liz crenshaw has more. >> i got so sick that within a few hours, they said you've got to go straight to the emergency room. >> reporter: it was nearly five years ago when kathleen mccleary was sickened by a dangerous form of e. coli, a bacteria that lives in the intestines of animal that c affect meat and dairy products. >> it took several weeks to get my strength back. >> reporter: doctors told her the most likely culprit was bagged lettuce she had eaten the night before. ever since her illness, mccleary has completely change the way she shop and eats. >> i'm pretty vigilant about it because it is such a strong deterrent to never want to go through that again. >> reporter: she started with making change in her own home. thoroughly washin all produce, especially lettuces. keeping her cutting board labeled and even using hydrogen peroxide to clean the kitchen after cooking. making se any leftover bacteria is killed. mccleary buys all of her produce and meats at the local farmer's market each wek. that means spending more money. $80 to $100 just on those items alone. >> i guess it make

nbc bay area's liz crenshaw investigates. >> natural. pure. >> some is just a higher price. >> i would pay extra for it. >> does the word natural atrack you to a product for any reason. >> definitely. >> why would you be attracted to it? >> it doesn't have athings adde. >> the word is not defined. >> anyone can use the word. >> the natural products association decided to try to clean up the natural cleaning aisle by writing its own definition. the nonprofit npa serves as a third party and set strict standards. if that product meets the standards it gets a special seal. >> we want to make sure it has meaning. it has to have a standard to back that up. >> the npa's criteria, 95% of the product must contain natural ingredients excluding water. the products cannot contain ingredients with a potential health risk and prohibits animal testing beyond regulatory requirements. the package must be biodegradable. if you looked at this whole aisle and everyone wanted your seal, how many would get the seal today? >> i would say less than 50%. >> comp

liz crenshaw has more on what you need to watch out for. >> reporter: here's something you hopefullyen't witnessed in your home. an electrical cord going up in smoke and then fire. and then there's this iron overheating and engulfed in flames. in fact, all these items have the potential to go up in smoke and flame because of one thing in common. they are all counterfeit. >> you have seen a lot of counterfeit electrical products come on the market. we think a lot of them are obvioly unsafe for a lot of different reasons. >> rorter: to find out how unsafe brett of the electrical safety foundation international took me on a quick shopping trip to twoollar discount stores. we bought a bunch of iems like indoor extension cords, outdoor extension cords, and power strips, and chargers and batteries. all at a bargain price. and as it turns out, maybe too great a bargain price. >> some ofhe things we -- make it dangerous is the fact they don't use enough copper. typically the most expensive thing in electrical devices. >> reporter: to prove his point he cut open our bargain extension cord to

liz crenshaw has more on how to lighten their load. >> it weighs on my back. it makes an arch. >> reporter: overaded backpacks are waeg down some of e youngest students. like most middle schoolers, the 11-year-old carries a backpack to and from school eve day. >> it's a relief to take it off. i'm thinking that it couldn't be good for his back and it couldn't be good for his development. >> repter: while doctors say there's no evidence have heavy backpacks causing permanent damage, doctors are concerned about the pain kids are enduring. specially younger ones. >> there are certainly sties that show that kids that carry heavier weights than what we recommend are having more back pain issues and they're showing up in our clinics and even in emergency rooms with complain of back pain. >> reporter: doctors recommend students only carry up to 15% of their body weight. so we decided to find out just how heavy ross's backpack is. he weighed in at 104.5 pounds. then he put on his pack which added 16.5 pounds. that's more than 15% of his weight and it is a concern to hi

. >>> i'm liz crenshaw. donation dutching. find out what it is and how much it is costing one lal charity. >>> news4 at 5:00. we're just getting started. four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired asovernor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. th, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked aa hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives againnd again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle cde do. capital one bank. they're everywher yeah, you' right ♪ [ male announcer ] capital one banks are everywhere. [ clang! ] with hundreds of branch and atms, they're hard to miss. hey, there's one right up the street. [ male announcer ] capital one bank. the most branches and atms in the dc area what's in your wallet? ove, go long! >>> a virginia state trooper was injured on u-95 in the wood bridge area. he was tanning to an

liz crenshaw with the dos and don'ts. diabetes testing? what else is new? you get the blood, hope it's enough, it's -- what's this? [ man ] new and improved freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip. sure, i'll try it, but -- [ beep ] wow. [ man ] yeah, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. [ man #1 ] it's like it -- targets the blood. targetthe blood. yeah, it draws it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of onetouch®. okay. freestyle test strips. i'll take m. man #2 ] sure. call or click -- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. can't i just have these? [ man #2 ] freestyle lite test strips. call or click day. capital one bank. they're everywhere. yeah, you're right ♪ [ male announcer ] capital one banks are everywhere. [ clang! ] with hundreds of branch and atms, they're hard to miss. hey, there's one right up the street. [ male announcer ] capital one bank. the most branches and atms in the dc area what's in your wallet? ove, go long! >>> investigators say tlrp there were signs of a struggle and the professor's jeep c

. >> reporter: i'm liz crenshaw. baby monitors. they're bought by parents to keep their children safe but there's a deadly risk. $20 dinner for two. equas sharone of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees om 14 chili's favorite like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white mea chicken fajitas served over a bed sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and get one appetizer plus two entrees with chili's $20 dinn for two. sync: i did as ged my property taxes 60 percent. woman 1 syi didn't owatrnor man 3: he worked for ak 10 billn doanother bamillion.apsed.axers7 h big s don't need hp. midd classarylanrs do. h big s don't need hp. bob ehrlich says he wants to fix maryland. but he increased state spending by record amounts. ehrlich raised $3 billion in taxes and fees... including property taxes... and a 40% increase in college tuition. and now he's made over $1 billion in new promises... with no plan

. >>> i'm liz crenshaw. high end discount, wet or dry. the could be harmful bacteria lurking inour pet's food and it could make you sick. my story is coming up. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smokehoney chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat chicken fajitas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and t one appetizer plus two entre with chili's $20 dinner for two. my dad is the supervisor of a train station and my mom's a teacher. my dad's an auto technician. my mom's a receptionist. i'm not sure i would have been le to afford college without the tuition freeze. while tuition in other states is rising out of reach.. governor o'malley made the tough choice to freeze tuition. he made my dream of going to college into a reality. i'the first in my family to go to college. my brother and i never would have

. >>> i'm liz crenshaw.oes car insurance cover damage from floo four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our tes 72%. and for the last four years, he lworked as a hired gun for bige companies. corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle cde do. meet pnc virtual wallet. it comes with a money bar that shows what's scheduled to go out, what you've put aside... and how much you really have available, right now to spend on the things you want. and you can free up money with a simple slide. it's built to help make your financial life a whole lot easier. experience everything virtual wallet has to offer at pncvirtualwallet.m. pnc. for the achiev in us all. at pncvirtualwallet.m. my dad is the supervisor of a train sta

liz crenshaw has their story. >> reporter: this is savannah. happy, healthy, the week before he10-month life was cut short. >> we spent a lot of time with her outdoors, in walks, picking flowers with her andrying to teach her about butterflies and bugs. >> reporter: like all parents, her parent bought all the equipment to keep a baby happy and healthy. toys, high chairs and most important for safety, they thought, a baby monitor similar to this one to listen and watch her when she was in her ib. >> it's natural for parents to want to have whatever technology is available to help them better assure the safety of their child. >> reporter: savannah's parents knew the monitor had to be placed where she could not reach it. but close enough to hear and see her. what they didn't know was that fateful day, savannah had learned to pull herself up in her crib. >> she was in her crib. and somehow the accident happened. she had reached a milestone in her life, apparently, where she suddenly lrned how to stand. and that washe end of her life. >> reporter: h

liz crenshaw joins us tonight with the awful story about a baby found strangled in her own crib.ay remember the report of this death in march. a 10-month-ol strangled by the cord of her baby monitor. his security detail tried to help save her life. tonight the child's parents issue this warning. >> this is savannah perea. happy, healthy. the week before her 10-month-old life was cut short. >> we spent a lot of time with her in the back, trying to teach her what butterflies and bugs and things were. >> like most parents, savannah's mom and dad bought all e equipment to keep her happy and healthy, toys and most important for safety, they thought, a baby monitor to listen and watch her when she was in her crib. >> it's natural, i think, for parents to want to have whatever technology is available to them to help them better assure the safety of their chi. >> savannah's parents knew the monitor had to be placed where she could not reach it, but close enough to hear and see her. what they didn't know was that fateful day, savannah had learned to pull herself up in her crib. >> she was

. >> i'm liz crenshaw. do you safely clean up a broken or burned out compact >>> ar renters covered by flood damage? anhow do you clean up a broken fluorescent bulb. >> this is our first ask liz. you good? >> i'm ready. somebody else came up with the question. so no sweat. >> just go for it, man. >> let's start off with the weather. people who rent their homes right now want to know are they covered foramage that is caused by flooding, like we had over the past couple days. >> it's a good question for renters. if your apartment is damaged by floodwaters, say, from a crek overflowing its banks and soaking your apartment, that kind of damage is not covered, even if you have renter insurance. just like homeowners insurance, renters can buy a separate policy from the national flood insurance program and from a f private insurer but there typically a 30-day waiting period before thatew policy goes into effect. so we like renters insurance, but it's not going to cover flood damage. >> read the fine print. >>> all

liz crenshaw has their story and a report on how you can proct your child.s tonight at 11:00. >>> the world's richest man was in northern virginia to dedicate a learning center named for his late mother. bill gates, his father and sister were on hand for the opening of the mary gates center at the united way worldwide headquarters in alandria. >> reporter: microsoft founder bill gates takes in the grounds of the n center dedicated to his late mother. the mary m. gates learning center sits on the banks of the potomac. the facility that will train united way saffers from all over the world. >> she would be thrilled that the united way is adapting to the time and as important as ever. both she a i came to this building as members of the united way board. so she believed in th a lot. >> reporter: the gates fily has had long relationship with united way. mary gates was the first woman to chair the united way board in the seattle area. >> until then, the board has been reserved for corporate leaders who could raise money thugh their businesses which men it had bee

liz crenshaw joins us now with the latest. >> six children have died in the last six years after beingtrangled by baby monitor cords, one of those children died just months ago right here in d.c., 10-month-old savannah pierre. >> it's just shocking. you know, you try to do everything you can. and this is ironilly called a video safety monitor. >> there's a new warning tonight on baby monitors, i will have that story on news 4 at 11:00 this evenin this is a difficult story to watch, it's an important story for parents to see, because these baby monitors are put in these rooms t make children safe. >> isn't this the case that happened back in march, down the street from the mayor? >> rirkts there was a death and the nanny had run out of the house to try to get some of the security detail to help her to give cpr to the child. without any help. these parents are coming out now to try to say, let's tell other parents about this. d we'll have the full story at 11:00. >>> still ahead, from bust to boom. >> the one sector that's diabetes testing? what else is new? you get the blood, hope it's

liz crenshaw with the season's do women are charged 40% more for the same health insurance as men. domestic violence is treed as a pre-existing condition in eight states. women are abused by their husbands and then by their insurance companies. and last year they tried to end our coverage for mammograms and other preventive servis. well i'm proud to sayi got. i'm barbara kulski. i approve this message so yopre-existing condition. woman is no loer a >>> here's something to brighten your day a little. feast your eyes on this. the 31 karat diamond. it goes on display thursday at the american museum of natural history in new york. it dat back to the 1600s and it was found in india just like another famous blue diamond. but the gems an't related in any way. scientts say despite similarities, the roth diamond was not cut from the same stone as the hope diamond. even though they do look alike. >>> if you plan on traveling oh the upcoming holidays or any time this week, get ready for more security. secure flight, a tsa program used to better match potential terrorists with watch lists will

. >>> i'm liz crenshaw. are you in the market for new tires? can you save money by shopping around? around? >>> news4 at 5:00 is just my dad is the supervisor of a train station and mom's teacher. my dad's an auto technician. my mom's receponist. i'm not sure i would have been able to afford college withou the tuition freeze while tuition inther states is rising out of reach... governor o'malley made the tough choice to freeze tuition. he made my dream of going to college into a reality. i'm the first in my family to go to colge. my brother and i never would have been able to afford college. even though times were tough... governor o'malley kept his promise. there's never a doubt... there's nevea doubt whose side he's on. martin o'malley... moving maryland forward. that's why joe likes aetna's payment estimator. he gets to compare out-of-pockehealth care costs before ty come out of his pocket. that's awesome. [ female announcer ] now let's say every joe in america uses it. looks like everyone likes saving money. ah, the potential of putting people first. thanks joe. know more. get b

liz crenshaw joins us with the dos and don'ts to keep your little goblins safe out there.se stories, all the day's news and more on our wet evening ahead coming up at ne4 at 5:00. barbara, back to you for now. >> speaking of a wet evening, let's see what the weather hlds for us. tom? >> the un-october weather holds. it's been quite mild the last few days. 70 in washington,0s to near 70 throughout most of the region. cooler in the mountains, in the 50s there, where they have had passing showers over the last couple hours. it's reached the mid 70s in southeastern virginia, and in eastern north carolina. over the last 12 hours, these showers advancing southwest to northeast. it's an upper level disturbance in the atmosphere kicking these off. and there may be thunderstorms in southern virginia and carolinas, but herjust some passing showers likely later this afternoon and into the early evening hours, perhaps with a little thunder. highs into the mid 70s before the rain arrives. and tomorrow, cloudy in e mid 70s. could get showers again on wednesday, with thunder. drying out