a solar storm brings warnings about power grids and your gps. good afternoon, everybody. i'm jim adley. >> i'm pat lawson muse. first, breaking news. a third letter with suspicious substance. a suspicious powder was found just moments ago in the district. thinking one was discovered at 1201 constitution avenue in northwest d.c. the letter had a return address from texas. we have a news4 crew on the way to that scene, and we'll bring you more information as it comes in. >> there were two similar scares in the district. both happened around 11 thank morning. one at the osteria bibiana on new york avenue in northwest. police say a chef opened a letter with a white powder in it. people in the restaurant were evacuated as a precaution. >> in southwest, an envelope with powder inside was discovered at amidon bowen elementary school. that envelope was found before students got to class. and students were not allowed inside this building. both scenes were quickly cleared. this is the second day this week

d.c. police have responded to the scene where suspicious powder has turned up. so far the letters pose no threat to the public. erika gonzalez is headed to the scene on constitution avenue in northwest. we'll bring you that live as soon as it comes in. now back to the solar storm. despite the predictions, it appears planet earth has lucked out. >> we have, for today. there have been no major disruptions in north america. but as michelle franzen reports, the biggest impact appears to be the breathtaking light show up north. >> it appears the latest solar storm affecting the earth's atmosphere has not created as many problems as expected. >> this is one of the bigger ones that has happened in quite a while. but so far, so good. >> researchers say there are no reports the magnetic storm triggered by the solar bursts caused any reductions to high frequency communication for airlines and emergency agencies, power grid systems, and gps satellites.

but those highly charged particles from the solar bursts created magnetic and radiation concerns when it reached earth, enough to make airlines change routes temporarily. >> they have diverted a lot of the airplanes so they don't go close to the north pole. and they reroute them. >> reporter: the latest solar flares some of the most dramatic in a decade, are part of a series of solar storms scientists are tracking closely. >> we've got sun spots here. it's these groups of cooler areas on the sun that produce these eruptions. >> in the past few months, the beauty of the night skies have outweighed any of the potential problems. those solar burst particles are creating more brilliant auroras in the northern hemisphere like this image captured in alaska. experts say those vibrant views might even be viewable in unexpected parts of the country. >> if the sky is clear and folks in northern u.s. and certainly

in canada and other parts of the world that are a little closer the the north pole may be able to see the northern lights. >> reporter: gazing that may make all the other concerns worth the risk. michelle franzen, news4. >> scientists say the strongest ever record solar storm happened back in 1859. this current one is part of the sun's normal 11-year cycle which is expected to peak next year. well, the sun is also catching a warm spell over the washington area today. hard to believe it is still march out there, folks. >> meteorologist veronica johnson is having a fun-filled day at national harbor along the waterfront in prince georges county. hi, vj. >> hey there, guys. it is a very nice day out here. in fact, it's the warmest day out of the year that brings out lots of folks. a lot of folks walking around with their short sleeves on. 73 degrees the temperature today. the only thing that has been a fly in the ointment today is the fact that it has been a bit

windy today. we've had winds gusting up to about 40 miles per hour in some locations. you can see the clouds up there. we're talking a little bit about rain that is going to be moving into the area. but not until late evening, the early part of tonight. so until then, we should be just fine. take a look at the graphics. temperatures across the area. yeah, we are into the upper 60s and low 70s throughout the area. all this warmth being brought in to our area, with some strong southwesterly winds down south. plenty warm too. they've been up to about 30 to 40-mile-per-hour winds. that warm air down south 75 to 80 degrees, even through the carolinas. the wind is going to stay with us through the overnight period. from north to south, folks, it's been mild today. yesterday felt like april. today feels like may across the area. and as far as the radar goes, yeah, there is a lot of rain sitting just to the west of us. and that's headed this way.

but i don't think we're going to get over a half inch of rain around here by the time the rain ends, which should be before the sun comes up tomorrow morning. we'll get between about a quarter and a half inch of rain. coming up in a couple of minutes, i'll tell you why i'm holding a glass of this. does it look appetizing, jim and pat? >> it actually does. it's green. >> no! at 73 degrees, you might be thirsty. >> well, maybe gatorade? i don't know. i'll give you a hint. it has something to do with shrek. so stick around. >> oh, okay. >> not so much anymore. thanks, veronica. teen smoking has become an epidemic. a new report out by the surgeon general paints a disturbing picture of a habit that is leading many teens to a lifetime of addiction. erica edwards has the story. >> reporter: there is a reason the latest government report on smoking targets a younger crowd. >> 99% of smokers began smoking before the age of 25.

>> reporter: on thursday, surgeon general dr. regina benjamin released an extensive report on tobacco use among the nation's youth. among the most notable findings, nearly one in four high school seniors smokes, and 3800 kids pick up the habit every day. dr. benjamin called the statistics shocking. that's almost an understatement, according to dr. otis brawley of the american cancer society. >> shocking, disgusting, upsetting. >> reporter: the youth smoking rate had been declining since the late 90s but slowed contractibly in recent years. dr. brawley attributes it to campaigns against higher taxes during a weaker economy. >> excises on tobacco are especially effective in preventing 14 and 15-year-old kids from buying cigarettes. >> reporter: other suggestions include smoke-free laws and tobacco prevention programs. >> at 12 i smoke mid first cigarette. >> reporter: the government

hopes to get teens attention in this new public service announcement. >> at 50 i'll die of a heart attack. >> reporter: big tobacco is criticized in the surgeon general's report for spending more than $27 million a day in marketing and promotions. altria, parent company of philip morris usa says it markets to adults only. erica edwards, nbc news. the metro apparently knew for six years that some of its railcars had brake problems. that revelation surfaced today at a board meeting about metro safety. according to the "washington post," the transit agency knew that brake parts designed to last 35 years were failing after 10 or 15 years. but the agency didn't have money to fix the problem. in two recent cases, brake parts fell off of trains. there were no injuries, luckily. all of the parts in question have been replaced. tom sherwood will have more on this story coming up on "news4

at 5." and the republican race for the white house, they're off to the south now. there are primaries on tuesday in alabama and mississippi. for mitt romney, there could be a rough road ahead. steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: he is from pennsylvania, but rick santorum is counting now on the deep south, religious and conservative like him. he went to huntsville today. >> are we going win on tuesday here in alabama? what do you think? >> reporter: coming off his super tuesday wins in neighboring tennessee and in oklahoma, santorum is claiming he is the only conservative running, and claiming that's what republicans need in the fall in a new ad. >> how can mitt romney or newt gingrich beat barack obama when on the vital decisions they're not much different? >> reporter: after his super tuesday win in georgia, newt gingrich too is counting on the south, where lots of republicans drive big trucks. gas prices are rising, the

justice department investigating, congress is arguing about a new oil pipeline, and the price of gas is newt's big issue. >> when obama was sworn in, the day he was sworn in, we paid $1.89. >> reporter: but aides hint gingrich might drop out if he loses southern primaries. >> and when it becomes a two-person race for the republican nomination, the conservative will win that nomination. >> reporter: maybe not. critics call mitt romney a weak front-runner, but so far he is earning enough delegates to keep his rivals from clinching the nomination before the convention in tampa. even if he falls short. and the convention is late august, which could mean almost half a year more of republicans hammering one another. i'm steve handelsman, news4. kansas will hold republican caucuses this saturday. there are 40 delegates at stake there. when "new4 at 4" continues, details about whitney houston's will. we'll tell you who is getting

what from the late singer. the laundry label on a pair of men's pants has generated a firestorm on twitter today. why the label is creating such a stir. and how a people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! get high yield free checking at capital one bank. why earn bupkis, when your checking could earn five times the national average!! and free atms anywhere. five times the national average!!! that's new school banking. sign up for high yield free checking at a capital one bank. what's in your wallet? somebody help me down.

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you're watching "new4 at 4." >> a british woman is up in arms about her boyfriend's pants. it's the laundry label that's got her attention. >> the tag has the usual care instructions for pair of cotton chinos, machine wash in warm water, et cetera. but then it says "or give to it your woman. it's her job." oh no, no, no. >> oh no is right. the girlfriend is a journalist at the telegraph in london. it hit the twitter circuit so fast there is smoke coming off it. it turns out they're from a british store called madhouse. the store says the buyers did not read the labeling and it was clearly a joke, but they'll be a little more careful about labels from now on. >> they were mad. >> yeah, they were. miley cyrus gets in trouble on twitter.

chris rock's loose lips. >> and whitney houston's legacy. time for headlines with georgia frita. she is hear host of a show on radio weekdays. houston's will is out now. >> it is out. details are out. and she has left all of her assets to her only daughter, bobbi kristina, who is 19 years ode. they say it is estimated at $20 million. that is growing every single day. she'll get a portion at 21, another at 25 and the remainder when she turns 30. >> bobby wasn't in it. >> he did try to get in it ten years ago, but no cigar. miley cyrus has stirred a hornet's nest. her fans are upset about something she tweeted about. >> yeah, she did. she posted a photo and a caption from a physicist which was about stardust and everything comes from stardust. basically what made everybody upset he said forget jesus,

stars died so that we could live. you can imagine some of her christian followers got on her. but she is fighting back via twitter. she said i can't believe that you guys would bring religion into this. but she is very upset about it. and she quoted another famous physicist, einstein. she said religion is lame without science, and without religion science is blind. really, would einstein use the terminology lame? i don't think so. i don't know the quote. >> probably not back then. >> i don't think so. >> miley pontificating. that's what we come to know about her. a rock icon, georgia, has a recommendation for rihanna. what is this all about? >> annie lennox thinks that rihanna would make a spectacular spokesperson for domestic violence. you know in 2009, chris brown assaulted rihanna. and now the two have befriended each other and even done collaborations with each other. but annie lennox thinks she should use her celebrity as a cause for domestic violence. i don't think rihanna is going to do it.

in an article last year for vogue magazine, she said that she only wants to sing. she said i don't want to be a role model. so it will be interesting to see how she takes this. >> or a spokesperson for a cause. >> for anything. not just. this she said i just want to sing. >> just wants to sing. >> and dance and do videos. >> sure. and act. she's got a new movie coming out. chris rock who is a comedian let the cat out of the bag about the president's 50th birthday bash last august. >> here is the deal. if you get invited to the president's birthday party, you don't go blabbing about it. and you don't do it during a comedy skit. >> which is what he did. somebody whipped out their smartphone and filmed it. this wasn't on the president's official schedule. the press were not invited. nobody knew about the party unless you were invited. there were 200 guests. jay-z was there, whoopie goldberg. i was there. and i really want to tell you about it, but i can't. to let you know what happened. i'm not that kind of person.

>> now everybody knows. >> probably not. probably not. tim tebow, may be a bachelor, but he is not to be make a big deal out of it on tv. >> why is that? >> there have been rumors he is going to be on the bachelor. and he was i would never do that. and he doesn't seem like a guy that would be on a reality show. let me clear the rumors up for you. just because i'm a bachelor doesn't mean i want to be on the bachelor. he is one of the hottest bachelors. he has been linked from everybody from katy perry to kim kardashian. >> and who else is the other country singer? i'm drawing a blank now. >> oh, i know exactly. you would ask. gosh, i can't think who you're talking about. >> taylor swift. >> taylor swift. hello. and they would make a cute couple, wouldn't they? i would love that. >> what do you have coming up tomorrow? >> it's march madness. if you want to win a million dollars, go kos, and i'm

thinking if you win you should give me 10%, a finders fee. are you in? >> way to go. >> we're good. >> the one and only georgia al freitas. thank you. get ready tonight for a brand-new episode of the nbc drama. this is a hit, "awake." >> it's an intriguing story line. actor jason isaacs plays the role of michael briton who is bouncing between two realities. in one world his wife survived a car crash, but his teenaged son died. in the other his son survived but his wife is dead. he has two friends on the police force. wilmer valderrama plays detective vegas. >> i play an l.a. police officer in one reality and a partner in the other. it's very fulfilling to play a character like this. it's fun and different. i get to -- i have a little bit of humor, but mostly i'm the

young gung-ho rookie detective who is partners with michael briton. >> "awake" airs tonight at 10:00 here on nbc4. coming up next on "new4 at 4," the duchess of cambridge has become a fashion icon. now she is boosting the career of an aspiring designer. ah, the weather has been fantastic. i'm here in prince georges county at national harbor. and there is a lot of fun going on down here. i'm having some green juice, hanging out with my friends. a lot more coming up. your complete forecast on the other side of the break. [ female announcer ] with xfinity,

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well, she is toasting the sunset, shrek-style.

>> veronica is sharing the warmth at national harbor today with a few friends. hey, veronica. >> i guess i've given you enough clues. you saw the swamp juice and the ogre ears on my head. it's all about shrek and puss n boots. and i have the guy, shrek. shrek, do you like the warm weather out here? i think shrek likes the warm weather. but he would probably like something that is more swamp-like instead of concrete. i'm joined also with bob moore who is vice president of the gaylord national resort. hey there. >> welcome. >> you're holding in your hand? >> an ogre treat. >> you've got worms. you've got the mud, everything. >> you'll love it. >> that's what the kids like. >> it goes great with the juice. >> tell me a little bit what is going on down here? gaylord national resort family fun night, something that starts

tomorrow. but you've done this tomorrow. >> we've had one before. this saturday night is a family fun night with shrek and his friends. it includes a night dance party with shrek and a movie, lots of fun things to do. scavenger hunt, a family photo, wake-up calls from shrek or some of his friends. you can choose that as well. and then in the future in the next couple of weeks on the 31st of march and the 14th of april, we have spring breaks with madagascar and friends. so you get to see gloria and alex and others. and you'll see puss n boots as well. what do the packages run and what age group? >> age group, really five years and above to about 10 or 12 years old, really enjoy them. 3 and 4-year-olds also as well. it's basically per person basis. it's about $200 per night. a little more on some weekends. but we start may 25th and run throughout the summer on

weekends. and that will be quite a treat. you can go to www gaylordnational.com to find out more information. >> there we go. that full screen to put up. and of course if you don't buy the package, you can always head out to the resort and just walk through the lobby and see shrek and puss n boots. warm one today. that's why all the people are out, right? into the 70s today. got to love it. the only thing that i didn't like is the fact that it's been rather breezy down here. got some rain moving in. so if you're going to be out late during the evening, know that you'll probably need your umbrella. as far as temperatures good across the area, let's take a look at them right now. we've got 70 degrees in leesburg. 72 right in d.c. and 72 in huntington. it has been a windy, windy day for us. we expect the wind to hang on until the front passes through area. there is a look at your good night-wake-up forecast. 46 degrees by 5:00 a.m. the rain should be ending around

5:00, 6:00 a.m. as the front moves through. it will still be breezy tomorrow, and temperatures will be cooler than today. storm 4 radar. there you can see it way to the north and west up around cumberland, hagerstown area. there is a few light showers there. but the heavier rain is off to the west inside of west virginia. and again, we're going to get about a quarter to a half inch of rain out of this down to the south of our area, right around southeastern kentucky. some thunderstorms with this cold front that will be moving quickly off to the east. so the warm air cooling done for tomorrow. our warm air will return toward the end or the mid part in the end of next week. let's take a look at your four-day forecast. 59 degrees on friday with breezy conditions. 50 for saturday. 62 degrees for sunday. the weekend we do get the sunshine back. and the weekend, well, we are going to be warming up a little bit. but not into the low 70s. we're going to be back with much more from national harbor in a couple of minutes. a little bit of -- i don't know if it's a treat for you guys or

not. maybe i completely embarrassed myself. but jim and pat, i rode the mechanical bull down at cadillac ranch. that's all coming up. >> that's the money shot we've been waiting for all afternoon. did you hang on? we'll find out. >> exactly. >> okay. we want to see that. thanks, veronn california. >> you bet. still to come on news4, at 4:00, how safe is your smartphone. if you haven't put a pass word on your phone, you'll want to after you hear about a new study. a thief breaks into a house and steals a man's prosthetic leg. and it's a outbound video with nearly 37 million views and

and now from washington's leading news station, this is "new4 at 4." >> welcome back to "new4 at 4." i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. new at 4:30, a warning now for smartphone users. if you haven't pass word protected your phone and it gets stolen, you might be at greater risk than you think. >> a new undercover investigation shows just how vulnerable you can be if your smartphone falls into the wrong hands. nbc's tom costello is live now with details about this study. tom? >> reporter: hi, guys. good afternoon. the computer security firm symantec decided to drop dozens of smartphones in busy city

centers then track what happened to the phones and what kind of personal information was accessed on the phone. if you don't have a pass word on your phone now, this will surely convince you. what kind of personal information do you keep on your smartphone? photos? contacts? e-mails? how about banking information or work files. and what do you think would happen if you lost that phone? >> everything is in here. my life is in here. >> i am the type to my phone. and i'd like to have trust in people. >> i think most people are honest. >> reporter: security firm symantec decided to find out just how honest people really are. so they set a trap dropping 50 smartphones in cities new york, washington, d.c., san francisco, and ottawa, ontario, canada. each phone loaded with fake personal and corporate information. a tempting bank account and files named pass words and hr salary information. each phone also had contact

information for the person who had allegedly lost that phone. what happened? >> within an hour or two of these devices being dropped, somebody was either moving them or accessing. >> reporter: in all five cities? >> in all five cities. >> reporter: how did symantec know? it loaded each phone with secret tracking software so technicians could watch every movement and action in realtime from a command center. in only half of the cases did the finder offer to return the phone. the really bad news -- >> overall, 84% of all the people had accessed either personal or corporate information off that phone, even those who had offered to return the phone. >> reporter: 43% tried to access the online banking application. 53% clicked on hr salaries. 57% clicked on a file labeled saved pass words. 60% checked out e-mail and social networks, while 72% clicked on private photos. one phone dropped here in new york was picked up and access within 37 minutes.

whoever picked it up never offered to return it, but spent a lot of time trying over and over to access a file named pass words, the bank account application, and the hr salary information. so 10:39 at night, he is accessing the phone. >> and at 4:00 a.m. the next morning, he is at it again, looking at hr salaries. 6:30 he starts going. we see corporate e-mail pass words and online banking. >> reporter: frustrating the finders, the files were all fake. but suggest nearly half of all users don't pass word protect their phones. that's not smart, say security experts. >> smartphones have access to your entire life. in many cases they can access your home computer or your work computer. it's important to keep in mind how much people can see if they steal it. its keys to your whole life. >> curiosity is a powerful thing, especially on a mobile phone. >> reporter: yep. one woman who had in fact one of these phones for more than a week and then e-mailed and said she found it and she felt guilty because she had had it for a week and wanted to return it, it

turned out she also had accessed the personal information. so the moral of the story here, you may not get your phone back. it's so easy to just replace a sim card and steal a phone. but protect your pass word. pass words and data are critical. >> boy, that's scary. >> it's all right in here, tom. >> question, which cities had the most phones returned and which had the least? >> i said on the "today" show this morning it's bad news. new york city only 30% of the phones were returned. guess where the top city was? ottawa, ontario, canada. 70% returned there. and d.c., about 50%. that's about the national average, 50%. but the canadians apparently are more honest. >> apparently. we could learn a few from them. interesting study. >> thank you, tom. >> okay, guys. a father accused of using a laser pointer to cheat during his daughter's hockey game. and now he is facing criminal charge. his name is joseph cordis. the incident happened last week at a high school girls hockey

play-off game in massachusetts. police say cord shined a lacer in the eyes of the opposing team's goalie. his daughter's team went on to win the game. the losing goalie says she is disappointed athletic officials didn't do more to stand up for her team. >> they didn't really take an action. escorting him out, yes. but people get escorted out for yelling too. but this person tried to hurt us. >> the losing team challenged the outcome of the game, but that didn't change anything. joseph cordis is charged with disdisturbing the peace. police say it's the most serious charge they could find to fit this crime. >> wow, thanks, dad. thieves broke into this man's house in washington state and took something he really relies on, his prosthetic running foot. it happened yesterday in a small town near olympia. zack vaulter came home, found the house ransacked. the burglars made off with the family's computer and a camera, and zack's custom-made foot. he lost his leg two years ago in

a motorcycle crash, and the prosthetic lets him do what he loves, running marathons. the family hopes someone will return it. you got to think they knew what they were going for. that's awful. >> pretty mean thief there. there is more to come on news4 at 4:00. kate middleton provides a big boost to an aspiring fashion designer. and critics ask urban outfitters to stop selling the shirt because they call it offensive. hi, i'm eun yang. >> and i'm aaron gilchrist. tomorrow morning don't let gas prices keep you home this spring and summer. the best vacations to go on that any family can afford. >> plus, all the overnight news [ dog growls, barks ] bring your dog to work day... not our best idea. [ barking ] george! stop it! stop. oh. it was a nice thought. [ male announcer ] some business decisions are better than others. the best decision is switching to verizon. you're good to go.

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martini. more than 400 folks have picked unoon this deal. when "new4 at 4" continues, if you're on facebook, you have probably seen this video on your news feed. why celebrities and millions of people have joined the kony 2012 campaign. and there she is to see what kind of fun

veronica has been getting a

weatherout today. >> she has been riding a bull. veronica? >> well, a mechanical bull. it's so funny because when i told my daughter today, i think i'm going the ride a bull today. she goes a real bull? i said no, no, no, a mechanical bull. so i knew i was coming down here to national harbor. there is a lot to see and do, of course. you can really get a lot of exercise just walking around because there are so many shops. but as you look out just in the distance there, you can see the woodrow wilson bridge, the clouds above. of course the traffic in the distance. and a lot of folks that are coming off of the water taxi. so that's just one of the ways that you can get down here, not just by driving, but by taking the water taxi from old town or georgetown. i'm told too for some of the shops there is a wine bar not too far in front of me that if you're up high in the wine bar, you can actually see the washington monument in the distance on a nice clear day. and off in the distance there, of course, a beautiful sunset.

it doesn't get any better than this around here. breath-taking sunsets. but i decided to go inside for a while today and burn a couple of calories, riding that mechanical bull at cadillac ranch. take a look. all right. let's go! today is the day when i'm going to burn some calories inside, though. i'm riding the bull. and what i need is a big crowd to cheer me on. [ cheering ] >> come on, louder! time to go. and of course i'm ready. i've got my buckle ready. i've got my cowboy boots on. so let's go ride this bull and see who is going to win. come on. it's not the easiest thing to get on. all right. let's hit it one more time. >> go, go, go! >> see, the trick is to use -- oh my george bush!

woo! >> go, veronica! >> i think i need a cowboy hat. ride it, woo! >> ahhh! jump. >> okay. i'm going to admit, that was harder than i thought it was going to be. i thought i would get the strap that goes all the way across. it was just the little rope coming out of the middle. i thought there would be something to stick my feet in. there was nothing to stick my feet in. i don't know. at least i didn't fall on my face, guys. a beautiful day out here. at least i got a chance to get outside today. let's take a look at the current conditions and what we can expect during the overnight, the next couple days. we're at 72 now. we've got cloudy skies and windy conditions. that wind still up to 38. close to 40 miles per hour. we're going to have some wind around for the overnights as the cold front approaches. and you can i think expect some

of the first drops of rain around here, about 10:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. and then by early tomorrow morning, a few drops left over at 5:00 a.m. watch the future weather here. this front is just going to blow on through here, giving us a quick quarter to maybe a half inch of rain down across southern maryland, the northern neck, the areas around fredericksburg and lexington park. tomorrow's high 59 degrees. still breezy. so it's not going to be nearly as nice as today. the weekend okay. we're at 50 degrees for saturday. loads of sunshine for the weekend. 62 on sunday. don't forget we spring forward 2:00 a.m. on sunday morning. and make sure you check the battery in your smoke and fire alarms. if you're wanting the 70s to come back, jim and pat, hang on. it's back wednesday and thursday of next week. >> vj, our hats are off to you. we clocked it at about 27 seconds. not bad. >> uh, yeah, you know. it goes up to what they call the

cowboy level. i didn't get anywhere near that. at least i got up to 3 for a first time. i just need some practice. >> we give you a b for being brave. [ laughter ] >> all right. thank you. huge crowds greeted kate middleton today as she visited leicester, england with queen elizabeth. as michelle kosinski reports, kate's fashion became a focus. >> reporter: this is it, the queen's jubilee kicks off with cheers. a trip outside london, and yes, there is kate. the queen is the focus, but the newest royal has certainly brought a year of sparkle. and what better visit for her than with eager fashion students. six chosen for the ultimate task. design a pair of shoes for the princess. and like a modern cinderella, kate will see which one best fits her taste.

fancy clogs, and maybe these blue suedes with lace. it could be a royal theme lately with prince harry creating his own fashion buzz in the tropics with his suede shoes. katherine, though, has set the bar for elegant and inexpensive style. she may now be poised to step a bit out of her safety zone by commissioning a british hat designer who has styled for none other than lady gaga. kate will surely guide him to the perfect hat for this jubilee. it is the queen's party, though kate gets the free footwear this time. because everything kate touches seems to turn magically popular, a kennel club here is actually kind of worried now about a big jump they've seen lately in people wanting to have a puppy like kate's, a cocker spaniel, which does require a lot of exercise. so be warned. back to you. >> michelle kosinski. kate middleton chose a pair of

blue suede high heeled shoes designed by student rebecca hunt. those shoes will now be made and given to the future queen. when we come back, a story that gives new meaning to the term playing possum. a krit they're learn how'd to snowboard. and

st. paddy's day is a week away, and irish-related

merchandise is flying off the shelves. now urban outfit sers coming under fire for claims some of its products are offensive. one shirt reads, quote, kiss me i'm irish or drunk or whatever. and some irish groups are offended for the negative stereotypes it portrays. a new york congressman also asked the company to stop selling those items. he has yet to hear back from urban outfitters. move over water skiing squirrel and skateboarding dog. a snowboarding possum is going viral on the internet. take a look. usually he likes to play dead, but he is showing off some real skills at a resort in maryland. the video was posted yesterday by employees at liberty ski resort. unfortunately, the resort closed earlier this week. so that spells the end of his season. has a sweater, look at that. >> he is a good sport. still ahead on news4, they call it the kony 2012.

it's a video that has gained nearly 30 million hits in just a day. why i was paying too much with cable. paying so much, you want better quality. it just got more frustrating and frustrating. for the amount of money that i'm paying, my cable company should take care of me. [ male announcer ] stop paying for second best. switch to verizon fios tv, internet and phone with our best deal online... $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years. first time we saw tv on fios was amazing. i was just in a...trance watching it. i'm discovering new channels every day. [ male announcer ] go online for this great price and get $300 back with a two-year contract. don't miss this last chance. fios internet...the speed, you can't compare. i'm able to take care of things much faster now. [ male announcer ] get fios online... $89.99 a month, guaranteed for two years...

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. if you have been on facebook or twitter recently, you've probably seen a new campaign called kony 2012. joseph kony is a ugandan guerrilla leader who is said to

be behind the abduction of young boys who are forced to kill their parents and fight in his army, and girls who were forced to become sex slaves. the kony 2012 video has been viewed by more than 39 million people. as craig melvin reports, it's launching a new generation of global social activism. >> i worry one day again, and they will kill us. >> reporter: the 29-minute video starts with a little boy in uganda, talking about his brother be killed. >> we may meet in heaven. [ crying ] >> reporter: before turning a world away to an amateur filmmaker and his curious 4-year-old son, talking in simple terms about good guys and bad. >> he forces them to do bad things. what do you think about that? >> sad. >> reporter: in this case, the bad guy is one of the world's most wanted war criminals, joseph kony. since the late '80s, kony has

led an extremist terrorist group known as the lord's resistance in uganda. he allegedly kidnapped tens of thousands of children. boys to fight, girls to rape. kony has been indicted for murder, enslavement, and crimes against humanity. >> and he forces them to kill their own parents. >> reporter: the video is being fuelled by social media, with many celebrities weighing in on facebook and tweeter. brian seacrest said watched in bed abc was blown away. sean p. diddy said we will stop you. kim kardashian and oprah winfrey also encouraged their fans to watch the video. >> that's the intention of the movie. yes to go viral. but we're going to take to it the streets and start inspiring other people to make sure that kony is captured. >> reporter: the video is already inspiring some young people to act. >> we've done car washes, several bake sales, dances. >> reporter: in los angeles, caroline organized some students

at her high school. >> i don't know what it was, but there is something about their tears and their voices that i just couldn't stand. >> i think that it just really shows how our generation kind of has a different perspective on the idea of like a global community. >> reporter: the students have already raised about $4,000 for invisible children, the charity behind the stop kony campaign. >> they're taking action. and that was the whole intention. so they're waking up to their potential. that's what this is about. >> at one point last night, a million people per hour were watching the video on youtube. the man behind the video will be on the "today" show tomorrow. his group says it's holding what it calls a major online grassroots event on april 20th. and that's news4 at 4:00. news four at 5 starts right now. >> and now from washington's leading news station, this is "news4 at 5." s. >> it's a busy day in the news.

good evening, everybody. i'm jim handly. >> and i'm wendy wrigley. 90 minutes ago, a third suspicious letter put a scare to people in the district. erika? >> reporter: we got here about 3:30 this afternoon at 1201 constitution avenue in northwest dc, the home of the epa. as you mentioned before, this is the third time a suspicious envelope has been delivered to a d.c. address today alone. we arrived here. there were numerous agencies on scene from the d.c. fire department to d.c. police as well as the fbi terrorism task force. now we have spoken with the fbi who says there is no threat, there is no hazard. we never saw it, at any point in time, anybody being removed from this building or told to leave. when we spoke with the fbi, they said there is no threat, there is no hazard, and as a matter of