i'm barbara harrison. >> i'm jim handly. students are on edge this afternoon after an online threat to carry out a massacre on the campus of the university of maryland. tonight the sophomore honor student who allegedly posted that threat is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and campus police are trying to figure out how serious he was. megan mcgrath has the latest. >> reporter: jeff says he lives in the same dorm as alexander song and when he saw the police light sunday he knew something was wrong. >> chaos really. all you heard was sirens and here you're pretty much in a secluded part of campus. >> reporter: internet postings brought song to the attention of police. he allegedly planned to randomly kill students on sunday writing, quote, i will be on a shooting rampage tomorrow on campus. hopefully i kill enough people to make it to national malls. there was also this warning.

stay away from the mall tomorrow at 1:30. >> there was a real threat and the postings as we saw them and monitored mr. song when he was online without yet knowing his identity, that was brought up. in fact, by one of the recipients of the dialogue. it went on to say essentially, dude, if you're joking you better speak up because you're scaring me and i am going to alert some authorities. mr. song wrote back, laughing out loud. go ahead. you don't even know what campus i'm talking about. >> reporter: song was arrested around 10:00 a.m. sunday morning. this morning students expressed relief that a potential shooting spree was averted. >> it's happened on other campuses but for the sole intention of getting famous, really just a weird, i don't know how to describe something like that. >> you always hear about it happening on other campus es bu

you don't think it will happen at yours. you feel far removed but you're really not. police did not find a weapon when he was arrested. none were found in his dorm room either. megan mcgrath, news 4. today a virginia mother pleaded guilty to child neglect in the death of her son. she left her 2-year-old son in the back of the family minivan for more than seven hours last june. this was the second time she had forgot anne child while she went to work as a veterinarian. under the agreement she will serve 400 hours of community service at an animal shelter. the judge also sentenced her to six years' probation and she received two years' suspended sentence. murphy was distraught during the plea hearing this morning. julie carey will have more on why prosecutors made the deal on news 4 at 5:00. there is shock, anger, and sadness today after a u.s. soldier is accused of a killing spree in afghanistan. more than a dozen afghan

citizens were gunned down in their homes over the weekend. mostly women and children. as brian mohr reports it is straining relations. >> reporter: secretary clinton expressed the shock of the u.s. government. >> awful. i can't even imagine. >> reporter: and she promised an american soldier will answer for the weekend shooting rampage that claimed the lives of 16 afghan civilians. nine were children. some of the corpses were set ablaze. >> this is not who we are. and the united states is committed to seeing that those responsible are held accountable. >> reporter: the suspect, an army staff sergeant deployed from joint base lewis mccord in washington state is in u.s. custody. but afghan leaders are demanding afghan justice. the taliban is calling for revenge, blood for blood. this threatens to re-ignite the violence that flared up at the

burning of muslim hole booix at a u.s. air base. 30 people were killed including six members of the u.s. military. the white house says president obama still plans to get u.s. troops out by the end of 2014. >> those objectives haven't changed. let me be clear. i do not believe this incident will change the timetable. >> reporter: but there is a nagging question. can u.s. troops make a difference in less than two years? >> if the answer is no why take another 3,000 or 4,000 killed and wounded and spend another $240 billion? >> reporter: even before the weekend incident an abc news/"the washington post" poll showed only 35% of americans believe the war is still worth fighting. that poll shows americans split on the president's handling of the war. on capitol hill, brian mohr, news 4. a judge denied a motion today to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit brought against virginia tech. 32 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on the blacksburg campus back in april

of 2007. the families of two of the victims filed that lawsuit saying university officials botched their response to the shootings. officials say they handled the shootings as well as they could. after a motion to dismiss was denied they called police and expert witnesses to the stand today to help support their case. a failure of leadership is what the board of trustees at penn state university says is the reason for the firing of legendary football coach joe paterno. a report released today says paterno fulfilled his legal obligations when he reported allegations of sexual abuse but he should have done more. this information comes after a call from the college community and alumni for more information about why joe paterno was fired. he was let go last fall after charges were filed against sandusky and passed away in january after a long battle with lung cancer. late this afternoon the paterno family issued a statement saying

it is saddened that the board felt the need to explain again why joe paterno was suddenly and unjustifiably fired back in november. the catholic priest who denied communion to a lesbian at her mother's funeral has been suspended from his position. the archdiocese of washington placed father marcelle guarnizo on leave for intimidating behavior toward parish staff and others. he serves at st. john newman catholic church in gaithersburg. the archdiocese says the suspension is not related to the communion incident last month. artist barbara johnson says the priest denied her communion because she lives with another woman. the archdiocese apologized for what happened. warm, spring day today. but more is on the way, perhaps some spring showers along with it. >> let's find out. meteorologist veronica johnson is outside right now taking advantage of the beautiful day. it is gorgeous out there. >> reporter: it is super nice. just super nice.

of course, any chance we get in weather to get outside we do just that and boy oh, boy, today, nice and mild, in the low 70s. really i should apologize because i've got the long sleeves on today. it's short sleeve weather, folks. 71 degrees the temperature all through the area. very much like may with our temperatures throughout the area with that warm southwest wind running some 20 degrees above average. but the only thing with this warm weather that we get that we don't like a lot of us is the pollen. today the pollen count is moderate for trees, cedar, and cyprus and juniper, some of the big offenders and that count likely to be rising high this week. we're talking about some rain to the west that's going to move in during the overnight period most of which while you're sleeping so it is probably not going to be enough to take down the pollen count. as far as temperatures go during the overnight period it is going to be very mild. take a look at these numbers. 68 degrees at 5:00 p.m. clouds on the increase and again talking about a little bit of

rain. 64 at 7:00. sun doesn't set until after 7:00 today around 7:13. all right. as far as your fast forecast goes a little rain for tomorrow morning when we rise but there is a possibility of some thunderstorms tomorrow and again later in the week. i'll give you the details coming up with my seven-day forecast and behind me are cherour cherrm tree. later this hour i'll give you the forecast for the cherry blossoms at the tidal basin when we expect peak. back to you isn't it beautiful? almost stealing your thunder. such a beautiful tree. >> it is. it's a little one, only that big but it's ours. >> gorgeous. thanks a lot. in other news d.c. police are on the lookout for a man and woman seen leaving a restaurant shooting in columbia heights. a witness tells news 4 the men were arguing about a woman when one pulled out a gun and shot the other in the chest. it happened yesterday morning at

the ihop here on irving and 14th streets in northwest d.c. the victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. the restaurant was briefly closed while police interviewed witnesses there. it has since reopened. police are looking for a driver today responsible for a hit-and-run crash involving several cars on the baltimore washington parkway in landover. this crash happened this morning on the northbound lanes of the parkway at route 450. park police are looking for the driver of a dark colored honda odyssey minivan with heavy front end damage. no serious injuries were reported. there is not much relief at the gas pump. prices are up 12 cents a gallon over the past two weeks but according to triple-a went down a fraction of a penny per gallon over the weekend. taking a look at the averages in our area d.c. drivers are paying about $3.96 for a gallon of regular. maryland's average is $3.77 right now. in virginia you're paying about $3.67 this morning or at least

you were. no telling where it is by now, this afternoon. and in west virginia, you'll top off your tank at about 3.84 a gallon. you buy gas today? >> not today. friday. i guess i'm glad a few days makes a difference apparently. >> certainly does. coming up we are pumping up for "the voice." ♪ ♪ >> a local favorite from the voice joins us in the studio to talk about her dream of winning in all. >> halle berry is the star of someone's eye. we'll talk live with access hollywood's billy bush about the actress's official engagement. later, some surprises today in the changing opinion of voters on the eve of two

whitney houston's daughter says she is doing well in coping with the loss of her mother. >> what an interview with oprah winfrey. bobby christina says she still feels houston's presence. brown says she and her mom were best friends and always took care of one another. she says she still talks with houston every day. >> i can hear her voice, you know, in spirit talking to me and telling me, you know, keep moving, baby. i'm right here. i got you.

i got you. that's what she said all the time? >> yes. i can always feel her with me. >> is that what you hear in your head, i've got you? >> that's all i hear. >> wow. houston died last month in a beverly hills hotel bathroom. authorities are still trying to determine an official cause of death. it was amazing at only 19 barbara how poised and mature she was during that interview. you just had to remember she's just a child. >> and to hear her say that she still feels her mother's presence. you hear a lot of people say that when they've lost someone but to hear someone that young. >> oprah called it a visitation. she was actually talking about lights coming on and off in rooms. >> right. >> and things like that. she could hear her with her. she feels that every day. >> well, it must be a real comfort to her to feel that her mother is right there keeping her moving as she said. >> well, one of the stars of the oscar winning movie "the artist" will attend the white house correspondents' dinner, the one on four legs, uggie the dog.

>> right. he is going to be a guest of the "washington times." the four-legged star will attend the dinner with his trainer. no word if the jack russell terrier will choose the fish or the fillet. you always get a choice. jimmy kimmel is hosting this year's event on april 28th. ♪ ♪ >> they're on fire. the new british invasion boy band called one direction made its u.s. national network debut on the "today" show this morning. the young men formed the group while competing in the british version of the "x factor" in 2010. hundreds of young girms camped out overnight to get a glimpse. the guys drew a big crowd in town here for a radio interview and concert last week. we heard from our buddy cane. dozens of girls gathered outside of the studio in rockville on rockville pike to get a glimpse of the guys. they performed a concert for

some lucky fans as wellhere. >> maybe the new fab 4? >> i don't know. maybe. big shoes to fill. monkeys, beatles. >> that's right. well, coming up on news 4 some rehearsals for madonna. wait until you see the photos she posted on her facebook page. why the apple of your eye should be fruits and veggies if i was shocked to find out how many couples don't sleep in the same bedroom. but in the sleep number store, we hear it all the time. nine out of ten couples disagree on the firmness they want in a mattress.

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in maryland lawmakers have resumed debate regarding smoking in cars. the bill would outlaw lighting up in a vehicle carrying a passenger younger than 8 years old. supporters say the rule would cut down on second-hand smoke which is extremely harmful to children. they believe it will be easier for police to enforce because kids under 8 have to be in car seats. she is back indoors. tonight you can share your opinions of a potential plan to widen the baltimore washington parkway. the green belt city council meeting to discuss a new study on the parkway by the federal highway administration. it says that even if a third lane was added in each direction, it wouldn't improve the traffic situation. estimated costs of the project range anywhere from $340 million

to $565 million. the meeting starts at 8:00 tonight at the green belt city municipal building. >> she is back indoors. right here. >> leaving the cherry tree alone out there. >> you know, i had to come in. i want the guys in the weather center, if you can back it up and let's look at that wonderful picture because we've got an image sent in of the tidal basin. this is from jack northwe. a beautiful shot of the cherry blossoms last year. this year they are expected to peak a little earlier. that's right. a little earlier. march 24th to march 31st. and that's going to be close to the earliest. in fact, on record, which is march 15th from 1990. the reason for that? all the mild temperatures that we've had. the mild air that's been around us. 50s at night. 70s by day. so we expect to have during the peak 70% of the blossoms open for peak and it should last about 14 days. so there you go.

starting on march 24th. go ahead and tell your friends and family. anybody that's coming to town to visit. right now we are in the 70s. 71 degrees at reagan national airport with a southwest wind at 18 miles per hour. so a mild breeze we have outside. i have to find an excuse to get back outside. 70 the temperature at mount airy. down south. 75 in fredericksburg. you've been up to 77 degrees. 68 in winchester. 69 in martinsburg, west virginia. some clouds already coming your way and that's what we expect overnight. an increase in clouds. temperatures will stay mild. by 7:00 we'll be partly cloudy. and then by the time we get to 9:00 and 11:00 mostly cloudy. by 11:00 p.m. though it will be mild 58 degrees. there will be some cooling showers coming in taking temperatures down by a few degrees. here is a look at storm 4 radar. you can see just off to the west around martinsburg into western maryland now the leading edge of that rain. but again i don't think we'll

see our first showers until probably 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. that extends all the way down through west virginia. this is all part of the next weather system again that is going to bring us some rain. that rain chance will last through tomorrow afternoon and it's not going to bring much. only about 0.1 rain. snap shot of tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. expect some wet weather around the area. not everyone is going to be wet. i don't think everyone is going to be wet tomorrow afternoon with the front coming through, breezy with a chance of showers and maybe a gusty thunderstorm. a brief gusty thunderstorm. we have warm conditions around the area for your evening. just a great evening. 57 to 65 degrees. again tomorrow morning, we expect to have some wet weather around the area. 40% chance of some showers. maybe a shower or thunderstorm during the afternoon. our warmest day out of the week. tomorrow up to 77 for a high. all week long we're talking about the spring-like temperatures. 72 wednesday. 73 on thursday. a lot of sunshine. 71 degrees on friday. we bring back the threat of showers and thunderstorms at the end of the week.

again, with that spring-like weather you get a chance of storms with the fronts coming through. >> we're ready for the blossoms. a nice little taste on the front lawn. >> thanks, veronica. well, if you feel a little tired today you're not alone. research shows it takes days to recoup after this weekend's daylight savings time start. several studies say it's so bad there is an increase of car accidents and work-related injuries the week after the time change. we'll go to the news 4 super screen for more. >> reporter: you know, it is an annual ritual. but doctors say changing the body's regular rhythm even by an hour can cause pretty serious impacts on how we function every day. one of the big concerns today is falling asleep while driving. according to triple-a, the week after the clocks spring ahead there is an 8% increase in traffic accidents. the agency says sleep deprivation played a role in one of six deadly car crashes the

week after daylight savings time. there is also a health risk involved with day light saving including workplace accidents and even the number of heart attacks people have. doctors say today and tomorrow there is a 10% uptick in heart attacks reported. the opposite is true in falling back in october when the risk decreases by 10%. last but not least, a penn state professor tells us that you are more likely today to participate in what's called cyber loafing. you and i would call that surfing the web at work. that is because increased fatigue leads to massive productivity loss. sleep specialists say it takes five days for our bodies to adjust to the time change. the question then what can you do about it? they say getting to bed earlier. eating dinner earlier. getting more sun light early in the day will help your body deal with the time change sooner. back to you. >> all right. thanks, aaron. >> you know, it was nice to see that sun setting later yesterday. >> wasn't it? a lot more light out there at the end of the day. still ahead we'll hear from

the parents kicked off a plane after their child threw a tantrum. plus the latest results on a poll about the airline's action. >> the final witnesses are called in

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welcome back, everybody. at 4:30 i'm jim handly. >> i'm barbara harrison. a university of maryland student is getting an emergency mental evaluation after police say he threatened to commit a mass shooting on campus. university police arrested 19-year-old alexander song from maryland yesterday morning. detectives say he posted the threats online. the pentagon calling the shooting spree in afghanistan a deplorable but isolated incident today. a soldier is in u.s. custody after witnesses say he went from house to house early sunday and gunned down 16 afghan civilians inside their homes. mostly women and children. the taliban is vowing revenge today. afghan forces have stepped up security as a precaution. drivers are making changes in lifestyles to deal with the rising prices at the pump. prices for gas are up about 12 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. experts are predicting the rise will continue through the

summer. mixed trading on wall street. investors are holding back for news later this week out of the fed and their policy meeting. the dow rose 38 points. the nasdaq dropping about 5. the s&p 500 fell a single point. when a child throws a temper tantrum on a plane it can be frustrating for the parents and the other passengers. last month jetblue kicked a family off a flight when their little one would not calm down. did the airline go too far? here's nbc's savannah guthrie. >> reporter: dr. clet view and her family had just finished up a vacation in turks and caicos when they boarded a jetblue flight to boston. once on the plane the family found themselves at the center of a travel nightmare when 2-year-old natalie grew antsy. >> she started throwing a tantrum of her life, didn't want to be seated. didn't want the seat belt on. my husband was trying to control her. the flight is trying to leave. we were told again you need to comply with faa regulations. have your daughter seated with

her belt fastened. >> reporter: that proved to be easier said than done. dr. view says three to five minutes passed from the time natalie's tantrum began to when she was buckled in and settled but then dr. view says the flight attendant delivered some surprising news. >> she said, the pilots made a decision to turn the plane around. we were escorted off the plane. no more flights were leaving that night so we had nowhere to stay. rebooked on another flight the next day. >> reporter: in a statement jetblue said in part the flight had customers that did not comply with crew member instructions for a prolonged time period. the captain elected to remove the customers involved for the safety of all customers and crew members on board. dr. view says she was surprised by how the airline handled the situation. >> we weren't belligerent, drunk, angry, screaming. we just were having a hard time struggling with our children, a little bit of humanity in the situation was really all i was looking for. apparently that doesn't exist. >> savannah guthrie reporting.

the family talked to matt lauer on the "today" show this morning and say they've flown several times before with no problems. they still can't believe this happened. >> i mean, look. i've been there. i've been on planes when my children are not behaving all that well so your level of discomfort was what? >> very high. i mean it's very disconcerting. it was surreal, too. i couldn't believe this was happening. >> right. >> there was a poll on today.com asking viewers if the family should have been removed from the plane. 71% sided with the airline. meanwhile today a child and a school bus driver are dead after a violent crash this morning. police say the cause is still a mystery. it happened just before 8:00. police tell us the bus had up to 50 passengers ranging in age from 5 to 16. they say the 60-year-old bus driver somehow lost control and hit a bridge. the child, who was killed, is 5. ten other children were taken to

the hospital. police say two of them have critical injuries. and now to the republican presidential campaign. the candidates are put to the test again tomorrow when voters in alabama and mississippi go to the polls for a republican primary. the latest polls suggest both races are tight. here's jay gray. >> reporter: the gop's southern swing continues today. looking to energize their campaigns while taking aim at the president, newt gingrich and rick santorum addressed the gulf coast energy summit in biloxi this morning. >> we want to have a candidate who can go up against president obama and make the case about energy in our future, who can draw a sharp contrast. >> these people are idiosyncr y ideologically committed to a fantasy land. >> reporter: a new "the washington post"/abc news poll does seem to indicate president obama is running out of gas when it comes to the issue of oil. almost two-thirds of americans say they disapprove of the way the president has handled price

increases at the pump and that seems to be fueling a drop in his overall job approval numbers. 46% of those asked give the president a thumbs up for his work in the white house but 50% disapprove. a big difference from just a month ago when those numbers were reversed. looking to season the shift in momentum -- >> i think it is time to send a president to washington who can fix things in this country. >> reporter: gop front-runner mitt romney got help from self-described red neck comedian jeff fox worthy who told supporters this morning the current race is anything but funny. >> i've shaken the hands of too many vets, too many people that have put their lives on the line to fight for this country to see it go down the drain because, y'all, it's in trouble. it's a mess. >> reporter: but then some would say so is the republican fight for the white house with some looking for clarity and southern comfort in primaries in mississippi and alabama tomorrow. jay gray, nbc news. this week a los angeles jury

will begin deliberations in the wrongful termination lawsuit involving "desperate housewives" star nicollette sheridan. in 2010 she filed the suit against the show creator claiming he killed off her character after she complained he slapped her onset. he says it was a light tap during rehearsals and claims sheridan was a rising figure onset often clashing with her costars. he says he killed off her character because it was the best thing for the show. the episode drew big ratings, 15 million viewers tuning in to watch her demise. an executive producer on the show says they were under pressure to cut costs and they saved about $200,000 per episode after she was gone. if sheridan wins she is asking for $6 million. closing arguments are expected tomorrow. there is more to come on news 4 at 4:00. fresh off a super, super bowl performance madonna is rehearsing for an upcoming tour. apparently the practice is

taking its toll. and a stair scare. why walking up and down the steps is catching many people off guard and what you need to know to stay safe.

britney spears turns down a big offer. wedding bells for halle berry. hunger games. >> here to update us on the hottest celebrity news is billy bush with "access hollywood." hi, billy. >> hey, what's happening?

>> everything is happening around here. what's going on with bobby christina brown? we saw the interview she did with oprah. what do you think? >> well, there are so many reports about bobby christina coming out at the funeral one saying she went off and partying with friends afterwards. some showing that she's in trouble in certain ways. i saw an extremely confident and poised 19-year-old last night who seems to be handling her mother's death very well. the fact that she is with gary whitney's brother and sister-in-law pat is incredibly comforting. what a beautiful family environment. the interview was powerful. a lot of people tuned in last night. it's the biggest night for oprah's next chapter. she had 3.5 million viewers which is great for o.w.n. so it was a success. what i saw in bobby christina and also she hopes to carry on her mother's legacy and sing, she seems to be in good hands in a good place and a lot of people tuned in. >> what a coup for oprah. switching gears, britney

spears is widely considered a possible pick to fill one of the judge's seats on the "x factor" and there are reports though the pop star turned down about ten million bucks. >> yeah. the offer seems to be ten. according to the rap.com she is holding out for 20. simon cowell needs to make a play and come up with something big because 11 million viewers was his average for "the f factor" season one. season two of "the voice" has about 16 million viewers so that is big. christina aguilera a reported $10 million deal for a year or two. for them to start at ten for britney is a good thing but simon knows now at this point since the rumor is out there and people are excited he has to have her. he needs a play. if she is holding out for 20 it is probably too much. i bet they settle somewhere in the middle. she could get 15 million bucks. i think she wants to and will do it. >> that would top christina,

right? her fellow mouseketeer colleague. >> just the idea of britney is worth 15 million bucks to simon. don't tell me he doesn't have 15 million lying around. >> he's got it. >> probably in the top drawer. another question. we hear we might have wedding bells coming this weekend. the french actor olivet martinez confirmed he and halle berry are engaged. >> the worst kept secret in hollywood. everybody kind of knew they were engaged but he confirmed to "the miami herald" they are engaged. he said there is some guy walking around saying he sold them the ring or designed it. that is not true. so it's a little more intimate than that. olivet either designed it or got it on his own. they are engaged. hopefully this works out for halle. this will be her third marriage. she was married to eric binet and david justice. then she went with a boyfriend and a baby and that union didn't work. halle berry, there is not a guy in the world that is not saying hey, i can make it work with

you. give me a shot. olivet martinez is that guy and we wish him well. >> the line was long where she is concerned. tonight on "access hollywood" you're talking about the highly anticipated film "the hunger games" and rumors of a rivalry between one of the stars and a star from "twilight." >> we take it straight to jennifer lawrence the star of hunger games about a possible feud and grappling for footing with kristen stewart. it is a great interview. jennifer lawrence, i don't know if you know much about her. she was in "winter's bone" and nominated last year for the oscar. it was a very salem film so you don't know much about her personality. she is a wild one. she is a lot of fun. it's a great interview tonight. >> we'll look forward to that. >> you can see billy tonight on "access hollywood" at 7:30 right here on nbc 4. thanks. >> thank you, buddy. when we come right back on news 4 today a lot more to come. the local favorite on "the voice" tonight. ♪

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spring. >> it feels like it. >> it's definitely here and is really going to be digging its heels in this week. as a matter of fact, i want to show you the highs for each day

this week. today of course around 70 degrees. tomorrow, upper 70s in d.c. look at all the warmth. the nation's mid section eastward 80 in wichita. 81 in dallas. by wednesday still a lot of warm air across the area. very little cold air now left even across the northern tier states. so 81 jackson. 80 down in jacksonville, florida there. then finally maybe by the end of the week we'll drop back to the low and mid 70s around here with maybe a little cooler air that'll start moving in for the weekend. not by much. still several degrees above the average. today it's breezy. that means that the pollen we talked about earlier that's running today moderate for trees is blowing all around. that doesn't help matters. so with the breezy conditions, likely tomorrow ahead of the cold front moving in, more pollen blown around with high temperatures tomorrow upper 70s, likely to have a higher tree pollen count for tomorrow. here is a look at your good night wakeup forecast. 60 degrees 9:00. showers at 11:00 p.m.

at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. we get a break, guys. then tomorrow afternoon, a chance for some more storms. highs in the upper 70s. not really a cooldown this week. low and mid 70s for the work week. we bring back the threat of rain. showers and storms friday and probably through saturday right now. >> you want tomorrow's -- just look in my eyes. >> true. that's the gauge right there. >> all right. thank you. tonight at 8:00 there is an all new episode of "the voice" here on msnbc 4. >> it's a big night and we're in the heat of the battle. news 4's angie goff and big tigger are here now with a guest from team blake to talk about the showdown. >> it is battle week number two tonight on "the voice" with the coaches pit morg contestants against each other. >> it is really sad someone has to go home. last week's episode had great matchups. first one we agreed with. >> yeah. the battle of the vocal powerhouses anthony of team

christina. ♪ ♪ >> christina ultimately went with jesse. that is something we both agree on. >> we did. it was very close though. i really, you couldn't keep one of them. it was sad. >> they wanted to keep them both. what pains me about this competition if there is one thing negative is that there were other battles where both of them needed to go home. you know what i'm saying? >> yes. >> so one person gets to stay and you have to choose between two extraordinary talents like this for somebody to go home. i just, it broke my heart. this one is one that we both disagree with. >> this one is right. >> you got this one wrong. >> i got it right. >> my girl angie. this is your girl chessa. ♪ ♪ all right.

one contestant in the upcoming battle round has some local support and we are talking about the one and only erin willet from gaithersburg. you are on team blake. you talked to me a little bit about the battle rounds and said this is intense. >> yeah. it definitely is. there are some battles that people have really great -- they had great experiences in. and they became really close with the person they were battling. there were also a little bit of tension-filled battles. there were some people that kind of really got on that stage and it was just like vocally beating the other one up. >> i know that you have come a long way from the start of the competition. you've had tragedy strike. >> yes. >> during the filming. how are things going? how are you and your mom doing after losing your father? >> it's definitely difficult. especially because you want to watch the show and with

everything going on with my dad i kind of wanted him to be here, like what everything was, you know, coming to fruition and being shown on tv. but it's something that i got to stay positive about, you know, this is a huge opportunity for me and i know that he was really excited, very excited for me. >> amen on that. can you sing a little something? >> uh-oh. >> maybe a little -- i want you back? >> yeah. >> all right. ♪ oh, baby give me one more chance won't you please let me back in your heart oh, darling i was dying to let you go but now since i seen you in his arms i want you back ♪ >> i want you back. >> you are awesome. >> thank you. >> so much soul in that voice. >> thank you. >> we appreciate you stopping by. >> of course. >> we are going to be rooting for you. >> thank you. >> can't wait to see you in the chat. >> definitely.

>> we're going to be doing that tonight. 8:00 p.m. the second round of the battles and that's going to be right here on nbc 4 and of course you can jump into our chat room at nbc washington.com. >> wow. she has a powerful set of pipes. >> hasn't she? >> she didn't need a band. >> no. not at all. coming up on news 4 you may want to skip the health and beauty aisle of the supermarket. >> the secret to beautiful skin may be i

the secret to glowing skin, eat lots of produce. we're talking fruits and veggies. that is the finding of a small study in scotland. people who ate the most fruit and vegetables over six weeks had more red and yellow in their skin tones which in turn made them look healthier and more attractive researchers say. they believe a plant chemical caused the rosie look. on the other hand people who cut back on their fruits and veggies over the same time period looked paler. madonna is working so hard for her upcoming world tour that she suffered several bruises during it. >> she posted these pictures. she was working on the promo but her latest single "girl gone wild" is when the nasty fall happened. she bruised her knee, buttocks, and cut her lip, too. >> still ahead on news 4 --

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♪ give me just a little more time ♪ [ female announcer ] unlike mops, swiffer can maneuver into tight spaces without the hassle and its wet mopping cloths can clean better in half the time, so you don't miss a thing. mom? ahhhh! ahhhh! no it's mommy! [ female announcer ] swiffer. better clean in half the time. or your money back. there is something in many homes that a lot of us never really think about yet they injure 100,000 children every year. stair cases. erica edwards takes a look at which youngsters are most at risk and what you can do to

protect them. >> reporter: imagine the terror of looking down a long stair case and seeing your child lying motionless at the bottom. 4-year-old beck james suffered a concussion when he hit his head on this cement floor in his family basement. he had slipped after going up just a few stems. >> i could tell by the look in his eyes that something wasn't right. he was really hurt. it didn't take long for them to realize we needed to go to the hospital. >> reporter: in fact a child under age 5 like beck is rushed to the emergency room for a stair-related injury every six minutes in the u.s. the good news is that the number of such injuries has fallen over the past decade. experts attribute that in part to care givers increasingly using stationary activity centers for young children rather than baby walkers with wheels that can easily slide down stairs. but a quarter of stair-related injuries in young kids occur in babies who fall while being

carried. >> those children were three times more likely to be hospitalized because of their injuries. >> reporter: experts recommend parents who must carry a baby up or down stairs have a firm grip on the railing and make sure the steps are clear of toys and other clutter. little beck recovered from his concussion but his mother reminds other parents to be mindful, even with older children. >> you just don't think about it when you have a 4-year-old or 5-year-old that they'll fall down the steps and really get hurt. >> reporter: the next step is for researchers to learn more about why such injuries are happening in hopes of keeping kids firmly and safely on the ground. erica edwards, nbc news. that's news 4 at 4:00. news 4 at 5:00 starts right now. a university of maryland honor student arrested for allegedly threatening a shooting rampage on campus. we're learning this isn't the first time police have been called to his dorm. >> a mother enters a plea today

in the death of her toddler son who was left alone for hours inside a hot car. >> i just hope that they find whoever did this to them and, you know, that they'll be tortured as much as these guys were. >> an appalling case of animal abuse. two dogs discovered severely mauled. investigators trying to find out if there is an underground dog fighting ring. good evening and welcome. i'm wendy rieger. >> i'm jim handly. we begin with the threat that left the university of maryland campus on edge over the weekend. police scrambled to the dorm room of a sophomore honor student who they say made claims online that he intended to shoot and kill as many people as he could. he is being held tonight on a misdemeanor charge but he is in a hospital tonight not a jail cell. pat collins joins us now live from college park with the new details. pat? >> reporter: jim, three people saw the threats online and then they called the cops. one was a former polic