t he before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesnt have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesnt get us all killed, ben. Whats so good about fios anyway . Network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely . Hey. Did you take out the trash . Haha, garbage boy dad, i already took out ben. Its not funny. Gaming is best on a 100 fiberoptic network. So get fios. Now, just 79. 99 per month with a 2year price guarantee with a 2year agreement. Bone chilling cold for the new year, temperatures hit record lows to kickoff 2018. The conditions are also blamed on two deaths due to exposure. The National Weather<\/a> Service Posted<\/a> wind chill advisories today from south texas all the way north to canada. From montana all the way east to new england. The brutal weather made history in omaha, nebraska, shattering a record that stood since 1884. Last night, also the second coldest new years eve ball drop in new yorks times square. Hes looking at how people across the country are coping with the bitter cold. Reporter braving single digit temperatures in boston, hundreds traded in their parkas for swim suits. To take parts in one of the citys oldest traditions, a new years day dip into icy boston harbor. Its a great way to start a year. Reporter for some communities in new jersey, those time honored festivities put on hold by the brutal cold. Its too cold and theyre worried about somebody getting hurt. Reporter no dip in cleveland, either, because crews couldnt cut a hole in ice over lake erie. The subfreezing temperatures closing down an ice skating park in des moines, iowa, over the weekend. And in ohio, columbuss annual 5k was on inside. Runners taking to treadmills instead of the streets. We made the Decision Just<\/a> based on safety factors, the risk of being outdoors for prolonged period of time. Reporter the cold has already turned deadly. In within hours of each other. The medical examiner confirming both deaths cold weather related. And in detroit, where temperatures dropped to 2 below overnight, a man was found dead in front of a church. And forecasters warn the arctic blast is expected to maintain its icy grip on most of the country through the week. Dan scheneman, nbc news. We talk a lot about how much we hate the cold, but its a real thing being out there, not prepared for it can be deadly. Dangerous. You know, it looks like things arent getting any better any time soon. No. As a matter of fact, they could get worse by the end of the week. As cold as its already been, i think we get colder by friday and saturday. Thats actually the coldest air weve had so far in this cold stretch coming up over the next few days. Out there tonight, yeah, a cold night for sure. This is out towards Columbia Heights<\/a> where everybody bundles up for sure. Youve got everything on. The hats, the coats, the gloves, the scarves. Even my son put [ laughter ] oh, man, i dont know. They always want to wear shorts these days, but not the last couple of delays. Pants for sure, youve got it. The cold air remaining across the area. Thanks for that shot out there, telemundo. This is a beautiful full moon. This is actually the super moon tonight, going on right now, and looks gorgeous for sure. We have another full moon at the end of the month. The wolf moon, by the way. 22 degrees winds out of the west at 10 miles per hour. We had a bit of a wind chill. Temperatures around the rest of the area, 14 in winchester, 16 in baltimore, right now honeytown coming in at 19 degrees. Look at the wind chill, 5 to 10 mile an hour wind makes it feel so much cold e. Winchester down to 1 below, 6 degrees in gaithersburg, 0 hagerstown. 2 in martinsburg, 8 towards patuxent river. Incredibly cold tonight. No snow to talk about. Storm team 4 radar the moisture to the south, this is sleet coming down around the brownsville area, corpus christi. They have freeze warnings in effect. Most of the country as we said not just cold, but bitterly cold. Wind chill advisories from canada to maine to tampa, tampa, florida. Under a wind chill advisory right now. We have those hard freeze warnings all the way down toward the mexican border. Just incredible how thick this cold is and how deep this cold air s. It sticks around. Overnight wind chills dropping below 0. 11 00 tonight, 0 in d. C. , 7 below in gaithersburg, 3 below in leesburg. Tomorrow morning out the front door, it is brutal as the kids make their way back to school, you folks are heading back to work, that cold. Not a good day for lunch outdoors. By 3 00 we rise to the teens for wind chill all day. Yeah, incredibly cold for sure. High temperature 28 tomorrow. Sunny and cold. Not as breezy, so the winds will start to come down tomorrow afternoon. But still going to be a bit of a wind chill have those little wind tunnel effects going on. 28 tomorrow, 35 on wednesday. We get above freezing for the first time in a while. It may be hard to come by. Some of you may stay below the freezing mark. 27 on your thursday. Chance of snow thursday. Now, again, weve been talking about this storm for the better part of a week. I think this storm once again is going to stay far enough off the coast here. We have the cold air in place. But far enough off the cold. Some of the computer models have been trying to bring it a little closer to us giving us some snow in parts of our area creating a big storm for parts of new england. This for the most part will miss us but it is something i will continue to watch. Once again it will be on thursday. A chance of snow, especially east on thursday. And then it just drives in even more dangerous cold. Highs on friday and saturday of 19. Look at that overnight low on friday on saturday morning. A low of 5. Our wind chill could be around 10 below and that could be inside the beltway. Just whoa. All right. Thank you, doug. Its something all of us have, but the thieves are sinking to a new low to get their hands on your smartphone. The brazen crime trend and what you can do to protect yourself. The new year means new laws from a marijuana milestone to a couple calling it quits. There are two types of people in the world. Those who fear the future. And those who embrace it. The future is for the unafraid. All because of you President Trump<\/a> is on his way back to d. C. Right now. He departed the winter white house minutes ago. He bid farewell to the 2017 with a lavish party at his private club at maralago. Mr. Trump predicted 2018 will be a tremendous year, saying theres much work to be done, but it will be great. Not so great warning for those who got new cell phones or tablets for christmas. Its always something, these thieves. So, those devices are tempting to the eyes of consumers and crooks. An investigation by Scott Macfarlane<\/a> and the news4 iteam reveals the criminals who target your phones are getting even more brazen. Reporter people running through metro stations, but not to catch trains. Theyre running to catch the pe below ground and above. In a string of recent cases, brazen criminals snatched phones out of people hands. It happened at a donut shop on november avenue. In the summer it was jeannettes phone. I grabbed for the phone, it wasnt there. Mine was taken in church of awful places. Reporter where she is choir director. A visitor grabbed it from her purse. You want to be welcoming because its church after all, and it was gone. Reporter the news4 iteam pulled Police Records<\/a> in d. C. , maryland and virginia and found something we didnt expect. They report the overall number of phone thefts is actually dropping as Technology Allows<\/a> more owners to brick or lock their phones rendering them inoperative if stolen. But get this. We also discovered that thousands of phones hiefeists more physical. Is it scare sni after the shock wore off. Reporter she has never seen the video until now after a man stole her phone off capita hill. He hustled offer e street and on a metro train. This wasnt the character of night. No, it was 10 30 in the morning. Reporter her phone was never recovered. No, i didnt imagine t my phone is gone and my bag gone and hes off in a cloud of dust. Reporter they found one pattern. An easy escape route. In recent weeks the crook struck near the door of a cvs pharmacy on 12th street. A pizza shop on u street. As the doors opened at a metro stop. We are holding our phones right out in the open, having ear buds in our ears as we walk, focus ug on too much what is in front of us and not nearly enough on whats around us. Maintain awareness, keep your head at a swivel. Next stop. Reporter he has eyes in the sky watching for wouldbe phone snatchers. Including here at their Security Operations<\/a> center in landover. And with police scattered on the platforms. But he says riders need to be vigilant, too. Look for other people around you. Are they watching somebody you should be watching . Reporter be aware of people standing too close. Our producer and metro staffer showed how normal it looks if someone is in position to steal your phone. Police say do not do what this passenger did at a green line station. Chase after the man who stole her phone. Watch the video as he weaves through the station, the victim follows him back onto the train before the thief jumped back off. Marianne harding said she never tried to run af him. Snatched the bag off my hand and was gone like a rocket. If i were his age i could never have chased him. Reporter these days shes keeping her eyes up even if others are looking down. Scott macfarlane, news4 iteam. If you have a tip or idea you want our iteam to look into, head to the nbc washington app or the number on the bottom of the screen. Sadly they cant keep you warm tonight. You think its cold, you havent seen anything yet. Doug will be back to tell us when well be struggling to hit 20 degrees for a high. Plus a look at who has the best chance of seeing snow this week. And serious concerns about sidewalks and crosswalks near Public Schools<\/a>. The new call for action to make sure your kids are safe. President trump back at the white house after spending the holidays in south florida. His response to the growing Nuclear Threat<\/a> f ro 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<\/a> like giants natures promise brand. Great prices on over 1,300 items. Eat well for less. Only at my giant. A cold start to 2018, but its just the beginning. Get ready for the coldest air of the season. Are you ready for that . You have no choice. Its coming our way. You cant get out of the way. You cant run from it. Also coming our way, the possibility of some snow. Doug has the word on that. Hey, man. Yeah, guys, we keep talking about this. The coldest air of the season and we have to go colder and colder again. That is exactly whats going to happen after this bout of cold air. The highs in the midatlantic, 26 in d. C. , 12 in pittsburgh. The High Temperature<\/a> today, the wind chills were below 0 most of the day there. We still have a wind here. Look at our current temperatures, d. C. At 22, gaithersburg at 16, 16 as well as in manassas and 19 in camp springs. Even with the single dimg its with these temperatures. It will be an extremely cold night tonight. Its going to stay that way. The headlines, more of the same frigid weather continues, tracking the storm for thursday. Im going to let you know at 6 45 who has the best chance of seeing some snow and just about how much. And then coldest air yet moves in. Im really tired of saying that. Im tired of it, too. Doug. Tired of hearing it. When is summer coming . We have spring, right, then summer. It gets better. It gets better. Hang in there. Okay. Back to School Tomorrow<\/a> for kids throughout our area, and despite the cold, many must walk to get there. So, news4 has learned maryland is considering a sweeping review of the safety of roads near every school in the state. Only on 4 tonight, Scott Macfarlane<\/a> reports state leaders are concerned some streets and School Crossings<\/a> need safety upgrades. Reporter Christina Morris<\/a> ward walked across a state highway each day to get to sometimes before sunrise. Should had to cross over twice in order to be able to walk up the hill to get to her school. Reporter one october morning a few years ago a car collided with and killed morris ward. A few steps from the curb. She was deceased by the time i got there. I kissed her. They were like, you cant touch her. I said, this is my child. Im going to kuchibhotla her to her my last goodbye kiss. Reporter she was one of a series of pedestrian deaths near maryland schools. It raised questions whether all roads and School Crossings<\/a> are properly configured to protect students who use them. Those incidents happen all the time in the county. With we need to do a better job of keeping the area safe. Reporter when maryland reconvenes, he will formally propose the state Highway Administration<\/a> order a review of all crossings near all schools statewide. Not having things like sidewalks and crosswalks, thats something thats a statewide problem. It cant be solved by the local police or local school cars hit pedestrians are sadly becoming more and more common in our area, increasing over the past five years. News4 checked maryland state records and found more than 2,500 pedestrian accidents in each of the last five years. Police agencies in maryland conduct special enforcement details near schools to ensure drivers are operating safely and without distraction. But Safety Advocates<\/a> say engineering reviews of all the signs and markings near schools and crosswalks are critically important. News4 had a report which showed pedestrian and bicycle collisions near schools decreased following an engineering review of signs and, maings near Montgomery County<\/a> schools months earlier. Ward said she supports a statewide review. We still have a whole big way to go. Reporter not every student is completely safe. Scott macfarlane, news4. One person is recovering from this accident on the George Washington<\/a> parkway. At that. The car crashed about 6 00 this morning in the Turkey Run Park<\/a> area. The parkway was shut down in both directs for a time, but is now back open. Investigators say a Northern Virginia<\/a> man wanted to join isis and search for ways to carry out an attack. Tomorrow hell face a federal judge for that. Fbi agents arrested duncan at his sterling home and news4 captured agents taking boxes out of his apartment. According to federal documents, fbi agents found numerous internet searches on his cell phone that included body armor, isis attacks and weapons. When agents arrived at the home, duncan ran off. The fbi says he tried to destroy a memory chip and a thumb drive. He is now charged with attempting to obstruct a terrorism investigation. President trump is on his way back to the white house. We want to show you here pictures from joint base andrews where the plane that he was flying in landed just moments ago. Here we go, this is a the first family spent the Christmas Holiday<\/a> at the president s estate in palm beach, florida. He seems to be rethinking u. S. Foreign policy on twitter. Nbcs Edward Lawrence<\/a> explains what this could mean for 2018. Hello, everybody. Happy new year. Reporter President Trump<\/a> spending new years eve in black tie at an event he hosted at maralago in florida. Were off to a very good start as you know with a great tax cuts and anwar, getting rid of the individual mandate. Reporter the president wakes up dealing with another threat from north korea. Where its leader says he has the launch button on his desk and his Nuclear Missiles<\/a> can reach the u. S. Main land. President trump so far tight lipped about it. Well see. Well see. Reporter north korea also offering an olive branch saying for the upcoming Winter Olympics<\/a> they are willing to send a delegation to south korea for talks. The president with Foreign Policy<\/a> on his mind today as violent protests ignited in iran the president tweeting, they are hungry for food and for freedom, along with the human rights, the wealth of iran is being looted. Time for change. Former president ial advisors caution it might be better for the u. S. To sit this uprising out. We might taint this revolution and allow the regime to paint them as american proxies, which is the last thing they need. Reporter the president also tweeting about pakistan saying we have given them 33 billion in aid over the past 15 years and they have given us nothing but lies and deceit. While helping the terrorists we hunt in afghanistan. Come on inside, folks. Reporter as President Trump<\/a> talks Foreign Policy<\/a>, he starts 2018 with high hopes. Next weekend President Trump<\/a> meets with the Republican Leadership<\/a> at camp david. He will come up with his agenda moving forward, including rebuilding infrastructure, immigration, and coming up with a longterm federal budget. Edward lawrence, nbc news, washington. And taking a look at our top stories this monday night, a tragic start to the n a world war ii veteran known as mr. Lou was killed early this morning. 94yearold louis was not able to escape after his home caught fire. He relied on a walker to get around. Neighbors tell us mr. Lou loved to tell stories and was a kind, caring man who always gave christmas presents to kids in the neighborhood. Route 301 in Prince Georges County<\/a> is open to traffic again after a deadly accident involving a metro transit canine vehicle. It happened on crane highway at chad ford drive in brandywine. Were working to find out the name of the victim and how the accident happened. Witnesses say a plane was in the air less than a minute before it crashed in costa rica. 10 americans died on the flight, including a family of five with ties to maryland. Irene steinberg grew up in potomac, maryland and lived in new york city three sons. The family of five died in the crash during a family vacation. It is still unclear why the plane went down. Looking ahead now to some major transportation projects that could impact your ride to work or school, heres adam tuss with a look at whats coming up. Reporter transportation always a huge topic in our area, and 2018 is going to be no change. We have some Major Projects<\/a> that are on the drawing board. Im adam tuss. Im going to tell you where the biggest impact is going to be coming up. And the new year also means a host of new laws from a milestone for marijuana use to the weird and wacky, wellreak it bal iand i like these awardwinning cheddar puffs. First place. Both events . Booyah were an awards family. Youll like them both but love our price. Awardwinning organic cheddar puffs from aldi. Simply smarter shopping. New year, new laws, and this year changes range from cutting edge to unconventional. In california, Recreational Marijuana<\/a> use is now legal, including growing and selling barack obama day which happens to be the former president s birthday. And also in illinois divorcing couples now have to take their pets into consideration when they are dividing up their assets. All right. So, president obama no longer in office, but hes keeping up with the president ial tradition. So, he released his favorite songs and books of 2017, and the list is quite exec triccentric. Hes feeling jay z. s song. Ken trick lamarrs humble, broken clock by sizza. And a lot by mavis staples. Signs of the times by harry stiles. Chris staple tons millionaire. And this one, you have to help me with this one. Megente. I didnt want to butcher that one. This is by dave and willie a few books he enjoyed were a gentleman in moscow. Also anything in possible, and sing unburied, sing by desmond ford. How many of those songs did you know . Listen, dont hold me to it. I thought i was bad. So many people pledge to get their homes and their finances in order for the new year. So, we are working for you with four relatively painless tips to make that a reality without wasting any of your time, all right. Here we go. First, spend 15 minutes a night decluttering part of your home. Pick a room or cabinet and clean that one space out. That will get your home clean without wasting an entire weekend doing it. All right. Then second, automate your bill payments and savings deposits. If you pick one account and make sure you have enough money in it to pay all your bills, youll never have to worry about scheduling a bill payment again. And as far as savings go, an automatic deposit of 20 bucks a month can add up over time. Third, clean out your phone take an afternoon and get rid of all those apps and photos you dont need and take another afternoon to go through your email and unsubscribe to all those mailing lists from retailers you dont even care about. And then finally, consider using an rss feed to stay on top of everything you do care about. You can set that to find stories and blogs from dozens of sites and its a lot faster than scouring the sites one by one every day. And if you dont know what an rss feed is, ask a kid in your neighborhood or somewhere else in your house. Meagan, back over to you. All right, leon. Feeling lucky in the new year . Well, no one hit the winning numbers in the power ball or megamillions last week. So, leon, we still have some time here. All right. The power ball is now at 440 million, making it the 9th largest jackpot in power ball history. The next drawing will be wednesday. The megamillions is now at 343 million. The next drawing will be on tuesday. So, hurry up and get those tickets. But heres a little dose of reality. The odds of wng there are about one in 175 million. Heres some perspective. The chance of being hit by lightning, one in 10,000. Getting a hole in one in golf, 1 over 12,000. And hit by a meteorite, one in 1. 6 million. Attacked by a shark i know, these random facts, i dont care, try your luck. Being bit by a shark is 1 in 11 million. All of that more likely to happen than you winning the lottery. Just trying to terrify us. Thats what shes doing. You know what, theres hope. You never know, it could be you. Keep hope alive. All right. Coming up next, a look at the biggest transportation projects for 2018. And from the roads to the rails, how the worst could impact your commute. First heres doug tracking the bitter cold that wont go away. It just will not go away. Youre trying to kick it to the curb, its not happening. 21 in frederick. Thurmont, maryland, the high only 14. And, yeah, gets even colder later this week. Much more on that. Well see you back here in just a minute. Take a look at that moon. Love it. Per moon, 2018. Su per moon, 2018. Su before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesnt have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag anyway . Uh. Whats so great about a 100 fiberoptic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely . Hey. Did you take out the trash . Haha, garbage boy dad, i already took out ben. Its not funny. Gaming is best on a 100 fiberoptic network. So get fios. Now, just 79. 99 per month with a 2year price guarantee with a 2year agreement. Weve got some breaking news just coming into our newsroom. Some 4,000 people are without power in Montgomery County<\/a> because of an underground transformer fire. Fire Officials Say<\/a> center way road is closed now between roads way and the area of goshen road in gaithersburg. Tough night to be without power in this frigid situation we have here in the area. We have a crew heading to that scene and well update you on the nbc washington app as well. Meagan . All right. Have you resolved to spend less wouldnt that be nice for all of us . There are some massive transportation projects scheduled for this year that could help. Tonights transportation reporter adam tuss has a round up of what to watch out for in the new year. Reporter paying a toll to get around traffic and how to pay for metro, those are the major issues in the transportation world. 2018 is going to be a year filled with huge transportation projects, from i66 in Northern Virginia<\/a> to hear in maryland where roads like the beltway, i270 and the bw parkway could see major changes. And then here in the district where metro funding will once again become a major issue. Lets take a closer look at whats being done about all this. Along i66 3, 2, 1. Reporter expect to see Major Construction<\/a> from gainsville to the beltway as new express toll lanes are added. Two new lanes in each direction will run lanes, and the construction will last four more years. Its going to make it even worse. Reporter over in maryland, look at the size and scope of a project that Governor Hogan<\/a> wants to get off the ground. Express toll lanes along the 270 corridor, the maryland side of the beltway, and the bw parkway. Two new lanes in each direction of those roads. Its still not clear exactly how long it would even take to build this project, but the state is positive. You are 100 confident the beltway, 270, 295 are all going to see these massive changes . Every one of them will see changes. Reporter and on metro, the gm has unveiled a budget that calls for no fare hikes and no service cuts, but a 165 million more from local jurisdiction to help fund the system. Metro says other than maintenance, most of the new funding it gets this year will go toward buying more of those shiny new 7,000 series railcars which are also supposed to provide a safer ride. Adam tuss, news4. And for a complete list of all the transportation projects, you need to stay up to date on, just check out adam tusss transportation page on our nbcwashington. Com. I wonder if Lauryn Ricketts<\/a> is checking the transportation page to get out of here and go somewhere and celebrate. She is a married woman. How about that. Laren ricketts. Good for the weather family. Absolutely. We have some pictures of laurens wedding. Lauryn ricketts got married in wilmington, north carolina. Her and her husband who happens to be a marine, by the way. Beautiful bride. Absolutely. She looks gorgeous. And the weather great down there. It was on the cool side for sure, but congratulations to lauren and to eric as well. Congratulations. I dont know when shes coming back to work either. She didnt tell you . Im not sure. You know, im not sure what the next move is. Out there right now, guys, were just looking at the cold air continuing to come in across our reon make its way in towards our region as far as the cold air is concerned. There it is right there, the super moon, the first full moon of 2018 happens to be called the wolf moon. Yes, there will be another full moon later this month on january 31st. Thats because of two full moons, the second full moon in any month is called a blue moon. Wolf moon, blue moon coming up later this month. 22 degrees, current temperature dropping right on through the teens. 15 by 11 00 tonight. Cold, cold and cold. Weve said that a lot over the past week or two weeks. Looks like well be saying it another week. 16 in gaithersburg, 16 in baltimore, 20 in fort belvoir, 18 in the dulles area. No snow now. We are tracking a system that is down to the south. Its going to stay down to the south. Eventually it is going to try to work its way up here. First we have to talk about what is here now and that is the cold and look at these numbers tonight at 11 00. 2 below 30 in manassas, 7 in winchester, gaithersburg. Wind blowin15 but when you have numbers this cold its not hard to get below 0 for the wind chill. 5 below in gaithersburg. This is 7 00 a. M. Tomorrow morning. As many of us are getting up going to the bus stop, heading out to work, 2 below in annapolis and 8 degrees in manassas. So, some really incredible cold continuing across our region. We will see a lot of sunshine tomorrow. Wind chills 5 to 5 below, 12 degrees at that time. 23 degrees at noon, 28 by 4 and 23 degrees tomorrow night. Tomorrow 2 degrees warmer than today, 28 still below freezing. I got us above freezing, everyone, on wednesday. Yes but it does not last. We go right back below freezing on thursday. And thursday is going to be a really interesting system because this storm system, most likely staying off the coast here, but weve got enough cold air. We could see a couple inches of snow in charleston, South Carolina<\/a> moving up the coast of the carolinas most likely staying on shore, models trying to bring it closer to the coast. Still missing us, but bringing a good amount of snow to thats something well be watching, going up to parts of new england. One thing for sure, colder temperatures. Look at the high on friday. 19, 19 as well on saturday. Absolutely frigid. Temperature in the morning on saturday 5 degrees. Wind chill in the city could be between 5 and 10 below 0. How does it look in florida . You know what, its even cold down there. Theyre going into the 20s, into the 20s all the way into southern florida. Thats where the redskins are heading. [ laughter ] oh, yeah. Coming up in sports, skins packing up and heading to the off season again. A lot of questions remaining after a disappointing finish. But first heres Peter Alexander<\/a> with a look at what happens ahead on nbc nightly news. Coming up tonight on nightly news, frigid cold temperatures making for punishing start of the year for the eastern half of the u. S. Wind chill advisories as far south as tampa. There is little relief in sight. Al this is the xfinity sports desk. All right. Ball drop, its over, see you later, guys. I guess were going to be seeing kirk playing in im betting orange this time next year. Thats what you bet for next year. Now youre sending the whole team to florida. You have plans for everybody. Leon has it all figured out and hes from cleveland, go figure. 2018, shot back at you. Hello, 2018. As leon mentioned the ball did drop at 34midnight. For the redskins it dropped literally and figuratively. The intersection of despair and disappointment, lost players to injuries, lost games, and now you might say a culdesac of questions, after a 7 of 9 record and second consecutive season with no playoffs. This is not how the redskins were hoping to celebrate the year. Burgundy and Gold Cleaning<\/a> out the lockers at redskins park. Weve done it several years, dee angelo hall, this could be the last time he cleans it out. Quarterback kirk cousins not in the locker room. That was aid good scramble. They would have a few questions for him. They head into the off season of uncertainty since 2014. Many players still searching for answers after that 7 and 9 season. We have to do better as individuals and players and coaches to repair ourselves. One in five in our division is not acceptable at all. You cant even go to the playoffs doing that. Its just so many things we have to fix. We have to be better in all three faces of the football game. You get travel bags or you get trash bags. We got trash bags this year. No travel bags, no opponent, no opponent coming to see us. None of that. What we do have is trash bags. And thats cleaning out our lockers and Going Forward<\/a> and looking forward to 2018. I guarantee you bett better outcome than this one. Travel bags or trash bags. Thats a hashtag. He was given a threeyear contract extension reportedly worth 10 million. Yes, he settled in on defense after getting his journey in the nfl as an undrafted receiver. This is why, his question with the redskins, he spent the season opposite free land. He is testing free agency. Black monday, not good. It means losses in the nfl, lost games, that now have led to lost jobs. Redskins had too many losses, but head coach jay gruden is safe. Espn reported ownership told staff gruden will be back. The same cannot be said for several other coaches. The raiders firing jack del rio. He had just signed an extension. Oakland is closing in on getting john gruden back as their head lions parting ways. He was the coach four seasons just on extension. Bears firing john fox, chicago finished last in nfc north. Each of the three seasons. Chuck pagano out for indianapolis. His team suffering since the loss of andrew luck. Bruce arnz was winning but retired as head coach of the cardinals to spend time with family. Leaves as arizonas winning est coach in franchise history. What anniversary is this . Tenth anniversary of nmls edition of home with the mets. Sabers taking on the rangers. Rangers up 21. Puck behind the net and out to wine en, scores. Lundqvist ties the game at 2. We go to overtime. Rangers on the power play, chad puts it on the net. J. T. Miller to clean up. Rangers win in overtime 32. Always great. Its cold, though. And 7 of 9 feels worse than 8 and 8. There you go. Dont need to tell you that. Thanks for joining us, folks. Nightly news starts in 60 seconds. Before we start, i just want to say if anyone still doesnt have fios, please stay out of the way so your lag doesnt get us all killed, ben. Whats so good about fios anyway . Uh. Whats so great about a 100 fiberoptic network that makes your gaming system actually work awesomely . Hey. Did you take out the trash . Haha, garbage boy dad, i already took out ben. Its not funny. Gaming is best on a 100 fiberoptic network. With a 2year price guarantee with a 2year agreement. Tonight, a frigid and dangerous start to the new year. Below freezing temperatures in 90 of the country with at least five deaths now linked to the cold. Just when will it end . The search for what caused a plane to hit a mountain moments after takeoff. In costa rica. Ten americans killed, five from the same family. The new warning to the u. S. From north koreas dictator who says he has the Nuclear Button<\/a> on his desk. Buying pot. Its now legal for Recreational Use<\/a> in california. One of the many new laws taking effect today. And a celebration of life at a big new years day parade and the selfless acts that are inspiring america. This is nbc nightly news with lester holt. Good evening. And happy new year. Im Peter Alexander<\/a> in fole","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"\/\/ia903205.us.archive.org\/30\/items\/WRC_20180101_230000_News4_at_6\/WRC_20180101_230000_News4_at_6.thumbs\/WRC_20180101_230000_News4_at_6_000001.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240630T12:35:10+00:00"}