♪ welcome to news 4 this week. >> i hi, everyone. i'm veronica johnson. we will show you the interesting stories making local news this week. among them timing could be everything if you want a good deal. we will tell you when you can find the best prices on everything from tvs to gym memberships, a car and more. steve harvey helps out the news 4 team. he dishes out advice for our anchors in a way that only the king of comedy can, of course. plus, also wounded warriors are finding hope in healing on the potomac river. first though relief for howard county rez dents who are embarrassed by where they live.

a small cul-de-sac in columbia that had a name that was racist. and neighbors are successful in a change for their address. >> you buy in to a house when you realize you are on coon hunt court. >> i'm embarrassed to live on that street. i feel it was a mistake because it was supposed to be a name of a bird coit. and it was a mistake, an honest mistake or mistake. >> we asked some residents of columbia driving through the neighborhood what they think of the street name. >> when i first moved to the neighborhood i noticed the name of the street and think it is offensive. >> neighbors have been trying to get the name changed for many years feeling it is racist and offensive. >> i think it is unfortunate certainly african-americans that i talk to on the phone know what

it notes. i'm glad it is being changed. >> reporter: there are six houses on the street and they unanimously took acouncilman to name. ift will be named april wind circle. this woman lady thinks it is lovely. >> we have to do a lot. we have to change deeds, checks, addresses with every account i have but it is worth it. >> reporter: in columbia, maryland, chris gordon, news 4. >> also in for changes the national mall. renovations are underway from the lincoln memorial to the u.s. capitol. the capitol dome itself needs millions of dollars in repairs, but is there enough money? tom sherwood has more on that and a look at the progress so far. >> reporter: at the lincoln memorial, a $34 million, two-year restoration of the famous reflecting pool is nearly finished. what do you think when you look at it? >> takes my breath away.

>> i'm very pleased with it. it is quite beautiful now. >> reporter: on the mall itself, millions of dollars in new grass, sidewalks, drainage and paths are going in. it's part of a major overhaul of the mall that should be completed and ready for the january 20th inaugural festivities but the iconic capitol dome is another story. it needs $61 million in repairs and it's not just a little leaky roof. how bad is it? >> 1300 cracks is very bad. so bad that the dome needs immediate attention. >> reporter: the leaks threaten the iron and stone structure, as well as priceless de detailing and art work. art work that draws millions of visitors every year. why isn't it fixed? disputes between the house and senate. >> nothing shows the dysfunction of the congress more than we can't fix the cracks in the dome and the dome fall off the top of the capitol. >> reporter: norton is hoping congress includes dome repairs in the budget compromise due to

be voted on in september. >> just think of the dome. the dome more than any other piece of architecture is identified with the very country in which we live. >> reporter: in the nation's capital, tom sherwood with, news 4. >> please fix the dome. going after a good sale is a no brainer, but what if you knew in advance the best time to buy? helping us out is liz crenshhil he she has a look at the substantial savings you will save during the year. >> they want to clear out the old before the new. >> it is the reason this editor at kiplingers finance says you can get deep discounts on just about everything but you have to know what to buy when. >> for most products there is a cycle once oar twice a year. >> start with appliances. he says the best bets are labor day weekend. >> the new models come out in the fall, september and october. so labor day is a great time to

shop for a major appliance. >> reporter: looking for the best deal on a gym membership. don't wait for the new year, consider joining in june or july. >> about june, if you go to the gym regularly you notice the traffic has died down considerably. they do promotions. >> reporter: in the market for a new car? the best time to buy -- >> late summer all the way through christmas. >> reporter: so start car shopping in august and you will find deals through december. >> i once bought a car on christmas eve and got a fantastic deal. they wanted me out of that dealership. >> reporter: when it comes to finding deals on furniture, try january and july. >> because new furniture comes out in february and also in august. again, they are moving the economy. they are producing new things. so they want to clear out these pieces of furniture before the new shipment arrives.

>> want to get away cruise lines have a wave season. >> it is january through march. if you book then you will be offered discounts of 25%, sometimes more on cruises for the summer. >> reporter: so book january through march and a set out to sea in the summer. when it comes to airfare, it depends on the day of the week. he says research shows tuesday afternoons at 3:00 is the best time to book. the cheapest day to fly is wednesday. >> it's middle of the week. business travelers have traveled early in the week, late in the week, vacationers are going for the weekend. >> reporter: want a tv? the top time is after the super bowl in february. >> new tvs come out in march. february, following the super bowl is a good time to buy. time is money. so put in a little bit of time and you can get a pretty big payoff. >> reporter: liz crenshaw, news 4.

>> hope you took notes. kiplinger shared helpful websites, where you can find even more deals and you can find that by searching our website nbcwashington.com. just search when to buy. from kangaroo jumping to pretending you are part of the "hunger games" get your bow and arrow out. many ways people are staying fit in our area. still ahead, we will look at some of our favorite workouts and the message that steve harvey has for the people on our set. [ romney ] this president can ask us to be patient. this president can tell us it was someone else's fault. but this president cannot tell us that you're better off today than when he took office. [ female announcer ] here in virginia, we're not better off under president obama. his defense cuts threaten over one hundred thirty thousand jobs, lowering home values, putting families at risk. the romney plan? tax cuts for middle class families. north american energy independence. create over three hundred forty thousand new jobs for virginia. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approved this message.

the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm proud of that. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪

you have a plan? first we're gonna check our bags for free, thanks to our explorer card. then, the united club. my mother was so wrong about you. next, we get priority boarding on our flight i booked with miles. all because of the card. and me. okay, what's the plan? plan? mm-hmm. we're on vacation. this is no plan. really? [ male announcer ] the united mileageplus explorer card. the mileage card with special perks on united. get it and you're in. >> i think the most important thing for a judge is to strive to make sure that every person that walks through the doors of the courtroom has a fair day in court. >> that's carla smith talking about her mission as a judge. and her newest position is ast an historic first in montgomery county she is the first african-american woman to be sworn in as a district court

judge. before this job she was the prosecutor in the state's attorney's office. you have seen a new face on nbc4. it is of course steve harvey. a big part of what he's doing on his show is helping people solve problems. so on our own show, we sat down with him to find solution to an ongoing debate that the morning show folks are having. take a look. >> you know, i save morning shows. >> i need you to help us. it is about to be anarchy. every morning she needs to spray my hair. we use hair spray and aaron gilchrist gets upset because he says why does my coffee have to taste like hair spray every day. and i think isn't there a way to coexist. >> who's this guy? >> aaron. >> now the girls are going to use hair spray. that's true. that's not going to stop. >> it's not going to stop. >> aaron needs to understand

that. because you all's hair is more important than his coffee. >> it is. i agree. >> let me ask aaron something. >> yes. >> why doesn't aaron move his coffee. >> that is what she says. >> are you all spraying your hair at the coffee machine? >> no. >> no he brings his coffee to the hair spray area. set it down and everybody stop spraying his hair because he is there. let's stop this right here. >> you might have saved that. >> i laugh every time i see that. you can hear the advice steve has for others monday through friday at 2:00 p.m. it has been around since the '80s but catching on now in our country. a local woman shares her experience with a fertility treatment that is traditionally more popular overseas and hang around for a look at our

anncr: this casino's in west virginia. but it makes millions off marylanders every year. now they're running dishonest ads. why?

because voting for question seven is a vote to build a... world-class resort casino in maryland. creating thousands of jobs and... ...according to the official department of legislative... services, hundreds of millions for our schools. while saving taxpayer money by cutting casino subsidies. question seven. good jobs and better schools in maryland. not west virginia.

in news 4 your health, it is a not a new procedure for the couples to conceive but it is just gaining popularity in the u.s. how it is helping women avoid the sometimes serious side effects of taking hormones. >> just you feel so bloated and you are so uncomfortable and it doesn't feel natural, at all. >> reporter: christy layman couldn't get pregnant so she underwent invitro fertly sags. that meant she had to take drugs to make her ovaries stop working with followed by dale lynn jexs to produce a lot of eggs. >> for me it didn't feel normal. >> reporter: that's because stimulated ivf can lead to side effects and complications. for her it was headaches, bloating and fatigue but for up to 5% of patients it can cause a more serious ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome where the ovariries produce way too many eggs and that can cause blood

clots and even death. >> if you think that stimulated ivf where shutting down the ovaries and causing them to produce multiple eggs. and in this we are watching the normal monthly process. >> reporter: no drugs, no hormone injections. doctors monitor a woman's regular cycle and remove the egg when it is ready to be fertilized. without the added cost of medication the procedure is less expensive, costing $4,000 compared to 12 to $20,000 for a stimulated ivf. dr. mark pay ston is an son /* - pay son is an endroe kronologist. >> they are willing to go through several cycles. >> the success rate of natural ivf is lower than it is for stimulated ivf. in fact, doctors say it takes three cycles of the natural

procedure to equal the success of the stimulated one. >> ivf, by definition, isn't particularly natural. >> reporter: dr. woodrow works at shady grove fertility one of the biggest in the country. doctors there won't do natural ivf because they say it is a waste of money. >> the advantage of stimulated ivfs so dramatic that if you can make it minimalist as possible the upsides far outweigh the down side. >> but for christy and matt when they were ready for a second child they decided to give natural ivf a try. >> how great it was not to have shots every single day. >> reporter: they beat the odds. christy got pregnant on her first cycle. >> one good egg is all you need. >> reporter: doreen gentzler, news 4. >> let's go workout. from zip lining to jumping like a kangaroo, we have seen a lot of ways that people stay fit across our area. today we are looking back at some of our favorite.

and not so favorite classes and asking what's your workout? ♪ >> anti-gravity yoga is pilates and yoga. >> it is outside, adventurous. >> it is an intense total body workout. cardio, call stenices. >> v set ups, lungs, reverse lungs. >> welcome to the capitol. please make your last round the arena. >> people look at the boots and think i'm going to need to learn a new activity. i'm going tole fall. they look scary. they really make a cushion when you come down and they are very stable. >> little pulse, pulse. good. >> definitely fitness class. it's not a dance class. it is so much harder than i thought it was going to be. >> at first i think everybody has that little i can't believe i'm going to hang upside down

and this thing is going to hold me feeling but when you realize it is about physics, you are secure and you can enjoy inversion. >> definite ly harder to do on a trampoline. first off your stable. your upper body will be required for getting up the rope ladders and going off the zip lines to keep in straight you use your hips and abs to keep yourself safe. >> go! grab one at a time. one supply at a time. >> i thought, you know, the exercises don't look too difficult but when you speed them up and make them very intense and you are doing five, ten rounds it all adds up and gets tougher and tougher . >> okay. that was a lot there. for more on any of those classes, go to nbcwashington.com and search what's your workout. next, wounded veterans put their inner in their outer strength on display in the water. [ romney ] this president can ask us to be patient. this president can tell us it was someone else's fault.

but this president cannot tell us that you're better off today than when he took office. [ female announcer ] here in virginia, we're not better off under president obama. his defense cuts threaten over one hundred thirty thousand jobs, lowering home values, putting families at risk. the romney plan? tax cuts for middle class families. north american energy independence. create over three hundred forty thousand new jobs for virginia. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approved this message.

wounded warriors are finding a way to heal on the potomac river. zachary kiesch introduces us to the river warriors. ♪ >> one day driving home from work i stopped by the recruiter and ended up joining as an army medic. >> i got hit, woke up at walter reed. >> reporter: they each have a story. uniquely different, equally heart breaking. what connects them isn't what they have lost, but how they have somehow found resolve in the most unlikely of places. >> well, you know, you want to have a lifestyle of healing and health. you hear it all the time. you have to exercise and get moving. you have to get your weight down. you have to be active. what better thing to be active than to be on the water and do this. when i see a wheelchair, i see a

paddler. >> reporter: in 2004 it was a vision but today team river runner is using places like the potomac river to heal veterans. >> we have 36 chapters in the country. we work with over 1,000 wounded warriors, disabled veterans a year. >> reporter: by using acaptive equipment and specialized instruction, the program has been an outlet to people like brian major. >> this program has helped in my recovery tenfold. i can't even explain how much it has. it helped me to get out and converse with other people, including other wounded soldiers. it gives me a chance to get out and enjoy this beautiful setting. >> reporter: mike bradley was dealing with the debilitating affects of a traumatic brain injury when a friend suggested getting on the water. >> they convinced me to get in to a boat and i had a horrible time. unstable, frustrated.

really, really hated it. >> reporter: today he is one of the success stories. the program's founders believe exposing people like bradley to controlled stress situations, like kayaking, can change the thought process. ♪ >> great falls, anglers inn, this river is like made to heal. >> i know what i have now. i don't dwell on what i have lost or what i used to have and people who do that, they are just stuck. only way to get unstuck in a situation is to go out and do something. just drive. >> reporter: zachary kiesch, news 4 sports. >> that's all for this week with. thank you for joining us. be safe, be kind and be happy. [ fingers tapping ]

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there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪