erika gonzalez explains what it takes to qualify for airport precheck. >> reporter: wait in line and then prepare to be patted down, scanned and screened. with the tsa precheck program, you may not have to go through this any more when you flight. after 9/11, the department of homeland security admits it did not have the information or technology needed to identify travelers that pose the greatest risk. >> we recognize that all travelers are not alike and not all of them pose the same level of risk. >> reporter: so, last clear, the dhs started a pilot program in seven major airports. approved, prescreened travelers were given a green light to a fast lane, meaning many don't have to take off their shoes, coats or take out their laptops. >> allows us to spend more time on those that we note least about, name, date of birth and gender, through secure flight, or we know the most about because they are on terrorist watch lists. >> reporter: now you the tsa precheck program is ready to be introduced in about 30 more airports in 2012, including dulles, reagan and bwi. >> i would sign up in

. >> reporter: news 4's erika gonzalez will have more local reaction to whitney houston's death tonightt 6:30. >>> breaking news tonight from montgomery county. for the first time we're able to see and hear a conversation between police and the woman convicted of killing her co-worker at a lulu lemon store in bethesda. jackie benson is in rockville now with new video. >> jim, the police interviews began in britney norwood's hospital room and continued over several days. the recordings show how norwood's story changed as detectives confronted her with results of the evidence they had gathered. in a clip you are about to see a tearful, wimpering norwood said she moved the car because of two men who she claimed entered the store and assaulted her and murray. >> you got in the car and drove off. >> mm-hmm. >> people would probably ask why didn't you just keep on going and not go back? you know? >> because i was scared for my life. >> okay. well you were in the car and you were driving away -- >> because i knew they knew where i lived. >> okay. but then couldn't you go get a cop or something

i will have more on that story tonight at 6:00. >> all right, erika gonzalez. thanks, erika. >>> a loss of a legend today. don cornelius you can the creator around host of the iconic tv dance show "soul train" died today of an apparent suicide. >> i'm don cornelius, and as always in parting we wish you love, peace and -- >> soul. >> it was big in the day. cornelius was found dead early this morning at his home in sherman oaks, california. police investigating but believe he died of a self-inn inflicted gunshot wound it started in 1971 and aired nationally until 2006. it was the first to feature primarily african-american dancer and musical artist the. don cornelius was 75 years old. >> what a set of pipes he had, too. >> amazing what he accomplished in his lifetime. >>> when we come back tonight on news4 at 5:00, they call it the tebow bill, could change high school sports in virginia. >>> a massive recall, 1 million packets of birth control pills being pulled off the market. >>> what's your workout? cardio followed by relaxation. the class that uses exercise an

at the washington dulles international airport, erika gonzalez, news4. >> reagan national will be theo have the new program t is expected there by the end of march. it will be at bwi and dulles by the end of the year. >>> coming um on the broadcast, d.c. works accused of double dipping. tell how is among the top ten list of offenders part of the scheme to collect unemplo >>> new details tonight about top offenders in an unemployment scam in the district. officials say six of the top ten offenders are d.c. public school employees and most of those -- most were school bus drivers. 130 city employees are under investigation in the fraud case. officials say they were wrongly collecting unemployment paychecks while work and collecting city paychecks. the false claims are estimated to have cost the district more than $800,000 since 2009. >>> there's a university in pennsylvania that's making the morning after pill available to students in a rather novel way. shippensburg university has put plan b in a vending machine in the student health center. it sits among other items such as condoms, p

in alexandria, erika gonzalez, news4. >> tomorrow, thousands of firefighters and others are expected to say their final good boyce and the funeral could back up traffic. roads around the funeral home in zone andrea ya wi alexandria will be shut down intermittently. schools will be let out early. for a complete list of tomorrow's closures, head to our website at nbcwashington.com. >>> there are some new projections that suggest a one-way trip on the dulles toll road could triple in the next six years. a traffic study was presented during today's monthly board meeting of the metropolitan washington airport authority. the leaders this said the toll could climb to $6.75 by the year 2018. curt represent rate is 2.25-- t rate is 2.25. this is only part of a study and no actual proposals have yet been put forward. >>> a controversial measure moving through the virginia state ledge slachl chur now would force women to get an ultrasound before having an abortion. >> reporter: todd gilbert found himself in a controversy. a bill required women to have an ultrasound before they have an abortion,

news4's erika gonzalez is live in alexandria with more on those who were remembering him today. erika? >> well, the viewing began just a few minutes ago at 5:00 to be exact. if you take a look behind me that is the everley wheatley funeral home, where the viewing is going on. already a multitude of people have showed up. traffic is obviously going very, very slow here on braddock road. the viewing started at 5:00 and will go until midnight tonight. outside the funeral home, flowers line the wiseman's ambulance, unit number 206. his helmet and jacket on display, surrounded by pictures and thank you letters. hundreds of firefighters, friends and family and community members alike have come to see their hero at rest. he was responding to car fire and three-car collision last wednesday when he fell from the overpass of i-395 about 20 feet into the creekbed of four mile run and share lington. wiseman suffered a severe head injury and died the following day. just before entering the everley wheatley funeral home in alexandria to pay his respects to the fallen paramedic, wiseman's broth

depression is when you lose your home. >> that was erika gonzalez reporting. the president said the application process would also be streamlined so it is easier around faster to apply. he you recalled congress to approve the plan but some republicans already imoppose it because of the costs involved >>> it was a chaotic scene in northwest d.c., a driver losing control of his car clips a mother pushing a baby carriage this all happened at 14th and h streets. the vehicle also hit a building, sending car parts fledding and pedestrians scrambling. pat collins has our report. >> reporter: a one-car, high-speed accident amount sidewalk, the cadillac comes up over the curb. into this building, smashes out that window, bounces off this column, ricochets into that tree box. be still my heart. the scene, 14th and 8th streets northwest this cadillac car jumps the sidewalk, slams into this building with such force that the car's front wheel and suspension flew away. people inside the building said they felt the impact. they say it was like a bomb went off. you were on th

rolls around, she says she does it up big. ♪ happy birthday to you >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: erika gonzalez4. >> if you're asking why we need 366 days a year every four years instead of 365, it's to keep our calendar in alignment with the earth's revolutions around the sun. >> you knew that didn't you? >> yep are i knew it because i think we talked about it a little earlier. >> science class. >> 'cause doug told us. >> you know, doug knows everything when it comes to that. >> that's what he says. >>> we are going to tell you sports, good news for the nationals, the playoff picture becoming a little clearer, they may have a better shot of making the playoffs. >>> and the playoff picture for the capitals better as well. the terps ready to tangle in the the terps ready to tangle in the triahi. welcome to carmax. hi. i was on carmax dot com and i think i found the one. great car. and i think, it's right over there... (sighes)... finding your perfect car is easy at carmax because we carry only the highest quality used vehicles. and at carmax dot com, you can choose from nearly 30 thousand cars w

erika gonzalez, news 4. >>> all right. we'll check back at 6:00. thanks, erika. >>> we are just 24 hours away from the republican presidential primary that many analysts are viewing crucial to mitt romney's campaign. the michigan primary could be a turning point. right now romney and rick santorum are dead locked for the lead. >> i don't believe in government telling us what to do. we need someone like that running against barack obama not someone who did obama care light when he was governor of massachusetts. >> senator santorum is a nice guy but he's never had a job in the private sector. he has worked as a lobbyist and elected official. that's fine. but if the issue of the day is the economy, i think to create jobs it helps to have a guy as president who's had a job and i have. >> michigan's importance is one of perception rather than actual delegate count. michigan's primary is not winner take all and romney has a strong lead in tomorrow's other contest. it's arizona. the winner will get all 29 delegates only one less than the total up for grabs

erika gonzalez joins us with that story. >> reporter: wendy, for many artists whitney houston's voice was one they could never compete with. today it's proving to be one many will never forget. ♪ i believe the children are our future ♪ >> reporter: the daughter of a bishop and evangelist singer/songwriter lil mo says whitney houston made it cool for church girls like her to go secular. she is on her fourth album. the two met at the new york recording studio the hit factory. >> i was kind of star struck. not groupie star struck but the kind like okay. i think i can sing but i'm in the presence of singer. >> reporter: after working with the likes of missy elliot, lo mo became the vocal producer for houston's "oh, yes" song in '98. as reports of abuse and drug addiction followed the diva she says it sent up a warning flag. >> some of the highest up have the lowest self-esteem. you never know what people are going through. >> reporter: fast forward to last thursday night. houston and kelly price at a hollywood night club singing "jesus loves me". >> i told my sister. something ain't right

erika gonzalez explains what makes reston so special. >> reporter: four square the social networkingite that allows you to check in at locations on your phone has come up with a list of the ten most romantic places in the country. it looked at the percentages of check-ins to places it deemed romantic over the last year in cities with over 100,000 four square check-ins. reston came in number seven. >> i never thought of reston as romantic. >> you can find romance anywhere. >> in reston? >> yes, heck ya. >> reporter: what qualifies as a romantic check-in? french restaurants and lingerie stores as well as wine bars. >> i think the wine is complex like relationships. >> reporter: and flower shops. mae of mae flowers says she has been helping customers find their romanticism with these beauties for over 20 years. >> rule number one for valentines, roses. the next one would be hydrangea and then calle lilies. >> reporter: how much does romance cost? big bucks here. $100, $200 for valentine's day arrangements. one of the biggest spenders? how about $1200? that says romance. this couple met

news 4's erika gonzalez takes a look at this new tool. >> i was concerned about aging a little too quickly i felt my body wasn't responding like it did when i was 30 and 40 years old. >> reporter: it happens to the best of us. age sets in and it gets tougher to tighten up those trouble spots. >> i was just feeling older than my age. and, you know, 51 is not old. >> enter the latest device that promises to melt inches from your waist and age from your face. >> the exelis is a brand new, unique radio frequency device with the ability to target both fat for body contouring and superficial collagen for skin tightening. it does it with no pain, no down time and virtually no side effects. >> this d.c. dermatologist says this is one of the first devices that can work on all body parts everything from eyelids to necks, love handles, and thighs. they say it works by first cooling the surfafs the skin then using radio frequency it slowly heats the deeper fat tissue. this allows the fat to literally melt away. >> you just pee it out. you have to drink a lot of water with this. we advise our patients

in georgetown erika gonzalez, news 4. >> the cameras are supposed to be installed. however, some residents have gone about getting their own cameras already. >>> prince george's county police are looking for a thief who robbed a number of banks over the last three months. the most recent robbery was this morning at the bank on kirby road in clinton. police say the man handed a note to the teller demanding money. they think the same guy is responsible for robberies in largo, upper marlboro, and district heights. anybody with information is asked to call the prince george's county police department. >>> doctors who say, doctors say rather that two prince george's county firefighters who are badly burned in a house fire are making some progress tonight. 21-year-old ethan sorrell and 22-year-old kevin o'toole are recovering at the washington hospital center. they were injured when a gust of wind created a wall of fire in a home in riverdale on friday night. sorrell suffered burns in his airway but we're told he had his breathing tube removed today. o'toole had second an

news 4's erika gonzalez has the story. >> reporter: mark and his wife are facing misdemeanor chargesoun county. these papers show the couple as being charged with not getting their three kids to school on time. >> it's like herding cats and trying to get them all heading in the right direction. >> reporter: how tardy is tardy? according to the loudoun county public school district, between 1 and 30 minutes. wade byard with the school district says the denicore children have been tardy 30 times this year alone nearly one of every three days and says it falls under the state's truancy code. >> how can we work with you? in some cases principals have gone to students' houses and helped them get ready and taken them to school. they have attendance officers to work with students and get them ready and into a routine. map things out so they're ready to come to school. >> reporter: morning commutes can be lengthy. however, this is the denicor home about a half mile from the children's elementary school or less than a two-minute drive. >> we definitely don't have the traffic excuse that some

erika gonzalez with reaction from both sides. >> reporter: the bill could mean a third straight year of pay freezes for federal employees and one for members of congress as well. the bill was sponsored by republican congressman sean duffy of wisconsin. republican lawmakers like him say the freeze into 2013 would save taxpayers $26 billion. it would not apply to military personnel. duffy says hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not go to pay raises for federal workers who earn 16% higher than their counterparts in the private sector. >> he doesn't even know enough to know what he doesn't know. he just got here. >> reporter: democratic congressman jim moran of virginia says duffy is wrong. >> this is a punishing piece of legislation designed to send a message we don't respect you. >> reporter: president of the national federation of federal employees bill dugan says the nearly 2 million federal workers of this country have helped contribute to lowering the deficit enough already. >> with the two-year pay freeze that they're under, that translates into $60 billion of savings over the ne

erika gonzalez reports. >> reporter: wait in line and then prepare to be patted down, scanned and screened. with the tsa precheck program, you may not have to go through this anymore when you fly. after 9/11, the department of homeland security admits it did not have the information or technology needed to identify travelers that pose the greatest risk. >> we recognize that all travelers are not alike and not all of them pose the same level of risk. >> reporter: so, last year, the dhs started a pilot program in seven major airports, approved prescreened travelers were give a green light to a fast lane, meaning many don't have to take off their shoes, coats or take off their laptops. >> this allows us to spend more time on those that we know the least about, only name, date of birth around gender, through secure flight or we know the most about because they are on terrorist watch list. >> reporter: now, the tsa precheck program is ready to be introduced in about 30 more airports in 2012, including dulles, reagan and bwi. >> i would sign up, in a heartbeat. >> reporter: but are you eligible?

erika gonzalez is here to tell us what they'll do. >> reporter: the u.s.epartment of transportation wants to make it harder to tinker with the digital toys in your car. the proposal applies to things like gps's, phones, and of course the internet, used while driving. the national highway safety administration says distracted driving as dangerous and deadly habit on america's roadways. it is going after auto makers with new proposed gins. nhtsa says the vehicles should be equipped with items that meet desires without sacrificing safety. >> hands free only. >> i think it's a good idea. >> reporter: in fairfax county distracted driving is illegal and can cost you up to 250 bucks. >> if you take your eyes off the road something can happen within two seconds. you don't realize how fast your car is going and you don't realize how far it's traveling. >> they want to limit the complexity of these in vehicle devices along with the amount of manual input it takes to operate them and the amount of unnecessary information they display. the guidelines would also restri

erika gonzalez talked to one father about what is going on here. >> loudoun county public schools saysbout the welfare of children. but one parent says that he thinks the district is trying to criminalize something that isn't a crime. mark and his wife had to make a court appearance this morning in loudoun county. they were summoned with these papers charging them with not getting their three kids to school on time. >> we're not perfect and our kids are not perfect. but we're doing our very best and we just don't think in this case it should be criminally -- criminal charges. >> how tardy is tardy? according to the loudoun county public school district between 1 and 30 minutes. wade bird says the children have been tardy at least 30 times this year alone. that is nearly 1 of every 3 days and says it falls under the state's truancy code. >> the student comes in, has to put their coat and lunch away, get seated. it is a disruption for everybody who is there on time and ready to learn this is a distraction affecting their learning. >> reporter: morning commutes can be lengthy. however, th

. >> news4's erika gonzalez shows us the many reasons people are celebrating today. >> reporter: it is celebration of life at hospitals around the area and bouncing baby boys seem to be a trend. just after midnight, 7 pound 8 ounce william grayson shaw made hi bay d.a. i by at southern maryland hospital center. >> we were hoping for the 28th so it wouldn't be so complicated. >> reporter: a little more than an hour later, cole longfellow entered the world and mom, lee, says the once every four year day couldn't be more perfect for a birthday. >> we didn't really do anything ordinary any ways so he is a good thing. >> reporter: a few hours after that, and a week overdue, this mom and dad welcomed son juan lucas to their lives at shady grove adventist hospital, all 7 pounds and 4 ounces of him. >> she was having contractions earlier in the day, went to the doctor after and then we just took a walk around the mall. i think that's what really triggered it. >> reporter: but who wants just one birthday every four years? wash-fm's maureen mcclaine does. >> thanks so much for listening this lea

in fairfax county, erika gonzalez, news 4. >>> gasoline prices have been on the rise since the startf the year and analysts say we just i might be headed into record territory this summer. they say a combination of increased tensions in the middle east, refineries in the eastern part of the country shutting down, and the increased demand for gasoline in china and india have sent the prices soaring. the website cast buddy.com predicts the national average will hit $3.95 by memorial day and they'll go even higher in big cities. that site says drivers in chicago could be hit the hardest. th they could be paying $4.95 for a gallon of gas by memorial day. we're talking about unleaded regular, folks. >> >> yikes. p> >> right now prices are 35 cents higher than they were this time la last year. > >>> coming up tonight at 11:00 a blockbuster proposal to build a $1 billion casino at the national harbor. reaction is coming in quickly. also how a passing mention in court could mean the end of a 12-year-old cold case into the disappearance of a washington post employee. as whitney houston's fune

news 4's erika gonzalez is here to tell us what makes reston so magical. >> reporter: let's talk about this. location, location, location. all right. it's not just for buying real estate anymore. it is about romance. so if you've been looking for love in all the wrong places, alas. there is hope. if virginia is for lovers then reston is for romance. four square the social networking site that allows you to check into locations on your phone has come up with a list of the ten most romantic places in the country. it looked at the percentages of check-ins to places it deemed romantic over the last year in cities with over 100,000 four square check-ins. reston came in number seven. >> i can believe it. >> reporter: ellen says she and her husband dated here in their teens. lake ann was their romantic spot. >> we walked hand in hand along like a little pier there and we were very poor back then, poor but in love. and you know what? i live here now. we still go back there. >> reporter: for this couple, they say it's the fact that reston offers so much to do. >> a small community, the trails,