good morning to you. it is friday morning, the 17th day of december, 2010. thank you for waking up with us. the roads are looking a little bit better out there this morning but some of that snow still lingering in grassy areas so we'll talk more about that coming up in just a second. thank you for joining us. let's go straight over to tucker to find out about the

forecast. hopefully, we'll get a little bit of melting because let me tell you, the icy patches are still out there. >> we will get a few degrees above freezing. we should get a chance to melt much of what fell during the day yesterday. 25degrees at reagan national. 21 in baltimore. 17 at dulles. 19 in winchester. 22degrees in ocean city. so yet another cold morning. let's look at our satellite- radar. we'll look at that in a minute. let's go straight to the forecast. mostly sunny skies, about 35 degrees. it will be sunny today, clouding up tonight and we have to look for another storm on sunday. back to you. we do want to look at our top stories. we are digging out after several inches of snow came in

yesterday. in maryland, hundreds of trucks were out in full force trying to stay ahead of of the ice and snow. crews were out treating the roads in the district and virginia at the height of the snow. the snow caused a number of flights to be canceled and there were a number of delays. it is hard to forget the misery many of us felt last winter without power. pepco is hoping to prevent a repeat performance. sherry ly caught up with some of pepco's crews. >> reporter: this is what $7 million gets. all around d.c., montgomery and prince george's county, trees are coming down. this winter, pepco's tree crews are doing the work before the snow can tax out power lines. >> i do think they've gotten the message they have to get better. it is a little late to get the

message, but i'm glad they've gotten the message. >> reporter: tens of thousands of pepco customers lost power for days last year. fallen trees were the biggest problem. >> the crews are working six days a week, 10 hours a day to get this work done. >> reporter: the utility tripled the number of tree crews to cut more than 1500 miles of tree lines. >> we are in good shape. our crews are ready. our contractors are ready. whatever the snow brings us, we'll address. >> reporter: it all looked good but cutting will only get pepco so far. >> it goes much farther than that. pepco's ranking is low. >> reporter: day to day outages is the chief issue. >> they should feel very

confident with all the work that we're doing that there should be less outages. >> we've now gotten pepco's attention but now we have to really get their attention by holding them accountable for their actions. >> reporter: there is no way to know if all this will make a difference in a big storm until we're in one. councilmember berliner is working with state lawmakers to introduce legislation that would hold utility companies accountable by making them meet certain reliability standards or face financial penalties. sureyly, fox 5 news. myfoxdc.com is your one- stop shop for the latest on the winter weather. you will find the latest forecast, current road conditions and a list of delays and closings. congress has passed the tax extension. it is now headed for president obama for his signature. no tax increases for anybody come january 1st. the tax compromise also cuts social security taxes for most

people and pumps billions into the sluggish economy with people who are unemployed for a long time, they will also get extended joble benefits. some big changes for metro riders. there will be random checks starting immediately. anybody who refuses to have their bags checked won't be allowed in the station or on a bus. stay with us, we have much more straight ahead. we'll take a look at your forecast, your traffic and all your top stories as fox 5 morning news at 4:30 begins now. it is friday morning, december 17th. even though it is cold, at least we don't have the snow. we have a few spots where it may still be a little bit icy this morning. because of that, we do have some school systems that are closed this morning. good morning. i'm gurvir dhindsa. let's start off with a look at

school that may be canceled or delayed. we do want to high height some of the big ones. fairfax and loudoun counties and manassas city schools are delayed by two hours. in west virginia, hardy, berkeley, jefferson and morgan county schools are delayed by two hours. the federal government is open today. you know, it wasn't a lot of snow, tuck, but what came down stuck very quickly because it was so cold. i have to tell you, it was a little bit trickier getting home than i had anticipated. >> gurvir and i'm sitting next to you for five and a half hours and you were surprise wrood it wasn't a lot of snow but it was slick. >> nobody was going anywhere

fast -- and you were surprised. >> it wasn't a lot of snow but it was slick. >> let's get started with a look at our satellite-radar. it is all out of here. you will see some stars if you head out in the next hour or two. temperatures a little warmer, back in the mid-30s and a lot of sunshine so we will get a chance to melt off the snow that is on the roadways and less wind than we've had around here the last several days. today will feel pretty good. we are expecting quiet conditions with lots of sunshine. cold though, 25 at reagan national. dulles, 17. another cold start. and by later today, we'll see temperatures rising all the way into the mid-30s. should feel pretty good out there a little later today. we'll be cold again tonight and we have a look at the weekend, the possibility of more snow. at least the possibility. >> it is not a done deal yet.

okay kind of like the tax deal although that is a done deal. sherry ly is following the snow for us this morning. it was pretty slippery yesterday and i expect it will be the same this morning. surey is in arlington this morning. >> reporter: that's right. the biggest problem will probably be getting out of your neighborhoods and on to the side streets. take a look at the conditions we're dealing with just right here. you still have some snow in the area. it is very slushy. the roads here have been treated but there are still icy spots. then you have the areas where the snow has melted and now we're dealing with a refreeze. throughout virginia, they have worked throughout the night to retreat roads with liquid chemicals. there have been a number of accidents throughout northern virginia since the snowstorm started. virginia state police say they had 109 traffic crashes, 135 disabled vehicles and 555 calls for service. road crews have been salting

and sanding throughout the area. in maryland, local and state crews have been out in full force, some, would go 12-hour shifts. highway overpasses and bridges are expected to be a big problem as well as they freeze in the overnight hours. now, d.c.'s secondary roads are still slick and slushy out there which will all make for a slow commute this morning no matter where you are headed. one of the big problems, highway officials say, is that the temperature yesterday never really got above the 20s. so all of this stuff stuck. overnight, it melts, it refreezes. they are out there, working arrested trying to make sure the roads enter good shape for the morning commute. but they are still telling people you have to be cautious. don't ignore the situation. be cautious. give yourself some distance and give yourself a little bit of extra time getting into work. on that note, let's turn it over to julie wright who is on the phone. i hope you are cozy and warm

this morning. >> yeah, that's wish. thinking. we are still experiencing areas of patchy black ice. i think that is the thing we want it reiterate to everyone this morning. the interstates for the most part have been cleared shoulder to shoulder and they are in good shape but getting there is a tough task. coming in out of gaithersburg and across 355, the roadway has been treated. however, we don't have enough traffic out here early enough this morning to really mix in the chemicals. so the cutty bridge, it was very icy. the ramp from westbound 370 to 270, although treated, still very icy. exiting from the beltway onto 355, connecticut avenue, georgia avenue, our secondary roads, the roads less traveled early this morning still have a lot of chemical that has yet to be mixed in to the pavement.

so you are likely to encounter some icy conditions. i also noted the sidewalks to and from the parking garages. they have been just glazed over. i like to use the phrase glazed over like a krispy kreme doughnut because they are still icy. exiting from the parking lots, gas stations, that sort of thing where the slush has accumulated from overnight, it is about an inch thick ice. i think the tough task will be coming off of the neighborhood streets, our secondary roads to the major arteries. you got to proceed with caution this morning. temperatures still well below freezing and black ice is out there. >> be safe coming in. we'll see you in just a little bit. congress has passed the tax compromise. the house cleared the way for final action in congress late

last night. congress members finally voted on it at midnight. the bill passed 277-148 with much. of the opposition coming from democrats. >> this is the wrong thing to do. it is the easy thing to do. effect loves a tax cut. let's be santa claus. >> the obama administration had been urging congress to pass the tax cut. in the senate, democrats dropped the massive omnibus spending bill. harry reid just didn't have the votes for the funding bill. it was loaded with pet projects known as earmarks. now a federal government shutdown is looming. if senators don't come up with a temporary spending bill by tomorrow night, the government is going to run out of money. there could be some big changes coming to the metro station. security will be checking passenger bags. find out what you can expect to see coming up next. federal officials are

talking about a possible holiday terror threat. we'll have more on that as fox 5 morning news continues. the boys next door will never leave. who says we want them to?

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riders should get ready to have their bags checked on metro. bob barnard takes a closer look at the changes that go into effect immediately. >> reporter: at the dupont circle metro station, riders were coming and going without the inconvenience of having their bags checked by police, not that they would have raised a stink. >> some people have some personal stuff. they don't want people just rambling around. if it is for the best of everybody else, i think it is a good thing. >> reporter: metro says anything you carry onto a train or bus who be subject to their random inspections. >> i think it is perfectly fine. i think people are not to be trusted unfortunately. ho, ho, ho, merry christmas. >> reporter: metro police say officers positioned on the

street or inside at station entrances will be using bomb- sniffing dogs and other technology to look for explosive materials. >> there is no threat but it is an additional security measure that we as many law enforcement agencies always seek to find anything though that aid and assist them with protecting people in their jurisdictions. >> reporter: transit agencies in new york and boston are already doing this. as >> as long as they don't make the business people get into work late, i think it is a good idea. >> reporter: officials say tsa officers will be assisting metro police. >> i wish they would fix the escalators and elevators first. >> reporter: this officer seen earlier was not checking bags but directing riders away from a broken escalator. >> make sure that the metros aren't crashing. i think that would be a better priority for them.

but that said, all in favor of anything for security. >> reporter: metro says anybody refusing and inspection will not be allowed into a station or on a bus with their bags. bob barnard, fox 5 news. metro official say they will only open a backpack, bag or box and put their hands into it for the canine or other measures indicate there is a need to look further. al-qaeda in iraq may be planning to strike targets into the united states an europe according to officials. the government is taking the threat seriously. >> there has been no question that there has been an increased threat stream over the last few months. >> it is not going back to the strength it had like three or four years ago but it clearly isn't dead yet and we shouldn't discount the threat coming out of iraq. >> the fbi is alerting local police to be on alert for suspicious behavior and to

regularly change their security procedures. a major announcement from d.c. mayor-elect vincent gray. that is coming up next here on fox 5. tucker, the snow is out of here. >> yes, we are in a hard freeze now with temperatures in the deans and low 0s. so as julie wright likes to say, pack your patience as you head out the door. she will be in and we'll take a look at the weather coming up off the break -- we are in a hard freeze now with temperatures in the teens and low 20s. and half a day's worth of fiber. you care about my fiber? not really. i care about your fiber too. i have for a while. ok, carl. why don't you care about her fiber? hey carl. [ male announcer ] fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes.

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you can't deny the winter weather made for some beautiful scenery and these little guys certainly loved it. the dog had a ball playing outside in the snow in rockville. my dogs love it too. that is the wilson bridge. traffic moving slowly this morning and that is probably good. i think that is one of the big issues. i think a lot of people just -- they drive too fast in that stuff. >> this is always a challenge in this area. not everybody is used to driving in ice and snow. some people are from northern tier of of the country and they've got more experience. >> i was creeping along uck and i still did a little -- it's okay. >> good.

let's get to the forecast. we were right on track with the accumulations, between about 1 and 2 inches across the area. we should melt off a lot of what fell yesterday during the day at late on the roadways as we warm up a little bit. not the case right now. in the next couple of hours, it will stay cold so things will not get a chance to melt until about 10:00 or 11:00 this morning. martinsburg, nine degrees for you. 17 in hagerstown. 23 in annapolis. our temperatures will be well below where they should be.

with mid-30s, light wind and a little bit of sunshine, it should feel pretty good. we have quiet conditions, not expecting anything morn a -- morn a -- more than a few areas of clouds. the next storm will track up the coast and out to sea. saturday night and sunday, the computer models continue to try to throw the storm back toward the washington area. it is possible we could have a period of snow overnight saturday into the day on sunday. out towards the beaches, out towards ocean city, you have a better chance. with all this cold air around here, it is likely to be snow. a little warmer than yesterday. winds out of the north and west at about five miles per hour. later tonight, partly cloudy and cold again. we'll refreeze again overnight. here is your forecast over the

next couple of days. tomorrow, lots of clouds around, 36. i put snow question mark on sunday. you got to watch the coastal storm. we'll have to see how close the storm gets. we'll fine tune this as we get closer. let's get to jonbenet. julie wright is in the house. >> it was a tricky commute this morning. as i mentioned earlier on the phone, coming in out of gaithersburg, they were busy treating the roads again this morning. i think that is a key factor in the inbound commute. major arteries were treated heavily yesterday and that is a good thing. but getting there is what we're talking about. it won't be an easy ride as you make your way out to the major arteries. this is a live shot of 270. for the most part, the roadway has been treated shoulder to shoulder. a little bit of sheen out there. you are not sure if that is the chemical or if that is black

ice. we want you to allow yourself extra time. there are still icy patches to contend with. this is the 14th street bridge, the bridges, ramps an overpasses still icy this morning. take a look. here is a look at the snow that fell in several other places across the country. at least 5 inches of snow fell on ohio forcing many schools to close. in kentucky, dozens of accidents were reported from the slushy mix of snow and rain on the road. thousands of people in north carolina lost power from the storm. to the south of our area in richmond, officials say 6 inches fell. many airports across the country were forced to cancel or delay flights. some bad news for viking fans. this monday night's game will be first come, first served even if you are a season ticket holder. the metrodome will not be ready after the ceiling caved in.

the game against the bears will be played at tcf stadium and that is significantly smaller than the metrodome. all ticket sales have been stopped for that game. in louisiana, the governor is under fire for ordering sand berms during the oil spill. they apparently didn't do anything to stop the oil spill. the state of louisiana put up the sand berms at the height of the spill over the objections of federal agencies and the governor got bp to pay the $200 million price tag. here at home, convince the gray is sticking with police chief kathy lanier. during a news conference for announce his public safety team, gray cited an 80% approval rating along with declining crime in the city as reasons to reappoint lanier. paul wagner has more. >> she has been a success in addressing issues of crime in the district of columbia.

and frankly, i spent about and hour and a half with the chief in the recent past and we had a great conversation. a lot of it was not only about crime fighting but our respective views of the city, respective views of children, juvenile justice, all those issues that impinge upon crime in the district of columbia. >> reporter: kathy lanier was just 39 years old and the commander of the special operations division when adrian fenty hand pick the her to be top cop. four years later, lanier is in the position to see the homicide rate continue to fall. overall crime is down as well. >> we have done a lot better at being more efficient because of technology. we have done a lot better at reducing our response time and improving service. the challenge is to keep going that wai. lakeshore lanier says she plans to keep in operation all hands on deck? >> it reduces crime.

i don't see any reason to not do it anymore. when my community members tell me please continue something and it is he cannive, i don't see why i would stop. -- and it is effective, i don't see why i would stop. >> if chairman gray had come to the top 20 elected officials in the union and asked to be endorsed and said i would come back to you and ask your concerns. >> we've become used to this through friendy that our concerns and problems are disregarded. >> reporter: the mayor elect also appointed paul quander the next deputy mayor for public safety and ervin nathan as the next attorney general. paul wagner, fox 5 news. >> thank you, paul. the mar-elect also announced the appointment of a new fire

chief. kenneth ellerbee is currently the chief in sarasota, florida. he only took that job last year after serving 27 years with the fire department. wtop is reporting he has been take a tax deduction meant for those living in d.c. mayor- elect gray says he was aware he was taking the deduction but believes he will correct t. in virginia, governor mcdonnell is asking workers to pay into the state's underfunded pension system for the first time in decades. he wants employees to contract 5% their pretax pay starting next year. the move who negate a 3% raise. one dog is changing the life of a local girl. details on a program that

brought these two friends together coming up next on fox 5 morning news. as we head to a break, how about a little bit of chuck brown. our facebook fans say merry christmas, baby is their favorite christmas song. you are looking at the fox 5 christmas tree. once this tree is all decorated, we donate it to charity. we hope -- thank you for sending in your ornament. [ female announcer ] this is a strawberry pop tart... and this is a warm, fresh baked strawberry toaster strudel. we asked kids what they want... and we got a clear answer.

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> we know that dogs are man's best friend and this morning, the story of how one furry friend has been so faithful to a little girl in arlington, it

has changed her life. beth parker has the story. >> reporter: becca hemenway was adopted from an orphanage in china. when her new parents brought her home, she was 16 months old but weighed just a little more than many newborns. >> she wouldn't look at you straight in the eye. >> they learned she had major developmental issues. experts believe she was abused in the most brutal ways. for years, she had flashbacks, creaming for hours at a time. >> she would look into your eyes and you could tell she just wasn't there. >> reporter: but the family noticed that becca developed an interest in their two dogs, boxesers. they discovered a group called 4 paws. after about a career, the hemenways were matched with grizwald. he is trained to interrupt some of becca's behaviors. >> most dogs who run for the hills when she is having a flib. she can be very loud. she screams. she can scratch. >> he is right next to her and even when we can't get near her

because she is screaming or upset or kicking or biting because she is afraid somebody is going to hurt her, he can and does. >> reporter: without his harness, he is pretty much an ordinary dog but put this harness on and he is an extraordinary dog. he knows it is time to get to work. >> he is considered durable medical equipment and that is what he is but he is so much more to us, of course. >> becca is now 10 years old. she still says only a few words but her episodes of terror that used to happen daily are now rare. her parents say griz has made her less fear. >> when we go to a restaurant, she still take her shoes off under the table and she will put her feet on him. it is almost like grounding kind of thing. >> reporter: they say griz is an extension of becca. they just go together. >> thank you. if you an