after someone threw a smoke bomb over the north fence and on to the white house grounds. it happened last night as demonstrators from the occupy movement protested at lafayette park. people inside the white house were not allowed to leave on the pennsylvania avenue side of the building. president obama and the first lady were not home at the time. they were at a nearby restaurant celebrating her 48th birthday. a d.c. police officer shot and killed a dog after it bit several people. police say a german shepherd and another dog were running loose near 14th street in northwest washington. the german shepherd reportedly bit a man on the hand, arm, and leg while he was waiting for the bus. witnesses say at one point the german shepherd ran toward a daycare center and bit a man in a wheelchair. >> officers got flagged down as they were on routine patrol. he then noticed he had a victim that was bit several times by the daycare center. so as he was talking he noticed the dog a block away, you know, had to intervene with the dog who continued to attack other

people. >> investigators say that when the officer tried to approach the dog it started to attack him. that's when he shot and killed it. three people were taken to the hospital with bite wounds. all the victims are expected to be okay. 4:32. time for a first look at our forecast. another mild start to the morning, tom. >> and that's not going to last long. >> it was windy. >> colder as the day progresses. temperatures will continue to drop. winds are whipping up to around 40 miles per hour this morning. as we look right now, we have outside temperatures at reagan national airport, 47. they've had a wind gust there to nearly 40 miles per hour. right now a sustained wind at 22 miles per hour. and all around the region, temperatures are beginning to drop. it's down into the 30s out in the mountains and around the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia, near 40 degrees. montgomery, arlington, fairfax, prince george's counties, most locations there in the low to mid 40s. look at the latest wind gusts

we've had. they have been gusting over 30 miles per hour and will continue to do so through the morning hours. the windchills now down into the low to mid 30s throughout much of the region, 20s farther west. over the last 12 hours, we've had the sky clearing after we had the rain yesterday. still quite a bit of cloudiness over the shenandoah valley and into the mountains this morning. here's your day planner -- sunrise at 7:24. might get to the low 40s briefly around noontime. the winds will diminish this afternoon. clouds building, and we'll be back down into the 30s by late afternoon. what a contrast to yesterday's near 60-degree temperatures. in fact, it was around 60 when you went to bed last night. it's dropped dramatically overnight. a look at your evening planner in ten minutes. here's traffic on this wednesday. good morning. good morning. so far area looks really good if you're about to make your way out of the house. we'll check cameras together. let's start with i-270 to the

spur, not seeing issues in either direction. a lot of wind shaking the cameras, be aware of that as you make your commute. i-95 in virginia at pohick, northbound and southbound in the clear. i'll give you a travel speed. heading northbound making your way from the occoquan river bridge to the beltway, 62 miles per hour. continuing on to 395 at the pentagon, no issues. northbound and southbound, all the lanes are open. travel speed northbound making your way from the beltway to the bridge, 64 miles per hour. back to you. >> thank you very much, danella. 4:33. a live look off the coast of italy where divers are looking for 20 missing people after a cruise ship disaster. the "costa concordia" hit a reef friday and ran aground. the capstan on house arrest, charged with manslaughter, causing the wreck, and abandoning ship before all passengers evacuated the boat. 11 people died. divers found five bodies yesterday including four men and a woman believed to be in their

50s and 60s. officials have not said if a couple from minnesota is among those found. a virginia couple is back home in hampton roads after surviving that cruise disaster. karen kennedy and her boyfriend say they immediately went to their cabin and started collecting their valuables when the ship's power started to flicker. they then went to the top deck and were lowered to a lifeboat. the couple eventually was taken to rome and received temporary passports from the u.s. embassy to get home. kennedy said she had dinner with the minnesota couple and is sad to learn they're among the missing. >> we had some commonalities in the travels that we had done. we didn't really get confirmation until we were back here yesterday that it was the couple. sorry. >> despite the ordeal, kennedy said the couple would go on a

cruise again. a coast guard officer says it's unlikely an american cruise would suffer a similar tragedy as the italian cruise liner. u.s. boats must pass safety inspections and obtain certifications including an annual testing of lifeboat deployment. experts say you can protect yourself by avoiding cruises that pick up passengers from international ports. that way everyone gets emergency drills before setting sail, and the cruiseline will primarily speak english. instructions in numerous language can be confusing and waste precious time. in the day ahead, governor o'malley will announce a plan to raise taxes to help cover the state's budget shortfall. the plan would raise taxes on individuals who earn more than $100,000 a year. couples who make more than $150,000 a year would lose some personal deductions. o'malley also wants to collect sales taxes on some internet purchases. the plan would raise more than $300 million in new revenue.

the governor also wants to change how the state funds teacher pensions. maryland faces a billion-dollar shortfall. and it looks like the republican presidential contender rick perry and three other candidates will not be getting their names on virginia's primary ballots. the three-judge panel from the federal fourth circuit court of appeals unanimously ruled against them yesterday saying that the candidates knew the rules and the requirements to get on the ballot have been on the books for years. mitt romney and congressman ron paul are the only two candidates whose names will be printed on virginia's republican primary ballot. the primary vote is on march 6. decision 2012 coverage. a few days to go before the south carolina primary. this morning the pressure is mounting on front-runner mitt romney. his remaining competitors in the gop presidential race are calling for him to release his tax records. romney is standing firm saying he will wait until april. he did reveal he pays a 1

pover5% income tax. some are questioning the tradition. >> it was a tradition issued by then presidential candidate george romney in 1968. >> my income comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past rather than ordinary income or rather than earned annual income. then i get speakers fees from time to time, but not very much. >> the latest national poll of republicans finds romney has a commanding 23-point lead. the obama campaign is now requesting advertising rights in a number of states including virginia. that's a sign the president could be close to airing his first television commercials for the 2012 campaign. mr. obama's campaign headquarters is seeking out the advertising information in 14 states that are expected to be heavily contested between mr. obama and his republican opponent. no word on when the ads might start airing, though, on tv. the president is now taking heat for where he will give his

speech during the democratic national convention. dnc leaders announced he will accept the party nomination at the bank of america stadium in charlotte, north carolina. some critics are upset because the stadium is named for a bank that receives a federal bailout. dnc leaders said the venue was chosen because the 74,000-seat stadium allows more people to take part in the event. 4:38. 45 degrees. still ahead on "news4 today," asking for your help. the person police are still trying to find after the death of an abandoned baby. bracing for a lot of snow. the impact this major winter storm is already having on parts of the pacific northwest. no snow here, but we are in for a cold day. (ringing)

hello? this is the sea calling. the sea? yeah! (laughing) what's it like there? brrrrrrr! how do you deal with that? a coat, a hat. gloves. scraping ice off a car. (making scraping noises) i don't want to rub it in, but where i am, it's 82 and sunny. get me outta here! (laughing)

do you know what time it is? 4:41. good morning, time for weather & traffic on the 1s. i'm tom kierein in snowstorm center 4. right now it is cold, temperatures dropping to the upper 30s, just to the north and west of washington to near 40 degrees in montgomery county. much of fairfax and arlington counties are in the low to mid 40s. mid 40s in prince george's county. reagan national now at 47. these are the latest wind gusts that we've had. they have been gusting to around 25, 30 to 35 miles per hour. and that's going to be the story here through the morning. some powerful winds howling through the trees, and we will continue to have those winds with us during the morning

hours. and then by noontime we'll be into the low 40s. and then get back down into the upper 30s by later this afternoon. the winds should diminish this afternoon. sunrise 7:24. sunset, 5:13. here is your evening planner. it will be partly cloudy to mostly clear by midnight. by then it will be below freezing. a cold start to tomorrow morning. we'll look at that the rest of the week and weekend in ten minutes. how's traffic? looking good in our area. we'll check travel speeds together. traveling on route 50 from 301 to the beltway, you're at 66 miles per hour. now traveling on the beltway in virginia from the interchange to the dulles toll road, 61 miles per hour. if you're traveling on i-66 in virginia, making your way from fairfax county parkway to the beltway, that trip, your travel speed there is 67 miles per hour. you might need to slow down. inside the beltway on i-66 at glebe road, looking really good, as well. i'll give you a travel speed for the area from the tollwbeltway

globe, 58 miles per hour. not so bad. that's traffic for now. back to you both. >> thanks. our time is now 4:42. still to come, a disturbing discovery found in this townhome. the search is on for a couple accused of animal neglect. and why many americans are

we may not have snow here -- look at that. the pacific northwest is getting slammed by a major winter storm that's expected to bring several feet of snow by the time all is said and done. the snow has been steadily falling in parts of oregon and washington stated making the roads downright treacherous. >> we're expecting more snow, so our crews are working 12-hour shifts now, 24 hours a day. >> the state police have closed parts of interstate 90 in washington state because of avalanche danger.

this morning police will search for clues after dog walkers made a gruesome discovery in the foothills of hollywood two women found a human head in a plastic bag below the hollywood sign. the women were walking nine dogs when two dogs began playing with the bag. the head appears to be a man, and it did not seem like it had been there long. no other body parts or blood were found. a man accused of trying to kill president obama by firing a gun at the white house now faces new charges. a grand jury indicted oscar ramiro ortega hoernd charges of assaulting three federal officers and damaging federal property. he also faces four separate firearms charges in addition to the attempted assassination charge. hernandez was arrested last november and initially charged with firings several rifle rounds at the white house. a judge ordered that he be held in jail without bond. an attorney for ortega hernandez says that he will plead not guilty to all the charges.

police chief lanier is making a plea to help find the mother who left a baby to die in the cold. police say a man found the baby on the steps of a home on channing street in northeast washington. she did not have on any clothes and was only wrapped in a thin towel. neighbors could not revive her. police say the child may have been a newborn or up to a month old. >> children, especially babies, elderly folks, really difficult for us because they are the victims that can't speak for themselves. and are truly defenseless. >> d.c. has a safe haven law which allows babies to be left only at a fire station or hospital. police are asking for anyone with information to come forward. a construction worker in silver spring is safe after being trapped inside an underground tank for nearly three hours. the man was doing some work at a site on the 1200 block of east-west highway yesterday when he fell in the tank and couldn't get out. he was trapped about 15 feet down. firefighters were able to hoist

him out of the tank. the man is expected to be okay. this morning, police are trying to find a couple who left behind more than 40 dead animals in their howard county two townhouse. the property on owner called police. 19 dead animals were found in a freezer including birds, rabbits, a guinea pig and hermit crab. neighbors tell news4 they're sickened about the news. >> sick that they would walk away and not be attached to any of their animals. >> if you have any information -- if you have any information, call police. a maryland animal abuse law would toughen current laws and create registry of abusers similar to those of sex offenders. offenders' fingerprints would go

into a data base, and their information could be available on line. maryland ranks 35th out of all 50 states when it comes to laws that protect animals from abuse and neglect. ahead, the national alliance to end homelessness will introduce its annual report. it's expected to say that the overall number of homeless people is down from 2009. many american family are at risk of losing their homes and could be left homeless in the future. the report also is expected to talk about related issues including housing costs, unemployment, and foreclosure problems. the number of children living in poverty is at a 13-year high in virginia. that's about 265,000 children. the cities of danville and petersburg lead the state with childhood poverty, each topping 40%. northern virginia has much lower rates even though the cost of living is very expensive. fairfax county does have a program that moves the homeless to self-sufficiency. karen debose is enrolled in the program and says she's doing what she can to help keep a roof

over her head for herself and her son. >> i'm not really making that much money, but i make the money that i make stretch. >> she hopes to own her own home in five years with the help of that fairfax program. the federal agent who accidently shot himself while lecturing children on gun safety lost his appeal over the release of the video. >> okay, i'm the only one in this room professional enough that i know of who carries -- [ gunshot ] >> this video was taken in 2004 when the dea agent lee page was speaking at a school in florida. the video went viral. page sued the dea saying the release invaded his privacy and ended his ability to work undercover or give motivational speeches. the court says there is no right to privacy because the incident occurred at an event that was open to the public. >> wow. 4:50. almost 4:51. time again for weather & traffic on the 1s. >> tom has big change once

again. it was really windy this morning. >> yeah, didn't need an alarm to wake up. the trees were howling with that wind whipping through. we've had gusts to nearly 40 miles per hour over the last few hours. those winds will gradually diminish throughout the day today. good morning. right now around our region, the sky has cleared out. mars and sad under are in the southern sky right now. it's 47 at reagan national. the winds sustain thursday at 2 to 25 miles per hour. it's gusting up to around 30 to 35. elsewhere, temperatures have dropped dramatically since last night. last evening it was hovering around 60 degrees. now it's down into the 30s in the mountains, the shenandoah valley, panhandle of west virginia, blue ridge east. in the low to mid 40s. montgomery county near 40 degrees now. prince george's county in the mid 40s. mid 40s in arlington and fairfax counties. district of columbia in the mid to upper 40s. near 50 still around the bay and lower eastern shore. the cold air is coming there, though. it will be moving into southern maryland, northern neck, toward fredericksburg as the day

progresses. these are the latest wind gusts. they have diminished a bit since they were really howling just after midnight. but now it's down generally around 25, 30 mile-per-hour gusts. and the clouds have cleared out. we've got a mostly clear sky. farther to the west, we still have clouds northern montgomery county into frederick county, northern, loudoun, panhandle of west virginia, into the mountains and shenandoah valley. sunrise 7:24. we should have quite a bit of sun through the region through the morning hours. winds still whipping up through the morning. then diminishing this afternoon. we'll be in the low 40s noontime. down to near 30 by midnight tonight. sunset at 5:13. then down to near 20 by dawn tomorrow. during the day thursday, cold, and we'll have increasing clouds. and then thursday evening, perhaps late in the evening, flurries. cold on friday, too. maybe some chilly rain on saturday. then some sun back on sunday. but still cold. a bit warmer next week, chance of rain. and now, danella, how's traffic? good morning.

still looking nice in our area. checking speed sensors, if you're traveling along the beltway, taking the outer loop at georgia avenue, you're at 62 miles per hour. not bad. on the inner loop at route 50 on the beltway, 65 miles per hour also. traveling the inner loop making your way toward branch avenue. 60 miles per hour. not so bad. if you're crossing over the wilson bridge, nothing but green means your volume is light. not seeing any accidents in the roadway for you. looks really good. i'm back in ten minutes with a look at your rails. joe and eun? >> thank you. a seven-game win streak at home is now history for the capitals as they got shut out by the new york islanders last night. the caps had just 17 shots on goal in the 3-0 loss, putting a sour note on the last night of what has been a very successful home stand so far. washington still has won seven of their last ten games, but their first shutout of the season takes away some of the momentum they had as they hit the road where they've struggled all year long.

they will try to turn thing around in montreal against the canadiens. the hoyas aren't having any trouble on the road with their second straight win away from home over dupaul last night. 83-75. senior guard jason clark had a career high 31 points on the night and was five of seven from the three-point line. the biggest difference for georgetown was their rebounding. they had 47 of them, allowing them to dominate the boards. the 15-3 hoyas will return home to take on records friday. exciting for them. 4:54 now. coming up -- [ ringing ] >> one of those who can't put your cell phone down? your cell phone down? you're not alone.

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[ ringing ] all the ringing, beeps, and vibrations from smartphones may be doing harm to your health. british researchers say people who constantly check their devices for message and updates adds stress. scientists say some people have become dependent on staying up to date on what's happening at work and practically lead a virtual social lifestyle.

that leads to more stress and compulsive behavior. >> if you have a virtual social life, sorry. if your job search is forcing you to look far from home, we have news from careerbuilder. they found nearly 1/3 of employers willing to pay to help employees relocate. the lack of hiring has forced many jobseekers to look beyond their back yards. careerlocate.com will help workers identify the top markets where their skills are in demand. the cars we're driving today have hit a record old age. a study of vehicle registration data shows that the average age for a car or truck on america's roads has hit a record 10.8 years. in 1995, the average age of a car or vehicle was 8.4 years. researchers say the job insecurity and other economic worries have kept many americans from buying new cars. the aging of vehicles has meant big business for repair shops and companies that that sell

replacement auto parts. good news for one end of the economic spectrum. >> i'll be driving my car until it's dead, in the ground. until the parts fall off. >> good news for garages. you could call it an express delivery. a new jersey woman gave birth to a baby on board a port authority commuter chain. >> she says she was trying to beat the morning rush on the route to the hospital. the 31-year-old got on the train monday, she thought she was having false labor pains. but she quickly found out they were the real deal. oh, my goodness. her husband delivered the baby with the help of a woman on the train. the baby boy is healthy. the new parents say they have already decided on a nickname for the baby, it's a hindi word that means speedy. i love it. >> great. >> fitting. >> best wishes to them. the nickname i guess is better than choo choo, i guess. >> right. he will have stories to tell. stay with us. "news4 today" in