u.s. officials hold a symbolic ceremony marking the end of the war in iraq. here at home, a cab and metrobus collide and several people are injured. this scene taking place late last night. we'll tell you what may have led to the crash. looking for leads in the case of the potomac river rapist. a woman murdered in georgetown more than 10 years ago. the case still unsolved. police have been able to link to a series of unsolved rapes. what is happening today as

police try to close in on a suspect. fox 5 morning news continues right now at 6:00. good thursday morning to you. take a look here from our tower cam, shaping up to be a pretty good day. you will love what is in store for us weather-wise this thursday, december 15th, 2011. good morning. i'm maureen umeh. >> i'm steve chenevey. glad air with us this morning. an important moment in history happening right now in iraq. -- glad you're with us this morning. that just before the introduction of defense secretary leon panetta overseeing an official ceremony in baghdad this morning. he is overseeing the official flag lowering marking the end of nine years of war. he says the veterans of the conflict should know their sacrifice helped the iraqi people cast tyranny aside. >> it is a profound honor to be here in baghdad and to have the

opportunity to participate in this moving ceremony on this very historic occasion for both the iraqi people and the american people. no words, no ceremony can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. >> alls troops are leaving by december 31st. mr. tony perkins joining us now to talk a bit about our weather here which i think a lot of people will really enjoy. >> this is a chance of some showers later on, about a 40% chance of some showers. main thing will be our temperatures will be much more mild today as we see our highs up near 60 degrees. that is not bad. let's take a look at sentinel radar, show you what is happening out there right now. little breezy but no rain.

it will be quite some time before we get any rain moving in here. i think it will be this afternoon before we see some scattered showers. a fairly good amount of rain will break up and dissipate. we should see a few showers move through here during the afternoon hours and into the evening. not particularly heavy rain or anything like that. current temperatures at the area airports, 45 degrees is the magic number at reagan national and dulles international. bwi marshall is at 46 degrees. after some partial sunshine this morning, we'll see the clouds thicken up and lower. we'll get a chance of some showers this afternoon and a high temperature right around 06 degrees. we'll have more details coming up in just a little bit. >> you saw there fredericksburg. it will be even more mild down to the south. maybe even mid-60s in some locations. >> really. good time for a rod trip just

to warm up a little bit. >> good morning, guys and maureen. we are checking out the ride as you travel to and from lothian and harwood this morning. there was an incident that knocked out a utility pole. we have wires down on the highway. for you dries trying to travel between lothian an annapolis and up towards harwood, here is the deal. route 2 remains blocked off in each direction between polling house road. shut down each way between harwood and lothian until further notice. if you are traveling northbound headed up and back into baltimore, you want to bail out, use 255 over to muddy creek road. 301 a viable option as well i'm suggesting 255 headed over toward muddy creek and that will save you some time. your lanes are open, no problems to report right now traveling along southbound 270 making your way in from germantown headed out towards the lane divide. easy trip as you continue down towards mv actual. no problems to report as you

continue the beltway between college park and bethesda. 66 coming inbound out of manassas. starting to slow as you make your way past business 234. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. a chase through the streets of d.c. ends with a taxi driver crashing into a metrobus. it happened in the 3800 block of 12th street northeast. it all started late last night when the cabbie got hit by the driver of another car on 13th street northwest that. driver took off. the cabbie tried to give chase and ended up crashing into the bus. six people were hurt in all. there are reports that one person has life-threatening injuries. a veteran prince george's county bus driver out on bail after allegedly ramming her school bus into a building and injuring three people. it may have been due to an unresolved conflict way coworker. atheresa douglas allegedly accused a coworker with

harrassment. she is on administrative heave without pay until further notice. he is known as the potomac river rapist. a man accused of murder and multiple sexual assaults and more than a decade later, that is about all law enforcement knows. that could all change today. investigators will announce a new effort to find the suspect. the attacks began in merle county in the early 1990s. they ended with a murder in 1998. a joint task force will now renew their search for the rapist. they will unveil the first part of their plan this morning including a web site to bring in tips. a controversial photo sparks an air force investigation. it was taken but a group of texas airmen. they are shown posing around an open casket with one posing inside wearing a noose and chains across his body. it first showed up on facebook and made its way to the air force times. an internal air force investigation is under way in san antonio which is where the photo was apparently taken. the clock is sticking and the christmas break is closing in for congress. there is still no agreement to

extend the payroll tax cut and another more urgent deadline is looming. coming back in just a moment.  [ screaming ] [ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was. [ male announcer ] get to a better state.

gop presidential contenders face off tonight in what watch it is the last debate before iowa voters head to the polls for the january 3rd caucuses. you can watch tonight at 9:00 on fox newschannel. >> congress may finally agree on something. a massive defense bill is expected to pass in the senate today after last-minute changes give president obama the ability to prosecute terror suspects in the civilian justice system. the house passed the $662 billion legislation late last night. this is just one of the many bills congress is trying to pass before they leave town for the holidays. and another fight on capitol hill, this one over how to avoid a looming government shutdown.

it will happen at midnight tomorrow night if an agreement is not reached. republicans in the house unveiled a massive $1 trillion spending package late last night even though the white house asked for more time to negotiate some parts that promo possesses. a local home known for going all out at christmas targeted by vandals and we are not talking a few strands of light here. we are talking as much as $10,000 worth of decorations destroyed. you can see the surveillance video. we'll show you more coming up. first, we'll check in with tony for your full forecast to find out more about some spring- like temperatures heading our way. that is when fox 5 morning news continues right after this break. 

can we just wipe this from our memory. we don't want a repeat of last

january's ugly commute home. when this big snowstorm hit in the middle of the day as folk were trying to get home, as we know, some people were stranded overnight. yesterday, d.c. mayor vince gray announceed a revamped snow response plan. it includes dozens of new dump trucks, bob cats, backhoes, all to clear the streets faster and perhaps more importantly, improved communication. the decision to close government offices will now be made by 4:30 a.m. and for schools, that decision will be made even earlier. >> we are especially for the schools going to try to make a decision by the time of the 11:00 news the night before so that parents really can plan their day with regard to the children. >> the plan is to give residential streets the same priority as major corridors. it is my understanding that those government offices are d.c. government offices that the city would have jurisdiction over, not federal government. >> we are taking a live look

now from the tower cam of the capitol dome there. things looking pretty good out there. we teased it about the warmer temperatures on the way. >> we'll have spring-like temperatures today. the news about what they're doing in d.c. in terms of making early decisions, that is all well and good. people just have to remember sometimes these forecasts, particularly for snow, shift and change so you will have some instances now where people -- people like to complain about everything, where they may make a decision to close and then the next morning, it's like well, it is not going to be that bad and people will be unhappy about that. >> then they blame you guys into not our fault. we do the best we can. let's take a look at what is going on out there. we've got temperature in the mid-40s right now but maureen is right. it will be a very pleasant day today as far as our temperatures go. take a -- check it, take --

check it out. we are at 43 degrees in gaithersburg. fredericksburg at 45. satellite-radar composite for the region, we are dry this morning. we could see some showers develop during the afternoon hours. right now, we have some clouds out there. we have some clear skies off to the west really. and then there is your rainfall so, wade cold front. that does make its way eastward. later on today, i think it breaks up some but it does bring us a chance of some rain later today in the afternoon and during the evening hours. some rain showers here and there. let's look at the surface map. we have a lot going on. first of all, that warm front is going to help take our temperatures up to around 06 degrees today. to our south, i think even warmer than 06 degrees. it is also breezy. already a little breezy out there. those winds will pick up a little bit. then the cold front comes through, brings some rain and brings cooler air in here by tomorrow and definitely by the weekend when you wail relate lay feel that.

the forecast for washington for today looks like this. mostly cloudy skies after some partial sunshine during the morning. breezy, some scattered showers possible this afternoon. high about 60 degrees in town. perhaps warmer than that to the south of washington. then for tonight, we will see more clouds, a few more showers before 9:00 or 10:00 or so. overnight low, 45 degrees. five-day forecast, tomorrow, high only in the low 50s. that front stalls out to our south as an area of low pressure moves along it. there could be some late showers friday. i think primarily washington and points southward. and then saturday and sunday, highs only in the mid-40s. monday, pack up to 50 degrees. now, let's got more on this morning's rush hour traffic with julie wright. >> all right. we are still talking about the wires down. that is tying up your commute as you travel to and from lothian this morning. so again, there is a portion of route 2 that is blocked off each way at polling house road that. will affect your drive as you travel between harwood and lothian. coming from the south to the north he hadhood up towards

annapolis and back in towards baltimore, you want it to bail out, use 255 over to muddy creek and that could save you some time. 301 is also an option for you. no problems to report along that stretch at this time. ime. other side of up to, inbound new york avenue, no trouble spots to report right now as you guys travel inbound leaving bladensburg headed out to northeast and into northwest washington. inbound 50 is quiet out of riverdale and cheverly headed in towards northeast. virginia northbound i-95, this is an easy ride so far. the volume increasing but no incidents to report leaving the prince william parkway headed for the occoquan. 395 is in good shape headed up to the 14th street bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. police are hoping you can help them find some christmas van de balaguers in northern virginia a fairfax station man's home, his security camera caught three people destroying part of his elaborate christmas display early sunday morning. they used baseball bats to

smash numerous plastic and inflatable deck rigs, even ran over some of them when they drove off. michael lester's spectacular christmas display draws thousands of visitors every year and he has a message for those vandals. >> i hope that, at some point in time, they realize that their actions may have a greater meaning than they think and that they take some responsibility for this. don't want anyone to pay me back. i don't want anybody to get in trouble with the police. but it would be nice to think that, at some point in time, they woke up and had some awareness that there were things in life more important than their saturday night. >> we are told the vandals were driving a silver ford taurus. the surveillance video did not get a license plate number or clear view of their faces. damage is estimated for be between $7,000 and$10,000. we'll go live to fox business network in new york. we'll take a look at some potentially good news on the market after yesterday's tumble. a document that holds a lot

of history the paperwork that created apple sold for nearly $1.6 million at an auction in new york. it was only expected to go for about $100,000. 00. it is signed by steve jobs, steve wozniak and ronald wayne. á

stocks take a tumble but the markets could be in for some good news today. robert gray with fox business network is live in new york this morning with this morning's business beat. good to see you, robert. >> good morning, maureen. >> what is the good news we can expect today? >> well, you know, as far as today goes, we are looking at a bounce back after three straight down days for wall street for stocks. yesterday, a lot of folk selling off stocks, selling gold, selling oil. a lot of concern out there not only about the european

sovereign debt crisis but also about the pace of economic recovery. we got more disappointing news overnight as well out of asia that was weighing on futures overnight but right now, we are seeing europe bouncing back. that is helping the futures moving up a little bit. watch the m & a activity heating up. that means corporate america and professional investors still see a lot of value in companies out there. there. definitely keep an eye on that. we have michael coors, you may know the label well. they will have an initial public offering today. it will be trading on the new york stock exchange. they will raise about a billion dollars. they sold more than expected because the demands with so great. >> glad to see things are looking better. robert gray with fox business

network. thank you for that. >> have a good day. history is being made as the u.s. mark the end of war in iraq. also ahead, police are hoping for leads in the case of the potomac river rapist. dna evidence linked the murder of a woman in georgetown more than 10 years ago to i aseries of rapes in montgomery county and today, a new effort is under way to solve these crimes. we're back right after this. get the technology they love, on the network they deserve.

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the fox 5 christmas tree looking very festive. thank you for everybody for sending in your ornaments. big thanks to adult day care for sending in both of these ornaments. this beautiful. the tree and all the ornaments will be donated to a worthy cause in our area. we'll do that next week. with that he appreciate the ornaments wave been able to hang on the tree so far -- wave been able to hang on the tree

so far. >> this may be our most decorated tree ever. >> i think it is the most diverse. all different kind of things on that tree. >> speaking of christmas, not feeling like it but a great day to go christmas shopping. >> why snot? it will be mild today. it won't be the prettiest day and there could be some showers later on but as far as our temperatures go, very nice. let's start with hd radar. no rain out there right now nor will we see rain this morning. if we get shower activity, it will be in the afternoon and evening. you sigh the rain that is well out to the west and frankly, that is a pretty good looking system out there. i think some of that will break up before it gets here. so that front will come through. it will be breezy. it is a little breezy right now and the rain associated with it will break up a little bit but we'll still get showers across portions of the viewing area this afternoon and this evening. let's get to the graphics. here is your bus stop forecast.

sunrise is at 7:19. it will be partly sunny this morning actually. temperatures not too bad, ranging from the upper 30s to the mid-40s and to be honest, right now, it is mainly the 40s. we don't have much in the way of 30s out there. forecast for today after some partial sunshine this morning. more clouds later. chance of some showers this afternoon and this evening. and your high temperature today in the upper 50s to about 60 degrees. i think over 60 up to to our south. that is a look at the weather. coming up in about 15 minutes, today's edition of ask the weather guys. it is about mistletoe. someone said what is, it why do we kiss under it. tucker and i have learned so much. >> a lot of research you guys spent on this. >> no, no. >> i knew it was going to go there. >> no, no, we read up on it. and we will report back to you shortly. >> that explains the extra lip gloss y come on! >> i always wondered why tony

stops and talks to me underneath the doorway. all right. on the roads, you will fine lanes are open in you are traveling north on i-95. volume increasing as you work your way from woodbridge headed up towards the occoquan. lanes are open, the same for you on 395. 66 coming inbond leaving 50 fair oaks headed in towards 123, lanes here are open. easy ride so footer beltway between annandale and merrifield. then southbound 207 leaving germantown, no problems to report leaving father hurley boulevard headed past mva. we do find slow traffic approaching and passing 109. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. a d.c. cab driver crashed into a metrobus last nined abou 3800 block of 12th street northeast. police say the cabbie was chasing driver of another car that had crashed into the taxi

and took off. six people were hurt. one has possibly life- threatening injuries. our big story, defense secretary leon panetta in baghdad overseeing a historic flag lowering ceremony. >> it is a symbolic move marking the end of the nearly nine year war. let's get fore from stacy cohan live in arlington near the pentagon. >> we are near the pentagon where defense secretary leon panetta usually conducts his business. he is not here. he is in baghdad for the ceremony marking the end of the war. the iraq war has continued for nearly nine years and it has cost nearly 4500 american lives. $800billion is the price tag for that war. as they mark the end of the war today, they had an official ceremony where the u.s. forces iraq flag was official ly

retired or cased. it was wrapped and covered with camouflage. >> with the departure of the remaining u.s. forces within these last few days to the end of the year, we salute the fact that iraq is now fully responsible for directing its own path to future security and future prosperity. >> reporter: at the height of the war, there were about 170,000 u.s. troops in iraq. right now, there are an estimated 8,000 left. they are set to return home by the end of the year. it remains to be seen how iraq will chart its future course without u.s. forces. respecting lift, im-- reporting live, i'm stacy cohan. a troubling report out of afghanistan. we told you about u.s. service members cold and hungry at

isolated outposts. fox 5's bob barnard has an update. >> reporter: they were collecting items donated to a manassas real estate firm to send to our troops for christmas. the mother, sister and girlfriend of army specialist doug green telling us soldiers in green's platoon, still in afghanistan, sometimes at distant outposts want more than just stocking stuffers but blankets and food. >> four week before he died, he was skypeing me saying that he was having one mre a day which is those little freeze dried meals and everything else was the things that we packaged in the boxes. he was hungry daily. but he didn't really want me to tell anybody about it because he was afraid there could be a backlash or he just wanted to suck it up. >> reporter: but green's family and friend say they wouldn't. they couldn't ignore it any longer. now filling the wishes troops outside green's unit turning to

a web site called any soldier.com. >> by adopting a soldier at any soldier.kopp -- >> the site matching troops in the field with donors back home. more than a few begging for blankets. >> anded guy who i adopt, he is like i'm freezing at night. can you please send me a blanket. it is getting really cold here. >> we always say take care of here at home first but here we have people over in afghanistan fighting for us that are cold and hungry and i was appalled. or warmy brass says it finds the story unbelievable telling us they give the soldiers everything they need. in an e-mail to fox 5 news, aen army spokesman explains, after a thorough investigation, there is no evidence that soldiers even in the most remote combat outposts are without food or the equipment to keep them warm and safe. >> we got plenty of stuff in afghanistan. we've got plenty of means of drive-bying the stuff. as member knows, logistics is an ongoing challenge and it

tends to have breakdowns. >> reporter: national security analyst michael hanlon is an expert. >> i'm going to take the war of the individual soldiers that they are hungry and cold. it is almost certainly not a lack of overall army effort at the mission or overall pipelines to get stuff through. there is a more specific tactical breakdown i think in this case. >> reporter: a spokesman for u.s. and nate ore forces in afghanistan tells us it is possible interruptions to resupply lines in the more remote areas of afghanistan could create temporary shortfalls but he says every effort is made to make sure those are kept to a minimum. bob barnard, fox 5 news. new developments on a murder and rape investigation that has been going on for more than a decade. today, investigators will announce a new effort to find a man they call the potomac river rapist. investigators know the man is

connected to a murder and a string of sexual assaults but that is still about all they do know. a joint task force will renew their search for the rapist this morning. they will unveil the first part of the plan which will include a web site to take tips. it is a simple way to be socially conscious when you shop and help change the world for the better. we'll look more into a web site called slaveryfootprint.organize. >> more holiday greeting from members of our military stationed overseas. >> we are currently stationed in camp humphrey, south carolina. i would like to say happy holidays to everyone back in the united states. >> happy holidays!  [ male announcer ] this...is the network --

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this has to do with the product you buy every single day and mod were day slavery. google announce and $11.5 millionest to work towards freeing an estimate 27 million people worldwide forced to work against their will and next time you shop, there is something simple can you do to help. lauren demarco joins us with more on this morning's smart phone zone. >> reporter: 27 million people. that is tough to think about and even harder to imagine because most of us hopefully are very far removed from it in our daily lives. at least you think so. according to the people behind slavery foot point.org, at leave three slaves are involved

in the manufacturing of each smart season for. that can be said for many house hole items as well. the web site and app provide a quick and easy way to help while you are shopping this holiday season. the reality of it is jarring. the clothe in your closet, the product inside your medicine cabinet your favorite tech gadgets, all may contain fabrics or components manufactured by people forced into labor. >> we are defining slave as anybody who is being held in compelled service around the world. the sad fact is they're everywhere. one that was particularly troubling for me was the sparkly items in your make high pressure up are likely mined by kids. >> reporter: on the web site, you tax a survey, sort of like calculate are your carbon footprint. but instead of evaluating your impact on the environment. >> you will find out how many slaves work for you to support

your lifestyle over a calendar year. >> are. >> reporter: the result is heart breaking. >> i spend every day at work fighting slavery and i go home and i take the slavery footprint survey and i have 92 slaves working for me. >> reporter: the idea is not to boycott. the officials say most major brands have done a good job battling sweat shops. what they don't know is where the supplies come from. the goal is to encourage companies to look into their supply chains. >> we think this is the shiewtion here, not the problem. the reality is that most of the slavery that we are looking at is below the commodities market level and the savings of enslaving somebody aren't passed up to the businesses. the risk is, and i think if consumers talk to and let companies know, hey, i'm he buying your product, love your product and i'm thinking about slavery and ask to you think about it too when you are sourcing your product, you can actually set people free around the world. >> reporter: after you take the survey, can you select the

brands that you use and send them a preformatted letter. better yet, download the slavery footprint smart phone app. it work along with facebook so can you check into a store or restaurant and send the note while air there. it doesn't cost you anything and the federal government clearly believes it will help. slavery footprint.org launched in september. their goal was to see 150,000 users for the year. they ever already had more than 900,000 hits. the app is free. it is available for android and iphone users and we will post all of this information on myfoxdc.com. just look on the morning page for the smart phone zone. back to you guys at the desk. >> thank you, lauren. before we get to tony and weather, we do have a school closing to pass along from anne arundel county. southern high school is closed this morning for for students and staff. there was an accident nearby. don't know anything about injuries but they knocked down a power line and that goes for the school so there is no power at the school. >> all the other schools in the

area are open on time. so just southern high school affected by that power line that has been knocked down. tony perkins talking about a good day weather-wise. a few bumps here and there but otherwise. >> we'll get some rain showers later on in the day. as far as our temperatures go, not a bad day at all. we'll start with the temperatures which feel pretty good this morning. i got to say it is in the 40s. it's big difference between 45 degrees and 32 degrees which we had in recent days. 45 now in washington. 49 in annapolis. not bad there. 43 in gaithersburg. manassas is at 45. winchester is at 45 and then salisbury, 49 degrees at this hour. so not a bad start to the day. there is our next weather maker. this frontal boundary, now, in advance of this front, we'll see our temperatures warm up. we'll be up to around 06 degrees today. some of you even warmer than that down to our south. a little bit breezy and then the front comes through, brings with it some ran showers and behind that front, cooler air will make its way in here for

tomorrow and particularly for the weekend. for today though, here is what we're looking at. mostly cloudy skies. i do think there will be partial sunshine this morning. breezy, some showers possible this afternoon, high about 60 degrees. tonight, more clouds. some showers during the evening hours. overnight low again around 45 degrees. five-day forecast, tomorrow, your high only about 51. could be some showers late in the day particularly from washington to points southward. saturday and sunday, your highs are only in the 40s and then on monday, we are back up to around 50 degrees. so there you go. that is i look at the weather. tucker barnes is here. hello there. >> hey! >> good to see you. >> we got a good subject today. >> yes, we do. it is time to ask the weather guys. it is the segment where tucker and i put our big heads together to answer your most pressing questions, weather- related or otherwise. we have two questions today.

both of them are about mistletoe. leah gardner want to know what is mistletoe and who is it so important to the christmas tradition? kathy southers writes where did the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe originate. >> good questions. >> all good questions. >> should i start? >> absolutely. >> mistletoe has been around for a long, long time. in fact, let me say this. there are so many varieties of mistletoe -- >> it is amazing. >> a mean in some 900 different species. it has been around fay long, long time. at one point in time, it was thought of as kind of a menace because it grows in other plants like trees. >> kind of take over. >> it can take over. >> creates almost a bush in a tree. >> in some places, birds nest in those bushes. it was thought that it killed some trees. it actually has a lot of beneficial properties to it in

terms of where it grows and how it supports the berries that grow on it, supports a lot of different animal life. and in fact, in areas where mistletoe is prevalent in parts of the world where mistletoe is prevalent, they find and where it is varied. they find there is a greater variety of animal species living around there because it supports those species. it is thought to have -- it has been thought to have all kind of of different qualities over the many years including helping people and even animals to not be sterile. >> fertility. women used to wear belts of mistletoe around their waist. >> thinking it would increase fertility. >> can i have a turn? >> please do. >> from what we read, it all got going back in scandinavia probably close it a thousand years ago. >> something like that. >> and the people that lived back then couldn't believe that there was a plant that was

blooming during the late fall and winter because the deciduous trees, it is very bare. there was this bush in the trees. they thought this this had some magical properties to it. >> there is a picture it was. >> because it was still around around christmas time when other things were not around. so that was part of the association with christmas. the thought as to why people kiss under mistletoe, not completely clear. as tucker said, that seems to have started in scandinavia as well. it is referred to in some writings many, many, many years ago. it is thought it may have had something to do with the fertility thing. >> i think people started hanging in their house to protect their house from fires and other danger. they thought it had a magical property to stand it sort of evolved from there inearly

1800s. now, if you are a boy and you hang out around mistletoe, the rule is that you get to kiss every girl that comes by until all the berries are gone. >> you would kiss a girl in the old days and pick a berry off and when the berries were gone, you couldn't kiss any more girls under the mistletoe. it was first described in 1820 by washington irving in his the sketchbook of everycrayon where he wrote that mistletoe is still hung up in farmhouse appear kitchens in christmas and the young men have the privilege of kissing girls under it, plucking each time the berries from the bush. when the we are -- berries are picked, the kissing ceases. very some aspects of mistletoe that we don't want to talk about touring the morning

hours, how it comes to form. not appropriate during breakfast time. >> there you go. >> it has to do with birds. >> and bees. >> no. >> birds and seeds. >> if you have a question you want answered, go to myfoxdc.com and click on the weather tap. can you upload your video question. we may play it on air. >> you know how talker can take such a nice romantic thing and turn it south. >> it is nature. it's beautiful. >> julie? >> mistletoe? >> she was standing in her doorway under the middle toe hoping for some coworkers to walk by. >> why do you think we need interns? >> julie! >> he is talking about red berries, cranberries. check this out from sky fox. we are seeing a long line of brake lights that is creeping up on us if you are traveling inbound on the toll road early this morning. here we go making our way over toward the toll plaza. no incidents to report. earlier problems that we had mentioned out near this neck of the woods if you will have

cleared. if you are traveling inbound stretch of the dulles toll road after the toll plaza headed back over towards the beltway, definitely some slow traffic here. no incidents reported on the toll road itself at this time. 66 inside the beltway will slow as you approach fairfax drive and now in virginia, we're receiving word of an accident northbound i-95 in lorton. not sure if the express lanes or main lines so hoping to get sky fox over there and get an update in our next report. southbound along 270 coming in out of germantown, heavy slow and steady leaving father hurley boulevard headed out towards mva. stop stretch slows approaching and passing 109. no incidents to report between college park and the exit for colesville road. you will find your lanes here are open. if you are traveling southbound ken ill worth avenue at east capital street, accident activity here blocking the left lane. heads up as you travel in from 50 headed down into northeast washington. northbound kenilworth, you will find lanes are open. that's a check of your fox 5 on-time traffic. let's take a look at

today's my fox half off deal. $99 gets you a deluxe night for two at the anapolitan bed and breakfast in annapolis. it includes a gourmet breakfast and a wayne a wine testing session. go to myfoxdc.com and look for the my fox half off deal on the right side of the home page. today should have been the day baby melinda guido was born but instead she is four months old. she was born august 30th, 24 week before she was due at about nine ounces. she weighed only a little more than a can of soda. baby melinda is defying the odds for most babies born at her size. doctors hope she will be home by new year's day and we do too. next, a dining experience like no other where it is okay to play with your food. >> and in fact, it is encouraged. we are live this morning at dulles town center finding out

what it take to be a benihana chef. perhaps annie will play soon. we'll check in with her next. [ female announcer ]  at verizonfios.com, you can choose your channel package. ♪ you can choose your own internet speeds. ♪ you can even choose to chat with a live person. ♪ now you can choose to save $35 a month for fios tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month, plus get a $300 verizon visa prepaid card with a 2 year agreement. but hurry, offer ends soon only at verizonfios.com.

contact the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v. h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h l turns to winter and brings in the cold. because of our economy, millions more will feel that chill than ever before. they're the forgotten ones. the big boys have abused the system to enrich only themselves, while workers are still hurting. it could be a layoff after 22 years of working for the same company. or choosing between food and heat for a sick child. or after working your whole life, you don't have what you need to stay warm. you played by the rules, but who changed them? even though oil prices are soaring to record levels, in washington, fuel aid for the poor was cut in half. citizens energy asked big oil companies and oil producing nations to help. they all said 'no,' expect for citgo and the people of venezuela. for the last 7 years, citgo has helped struggling families in the united states in good times and in bad. so if you need help staying warm this winter, give me a call.

because no one should be left out in the cold.

good morning happy thursday friends i am annie yu filling in for holly morris. we are live at an maizing -- an amazing january niece restaurant at dulles -- japanese restaurant at dulles center. you have those highly trained chefs doing dazzling tricks before you it is really entertaining now you can come out and learn how to do that here at benny hanna at their behind the chefs experience. we will hang out with a chef all morning long and learn how to make all those wonderful

dishes you love so much it will be a fun morning. >> play it safe looks dangerous too. >> i know. >> thanks annie. >> that is it for the 6:00 a.m. how now over to alison and steve. >> coming up fox 5 morning news, the united states formerly shuts down the iraq war today. >> no words no ceremony can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. defense secretary in baghdad where the u.s. forces, iraq flag has officially been retired. a decades old cold case back in the spotlight. we will explain the latest. republican presidential candidate, gearing up