welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi everyone. i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you the more interesting local stories making news this week. among them it's a food fight among food trucks. the daily battle mobile chefs wage and why the real loser could be you. plus it's one of the biggest honors a d.c. restaurant can receive, but this year we'll be seeing the winners from a new angle. it's the type of thing that makes you want to go back to work. the huge surprise one diner left for staff at a local restaurant. but first, broken windows and damaged cars. a home with a hole in its roof and an injured man surviving a brush with death. it's all fallout from a quarry

blast in louden county. debris rained down along old ox road and oak grove road in sterling. northern virginia bureau chief was first reporter there on the scene and has our report. >> reporter: this security camera video shows what it looks like when a big rock flying like a missile crashes into a building. and this is the damage left behind when another rock smashes into a house. dwight brooks got a call and raced to his parents' home to find this huge rock blasted from a quarry a half mile away. tore through the roof and landed on a bed right next to a pillow. >> at an angle. you can see where it landed. and that's quite a bit of force to come through that roof and in there. >> reporter: brooks' brother was sleeping on the other bed right under the spot where the rock came shooting inside. he was cut by debris and required eight stitches at the

hospital. >> if it had hit him, the damage could have been must worst. he could have been killed. >> reporter: down the street were more damage from more rocks. >> i thought it was a real hard second concussion blast coming from it. never in my wildest dreams though did i picture i'd see the size rocks we saw that came through the window. >> reporter: take another look at the security camera video from fairfax autoparts in slow motion. the rock comes flying takes out the top of a no parking sign then hits the asphalt and bounces off so hard into the building the windows explode. >> you can only sit back and say only by the grace of god did nobody get hurt out of this thing with rocks flying through the air. >> reporter: outside in the parking lot, at least a half dozen cars also got blasted from smaller rocks. huge dents now crease the metal. inspectors from winchester building supply the blasting company, and the department of labor were out on the scene to try to figure out what went wrong. if you want to see the full

video of this rock going through the window, go to our nbc 4 facebook page. >> that's a big rock. well he's facing more than nine years in prison but the florida postal worker who landed a gyrocopter on the white house lawn last month said it was worth it to plead his cause. he pleaded not guilty this week. he says he flew the aircraft through restricted air space to send a message to congress about the influence corporate money has on our government. hughes hold reporters he's ready to go to prison for his beliefs. >> i accepted the consequences of what i was doing because i believe it's critical that we return our democracy to the people and that can be done with the solutions that have already been defined. >> well okay. the judge will allow hughes to remain free until his next court date, but he's banned from going near the capitol and the white house. it's officially pool season

in d.c. and it kicked off with a big cannon ball dive. the district's outdoor pools and spray parks opened just in time for the memorial day holiday. they're free to all d.c. residents. you live outside the district you'll have to pay just a small fee if you do want to go. memorial day wuss alsoas also marked by solemn remembrances. but a lawsuit could put an end to the lawsuit that's been there for decades. at the center of the lawsuit is the cross that honors 49 fallen veterans from prince george's county. but there's also a lawsuit followed by the american human association. they say its religious symbol on state property violates separation of church and state. one local resident says it's a peace memorial and is making it her mission to save the cross. >> the judge needs to know that the world war i memorial peace

cross is now part of the national register. that should be a game changer for the lawsuit. >> the cross is owned by the maryland national capital park and planning commission. it's been there since 1925. well it was an awesome spectacle over the national mall but it was a frightening moment and now we're climbing into the cockpit for emergency landing. plus she had a message for the president and he's listening. the response living with chronic migraine feels like each day is a game of chance. i wanted to put the odds in my favor. so my doctor told me about botox® an fda-approved treatment that significantly reduces headache days for adults with chronic migraine.

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thousands of people watch vintage planes perform an historic flyover just a couple weeks ago. now one plane had to make an emergency landing. this is the new video from inside that cockpit just as the pilot crossed the key bridge. smoke started filling into the small plane.

hydraulic fluteid was leaking but at the time he didn't know that and thought maybe there was an electric fire on board. he had to head towards virginia crossing the 14th street bridge. he radioed in his emergency and somehow managed to maneuver over reagan national airport where he was able to set down safely. that is so cool that vintage plane. the news4 i-team revealing the daily food fight for d.c.'s food trucks. even after they get their permits and licenses some trucks had to wage a constant battle to get their spots. as scott macfarlane shows us you might be the one paying the price because of it. >> reporter: it all looks so tasty and trendy. this is the lunch crowd behind the headquarters of the federal aviation administration in southwest d.c. the food covers the grill and the trucks cover maryland avenue. before you arrive the food fight begins. >> the trucks are hitting each other. and it's becoming madness.

>> reporter: the trucks the winners for this month's lottery race each other for a parking spot. they say they're not allowed to park here before 10:30 a.m. so at 10:31 a.m., the jockeying begins as our cameras saw. >> if one person crossing knots looking, this is a disaster happening. >> reporter: sam operates the kebab square truck and said he's seen trucks hit by others white competing for space. our cameras spotted a close call between a truck and a driver. then we saw something else. >> i'm parked illegally here. >> reporter: other drivers, tourists local workers getting swept up by tow trucks. parking signs show these meters are off to allow space for the food trucks. we watched tow operators circling the block then moving in after parking attendants bro tickets. the no parking signs are confusing, drivers say.

and in some cases they stand a distance from the parking meters which have no warning sign. >> it makes me angry. >> reporter: this woman says visitors unfamiliar to the signs or rules are falling victim. >> i don't think it's fair what's happening to the people coming into this town spending their money, coming back to not have their vehicle there. >> reporter: but not every vehicle is towed to clear space for the trucks. this white van was parked in the middle of the pack. the parking attendant says she can't ticket it she can't touch it. it's a federal government vehicle. taking a spot that food truck operators pay $150 a month to reserve. you can see over your shoulder there's a government truck in one of your spots. >> absolutely. >> reporter: that happen a lot? >> every day. >> reporter: the driver a woman wearing smithsonian security clothing returns to her van midday. scott with channel 4, you know you're parked in a food truck area here? a spokeswoman says smithsonian workers driving smithsonian vehicles cannot park in no parking zones.

they must follow parking regulations and all parking signs. city records show about 400 cars having towed from this small stretch of maryland avenue just since january. and that's nearly half of all cars towed from food truck zones citywide this year. scott macfarlane, news4 i-team. >> to see a breakdown of tows this year from food truck spots, visit our nbc washington app and click on investigations. well an innovative class project at george mason university has students head deep in mucky pond water. a floating wetlands design involving both art and science for students. the hands-on effort spurs awareness of ecology along with cleaning the pond water naturally. >> i have students from art, students from science and engineering and communications. all different majors. it's very rare when a college campus has students with all different backgrounds come

together in one class and work together throughout the semester. >> i think having a program on campus like this is unprecedented. the problem solving methods we learn in the art school are entirely different than the methods people are learning in the science school. >> i like that. just merging them all together. there are about 1700 native plants in the floating wetland. 5-year-old girl from virginia caught president obama's attention on twitter. yazmeen wrote a letter to the commander in chief that he quote, stop war for our world. instead have a meeting. she also asked for the president to give a speech to tell everyone they can marry who they want. her aunt tweeted a picture of the letter to president obama and he did respond. the president said quote, tell your niece i really like her letter. couldn't agree more. >> momma showed me the letter of the president. >> pretty exciting stuff, wasn't it? >> yeah. >> the fact that you know he responded to a letter that a

5-year-old wrote to be able to share with her that her words got to the president was pretty remarkable. >> this is president obama's sixth tweet since getting his own account. it's a new view on the d.c. restaurants we all love. coming up on "news4 this week," photographers take us behind the scenes of the hot spots up for some pretty big awards. and heart break and celebration. the ups and downs for maryland lacrosse.

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i don't think this is any surprise. d.c. is becoming a food destination. some are about to be honored for their delicious work. but this year winners will experience the awards in a whole new way. angie goff sat down with the executive director of the restaurant association of metro washington to talk about it. >> our area is certainly known for all the landmarks and

monuments, but more and more we're building a reputation as a great food city. every year the restaurant association of metropolitan washington hosts the rami awards to honor the best d.c. food spots in the area. and this year there's a new twist. food photos. joining us is kathy hollinger. thanks so much for joining us. we want to start off because these local photographers, great photographers, took about six weeks going into some of the best restaurants our city has to offer. why? >> we wanted to make sure that this year at the gala we visually captured everything that this industry represents from the faces and the places and really show that it does take a village to create the experience for the diner in the region. >> one of the photographers that went out and about is ray lopez. we have a couple images from him. we want to show those. these are from bourbon steak as

well as del campo. what stands out when you look at these photos? >> well you see the mastering of everything from an experience for a diner coming in to preparation to ingredients. and that was really important for us. we have an industry that has grown so much. and i think it's easy to talk about growth but the goal that evening is for people to come in and look around the room and see the room come alive with these beautiful photos. 2 2,000 photos will be displayed that evening. >> so often when we think of awards and honoring them for what they do best. that's making food and presenting it. we focus on the finished product. rarely do we talk about the challenges and the struggle. as a former waitress i waitressed even while i was doing news. i know it's a tough business. another photographer here steph harding, she was really able to capture the behind the scene

stories. >> absolutely. so i think what's so important is that these images and 2,000 of them will show the entire experience walking into the restaurant from how you're greeted to how food is prepared to how a diner is experiencing the ambience. all of which you'll be able to see that evening. and there will be one winner of one winning image. >> do they get anything cool? >> they get to be announced at the ramis 2015. >> which is a great party, by the way. and we do want to run more photos. we have a carousel of them. as we talk about the ramis and the upcoming show what else is new we can expect? >> the is year two in the convention center which is beautiful so we're able to really provide the red carpet feel for our food service industry professionals who come out that night. the biggest new element this

year is the photos. and the photo project with photo d.c. the restaurant association thought we should do something creative to really highlight decor in a different way. and we thought nothing would be more poignant than photos. >> definitely sheds another perspective. and also i guess in a recipe kind of way, adds another layer to the event. thank you so much kathy, for joining us. >> thank you. >> we want to remind you that the 33rd annual rami awards on sunday, june 7th at the washington convention center. >> that sounds like a great coffee table book. the huge surprise a regular left behind for staff coming up.

get your tissue ready. it's now 40 years and counting. the maryland men's lacrosse team since 1975 seven appearances in

the national championship game. seven losses. this week history repeated itself for maryland. the terps took on denver. maryland never recovered from a hot start. the pioneers ultimately defeating maryland 10-5. it's denver's first men's lacrosse title in school history. they became the first team west of the mississippi to win it all. but maryland lacrosse isn't going home completely empty handed. the terps women's team defeated unc. maryland launched a furious second half comeback to take home the title. it's the 12th ncaa championship for the women's lacrosse team. love it. well gumbo, fried chicken, a couple of cold drafts. top it all off with a $2,000 tip. the owner of blue 44 restaurant in northwest d.c. says his staff

did more than a few double takes when they got a check back from one of their regulars. the customer stopped by for his favorite meal. a couple of beers, too, at the restaurant before they switched to their summer kegs. when the staff got the receipt, they found this big tip and some pretty clear instructions. >> it said $1,000 for chef james. $500 for chris. $500 for laura. none of us really knew what to say. speechless. >> it was that one tip that can pay for one of my classes this summer. >> paying it back. he says he's always a generous tipper. beyond the money, it's nice to see a customer who really enjoys the restaurant and feeling comfortable there. like it's family. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. we'll leave you with images from memorial day remembrances and events. be safe be kind, be happy,

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today former maryland governor martin o'malley is set to make a major announcement in the race for president. we check out his latest online video. >> and we have a traffic alert for you this morning. we're just learning that the ramp from westbound route 7 in virginia to the beltway is closed at this hour. virginia state police say it's closed because of an accident. we're working to get you more information. we'll get that to you as soon as we get it. >> that's right. first off, we want to say good morning to you. it is saturday may 30th. last weekend of may. >> i know. >> i'm angie goff. >> and i'm david culver. welcome to news4 today. last weekend of may, but it's going to start to feel a lot like summer. if