welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm veronica johnson. we'll show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them, tackling the cost of textbooks. the options that can help students save hundreds each semester. and they're not just used books. what's your workout? this simple ballet move yields muscle-toning benefits for dancers. married on a mountaintop. why this couple decided to have their wedding in a spot where they couldn't invite many guests. first, a hero is honored for risking his life to save other in a violent storm. that storm blew the roof off a dance studio in fredericksburg, virginia. we show how one man jumped into action to help the children inside.

[ applause ] >> reporter: a special moment for heath mullens as he accepts an award for bravery and courage. how do you feel now receiving this award? >> i'm ready. kind of a little humbled. >> reporter: humility, one of his many characteristics. call him courageous. a strong storm packed with a microburst, winds up to 80 miles per hour caused this spotsylvania gym to cave in with cheerleaders, coaches, and parents inside. >> this man made sure everybody was safe before himself. >> reporter: heath rescued kids, seconds later a wall ll on him, breaking his leg, back, and wrist. why did you sacrifice yourself to help others? >> what else -- that's what anybody would do. >> i'm thankful. >> reporter: the spotsylvania sheriff's office honored those who worked together to save lives. ultimately everyone got out okay. seven people were hurt .

they thanked god. >> father, i pray that you bless these individuals -- >> reporter: if you had to do it over again, would you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: why? >> that's what you're supposed to do. >> reporter: it's going to take months for heath to fully recover. meanwhile, he's also pleased to have received an award from state senator bryce reeves basically commending him for his dedicated service to the community. in spotsylvania, news4. >> we hope that heath recovers fully. d.c. already snapped photos of drivers who speed or run red lights. now the city could become one of the firs to have cameras at stop signs. it's one proposed change to the camera program. as tom sherwood reports, another could provide a break for drivers. >> reporter: speed cameras are showing up all around town. most everyone is aware of red light cameras, but that's just the beginning. a d.c. council task force is reviewing city plans to extend

auto mated cameras and camera fine fleas to several more circumstances to raise a total of $80,000 a year in fines beginning late next year. simple don't-block-the-box signs aren't doing the job. au automated cameras would catch and fine you at a busy intersection. cameras would target vehicles that ignore crosswalks. among the first in the nation, cameras would click on vehicles that don't stop at stop signs. council member mary chuny says tougher enforcement is feeded and police can't be everywhere. >> people blow through stop signs, and it's very dangerous. we're an urban jurisdiction. there are lots of things going on at intersections. you need to stop. red light running, i don't care where they're from. we don't want anybody running red lights in the district of columbia. >> reporter: the good news for drivers, the d.c. council is considering lowering the fines which are far higher than other jurisdictions, admitting that

fines were used to raise revenue. >> that was plainly a matter for revenue raising. and that's what has gotten people really angry. >> reporter: d.c. police assistant chief patrick burke says speed and traffic light cameras do calm down traffic, and the newer cameras will help, too. >> we've addressed locations that have a greater proclivity for pedestrian injuries and crashes. we would start with cameras, two to three per ward as we roll out. we hope it's in the budget. these are loife-saving measures. >> news4. >> watch out in the district. college textbooks are heavy. so are the profits students pay for them. they can cost hundreds each semester. you probably know it. you've been. there the good news is that today there are more ways for college students to spend less, and it goes beyond just buying used books. liz crenshaw has the ways to save. >> reporter: shopping for books. it's a hassle.

it's confusing. i'm a little afraid about how much money i'm going to be spending. >> reporter: college textbooks aren't cheap. the average student will spend close to $700 a year just on textbooks. to save, many are giving buying the boot. >> the big thing that's really happened in the last two years has been the rental program. what the biggest trend is going on nationwide. >> reporter: andrew clinton is the director of howard university stores. they partner with an online renting service. students have textbooks to hold but return them like a library book. >> you're talking about probably saving up anywhere from 60% to 65% discounts off the list price of a new book. >> reporter: if students want to own the book but don't need to handle the pages, they can buy downloadable ebooks. >> a lot of my professors recommended it. >> reporter: how much can a student save? take a look.

this brand new french language textbook cost $137.99. rent the book for a semester and pay $33.99. that's a savings of more than $100. if you download the same french textbook on amazon as an ebook, it costs $77.50. a savings of more than $60 compared to buying a new hardback book. this chemistry textbook, it cost $247.99 brand new. to rent the same hardback for one semester, $67.49, a savings of about $180. download the same chemistry book from amazon and pay about $121. students still save more than $126 compared to buying new. but while price matters, so does preference. >> some people prefer to have those ebooks, and i prefer to have the hard copy. >> if it's a book i know i want to keep and don't want to buy in

the store, i'll download it to my ipad. >> reporter: in spring, 2012, 27% of students rented one or more printed textbooks. 14% of students bought one or more etextbooks. >> i like to compare -- you want to get the most for your money. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news4. >> sounds like cheg-ching to me. coming up, a disturbing trends with kids developing stint canc skin cancer and why doctors are seeing more cases. look at this contraption. we'll tell you what it is and we'll tell you wwe're sitting on a bunch of shale gas.

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for some people a simple ride on the subway can cause health issues. that's because they're highly sensitive to touch or have difficulty processing information. common issues for people with autism. now a local woman has created a device to help with that, and it's caused quite the buzz in

our newsroom. news4 shows what it is. >> reporter: going to work every day is never a typical experience for lisa daly. as a congressional lawyer she relies heavily on public transportation to get in and out of the district from rockville. you see, lisa is autistic and has sensory processing disorder. >> i ride the metro. and when i ride the metro, it's easy for me to get overstimulated. it involves an oversensitivity to anything from light, sound, touch, texture. >> reporter: after years of uncomfortable rides to work, lisa designed her sensory shields. >> i can sit on it so i don't have to sit on the metro seat. and then there's the partition that goes between me and the next passenger. >> reporter: and i have to admit i wasn't sure how other passengers would react to the device. but it was quite the hit. this woman even wanted one for herself. >> i don't want anybody to sit with me. >> i know. >> reporter: laughter aside, dr. susan rich, one of the nation's

leading psychiatrists, said lisa's shield allows her to keep the overstimulation in check. >> it's allowing her to function in society in a way that she is able to carry on her day-to-day activities, her job. it sounds like she's an attorney. she's not inhibited in any way from doing the thing that she would do. she's not disabled in that way because this provides her an ability to carry on with her life and just like you and i, take public transportation in ways that she wouldn't have been able to do without it. >> reporter: the sensory shield is a prototype model that she had built for herself. she says if she produces more, they'll be more user-friendly. i'm guessing probably be colorful, too. the graceful side of strength training. why gym-goers say they're leaving class with their heads held higher. a big lesson in generosity a big lesson in generosity

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in "news 4 your health," most people don't associate skin cancer with kids. but now doctors are diagnosing more and more children with the condition. they're finding it in teens and children as young as 10-years-old. doreen gentzler has more in this alarming trend. it's not something you can think that you're going to get told that your 11-year-old has beginning stage medical in a moment a. >> reporter: for melissa -- melanoma. >> reporter: for melissa cummins, the news that her son had skin cancer was a shock. >> i was sick. i actually dropped down and couldn't talk on the phone. >> reporter: while the centreville family often spent times outdoors hunting, fishing, and on the boat, she said she was vigilant about skin protection. >> they were not outside without hat, bonnets. as babies, sunscreen always gets put on. like to the point that my boys fussed at me. >> reporter: doctors agree that skin cancer at such a young age is uncommon, but the rates are

increasing at a surprising rate. dr. bernard cohen is the director of pediatric dermtelling at the johns hopkins -- dermatology at the johns hopkins center in baltimore. ten years ago he never saw skin cancer in a child. now he sees a few cases a year. >> commensurate with the adult epidemic in skin cancer, children not far behind. clearly, people are getting more sun exposure. and kids are getting tons of sun exposure, particularly early in life. >> reporter: dr. cohen says it's not just melanoma that's on the rise, he's seeing more incidents of less serious basal and squ m squaumous cell cancer, as well. he believes genetics and more exposure to ultraviolet light are factors. >> i think some of the problem in children under the age of 12 is that we don't understand what it means for them lifelong. >> reporter: for example, the chance of recurrence after a melanoma be as high as 50%. but dr. cohen worries that in a child who has years and years left to live, that chance could

be much higher. that's why melissa says she's constantly checking all of her children's skin. >> so many people don't think kids are going to get skin cancer. it doesn't discriminate, and it doesn't matter how old you are. my only thing is to be aware of what is on your body. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news4. >> dermatologists say pediatricians should be doing those skin check as parliament of -- as part of a child's overall checkup. the earlier skin cancer is detected, the better the treatment. float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. dancers float through grateful moves while feeling the burn. we asked them, what's your workout? >> slide, cross over, jump. land it here. ballet fusion is a combination

of ballet, contemporary, and jazz dance. it's all three combined. for me personally, i like it for the grace and the poise that it gives you as well as the workout. feel good about it? feel the burn? all right. you are working every muscle in your body in a class like this. most people don't realize how intense a ballet class is, but you feel it the next day when you walk out. two, three, turn. >> it was an intense workout. more than i thought. my arms are burning. my legs are burning. >> you're working muscles you don't normally use. you're in positions that you're never in unless you're in a ballet class. just standing in a first position alone is going to be killer on your arms and legs if you just hold that position for a while. two, three, turn. land it here. >> the techniques seem simple but afterwards you feel the burning, stretching.

>> one more plie. up and open. >> i think it's very girlie. definitely i think it would help with many women's self-confidence. >> you're going to notice the tightness in the muscles from your first class. you're going to notice it during class. you're going to feel the burn. and the more often you attend, the faster you're going to see results. >> just a note to let you know that guys are welcomed at the class. next -- >> this is all happiness. >> the event is putting smiles on the faces of police officers and local kids i

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take a look at this loving pair. they're a couple of daredevils from arlington. they took their love to new heights when they tied the knot. bob ewing and his bride recently wed on ton of seneca rocks in the eastern panhandle of virginia. they did the climb on their

wedding day flae. tux, dress, and all. >> we love going out there. we got engaged out there. she wanted to get married on the summit. i said absolutely. >> the dress of my mother's. it's a very simple dress that i could tuck into my harness so i wasn't restricting any movement because it was -- pretty much jammed into my harness. then when we got to the top, i let it out. >> it would clearly be impossible to fit a whole wedding party up there. the ewings held a party the next day for family and friends. what a great way to start off life together. it's not unusual to see kids shopping for school clothes and supplies. for one group of students, it's a special blessing. they're homeless, and their shopping spree comes thanks to a department store in fairfax county. melissa mollet reports. >> reporter: talk about an entrance. smiles coming off the fairfax county school bus. for many kids, this might be the best school year yet.

>> awesome. cool. >> reporter: they're filling their carts with t-shirts, sock, pants. >> size 13. >> reporter: 25 kids are shopping at target as shop with a sheriff program. all living with their families at one of two homeless shelters in fairfax county. today, no worries. >> just more of a warming experience than anything. >> reporter: they each get their very own shopping spree. a $325 gift card for clothes and school supplies. >> because i get to get clothes, and it doesn't really waste any of the money that we have to earn. but everyone else is using their money to help us. so i'm really appreciative. >> reporter: in its 19th year, the shop with a sheriff program has helped hundreds of students. students scouring the aisles for the best deals. of course, it's a little tough to just pass the toy aisle.

so they do grab a treat. sheriff barry has been part of the program since the beginning. >> public safety. there are a lot of unhappy moments that you encounter. this is all happiness. to see the look on the kids' faces when they get to pick out clothes. >> reporter: the entire program is thanks to donations from the sheriff's department, target, and several local companies. >> up to a month at a time, i don't have a chance to get all the stuff i want. and them be here and helping me has given me the experience is okay. i'm excited. >> reporter: in fairfax county county, virginia, news4. >> of course, pretty need and special that they get to grab a toy or something special, too, in addition to the clothes and supplies. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. as always, until next time, be safe, be kind, and be happy. ♪ ♪

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