welcome to "news4 this week." >> hello, everybody. i'm chuck bell. we are going to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them, a man goes from watching the redskins game on his couch to tackling a burglar. we'll show you why he says man's best friend helped with this would be thief. parking in bethesda can be a nightmare near the more popular shops and restaurants. we'll let you know why one hot spot is about to get even more congested. the wondering pot belly pig that captured so many hearts across the region findly finds a loving home. first, a false staple you

may be seeing less of this year. they are round, orange and found on doorstops from halloween to thanksgiving. but sadly, a very soggy september means pumpkins are in short supply. julie carey shows us why you can't be too picky when heading into the pumpkin patch. >> reporter: at some pick your own pumpkin patches this year, there are slimmer pickings. it's because of the storms that swamp the east coast in september. all the moisture takes a toll, especially on the bigger pumpkins. ben has owned and operated this business for decades. >> the big ones, we essentially mowed the field of rotten pumpkins down because people were walking through the fields of rotten pumpkins. it's not a very good afternoon. >> reporter: the families who make the ride out to the field an annual tradition are not

det deterred. >> you get to pick the one you want. >> reporter: you still get a hayride. >> it would be easier to decide if there were fewer pumpkins. >> reporter: normally, he only sells pumpkins grown on homestead farm. this year, because the rain damaged so many big ones, he had to import some from tennessee. >> i can't be the grinch who stole halloween. i have to have pumpkins for people. >> reporter: this boy and his sister managed to collect a wagonful. >> it was like last year, but the pumpkins were smaller. >> reporter: if the urge to pick is still strong, homestead still has apples. if you are looking for a quick pick pumpkin, go to the garden center where everything is high and dry. tell me what you are looking for? >> a pumpkin that is round, not too hard to carve and doesn't look like that. >> reporter: doesn't have bumps all over it? >> yes.

>> reporter: in fairfax county, julie carey, news 4. >> anything but looks like that kind. they are the most feared part in every "star wars" movie. a little boy in northern virginia was actually very excited to see storm troopers invade his backyard. 10-year-old lane has due shane's muscular dystrophy and asked the make a wish foundation for a "star wars" bunker house. after a year of designing and constructing by a team of professionals, it was unveiled. he arrived home to a crowd of family and friends. his mom says it's clear the force is with him. >> all these volunteers coming together from the make a wish foundation. the design firm. obviously caterers, everybody for a kid they don't know. it's just everybody -- these are

all angels to me. >> lane told the make a wish foundation he can't run and play with his friends but if he had this fortress, they could come and play with him. they took a cue from yoda and said, as you wish, lane. you have seen them and chances are they have seen you. photo enforcement cameras are a mainstay of driving in and around the district. there's one on missouri avenue northwest that is causing bit of a controversy. derrick ward reports, it's because it's virtually hidden from sight. >> reporter: can you see the speed camera on this roadway? yes? no? let's do another drive by. trust me, it's there. see? the people who live around here know it's there. >> wow, you can't imagine how many times that flashes within one minute. >> yeah, that's what alerted me to it. one of the neighbors here was talking about it. >> reporter: it happens to be

one of a dozen set up in recent weeks. there's no argument, this is a good spot for it. it's a straight stretch of road, tricky diagnosal intersections and pedestrians crossing. there have been accidents and injuries. >> yes. the corner of 7th and missouri. >> reporter: what has some in the neighborhood miffed is there's a lack of signage. >> i think they ought to have a note in front of it, this area is photo enforced. >> reporter: the speed limit is posted a block east before you get to the tree that obscures the camera. residents nearby are glad for the photo enforcement. >> i'll be the first one to get a ticket. you know? i welcome the speed camera. it's a safety mechanism to improve missouri avenue. >> it should be posted so drivers know it's there. it's a good idea to put it, but let the drivers know. >> reporter: derrick ward, news 4.

>> some of the cameras do have warning signs, a spokesperson for the police department was not aware of any legal obligation to post signage in and around the cameras on the roadway. he thought he was going to have a relaxing time in front of the tv watching the redskins game. when he dog started barking, little did the homeowner know he was going to be making the tackles. he stopped a thief that already hit another house in his fredericks neighborhood. >> high five. yeah. >> reporter: john and his dog are quite a team. catching a burglar who broke into their fredericksburg home in broad daylight. >> around the third quarter she acted funny, got half way off the couch. she was sitting there and doing this weird, it wasn't like an outright bark.

it was more of like, i smell something kind of bark. >> reporter: curious, he headed downstairs with the dog right behind. >> he was standing about right here. i just quickly moved in, you know, not only questioning who the hell are you and why are you in my house, but you are not leaving. >> reporter: 41-year-old robert white had other ideas. >> he put his chin down. as he was trying to scurry out, i was trying to stay on top of him. we went from this room over here to our bedroom, in which i finally was able to pin him down. >> reporter: his girlfriend called 911 and white was arrested. fredericksburg police say the suspect may be responsible for a series of daylight burglaries including one here about 30 minutes before police say he broke into this home. he says he's no hero, especially when he learned the would be

burglar tried to steal his loaded gun. >> i'm a big dude. i'm not the most fit guy. maybe i have age on my side. i felt someone was looking out for me yesterday. >> reporter: they support a homeowners right to defend their home. in fredericksburg, jane watrel, news 4. a 200 pound orphan who captured the hearts of people in the d.c. metro area. why the pig known as wilbur is wondering no more. first, it's one of the busiest hot spots in bethesda.

you probably seen all the red and yellow bikes all over town. they are part of the capital bike share program in the district in arlington county and soon in alexandria as well. short term rental prices are going up to help pay for expansion. tom sherwood reports. >> reporter: just over a year old, the capital bike share program is expanding all over the city, into arlington and soon to alexandria. >> i have seen the bikes. i have my own bike, i don't use that service, but it's great to see people on the street. >> i love it. i plan to get on it this weekend.

>> in a warehouse in southwest washington, hundreds of bikes are prepped and repaired for use in the city. >> for our anniversary/birthday, we have 16,000 annual members. exceeded our expectations. >> a new higher at the tourist and casual riders. longer memberships are staying the same price. >> 99% of the trips are less than 30 minutes. there's more diversity for visitors and the casual members. >> reporter: the system moved from alternative source of transportation to mainstream. >> it functions as another type of transit. it's readily accessible to a wide variety of people. the bikes themselves are designed to make it as easy as possible for someone less experienced to go out and enjoy themselves. >> reporter: tom sherwood news

4, washington. >> annual memberships are $75. the first 30 minutes of each ride are free before any other fees kick in. business is thriving on bethesda row with new apartments. parking can be hard to come by. if you are tired of circling for empty spaces, be prepared to compete for fewer spots. one of the most popular lots will close. elaine reyes has the story. >> reporter: it's always busy in bethesda with shops and customers circling to park. >> it's painful. >> it's tough to find parking as the day wears on. >> reporter: one of the most popular spots will shut down in january with some rows closing off next month. >> it's been very important as a gathering spot. it serves all these businesses around here.

having it here makes it easy to use the businesses. both sides are gone, the road is closed, it's going to be tough to find parking nearby. >> quick to get in. it's right there. it's not a garage. you don't have to go up and down the steps. it's on the edge of everything. >> the parking spaces will be replaced by a new development. it includes apartments, retail and underground parking garage with 600 new spaces but won't be finished for three years. >> initially, it will be a headache for folks looking for a spot. with the dump trucks coming in and out of here, chaos. >> reporter: there are more than a dozen other lots in the area yielding 6,000 parking spaces. that's not including the 700 meters spots on the street. >> up the block here, there's a 300 space surface lot like this one sits largely empty on

weeknights. >> reporter: some businesses are concerned about the short term impact. >> it's going to be tough for us. if they have a vision for the future, good for them. in the meantime, it's going to suck for us. he's one of d.c.s most recognizable sports figures. coming up on "news4 this week," an honor that leaves alex seeing himself in a very different light. and when we return, wilbur the pig wanders into a new life. we'll

it's a d.c. public school that graduates 100% of us students and all the kids also make it into college. how does the high school manage to truly make the grade?

news 4s elaine reyes has the answer straight from the principal and the students. >> reporter: meet this senior. >> i would like to go to school for physical therapy or a trainer for the redskins. >> reporter: her class scored 100% efficiency in the d.c. standardized test last year and 96% in reading. she bagged a $10,000 scholarship to college. >> we encourage each other. every day we come to each other, let's get 100% on it. we knew we could do it. we put our mind to the work. we did it. we are not only a school, but a family, also. everyone wants to see everyone do well. >> reporter: news week named them one of the top high schools a few years ago. they have a 100% college acceptance rate. president obama paid a visit her last month.

staffers start working with incoming freshman while they are still in the eighth grade. there's tutoring and mentoring by fellow classmates and a lot of nonnegotiables. >> they have a common goal. we make them believe in themselves no matter what their background. if you hang in there with us, we can make sure that happens for you. >> reporter: here, there aren't shortcuts to better testing scores. getting an a means scoring 95 to 100. this senior is a scholarship winner. she plans to be a fashion designer. >> they have a way to sit down individually and walk you through it until you understand it. >> the data represents you. it will follow you. attendance or test data, it's

going to follow you. we make sure they understand the data is going to represent them. >> reporter: in northwest, elaine reyes, news 4. it's not every day the animal shelter has to adopt out a pig. it's what happened when someone dropped off wilbur. after showing him on news 4, it didn't take long for him to find a new home. >> reporter: he's the pot belly porker previously known as wilbur. now, they call him norm. now, he's in fauquier county, living high on the hog. >> i saw him and thought he was handsome. i thought i needed the pig. my husband is out of the country now, so what a surprise that is. >> reporter: he was up for adoption. the previous owner found the 200 pounder a bit of a problem. not much for them.

a 16-year-old new best friend that he's snuggled up to. >> he's awesome, he's quiet. for a big male like that, he's more gentle and quiet than i thought he would be. >> reporter: eventually, he'll have a farm full of animals. >> we have la mas, cats and turtles. chickens. i always miss the chickens. >> a lot of people will think norm is terrific. he'll get his own house. >> with mud, sand and water. >> he might be getting a girlfriend. what do you think? i'm going to say that would be happier than a big in slop. >> that was so wrong. they changed the pig's name from wilbur to norm because it reminded them of the character from cheers. up next, a work out that anyone

of any age can do, almost anywhere. d.c.s biggest sports star gets a

state farm. this is jessica. hey, jessica, jerry neumann with a policy question. jerry, how are you doing? fine, i just got a little fender bender. oh, jerry, i'm so sorry. i would love to help but remember, you dropped us last month. yeah, you know it's funny. it only took 15 minutes to sign up for that new auto insurance company but it's taken a lot longer to hear back. is your car up a pole again? [ crying ] i miss you, jessica! jerry, are you crying? no, i just, i bit my tongue. [ male announcer ] get to a better state. state farm.

it's the simplest form of exercise and something most people can do, walking. meet a group of people more than 200 strong that have been walking since 1989. they are the iverson mall walkers. we asked them, what's your work out. >> i don't think i would be around if i hadn't started walking. >> i first walked march 13th, 1989, 22 years. i kind of felt like i was laying around too much. my doctor suggested i walk three days a week. i said yeah, right. then i heard about this program and i love it. on any given day, 200 to 250 of

us come out. fast walkers walk upstairs. if you like to walk and talk, we walk downstairs. >> you make your lungs and muscles work. we are talking sustained walking at a moderate pace. the way to judge is moderate pace is fast enough that you couldn't sing while walking but not so fast you can't talk. >> my body began to reshape itself. >> i had high blood pressure. the doctor recommended walking to lower my blood pressure level. it's done wondsers. >> i'm the miracle man. high blood pressure is down. >> people you meet are from all walks of life. >> there's tremendous benefits of the brain in people who walk. patients who exercise have a

lower rate of alzheimers disease. >> i love to be out here around the people. kind of give you something to do, something to talk about. >> i think walking is the number one priority. if you don't walk, i wouldn't be around long. >> they meet every morning and walk a couple miles around the building. the club is so popular, they formed a dancing and singing group as well. a group of seniors from montgomery county can call themselves national senior wii bowling champions. they call themselves the unbewiiables. the teams bowler of the year had 54 perfect games after getting eye surgery. d.c.s biggest hockey star is immortalized. mad dam tussauds honored alex ovechkin with his statue.

he was on hand to see the new wax version of himself. the museum took 250 measurements and pictures of ovechkin. it took three months to complete. wayne gretzky is the only other hockey player to be turned into a wax sta which you. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm chuck bell.