welcome to news4 this week. >> hi, everybody, i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them, does it really do that? we are shedding light on a product that promises to take years of wear and tear off of one of the most important parts of your car. and they call him the crimestopper. why a high school hoops star's skills are giving him attention both on and off the court. and makeovers for military family members. we will show you what happened after one deserving woman got a brand-new look. she looks awfully happy. first, imagine getting tens of thousands of dollars in parking ticket fines for vehicles that aren't even yours.

that's reality for one local man who called the news4 i team and now there's a change in how d.c.'s ticket writers do things. tisha thompson reports. >> reporter: there are things danny white really loves, the redskins, his red chevy and a good joke. 25 years ago, danny wanted to have fun with his vanity plate which reads no tags. >> you see my tag, you are from d.c. >> reporter: almost everyone. >> this he don't get the joke. they don't get it. >> reporter: now, joekt on him. >> i got enough tickets here to plaster the whole car. >> reporter: 300, 500, 700 for overdue tick felt he the city finds aen abandoned vehicle or car missing its plates, guess who gets it, danny white. >> over $20,000 worth of tickets. >> reporter: ticket for fords, hondas, dodges, even a vespa.

every few months, he has to take time off from work to go to the courthouse to get tickets dismissed but since danny drives a chevy avalanche, anything marked chevy is still his problem. >> how am i going to prove it's not mine? you don't know? it's your system. figure it out. i don't know it is not an answer. i got to get it done. >> reporter: his record at the dmv is so long, he says he can't renew his license or his lemon station. >> let me call news4 and get it squared away. >> reporter: the news team swam through pure rock crass circumstance the dmv sent us to dpw who sent us to d dot who sent us took dmv, who told us their computers are not set up to red flag problematic tags like danny's. >> when customers do submit a ticket for adjudication, we don't track what their reason is, so there's simply

unfortunately no way for me to know that information. >> reporter: but dmv director lucinda baber says after we called, she sent out a notice to all the different agencies who write tickets about a new protocol to help danny. >> if there is truly a car that is not currently displaying a license plate, you cannot write "no tags." you cannot write "none." >> reporter: instead, ticket writers must now use the last six digits of the vehicle's vin number and mark the state as an xx. >> it was funny at the time, but now to the point, hey, i lose too much time off of this. >> reporter: but before we let him drive away, we had to ask, danny, why don't you just change your tags? >> everybody asks the magic question, why down the get rid of them? are you gonna pay for me a new tag, they say no. i said, well, no need for me buying tags that i already have. if you pay for it, i will change it. if not, fix the computer. >> wow, that's problem. danny may end up getting new

tags after all, whether he like it is or not. the dmv director says in addition to the new ticket writing rules, she is thinking about recalling danny's tags, along with other confusing vanity plates like none to avoid the problem. if you hate waiting in long lines at the airport, there is a new program to get tsa through the gates. erika gonzalez explains what it takes to qualify for airport precheck. >> reporter: wait in line and then prepare to be patted down, scanned and screened. with the tsa precheck program, you may not have to go through this any more when you flight. after 9/11, the department of homeland security admits it did not have the information or technology needed to identify travelers that pose the greatest risk. >> we recognize that all travelers are not alike and not all of them pose the same level

of risk. >> reporter: so, last clear, the dhs started a pilot program in seven major airports. approved, prescreened travelers were given a green light to a fast lane, meaning many don't have to take off their shoes, coats or take out their laptops. >> allows us to spend more time on those that we note least about, name, date of birth and gender, through secure flight, or we know the most about because they are on terrorist watch lists. >> reporter: now you the tsa precheck program is ready to be introduced in about 30 more airports in 2012, including dulles, reagan and bwi. >> i would sign up in a heartbeat. >> reporter: but are you eligible? it boils down to two groups of people, frequent fliers who participate in airlines and members of trusted travel programs, like myself, who have century or nexus cards. you can visit global entry.gov to apply. at the washington dulles international airport, erika gonzalez, news4. >> that's website i will

remember, global entry.com. well, it can be difficult and dangerous driving at night if your headlights not as bright as they should be, but there's a product that says it can help fix that little issue, but does fast right really do that? liz crenshaw checked it out. ♪ >> cars are hazy, dull, oxidized head lights, now you can't see at night. get fast bright lens restore, the lens restore kit that brings your headlights back to show room new in as little as 30 seconds. >> i give everything its fair shake, however i have seen a lot of snake oil in the auto business. >> reporter: every car has the problem, cloudy headlights on the road, says jeff boone from aaa. >> cannot withstand the chemical abrasion from driving and the sunlight beating down to it and natural oxidation. >> reporter: car headlights

measured in candle power. new headlights shine with as much as 20,000 candle power, but older cars, like this mitsubishi, measure as low as 7,000 candle power. professional treatments to clean lenses sold at auto repair shops, including shops run by aaa, take about an hour and cost about $100. so, can fast bright do it faster and cheaper? to find out, we brought fast bright and its infomercial to aaa. it cost us about $26 for two fast bright kits, including procession and handling fees. >> just wipe it on and wipe it off and watch the haze turn to crystal clear. it's that easy. >> but -- does it really do that? >> the first thing it is pretty simple, put a dime-sitzed portion of the first product, step one, the lens polish, onto the applicator on the yellow side. >> okay. >> rub it in small circular motions briskly until the entire

lens feels smooth. you can hear it, it is actually working like a sandpaper or liquid polish. all right. on step two, pour the lens protectant generously onto the blue side of the pad. >> generous? >> rub over the entire area and then buff with a clean, dry cloth. it feels smoother on the surface, feels like we have taken off some of the abrasiveness to it. >> reporter: but is the headlight brighter? remember, it started at 7,000 candle power. >> we are right about 16,000 candle power, so it has made a definite improvement. >> reporter: wow. >> i think it did really well t has taken a lot of the surface oxidation off of t. >> reporter: didn't take very long either. >> like the commercial said, it took me less than 30 seconds. >> reporter: but aaa cautioned with all lens cleaning products, over times, the lenses turn cloudy again, so after about two weeks, it retested the headlight. it dropped from 16,000 candle power down to 8,500. but still brighter than the original 7,000 candle power

first measured. we contacted the marketer of fast bright. it said fast bright was thoroughly lab tested by independent laboratory and performs as described on the infomercial and calls fast bright the quick, easy and inexpensive way to create similar results to professional treatment by doing it yourself. so, fast bright, does it really do that? >> yes it did exactly what it promised to do. >> reporter: for $26, would you recommend that folks buy it? >> i would recommend it. i would just caution that it is not going to perform the same way a professional kit does. i would feel a lot more comfortable driving this car at night myself. i know it could be better but this is a good improvement. >> dull headlights weren't a big issue in the past because our vehicles didn't always have plastic headlights, they used to be made of glass, you didn't have to worry about the oxidation thing. still ahead on news4 this week, a compromise for meat lovers who want to eat healthier. we will look at the growing trend of flex tearians.

>> everybody, like, come up, they want to see the crimestopper, they want to see if is really true, crime rates really go down? >> how a high school athlete's skills are making him a

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the list of preppiest colleges is out this year and there are two local schools that lead the pack, georgetown university and the university of virginia ranked highest on the "huffington post" 2012 preppy barometer. eight schools were chosen based largely on the student style. georgetown got nods for its pop collars and its topsiders. and one of uva's unofficial mottos is guys in ties and girls in pearls. all right. boston college, wheaton and cornell rounded out the top five preppiest colleges. got to love that, right around here. it is not very often that a high school basketball player is

featured in "gq" magazine, even more rare when that player fights crime by simply playing the game. hakem dermish has a little more on one of the most hyped hoopsters the state of maryland has ever seen. >> here he comes and that is sick. >> that's what the people come to see. >> reporter: dressed in sneakers and a basketball uniform, 5'6" akeel carr is a neighborhood crime fighter. when he plays, good prevails, because the bad guys doing business in east baltimore shut down. carr is the crimestopper. >> it has been a great nickname, like everybody, like, come out, they want to see the crimestopper, they want to see if it is really true does the crime rate really go down? and i really think it's true. >> the last couple of years,

they have been saying around east baltimore, when patterson plays and akeel plays, hardly anybody on the street, kind of preventing crime. we got a lot of different, interesting characters that come to the game between 5:30 and 7:30. >> reporter: the biggest question, can you really credit carr with stopping crime? according to a school police officer, the answer is yes. the officer declined to comment on camera, but said when games are played at patterson, trouble in the area takes a timeout. the baltimore city police department would not confirm the urban legend, but believes carr does inspire change in his community. >> i just think it's great that people are following someone that they believe in and choosing sports as opposed to crime and as opposed to violence. if we can taken a individual that inspires a community and neighborhood to choose a brighter path and not follow a career of violence, then it is a win/win for all, a win/win for the community, a win/win for police and a win for that person. >> feel great that i got a great talent that god gave me, like i'm just going to cherish it every moment i get.

everything motivates me. every little thing that somebody says can motivate me. like if anything -- any negativity comes toward my way, i use that motivation. >> reporter: the junior point guard from patterson is one of the top-ranked prospects in the country, and also a youtube sensation. more than 3 million people have watched his jaw-dropping "are you kidding me" hoop mixedtape.com highlight reel. ♪ carr is already committed to seton hall. his dream, make it big in the nba. even with all of the national attention, this 18-year-old kid remains grounded and his message to others is simple. >> just keep working hard, like and never -- never like -- never say you can't do anything. can't shouldn't be in your

vocabulary at all. everything is possible. anything is possible. >> reporter: akeel carr has proven there is charm in east baltimore. >> what's not to like, right? carr is the lead scorer in baltimore and several nba players have come to see him play. well, coming up, that extra little kick that makes the spinning class a full-body workout. and if you are thinking of going vegetarian, there is a mid grade

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news for your health, if you are trying to eat less meat but not ready to go cold turkey and become a vegetarian, you are not alone. doreen gentzler has a growing group of people out there who are calling themselves a flexitarians. >> it would be a piece of steak, a hamburger, meatloaf, meat lasagne, sausage speak get tirks everything. >> reporter: for 44-year-old

ray, a meal wasn't a meal unless it included a piece of meat. >> growing up in my family, we had meat and potatoes, meat and potatoes, that's just what he had. >> reporter: after his doctor diagnosed him with high cholesterol and prescribed a daily medication, he realized his diet was probably sabotaging his health, sew met with registered dietitian judy kaplan who encouraged him to cut out the meat. i think especially motivated after he had seen the doctor and really upset his cholesterol was elevated and did he not want to go on medicine. >> reporter: he tried something new, what kaplan called a flex diet, woe eat vegetarian on most days but could allow himself some meat occasionally. kaplan says more and more americans are adopting this flexitarian way of life. >> today, people are broadening their idea of what's healthy and what they can eat, so it is not just the old meat and potatoes. >> reporter: the evidence is all over the grocery store, take a look at the growing number of meatless products you can buy

now, everything from veggie pepperoni, tofu dogs, you can get meatless barbecue, even smart bacon now. one study found that sales of these products have grown 21% in just the last two years. another survey by allrecipes.com found more than one-third of their 1400 members said they ate less meat in 2011 than the year before. >> you don't need to eat meat at every meal. >> reporter: kaplan says americans have a tendency to overconsume meat because of a long-standing belief that is it is the best source of protein and veggies and grains alone won't keep us full but too much protein could be a bad idea. >> you don't need a ton of protein, you just need enough for tissue repair and body function. after that, it can draw too much calcium from your bones. so, we really need to concentrate on the other food groups that build health. >> reporter: ray has been flexitarian about a year now. he says the results have been pretty dramatic. his cholesterol dropped 40

points and he no longer needs to take medication. kaplan says they were both excited. >> really all about mindset. a person who wants to change has to begin to educate themself and it has never been easier. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news4. >> you might want to flex your way over. spin class, might be hard enough for anyone who tried it you might try cycling with weights in your hand, a new hybrid spin class called the full-body ride and it promises to give you a total body workout in just 45 minutes. we check it had out and asked what's your workout? >> the complete ride is a 35-minute ride, we do five to seven minutes of an upper body workout, take dumb bells, two, three or five pounds dork an upper body circuit. curls, go overhead and do shoulder presses, do tricep

extensi extensions, chest presses, just about everything. a lot of us are busy and can't do weights and cardio class at the same time. you combine, do your lower body in the cycling class and upper body in the upper body circuit, get a whole body workout, 45 minutes. everyone starts with two pounds, even the guys are like two pounds? you know, i can do more than that, but they are dying at the end, so we go nonstop hard. because we are also pedaling at the same time and some resistance on your lower body, you are working your core. >> a great way to get a workout in, 45 minutes, total body workout, cardio weights and you can get right back to work. >> just kind of a nice break from spinning for an hour or 45 minutes, if do you a lot of spinning. it provides some diversion. >> i saw the weights, like two pounds, okay. but when we started adding those in, it was a really hard

workout. i used to do football and swimming in high school, and we never did arm workouts like that. >> i mean, you can get a spin class or cycle class at any gym, we want to offer something different, something you can't get anywhere else. >> i love those workouts you can get in less than an hour. coming up next, wife the of coming up next, wife the of a wounded warrior gets a

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first lady michelle obama is calling for states to help uprooted military spouses pursue their careers. a new report shows military spouses are ten times more likely to move across state lines. more than one-third of them have trouble getting jobs because of their careers, including nursing, teaching and law requires state certification. the first lady says the goal is for all states to have laws addressing these licensing issues by 2014. well, news4 recently gave a salute to a special group of military women. they are wives and relatives of wounded soldiers and marines.

the group recently received flowers and gift bags as show of appreciation for their courage during these challenging times and some, including heather latinsky, got a makeover she returned to our studio for the big reveal. >> here she is. heather, how do you like it? >> i love it. >> you look fantastic. >> thank you. >> what did your husband say? >> he was excited. he loves me with shorter hair, excited to see that. he loves my red hair, very relieved and please they had didn't take away from that. >> healthers a husband lost legs and an arm when he stepped on a landmine in afghanistan in 2010. heather says he is doing better now and thriving. and so is she. she looks wonderful. hey, that's all for news4

this week, i am veronica johnson, thanks for joining us, hope to see you back here next week. have a great week. [ female announcer ] more people are using wireless devices

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