good morning, everybody. thanks for starting your weekend with us. >> welcome to news4 today on this saturday, march 17th. right now, the u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 villagers in afghanistan is now back in the united states. the army says it's holding staff sergeant roberts bales in his own cell in ft. leavenworth in kansas. the 11-year veteran is accused of killing nine children and seven civilians then burning

some of their bodies. the military has not said what charges bales may face. his attorney says bales may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. >> the incident right before these allegations were one of his fellow soldiers was mortally wounded a few days before this incident. >> the transfer does not guarantee bales will not stand trial later in afghanistan. bales, who is from washington state, is married and the father of two young children. the 38 year old was in his fourth tour in a war zone. driving in early this morning ran into a little bit of fog. >> yes, indeed. a lot of gunky moisture out there in the low levels of the atmosphere this morning. as a result, a little bit of fogginess around first thing this morning. do expect that if you're going to do a whole lot of traveling around. there's a live picture of the jefferson memorial in downtown washington. lights shining brightly upon it

picking up just a bit of fogginess around downtown washington. that's repeated further out west away from the city that you get. 45 now in leesburg. temperatures where you see numbers in the 40s is where the fog is likely to be the thickest this morning. manassas, culpeper. even up along the maryland/pennsylvania border there could see thick fog. nothing showing up on radar. a couple sprinkles down to our south and west. most rain chances today and over the weekend are going to be primarily just to the west and to the southwest of town. your hometown forecast in fredericksburg today, a mix of clouds and sunshine. mid 70s by this afternoon. back down to 65 degrees as you head out to your saturday evening plans and about 58 as you get home from your saturday night on the town. today, a mix of clouds and sunshine. the more sun you'll get, the further north you are. quick shower possible south and

west but mild, mild, mild today. upper 60s to low 70s. that's again nearly 20 degrees warmer than average. and then tomorrow i think clouds will win out tomorrow. a touch cooler as a result. a little better chance of seeing a few showers around tomorrow. not a big raindrop on the forecast for everybody's weekend but a little chance each day for a little bit of rain but no washout potentials for the weekend. >> 70 degrees, we'll take it. it's a beautiful day to celebrate a beautiful young lady's birthday. somebody is a st. paddy's day baby. happy birthday to angie today. thanks, chuck. new this morning, d.c. police are investigating a shooting involving an officer in southeast washington. it happened around 1:00 this morning in the 300 block of atlantic street. the officer was not injured in

the incident and it appears to be related to a robbery. meanwhile, police are investigating a double shooting that killed one and critically injured another. it happened around 11:30 last night in the 4200 block of edson place southeast. one man was shot in the street. one was taken to a nearby hospital. police say they are on the lookout for three suspects who ran off after the shootings. today thousands of runners will rock 'n' roll through the city for one of the biggest races. the marathon starts in two hours. good luck runners. as the only race run completely within city limits, many roads are already shut down. there's also significant closures on constitution,

minnesota and c street northeast. the closures should end around 3:00 this afternoon. metro open an hour early at 6:00 a.m. to help get runners to the race. even with that early open on metro, you can expect some delays this weekend. there's track work on four of the five lines. red line shady grove station will be closed. there's free shuttle buses running between shady road and rockville. trains will single track between east and west falls church on the orange line. stadium armory and addison road on the blue line and prince george's plaza on the green line. all work should be done by rush hour monday morning. as you practice your irish jig and pick out your best green outfit, remember to stay safe this st. patrick's day. news4 talked to local police to say they will be out in force to make sure you're safe after

you're done celebrating. >> reporter: too much wearing of the green can lead to flashing red and blue lights. 14 dwi arrests with 22 other alcohol related arrests last year in prince george's county. statewide, 28 st. patrick's day accidents. it has prompted prince george's police to check up checkpoints. >> we're out here to ensure safety and make sure they arrive home safely. >> reporter: still, st. patrick's day preps are in full swing. 100 pounds of corned beef brisket are being made for the big day. >> it takes about six to seven hours to cook. it has took simmered and done slowly. that's the secret. nice and lean. >> reporter: pub regulars look for the festivities which start at 9:00 saturday morning. >> we like to come out and

actually celebrate st. patrick's day. our irish heritage and have a good time with our friends. >> reporter: for those that prefer music over crowds a popular st. patrick's day tradition is held in falls church. a concert at cherry hill farm. >> people feel good after they leave from one of these concerts. it's very uplifting. >> reporter: a chance to eat, drink and be merry but also mindful that police will be monitoring the trip home. >> definitely have a designated driver. drink responsibly. we know people are going to drink. just do it responsibly and get home safe. >> reporter: fairfax county police and virginia state police say they plan to be out on saturday with dui patrols of their own. >> if you've had too much fun, there are plenty of ways to get you home safely and for free. once again washington regional alcohol program is offering you

a free cab ride home on st. patrick's day from 6:00 tonight until 6:00 sunday morning. just call 800-200-8294 for a free ride up to $30. you must be 21 or older to use the service and you can't schedule a pickup in advance. nine different cab companies are participating in this great program. prince george's county can now only wait and see if it can build a new gambling facility. the state's gaming commission is considering a bill that would allow for a sixth site in maryland. right now state law only allows for five casinos in maryland. as the state debates that issue, prince george's county is trying to decide between slots and table games or gambling and entertainment at national harbor. the county executive made a pitch for a mixed youth development at national harbor to lure in tourism dollars. >> a very nice facility that

will attract people not only in the washington region but worldwide. >> developers hope to put slots in baltimore say they don't like the idea of a casino in prince george's county because it would take away business. others say gambling in prince george's county could create gambling problems among families in the area. >> one slot machine parlor is set to open later this year and today that casino is looking to hire. a job fair this morning and in the afternoon. general manager says the company is looking to hire about 500 people including cage cashiers, bankers, and servers. the job fair runs from 10:00 this morning until 4:00 this afternoon at the maryland live employment center on park circle drive in hanover. you will have to apply for jobs online before the job fair. you can do so at jobs@maryland live casino.com. right now waves of runners get ready to take over the streets of d.c. >> the little ones got an early

start this morning. take a look. that's no fair. more than 600 children were on the starting line at rfk stadium for kids rock d.c. it's all part of the rock 'n' roll marathon weekend. these kids ranging from kindergarten through seventh grade ran an entire mile. this event started a month ago. children participated in marathon training programs designed to encourage physical fitness. i don't think i could have ever imagined running an entire mile when i was in kindergarten. >> i remember in teelementary school we pushed it doing a walk and run type of strategy. >> we got olympians in the making. >> future chuck bell's perhaps. >> maybe so. he's a marathon runner. okay. time right now ten minutes after 6:00. one of the men behind the viral video kony 2012 hospitalized for an apparent breakdown.

details of the bizarre behavior and what colleagues say caused it. gas prices reach record highs. i know something you don't want to hear. what's to blame for the pain at the pump? and when those prices should finally

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this morning one of the creators of the kony 2012 viral video is recovering in the hospital. police in san diego say they detained jason russell thursday night. he was running through the streets in his underwear. vandalizing cars and acting strangely. they say he might have been under the influence of something. his charity invisible children released a statement that russell was suffering from exhausti exhaustion, denied ration and malnutrition. the charity ceo says "the past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us. jason especially. and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident."

in the past two weeks the 30-minute viral video documentary has gotten more than 80 million hits on youtube. a former rutgers student faces ten years behind bars and possible deportation for spying on his gay roommate. a jury found dharun ravi guilty of all counts against him. ravi used a webcam to watch his roommate tyler clementi with another man. then tweeted about it and tried to live stream another encounter to friends just days later. clementi later committed suicide. after the verdict clementi's father told students to speak up if they see hate crimes taking place. >> when you see somebody doing something wrong, tell them that's not right. stop it. you can make the world a better place. the change you want to see in the world begins with you. >> ravi could be deported to his native india. he was living in the united states legally on a green card.

sentencing is set for the end of may. a victory that includes money for honda civic hybrid owners. a california judge approved a settlement over claims that the automaker inflated gas mileage. it pays owners of honda civics up to $200 and a rebate up to a new honda. some owners could get more because of another dispute over battery defects. we go to decision 2012 where the republican candidates are crisscrossing the country looking for votes. mitt romney is defending statements that he made about supreme court justice. he says he doesn't support her as a justice because of their differing philosophies. the controversy stems from her being of puerto rican descent.

puerto rico's primary is tomorrow. romney's main competitor rick santorum is pulling for another big win by trying to grab votes in illinois before tuesday's primary. santorum told supporters they can shake up the race and that they have a unique duty to correct a wrong referring to president obama. the former pennsylvania senator hopes to do well in southern parts of illinois in order to carry the state on tuesday. meanwhile, president obama was in illinois as well taking aim at the gop contenders while raising run for his re-election campaign. in the land of lincoln the president pointed out that the candidates do not share the same values as the 16th commander in chief. his fund-raiser in chicago was apparently successful with reports coming in that he raised at least $5 million from the crowd of about 600. the president then traveled to atlanta, georgia, for another fund-raiser which was closed to

the press. i probably don't have to tell you that gas prices reached an all-time high for this time of year and with the travel season around the corner, expect them to go even higher. this morning the average price for a gallon of regular in the district is $4.04. drivers in maryland are paying $3.86. that's up a penny from yesterday. the lowest prices are in virginia at $3.75 a gallon. and west virginia drivers are paying $3.88. the price of crude oil is largely to blame and that the threat of war in the middle east is driving prices even higher. >> normal rules of supply and demand aren't happening here. our supplies are up. our demand is down. our prices are going up. >> aaa says the national average could reach $4.25 before we see any relief. 84% of american drivers have changed their lifestyle because of the increase in gas prices.

i believe it. >> i was paying $3.90 in virginia. that's more than the average there. when you have to go and fill up, you have to stop whatever is nearby. >> changes are drastic. last week i pumped at 3.79 and a week later the closest gas station was 3.90 something. what happened? >> even my car which i don't really drive a lot. i only need to fill it up every three weeks. as a result, last time before i had to fill it up it was $58 and last time this past week was $71 for the same tank. >> you can see the difference. >> thank goodness the good bike riding weather is on the way. that gives a lot of people an option. >> now you're getting somewhere. exactly. burn a few calories, enjoy the weather outside and who can complain about 70 in march. how about 80 in march. how about your weekend. we'll talk about the mild air and how long

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okay. so things are cooling down a bit. not used to this after the last couple of days. >> keep in mind, three 80s in a row. remember just last weekend i sat in this very seat and i said somebody somewhere in virginia would reach 80 degrees last week. who knew everyone was going to be 80 degrees multiple days in a row. >> i tweeted you. did we break records? >> we did not. that's the funny part. we did not break any records this week at national airport. that doesn't mean it wasn't warm enough. we came within a whisper on thursday. monday, tuesday, and wednesday high temperatures were out of reach. thursday we missed it by one degree. made it to 82 on thursday. yesterday it felt freezing cold outside. temperatures only made it into upper 50s yesterday thanks to clouds around. if you like the mild weather, don't you worry. i got you covered. clearing skies. they will lead to sunshine to get your day started. some foggy spots first thing

this morning. do be ready for that on your way out the door. i don't think the fog will last much past 8:00 or 9:00 this morning. a decent amount of sunshine here in the front half of the day. temperatures generally speaking are mild. upper 40s and low 50s right now to get your weekend started. 54 downtown at national airport. temperature and dew point close to the humidity 94%. you folks out in the cooler western and northern suburbs where temperatures are in the 40s this morning, that's where the thickest of the fog is. w 54 in district heights. 47 in waldorf. you folks with temperatures in the 40s, be on the lookout for thick fog this morning. temperatures once the fog burns away by 10:00, low to mid 50s. a lot of spots upper 60s and low to mid 70s today. a little extra sunshine. some spots might even touch 75 degrees on your saturday. nothing showing up on radar right now. there will be a chance for a couple light sprinkles today. mainly up across the mountains

of west virginia, southern end of the shenandoah valley. not a big threat of rain today here in washington but a spritz can't be ruled out further north and west you can. heavier showers around northern georgia. most of that will stay away from us for the next couple days. a mix of clouds and sunshine for today. today on the whole will start out sunny. clouds will sneak in later today. high pressure up to our north and east is a big part of our forecast for the weekend. as it settles in and takes more of an influence, i think we pick more of an east wind tomorrow. east breeze around here in march means cooler weather, cloudier skies and a chance of a couple of spritzes and sprinkles with onshore flow tomorrow and another shower chance into early next week. enjoy your saturday. i think today will be the better day. sun and clouds today. a quick shower possible. mainly way west of town. highs today upper 60s to low to mid 70s. that's nice. then tomorrow, more clouds. a touch cooler tomorrow. highs primarily in the mid to upper 60s and spotty shower

chance tomorrow afternoon. here you go with your seven-day forecast. st. patrick's day, everybody. i can fake an irish accent. i used have used my mom's maiden name. charlie donahue. temperatures way warmer than average even with a cooldown tomorrow and monday and above average through next week. a touch of the green. i can't wear green. we'll explain more about that later. >> a good day for the st. paddy's day revelers who will be out. >> and good for the marathon runners. >> good luck. it will be a long one. time now is 6:26. it was one of osama bin laden's last big terror plots and it's impact could have been more devastating than 9/11. details of that plan straight ahead. also ahead, george clooney arrested here in the district.

the cause the movie star feels so passionate about that he's willing to go

good morning, everyone. welcome to news4 today. checking our top stories this morning, a u.s. soldier accused of killing 16 afghan civilians is now in a military prison at ft. leavenworth, kansas. army staff sergeant robert bales was transferred to a secure facility. d.c. police are investigating two shootings that happened overnight. one involved a police officer in the 300 block of atlantic street southeast. the washington examiner reports that the officer was not injured in the shooting. the other was in the 4200 block

of edson place southeast. one was killed and another in critical condition. streets across the district are closed this morning for one of the city's biggest races. thousands of runners are preparing to hit the streets for the sun trust rock 'n' roll u.s. marathon. it starts and ends at rfk stadium. most roads should be back open by 3:00 this afternoon. this is how we're used to seeing george clooney. dressed up. walking the red carpet. and it's a far cry from the george clooney on display yesterday here in the district. police arrested him. he was part of a protest outside of the embassy of sudan. a country he says is headed for a full blown humanitarian crisis. news4's jackie benson has more on his message. >> reporter: in a town where political arrests are common place, this was a big deal. it is that urgent. that was the message from actor and activist george clooney, as he and his father nick clooney

and numerous dignitaries took place in a protest at the embassy of sudan. >> this is your third and final warning. you will be arrested. step this way. >> clooney and others were taken to the police station for processesing and released after paying a fine. >> what we're facing is hundreds of thousands of people who are looking at the possibility of starvation because the rainy season is coming. it needs to start now. best estimates are tens of thousands of people are going to die from starvation that is man-ma man-made. this isn't a famine. >> it was a father/son thing. he and his father got into this together. his dad was here, who is not a young man by any stretch, going to jail with us. >> reporter: clooney has been a presence in washington over the last two weeks. he showed a very graphic video

of his trip to sudan to the u.s. senate. he was also a guest at the official dinner at the white house. jackie benson, news4. a developing story in syria this morning. a number of civilians and security forces have been killed in two explosions. the blast believed to be caused by car bombs happened in syria's capital, damascus. the criminal security department building was hit. the blast is called terrorist attacks by syria but rebels claim the government is behind the explosions. the year-long uprising has seen thousands of civilians killed. before his death, osama bin laden was working on an assassination attempt against president obama and david petraeus. there were documents taken from bin laden's compound after the al qaeda leader's death in may. bin laden ordered crews to begin

organizing in afghanistan and pakistan and the reports show he believed america would fall apart if vice president biden became president. despite the scary details, u.s. officials say the plot was never a serious threat. request denied. a setback for an army private accused of leaking classified information to wikileaks. a military judge won't let bradley manning's attorneys take sworn statements from eight people before his trial. lawyers may still get to do the interviews later. manning is accused of downloading classified documents and sending it to wikileaks. defense lawyers say manning was a troubled soldier who never should have had access to secret material. the next hearing is set for april 24th. so far no trial date has been set. a navy reserve officer from maryland is spending his first morning at home after a year in afghanistan. petty officer first class kevin

cruz was welcomed home by his wife and daughter. it was his fourth tour overseas and he says he survived an attack in october and the situation is still dangerous. >> i'm glad i got out of there when i can. it's sad though with all of the incidents that's been happening. i wish things could turn out better. >> every day we talked as much as possible. that kept him in the loop of what everything was going on. >> cruz works as a prince george's county police officer when he's not with the reserves. he says he plans to vacation in puerto rico before returning to work. good for him and welcome home. >> i love those stories. absolutely. welcome home indeed. if you were watching the ncaa tournament yesterday, you know exactly why they call it march madness. >> we saw two of the biggest downpour sets in tournament history in one day. we get highlights in this

morning's sports minute. good morning, everyone. your sports minute begins with march madness. number three seed georgetown against number 14 seed belmont. 61% from the floor. clark led the way with game high 21 points. georgetown beats belmont 74-59 winning the first tournament game since 2008. they will play nc state on sunday. lehigh defeats duke 75-70 and norfolk state upsets missouri. a game high 26 points and spartans beat tigers 86-84. norfolk state plays florida because gators crushed the cavaliers. only bright spot for virginia senior mike scott had 15 points but florida shoots 70% in the second half. goes on to win big. 71-45. capitals on the road against winnipeg. third period. game tied at two.

a pass poked in and caps fall ending four-game win streak. washington remains in the eighth and final playoff spot in the eastern conference. nba last night, hawks beat wizards 102-88. that's your sports minute. have a great day. time right now is 6:37. you saw the devastation left in its wake. this morning we're seeing new video of those devastating tornadoes in indiana as they tore a path of destruction across the state. food for thought. how a group of fairfax county kids could help decide what's on the

the "today" show is next on nbc 4. let's find out what they're working on. >> amy robach joins us live from new york city. good morning, amy. >> good morning to you. coming up here on "today," an american soldier suspected of killing 16 afghan civilians is back in the states. this morning we know his

identity and we have more information about what led to last weekend's shootings in afghanistan. and then is taking a vitamin part of your daily routine? you may want to rethink it after a new "dateline" investigation. find out why some say vitamin supplements can do more harm than good. plus the cinnamon challenge. a dare that's been making the rounds on youtube involving trying to swallow a spoonful of cinnamon. it sounds simple but coming up we'll tell you why the attempt can be dangerous for your health. "titanic" is the most famous ship wreck in history and now parts of the ship will be sold to the highest bidder. we'll show you the incredible treasures coming up. all of that and more when lester and i see you right here on "today." erika and angie, back to you. >> looking forward to it. thank you. >> great. it may be tough finding healthier foods to serve kids at school but it's even harder to get them to actually eat them. so fairfax county school administrators are counting on the kids to help them pick out

items that may very well end up on next year's menus. we have the student students' rf the healthier options. >> spanish rice was a little too spicy. >> i like healthy stuff but they need to be more tasty. >> reporter: meet the food critics. today lunch was served to them. the reason? they're designated taste testers for new foods that could appear on next year's school lunch menu. gathered around the room, food brokers and vendors for the companies tasked with developing the new items. under consideration, oven fried chicken, hawaiian pizza, 100% all beef patty. a salad adopted from a rachael ray recipe. spanish rice and dessert called the fruit cup. the new menu items reflect changing attitudes about

lunchroom food. the fruit desserts have no added sugar, flavor or coloring. >> i worked really hard on this trying to get less ingredients and cleaner labeled products. >> reporter: testers take the task seriously. the chicken gets three stars. >> chicken. it's so tender and crispy and inside is juicy. >> reporter: bean salad got a cool reception. 2.2 stars. >> it's too cold. >> reporter: spanish rice needs work but the hawaiian pizza, a potential hit with 2.4 stars. >> i like the hawaiian pizza but to me it was a little bit too sweet. i think they should put less pineapple inside it. >> reporter: those fruity desserts, three stars there. >> texture was creamy. it's not scratchy. also blend of flavors. it pops in your mouth like a piece of candy.

>> reporter: as 11th largest school district in the country, the opinion of fairfax county school kids matters a lot. this chocolate milk was developed specifically for fairfax county schools. >> wow. the clout that fairfax has in the school world also means items the kids endorsed could wind up on cafeteria menus around the country. >> absolutely incredible. that's good they have a say in it. they're the customers. they are the ones that eat it day in and day out. >> i say put cheese on anything, it tastes good. put cheese on that chicken and rise. >> it all gets back to julia child's. you just keep adding wine and cheese and butter until it tastes just the way you want it. >> you were a man of many accents this morning. >> yes. maybe one too many. >> julia child's on us. what's next? >> i can't do

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a dramatic look this morning at the force of nature. check out this surveillance video of a tornado as it rips through a school in henryville, indiana, earlier this month. cameras caught the ef-4 twister. look at that. turning the gym inside out. a roof being shredded to pieces. you can also see buses, which were trying to get kids out of the storm just being blown around like toys in the parking lot. about 80 students and staff were in the building at the time but all were safe. they took cover in offices and hallways. look at that. a mother who lost parts of both her legs protecting her children from that very tornado is back at home this morning. stephanie decker was all smiles as she left the university of louisville hospital yesterday. both of decker's legs had to be

amputated after they were crushed by debris from her home as she shielded her children with her own body. even after weeks of surgery, decker remains incredibly positive. >> i must say i feel pretty awesome. i didn't expect to feel this way. i feel healthy. i feel strong. i'm ready to tackle rehab. i've always had a positive attitude. it comes from my upbringing with my family. i always had a strong support system. they always told me i can do anything. you know, i've always held that attitude. >> decker will now prepare for rehab and profit prosthetics th take the place of her legs. >> survivor. i have a feeling that's part of her personality from before this event and now going forward after it. >> from day one if you watched interviews after everything happened, she's kept the same demeanor. incredible. >> the only way to get through it. chugging forward and pushing ahead. >> it was hard to push ahead

this morning. the fog was so dense. i think it took me longer to defrost the windshield than it was when it was colder. >> very, very foggy outside in a few spots this morning. weather service put up a dense fog advisory east of the blueridge mountains down into southern maryland toward central pennsylvania. there's another plane load of -- i don't know if they are happy or sad folks leaving national airport this morning. if they have been here all week, 75, 80 degrees all week in washington. now they are going west, it's going to be cold toward the west coast today. temperatures around here on the mild side. 54 degrees now at national airport with just a little breeze out of the east at three to four miles an hour. temperatures now 50 in montgomery county. upper 40s to near 50 across most of fairfax. mid 50s inside the city limits. across the virginia piedmont in the 40s this morning, if you see 46 or 48 near your hometown,

probably going to have some thick fog to deal with this morning. once you get the sun up and mix things up a little bit, that fog should disappear. left with a decent amount of sunshine on your saturday. temperatures today, climbing up into the 70s once again. most of the metro area low to perhaps even mid 70s. frederick, maryland, hometown forecast starting out in 40s with fog first thing this morning. by 11:00, sunshine and 65 degrees. get into middle of the afternoon, sunshine and 72. out to the movies, 62 at 8:00 tonight and back home after a great saturday, temperatures in the mid 50s. here it is on storm 4 radar. nothing going on around town today. a couple sprinkles across southwestern virginia and central virginia. some of those may sneak into our area but most of the raininess will be way down to our south and west today. here it is on put future weathe forecast. high pressure off the east coast will bring more of an east to southeasterly fetch in here increasing the clouds tonight

into tomorrow and i think because of extra clouds tomorrow maybe a chance of a sprinkle around the area for tomorrow. again, i think the main influence will be a slightly cooler day on sunday. today partly to mostly sunny. sun and clouds. a quick shower possible mainly west and southwest of town today. high temperatures will be mild. low to mid 70s. more clouds than sunshine on your sunday. a little better chance of a spotty shower or two. most of us will be rain free throughout the entire weekend. just be on the lookout for a five-minute rain chance. and enjoy your st. patrick's day. 20 degrees above average to last all of the way through the upcoming week. stay ahead of the weather, following me on twitt twitter @chuckbell4. that's my twitter handle. >> is this it? is this just the leeway into spring summer? >> winter is done. once you made 80 degrees three days in a row, that's it.

>> you don't have to pay for it? >> you'll pay. you'll have an allergy season now that will start now and last until memorial day. >> thanks, chuck. time now eight minutes away from the 7:00 hour. thank those anti-virus programs are keeping your laptop safe? you may be in for a big surprise. why they may be doing more harm than good for your pc. ♪ and i try and i can't get no >> that will wake you up in the morning. a look at one workout in which you provide the soundtrack.

if you think your laptop is made to use on your lap, somebody fooled you. think again. >> when it's running slow or freezing up, it may be your fault. not the computer. news4's liz crenshaw has some ways to avoid laptop troubles. >> they say on average the laptop should last you about three years. >> reporter: that's only if you care for your laptop properly. >> by not treating them properly, we can damage the parts prematurely and shorten that life span quite considerably. >> reporter: many laptop users unknowingly make every day mistakes. even though laptops often lead us away from our desks, portable computers made for convenience, but laptops are not meant to be

used on your lap. let your laptop breathe. >> don't block that. don't block this on the bottom. >> reporter: laptops have intake vents on bottom of the computer. they are meant to be used on a hard surface. blocking vents or fans can cause the computer to overheat. >> causing wear to that laptop for no reason at all. >> reporter: just when you thought your laptop was portable, passing it off or walking around with it when it is running can cause damage. laptops have a hard drive like this one and it has moving parts. >> think of your hard drive like a record player. it has a needle that reads the inside of it. while the laptop is on, they are spinning and it's trying to read that. when you hand it to somebody, you can actually have that needle damage the platter or the needle gets damaged itself. >> reporter: a common complaint. laptops running slow or freezing up. it's often caused by users who installed more than one anti-virus program.

>> you may think more secure, great. fantastic. not actually a good thing. >> reporter: a single anti-virus installation is greater than having more than one. programs do the same thing and fight each other and cancel each other out. another tip to remember, let your laptop rest. leaving your laptop running all the time diminishes the battery life. make sure you debunk the dust. >> dust is one of the big contributors to overheating. that can cause a computer to shut down and damage the internal parts. a simple cleaning that you can do at home is simply to take your compressed air, squirt it into the intake. >> reporter: use it when the laptop is off and avoid ammonia based cleaners when wiping down the screen. >> specific to alcd monitor so you don't imagine the screen with those chemicals. >> reporter: simple ways to save your laptop from unnecessary troubles. >> i always treat my new

electronics as if it was a newb. i'm gentle with them. >> if you held onto your laptop for three years or so and need a fix, you might want to consider buying a new one. laptop prices have come down over the last few years so it might make more sense moneywise just to get a new one. a workout class in d.c. adds a bit of melody to indoor cycling. we like this one. >> we were talking about this earlier. as if a spin class wasn't hard enough, crunch gym wants you to sing along. ♪ walk out the door >> that's the class. it's called karaoke ride. you combine aerobics and entertainment all in one. singing isn't mandatory. it can distract you in a grilling workout. cyclists say they love it. karaoke ride is offered at