♪ welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi everyone. i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you some of the more interesting local stories making news this week. water crews to the rescue but when? we look at how they decide whose broken water main gets fixed first. plus a report-breaking run. senator mikulski announced her storied career is about to end into spring is actually on the way. we have the cherry xwlos many predictions to come. lowering the drinking age for active service military members in maryland the state senate is considering the bill which would allow 18 to 20-year-olds to drink beer and

wine at bars and restaurants. derrick ward has reaction from local bar owners. >> reporter: you can enlist in the military at 18 but you have to serve three more years before you can legally take a drink in the u.s. here in maryland some folks at the statehouse want to change that. >> they at least ought to be able to go into a legion restaurant or bar and have a glass of wine or beer. >> reporter: that would mean places like cafe normandy in annapolis. >> i understand why. i don't think it's really a good idea. >> reporter: the owner says he renders the dare before 1984 when you could legally drink at 18. now that the 21-year-old rir789 has been in place for a while. >> going back i just don't think it's a good idea. >> reporter: a few doors up this owner believes if you can spill your blood for your country, you should be able to pour a drink in it. the 21-year-old requirement in place now has always been a

condition for getting federal highway money. that doesn't go down easy with everyone. >> passing this bill would mean losing $32 million in federal funding. >> i do have an amendment asking for a waiver. i know we can't give up that money. >> reporter: and h would not go into effect and so far no one can remember when such a waiver was granted. kirk gregory erickson of the washington regional alcohol program says there are better way toss honor members in military. >> he said if you want to honor the troops focus on adequate pay and the best head care. put a scholarship in their hands, now a beer. >> reporter: if this bill passes the changes could go into effect this summer. speerheeded by fairfax county family a bill to allow medical marijuana use is now law in virginia. it protects those who use cannabis 0i8 for seizures from being prosecuted. the new law requires a doctor's

approval. it was inspired by a fair fox county teenager who suffers from a profound seesh jury disorder. >> no state should have laws where it affects our children where our great virginia residents may say, i have to move to another state because we can't provide the treatment for our childr. >> the bill does now allow virginians to buy cannabis oil in the commonwealth and others states prohibits the substance from crossing their borders. despite the challenges those who suffer from epilepsy say it's a major step forward. one of the biggest names in tech will speak to george washington university students at the 2015 commencement. apple's ceo tim cook will speak at gw's graduation ceremony in may, which takes place on the national mall. he'll also receive a honorary doctorate for public service. the university invited the ceo after gw students nominated him this month. apple became the first american company worth $700 billion.

now we just have to hope for good weather. well there were near-record number of water main breaks in our area last month, all due to the weather. crewing are still working non1207 to repair a lot of them. how do they decide which water main break gets fixed first? prince george's county bureau chief tracy wilkins look at how they figure out if they will fix your main first, or the guy down the street. >> quite a bit of water was coming out. >> we've had water leaking for the last week or two. >> see where the concrete has come up where the asphalt has come up? >> the last cold snap it just started coming occupy. >> reporter: the avenue versus lucy lane. two broken pipes, two different neighborhoods. the question is -- who gets the repair today? >> they said they had so many water main breaks in the area that they just couldn't get to it. >> looking forward to the strongest point on the water main. >> just needs repairing.

>> reporter: marty is an inspector, first 09 scene to access a break. >> i can judge by amount of water or how much damage it's doing. >> reporter: water coming through the ground asphalt has exploded here not the worse that wssc has seen. >> nobody's lost any water, nobody is out of water basically if you can hold to the next available crew. >> reporter: you don't mind? >> no no. >> reporter: so delmar will have to wait. >> now we've got action. >> reporter: and lucy lane's repairs are quickly under way. >> they promised they would come back. i'm just thankful they're there. >> reporter: off to the next break. >> a lot of no water calls a a lot of broken mains, a lot of flooding. it's steady all day long. >> reporter: where homeowners will surely have more questions. >> that's basically the first question -- when will somebody address there?

>> reporter: tracee wilkins, news4. we just want the winter over with. some are hoping for new leadership in annapolis. montgomery county councilman berliner that he supports converting the hov lanes into reversible lanes. he 'viewed as road friendly and called the secretary the greatest highway builder in the country. the project would take several years from start to finish and would require a public/private partnership. we'll see. a major local employer may be looking to check out of the montgomery county. marriott's corporate headquarters is located in bethesda for now, but the hotel chain could be eyeing a new location. the ceo says the lack of metro service for his workforce could be just one of the reasons for the move. montgomery county executives want to work with the hotel chain to of course, keep them in town. >> most businesses want metro

access and most businesses would like an isolated area where it's sort of a park area. i think we can find ways in which to help to accommodate all of those things. >> it's believed that any potential move is still years away. the county executive believed that's just enough time to try and keep marriott right where they are in the county. well she is a sharpshooter and making a name for herself in high school. when news4 this week returns, we introduce you to the top shot at herndon high school. and it's giving inmates a bit of an escape. an exclusive look at the new

skippy!! yippee!! fun fun fun! shiny! you never listen! what? is someone talking? ♪ skippy!! ♪ ♪ yippee!! ♪ i'm bored. hashtag bored. skippy!! yippee!! look a ride! (vo) made with the funnest peanuts ever! skippy. yippee!! ♪

well she's herndon high school's top shot. she'll soon be competing in the air rifle championships soon. alison maxwell is a member of herndon's navy junior rotc program. she holds every individual

shooting record at the school. alison says she thinks that shooting the rifle is something she was always meant to do and her parents are fully supportive. >> my mother is a saint. she lets me shoot from the dining room through the kitchen into the living room. we block it out so it's nice and safe. it's an extreme amount of focus, patience and how you have to become perfect to get the score you want is something really appealing to me. >> that's pretty awesome. all of this came by chance. to hear alison explain how it happened go to nbcwashington.com, and search "air rifle." well it will be the end of an era. maryland senator barbara mikulsky announced she won't seek another term. we talk about what she plans to accomplish before she leaves office. >> maryland snort mikulsky says she's always fought for

middle-class families and will continue to do so. >> it's all the same for the entire state. jobs today and helping people getting ahead, not just get by. >> reporter: in 1986 she became the first woman elected to the u.s. senate from maryland. she serves on the powerful senate appropriations committee. she got federal grands for goddard, the irs and the nih, and now she's leading the fight to get the fbi headquarters in maryland. >> senator and i and our entire congressional delegation our entire congressional delegation at the federal, state and local levels, are all focused on the fbi being located in prince george's county. >> reporter: because of the senator, the fire and ems department has received grants to buy equipment and hire firefighters. >> she's gone outside of the box and provided tuition assistance and health assistance for firefighters so they can continue to go to school and provide services at that station at nighttime.

>> reporter: senator mikulski's retirement breaks a logjam in maryland's democratic party. among some fresh faces who may not decide to run for her u.s. senate seat. >> you can never replace bash ra mikulski. she is one exceptional leader. >> and about the extraordinary trust you placed in me. >> reporter: mikulski retires in 2016 after 30 years in the senate. she's the longest-serving woman in the history of the congress. chris gordon news4. she once sat at our sank orr desk. that's right, she is was our sports anchor but just for a day. >> this is my domain? sports? >> that's it. >> i always wanted to be a jock. >> i love it. this is part of the series where bash ra harrison invited one of us to change jobs with someone else. our late sports anchor george michael wanted to be senator, no

price. it turned out ms. mikulski wanted to report sports. as the video showed she had some talent behind the desk. take the next commercial to watch her on our nbc washington app. that's cool. we have an exclusive look at the new addition to d.c.'s 40-year-old jail. only news4 cameras were allowed inside as the city opened a library for inmates in the basement of its correctional institute in southeast, including paperbacks only. librarians will cart the books into the housing areas in the cells form the inmates will be able to choose what they want to read. there are no fictional stories, though that glorify drugs or violence, according to city officials. >> so best sellers, mysteries, romances science fiction, a lot of the airport paper backs you would see just about anywhere are super popular, no matter where you are. >> you can get some books to

read to limit the stressors that you might be going through, books is always good for you to have. >> an escape? >> yeah. d.c.'s public library and agency and staff will oversee the program which would cost about a quarter of a million per year. well it's steeped in history. we're taken on a trip down hunter mill road when we return. and it's go gotten amazing reviews, but a popular barbecue joint is closing up

thank you, cable for the slower internet upload speeds. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. thank you cable, because if we never had you we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. in customer satisfaction studies, fios is rated #1 in internet speed and reliability - 8 years running.

plus, fios has the fastest wi-fi available from any provider. period. see the difference for yourself. get a fios triple play online at an amazing price, guaranteed for two full years! plus, get a $300 bonus with a two-year agreement. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v now, more and more americans are discovering that... shred after shred... dish after dish... day after delicious day... shredding galbani mozzarella yourself inspires meals, and moments, that are simply better. mmm, galbani (sfx: kiss). italy's favorite cheese brand. now, america's number one block mozzarella.

road names in the area that make us wonder hmm, where does that name come from? well there's one this fairfax county that could perhaps take the cake for the most historic of them all. melissa mollet takes us on a trip down hunter mill road. >> initially hunter mill road

was an indians path. >> reporter: a 7.2-mile indian path a path you can still find. >> if you go in the woods and know where to look you can sigh the traces. they're there, and in some cases they're pristine. >> reporter: historic jim lewis knows anything you would ever want to about fair fox county. in 1831 he bought the mill at auction. for driving down the mill room today, is now a trip. >> i can look left or right and can envision what was going on 200 years ago, and it absolutely takes your mind off the rush hour if you will. >> reporter: hunter mill road might be busy today, but believe it or not, it was busy during the civil war too. that's because this was the main route north from the fair fox courthouse. >> if you were 'tis courthouse and you wanted to go north to the great battles. you typically would travel up hunter mill road.

there have been a number of well-known military fib to use the road. jeb stewart. >> reporter: the courthouse serve as a supply outpost that the union eventually took over. the road had several names for several years. >> there's a 1937 platt that doesn't say hunter mill road but we know it was before then because there are other maps that do say it. >> reporter: arthur godfrey in that area like many others it was used a point-to-point formula. it was browns chapel oakton. mr. lewis, please take the stand. >> lawyers road was the road brought the lawyers in from the western reaches of fairfax county at the beginning of the foundation of fairfax county, which is 1742. >> reporter: back then lawyers was angled a bit differently than it is today. >> we know exactly where the old route traveled.

>> reporter: that route was changed two years after the civil war. in fair fox county virginia melissa mollet news4. those are so interesting. this just one in a series of reports on the history of roads in our area. if you have an idea for a road that we should look at in your community, all you have to do is tweet melissa at first 4 traffic. ready for a warm-up? you bet. we may have to wait but there's something to look forward to. that is the cherry blossom bloom prediction, which we have next.

that dad's eating a sizzling sausage skillet with spicy pepper sauce! for breakfast? i bet he doesn't have rules about booby traps... the new rio ranchero skillet. denny's. welcome to america's diner. skippy!! yippee!! fun fun fun! shiny! you never listen! what? is someone talking? ♪ skippy!! ♪

♪ yippee!! ♪ i'm bored. hashtag bored. skippy!! yippee!! look a ride! (vo) made with the funnest peanuts ever! skippy. yippee!! ♪ well plenty of people say the food is great, terrific amazing, but the location not so much. bacon's barb use in manassas park has closed its doors. the food has been praised by local foot critics and will soon be featured on the food network competition, but the location

along centralville road does not attract customers. >> it's all about location. it doesn't matter what the reviews say. i mean if you look up like online we're the top dogs in this area. we have the best ratings out of anybody in this whole place, but it's still -- it's all about the foot traffic. >> top dog, bacon will continue the food truck and catering business until he finds a better location for the restaurant. well even though there's still snow on the ground here's a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. the national parks service says washington's cherry blossoms will be at peak bloom april 11th through the 14th if the prediction holds true the peak bloom will come at the very end of the cherry blossom fest imrunning from march 20th through april 12th this year. keep in mind those predictions of peak bloom are subject to change based on the weather over the next several weeks. that of course has been up and downed and will continue to be up and downed.

we had a special celebration at nbc4 this weep. we called it after the woman who's very important to all of us here. she's the director of our community affairs. you may have seen her in the background of some of the many community events we here at nbc4 do what you may not see is how hard she works. she always makes sure we're doing right by you, and for that we honored her. aiesha came here in 1969. at a breakfast this morning, her and jim vance reflighted on the last 46 years they have worked together. after that everyone participated in an afternoon of community service. she will be retiring later this year if we let her out of the parking lot, of course but she's got a grandxwaeb to enjoy. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. we leave you with amazing video

of a volcano erupting in

at 6:00 this morning, waking up to bone-chilling temperatures. we are set for a winter warm up. chuck bell is going to tell us how warm we are going to get. >> 50 years following bloody sunday. the first black president will mark the historic march in the civil rights movement. good saturday morning. it is march seventh. >> welcome to news 4 today. still cold out there and even a little icy in spots. >> we are talking about the bone-chilling temperatures. we want to check in with chuck bell. he says there is a reprieve on the way. >> i'm your buddy today. now we are