first night alexandria. this year but the celebration is a little different. >> it is a little different this year. behind me you can see the memorial in alexandria, virginia. beautifully lit this evening. they will have a laser light show at about 11:45 midnight or so. they will not have fireworks. instead, a reign of ping-pong balls. multiplying that by 6000 ping- pong balls. "we have to get the pressure to lift the balls into the air. >> add laser light systems and music -- >> it is a little bit of a club set up. >> and you get a little idea of what will happen at midnight. >> it is pretty insane. >> 6000 ping-pong balls in a box, later in the air replaced the usual fireworks. >> if it is unsafe, it is not a good idea. >> a new state law has a new fire work requirements. >> there is no way you can do it. >> ping-pong balls it is. >> i picked it is cool. >> 18 family friendly venues in the crowds on the sidewalks -- quite it is awesome. at it is amazing. >> many say thousands of these little guys like to t

visit the website to learn more about products and promotions at old town alexandria. good morning, washington. >> good morning, washington. 6:10 is the time. it's been a tough season for snow lovers, especially winter sports lovers. there has not been any snow. >> but the show must go on at the x games. the first ever front flip of a snowmobile on sunday night. this was enough to win a 27-year old and a gold medal. and there was this crash. he was trying to turn a double back flip, fracturing his arm terribly. i'm getting goose bumps. i don't know how these people can do this. look at that and slow motion. does that not hurt to watch? >> yes. it is like jesse skiing for recreational purposes. -- jet- skiingskiing. 35 degrees at dulles airport -- 32 at dulles airport, 35 in the district. i saw a snowmobile at dupont circle in d.c. a couple times during snowmageddon. that was the first time i had ever seen one in washington anywhere, even on a trailer or sitting in someone's yard. the first time it was actually in use on the streets. 28 in winchester, 30 in quantico, 35

let's go to lindsey in alexandria. reporter: hey, bruce. what olga said about it getting down to the 20s tonight. that is what crews are worried about. they're worried some of the roads will freeze again. i want to show you some video from a little bit earlier because right now there's not a lot going on, but earlier they were prepping, they're getting ready, making sure that they have -- obviously they have enough salt, but making sure that salt is ready to go. what they're really concerned about is some of the bridges freezing, especially places like the springfield interchange, those really high bridges freeze very, very fast, so they want to make sure they really focus in on those bridges to make sure that those icy patches aren't going to cause any problems. now, a lot of this is going to freeze overnight, but there might still be some patches of ice in the morning. so if you get up early, if you're plapping to go out, you'll really -- planning to gt out, you'll really want to look out on the roads. ladies, in your heels, you might wan

here in alexandria, they're dropping thousands of these ping-pong balls. here's an idea of what it's going to look like. at the ma sonic temple people danced to live music. it's first night alexandria, the family oriented evint that draws thousands every year fp. >> we're having a good time. it's the holiday season, and we're just starting off right here in alexandria. >> reporter: this was the first first night for the martinez family. everyone got their faces painted. >> tell us about the face painting. >> i love it. i was surprised with mine. >> i decided to get my face painted. take a look. the nbc peacock. maggie, thank you so much, you did a great job. >> there were 18 different entertainment venues for the whole family, especially the kids. >> i got a snake, and it opens when i open my mouth. >> kind of scary? >> i know. >> what did you want to say? >> do you know the chicken, he pooped out an egg. >> the outdoor stage is set for the laser show that will light up the temple at midnight. we got a preview of the cannon blast that will send 6,000 ping-

. >>> still ahead alexandria could see some big changes and not everyone is happy. >> as we continue with, the biggest critics against the waterfront development plan speak out. >>> plus justice for heidi, a puppy shot and killed in maryland. a local lawmaker has a plan to make sure it doesn't happen again.  >>> this is fox 5 news at 10:00. >>> a lawmaker in maryland is proposing legislation that would publicly embarrass those found guilty of animal abuse. >> under maryland senator ronald young's plan an animal abuse registry would list the names of those convicted of animal abuse in the future. the bill is being named heidi's law and fox 5's matt ackland explains why. reporter: she was a puppy who loved to play, heidi, a golden retriever, shot and killed earlier this month in middletown, maryland. >> it's going to take a long time to get over temperature. reporter: lynnette coffman has been heartbroken since she found heidi dead in a field near her home. although there is an $8,000 reward, still no one has been arrested. >> this is just a vicious senseless k

el primer accidente relacionado con transeÚntes en alexandria, en el que murio Ó un niÑo de 8 aÑos esta siendo noticia en nuestra capital, hoy dos familias hispanas lloran la perdida de sus seres queridos uno esta en la cÁrcel, el otro sin vida silvana quiroz estuvo en el lugar de los hechos y nos cuenta mas . brian hernÁndez chavez de 8 aÑos que cursaba 3ro de primaria habÍa pedido a su madre salir del encierro de su departamento para jugar video juegos en landmark mall el domingo por la tarde sin embargo al volver a su casa el destino les jugo una mala pasada pudo ser que sus caminos se chocaron alguna vez, en el vecindario de alexandria ya que vÍctor aldana y maria chÁvez junto a su hijo brian vivÍan cerca y comi Ían hasta en el mismo lugar. pero el domingo al promediar las 2:30 de la tarde sus caminos se cruzaron de una manera abrupta . eddie l. reyes policÍa alexandria marÍa chÁvez se encuentra en el hospital inova de fairfax con las piernas rotas la pelvis fracturada pero mas allÁ de las heridas que la dejaran marcada para siempre marÍa perdiÓ a su Único hijo silvan

harris was last seen in alexandria on september 21. the next day, a man was caught on surveillance video using harris' atm card at a local bank. and harris' phone was found later that day on the woodrow wilson bridge. harris' car, meanwhile, was found on october 11 in prince georges county. the motive for the murder was robbery, but not giving any details about that robbery, siting the extremely active on going investigation. >> we work night and day with our partners in alexandria to identify the suspect. we have identified one. again, i want to stress we have a full written and verbal confession and we recovered what we believe to be the murder weapon and the murder weapon is a firearm. >> prince georges county police say they expect several more people soon. >> they move fast on this one, thank you. >>> police are looking for the vandals who targeted a mosque over the weekend. as peggy fox reports, it was so badly damaged, some wanted investigated as a hate crime. >> i'm peggy fox where fairfax county police say if they find the van

reporting live from alexandria, darcy spencer, news 4. aaron, back to you. >> all right, darcy, thank you. and stay with news 4 and nbcwashington.com for continuing coverage of this winter weather. we'll have the latest forecast, road conditions, and closings for you starting at 4:30 tomorrow morning on news 4 today. >>> also tonight, remembering legendary head coach joe paterno who lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 85 today. paterno built the penn state program on discipline and character. in the end, though, he was fired in the middle of a child sex abuse scandal involving his former assistant coach. tonight people remembered the legendary coach on campus. news 4's jane watrel has more from the campus. >> reporter: it's been a somber day on the penn state campus as the community continues to react to the death of former head coach joe paterno. here at his statue a steady stream of mourners dropped by to light candles and leave flowers. earlier tonight a kamdlight vigil was held on campus. thousands gathered at the steps of

la reunion se llevara acabo en la misma escuela elemental clermont en alexandria a las siete y media de esta noche... norma... muchas personas quedaron conmovidas con la tragedia que le quito la vida a un nino de ocho aÑos en alexandria, quien fue arrollado por un conductor hebrio...el padre de brian hernandez chavez quien se encuentra en mexico, busca recaudar suficiente dinero para venir a alexandria para su entierro... si usted como muchos quiere ayudar a esta familia que pasa por esta pena, puede hacerlo, dando su donativo por la internet en la pagina que usted ve en pantalla: we pay punto com barra donations barra maria guion chavez.... dos trabajadores de metro enfrentan cargos en su contra por conspirar para robar decenas de miles de dolares en fondos de dicho sistema de transporte... silvana quiroz nos informa desde las oficinas de metro en washington... adelante silvana... una propuesta del gobernador martin omalley para cubrir el deficit fiscal del proximo aÑo esta causando controversia... claudia uceda nos dice por que?... claudia, asi es norma... en maryland, no hay din

grande represents parts of arlington and fairfax county and the city of alexandria. if his legislation passes, a committee made from the general assembly's house and senate and other experts will analyze the amount of money that regulated marijuana sales could bring. the marijuana would be sold throughout the commonwealth abc liquor stores which are run by the state. england needs a study should be done in order to have a factual discussion about legalizing pot. he says right now there is no indicator of how much money marijuana sales could contribute to the commonwealth. he tells us the money would be used for schools, roads, public safety and healthcare, all services as being woefully underfunded as he describes. >> over the years a surprising number of constituents have asked me hey, instead of raising this tax or that tax, if we need more revenue, why don't we legalize marijuana, sell it through abc and get the revenue that way? >> if approved, the study findings would be submitted before the start of next year's general assembly session. >>> police are on the lo

. >> sulema: la familia hispana alexandria, está viviendo una tragedia, tras la muerte de su pequeño de ocho años de gas, por causa de un conductor también latino que manejaba ebrio, el hombre tuvo su primera audiencia, y no tuvo derecho a fianza juliana monsalve nos informa. >> mi hijo y mi corazón va a vivir, para él no ha muerto, así, de su olor magallanes la abuelita de brian hernández, de ocho años de edad quien el domingo perdió la vida a manos del doctor ebrio, ella no abrir sus ojitos,. >> reportera: víctor aldana de 22 años de atropelló madre y a su hijo mientras manejaba intoxicados cerca la calle en alejandría, el hombre que además conduce sin licencia y ahora está detenido sin derecho a fianza. >> hay testigos que dicen que la persona pudo haber evitado pero no lo hizo, por el trago que traía. >> reportera:-- y su mamá caminaban hacia el centro comercial landmark el domingo en la tarde cuando el vehículo de aldana se salió de la ruta y los atropelló, para ya falleció en el lugar, su mamá maría hernández fue transportada al hospital. >> ella está en

i'm peggy fox in alexandria. coming up, i'll tell you what people say needs change before someone else is hurt along this busy road. >>> we have an update on that accused serial mall slasher. authorities still working to bring 40-year-old johnny back to fairfax county. he was arrested at a lima, peru mall over the weekend. he suspected of slashing nine young women on their backsides at malls in fairfax county last year. police discovered him has returned to his home country of peru after they issued an arrest warrant in september. >>> a young man who killed a little boy on sunday has been charged with dui manslaughter. >> 22-year-old victor has also been charged with maiming for injuring the boy's mother who was walking with her eight-year- old son when the car slammed into them. peggy fox has more from alexandria where the deadly crash happened. >> the boy was killed when walking with his mother on this sidewalk. the driver who hit him was going so fast that he jumped the curb about 30 feet back there. knocked o

a lot of businesses have come gone in old town, alexandria, over the years. you could look up here and you buy a ticket and see our show. final screening tonight -- this sign says it all. >> it is an event. i think our yoghurt generation not understand that. >> -- our younger generation does not understand that. >> i wish there was something we do.d be here tonight. >> when most people go to the days, it is at a place like this. old town customers say those places cannot match this one. >> it is not just about watching a movie in a dark room. out and havingng dinner and coming out to a place like this. >> at the big guys, you will not like this. >> i have been volunteering since 2003. believes in this place so much, he works here for free. >> because of my love for a see it go.hate to >> the old town opened in 1914. >> they would go upstairs and dance all night. >> the owner says he will not working up to 16 hours, seven days a week, only to lose money. but he will miss the people, of whom have fond memories. >> what year did you start coming year? >> 1965. >

but long before there were parks here, alexandria was a port. this doc was used by ships to bring newsprint for the washington post. a subsidiary company still owns the dock and owns the adjoining warehouse. the warehouse is still being used, but this riverfront land is now quite valuable. so is the similar robinson terminal warehouse at the north end of old town. the owners of this land and the owners of yet a third warehouse are now apparently ready to cash in, and they have the right to develop this property under current zoning. city planners have suggested a proposal that allows about 20% more density if the future developers agree to waterfront access and street access to the waterfront. why doesn't the city simply buy the properties and make it all parkland? >> purchasing all of those warehouse sites for parkland would be extraordinarily expensive. almost $100 million would be the cost of the plan, if we were to go that way. >> reporter: and, of course, parkland yields no tax revenue where as mixed use keeps much of these properties on th

here to tell us more, is claire who is with the alexandria convention and visitors association. we saw claire for old town's new years eve gala. >> right. >> tell us about alexandria's restaurant week. >> starts friday goes until january 22nd we have 10 days, two weekends to enjoy 60 restaurants all over town, offering both $35 three your dinner or as you mentioned the $35 dinner for two. >> yeah, that is something different than other restaurant weeks. >> absolutely it is unique the alexandria and really just gives that opportunity to try all our different chef owned foodie friendly businesses throughout the city. >> out of the 60 are all participating in that option? >>> the way it works half of them are offering the $35 prefixed menu and then the other half are offerling the dinner for two. >> got you. so, what kind of eye seen are we talking about? -- cuisines are we talking about? >> all kinds from fine dining all the way from american, to fine french eye seen and italian and we will see -- cuisine and italian and we will see some of those chefs later in the show, pizzaria,

. >> also a war over alexandria's water front. a vote tomorrow could dramatically change the city landscape. >> a close encounter at a safari park becomes a hit on youtube. >> and what's going on in sports? >> whoa. >> whoa is right. >> that's kradscrazy. one raven has fond memories of new england. the wizards try to build on memories of wednesday's win. plus one national sticking around d.c. for a little longer. beast mode. news >>> rescue crews are starting to lose hope they'll be able to find any of the 21 people still missing after the cruise ship disaster in italy. crews resumed their search today but are running out of time as the massive ship continues to slip off an under water ledge keeping it afloat. duncan golistani has more. >> reporter: the big question here today on giglio is the costa concordia slipping further under water? overnight movement was detected and it was enough to stop them from letting divers go beneath the surface to search the decks. that means a longer wait for the families of the 21 passengers who a

he says that the city of alexandria improperly rejected a petition by the land owners. he tried presenting the petition this afternoon to the city council. it was rejected. bottom line here, i think a vote will happen some time this evening. i think, based on earlier statements, majority of the city council will vote yes for the slightly higher density of development but i think the rejection of the petition may open the door for the courts to intervene in the future. we'll find out. we hope to have an update on tonight's 10:00 news. >> thank you, john >>> just ahead at 6:00 -- >> lucky fans got to meet the x factor finalist. >> i got a picture. >> lucky >> why they were not celebrating his birthday as we continue here on the 6:00. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholestero

reporter: alexandria police were also on the scene. they have a high profile missing persons case connected to the area. 53-year-old lenny harris of alexandria disappeared september 21st. his 1994 toyota corolla with virginia tags xk g-8 385 was found days later near ft. washington in prince george's county. surveillance cameras also captured a man using harris' credit card on king street in alexandria after an attempt in prince george's county. wanda gromes new harris' family. she lives near the well and says she's shocked by the discovery of the body and saddened that it could possibly be harris. >> regardless of who it is my heart goes out to the family, but i'm just waiting and hoping that it is not lenny harris. if it is, i pray for his family and hopefully they can get some closure. reporter: now again the identity of the victim is not known that. could take days because bringing up the body we're told could take days. the neighborhood is a quite remote areas, neighbors very shocked at what happened. old fort road will remain clo

police say a suspicious man has been lingering near claremont elementary school in alexandria. students reported seeing the man twice week and three times last month. more than 100 parents met at the school to hear from the latest police reports. >> i can guarantee that a red pickup trip has been consistent in every incident that we have received a report on. >> they know whether -- if we're not coming that their grandmother is coming to get them. and there are no exceptions. >> even though no crime has been committed, the fairfax county police department has stepped up patrols in the area. >>> it is now 4:38. 37 degrees. d.c. has one and so does montgomery county. why so many virginians are furious about a proposed bag tax in the commonwealth. >>> metro may be talking about fare hikes, but see why free riders may actually save money under the proposed payment plan. >>> and we could be in for a dose of winter tonight. >>> weather & traffic on the 1s. good morning. tom kierein in storm center 4 on this friday morning. we've had a few flurries passing just to the north and northe

we are expecting developments today in the case of a community activist from alexandria he was found murdered in a well. >> investigators have identified the body as that of lynnwood harris. it will hold a news conference to give details. we have more. >> please confirm that the body recently found in a 20 foot well was a well-known activist in alexandria who at one time ran for city council. >> he has always been a good guy. is is a shame that something like that happen to him. he is dedicated to helping people. >> they say the families were close. the do not know why anyone would harm his friend. >> they don't have no sense for anybody. that is the kind of person you did this. >> he vanished last september. police released a potentially critical clue. this man used an atm card at a big machine only hours after harris was last seen leaving this community center. >>he was more acquainted with him as his next turn neighbor for 30 years. >> [inaudible] >> he like so many other struggles to understand how a man of compassion who stood up for the disadvantaged could be taken from this wo

lenny harris, a community activist from alexandria had been missing for months. today we've learned how he died. news 4's darcy spencer joins us live from alexandria at the last place harris was seen alive. >> reporter: lenny harris was last seen right here at this rec center in old town alexandria four months ago. his body was found over the weekend about ten miles away in fort washington. he had been shot. for the first time today we got an up close look at the well where his body was found. it was here deep inside a well that's now been covered over that police found the body of missing alexandria activist lenny harris. >> it was a total shock to me because i never thought that anyone could be so cruel and mean and evil. >> reporter: the well is in a remote area of fort washington next to an abandoned home surrounded by woods. it was covered by a large, concrete cap. prince george's county investigators say they received an anonymous tip saying if they came to the property and looked inside that well, they would find a body. after an excavation effort that too

we are expecting to learn more information in the case of a community activist from alexandria found dead in a well in fort washington >> . someone murdered lenwood harris. the search is on for his killer. >> brianne carter is like a prince george's county police headquarters where officers will release new details titicaca. good mornin -- will release new details today. >> police from prince george's county and alexandria, will meet at police headquarters. many people still wondering why someone would have wanted to kill and lenny harris. according to authorities, the body found in the 20-foot fort washington well is that of 53-year-old alexandria resident lenny harris. >> he's always been a good guy. >> corraig is a friend of his. he wonders why someone would want to hurt someone who was always willing to help people. police are trying to find out what happened to the man who once ran for city council. this picture could be a potential coup. this man and used harris' atm cards at zaa k street bankcard after harris was seen leaving this community center last september. police have n

. >> a man accused of killing a boy in alexandria is due in court for a bond hearing. victor aldana was drunk driving when he hit brian hernandez chavez and his mother on saturday. >> police are looking for two men who are not and -- who robbed an armored car in walmart. the driver was about to put $90,000 into the truck, when the men wrapped up in grant money -- ran up and grabbed the money. >> investigators are searching for the robbers held up a convenience store. three men held up a 7-eleven in the 3100 block of rhode island avenue at 8:30 last night. there is no word on how much the robbers got away with and no reports of injuries. good news for mitt romney. i knew "the washington post"-abc poll shows he is the clear front runner and the republican presidential nomination. for now, that makes him an easy target. his competitors to their shots during last night's debate in south carolina. we have details. >> good morning. 5 canada's share the stage last night. -- five candidates shared the stage last night. if romney wins this weekend, some analysts say this race c

we're live in alexandria. erika gonzalez, news 4. back to you. >> thank you. >>> still ahead, a violent attack carried out by a 5-year-old. >> automatically he said, you know, why is there blood everywhere? >> her son is accused of stabbing three people. coming up the young mother shares her personal struggle to control that child. >>> plus crews gained ground on a wildfire that's devoured two dozen homes out west. >> redskins fans, are you prepared to go to the other side? would you cross the purple line? i'm pat collins. the story coming up. news 4. >> news 4 at 5:00 i >>> firefighters in nevada are working around the clock to keep the upper hand on a raging wild fire that started yesterday. it has been spreading quickly because of incredibly gusting winds. it has already destroyed dozens of homes and structures, more than a thousand people had to evacuate. that included vice president joe biden who was in the area for an event. >> laurel is halfway between d.c. and baltimore in maryland but when it comes to professional football,

. >>> dozens of concerned parents sat down with alexandria police tonight hoping for more details about some frightening incidents involving school children. matt jablow joins us live outside of clermont elementary school with the story. >> reporter: lesli, scary stuff for students and parents where the search is very much on tonight for the man who has been approaching young children. >> we're on this. >> reporter: the cafeteria of clermont elemey school in alexandria was crowded tonight with concerned parents eager to hear from fairfax county police about five disturbing incidents over the past month or so. >> we have five events all very similar. >> reporter: according to police, each event involved a white or hispanic man between 30-35 years old with a goatee and driving a red pick up truck. the man has approached children on their way to and from school in the neighborhood around clermont elementary. the man has tried to get the kid's attention. in some cases he has spoken to the kids. for investigative reasons police won't reveal what the man said. >> at this point that informatio

coming up, the battle over redeveloping the alexandria waterfront. the vote is tonight. ♪ ♪ pierre! your fashion is so "right now," but your banking is so last season! earn more with high yield free checking at capital one bank. instead of some unfashionable rarate your checking could be earning five times the national average. and free atms anywhere. five times the interest? that's hot. oooooo! let's cwalk! you want more interest? open an account at a capital one bank. what's in your wallet? does this make my tuches look big? >> after years of debate the alexandria city council is set to vote tonight on the proposed waterfront plan. more than 100 residents lined up to testify for or against the plan in a hearing that has stretched on for seven hours. i understand a couple little heeded. >> it sure has. it has been contentious at times. the fight continues inside city hall behind me. for much of the day, it was standing room only inside the council chambers in addition to the two overflow rooms. there have been rallies and marches in a last-ditch effort to stop or delay the plan. th

here is seminary road in the alexandria area. you can see the slush to the entrance of this roadway. and warnings are being warned to look out for icy patches. in old town, alexandrso kpanexa bitter cold didn't stop people from going out. >> where did you get that hat? >> i got it online and the weather here is mild because i'm here from boston. >> this is nothing? >> this is nothing. >> an overnight blast left a layer of snow and ice across the area. >> this is the first time we've been out in a while, date night. >> it's colder than i thought it would be. it's chilly. >> a little brisk. >> we've been spoiled. >> some didn't even bother to bundle pup . >> first snow of the year, so it was nice. >> reporter: are you enjoying it? >> yeah. it's on the weekend so there wasn't a lot of rush hour traffic. >> reporter: earlier in the day, residents had to scrape, shovel and chop their way out. icy road conditions were at times treacherous. >> i was shocked because my car is full of snow and it's -- i can't drive it today, but i love sn

. >>> now the two made a brief appearance in federal court here in alexandria today. the judge has given them until monday to try to find attorneys. if they are convicted, they could face up to five years in prison. live in alexandria, back to you. >> if they're convicted, what will happen with those lottery winnings and will they be allowed to keep them? >> reporter: that is the $64,000 question almost quite literally. it is alleged they collected some $63,800 in lottery winnings between 2007 and 2011. whether all of that came from money that was allegedly taken from the fare card machines remains to be seen. however, that may come out later on as this case continues. >> all right. they're players. thanks. >>> a man's body was found this afternoon near the campus of georgetown university. his remains were in some woods off canal road northwest near one of the entrances to the school. we don't know the man's identity or the cause of death but authorities said it appears to be death by natural causes. >>> a mother of three is under arrest tonight. d.c. police say she s

. >>> 24 years ago, an organization was started in alexandria to fight homelessness. community lodgings began providing housing and services to the poor. recently, the catalog of philanthropy named a nonprofit one of the best small charities in the washington area. today, i feature them on hero central. >> i think it is coming or not. then i say ok, i need to be strong. and i need to change my life. i move. >> maria es espinoza was able to improve her life and provide a secure future for her two daughters. she's just one of many whose lives were dramatically changed by community lodging. >> i've watched families come in, like a family will come in and the negative look on their faces and you know, just sadness and then you know, after a couple of months, they come in, they're smiling with me. they're saying hey, bonnie. it is funny to watch their attitudes change in terms of i got a handle on this. >> it is estimated that 10% of all homeless people in northern virginia lived in alexandria. besides providing transitional housing, community lodgings offers youth and adu

. >> lesli, a murder mystery is unfolding from fort washington to alexandria tonight. as investigators are trying to piece together exactly what happened to a local activist. get the rest of the story from bruce leshan. >> this guy's life is gone. >> anger and sadness now in alexandria where lenny harris spent most of his life trying to head off violence and help the least fortunate among us. >> the whole thing was to prevent things like this from happening and end up happening. >> harris disappeared from an alexandria wreck center. within hours, cameras captured someone using his bank card. late last week an unanimous caller told police they would find a body at the bottom of a well in port washington. >> do you have any sense of what the motive would have been? >> we don't know. >> is there any sign he was having any financial problems or any enemies? >> we had none of them. it was a total mystery to us. >> police spent nearly three days excavating lenny harris' body, from 23 feet down at the bottom of the well. they finally recovered his remains saturday night. >> w

alexandria, t. c. williams high school, 41. the final stop, western maryland hancock 35 degrees high of 50. the satellite radar cooler. the cold front has moved through. 36 cumberland, 37 martinsburg in the 40's closer towards the chesapeake bay. 45 lexington park, maryland. the colder air not tremendously cold go to the great lakes. the wind chill factor in the teens. this is what it looks like on the future-cast tomorrow, bright sunshine. the clouds approached midday, partly cloudy in the afternoon. the wind will pick up, wind gusts of up to 25-30 m.p.h., a wind advisory issued for the western part of the area, especially across the shenandoah valley the potomac highlands western maryland. keep updated at wjla.com and on abc 7. the skies cleared out monday moderate temperatures tuesday and wednesday. daytime highs well into the 60's, evening lows in the 40's. the unsettled weather after that. atmainly clear cold and breezy, 28-33 overnight. plenty of sunshine in the morning. afternoon clouds, they have a struggle or to west o

they are back home, luckily, in alexandria. and they share their story with us. >> when you are on a cruise, the titanic always comes up. but in a jokingly manner. you never imagine it could happen. >> it is surreal. you don't really expect to see the boat you just stepped off of happen way halfway under water. >> they got off the cruise ship hours before the boat went under. they say the crew did not go through the standard emergency procedures until they had been on the boat for 3 days. >>> speaking of survival, egypt's revolution is inspiring women across the country to stand up. rita nissan explains why so many are learning martial arts in order to protect themselves. >> reporter: egyptian women are fighting back. they are learning skills necessary to fend off assaults. it is rare for women in the arab world to take classes like. this but these women say they have no choice. >> it is just nice to know i can defend myself, since the situation is getting worse. it is not as safe any more. >> reporter: women were hoping the st

the alexandria police officer is here on scene, understanding their detectives are here. however, the prince george's county police and al andrea police are being very -- alexandria police are being very tight lipped on this. we'll let you know what happens on out here. back to you. >> all right, thank you, kenny. >>> and coming up at 7:00. four places named to the top ten list. but it's a list that the commonwealth, they will not likely be happy to be a part of. we'll tell you why one group says that the chesapeake and charlottesville are one of the most endangered spots. >>> still ahead in this half hour, hundreds descend on the pepco area to give them a piece of their mind, top? >> well, i was keeping the umbrella handy for the next 12 hours. we'll take you live to doppler radar. everything is light, especially when you go up 270, off the connecticut avenue and towards leesburg, but we'll come pack and talk about the prospects of the thunderstorms and a look ahead to your weekend. >>> today is a day of remembrance at nasa. 45 years ago, they died in a fire on board the

more on how commuters are battling the big gridlock. >> at the mark center in alexandria, it was bracing for freezing temperatures and more traffic. >> it's going to be a little craze we more people moving in. the traffic is going to be a little bit bad, you know? we will adjust. >> the final round of federal employees, about 1400 workers move in. the transfer to the new center is part of the base realignment plan that started last summer. it now means new ways to travel. >> i have to wake up early to get to work on time. >> in total that's 6400 workers on top of the 200,000 people who travel 395 daily. commuters say the morning drive was generally light. >> it hasn't been bad, but people have been off on vacation and stuff. we will see. >> predicting a traffic nightmare, congress put a cap on the parking spaces, limiting 6400 workers to about 2,000 spots. v dot looked to add relief with traffic signals and reconfiguring ramps to open up more lanes and some drivers have noted. >> i have come from fairfax parkway and then 395 and it's better. >> reporting in alexandria, virginia, news 4.

what happened is that police were following a vehicle on telegraph road in alexandria. ran the plates and found the driver had numerous warrants out for his arrest. they tried to pull him over, but he accelerated and took off. three cars eventually were pursuing the man across the wilson bridge. the suspect bailed out here in the 1 00 block of -- 1000 block of 12th street in southeast last night. d.c. police were called to assist and have been on the scene ever since. we understand that the emergency response team is here, they are working and going door to door to see if they can locate the suspect. the good news is no one has been injured in this. not in the pursuit, and no one in the area -- they are looking for the suspect. as soon as we have more information, we'll bring you the latest. back to you in the studio. >> thank you very much. >>> decision 2012 coverage now. the countdown is on. republican presidential hopefuls will spend the day stumping for votes in south carolina before tomorrow's primary. this morning everyone is talking about last night's heated deba

now joined by my colleague jackie benson joining us from alexandria, jackie? >> hello shomari and my friends, yes, it is snowing here. you can see i'm going to show you the secret to shooting light snow, that is what we call it when you take pictures of it television pictures, you have to get a light there to show it the camera can't see the way your eye does. we promised we would tell you that. we also want to give you information about cancellations for tomorrow. we're told all fairfax county public schools activities are cancel tomorrow. all charles county schools activities are cancelled, prince georges county school activities are delayed until noon. i'm sure people who may be driving tonight want to know we're at duke street in alexandria, the roads look fine, lots of snow plows out, certainly this is the beginning of what we have been talking about all day. back to you in the studio. >> jackie benson, thanks, jacks. the same system dumped several inches of snow, 700 flights cancelled in chicago. snow covered roads in iowa and city of davenport saw six i

search if a missing alexandria man has ended. later this morning, prince george's county and alexandria police will hold a press conference with an update on the investigation into the death of lenny harris. lairs' body was found last week -- harris' body was found last week in a well on an abandoned property near fort washington, maryland. because of dangerous conditions inside the well, investigators were not able to identify the body until this weekend. harris was last seen alive september 21st in oldtown, alexandria. >>> it was a deadly weekend on the area roadways. nine people were killed in four separate accidents. early saturday morning, four people were killed in and diocesan an accident on route 50 in davidsonville. police say a car driven by 55- year-old terry davis was hit head-on by another car driving in the wrong direction. three teenagers in that car died on the scene. >>> also on saturday, two people were killed in an accident on route 544 in queen anne's county. maryland state police say a woman accidentally hit

he has spent 18 years on the alexandria council. >>> d.c. public school officials have up veiled new online school cards for all 119 schools. chancellor kai henderson cis the goal is to provide a more holistic view of what he is a happening inside the school building, good and bad. the information about student performance, including test scores, student growth, and how parents and children feel about the safety of their school. there is also information on how well each school communicates with its surrounding communities. you will find a link to the data on our website, nbcwashington.com. just search scorecards. >>> a 12-year-old girl in northern california catches a thief by mistake. >>> began >>> welcome back, i'm meteorologist kammerer, the heaviest rain now beginning to exit our region, toward frederick county, montgomery county, howard county, northern ann aroundel county, too seeing the heavier rain, move into frederick right along i-70 here toward mount airy, damascus, heavy rain toward columbia and howard county, down through gaith

. >> you can try new food during alexandria's restaurant week. they would like more than virginia residents to try this out. annie yu will preview the event when we come back cheeseburger macaroni? [ female announcer ] cheeserburger macaroni hamburger helper. now even cheesier and tastier. helpers. forty dishes, all delicious. gives us the most nutritious of gifts. but only when they are ready to be given. that's why green giant picks vegetables at their peak. ...and freezes them fast, locking in nutrients ...for you to unwrap. ♪ ho, ho, ho. green giant ♪ [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first on the side. from honey nut cheerios to cinnamon toast crunch to lucky charms, get more whole grain than any other ingredient... without question. just look for the white check. >>> do you love starbucks? listen up. >> the coffee giant rolled out a new brew tucker. >>

authorities are trying to see if this is connected to a missing alexandria man. forensic scientists and homicide investigators are digging for answers here. >> it's shocking. it's an unfortunate situation. >> a death investigation involving a body at the bottom of a 20-foot well. >> call, at least. >> an anonymous call midday thursday led the police to this open field and the house nearby to old fort road. now investigators have descended down to the well. >> they'll take picture, remove the remain, search the rest of the well for any evidence. >> police aren't identifying the body or saying how long it's been in the well. >> for anything to happen like that to anyone. >> there are questions of whether the remains are those of missing activist lenny harris. >> it makes you suspicious that somebody really planned what they were doing and attempted to dispose of the body. >> harris, 53, was last seen leaving this alexandria rec center on september 21. the next day, they snapped this photo of a man using harris' credit card. >> still unfortunate situation. >> other

alexandria, springfield, sterling and centreville all at 41. haymarket is 39 along with gaithersburg and leesburg. cold spot at 37. right now, good visibility on our michael and son weather camera on the capitol dome. 41 degrees. feels like 39. we've got the slightest of winds out of the east- northeast. while much of the country is in the 20s and 30s, we don't have the arctic air. we have 60s and 70s down along the gulf coast. this is a big storm spinning in east texas sucking up a lot of the moisture and the warmth. tornado watch in effect down there until noon. that moisture is moving north and east. so, while we'll get the spotty showers today, looks like tonight, especially between midnight and 6:00 a.m., could have some steadier showers, maybe be even a rumble of thunder. that lobby 7:00, 8:00 today. spotty showers. steadier showers, heavier rains through the morning. breezy, 57. we'll be back in the 30s by saturday morning. still mild saturday. 53. not really as cold this week as we were thinking earlier in the week. sunday, 48. colder m

. >> police have a murder mystery on their hands after finding the body of alexandria. activist rs lenny harris at the bottom of a well in fort washington, maryland. today we learned that harris was shot to death. you have been on the story and what do you know? >> the shocking thing is how little they know. alexandria's police chief say they have no idea why he was killed or who did it, despite the fact that there's a $38,000 reward and an atm photo of somebody using his credit card. >> this guy's life is gone anger and sadness now in alexandria, where lenny harris spent most of his life trying to head off violence and help the least fortunate among us. >> whole thing was to prevent things like this from happening and end up happening to him. >> harris disappeared from an alexandria wreck center in september. within hours, cameras captured someone using his bank card at an atm. it wasn't until late last week, that an unanimous caller told police they would find a body at the bottom of a well in fort washington. >> do you have any sense of what the motive might have bee

and it's now been ruued a homcide.harris who was ffom alexandria... hasn't been seen since september 21st... and his cell phone and &pcar were found not far froo the welllauthorities aren't saying much about the case... but do say... the person who tipppd them off, is part of the investigatiin. the person whooc: details about that." that."laaer this morning, tte later this morning, theeprince george's county and alexandria police ill hold a joint press conference on the case. still no ord on any charges being filedd... afterra 155 year old is aacused of beating an 18 year old so badly.. he endee up in the hospital.it happened friday near broadnnck across the street from the school.the 18 year ood wass head and eyy injuries.police - say there are no charges at this time, but did say the teens know each otherr hearings continue today... to determiie whether john hinckley junior shouud gain more freedom.hincklly... who attempted to assassinate president reagan in 981... is being helddin a washington d-c mental hospital..is lawyers are now asking for a pe

. >> reportera: además de las autoridades de prince george's investigadores de alexandria se unieron y aunque no han dado detalles la policía sospecha que sepa tratar de un activista que desapareció de virginia hace unos cuatro meses. el hombre que fue visto por última vez en septiembre es un caso sin cerrar en alexandria y la familia fue notificada de la nueva situación. el teléfono celular del hombre fue hallado no muy lejanas de esta área y su vehículo fue abandonado en prince george's. videos de seguridad muestran cuando alguien usa la tarjeta de crédito del hombre y en un cajero del condado. las autoridades dicen que sacar el cuerpo del pozo e identificarlo podría tardar días. >> para simplemente traer los equipos de construcción necesitamos una serie de permisos para estacionar los en la calle, imagínense cuánto tiempo va a tomar. >> reportera: por ahora esta es una investigación en etapa inicial. para telenoticias washington y un holaciudad.com >> sulema: detectives de montgomery arrestó sospechosos de operar la red de prostitución que se publicitaban como cent

if alexandria city, prince william county and stafford county schools will open. two hours late in open the federal government wants employees to arrive late to work. opposites will not open to the public until 11:00. if employees can use unscheduled leave or telework. >> we have a team coverage of the winter weather debt and its impact on the roads. we will check in with john gonzalez and lisa baden, but we begin with adam caskey to it with the forecast. >> we don't have any rain right now or any freezing rain. however, we have a thick fog and a little drizzle. of that can freeze on contact on the exposed surfaces. you don't see anything falling on the doppler, but beneath the radar beam we have fog and a little drizzle and that can cause freezing fog and areas of light icing here and there. only 28 in leesburg, 26 in frederick, 31 in arlington, 33 in manassas, 33 in warrenton. 29 degrees in bowie. there's a threat of ice early this morning. otherwise, if upper 40's and areas of rain from lunchtime through the drive home, and sunny and warmer tomorrow, mid 50's.

reporting live in alexandria, brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> now to vote 2012. the crucial florida primary now just five days away. >> the four remaining gop candidates will face off tonight in a debate in jacksonville. national polls now show mitt romney and newt gingrich in a dead heat, followed by santorum and ron paul. this will be the last debate before tuesday oppose the winner-take-all primary. 50 delegates are up for grabs. stay with abc 7 news, your election station for complete coverage of the florida primary. rebecca cooper will have live reports from florida as voters make their choice. this is day two of president obama's three-day trip to five key political states. he arrived in las vegas last night and will speak at ups center there. later in the day it is on to buckley airforce base in norfolk, colorado. he will talk about proposals for clean energy and greater domestic oil and gas production. >> president obama and arizona governor jan brewer had an intense conversation. when she greeted him at the phoenix airport yesterday, she said the preside

muchas personas quedaron conmovidas con la tragedia que le quito la vida a un nino de ocho aÑos en alexandria, quien fue arrollado por un conductor hebrio...el padre de brian hernandez chavez quien se encuentra en mexico, busca recaudar suficiente dinero para venir a alexandria para su entierro... si usted como muchos quiere ayudar a esta familia que pasa por esta pena, puede hacerlo, dando su donativo por la internet en la pagina que usted ve en pantalla: we pay punto com barra donations barra maria guion chavez.... en otro caso, la policia del condado de montgomery acuso a una mujer de bethesda, por dejar desatendida a una menor en un apartamento localizada en la cuadra 6400 de la rock forest drive... segun las investigaciones la menor tuvo un percance con una tostador de pan, que activo las alarmas de fuego, al acudir un vecino se percato que la nina se encontraba sola, mientra su madre wafa abudadib, de 38 aÑos, acudia al supermercad o... si es encontrada culpable, abudadib podria recibir una multa de 500 dolares o 30 dias de carcel.. en el condado de montgomery se graduan nuevos policia

a community activist from alexandria who was found dead and tossed in a well in fort washington. the body of 53-year-old lenny harris was found last week after an anonymous call to police in prince george's county. he'd been missing for four months. today police revealed that he was shot to death. darcy spencer has more. >>> it was here deep inside a well that police found the body of missing alexandria activist lenny harris. alexandria mayor bill yule knew him for decades. >> it's shocking to hear how he was murdered and certainly sad that his life was taken. we would all like to know why, you know, why him and why that way. >> reporter: prince george's police investigators got an anonymous tip thursday that a body was in a well here off old fort road inport washington. this is where the well was located. it is covered over and is next to an abandoned house and surrounded by woods. police say whoever put the body here had to know this area and that this well existed. after an excavation effort that took 52 hours police recovered harris's remains 20 feet down. police say an autop