welcome to "news 4 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. among them, you're hearing it right now. a news jingle. so what happens when some fifth graders try to create their own musical intro. the impressive results. plus extra security. the new steps you'll have to take or watch if you want to go to see that new game this season. and she's seen the world differently. how a local architect is making a name for herself and serving homeless veterans at the same time. but first, for decades, a local woman has been anxiously awaiting for the emotional moment you're about to see.

she learned she had a secret brother but never able to meet him until this past week. news 4 was there for the emotional reunion. >> i'm shaken. it's getting really close. >> reporter: have you ever dreamed of a special moment? >> i've been waiting for it. >> stacy has. >> for 23 years. >> reporter: and she hasn't slept for 24 hours. >> relax. relax. it's okay. it's okay. >> i'm excited. i'm exhausted, but i'm excited. it's that crazy adrenaline. >> reporter: it's come down to the wire for her moment. it started about 20 years ago. stacy's mother told her she put her brother up for adoption when she was 30 years old. >> i always felt like i had a brother, but i never knew. is. >> stacy was born after her mother married. >> i guess back then you didn't have a child out of wedlock. >> with not much info to go on she searched for her long lost brother for two decades. each search coming up empty, until a friend recently found him in atlanta. >> all right, mike.

where are you? >> reporter: she will meet him for the first time at reagan national airport. and now that moment -- >> is that him in the blue sweater? >> reporter: the one she's waited two decades for is here. >> how are you? oh, my gosh. >> your moment is now a reality. >> yeah. wow. now, i get to digest it all. >> these two have a lot to digest, sharing photos. >> oh, my gosh. >> that's embarrassing. >> a beautiful car. >> and this is a beautiful moment. one they'll never forget. >> i'm a happier person. >> we're going to be up late tonight. >> definitely catching up a little bit. >> at reagan national, news 4. >> such good news. well it's been seven years since the iconic watergate hotel closed. but it's set to reopen soon. the $125 million renovation is almost complete. the watergate hotel can host

guests starting late summer or early fall. the watergate complex, of course was made famous by the 1972 burglary that led to the resignation of richard nixon. the mayor says the rejuvenated hotel will be good for business generating 350 jobs in tax revenue for the district. well fairfax county high school lacross team is rallying around a teammate and her family. her parents john and sara had just days to come up with $67,000 in back mortgage payments or their home could be foreclosed on. sara says they fell behind because of a mounting medical bills, sara and john both blind, they have four daughters, one has diabetes and lots of medical expenses. herself, the lacross team has held car washes and bake sales to help the family. >> they bought me my prom dress. so that really means a lot. >> you don't have the money to give but, you know you just try to be there for her.

>> more than $80,000 has been raised for the family on a you caring page. all you have to do is go to nbc washington facebook page and see christian wright's full report and more information on how to help. well consider yourself warned six new speed cameras are in place throughout the district. oh our crews found this one along south capital street. right now, we're in what's called a 30-day education phase. and what that means is that if you get caught, you're going to get a warning. we've posted details about where the new cameras are located in our nbc washington app. they're all about 25-mile-per-hour zones where police say speeding is known to be an issue. well, you probably recognize the jingles that open the news after just a few notes. now, a brand new news jingle airs each day at a school in fairfax county. northern virginia bureau reporter jewelry carey says it's

thanks to an energetic music teacher and his beginning band students. ♪ >> reporter: morning cafeteria duty. not something to usually get excited about, unless you're band teacher david davis. he plays a note they get a high five. or maybe it's the other way around. >> i just have this passion for music and for teaching especially working with elementary students. like i just love seeing how excited they get about things i would think are little. >> does anyone else need the music? >> but mr. davis recently decided to tackle something big with his fifth and sixth grade band students. he decided to record an original jingle to open the morning newscast at groveton elementary. never mind that most of these kids just lifted an instrument to their lips for the first time a few months ago. ♪ >> i was kind of nervous. i don't know if i'm ready. >> at the beginning, it sounded like they might be right.

but mr. davis thought the jingle project was important for a couple of reasons. >> i want to start that music's fun, not only fun, but important in everyday life. i wanted to give them something they were really proud of. >> the kids practiced for weeks. then each instrument group played the jingle together. and when they felt ready mr. davis hit the record button. ♪ >> still skeptical? >> when i just played for my friends, it feels better. >> after we practiced, i kind of felt good about trombone and how it was sounding. >> reporter: with all the tracks recorded mr. davis used special software on his laptop to pull all the parts together. graphics were added. finally, it was ready. the band kids glued to the groveton morning news for the jingle's debut. ♪

weeks of practice and work for just ten seconds of music. but listen to the payoff. >> i accomplished something that i never thought i could do. an instrument that i never knew how to play. felt like i accomplished something great. >> reporter: and so did mr. davis. in fairfax county, news 4. >> okay. incidentally mr. davis is just a part-time teacher right now. he's hoping to be hired full-time next year by fairfax county schools. hope so. he's a good teacher. student film makers from around the country in our area got a showing they'll never forget at the white house with president obama in the audience. take a look. ♪ the president was showcasing budding film makers who were challenged to produce short

films about service and giving back. 17-year-old jess fan is of chevy chase high school in bethesda among those selected. his film named to change looks at gender equality and sexual violence through the eyes of a young woman who starts a support group. >> i think the biggest message is that even though we are in high school we can make a difference and we should be making a difference as members of the community. and being recognized at the white house today that just goes on encouraging us to keep going, you have to keep going on having great projects dealing with social justice. dealing with compassion, community service. >> fan believes students have a responsibility to address the social needs that are in the country and around the world. where would you like to retire? there's a new study out there that says you might want to hang around the d.c. area. plus when "news 4 this week" returns, it's been said to have fatal flaws, but a new report is giving new life to

d.c. streetcar.

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.

okay. we've got some positive news about d.c.'s streetcar project. but there's still a lot to be done before the rail system can take passengers. a new report by transit experts found no fatal flaw along the rail system. but the industry review says employees need more training especially those responsible for maintaining and operating the cars. the city has already spent about $200 million on the program along h street and benning road corridor. well if you live in virginia there's a new study that says you may want to consider retiring there, too. bankrate.com released its rankings of the best places to retire around the country. and the commonwealth, yeah, in the top ten. the site says it looked at the cost of living health care and crime among other factors in its choices. wyoming took first place if you're making plans now.

maryland took 32nd west virginia was close to the bottom of the list. it's number 47. d.c. wasn't included in the rankings. well in just two weeks, it'll be time to play ball but you should expect a major change when you visit nats park. as tom sherwood shows us, for the first time we're going to have metal detectors part of the fan experience. >> reporter: it's the annoying sound we've all come to know and expect. and now, metal security stations are coming to our ballparks. >> to be in place for 100% fan screening for the start of this baseball season. >> major league baseball ordered teams to install the detectors this season the eighth at nats' park. >> we realized people in washington, d.c. are probably familiar with metal detection. it's in a lot of the public buildings, government buildings, cultural institutions here in the nation's capital and the surrounding area. >> reginald gordon isn't

surprised at the redesign. >> it's the climate that we live in you know. it's just something that you have to adapt to. airports schools, you know office buildings. so here we are at the ballpark. >> reporter: the ballpark is cleaning up for opening day in two weeks. and new signs, more entrances, and more staff will help fans get in. but officials say there could be delays. so come early. >> well our gates open 2 1/2 hours prior to first pitch. >> so the best advice from nats officials here at nats park is don't bring anything metal that you don't need. in the district, tom sherwood news 4. well a piece of land in the district, that's been abandoned for more than a decade is about ready to get a major facelift. city officials broke ground on what will become the capital gateway community. it will include more than 300 affordable new homes and a walmart supercenter along with a number of other retailers. that new development is right along east capital street just a couple of blocks from the

prince georges county line. mayor bower says it's important the entire city gets to benefit from the city's economic rebound. >> we can't be happy if we're having all this growth and we're crunching down on our middle class. or if young people can't see a pathway to the middle class in their hometown. >> the new walmart is expected to generate some 300 new jobs. well she is redefining what a homeless shelter looks like. next we're going to meet the architect who was trying to add value to life through the buildings that surround us. plus what are you willing to pay for some d.c. real estate? we take a look at the priciest house on the market when we return. looks

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!! ♪ she's an award winning local architect who brings a healthy dose of zen to her designs. she's created one of the largest

woman-owned architectural firms in the country. it's now housed in an old dance hall. wendy rieger introduces us to a woman changing the way we see and use buildings. >> reporter: this is not what most people would see when they imagine a place for homeless veterans. but this is her vision. being built on north capital street sorg believes buildings can make statements visually and socially. >> here is a building that serves basically, homeless veterans and low-income residents. we wanted to serve them to the fullest extent possible and didn't want to hold back anything. and they deserve the view of the capital as much as anybody else. >> sorg creates out of her vast offices on u street in what was once a dance hall during the black renaissance of the '30s. she redesigned this interior keeping the historic old trusses and the wide open spaces that

she believes inspire. >> it lets your mind float out in a way, lets you imagine things. >> and, boy, can she imagine things? her iconic designs tower over cities in her native india and add to the sizzle of miami. but, design also has to create a sense of place. as we see in the u.s. embassy in barbados and the consulate in indonesia. >> don't go for a big bang for the sake of a big bang. i'm attracted to and trying circles or squares and rectangles that are definable and easy to recognize. >> sorg has turned those shapes into award-winning designs throughout our area. like the southern regional technology and recreational complex in ft. washington. condominiums in downtown and the u street corridor. the shapes even appear in her art. floating up in the midst of the saturated pigments that echo the

garment and sunset of her native india. >> you know there's no way you can deny the kind of cultural cues you grew up with. >> she came to washington to study at howard university in a field that has always been dominated by men. she has created the largest woman-owned architectural firm in the country. and after 30 years, she says she's just getting started. >> i see architects until they're 80. >> if only we could all peak when we turn 80. that residence that she designed on north capital street that could be finished by the end of this year. well there's a new most expensive house on the market in the district. it happens to be just a short drive from our studios. it's off nebraska avenue in the forest hills neighborhood of northwest d.c. listed at oh, $22 million. the owner is giant food co-founder samuel leerman,

20,000 square feet according to a report in the "wall street journal." seven bedrooms nine bathrooms and english gardens. the most expensive home ever sold in the city went for more than $24 million back in 2007. oh, that looks nice. well, on the national mall you often have to dodge these guys and wait for them to well get rid of what they've left behind. coming up there's a new effort to keep america's front yard free of deep droppin

okay. this is the last week of business for an historic hotel in maryland. the cozy country inn is scheduled for demolition, according to the "frederick news post." hosted presidents and other world leaders when they visited camp david. the business owed nearly

$180,000 in federal and state taxes. the owner says he lacks the energy to keep it going. the national park service is trying to figure out, oh what to do about those geese and what they leave behind on the national mall. well they've come up with a proposal to use border collies to chase the birds away. they say border collies have a natural instinct to round up flocks of geese. and the dogs could be used to chase in other parts of the mall. the geese are a public hazard because of the droppings they leave behind. that mess can damage pipes and filters in areas like the reflective pool. hey, guys, sorry. that's all for the show. it comes and ends that quickly. that's all for "news 4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. until next time we're going to leave you with one of the first cherry blossom events. an art lesson at g.w. university. until next time. be safe, be kind, be happy. ♪

yeah, i'm married. does it matter? you'd do that for me? really? yeah, i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm.

sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm at three in the morning. who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing jake from state farm? [ jake ] uh... khakis. she sounds hideous. well she's a guy, so... [ male announcer ] another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state. ♪ ♪

new this morning, we are learning a police officer shot a man during a robbery in northeast d.c. >> let's take a live look outside. hopefully you didn't put away the winter coat for to go. what you need to know if you are heading out to the cherry blossom festival happening on the national mall. >> good morning to you. >> welcome to news 4 today this saturday march 28th. a cold start looking at 33 degrees in the district. tom is in for chuck bell. got