good morning, everyone. welcome to "news4 midday." i'm barbara harrison. monday, march 19, 2012. breaking news on metro's red line. a train struck a man at the white flint metro station in rockville. the station is closed right now as fire and ems crews respond to the scene. metro says it appears that the man stepped in front of the train intentionally. we do not know the condition of the victim at this time. here's what the scene looked like as chopper 4 was above them a few minutes ago. the station is closed. metro is running buses between the grovener and twin brook stations at this time.

we will don't follow the story bringing you more information as it comes in to us. right now final prepare rags are under way for the cherry blossom festival. it starts tomorrow. did bloom begins tomorrow and runs through the 23rd. centennial celebration runs for five weeks. megan mcgrath is live along the tidal basin now with advice on how to get around down there. many people down there today? >> reporter: yes. there's quite a few people milling about here. you can see folks who are taking photos and brought their children and taking a look at the cherry blossoms which are, i have to say, absolutely gorgeous. we have a picture-perfect day out here today. tomorrow is technically the beginning of the peak of the peak bloom period. i will tell you, you would be hard-pressed not to say that today was darned close. very, very gorgeous out here. you can just see all of the blooms that popped over the weekend. just in an amaze sight.

with the coming of the peak bloom period we are expecting very large crowds of people. there are some things you can do to kind of help yourself out and make it a more pleasant experience and beat the brunt of the crowds. explosion of color along the tidal basin. >> they are spectacular. i have come down here almost every year for probably the last 40 years. i never get tired of seeing the cherry blossoms. they are spectacular, they are beautiful. >> stunning. seeing the really old trees, and then, you know, the new ones. and -- it is just -- you know, just lovely. >> reporter: the peak bloom begins tomorrow but visitors say they can't tell the difference. hundreds of thousands of people are expected to come and see the cherry blossoms. it is going to be crowded. visitors are encouraged to ride metro or take advantage of the shuttle buses. there are ten stops along hains point and the jefferson memorial. if you are going bring your car,

keep in mind ohio is one way going north between the inlet bridge and ericson statue. and if crowds aren't your thing come early in the morning. light sing beautiful and you practically have the tidal basin to yourself. >> i think that they are really beautiful so -- i'm glad we came this early. >> reporter: there you are taking a live look at these beautiful cherry blossoms. and absolutely gorgeous day out here and, of course, people are coming, strolling along and we have seen a lot of dogs. we have seen a lot of photographers both amateur and professional. just taking it all in down here at the tidal basin. another thing to keep in mind, if you are going to bring your car, parking is going to be tough. they have once again closed the area, the parking area, that's over by the paddle boats. that's going to be used for concessions so you cannot have access. you will not have access to those spots. so parking very, very tight. again, metro and what -- one of the shuttle buses probably your

best bet. reporting live from the tidal basin, megan mcgrath, news4. >> it is amazing what one week will bring, the change from when you were standing down there a week ago. incredible. >> i know. absolutely. friday when i drove by it looked nothing like this. i mean, all of these just popped over the weekend. absolutely beautiful. >> it is a beautiful sight. thanks so much for that report. how will the weather be for the cherry blossom watchers? storm 4's veronica johnson joins with us the first forecast. good morning. >> good morning. yeah. the weather will be superb for taking in the cherry blossoms. just enough sunlight, occasionally to get the clouds to shroud the sun and brightness. you are not having to deal with any sun hence flare. of course, it was the temperatures this weekend. upper 60s, low to mid 70s that allowed those blossoms to really pop. lot of warm air out there. 66 current temperature. you can see it there. d.c., raleigh, 61. 70s down to the south, atlanta, jacksonville. right now i-want to you take a

look at cincinnati. as well as chicago. where temperatures are in the upper 60s to around 70 degrees already. that warm air is out there and it is going to be good enough to slowly make its way out to the east. we are going to have temperatures in the 70s all week long. 66 right now with the wind out of the south at 7 miles per hour. some storms, those have been passing down to our south and east. we still might get a few light showers later this afternoon. meanwhile, our temperatures later today, 74 to 75 degrees. 76 degrees expected in fredericksburg. then they will be a very, very warm pocket and areas of southwest virginia where the temperature could get up to 80 degrees. well, we could get up to 80 degrees, too, this week. couple of minutes i will tell you which day that will be this week. >> okay. thanks. we will look forward to talking to you. we are following breaking news out of anne arundel county now. police are searching the south side of the bw parkway near route 197. they are responding to a report of bones found on the side of the highway. they called in the u.s. park

police for a assistance and n a certain much to bw parkway remains open during the investigation. let's check in on the midday traffic with danella sealock. see how things are moving out there. >> good morning, barbara. as you mentioned if you are taking the red line, the white flint metro station is closed right now because a person was struck by a train. right now you can expect delays on the red line in both directions while metro is single tracking. also, over to the orange line, seeing delays here for schedule track work. so -- single track sing occurring on the lorng line. you can expect delays on this rail as well in both directions. over to the roadways if you are traveling i-95 northbound at prince william parkway. have the left lane here blocked by an accident. travel speeds aren't so bad as you travel on i-95 northbound. look at this. 61 miles per hour. 13 minutes to get from prince william parkway to the beltway. barbara, back to you. >> thank you. the chesapeake bay bridge is getting a makeover. that means lane closures. the first time in decades the west bound span of the bridge is

getting a good cleaning and fresh coat paint. most of the work will be done from barges on the water but it still means six to eight weeks of lane closures. the project is expected to be finished sometime during the fall of 2013. tonight culpeper county residents will discuss possibly removing the county share frif office. back in 1996 sheriff scott jenkins helped put michael hash behind bars for murder. but last week the judge released him from jail accusing police and prosecutors of, quote, outrageous misconduct. the judge says that they concealed a plea deal and also hid failed polygraph tests of witnesses. yesterday sheriff jenkins addressed the media and denied all wrongdoing. >> as soon as it is allowed, i will answer your questions. i will give details. and if possible, i will even show the recorded video interrogations from the investigation and make those public to you in the town hall meeting. you can see what i did for

yourself. >> county prosecutor in the case has resigned but denied any wrongdoing. a special prosecutor assigned to this case is currently deciding whether to retry michael hash. d.c. community is rallying behind victims of recent hate crimes. man that says he was shot in the stomach because he's gay spoke exclusively to news4. the shooting happened last weekend at the ihop in columbia heights. police called the case a hate crime. the victim got out of the hospital last week. he did not want to be identified in an interview. he said it is not the first time he has been targeted because of his sexuality. >> i believe that, you know, this particular type of hate in the city is nothing new. definitely not new to me. i just hope that some wheels are being set in motion now to put an end to it. >> anti-hate crime advocates have organized a rally in response to that shooting along with two beatings involving a

gay man and transgender woman. that rally is tomorrow evening at the columbia heights ihop on 14th and irving streets. >> metro workers are expected to plead guilty in court this afternoon. horace mcdade and hale were arrested in january. prosecutors say the poor would drop off bags of money on the way to the revenue facility and then pick them up after their shifts. they say the two spent most of the money on lottery tickets. police were tipped off after one of the employees was buying tickets with bags full of coins. maryland's house of delegates will be busy measures that could affect the state's budget. they will review a bill that would raise tax owes most maryland residents. it already passed the state senate. house appropriations committee will work on a controversial bill that would split teacher pension cost was the counties. last week a senate committee proposed a four-year plan to

phase in the pension split. a move most counties are against. our time now is 11:09. coming up, the latest a shooting in a school in france which morning that left four people dead. five y people think it may be related to other shootings. we are learning more about a soldier's background just days after man accused of killing 16 people was returned to the u.s. stay 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 yeah, nine out of ten couples disagree on the firmness they want in a mattress. i sleep on the couch. with our bed, the sleep number setting represents the firmness that you like on your half of the mattress.

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new developments in the deadly scoot shooting in france. a rabbi and his two small sons are dead along with another child. police are looking for the gunman that opened fire in a jewish school near toulouse, france. the shooter apparently got away on a motor scooter. this is the third involving a man on a motor scooter. investigators are looking into whether the cases could be linked. now to the american soldier accused of killing 1 afghan civilians. staff sergeant bales is in ft. leavenworth, kansas, as he awaits court-martial and murder charges. miguel almaguer has the latest for us now. >> reporter: as attorney john henry brown arrived at levon worth for his first meeting with his clants staff sergeant bales, new details about the man from those who who knew him well. >> this is not our bobby. they swear this is a major

mistake. have you the wrong name. >> reporter: bales was said to be upset about his deployment to afghanistan. his fourth tour to a war zone in ten years where he is accused of killing 16. >> this is the kind of thing one can expect from people in combat. but it doesn't justify that kind of action. >> reporter: saturday in free monl, california, a section of town called middle kabul, anger and resentment. >> it is killing people. it is wrong. doesn't matter if it is muslim, christian, american. >> reporter: while serving in iraq two years ago, a friend of bales says he received this message from the staff sergeant frustrated with iraqis. overseas is bore thing friendship. giving money to ex-ple instead of bullets don't seem right. >> he's never said anything antagonistic about muslims. >> reporter: >> the majority of troops that use denigrating language to speak about the enemy because it is the way you put them in their

place. >> reporter: a married father of two children bales and his family lived outside of seattle. neighbors say they abandoned this suburban home and agreed to sell their current house for a $50,000 loss. despite possible financial -- bales was described as a happy go-lucky dad. >> bobby bales could not hurt a woman or child. >> reporter: bales grew up in cincinnati. in high school he was called the military history buff elected class president and was a football star. at ohio state, he was a business major. >> he was working for a pretty big firm trading stocks for shell oil. >> reporter: tonight lawyers in ft. will ft. levinworth. a bit more momentum from

mitt romney now in decision 2012. the republican presidential candidate won sunday's primary in puerto rico. picking up 20 delegates. the victory comes ahead of tomorrow's primary in illinois. santorum says he will become the gop nominee if he pulls off the next win. >> if we are able to come out with a huge or surprise win i guarantee you, i guarantee you, we will win this nomination. >> i know a lot of people will talk about delegates and strategies and math. that's all very interesting. the insiders. >> rick santorum is only eligible for 44 delegates tomorrow because he's not on the balance not all illinois districts. polls have shown republican voters favor mitt romney in this moderate midwestern state. new today. people in north platt, nebraska, are assessing the damage from two tornadoes. this photo was taken by a railroad worker. he says the tornado traveled on the ground for at least ten

minutes. several homes and buildings had been destroyed and so far no deaths have been reported and two people were hurt. they are both expected to be okay. right now people in fairfax county are preparing for the worst. they are holding a tornado drill. the three-day emergency exercise is called operation enduring collaboration and the scenario will be a major tornado outbreak. last tornado in that county, though, hit on march 10, 2011. fortunately no one was hurt and only minor damage to homes and buildings is reported. spring may start tomorrow but much of the county is already experiencing springlike temperatures. most of the country that is. in fact, several cities came close to record temperatures over the weekend. temperatures soared into the 70s and even reached the 80s in some spots. including chicago. but winter is still hanging on in the southwest. rare snowstorm is moving through arizona right now. and would feet of snow has fallen in parts of flag staff. police shut down roads which stranded some drivers, more snow

is expected there today. none for us, thank goodness. only in it wants too thick. of course, we had the clouds across the area. even a few light showers making their way in. we talked about the warmth. high temperatures. here's a look at the highs for today. we will get into the 70s. 80 degrees in atlanta, georgia, wanted to show you how fast this warmth is. everywhere east of the rockies, minneapolis, minnesota, 75 today. 73 in dallas.

and 75 could be the high temperature in chicago today. that's where most of the unusually high warmth has been as across the midwest. areas of the northern plains. and look at all the blue out west. that's the cooler air that's been rushing eastward. that's why this zone right here, we talked about severe weather in nebraska, kansas, for oklahoma, texas, they will likely to be some severe weather today. 66 is our temperature at reagan national airport. wind out of the south light at 7 miles per hour. that's good enough to help warm us up very quickly. fredericksburg, close to 70 degrees. close to 70 already in charlottesville. petersburg, too, close to 70 degrees. again, we are warming up very quickly. and going for highs in the mid 70s. few locations, much warmer than that. down south charlottesville, that's what's left of the rain that came through this morning. look at this line. this has been holding together. very well since early this morning. these storms will be approaching dallas today. making their way just east of wichita.

again, more tornadoes there. that storm system will be moving very slowly on off to the east. potential for severe weather. maybe around here at least isolated sphere weather on friday. showers for us today. snapshot of 4:00. for tomorrow, too. isolated light showers around the area. this little weak disturbance makes its way off to the east. and then for wednesday, we get up close to 80 degrees here with a partly sunny sky. we are going be keep our eye on the system. making its way off the plains and eastward on thursday. mixture of clouds and sunshine this afternoon. slight chance of a few light showers around the area. 70 to 75 degree. wind out of the southeast at 5 to 10 miles per hour. then at -- what i think will be another decent evening out, mostly cloudy. more clouds moving in. better chance of showers. 62 to 66 degrees. all right. i think i did not move that 7-day forecast. over the next couple of days,

barbara, 70 to 80 degrees across the area. mild temperatures for this time of year. warmest days out of the workweek will be wednesday and thursday when we top out at 78 to 79. for today and tomorrow, slight chance of some isolated showers. then on friday, we could see few showers or thunderstorms move across the area. i will get to that 7-day forecast in just a couple of minutes. really, really nice day. >> i can't remember have peak blossoms with such beautiful weather along with it. >> so early. that's right. >> amazing. let's check in on the midday traffic again. here's danella sealock. >> still following the situation at white flint metro station. station shut down because a person was struck by a train. right now the station has reopened. still seeing delays on the red line while metro single tracks between p twin brook and grovener. also if you are on the orange

line you can expect delays because of scheduled track work and single tracking. expect delays in both directions on the orange line. now if you are taking the beltway, this time the outer loop at gw parkway left lane is blocked by road work. stick to the right to get by. no major delays just yet on the beltway. if you are taking the beltway in montgomery county, nice and clear. live look right now at connecticut avenue. no issues in this area. bash remarks back to you. >> all right. thank you so much, danella. 11:22. still ahead, the big trend for spring, color. we will show you how to add the hottest shades to your wardrobe. coming up. plus, a first for princess kate. what she did a few hours ago. first, here is a look at what's hot on nbcwashington.com. -dad, why are you getting that? -that's my cereal.

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the duchess of cambridge gave her first public speech today. kate middleton spoke at a children's hospice facility. she became a patron of that facility. this is a video of her handing out shamrocks to irish guards over the weekend. the duchess wrote her speech herself. it wasn't very long, about four minutes. here's some of what she had to say. >> i feel hugely honored to be here to see this wonderful center. i am sorry william couldn't be

here today. he would love it here. through teamwork so much can be achieved. what you have all achieved here is extraordinary. >> the duchess reportedly practiced the speech with friends and other royal family members, including prince charles. opponent ran winfrey canceled rosie o'donnell's show. "the rosie show" changed formats in five months on the air and would new sets. nothing seemed to work. the final episode will air march 30. 11:26 is the time. coming up in the next half hour of "news4 midday," the growing outrage over the deadly shootings of an unarmed teenager

shooting by a man who ad pits to pulling the trigger and has not been charged. plus a new report is out just this morning on high school dropouts. find out if more teens are staying in school these days. we are finally see something sun after a foggy morning. veronica johnson is back with what we can expect the rest of [ 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. that was fast! thank you. [ male announcer ] speed, reliability, and now with our worry free guarantee,

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right now, police are looking for the gunman that shot and killed a rabbi, his would you young sons. the gunman got away on a motor scoot ier. investigators are looking into whether the case is connected to other shootings. final preparations under way important the cherry blossom festival. it starts tomorrow. the first day of spring is tomorrow as well. peak bloom also begins tomorrow. lot going on tomorrow. officials in encourage visitors to ride metro or use shuttle bus service. this we are is the 100th anniversary of japan giving

those trees to the u.s. as gift. the centennial celebration runs for five weeks. a new report out just this morning shows more students are graduating from high school. according to the report graduation rates increase 3.5% from 2001 to 2009. rates showed modest increases in virginia 1.78% and .4% in maryland. graduation rates of d.c. were not included in the data. the study's authors did highlight the district's efforts in education reform. the report will be presented today at the grand nation summit here in washington. the group's goal is to -- 90% graduation rate by the year 2020. a teen's death in central florida has sparked a debate between self-defense and racial profiling. three weeks after the shooting police have released the 911 recordings. >> you think he's yelling help n. >> yes.

>> what is your -- >> there's gunshots. >> george zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old travon martin. the neighborhood watch volunteer said the teen looked suspicious. and had his hand in his waips band. it turns out martin was unarmed and only carrying a bag of candy, money and a can of iced tea. martin's family disputes zimmerman's claim the shooting was in self-defense. >> he was reacting to the color of his skin. he committed no crime. my son wasn't doing anything but walking on the sidewalk. and i just don't understand why this situation got out of control. >> i think that zimmerman has no legal recourse. he was not at his home. he was on a walk, common area, martin was 70 feet away from the back door. he was almost home. zimmerman got out of his car and did not listen to the police and chased this kid.

you can't chase somebody and then claim self-defense. >> police say that they had no reason to arrest zimmerman but they did turn the case over to the state's attorney's office. martin's family was calling on the fbi to investigate. you may get a chance to she rockets light up the sky tonight. nasa delayed the launch last week because of bad weather. tonight scientists will try to launch again. those five rockets within the span of five minutes from their facility on the eastern shore of virginia. nasa says the launch window is between 11 cloak p.m. and 6:30 a.m. rockets will release a chemical into the atmosphere that will help scientists study the jet stream. clou clouds can be seen from south carolina to new hampshire. we will check in again with veronica johnson now. do you think we will be able to he the lights out there or whether it be clouds? >> there will be some clouds around tonight. keep your fingers crossed because it is going to be kind of tough. sky partly cloudy to mostly

cloudy later tonight and i think areas east and a better chance of seeing little more breaks in the cloud cover. here's a look at our area. boy, you have to love this. it is like may. should be my birthday. 73 in frederick. 74 in gaithersburg. mid 70s in d.c. upper 70s to 80 degrees in this area just down to the south of fredericksburg, cull pep,luray, charlottesville, 80 degrees today. off to the west is where we could see a few showers and then later tonight a possibility of a few isolated showers creeping on in. radar shows where the cloud cover is. you can see at frederick down towards loudoun county, down to the south but again, enough breaks that it will warm us up nicely today. then later tonight, 7:00, 9:00, 11 cloak p.m., 69 to 64 degrees. again, isolated showers that will be around our area. purchase four-day forecast is mid 70s today. around 80 degrees, maybe even higher for wednesday and thursday of this week.

and very, very mild conditions and probably the best days out of the workweek. wednesday and thursday. we have had only four days this month of march. late march. only 4 days that have been below average. crazy. >> i know. it has been -- it has been nice. hope it continues. thanks. starting today older travelers have fewer has tools get through airport security. those 75 years and older do not have to take off their shoes or light jackets. they can also skip the patdowns and walk through the metal detectors or imaging machines. the transportation security administration is testing the pilot program at four airports including chicago owe air, denver, orlando, portland, oregon. if everything works well, the tsa could expand that program. on a future flight you may not have to turn off your favorite electronic devices like an ipad or dvd player. the federal aviation administration is going to review current rules on electronic devices.

the agency is interested in retesting modern devices to see they might affect the aircraft during different points in the flight. and if you are heading out on the roadways let's check in now with danella sealock to see if you will face any problems out there. >> good morning. if you are traveling along i-270 we will get it together now. no issues to report along i-270. live look at shady grove. clear to the spur. northbound no problems for you this morning. now traveling on 395 same story. nice and clear at edsall. as you cross over the 14th street bridge it is clear commute foul. you make your way into the city. travel speeds, not bad at all. 56 miles per hour. taking 12 points get from the beltway to the 14th street bridge. >> thanks, danella. this morning, local nonprofit is waiting to hear back from the insurance company after a driver crashed into one of its buildings in the brookland neighborhood in the district. take a look at this mess. it happened yesterday morning in the 3500 block of 12th street northeast.

witnesses tell news4 that the driver backed into the building while parallel parking. >> as he was backing up, he -- he must have -- his foot must have hit the pedal and he went jackknifed into the storefront. >> a father who was in the path of the van saw what was happening and pushed the stroller with his daughter in it out of harm's way. no one was hurt. no word on whether the driver will face any charges. deaf reach has its head quarters in that building. workers are working out of a second building in the same block. d.c. police are still searching for the suspect in a deadly stabbing inside after nightclub in northeast d.c. it happened early yesterday morning at a club called the library along 12th street. the victim's name has not been released. police are asking for anyone who knows anything about the case to

come forward. lawyers for former university of virginia lacrosse player convicted in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend are asking for a retrial. a motion was filed on behalf of george huguely in charlottesville circuit court friday. h huguely was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of love. a jury recommended that he serve 26 years in prison. no sentencing date has been set at this time. it was a decade of mass unemployment and social upheaval and starting next month you are going to be able to learn about those who lived through the great depression through the census. it is the first time in 72 years the general public will have full access to the 1940 census. until now, in questions had been sealed under privacy protection. 132 million americans lived through the great depression. the national archives and records administration will release the information online on april 2. 11:38 is the time.

still ahead, why share holders are loving an announcement by apple today. plus, when we could see gas prices peak and how you can save money now. the must-have clothes for spring. color is key and look at that. we are going to show you how to wear those colors coming up. expert advice for you.

starting today gm is suspending production of the chevy volt. leaving 1300 workers without a job for five weeks. the automaker wants to lower the invent to y-- inventory. right now drivers are paying more than ever this time of year for gas. national average is hovering around $3.83 a gallon. nbc ace craig melvin looked into when the rise might level off and what drivers can do in the meantime. >> gas prices are their highest ever for this time of year.

up 61 cents per gallon since december. >> there is a tipping point. where that tipping point is, whether it is 4 a gammon, $5, i'm not sure. most economists will tell you that you are close to it right here. >> reporter: in the weekly radio address president obama responded to critics saying once again there is no quick fix. he also called on congress to eliminate tax breaks for oil and gases and invest more in alternative fuel. >> they can place their bets on fossil fuel from the last century or they can place their bets on america's future. >> reporter: the domestic production is up and supply is down. so why is gas still so expensive? experts ait is unrest in the middle east. lots more cars on the road in china and india. and market speculators. there are things drivers can do. >> they have more choices than ever in terms of fuel efficient vehicles and alternative fueled vehicles. they can use all of these means to curb their own consumption of gasoline. >> reporter: aaa has tips to

help you increase your fuel efficiency. first, they say lighten your load. take things you don't need out of your car. also check your tire pressure. underinflated tires can slash your fuel efficiency 2% less from every pound of pressure below recommended levels and use your cruise control on the highway. steady speeds save gas. small things that could add up and these days every little bit coun counts. >> apple is finally using its $98 billion in cash to reward shareholders. let's check in with mary thompson. she joins us live with more on that and the rest of the day's business headlines. hi, mary. >>. >> good morning. we have a mixed picture after apple's disclosure on how it plans to spend $98 billion in cash. following a week of strong gains for major indices dow down five

points. nasdaq is the strongest index so far today. up 13 points. giving a boost to the nasdaq today, our shares of apple plans to begin paying a dividend of $2.65 a share this summer. it is also buying back $10 billion worth of its own stock. by paying out almost $9.9 billion in dividends a year, apple's total payout will be second only to the $10.4 billion in dividends paid annually to shareholders of at&t. ups is high other the news. paying $6.9 billion important the dutch delivery giant tmt express. the act kwisition will expand ups' footprint in europe, asia and latin america. in the first of several reports investors will see about the state of the housing market this week. reading of homebuilders sentiment remains unchanged in february or in march from february. it is optimistic sales will be picking up in the coming months. barbara, back to you. >> mary, thank you.

the key to your wardrobe this spring is going to be color. we understand. allison burkhart is here with some examples to show us. tell us how we are supposed to wear all of that color. sounds excited. >> it is exciting. >> i see you are wearing red. >> red is always good. white is always classic and black. >> i'm anxious hear the do's and don'ts of mixing the korls. >> everything is in. there's a lot of creative dressing going on for now. >> when you say that color is in, are we talking about pastels, hot, hot colors? p. >> more coming down the runway color blocking which is the simplest term. combining of two blocks of colors. now we see designers showing head to toe bold and dynamic looks combined. >> you brought models with youi.

cool colors. >> cool colors. she's wearing not one but two important looks this season. we are showing the lightweight pattern, jacket, prints and patterns are a must for spring. back to color blocking. don't be afraid to mix prints and color block. >> how do you know what colors will work for you? >> colors you have to just pick a color you like and build ruined it. you can stay with colors that work together like blues, sky blue, cobalt and navy. or shades of pink. or you can do purple and red complementing colors. >> take a look at her pant length. that's -- cropped pant. can you wear that on work? >> yes. best way to update a jacket, bring in a crop legislator narrow pant. and you would just switch it back to a neutral color to make it more corporate. >> even with the suit. all right. thank you so much. good to see you. let's have irene come in now.

look at this. very pretty dress. >> beautiful blue marine aqua dress that is perfect for the washington woman. here we tempered the cool color with a nude hue shoe. >> this is all one color. yes. that's the big question. when you have a bright colored dress, what color -- same color shoo? >> nude accessories brings the look together. nude does not always mean -- or neutral does not always mean nude. it can be white, black, gray, brown. >> all right. >> cool colors offer a low-key lady like vibe. >> thanks, irene. we are moving to more color. >> amped it up with this look. stella mccartney showing a dynamic look and we love mixing bold separates. and we have brought in another trend, stripes. >> sfrips are always in. do you call this color blocking? >> this is color block.

>> something we might not have seen a year ago. >> this -- definitely not for the feint of heart. >> is there a rule against what you don't use for color blocking? >> citrus colors. they work beautifully together. >> could you do that with pastels as well? >> you can. >> beautiful. let's see tonya now who is coming in. you love this look, too. >> our lovely tonya. she is wearing a confident look. she's doing it all with one color, poppy. >> poppy and she is wearing it -- >> bright whites. black is in green. the look with neutral accessories. >> black patent leather shoes with this. black patent always hot this time of year. >> year round now. >> black paent leather belt. beautiful. tonya, thank you so much for that. you brought other accessories with you as well. >> everyone can pad bursts of color in their wardrobe. playful accessories. you pick a color you like like a

come handbag or cross body bag. got your patent pumps. this is something anyone can incorporate to their wardrobe. >> are there any don'ts we must not do? >> don't overdo it. you do simpler looks with the boulder accessories or vice versa. you do into the bold looks with the neutral accessories. >> a lot of this is available. this is available. you say this you can find these looks. >> reinvent your closet by bringing in a new mix of your colors. >> thank you so much. >> thank you to all our beautiful models for joining us today. i think we are all ready for colors. so beautiful out there. thanks so much. >> my pleasure. >> our time right now is 11:50. meteorologist veronica johnson will be back with another check of the mild week ahead.

>> tomorrow morning on "news4 today," anticipated cherry blossom festival will start. trees will be in full bloom. what will be the best day to head down to the tidal basin? we will tell you what's happening in this year's 'fesstyral and why it is unprecedented. statewide drill in virginia, what you need to know so you are prepared. wake up with us tomorrow morning for your overnight news, weather and traffic.

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 yeah, nine out of ten couples disagree on the firmness they want in a mattress. i sleep on the couch. with our bed, the sleep number setting represents the firmness that you like on your half of the mattress. don't mess with my side because i'm comfortable. i can adjust mine to my liking and she can do the same. go ahead and switch sides so you can feel what the other side feels like. you're on his side. how does that feel? it's hard. i like my side i like my better, too. side better. this is this is too soft. too hard. why don't we switch back to where you were. i am so glad to be back. oh, yeah. you can have comfort and you can be in the same bed. there's no debate or no squabble because you can have it your way and i'll have it mine. so we save a lot of marriages. discover the amazing sleep number bed, only at a sleep number store where during our semi-annual sleep sale, you can save $400 to $700 on our most popular bed sets.

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now here's some high priced tea that may have you scratching your head. tea makers in china are using panda droppings to make an organic green tea blend. apparently panda droppings have high nutritional value. who knew. you can buy the tea online for $180 an ounce. that's about $13 a tea bag. the money will support environmental projects. you may see some fancy basketball moves off the court in d.c. today. 1:30 this afternoon, harlem globetrotters will dribble and spin their away cross the arlington memorial bridge, lincoln memorial. part of the grand rival for globe trotter week in d.c. harlem globetrotters plan to make a number of stops in the area and schools this week. also will play three games this weekend at verizon center,

george mason university's patriot center in fairfax county. georgetown fans are probably grumpy today as the hoyas are out of the may nay tournament. the hoyas fell yesterday to the 11th seed wolfpack. georgetown trailed the entire second half. at one point as much as 11 points. they clawed their way back. down by three at the end of the game. senior jason clark had a chance to tie. but unfortunately missed. after the game coach thompson iii was visibly shaken but tried to stay positive. >> i don't know if i have ever been as proud to be associated with a group of men with a team as much as i have, as i am, with this team. >> the tournament has not been kind to the hoyas recently. it is the fifth straight year that they failed to make the sweet 16. nationals fans will have to wait a little bit to see bryce

harper in the major leagues it is a 19-year-old outfieldler start this season in the minors. the nationals announced they are auctioning him to aaa syracuse. harper hit 286 with zero home runs, two walks, and 11 strikeouts in 28 at-bats this spring. he told "the washington post" he is not happy with the decision but will work hard and hopes to be back up with the team soon. a look at some of the stories we are following for news4 this afternoon. coming up at 4:00, if your child loves eating snacks, what are the best and worst? we will break down the healthiest treats that even parents won't find serving up. then tonight at 5:00, in the market for a used car, how to comparison shop. learn about a vehicle's history all from your cell phone. time for a final check on your forecast. we have veronica with us today. she can tell us what we can expect the rest of the week, too. >> i like this month of march. this week, like march,

overachiever. really reaching far beyond where it is supposed to be. ship one needs to tell march that it is acting like may. >> we have noticed that. we don't mind. >> no. >> this week back up into the mid 7 ons for a high. 69 is where we are now. we are talking about a chance of rain, too, this week. all week long, i only think we are going to see a tenth to quarter of an inch of rain. shower, light shower, north of winchester. here is your future weathercast. by 5:00 you can see the area of rain making its way south and southea southeastward. could have an isolated shower coming our way overnight. there we are early tomorrow. i think we will have more fog ask like today lit take time for the clouds to lift. tomorrow much of the same from mostly cloudy to partly sunny sky. we have a chance for isolated showers, loot winds tomorrow. 78 for a high on wednesday. 79 on thursday. and i have to start making my plans now for what i will do on wednesday and thursday. i will tell you what, it is not going to involve any work

outside. something fun. >> you are wearing your hot colors. you look terrific. are you going to be with us all week? i will be here all week long. >> i want to tell the folks globetrotters decide they will go across the key bridge instead of the memorial bridge at 1:30 today. they will be on the key bridge today. that's "news4 midday." thank you for being with us today and invite you to tune in for more news at 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and 11:00. lots of surprises for you tomorrow on "news4 midday." hope you plan to join usful have a terrific day and we will see you in the morning.