good line. and he's convincing. >> reporter: he's talking about christopher manion. they trusted him to do the work on their home but left the job undone, they say they have never seen all the materials they say they paid for, like new kitchen cabinets, hardwood and tile flooring, a new bathroom and so much more. >> the problem is he gains your trust, and then of course he violates it. >> reporter: the sheriff's office charged manion and his partner, albert styles, in connection with three jobs they allegedly contracted to do, but didn't get done. >> he has been charged with operating without a license, and theft. >> reporter: the russells are embarrassed they kept believing him and paying money. he used excuses for not doing the work such as personal and family crises and some of the issues on other contractors. >> how do we get out of the situation? except to work with him and hopefully he will somehow summon

up the focus to finish or do the work. >> the russells lost their retirement nest egg, will have to keep working to make repairs to their home. russ is having trouble trusting another contract or to do the work. >> i feel i'm a money tree that has been plucked. >> reporter: police say there are two other cases they involve $3500 and a roof job and bathroom rehab project. sheriff's office officials believe there could be additional victims and they want those victims to come forward even though it could be embarrassing. the russells lost priceless items involving a storage pod that was on their property. i'll have more on that coming up on news4 at 6:00. chopper 4 over the scene of a car crash in crofton that sent a driver and two officers to the hospital. it happened here along route 3 and route 450 this morning. police tell us someone was driving a stolen toyota camry when officers tried to pull the

vehicle over, the driver slammed into two patrol cars. the officers and the driver were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. prince georges county police answered questions this afternoon about why one of their officers shot at a man in temple hills. it happened around 3:00 in the morning at the lynn hill condominiums. police say two officers responded to a robbery call, they were confronted by a suspect as they arrived at the building, that's when they say the suspect started acting bizarre. >> he threw himself on the ground and reached for and acted as if he had a weapon. based on his actions, the officers believed that he had a gun and our female officer in this situation fired her county-issued weapon. none of the rounds hit the suspect. >> that suspect was arrest eed r stabbing a man in the condo, he's in critical condition tonight. police believe the two knew each

other. the officer is on administrative leave. to florida, george zimmerman made his first court appearance today, after being charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of trayvon martin. >> nbc's justice correspondent pete williams joins us with insight on this. what was the purpose of the hearing. >> reporter: called a first appearance, just to advise the defendant of the formal charges. he didn't enter a plea, was not required to, he didn't say much other than yes a couple times. he was told about the charges. the judge then said he will come back to another court hearing in a month or so, where they will decide on whether he will be allowed out on bond. now, his attorney hasn't yet asked that he be released on bond. and said today, after the court hearing that he thought it was too soon to reach that decision, that he talked to his client very briefly, and i think you get the sense his lawyer this is it's not the safest thing in the world to let him out on bond

right now. he's satisfied that he's in a relatively safe place in the jail. he's in sole custody in the jail, not with the general prison -- or jail population, i think they want to work the issues out before they seek bail or bond. >> his attorney made a request about records, what was this about? >> that's right. i think his lawyer is concerned about naturally about pre-trial publicity in the case, which has been, by anybody's estimation, massive. there is a single court document so far, the bare bones charging document. but there are other documents that will undoubtedly be filed in the case that routinely are filed in criminal cases. the police reports, arrest warrants, all those sort of things and the lawyer indicated today that he wants to try to keep anything but that official charging document under seal to limit pre-trial publicity. is that unusual to ask for that, is that usually granted? >> it's somewhat unusual to ask

for it, not always granted because in sort of investigative things like that are generally put on the court record. but of course it's within the judge's discretion, pre-trial publicity will be a huge thing here, who knows whether the defense will try to seek a change of venue motion based on the publicity, but i don't know where you would go in florida where there hasn't been a lot of attention. >> or the united states. >> it can't be anywhere in the u.s. other than florida. pete williams, thanks so much. >> you bet. trayvon martin's mother is clarifying a comment she made on "the today show" during that interview. she referred to what happened to her son as an accident. >> i believe it was an accident. i believe that it just got out of control and he couldn't turn the clock back. i would ask him did he know -- >> some people interpreted her remark to mean the shooting was an accident. a few hours later she said that is not what she meant. she says it was an accident that

her son and george zimmerman crossed paths. but she believes zimmerman stalked her son and murdered him in cold blood. the battle over gay rights is playing out in montgomery county high schools this week. gay rights groups are blanketing the county's 25 public high schools with 50,000 flyers telling students it's okay to be gay. those flyers are in response to ones that were sent home in february, claiming that homosexuality isn't a permanent trait and can be fixed. montgomery county schools allow non-profit groups to distribute flyers during specific periods of the school year. a board of education committee is thinking of banning that practice beginning next school year. now to the latest in the presidential race. president obama's reelection campaign hope to keep the focus on taxing the rich and mitt romney wealth didn't work out that way. last night democratic advisor hillary rosen slammed romney on cnn for saying he gets economic

advice from his wife. she said ann romney in her words, never worked a day in her life. >> i haven't struggled as much financially as some people have. i can till and promise you that i have had struggles in my life. >> i think we can all agree, democrats and republicans, raising children is an extremely difficult job. >> the white house noted that hillary rosen did not work for president obama or his campaign, rosen later apologized to ann romney for her comments. now to the wild weather swings this week, parts of the area under a frost advisory tonight. >> wow. still april, temperatures are going to rebound, however, in the 80s. doug, how are you keeping track of all this? >> it is those wild temperature swings, we'll continue to see these over the next couple days, and then we'll get in a fantastic stretch of warmer weather once again we have seen a lot of it so farks we'll see more of it out there right now. the cloud cover, you can see a mixture of of sun and clouds across the area right now, with current temperature at 58

degrees. winds out of the north at 13 miles per hour, so it's a little on the cool side, when you walk outside this evening. so you will need the jacket once again and once again, will be a cool night. down to 57 right now in gaithersburg. 57 in frederick, maryland. 55 in winchester, warmest area toward fredericksburg, temperature is 61 degrees. those temperatures will be low temperatures as we make our way in the weekend. we have much warmer air that will make its way our way. that is the good news. if you're getting used to that warmer air, want it to return, wait until you see the forecast, i have good numbers for you. thanks, doug. game over, the first place nats win the home opener against the cincinnati reds 3-2. highlights from the game in a bit. fans were excited, more than 40,000 of them weathered the cool temps to watch the first home game of the season. news4's richard jordan, great way to kick things off, richard. >> reporter: that's right, jim,

some of the fans are pouring out right now, and many of them are smiling because the nats came out on top. there is excitement for the team but people are pumped up about menu items including one huge burger, making mouths water and jaws drop. all the usual suspects are here. cheese steak sandwiches. hot dogs, beer, the fan favorites that are synonomous with baseball and home opener. >> life begins on opening day. >> the nats are throwing a changeball with a giant 8 pound burger. the strasburger at the red porch. it takes 30 minutes to prepare, cooks 15 minutes on each side. the burger made up of ground brisket, chuck and short ribs, is only the half of it. american cheese, lettuce, secret sauce, pickles, tomatoes and red onions loaded up between two

record size buns and a knife in the middle because it's meant to be shared. >> it's supposed to be 8 pounds with all the toppings. so i think we will be surprised. >> reporter: if you think the burger is big, wait until you get the check. >> 59. >> $59. >> that is a lot for a burger. >> yes, it is, but it will feed at least six of us. >> $59 just for one burger, that man says he split it with some of his friends, five other friends but there is a story going around the park there was actually a guy who ordered the burger and ate it all by himself. coming up at 6:00, more on the fan frenzy including people who came from far and wide to be here and some who skipped work. reporting live at nats park, richard jordan, news4. >> i want to see his waistline, too. has to be huge. >> i don't want to see anything. coming up next on news4 at 5:00, a pharmacy in potomac robbed twice in one week.

police say it was an inside job. accident or arson? tonight new developments from the front lines as crews try to get the upper hand on those brush fires across virginia. the biggest loser is going the i'm more ofer is going an absentee plant parent.

[ cellphone rings ] tuscaloosa? schenectady? des moines? okay. okay. okay. i can't always be there to weed my petunias. so now we use miracle gro shake 'n feed plus weed preventer. it feeds plants and prevents weeds for up to three months. so my plants grow bigger, more beautiful, without all the weeds -- guaranteed. [ cellphone rings ] with miracle gro shake 'n feed, anyone can have a green thumb. [ cellphone rings ] everyone grows with miracle gro.

you're watching news4 at 5:00. metro launching a new survey to address the growing needs of the rail system. the study will focus on customers. you will receive a card asking you about your trip when entering one of the 86 stations. more than 400,000 forms will be handed out. it runs for six weeks, and ends may 25th. the information provided is critical to planning the future. it's a bittersweet day for residents in the cleveland park, community. the giant food store at wisconsin and newark streets is closing after more than 50 years. pat lawson muse has details on the next project. >> reporter: at the cleveland park giant, customers trickle in and trickle out with the last bags of grocery they will buy here. >> where will you buy your groceries? >> there is another giant in maryland close to me, a safeway that is close. and i could have things delivered on the internet.

i don't think i'll starve. >> reporter: after a half century, the store is closing their doors to make way for a bigger one. >> we didn't know the exact date until a few weeks ago but we knew because our starbucks got close and everything else it would be any day now. >> reporter: the new store part of $125 million mixed use development. to occupy most of two blocks of wisconsin avenue. blocks where practically all of the businesses are now boarded up. the new development, cathedral commons, will feature a 56,000 square foot supermarket, 70,000 square feet of shops and restaurants, plus eight condos, 137 apartments, and 500 parking spaces. for much of the past decade, the debate over exactly what kind of new development to locate in this community has sometimes pitted neighbor against neighbor. but most of the neighbors we talked to today said out with the old, in with the new. >> i would say a lot of wheels have turned and it's time to get going. there didn't seem to be any point in trying to hold on to something that was really not

serving the community well anymore. >> reporter: giant will move all the workers here to other stores. >> as long as we're employed that is the best thing. a lot of people been here a long time. they are getting their hugs and kisses as we speak. >> reporter: to help ease the transition customers, giant is providing free service to the giant store in the 4300 block of connecticut avenue. until construction of cathedral commons is finished in 2014. pat lawson muse, news4, washington. the free shuttle bus service starts this weekend runs on suns, tuesdays and thursdays. u.s. forest service officials are now calling one of the wild fires burning in virginia suspicious. investigators tonight say the blaze that is consuming the rich whole forest in allegheny county started in the exact same spot as a smaller previous blaze. they also say the flames jumped the original containment line by the length of a football field earlier this week. the fire burned nearly 7000

acres since saturday. large first are also burning in page, craig and shenandoah counties. it has been very dry but also very breezy with winds upwards of 20, 30 miles per hour, any time you have those conditions, fires are able to spread quickly, that is why they said spread like wildfire, that is what they do. with 30 mile an hour winds, the fires can spread very fast, this is a problem we will have for a while. we don't have significant chance s of rain anytime soon. temperatures will heat things up and further dry things out. pretty nice afternoon, still on the cool side, not quite as cool as it was during the day yesterday but we're still seeing temperatures that were below average. high temperature today, 60 degrees. right now sitting at 58 degrees, winds out of the north at 13 miles per hour. under mostly cloudy skies, we'll continue to see these numbers here fall a little bit through the rest of the evening, 55

right now in leesburg, 59 in frederick, up toward gaithersburg, temperature of 57 degrees, 61 down toward easton on the eastern shore. very chilly evening, not bad. these are the kids out there at h haycock elementary school. had a great time talking to them, a little bit earlier this afternoon. they had a lot of great questions, always talking about the tornados, the hurricanes, and the earthquakes, not weather-related but more than happy to talk about them of course, that was the earthquake we saw last year. a chilly morning overnight, frost advisories in effect for the areas here in the purple color, back to the west, freeze warnings once again. this is something we did not deal with very much in the month of march, as a result of two things, one the very warm temperatures, but two, the growing season had not started yet. now we're in the growing season, we're seeing more advisories and more of the warnings and you usher in the colder temperatures

and you can see the flow directly out of the north, that is why we're seeing the cool air and that is why we're seeing the cloud cover. very much like we saw during the day yesterday, only difference is the showers that were here yesterday are toward philadelphia and new york today. yes, they're seeing the snow showers and even little toward their region. nothing show you in our region, will stay dry through the next couple days. cool weather tonight, watch what happens tomorrow, plenty of sunshine tomorrow, high pressure starts to dominate, we see a fantastic friday, saturday the area of high pressure begins to move down to the south and east, we see a cold front or rather a warm front moves through, that will allow much warmer air to come in for the weekend, we will see more clouds i think as the warm front moves through with possibility of a shower, maybe a sprinkle, but not a good chance of rain. but a big chance, of a warm-up. we're talking really warm air coming in the beginning of next week. this evening, few clouds, rather breezy and cool. 47 to 54 degrees. tomorrow morning, waking up to

another chilly start, temperatures 34 to about 43 degrees. winds out of the north, northwest at 5 to 10 miles per hour, not much in the wind. tomorrow afternoon, mostly sunny, fantastic friday. 64 to 70 degrees, enjoy tomorrow and then,en joy your weekend, 73 on saturday, 85 on sunday. >> oh, yeah. >> 83 on monday. now i do think there will be a period we see more clouds than sun, but still, with temperatures like that, get out and do whatever you want. a lot of nationals games this weekend. get out there for those. >> you're on the lawn in the next half hour. >> i'm going to be meeting with 60 of my closest friends, wait until you see who we are talking about. cherry blossom season going on. up next on news4 at 5, from the catwalk to the courtroom, a beauty queen strikes a deal after getting bust forward dui. i'm liz crenshaw, your credit score, do you know your number? the best ways to boost your

score? my story is coming up. coming up in sports, while the caps hit the playoff road, baseball is back in d.c., baseball is back in d.c., highlights

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause that you just keep going.

(man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) the fund-raising was the easiest part. people were very giving. complete strangers wanting to help. if i can do this, you definitely can do this. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. in sports, dan hellie is live in boston, caps taking on bruins in the playoffs. dan? >> reporter: before we talk hockey, we have to start with baseball, the home opener for

the nationals today, new pitcher gonzalez makes his nationals park debut. it was stellar. seven innings, gives up two hits. but he does not get the win. this was a wild one down at nationals park. in the fifth season seeps like it opened up yesterday. we were scoreless until the fifth inning. adam laroche, slaps a base hit up the gut. desmond and espinosa score, the nationals on top 2-0. this one goes do extras. after brad lidge blows the save. tied at 2 in the tenth. two on, two out. a wild pitch, zimmerman scores, that is the game winner. the nationals downed the reds 3-2. 5-2 on the season. amber theoharis was there, what is going on? >> a packed house, 40,000 plus.

gonzales pitched a gem. after the game in the clubhouse all the talk how he should have gotten the win but didn't because of the brad lidge blown save. but it all came down to the wild pitch and davie johnson said he looked at the coach before the pitch and said now would be a great time for a wild pitch, he got it. the nats got the win. the manager is very happy. >> was great, i feel like we have been on the road for two months and we have, spring training and then opening on the road. great crowd, a lot of energy, great game. >> was good, it's nice, i said it before if we win and put a good product out there, they will come. you look at the capitals, they are sold out, they play well in, contention every year. >> dan, as december monld said, if you win, the fans will come in washington and that is what the nationals have done here in the hope opener. dan? thanks, amber, hopefully this year things will turn

around and they will win. 5-2 are the nationals right now. the caps here in boston, starting with what they hope will be a long playoff run. the regular season did not go well. that is why they are a seventh seed taking on the second seeded boston bruins. the bs, the defending champs, the caps trying to avoid a first round exit from the postseason for the third time in five years. the playoffs have not been a thing of beauty for the capitals as of late. to advance they need this kid to play well, hoppe making his first playoff start tonight. they are forced to go with the third stringer. he only started seven games for the caps this season spending most of the year with the minor league club, the hershey bears. what will doe differently in the playoffs? >> not much, i'm just trying to go about my usual ways. start changing things up you get

too wrapped up in everything. just want to go have fun. >> the guys that have success they come out and don't change the game, they have fun, they rise to the occasion. i don't want him thinking he has to go to his room and sit in there and focus more or whatever, we're playing the same team over and over again, you maybe study tendencies on what shooters do, but that is probably the extent of any kind of change you make from regular season to postseason. >> only the associate goalie coach doesn't want him to say anything. he said he would try to nap but would check out his fantasy baseball team and manage that until game time. big day up there, thank you, dan. coming up, crime or coincidence? the chain of events that led police to robbers in poteau mack. eye opening lessons about distracting driving. no place like

george zimmerman had the first court appearance after being charged in the death of trayvon martin. zimmerman profiled the black teenager and began running after him. he then shot martin after a struggle. two home improvement contractors face criminal charges in charles county. they are accused of taking more than $300,000 from homeowners, for work they never completed. one couple lost their retirement

in this scam. a war of words today in the race for the white house. cnn commentator hillary rosen slammed mitt romney saying he get economic advice from his wife, a stay at home mother who raised five children. rosen said ann romney never worked a day in her life. the white house noted rosen does not work for president obama or his campaign. two armed robberies at the same cvs pharmacy. >> it happened within a week's time. many wondered if it was a calculated crime or coincidence. >> pat collins is live in potomac with the latest on this investigation. pat? >> reporter: jim, police say a gunman robs a store, but leaves behind a bag of stolen money. they say a supervisor at the store picks up the bag of money, and takes it outside so the robber can get it. talk about service. armed robbery. cvs. tuckerman lane.

this is how police tell the story. a gunman forces a store supervisor to open the registers. he makes off with money in a duffle bag. seven days later, armed robbery, cvs, tuckerman lane, this is how police tell the story. a gunman goes inside and forces a supervisor to open the safe. he makes off with $8,000. hey, wait a minute. hold on. that's the same cvs! that's the same supervisor. that's the same robber. police picked up on that right away. book 'em dano, arrest in aisle 4. charged by police that cvs supervisor, fenton james graham. the telling evidence?

on that security tape. >> they did notice the night supervisor of the cvs acted suspiciously. he entered one minute in the store before the robber came in the store. he never mentioned this to detectives. when the robber leaves the store, he forgets the money you see the supervisor running out with the bag of money and the suspect is able to get it. >> he leaves it out for the robber? >> correct, the robber picks it up. >> that doesn't normally happen. >> it doesn't. >> in no time, police identified the robber, they say he's 53-year-old michael cooke. he was picked up in vegas about a week ago. turns out he's the father of the supervisor's girlfriend michelle allison. so the the supervisor's girlfriend and her father all charged. pat collins, news4. two men pleaded guilty for their roles in teen prostitution

ring in fairfax county. investigators say michael jeffreys of woodbridge and christopher sylvia of springfield were part of a gang that started the prostitution ring in 2009. they say for nearly three years high school girls would be recruited at school or on the street. then threatened with violence if they tried to quit. jeffries served as a body guard, sylvia drove the girls to each location and both men now face a maximum of life in prison. an all too frequent tragedy that some local teenagers experienced in the graphic simulation today. the waldorf fire department sponsored distracted and drunk driving program that thomas stone high school called every 15 minutes. students watched while some of the classmates were covered in fake blood and wounds in a simulated crash scene. they heard mock obituaries after someone claimed the grim reaper removed a student every 15 minutes. >> i think it gets the message across to a certain extent.

some people listen, some don't. seeing everyone and all my friends looking dead, i get the message. >> students accused in the simulated crashes also had to face a judge in a mock trial. get your gym shorts ready, pe could be returning to virginia public schools. a bill setting up new physical education guidelines is expected to be signed in law next week. governor bob mcdonald turned down an early version requiring a set amount of activity. the new pe guidelines would only apply to virginia's public elementary and middle school, and once approved they are expected to go in effect by 2014. supporters of the pe bill say it will help fight childhood obesity. when we come right back, tracking your time in the skies, find out which regional airport ranks among the best in the nation for on time arrivals. get ready to laugh, we'll look at some of the main

[ male announcer ] if you believe the mayan calendar, on december 21st polar shifts will reverse the earth's gravitational pull and hurtle us all into space. which would render retirement planning unnecessary. but say the sun rises on december 22nd, and you still need to retire. td ameritrade's investment consultants can help you build a plan that fits your life. we'll even throw in up to $600 when you open a new account or roll over an old 401(k). so who's in control now, mayans?

yeah, but the feeling wasn't always mutual. i want you to grow big! if you grow for me, you'll get cookies for free. nothing worked. ♪ but we started using miracle-gro garden soil. you just mix it with your backyard soil... and it feeds your plants for up to 3 months. my plants grew bigger... more beautiful... with more flowers and vegetables. guaranteed. everything changed with miracle-gro. for you are these flowers, like soap is for showers. everyone grows with miracle-gro.

old favorites are back on display at the national museum of american history. the new exhibit is called "american stories" features things like the ruby red slippers from wt the wizard of oz" also a walking stick used by ben franklin, original kermit the frog puppet and piece of plymouth rock. a leather jacket bob dylan wore

during his 1965 performance at the newport folk festival will obvious display. need a good laugh? head to the d.c. film festival. opens today and comedies from around the world are on the menu. along with great films from caribbean cinema and social activism, an 11-day feast for your eyes. >> reporter: starbuck is the headliner, a man donates sperm in years past and fathers more than 500 children. now they want to meet him. the fairy tells the story of a guy in a dreary life who meets a fairy who grants him three wishes. lively escapades follow. the 26th year for the d.c. film festival. founder talked to me on the non-stop rundown about the themes that will unfold on our screens. >> we have a couple themes, but

doing international comedies, as we like to say now politics isn't the only funny thing in washington, d.c. >> the other theme is caribbean journeys, showing the islands to ourself are teeming with a rich cinema. now is your chance. >> we're showing the new film about bob marley, great film, and also a film that features his granddaughter and the granddaughter is coming in. >> local film maker dan cohen shows his documentary, an article of hope, about the journey of a tiny torah from the death camps of the holocaust to the heavens above. it's a big world out there, in so many ways to see it. the d.c. film festival will be bringing so many stories and characters to our door, with finely crafted cinema. the gems found off the beaten

path. that is the fairy is very funny, so is starbuck which starts tonight. 80 films, the d.c. film festival starts today, find a scheduled of the films and venues on nbcwashington.com. we're so lucky to have it in our town. a lot of people coming. could you spend a whole vacation doing that. >> you could. what a good idea. coming up, what is in a number? liz crenshaw has five factors that can impact your credit score. and what to do to improve your standing. he's cute and cuddly and chunky, tips the scales at 40 plus pounds, how a rescue group is helping this plump dog slim down for surgery. first, head out to the front lawn and doug. a little on the cool side out here, a mixture of sun and clouds, we'll talk about the weather and how it will be improving over the next couple days and then, we'll talk to some 60 ladies right here who all came just to see me.

no, that is not true at all but you want to find out what they

>> you can call it the biggest loser for dogs. a woman in burtonsville, maryland took in a dog who could stand to lose a few pounds. derrick ward introduces us to fluffy porkchop. >> we're aware of the health risks associated with carrying too much weight on our human frames. for our best friends on four legs, too much girth is as hazardous. meet fluffy porkchop, seven-year-old corgi-cocker

spaniel mix, rescued. when she was rescued latest he tipped the scales at twice his ideal weight. >> he came in extremely overweight. he was over 42 pounds, and he came in the shelter in delaware, they contacted us. >> the wrong diet and ills to show for it. >> people food. probably fed scraps off the table. we did blood work when he came in, and his cholesterol was extremely high. not a good thing for a dog. >> fluffy's weight loss is more than cosmetic. he has medical problems. they require surgery, right now he probably couldn't survive the anesthesia. he has cherry eyes an affliction to his breed and dental work. there is less of fluffy, he has a ways to go. marilyn is serious about his daily exercise regiment, walks on their street do nicely and a sensible diet.

collaboration between marilyn and the vet. >> we talked calories. she told me what the acceptable calorie range was, i told her the food, i found the amount of calories or the vet found them, and we compared and she said yes, that is a good food, feeding him twice a day better than once a day. >> there is a blog with updates on his progress. she cut back on the doggy treats or found healthier ones. fluffy is fond of raw carrots. marilyn thinks in no time more fluff will turn to buff and he will be ready for medical procedures and a permanent home and maybe he will lose the pork chop portion of his name. and she will lose a friend. >> when he goes to a good home it allows me to help the next dog that needs help. >> in burtonsville, derrick ward. >> good news as we head in the busy travel season. the top airlines are flying on time clocking in their best performance in almost two decades. on time arrival performance during the first two months of

2012 was the highest it has been in 18 years. in february, 86 paerls of the flights arrived on time, vwi the highest performance at 91%. houston had the worst. what is in a number? a lot if you're talking about your credit score. the difference between good and fair scores can be thousands of dollars in interest rates or complete rejection on a loan. liz crenshaw will tell us how it all works. liz? >> reporter: your credit score allows lenders to figure out which bow owners are most likely to pay back a loan and which are at rise to be default. deciphering your credit score, how does it all add up, due do you know where you stand? >> everybody else is higher than mine. >> do you know what your credit score is or know what it's for? >> no. >> no idea? >> no idea. >> not sure what your credit score is or maybe you're confused by the number? >> you get it and why is it

lower, i don't understand. they have too much credit, not enough. >> there are lots of numbers claiming to be your credit score the one most lenders look at is called a fico score. and ranges from 300 to 5850, a score above 750 is excellent. your score determines whether you get a car loan or mortgage, and your score determines your interest rate. >> so it's -- >> there are five factors that raise or lower your score. payment history makes up 35% of your score. >> simple, do you pay on time? and have you built a history of paying on time. >> factor two, how much debt do you carry compared to credit you have. your debt-to-credit ratio is 30% of the score. >> this is the keep your debts under control theory.

>> factor three, how long have you had your credit? this is 15% of your score. factor number four, how often do you search for new credit? this is 10% of your score. and factor number 5, what times of credit do you have, again, 10% of your score. >> they like to see a seasoned credit history. they like to see mix of accounts, mortgage, revolving, installment and inquiries. are you looking for credit like mad, or have you been responsible in the way that you apply for kred it? >> if you need to improve your score, fix any of these factors. so how do you find out your score? well you have to pay for it, fico charges $20. some credit bureaus have their own scores called vantage, they charge from $8 to $10. bottom line, your credit score controls your financial options, so boosting it is the best

strategy. >> you always want to be higher. >> you want to be higher. >> okay, remember, you're entitled to a free credit report, from each credit bureau once a year making sure there are no errors on your report is critical. if you do want to get your score or your free credit report we have links nbcwashington.com, search credit score. boosting it, getting it higher. >> great tips, thank you, liz. let's go back outside with doug and his crowd of lovely ladies. what is that about? >> what that is about? wouldn't you like to know, wendy, i guess i have to tell you, this is of course the cherry blossoms, they are coming in for the 100th anniversary, this year it's five weeks long. every year they have the princesses, go ahead and wave, you're trying to look nice, you can wave.

we have aly s lallison, she is queen from west virginia. the queen from japan, izuko. i got it right. she is from tokyo. tell us about what you guys are doing here today. >> today we have with us a princess from every state, the four of the five territories, the district of columbia and several embassies, and have been traveling around d.c. all week with our great bus drivers, a quick shot out to them for putting up with all of us for a week. and we have been traveling around seeing the best of what d.c. has to offer with the lovely girls and this was a stop here on our way. >> thank you for stopping for us and you have come all the way from japan, what does that mean to come from japan to washington, d.c. for our cherry blossoms here? >> i had couple of interviews and chosen to be the queen from japan. >> we welcome you here, thank you for coming, we welcome all you guys here. they had a quick stop in georgetown for 30 minutes to shop. how did that go?

that go okay? >> great! >> sorry, they had to come ove right now, the next couple days looking good. it is on the chilly side, as they are telling me out there right now but will be better, 61 degrees the temperature, we the last hour. from 58 last hour with winds out of the west at 16 miles per hour. current temperatures around the metro area, look like this, currently at 56 in restin, 61 in college park, camp springs at 60. what are we going to be seeing the next couple days? overnight tonight, another very chilly night. sorry ladies, storm4 radar show things are dry. jackets are a necessity, 35 in leesburg. tomorrow, warming up nicely, with plenty of sunshine, i think we will see high temperatures close to the upper 60s to around 70 degrees, the weather looking absolutely fantastic, whether it's going to be for the nats

game or the ball that you guys are going to be at tomorrow night, the grand ball, where is that at? >> the renaissance hotel on 9th street. >> some ladies need chaperones. jim handly, whatever you want to do. >> you look like you need help, doug. rough assignment. >> yes. >> doug and company. nice gig, huh? let's turn to doreen with what is in store for 6:00. the criminal trial for former presidential candidate john edwards got underway accused of using campaign cash as hush money to hide his pregnant mistress. also a person report about the howard theater and impact on the revival, jim vance will have the story. somebody thought they could get away with stealing a french masterpiece worth more than $100 million. guess it didn't work out. >> coming up on news4 at 6:00.

see you then.

she made headlines for being a ground breaker. >> a former miss usa is back in the news, but it hasn't been so positive.

>> eun yang has details on a plea deal in a drunk driving case. >> reporter: remah walked a pageant runway. now walking the aisle of a courtroom. she avoided trial by pleading no contest to misdemeanor drunk driving charges. >> i feel it was fair, i'm going do make sure i learned from my lesson. >> she was speeding and weaving in traffic when they stopped her in the early morning hours of december 3rd. they found an open champagne bottle behind the driver's seat. her blood alcohol level tested at more than twice the legal limit. >> i wasn't thinking about the whole this is a big party, let me call a cab, get this person home. i was kind of like we left, valet threw us the key, i said i'll drive. >> her term as miss usa ended six months before the incident, said she tried to deny the

arrest. tweeting i'm not in michigan and i'm not in jail. wrong fakih. she said her toughest telephone call was to donald trump, head of miss usa. >> i was more nervous than talking to my dad to talk to mr. trump. but hearing his energy and it makes you feel better. >> trump declined to comment on this latest controversy swirling around the beauty pageant he owns with nbc universal. he reversed course and allowed a transgendered miss canada to compete. >> i did not want to offend anybody. this is how i was raised, this is what i believe a marriage should be. >> when he gave miss usa tara connor a second chance when she agreed to enter rehab after allegations of drug and alcohol abuse. fakih is no stranger to controversy.

pictures emerged of her pole dancing three years earlier. miss usa officials food by her. fakih is the first arab-american and muslim to win the tie he'll. she appeared on "today" as the rein came to an end. >> you have personal growth, you break barriers, you have things to be fearless, i feel that is what i've done. >> she will be sentenced next month, she faces up to 90 days in jail a fine or probation. right now, news4 at 6:00, the latest on george zimmerman's first appearance in court. news4, a couple said they were cheated out of more than $300,000 for a home makeover project. >> a war of words, involves mitt romney's wife. >> life begins on opening day. >> fans had a lot to cheer about at the home opener at nationals park. i'm jim vance. >> i'm doreen gentzler.