♪ welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you some of the more interesting stories making news this week. among them, religion, ruffling feathers. the controversial decision one local school made that has parents upset. plus, busted on the job. a news4 i-team investigation catches beer delivery men doing more than just dropping off booze. and take a look. she's our area's golden girl and she's ready to take on a whole new challenge on the other side of the country. first, it was a week to pause and honor those who have given so much to our nation, our veterans. but there's a special effort here in d.c. to make sure a certain group gets to see their

memorial. chris lawrence takes a look at how local residents and service members are trying to honor the greatest generation. >> it's been one hell of a journey to get here. surviving world war ii, starting families. >> that's it right there. >> growing old, and wondering if they ever would ever get to their memorial. >> there you go. >> and then, they're face-to-face with it. all in bronze. pillars, pavilions and the rainbow pool. >> i never imagined this. >> fanny farmer enlisted in the women's army corps in 1943. and it has been a wonderful, wonderful thing for me. >> she and these veterans dreamed to see the national world war ii memorial. >> thank you for your service and welcome to your memorial. >> it took a group called honor flight to get them here.

and that voice belongs to the woman who keeps all this organized. >> i live here in springfield, virginia, and i'm a coordinator for honor flight, chicago. >> she manages a database of more than 500 volunteers in d.c., maryland and virginia. >> originally planned on doing it once to feel it out. this is now my 11th flight i've done. it's just an amazing program. >> reporter: service members and civilians trying to make each trip special. >> there is a lot of work going on. we're trying to figure out ways to improve it, make it faster and water. >> honor flight transports vets from all over the country and escorts them to the mall. ♪ the guardians say they're honored to do it. >> mostly a walking history lesson. >> it's a great feeling. it's very humbling. >> but vets like fanny say they've got it all wrong. >> i owe them this. they think they owe me.

>> but as they head home, she sums up the feeling of so many who saw their memorial for the first and only time. >> exciting. memorable. i'll never forget it. >> chris lawrence, news4. >> and we should never forget. that was the last honor flight for this year. but come january, organizers will start planning for 2015. once the gift of a lifetime for a wounded warrior in northern virginia, corporal germany green was given an all terrain wheelchair by a group that supports injured veterans. he lost a leg during a heroic action in afghanistan that likely saved many lives. his leg helps him in his daily routine, but he doesn't accommodate his favorite past times. >> i'll be able to do so much more things like hunting, fishing, things i like to do that i couldn't do before, because it's just harder to move

around in the woods when you're trying to walk over logs and stuff with a prosthetic limb. >> the freedom alliance has outfitted four other wounded warriors with chairs and plans to donate three more before the end of the year. families in the shaw neighborhood are worried they could lose part of their community if the wizards get a new practice facility. the team is negotiating with the district to build a $40 million veneer the metro station. right now, it's the site of a popular park in a closed middle school that is set to be rebuilt. >> the idea the facility could be reincorporated into the neighborhood is interesting. but i think you need to come in and talk to the community and neighbors. and this space is used 24/7. >> council member jack evans says the school would still be built and he is committed to preserving the dog park and the skate park nearby. we know that kids are exposed to a little more now than any other generation. but some parents are raising

concerns about a survey they're taking in school. it asks about risky behavior, topics like alcohol, sex and drugs. and as news4's derrick ward reports, they think the content may be a little too mature. >> reporter: this maryland youth tobacco and risk behavior survey helps policymakers find out what risky behaviors young people may be engaged in, like smoking and drinking. and aids them in drafting policy to address those behaviors. as the parents of middle schoolers we spoke to, they don't object to the survey itself, but think some of the questions are not appropriate for middle school age children. these parents say they were quite taken aback by some of the specific questions in the survey. they want to remain anonymous. they don't want their kids singled out, but they have some problems with the questions on page 6. >> has your child had -- have you had multiple partners the last time you had sex. did you use a condom with your partner. these are to me struck me as

questions you would not ask an 11-year-old. >> reporter: yes, the world has changed. yes, kids are exposed to these topics sooner than generations before them. but parents fear having them with this information may have them think it's con don't. >> it doesn't make it okay for them. if the school allows these questions, they come home and say, mom, oh, i'm 11, but i haven't had sex until now. am i wrong? is something wrong with me? >> reporter: the parents have reached out to school officials who have told them their hands are tied, since it's a state requirement. and a spokesperson with the maryland department of education says changing or deleting questions would make the survey less accurate. students are chosen randomly and the survey is anonymous. and those who are chosen don't have to respond. >> it's data we need. you know, for the state, for the nation. however, with those several

questions on there, i'm not about to let them take it. >> reporter: derrick ward, news4. >> it seems everyone has an opinion on a decision by montgomery county to take all religious holidays off the school calendar. the process started with the muslim community making the push to have eid recognized next year in maryland's largest school district. eid will coincide with the jewish holiday of yom kippur. but instead of meeting that q the board of education voted to remove all religious references. >> especially being in high school, it's really, really hard to take a day off. you get piles of homework, tests. the jewish community is not happy their holidays were stripped from this calendar. >> yeah, the montgomery county board of education also voted to list christmas as winter break, and easter as spring break. now, if you have an opinion, you can join in on the conversation. all you have to do is go to our nbc washington facebook page and

join in. we mark the start to a tough month for a private space industry. now the local company that watched its rocket explode is making some big changes. plus, beer is their business, and they are taking full advantage. the news4's i-team investigation is up next.

merry christmas! thanks but this gift, it's kind of half-fast. what's wrong? we still have cable internet, so our uploads are half the speed of our downloads. so i'll be half-fast when i share my photos. and i'll do a half-fast job updating my blog. wait, is everything under this tree half-fast? who wants eggnog? don't settle for half fast cable internet. only verizon fios comes with speedmatch. uploads as fast as downloads. get a fios triple play online for this great price

and a $400 visa prepaid card with a 2-year agreement. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v a local company is announcing some big changes to help prevent this from happening again. dulles-based orbital sciences says it will likely stop using the type of engines used on the unmanned antares rocket that exploded just after launch last month. the soviet engines were built in the 1960s. orbital is still looking into the cause of the explosion, but preliminary results point to a failure of one of the two main engines. that rocket was on a supply mission to the international space station.

government employees drinking and driving on the job, and the news4 i-team has the video to prove it. tisha johnson reports, these aren't just any government employees, because beer is their business. ♪ with their distinctive blue trucks, it's hard to miss the men who deliver the beer in montgomery county. every beer you drink in the county comes from this government-controlled warehouse. for weeks, the news4 i-team followed the county's beer trucks as part of a different story. but then we discovered something even we didn't expect. >> here we go. >> we couldn't help but notice how the guys in truck 81 take a lot of breaks to eat, sleep, even go inside a private home while their truck sits unattended on the side of the road. and then we spotted the styrofoam cups. they bought them almost every day we watched them.

why should you care about a couple of cups? because after an early-morning delivery to a county-owned liquor store, we saw the helper walk out with a long bottle in a brown bag. later that morning, during another delivery, our cameras caught him pouring the contents of that bottle into his cup and stirring. a few minutes later, the driver does the same thing before getting back on the road. days later, same truck, same driver, but a different helper, who throws away this white plastic bag into a dumpster at the end of their route. and before they drive back to the warehouse. we pulled the bag out of the dumpster and found two empty wine bottles. and on yet another day we watched them walk out of a privately owned store with four bottles in a small box. when we went inside, we found the same box full of white wine. hi there. i'm tisha thompson with the news4 i-team. i wanted to talk to you for a second. i wanted to know why the two of

you have been drinking while you're in a government vehicle. >> he's been drinking. not me. >> reporter: he's been drinking, not you? he says you've been drinking in a government vehicle and not him. >> he's been drinking you have? >> no. >> reporter: we have video of the two of you pouring alcohol into styrofoam cups. i'm sorry, say again? >> you didn't get me. >> reporter: you want to see the video? i've got video of you taking a bottle of alcohol and pouring it into a styrofoam cup. you want to see it? i've got it right here. but instead of watching the video, the two men went inside, only to come out for a few seconds to grab that styrofoam cup. >> you've got empty bottles in there? >> reporter: we never saw the cup again. can i show you the video? can i show you what we've seen the last couple weeks? instead, they packed up -- so you don't have anything to say? >> nope. >> reporter: and drove away. >> and their job is to deliver it, not consume it. >> reporter: george griffin is the director of montgomery county liquor control.

>> it appears from this that two of our -- two county employees are consuming alcohol while they're operating a county vehicle. which is obviously against all administrative procedures in the county. that's a slam dunk. >> reporter: griffin says he immediately pulled both men off the street and put them on administrative leave pending an investigation. he says while he can't comment specifically on personnel actions against specific employees, he did tell us that drinking on the job is widely seen as grounds for dismissal without fail. this is just one of several stories in our beer-bust investigation where we have uncovered a complicated scheme to hide stolen cases of beer from the county. we made a special website to show you how the scheme goes down. go to investigations tab on nbcwashington.com. it's been a main stay in d.c. through some tough financial times.

how a local bank is celebrating a huge milestone. plus, meeting teens where they are. how one mom is changing minds by taking her son's struggles to the silver screen.

. . imported chicken has been in the

news a lot lately. for chicken that hasn't crossed an ocean, ok for perdue. we're the first company to have the usda verify that our chickens are raised in the usa. to bring your family a fresh-tasting chicken. perdue. we believe in a better chicken. ♪ the death of a child can unleash something in a mother. for one local woman, it inspired her to make a movie that debuted this week. it's called "warning, take only as directed." it's about teenage stress and the access to prescription drugs they think will ease their struggle. in our series "changing minds," wendy rieger looks at how pills can consume a life. >> i got a knock on the door from police at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. and it's a knock you don't want to get. >> reporter: trish's son charlie was 21 years old when he overdosed on oxycontin and never woke up.

he had first tried this drug when he was 18 and it got to him. addiction cane quick. his life unraveled. >> if your child has an addictive tendency and starts abusing drugs or alcohol, it's a very, very long road back. >> grief can be an endless road as well. she took her first sad steps at her computer. she wrote a movie about young people and the pressure that can lead to drugs. >> kids are just -- they're wound so tightly. and, you know, you push the wrong button and they're going to snap. >> reporter: the movie was shot loc lolley with local actors. it's not long, by design. >> we're catering to today's teenage brain, which goes a mile a minute. >> reporter: it's a musical. along the lines of the tv show "glee" but it's set in a high school. the film follows three friends and an event that sends one of them over the edge and into the easy relief of drugs. >> there's a song in the film

called "pills." and it's take this pill, take this pill, take this pill. and then you will. you will feel okay. >> reporter: it's also a cautionary tale of addiction. teena teenage curiosity can become an unending hell that can forever change the course of life. >> it's a horrible disease. >> reporter: the movie emphasizes addiction is not a personal failing. it's biology. and it can seize anyone. >> it's everybody. it's a soccer mom. it's a college student. it's a doctor. addiction is a disease, and it needs to be treated with respect. same respect that a cancer patient. >> reporter: and addiction can be prevented by giving teenagers another path out of the pressure. permission to call out when the stress is pulling them under. >> and you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. and you shouldn't have to hide it. >> this really is a well-crafted

message and so desperately needed. "warning, take only as directed" is designed to be shown in school and comes with a teaching guide. you can learn more about teenage stress and mental health on our website, nbcwashington.com. just search changing minds. she is an olympic gold medalist and world record holder. now she's off to college. katie ladecky's next big move.

♪ talk about being around for a while. it's been a fixture on u street in washington during both good and bad times. now the industrial bank is celebrating its 80th year as a community bank owned and operated by african-americans. it's the seventh largest minori minority-owned bank in the country. its first location opened at 11th and u streets in 1934, right in the midst of the great depression and is still operating today. industrial offers business,

family, and residential loans and banking to a wide array of customers. that's mighty cool. it's official, bethesda's golden girl of swimming won'ting staying in the d.c. area. katie ledecky has signed with stanford university and had been will be headed out this fall. katie ledecky won gold at the 2012 olympics at the age of just 15. she has broken several world records, and she has been in our studio numerous times. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. until next time, remember, be safe, be kind, be happy, everybody. bye-bye.

this... is the best part of the day. when we sit down together and talk. more and more, we're having conversations about the food itself: how good it is for us. how good it is for the planet. at monsanto, we're working with farmers to make balanced meals accessible to everyone.

while using natural resources more efficiently. it's time for a bigger discussion about food. be part of the conversation at discover.monsanto.com

♪ welcome to "redskins chronicles." i'm larry michael. each week here on "redskins chronicles," we take an in-depth look at the storied legacy and sit down with two former redskins greats, darrell grant and brig owens. for the redskins, the bye is behind them and a date with the