tv News 4 at 4 NBC July 27, 2009 4:00pm-5:00pm EDT
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good afternoon. i'm jimmed aly. >> i'm pat lawson. it was a disturbing scene. a minan engulfed in flames. a body inside. >> that vehicle was found about 4:00 this morning on the 5000 block of bradley boulevard in buthed db bethes bethesda. >> reporter: at first it looks just like a minivan on fire. firefighters arrived and put out the flames. then a discovery. as they were extinguishing the flames, they found the deceased body of the driver inside the minivan. the area became a crime scene investigation. >> it's pretty shocking. >> very surprising. >> it's just sad that this happened. it's a pretty good area. not a lot of things happen. i don't know. >> reporter: when maria showed up at work this morning, she knew something was wrong. >> the streets were blocked off. everything was blocked off.
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i saw the van that was burned and the cops and everything. >> reporter: sophy was detoured from driving down bradley boulevard so she went grocery shoppi and heard this. >> i just heard that somebody had been murdered this morning. >> reporter: montgomery county police are not saying murder, but they're not ruling it out either. investigating every possibility. >> this is an unusual set of circumstances. at this point, there's a lot that we have to have answered and this investigation is just at its beginning stages and we'll certainly update as we know more. >> reporter: the people who live, work, and drive through here want to know more. >> it's a shock. i think it's a shock. especially here. >> the police are doing their best. we'll find out. but don't expect to see this at 6:00 a.m. >> reporter: in bethesda, simberly suitors, news4. police are describing the death of a silver spring woman as suspicious. the body of a 23-year-old woman
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was found at 6:30 this morning in an apartment in the 8800 block of garland avenue. that's near the intersection of piny branch road near flower avenue. someone called police and asked officers to check on the woman. police arrived and discovered the body. tests will be determined -- will be down to determine the cause of death. her name hasn't been released yet. the trial of benita jacks has reached in final stages. jacks is the southeast d.c. mother accused of killing her four daughters. closing arguments ended today. the judge is now reviewing all of the information presented at trial and may release his decision by wednesday. the case is being heard by a judge instead of a jury. over the past two weeks, 25 witnesses have testified for the prosecution. prosecutors have accused jacks of stabbing her teenage daughter and strangling her three younger daughters. new developments today in the case of former nfl star michael vick.
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nfl commissioner roger goodell says vick has been conditionally reinstated to the league. vick can participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and can play in the two final preseason games if he can find a team that will sign him. once the season begins, vick may participate in all team activities other than games but could play as soon as october. vick has just finished his sentence on a dogfighting conviction. the battle heats up over plans to build a walmart near a several war battlefield. and bidding begins for the vacation home of a woman convicted of cheating the d.c. government sglncht government. here are four other stories making headlines today. fire investigators are still trying to determine what started a blaze at anacostia high school in southeast this morning. fire officials say the small blaze started in a second-floor classroom. summer school classes were
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inteupted while the fire was brought under control. there was only minor damage to the classroom. a haveication home belonging to the woman who stole $50 million from the district now on the auction block. harriet walters forfeited her home when she was convicted of defrauding the city while working as manager of the d.c. tax office. bids will begin online today and close onwednesday. the minimum bid is listed at $212,000. walters is currently serving a 17-year sentence. there will be a key hearing tonight in virginia about a proposed walmart store near the wilderness civil war battlefield. it's the second step before the board of supervidsors takes up the proposal. walmart says the store will be built on commercially zoned property that already has shopping centers on it and
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walmart says the new store went hurt the historic battlefield. motorists who use chain bridge will finally get relief. beginning tomorrow, crews will create a separate lane for drivers turning right on to route 123 from the bridge. crews will add the new lane by repositioning the construction barriers and by restriping the roadway. the work starts on those changes tonight. alexandria's police chief plans to see his court case through after facing drunken driving charges. david baker met with his attorney today. he was arrested after being involved in a car crash late saturday near i-66. arlington police say the chief had he'd had two beers. he failed four field sobriety tested. baker took two brethalyzer tests. his blood alcohol level was 0.19. more than twice the legal limit. after his arrest saturday night, baker was turned over to alexandria police commanders. he had picked up a city vehicle
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because his own vehicle was in the shop. baker has been with the alexandria police force for 19 years. well, it's been another day in the hot and humid zone, folks. veronica johnson has our fast forecast now. >> hey there, jim. awfully steamy out there, just like this past weekend. though today no thunderstorms across the area. look at yesterday. there was severe weather across the area. loudoun county, reports of hail. and there were trees down. same thing for western howard county, repts of hail. so today, a much quieter day down to the south of our area. there is a severe thunderstorm watch until 8:00 p.m. you can see how those storms building and sliding to the north and east. so for our area, i think it's going to be quiet. 90 degrees the temperature right now. or at least the heat index, what it feels like. there's a possibility just south
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of the area where we could have a thunderstorm sliding through. other than that, though, it's going to be awfully steamy and sticky for the evening for sure for the next couple of days, too. especially tomorrow. we'll talk about how hot it's going to get and what about more strong thunderstorms this week? we'll take a look at the seven-day forecast in a few minutes. >> thank you. after more than a week of controversy, 9/11 tapes have been released now that recorded some of what happened when a black harvard professor was arrested. it includes the call from the neighbor who first contacted police but she seems unsure if a crime was being committed. here's chris clackum. >> reporter: the day after the caller came forward to say she's the one that called police about the possible break-in at henry gates' house, officials released the 911 tapes. >> ty barged in and they broke the screen door. they finally got in. when i looked, i went further
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closer to the house after the gentleman was around in the house. i noticed two suitcases. i'm not sure if these two individuals actually worked there and lived there. >> do you think they might have been -- >> i don't know because i have no idea. >> reporter: the 911 operator asked the caller about the race of the two men. >> they were two large men. one looks kind of his ponic but i'm not sure. >> reporter: gates' front door had jammed. he and his driver had to unjam it. by that time, james crowley was dispatched to gates' house, where an obviously tense encounter occurs. >> the gentleman says he resides here >> reporter: the cars did keep coming. gates was taken away in handcuffs, charged with disorderly conduct. setting off a national debate on racial profiling with the president in the forefront. crowley, though, denied race had anything to do with the arrest. city officials are satisfied with that, but will establish a committee to review race
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relations in cambridge's police department. >> while this has been a trying time, we are confident that we can ultimately come out stronger and more unified. >> reporter: meanwhile, the white house says the meeting where gates, crowell sxley and president will sit down for a beer may come this week. it's a major diplomatic effort. president obama and members of his cabinet are holding two days of high-level talks with china. the meetings are taking place at the reagan building. in his speech, mr. obama said washington and beijing need to forge closer ties in order to address the world's most pressing issues from the economy to nuclear weapons to climate change. >> i have no illusion that the united states and china will agree on every issue. nor choose to see the world in the same way. this was already noted by our previous speaker. but that only makes dialogue more important so that we can know each other better and communicate our concerns with candor.
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>> the president says the relationship between the u.s. d china will shape the 21st century. that meeting is prompting closures along parts of 14th street northwest. the street will be closed on and off until 6:00 this evening between constitution and pennsylvania avenue. ddot recommends drivers use 9th or 12th street to get around the closure. that's the closing bell from wall street on this first day of the week after lingering in negative territory all day. the dow turned itself around, gaining 16 points by the closing bell. and topping the 9, 100 mark. the nasdaq gained about two and the new york stock exchange closed 25 points higher. there is another sign today the housing market may be bouncing back. the commerce department new home sales rose 11% last month. that is the largest jump in nearly nine months. sales have now risen for three straight months. however, the median sales price
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of $206,000 was down 12% from a year ago. when "news4 at 4" continues, important new information about autism and gastrointestinal disorders. find out what many athletes are doing to get the sporting edge for the fall season. and how long until the pizza gets to your house? find out how more and more businesses are helping you keep
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nearby hospital right now. news4 crews are on the way to the scene. we'll have an update as it becomes available. in medical news today, some key findings about autism. many have long believed that there is a link bween autism and gastrointestinal disorders. a new study out today suggests otherwise. mayo clinic researche studied 124 autistic and non-autistic children from birth through the age of 18. they looked at their gastro gastrointistinal symptoms. the conclusion, overall there was no significant increase or difference between the two groups meaning there was no obvious association between autism and gastrointestinal problems. however, autistic chinch did suffer from more constipation. >> kids with autism like the
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same food all the time and may not drink enough liquids and they may cause constipation and the medications they take may also cause constipation. it means that if you're putting your child on a restrictive diet or you're doing colonics, which is a top of enema, if you're using vitamins or nutrients and you're spending a lot of money in putting your child through that, there's no reason to. there is no link between the gut and the signs and symptoms of autism. >> these findings apeapear in t journal pediatrics. in sports, even a half second can give you the edge over the competition. in "get health for 4 life," speed training and how it's taking athletes to higher levels of competition. >> reporter: the high school senior garrett mccain still has
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one more football season as the quarterback. knowing how tough college ball is, garrett issing his summer break to get whatever edge he can over his competitors. >> just to lower my times down for when i do go to camps and watch college scouts watch me. it's good to have those extra seconds down to compete with everyone else. >> reporter: two days a week for four weeks, garrett has a new coach. >> that's awesome. >> reporter: trainer john foray is working with athletes to be faster and jump higher. >> doesn't matter what sports you are, you want to be as fast as you can and you want to be able to jump high. so you're going to be burning a lot of calories and you'll be honing in on your skills. >> reporter: with many high school sports, the focus is often on the bigger picture, learning plays, building endurance and strategizing. but with speed training, it's all about the fundamentals.
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>> foot placement, arm placement, shoulder placement, stances. we go over the details of that and then we continue to enhance that throughout the whole program. >> reporter: results can be immediate for athletes who might have simply been positioning their body in an awkward way. >> changing your center of gravity to work for you and not against you creates huge opportunities to get faster immediately. >> reporter: garrett has seen the improvements firsthand. >> i've increased by either a half a second or my vertical went up two inches. >> reporter: garrett is excited to get back on the field this fall and he's looking forward to seeing where his polished skills might take him. now to see this or any story again, log on to the website and click on "as seen as news4." some big changes at ebay this week. the auction site is redesigning itself. some of the changes include letting sellers describe items as brand new, factory
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refurbishes instead of just new and used. and it's trying a new way of rewarding good sellers. vendors will get a 20% discount on the fees. they have to pay ebay after selling an item. ebay will also cut down on communication between buyers and sellers. this move is ebay's latest attempt to improve the experience of using the site and reverse the company's financial slump. more companies are making online tracking of their products more available for consumers. for example, dominos has a pizza tracker. and that feature allows you to follow your pizza from oven to front door. ups lets customers track packages all over the country as they're in transit. fedex does as well. some business analysts expect the trend to continue. let's get the latest now on the ride home this afternoon. ashley linder is in the news4 traffic network. hey, ashley. >> hey, pat. things are in relatively good shape.
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we had a terrible afternoon on friday. it looks like most people got out of town, but a lot of people are headed home from work now. as we can see here, the inner loop of the beltway is slow out of tyson across the american legion bridge. the beltway is going to be on the left side of your screen there. as you travel around past river road, the inner loop still slow, but good news coming towards you. if you're headed through bethesda, the inner loop on the right side, the pace looks getter. the outer loop is a little slow as you make your way in towards silver spring. there was earlier some accident activity, but that's all been cleared. pat, back to you. >> thanks, ashley. coming up, what the top things you do that waste money? we'll have aice to help you balance your budget. fi (employee 1) subject: urgent!! bob!! i need the baker file stat!! reply!! still making changes. circle back later!! what's with the yelling? oh, our internet slows down during pk hours so sending e-mails and large files just takes forever.
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so, we just yell. ben!!! thanks for the flowers!!! i thought you hated me!!! lol!!! semi-colon! right parenthesis! winky emoticon! (announcer) switch to rizon and get a dedicated high speed internet connection from our office to your small business so you won't be slowed down even if your neighbors are online. and for only $79.99 a month for 12 months with a 3 year contract you'll also get our award winning internet security suite, unlimited nationwide calling, and over $180 back in available online rebates. plus, the reliability of the verizon network. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v today for the verizon single line business pak and data protection pak. one of the many tools in the verizon small business toolbox.
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shuttle "endeavour" astronauts have completed their final space walk today. it is the fifth space walk of this mission. the crew rearranged some electrical hookups and folded down a piece of insulation that popped up on a small robot hand. they also hooked up a couple of tv cameras. their work was completed so
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quickly, under five hours, that the astronauts took on some extra chores. "endeavour" will undock from the international space station tomorrow afternoon and spend three more days up in orbit before returning to earth on friday. they're getting it done. >> yeah. getting a lot of work done up there. >> really busy. folks in new york are busy today cleaning up after tornadoes. >> right. saturday afternoon, kind of unusual for up there. both days out of the weekend, there was severe weather. this is around darian. they're cleaning up from saturday's tornado that came through. their homes and businesses took a lot of damage. one home was completely flattened. national weather service confirms that was an f-1 tornado with winds between 86 and 110 miles per hour. that path on that tornado was four miles long and 100 miles wide. around here, just some cloud cover. it is a quiet day for us after storms both days over the weekend, too.
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87 the temperature. the dew point at 65 degrees. it feels like it's 90 degrees out there. on the radar, nothing showing up. down south there, the northern neck, westmooreland county, that's where that severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 8:00 p.m. so while it's been quiet here, you can see the storms through areas of southeastern virginia and through the carolinas. for folks around richmond and petersburg it's been awfully wet with the storms sliding northeastward and through areas around raleigh and fayetteville, north carolina, too. storms east of the i-95 corridor for this afternoon. around fredericksburg, a quarter of an inch of rain. look at the temperature. 87 degrees. there's the steam. the dew point temperature at 66 degrees. meanwhile, there is that wind for us. out of the south. so as long as we stay on the eastern side of this weather system that's moving through ohio and pennsylvania, it's going to stay awfully tropical and sultry throughout the area.
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dew pointem gr degrees. 68 in raleigh. at one point, it felt very humid as we got close to 70 degrees. but in the mid and upper 80s from new york to here. close to 90 degrees. raleigh, for tomorrow a day with higher heat and still humidity in the air. so it's going to feel much hotter than today. there's the weather front. it is a slow-moving weather system. we'll be contending with it pretty much all week long. so we'll have a better chance for showers and storms coming up later this week. warm and humid conditions for your evening. sunset at 8:24. temperatures drops to the low 80s. 85 to 81 degrees. for tomorrow morning, still going to start out humid. it's going to be a warm start for sure. 68 to 73. call it muggy, call it humid by the afternoon. again, i think only an isolated chance for a few thunderstorms west of the area tomorrow around i-81. then a better chance for storms coming up on wednesday. could be a real downpour across portions of the area.
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we'll talk more about that with the seven-day forecast in just a few. >> thanks, veronica. take a look at this. chopper 4 is above the scene where a tree has fallen on a house in vienna. this is happening in the 400 block of west street in vienna. >> there are no injuries reported at this hour. again, live pictures. power crews are on the scene right now. we'll keep you updated. that is quite a tree there. it looks like it just missed that car, too. >> okay. happening in vienna. > still to come on "news4 at 4," new information about the final minutes of michael jackson's life and the custody question regarding his children. turning your know-how into cash. find out what you can learn from one stay-at-home mom. and a new incentive for drivers to trade i those there's something big happening at pizza hut.
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- woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. hello, and welcome back to "news4 at 4." here are the stop stories at this hour. police are investigating the death of a still unidentified person whose body was found inside a burning minivan in bethesda. the vehicle fire was reported
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around 4:00 this morning near the intersection of bradley boulevard and arlington road. fire crews were putting out the blaze when they saw the body in the driver's seat. closing arguments in the benita jacks trial ended today. the judge is now weighing all the evidence and is expected to make a decision as early as wednesday. jacks is the mother accused of killing her four daughters and living with their bodies for months. authorities in cambridge, massachusetts, have released the audio of the 911 call that led to the arrest of harvard scholar henry lewis gates. the police sergeant who made the arrest can be heard telling dispatchers that gates was being uncooperative and to keep the cars coming. this could be a big week in the michael jackson case. new information is expected to emerge soon that could affect both the police investigation and the custody situation regarding his three children. jay gray has the latest. >> we have a personal doctor
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here with him, sir. >> you have a doctor there? >> reporter: that doctor was apparently conrad murray, michael jackson's personal physician, but there are new questions about what was going on in the final hours of the pop star's life. >> he's not responding to cpr or anything. >> reporter: new reports now that jackson was already dead when paramedics arrived at his home. and three hours before the 911 call, two women who apparently worked for dr. murray were at his private storage facility in houston. >> they moved out three to five boxes. not many, just small boxes, put in the trunk of a car. then they carried a couple of things out. >> reporter: she says it was the first time anyone had been to the storage unit enmore than a month. investigators were there last week. >> they will go to these people, try to roll them over in the comer parlance, get them to give testimony that says that they were trying to destroy evidence. >> reporter: evidence that could be critical in the ongoing investigation into his death. there are also continuing to be questions about who will raise
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jackson's three young children. >> we have been working on an agreement. i want to say that the parties have been very responsible. >> reporter: his mom, katherine, was named as guardian in his will. her attorneys have been working on a permanent deal with jackson's ex-wife, debbie rowe, and believe that agreement could be complete by the end of the week. jay gray, news4. the final autopsy and toxicology reports are due out this week, which should help police determine if -- determine the outcome of the criminal investigation. a stay-at-home mom is living her dream. she's making money from the internet from the comfort of her own home. sound good? well, meet candice crocket. she wanted to stay home with her kids and make money, too. she came across the website ehow.com and gave it a whirl. she writes how-to articles on
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anything she knows how to do. businesses sponsor the articles and every time someone clicks, you get paid. >> i've earned $127 so far this month. i'll just keeping the same amount of money. the work is already ne. >> reporter: ehow.com has about 600,000 contributors and is read by about 32 million users every month. the uncertain economy has many of us tightening our belts right now. the experts say even the most thrifty among us throws money away. kiplinger has put out a list of the top ways to waste your money. at the top is buying new instead of used when it comes to cars. used can be a real value. carrying a credit card balance is another no-no. you blow a lot of money by paying the interest. impulse buying is number three on the list. give yourself a cooling-off period that allows you to consider whether your budget can really handle the purchase.
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and you shouldn't be paying to use the atm. those surcharges can really add up quickly. eating out rounds out the top five. restaurant runs can be a huge drain on your wallet. learning to cook, pack your lunch and brew your coffee at home can save a couple of hundred bucks every month. the federal government's insective program to get older cars off the streets kicked off this morning. the car's allowance rebate system also known as cash for clunkers is declined to help consumers buy new fuel-efficient vehicles and boost the economy. today, the transport secretary was joine b lawmakers to kick off the event. the program will help both consumers and the auto industry. it helps strugglg consumers to buy reliable vehicles they can depend on to get to work while lowering their costs on gas and maintenance. second, it helps community dealerships which are small
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businesses after all to weather the bad economy. and third, it helps to lower co2 emissions and reduce fuel consumption. >> the plan will run until november 1st. when we come right back on "news4 at 4," how you can get a break by cooking dinner this week without busting your budget. and find out what one principal was doing to discipline students that got him into a little bit of trouble. try the new subway big chipotle cheesesteak. an updated all-time favorite: juicy steak layered with zesty chipotle sauce, melted cheese, piled high with only... the toppings you love on freshly baked bread. only at subway. subway. eat fresh.
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it's been a great day at the pools today. not so good, though, for the beaches. take a look at the radar. around ocean city, some showers and there's some heavy rain moving northeast toward the area. and the purple you see down through the northern neck, that is part of the severe thunderstorm watch that is in effect until 8:00 p.m. the storms sliding northeastward should stay out of our area for the evening. meanwhile, we do have a chance for storms comin up around midweek. probably some real downpours. 87, the current temperature now. by later tonight, we'll see the mercury drop to 80 degrees. upper 70s by 11:00 p.m. and midnight and we'll start the day tomorrow warm and muggy at 71 and 72 degrees. here's a look at tomorrow, up to 90, 91 degrees with a few storms across southern maryland. by wednesday, more widespread
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thunderstorms possibly severe. some heavy rain fueled by that real tropical air. the high, only 85 degrees. same thing for thursday as well as friday. the weekend now looking quiet with temperatures in the mid and upper 80s. if you're looking that far ahead to next monday, more rain and thunderstorms in the forecast. so now all week long it's going to be humid, it's going to be steamy without a doubt. a little bit of a cooling off toward wednesday when we get that heavy rain. back to you. >> thanks, veronica. well, this week you can eat your heart out without breaking the bank. this is restaurant week. and it's restaurant week in bethesda, chevy chase and howard county. that means fine dining without paying the full price. dozens of restaurants are offerioffer ing meals at discount rates. check out bethesda.org for official lists. most lunches will cost you between $12 and $16 while dinner is about 20 bucks. restaurant week runs from now until the 9th of august.
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but now that i'm breathing better with advair... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. we had a great day, grandpa! we sure did. ask your doctor how advair helps improve lung function for better breathing. (announcer) find out how to get your first full prescription free at advaircopd.com.
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have than they'd like to talk about. and there are things, though, that you can do to prevent is. >> reporter: it's the kind of thing you really don't want to talk about, but when you smell it, you know it. we're talking about stinky feet. what are you supposed to do? >> really don't have much knowledge on that. i really don't. >> reporter: just try to get people to talk about the stinky subject. dr. mark letterman sees a lot of feet and some of them he admits smell like this. >> we see it in certainly athletes, we see it in certain types of footwear that don't breathe well, nylons, stocking feet, even socks that don't wick moisture away properly will do it. >> reporter: and he says he sees it in one sex more than the other. >> men have stinky feet. that's right. >> reporter: letterman says man or woman, in many cases you can blame the funk on the three ss. sweat, soxes, and shoes. and when the three team up, you're probably going to get the big "b," bacteria.
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next thing you know, your smelly dogs are sweeping others off their feet. >> man! put your shoes back on. >> reporter: sometimes there's a more serious cause. >> the causes can be a problem where there's actually an involuntary nerve issue that creates sihypersweating, or odo associated with it. >> reporter: lots of good sprays are on the market that kill bacteria and fungus and help quell the smell. sometimes the difference between a stinky foot and a sweet-smelling one is just a change of footwear. for example, wearing leather shoes without socks is a big no-no. if the cause is medical, letterman says he can write the offending feet's owner a prescription. ay. if you suffer the foot odor problem, doctors say the most important thing is not to be embarrassed and get some help. pat? well, if your feet weren't enough to worry about, there's
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another problem plaguing people below the knee. we're talking about cankles. cankles are legs with no definition between the calf and the ankle. it's the latest pop culture obsession. in fact, gold's gym is using this to lure new customers, declaring july cankle awareness month. some people are so paranoid about cankles that they take extreme measures against them. >> it's one-third of all the liposuction i do. it's very popular. >> however, that's a pricey fix. cankle surgery can cost from 5 to $12,000. some people swear by home-made cankle remedies. here's one. apply hemorrhoid cream to the ankle and wrap it in an ace bandage overnight. however, the jury is still out on whether that works. jim? we have breaking news right now out of northwest washington.
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a school bus and a metro bus have been involved in a minor accident. there were about ten children on board the school bus. there are no serious injuries reported. the crash happened at 11th and 8th streets here in northwest d.c. when we come right back on "news4 at 4," folks who lichb one community are breathing a sigh of relief after a slithery escapy is no longer terrorizing their neighborhood. there's something big happening at pizza hut.
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- woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. oh cool. (cable guy) so what are you going to do next? who are you? who is he? it's okay. well, i'm going to... activate over 100 hd channels? program his remote? it's like you've been watching him all day. have you been watching me all day?
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- woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! now get big meals like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. the big eat tiny price menu. only at pizza hut. vdot is handing out pink slips to 600 employees today. it is the first of 1,400 layoffs in the works. the goal is to close a $2.6 billion transportation budget gap. vdot employees who do preliminary work on road construction projects are most likely to be cut. that's because construction projects have been slashed by more than a third over the next
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six years. well, let's get an update on our weather. veronica johnson is outdoors soaking up a little sunshine. >> a little sunshine a little heat, too. it's hot and humid out here, but it's not raining. we shouldn't have any rain on tap for the evening. so a rainstorm or not? that's the question of the day. how about when you live next to this choir. they're from slovenia. they make sounds of rain with only their hands and their feet. one of the coolest things i've ever seen, at least as far as a choir goes. it's all the rage online and today i'm doing little bit of sharing with you because that's awfully neat. we have a chance for rainstorms of our own on wednesday. just isolated storms for tomorrow. and south of the area, ocean city getting some heavy rain. that rain coming up from areas
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of southeastern virginia and the rolinas. so, again, dry for us this evening. temperatures out there right now, 87 degrees. 86, springfield. 82, a little cooler near the water. by tomorrow morning, 60s to 70s across the area. we're going to be starting off the day on the muggy side. it's going to be humid coming our way with a high tomorrow, 91 degrees. so a couple of degrees higher than today. i think if there's any storms tomorrow, they will be around martinsburg. then maybe down south around frederi fredericksburg. in the clear tomorrow, but all week long it's going to be hot and humid. back to you. >> thanks, veronica. penn state university is now the nation's number one school. >> the nation's number one party school, that is. that's according to the annual survey by the princeton review. penn state made the list for the last seven years. this is the first time it finished first. >> in fact, it snatched the title away from the university of florida, which is second on
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the party list. the university of mississippi and oxford is third. the fourth party school is the university of georgia in athens. fifth, ohio university. by the way, the annual rankings also highlighthe country's most sober schools. brigham young university in utah topped that list for the 12th straight year. all we can hope is that there's a lot of learning going on. >> yes, in addition to partying. and recovering from those parties. coming up on "news4 at 4," the price of being overweight. the toll obesity is putting on our health. and new information about what may have led to the disastrous wrong-way crash that killed eight people.
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here's some of the top stories making news on the web this week. the driver of a minivan that barrels down the wrong side of a new york parkway and slam understood an suv apparently wasn't feeling well before the crash. eight people were killed in that accident and a young child is still in the hospital tonight. it happened yesterday in westchester county. the van's driver was killed along with four children in the van ranging from age of 2 to 9. three people riding in the suv also died. french president nicolas sarkozy is out of the hospital after he suffered dizzy spells while jogging yesterday. he collapsed due to heat and
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overwork. no long-term consequences were found. the french government says the president is feeling better and will follow doctor's orders to rest up for a few days. an assistant principal down in florida has been told to stop the way he disciplines students. five tampa-area high school students say their assistant prcipal would pop their toes when their grades would slip. the students say the toe popping didn't hurt, but one told authorities it did make them feel uncomfortable. school officials say the assistant principal never intended to do anything inappropriate and has a great rapport with the students. we've got a lot of feet stories in today. how is this for an unwanted visitor? residents of a western florida neighborhood say this 14-foot burmese python has been lurking around for months. this weekend, a trapper was finally able to coax the snake out of a storm drain.
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authorities aren't sure how the snake got loose and think it's been eating ducks from a nearby pond. the nation's obesity epidemic is putting a heavy burden on the nation's wallet. today experts gathered in washington to discuss the problem and come up with some solutions. >> reporter: obesity is costing our nation big-time. that's the finding of a new study released at the first-ever weight of the nation conference by the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention. eric finkalstein is the lead author. >> 9% of animal medical expenditures are caused by obesity. >> reporter: that's $147 billion spent every year on treating weight-related illnesses with diabetes topping the list. the cdc's director is hoping to turn talk into action. >> obesity is the only major health problem this country. it's getting worse and it's
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getting worse rapidly. >> reporter: as congress wrestles with health care reform, supporters of wellness and prevention programs want lawmakers to consider obesity's hidden costs. bill clinton in the conference key note address said change has to start closer to home. >> in the homes, the schools, the restaurants, the doctor's offices, the communities. this is a social issue. we are trying to turn the titanic around before it hits the iceberg. >> reporter: some suggestions include preventative medical checkups, community exercise programs, healthier menu choices for students and encouraging more grocery stores in low-income areas. how much all that might cost, no one can say. >> somebody is going to have to foot the bill. but as we already see from our study, it's not free to do nothing either. >> reporter: obesity, a growing problem with many hidden costs and no easy cure. the study says health care costs r obese americans average $1,400 a year more than those
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who are fit. in washington, i'm brian mooar, news4. that's "news4 at 4." "news4 at 5" starts right now. tonight at 5:00, into details about the arrest of an area police chief on drunken driving charges. the concerns that some red light cameras are nothing more than speed traps. liz finds out if the handy vac will keep your food as fresh as it says it will. and good evening. we> egwe>>in bitheh w t > we b>>in with the ait asl gyslov discovery. apoceliregacenvtiesft afterti arng b th ni merngng is morning. it happethned it happerlonin agt rdoa arlingt and braou bou brdrdvale in va bethesda. darcy spencer is there now leave with details for us. darcy? >> reporter: the gold-colored minivan was engulfed in flames this morning. wh t
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