spotsylvania. gainsville nearly 2 inches. prince george's county, 1.3 inches. pretty much what we expected. the snow will end tonight. overnight, as the skies clear, we will drop into the teens. icy patches for the overnight hours. a lot more on the possibility of more flakes on sunday. >> we have a few snows -- school closes. shenandoah, culpeper and spotsylvania will be closed tomorrow. manassas city is on a two- hour delay. and jefferson county. the snow made for some very slippery roads today and created frustrated drivers, especially for one group of people were trying to make it up a certain tricky hill.

>> leon, drivers are approaching this hill gingerly. we only got about an inch in mclean. it was enough to paralyze some drivers. kind of't drive in this weather. [sniffle] i have to pick up my little girl after school. i can't drive. >> a steady december snow has turned our roads, especially this hill, into mission impossible. >> i can be the grinch or santa claus. >> he said waiting for a break in the traffic to try his luck. >> i will have a shot to get up there. >> after watching car after car slip and slide near old

dominino ion fairfax. >> iv''ve slid out twice. >> fairfax county schools closed early. >> i will try to get home somehow. struggles onkup roads. >> the stranded mother got to her four year-old, although she had to do it on foot. >> as for brian, there is a happy ending. he gets to play santa claus today. his big white sleigh delivered him to the top. it was not easy. >> applaud came through late this afternoon and treated -- a plow came through late this afternoon. now we worry about ice. >> like a commercial for pickup

trucks. brad bell caught up with some folks. >> we have not seen anything quite like kris van cleave's hill. the storm came with a roar and left with a whimper cars are moving along fine. let me show you how much snow -- 2 inches. boy, it made problems for people. it is hardly the sort of snow we got used to last year, but this being the washington region, we have to get used to it all over again. >> i have spawned so many times coming year. -- spun so many times coming here. >> i've seen a lot of people back words on the side of the highway for not thinking smartly. >> he was driving down to virginia beach and was surprised

that so little snow has caused so many problems. charles county ambulances have been running to accidents. the driver ran away. >> he thought he could drive on ice. he slammed into me and into the shoulder. >> road crews spent the night springlike would -0-- spraying liquid brine. >> businesses and homeowners have been doing all of the usual snow things -- heading up the hardware store for supplies. winter i s back like it or not. >> i don't like snow. i like summer. [laughter] >> you have to admit, it looks

like a pretty sight with the christmas decorations. right now, as we said, the roads are improving rapidly. basalt is working . -- the salt is working. it is getting colder, and it will freeze. we are seeing that on the cars, but the situation is improving. the snow has moved on. >> that's good news. we want to check in with eric thomas and get the details. >> a lot of people worried about what will happen after the temperatures drop and turned to ice. the beltway at connecticut avenue -- salt trucks are staged and ready to go to make sure they will be able to take care of the icy patches. not a lot of crashes so far. we are seeing a lot of improvement on the beltway. connecticut avenue. this is the focal point.

the inner loop coming of of virginia from the american legion bridge, the left side of your screen, very slow. the surprising part is on the right side -- no delays coming spur.7off the 270 the pace on the outer loop is improving, if you are in the area of 29. let's take a look at 95 south and springfield. no good news here. thanks, eric. it is not just people on the road to are dealing with the snow. as you venture out in the blistering called, lisa fletcher continues our live team coverage from northwest. >> the district is always crowded, but on the first snow of the season, people have visions of snowmaggedon.

what happened is it got more congested and crowded. government workers were able to leave work two hours early, so the bus stops were packed. we're on k street. the lines were very long. people said that they walked four blocks up hoping to get on the bus and get a seat. of course, the people leaving work early added to that traffic congestion. it was just miserable driving around here today. traffic was backed up, everyone going slow, which is good because they were saved, but a little slipping and sliding and a lot of patience required to get out of the district. people on foot in the district. most people get around that way. everyone was prepared from the head to their ankles, but very few feet were prepared. a lot people said, i need to get my snow boots on. women walking around in high heels. they'll learn.

>> that is a lesson you learn. the weather is worse in other parts of the countries, causing some deadly accidents. in north carolina and new york, how they are dealing with the snow and ice and freezing temperatures. we will also go to stafford county, virginia. a report of a man with a gun put the u.s. capital on the lockdown today. an aide for susan collins took this picture. the man is charged with an assault on the capitol police officer. he did not have the gun. after two or rest, metro officials said they will start doing random bag checks on metro. julie joins us with details. >> this is the first in their 43

year history. leaders debated it several times since 9/11. then came close, but it is only now that they will begin. there will begin to pass out these flyers. say the checks could start at any time and there is no end date. transit police along with tsa officials plan to begin randomly selecting passenger bags. >> it is already a hassle at the airport. >> the general manager made the announcement at today's board meeting. what prompted the move? leaders will not say. >> it is an added layer of protection we can lay out at this time. >> why? >> because it is a layer of protection. >> he said it is nothing to do with the arrest of the ashburn man arrested two months ago accused of plotting to blow up metro trains.

signs will be posted, and customers have the option to go somewhere else if they do not want to be screened, which is why some riders say, why bother? >> it will be simple for people to hide. >> just having more people around, looking at what is going on. >> it could affect ubus riders as well. this security worker says he has no problem with the bag checks. >> you will think twice before you bring something in here. i think it is a great idea. >> the systems in new york and boston have been conducting these inspections for years. they say will only take a few seconds and it will not cause delays. it will not cost the system anything. there are tsa grants and metro has had $40,000 protection

systems for years. they have just not use them. the district may be getting a new mayor, but it will keep its old police chief. vincent gray announced today that chief cathy lanier will stay on the job. >> he says he will stick with their because of the falling crime rates. the public likes the chief, and he thinks he can work with her to make the city even safer. when mayor elect gray announced his appointment today, police chief cathy lanier was walking behind him. 10 peopleht out of approve of her. >> she has reduced crime. >> for lanier, it has been a busy four years.

crime is down, murders are at a 43-year low, but she's been a hugging chief. >> it is astounding that somebody has an 80% approval rating. >> cathy lanier was pleased. >> we have made so much progress. i am very happy. i think this is a great team and i think there is a lot of excitement with the incoming administration. >> not everyone was happy. the union chairman, for one. >> it's a bad message. it is one of the reasons that we are losing police officers. >> for folks in the hallways, more hugs for the chief. >> mayor elect vincent gray announced a new fire chief -- kenneth ellerbe. he left last year to become chief of the sarasota fire

department. he is coming back home to run the d.c. department. there will be a new attorney general. that man -- his name is irvin nathan, counsel for the u.s. house of representatives. he said he was taking politics of the attorney general's office. paul quando was named as the deputy mayor for public safety. coming up, the woman who came to an officer's rescue during a roadside attack came for. you're her side of the story. >> seven local high school students end up in the hospital after they ate something at school that might have been laced with drugs. >> i am just doing my job. >> this security guard is being credited with saving lives after a gunmen opened fire at a florida school board meeting.

>> you have to see the damage to our north and south in the latest storm, including a f

an ohio police officers

saved from a vicious fight on the side of the road is thinking his guardian angel in person. >> video was rolling as the suspect attacked the officer. a total stranger pulled over. this woman came forward. angela pierce. >> i felt he could use a hand. everyone ran past him. >> she says that when other police officers arrived, they initially handcuffed her, but they quickly took off the cuffs and gave her high fives. the officer arrived at her house to thank her in person last night. some might say this is nothing compared to other parts of the country. scott is live in a satellite center. >> we are seeing highways shut down and deadly accidents.

we have below normal temperatures for 75% of the country. that is causing countless problems. just how brutal is this quick freeze? this lake erie light house perhaps sums it up best. before and after. fountains frozen in time. traffic ground to a halt. >> i lose control. i go into the guard rail and i cannot see it. ice is transparent. >> in the south, five people were killed in accidents, from a fedex truck to a school bus in tennessee. it took many by surprise. >> when you went over the hill, it was too late. >> in the atlantic, cars were abandoned on overpasses. >> how slick is this overpass? slick enough to make these cars

spinouts. it was not just the roads. while many are digging out in upstate new york, in florida, farmers are watching their crops die before their eyes. cucumbers and citrus taking a terrible hit. >> tough. it could be weeks before the farmers know that you extent of the damage there. it could be days before everyone else is a done digging out. >> thank you. do we start digging, or do we wait for things to melt? we will keep our eyes on a postal system. we will melt -- and keep our eyes on the coastal system. let's get started and look at the doppler radar.

i have a medium-why did you perspective. the storm system is down around virginia, north carolina. hampton roads. in the past few hours, you can see the pattern really begin to contract and begin to diminish. we are just about out of this. southern maryland still has a little bit more to go. 23 in manassas. the winds are not a feature. 21 in frederick. as annoying to have 30 mile per hour winds, it would evaporate the snow. with clear skies, i suspect there will be delays to school systems tomorrow. a winter weather advisory until 9:00 p.m. tonight. 20 degrees in hagerstown. 26 in la plata.

cold air. it's cold enough, pushing south. raleigh, north carolina had some ice this morning. now they are at 3 degrees -- 30 degrees. a concentrated area is along the coast. that system will left out tonight. the precipitation will end. quite a bit of sunshine tomorrow. saturday afternoon, clouds will increase ahead of a new low pressure area that will develop of the northeast-florida coast. if that comes to us, that is an opportunity for us on sunday. this could move that thing far enough offshore that it has a limited effect on our viewing area. if it moves too far off shore, we will not see anything. but wait for it. if it moves too close to the

coast, maybe we could get more. we will keep an eye on that. once that is out of here, we will have several days of cold temperatures and maybe more flurries by tuesday or wednesday of next week. express. 24 in the city. 22 in town in the morning. 32 at midday, climbing into the mid 30's. in the next several days, a 20% chance of snow on sunday and scattered flurries and snow showers and gusty winds through tuesday and wednesday. coming up, it's the time for gift giving, but a wish list at the frederick county school has caused controversy. >> some highly anticipated movies are coming out this weekend. is it worth the hype? arch campbell will be here. hear from the man who

♪ i ain't got no time for a nap, oh no, no ♪ ♪ i gotta make this holiday glow, like a light bulb ♪ ♪ tie it all up in a big shiny bow. i'm a "home for the holiday" superhero ♪ ♪ mrs. claus ain't got nothin' on me. i'm dancin' circles ♪ ♪ around the christmas tree.

the security guard who is credited with saving lives during the florida school board shooting a earlier this week spoke for the first time today. >> he says he is not a hero, but a lot of people beg to differ. >> mike jones was peeking through a door when he saw c lay duke take aim. >> i opened the door and he and

i went at it. >> a 911 phone call was made during the shootout. >> is there any shots that were fired? >> not yet. >> he's firing. >> are you secure? 56 year old n shot himself in the head. jones thought at first that the superintendent had been killed. >> when the superintendent came from behind the counter and franklin harrison, and became an hugged my neck, i lost it. i cried. >> duke said he was taking revenge for the district firing his wife. his wife has defended her husband, calling him a gentle giant. >> he was trying to keep people from dumping on him.

rebecca and sister has been was only intent on hurting themselves 3 >> by mike jones being able to engage him immediately and draw to a quick conclusion is what saved allies. >> after jones was released from the hospital for chest pains, he spent wednesday with his pastor to come to terms with what had happened. coming up un abc 7 news at 5:00, a drug induced riot at a high school. the students ended up in the hospital. >> they are digging out from the latest winter storm, and now comes word of no school tomorrow. comes word of no school tomorrow. but now it can make you more connected to your doctor

through e-mail. test results from home. check records. change appointments. now doctors, nurses, techs, pharmacists are all digitally connected to each other. and ultimately connected to you. at kaiser permanente, we believe that if knowledge is power, shared knowledge is even more powerful. kaiser permanente. thrive.

you are watching abc 7 news at 5:00 with leon harris, cynee simpson, chief meteorologist doug hill weather and tim brant sports. this is abc 7 news at 5:00, on your side. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- and looks like the further south you go and virginia, the more snow you will see. >> in stafford and spotsylvania county, even more in roanoke. we are live with how people dealt with the snow. >> top of the news right now is the fact that stafford county schools has decided to call it

an early weekend. there will be no school tomorrow in stafford county. that was also the case here today. throughout this afternoon, we saw the snow taper off and pick up. now it has tapered off again. some people are choosing to come out tonight after spending the day hunkered down. the snow shovels got their first workout of the season today. people got out early to stay ahead of the snow. >> if you do it now, it will not take that long to shovel. >> peter pride is a transplanted midwesterner, but even he was not ready for this. >> in january, but not december. 60 inches last year. this is early. >> south of washington, d.c., the snow began after the morning

rush hour. stafford county schools were closed, giving the students an early christmas gift. >> i am surprised it is this much this season. i was shocked when they canceled school, but i understand why now. >> road conditions prompted motorists to drive at well below the speed limit. hazardous driving it cause the cancellation of her bowling league. >> i am glad it was, because the roads are slick. i came back on route one. i have four wheel drive, and i was sliding. if you do not have to go out, stay at home. >> that is good buys. police had more than 600 accidents they had to respond to. in two cases, troopers were injured when an out of control vehicles slid into them. in stafford county, suzanne kennedy. other than stafford county,

shenandoah, sponsor of a new, and called upper counties are also going to be close tomorrow -- and culpeper and shenandoah county will be closed tomorrow. and as a city will be on a two- hour delay -- manassas city on a two hour delay. a warm front to the south. quickly moving off to the east. we're just about finished. the issue will be temperatures. and west.roorth as skies clear, we will see temperatures 18-24. a lot of icy spots. sunshine tomorrow, and a nice warmup to melt it away. more weekend weather coming up.

the bitter cold weather has the humane centers busy. investigators found several pets outside with no protection. this pit bull had nowhere to warm up. the officer found her, said that they left her almost freezing to death. >> she is a short haired dog. it is critical in this weather to have some short of shelter -- sort of shelter. >> they also found towo puppies. dough will have more on the snow and the cooler temperatures coming up. you can go to the forecast any time of the day at tbd.com. a holiday treat laced with drugs sent 7 students to the

hospital today. was at potomac high school today. >> sheriff's deputies remained on the scene after what one student called a drug induced riot. >> a kid brung weed brownies. he passed them around to the kids in. >> a boy offered a group of students pot brownies. at one point, school securities o'clock that he had provided the brownies. he said he witnessed the results. >> is aid said, breathe. >> after more students complained, a 911 call went out. some of the students were brought to the united medical center. >> they pasesed out. >> the 7 students are in good

condition and slated to be released. albert jones is troubled. >> kids are crazy. you think it is a cupcake. i had never heard of a pot brownie. >> no word on how many students actually ate the alleged pot brownies. a district firefighter who spent two years earning a salary for no work is now facing charges. natalie williams was put on the administrative leave in 2008. she was being investigated. they investigated accusations that companies friday get -- to pay her directly. she earned $72,000 a year without showing up for work. she was arrested and charged

with fraud. are rainrey easley's man has been postponed until tomorrow. they arrested him last friday outside a san francisco supermarket. 12 year-old britney smith was with him at the time. an amber alert had been issued. they are a hot item this christmas, but how do you know which e-reader is best? >> some oscar contenders are rides for the weekend. best bets coming up. new developments in the dc 9 death

movies this eof new weekend. >> arch campbell joins us. >> we have a little something for everybody between out now oand the end of the year. a romantic comedy with local interests. let's take a look at "the king's

speech," "the fighter" and "how do you know?" reese whitherspoon moves in with her boyfriend and becomes increasingly attracted to paul rudd. it feels slow. don't blink or you'll miss the d.c. scenes. 2.5 stars. mark wallboard plays a fighter. his family unconsciously hold them back, with his girlfriend, amy adams helping him and his addict brother. "the fighter", an oscar contender. >> listen to me! i have a voice! >> colin firth plays --

geoffrey rush plays the speech therapist to help some. four stars. a weekend best best, along with harry potter, "the fighter" and "tangled." also opening, "tron, legacy." it looks like a video game, but it costs more than a quarter. not worth it. >> coming up next, there might soon be an added perk to fly out of reagan national and dulles. looking to buy an e-reader? which one is best?

only 9 days until christmas.

is your shoppin done? e-readers are on everyone's shopping list. >> how do you choose the right one? lisa fletcher will help us sort it out. >> the kindle, nook -- are e- readers. they use electronic ink. e-tablets allow you to surf the web and do e-mail. tablets start around $500. >> i have the i pad. my wife has a kindle. the kindle is perfect for reading books. >>the kindle dominates, but the nook is gaining traction.

>> people who are used to shopping at barnes and noble, they are going to be happy with the nook. >> kindle users will stock their library from amazon. hundreds of thousands of books are available, including kids' books. >> i cannot keep up with all the books they read. it seems like the easiest way to encourage reading. >> they have multiple versions. the most possible art -- popular are the wi-fi. the kindle holds 3500, the nook, 1500. many e-readers have wi-fi that allow you to download bachus spots.s from hot

for more information go to our website at tbd.com. well, santa claus is making the rounds at northern virginia post offices this week, making sure that all children get their letters mailed to the north pole on time. >> see you in a week. >> today, santa stopped by vienna to pick up letters. >> monday will be the busiest day. that is the last day that we can assure that it will get to your destination by christmas. >> the 20th is the busiest day of the year. they process 801 million lettres. ers. >> browsing the web while

waiting for your flight it d.c. airports will soon be freed. -- be free. both airports provide wireless access now, but you have to pay for it. >> the first chevy volt arrived in chantilly today. it drives 30 miles on one charge. the car's new owners signs the paper work tomorrow. it is a good night to stay in and watch abc primetime. "a charlie brown christmas," followed by gray's anatomy and "private practice." g ularry king is haningin p the suspenders. he will host his final show

tonight. pierce morgan takes over the time slot in january. larry king is set to host four cnn specials each year. they cannot let him walk away. he will come back. >> we've got you. [laughter] up let's see what is coming on abc 7 news at 6:00. >> gordon peterson is live in the newsroom. >> how about a new bill of rights to protect your personal information on the internet? the founder of wikileaks is out of jail. we will tell you what's julian assange is saying about his future. we will have a live update on road conditions coming up at 6:00. meteorologist doug hill is keeping an eye on everything. >> snow is disappearing before our eyes.

first, let's show you what is happening on lot super doppler 7. the snow in the lower bay. no more accumulation during the evening. let's take a look at our rooftop camera. started out with cloudy skies. around 10:00 a.m., the snow moved in. the snow ended just before sunset. skies are cloudy but things will clear out tonight and it will get mighty chilly outside with a bit of a freeze. 21 degrees in damascus. 25 in stafford. 26 in the district. overnight, we will drop into the low 20's in most areas, but outside of the metro area teens will be commonplace. there will be a lot of stuff that will freeze that is slushy now. the storm is headed offshore.

that will allow clearing skies. we will see sunshine and melting tomorrow. a coastal storm might give a light dusting on sunday. cold temperatures and snow showers return on tuesday and wednesday. that is the latest. what's the word? >> we are trying to figure out what is happening with the redskins. as they prepare for sunday's game in dallas, there is a lot of discussion about who will start as quarterback. donovan mcnabb has gone to the playoffs, but he comes to the redskins and he gets booted. what the heck has happened? eight months ago, they appear to be the perfect match. >> here is two guys from chicago. two guys starting out with a fresh start. >> mike shanahan and donovan mcnabb.

mcnabb was touted as the quarterback the redskins had been seeking for a long time. mike shanahan? the answer at the top after a paris of coaches have come and gone -- after a carousel of coaches had come and gone. >> we are number one in the afc. everyone made mistakes in their lifetime, and they made one last year. >> four years later -- four weeks later, he was benched. >> that two minutes offense, i felt that with no timeouts it gave us the best chance to win. he was hampered with hamstring injuries. mcnabb got a new contract that was not as lucrative. his play this year was fair by most standards, and sub par by

shanahan's. >> the whole interception aspect is not my style of play. >> are reports that donovan mcnabb was on a short leash last sunday it followed by a report that he may not start on sunday at dallas. a lot has changed in a few months. as the clock, we will talk about the caps and wizar

♪ i'm gonna get it, i know i'm gonna get it. ♪ ♪ i can't wait ♪ every little step, brings me closer to the gift. can't be late. ♪ ♪ rip it open in a second and it's time to play. ♪ ♪ i was up all night in anticipation feeling electric jewels of jubilation. ♪

♪ yule tide carols from the local congregation. ♪ ♪ make it tough to hold my patience in check. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪ ♪ is it time yet, is it time, i can't wait. ♪

a christmas wish list is for our request for simple items that they need in their classroom, like crayons. >> a list at one school in frederick is raising eyebrows. >> students got one of their christmas wishes -- early dismissal and time to play in the snow. >> we got the teachers a

present, but we did not give it to them yet. >> it is what the teachers as for and how they cast that has stirred controversy. the teachers was list went home with students. one teacher said she wanted a pedicure. another was a jewelry. some suggested gift cards from anne taylor loft and nike. >> in these days, food or gas or things for the house would be much better than a pedicure. >> the school department has a policy that solicitation is not allowed, but administrators insist this is not a solicitation. >> they were trying to be helpful, and instead, it is like the grinch who stole christmas. >> the pta group put o uut the wish list after parents said they wanted gift suggestions.

>> i have never seen it before. >> we give a gift certificates to the teachers. they deserve relaxation. >> what if it is gift cards for anntaylor? >> if that is what they like, then so bet it. >> some teachers did ask for classroom supplies. that is all for abc news at 5:00. the first significant snowfall of the season is causing problems. we have the latest conditions on the roads right now. the tax cut proposal being held up in the house. we will tell you when we might see a final vote. we will tell you about a major announcement regarding security on metro. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- live and in hd, this is abc 7 news at 6:00. on your side. >> we begin with what is on most everyone's mind tonight 0-