welcome to news4 this week. >> hi, everyone, i'm veronica johnson. we're going to show you the interesting local stories making news this week. among them storm team 4's winter weather outlook. we'll show you who el nino's impact could be and whether that means a major storm for our area. american girl controversy, how two local parents are responding to the kbroup that blasted their family's appearance. and. meet the woman who's turned her life threatening experience into a career that's helping others through hope. first, the big change at checkout counters already causing a lot of confusion this holiday shopping season. your credit card may have that new chip that's designed to

protect you. but as news4 erica gonzalez shows us, it could make your trip take a little longer than usual. ♪ >> you can already hear the sounds of the season and the holiday decor is already up. but are retailers really ready for the onslaught of shoppers? >> holiday shopping this year is going to be a little more complex. >> alex johnson is with the research group that advises the banking and payment industry. he doesn't think all of the stores will be ready to accept the chip cards. >> we could see much slower lines this year because everybody is getting used to the technology. >> to get a first hand look at the technology how it works and what happens when it doesn't, my producer and i set out to do some shopping. this t.j. maxx -- it doesn't work? >> not yet. >> the wasn't ready for me to

dip my card. same thing at this barnes & nob noble. >> i don't think we do the chip yet. >> you don't have the chip yet? >> not yet. i think at the end of november. >> we find success at this target. 15 seconds, not bad. i was in and out very quickly. but at this best buy -- >> it won't take the card. >> remember, most chip credit cards issued in the u.s. do not have a pin number. but some corporate cards do. we used our company credit card but had never been asked for a pin number before. >> all right. well, then let me call my bank. i couldn't complete the transaction. i didn't make a purchase. clearly there's some confusion on how the cards are supposed to work and where you can use them. we called the store's corporate office for clarification. best buy has been processing chip cards in the d.c. area for over a month. but other retailers hissed the october 1st deadline to have the technology working. that means the stores, not banks are liable if your card information is compromised.

barnes & noble told us that the new technology will be installed just after the holiday so it won't interrupt the shopping season. t.j. maxx told us it's actively working at processing the chip based cards but does not have an exact date. different stores, different checkout procedures. so as you make your list and check it twice, have a plan and pack your patience. erica gonzalez, news4. >> that is for sure. i can tell you first hand experience, i kind of chuckled when walking out. if you have a debit card with a chip, you will need a p.i.n. number to use it. storm team 4 has been looking at how the weather will impact you during the shopping trips and beyond. here's chief meteorologist doug come ra with the season's winter weather outlook. >> over the last two years we've seen a pattern setting up with our winters, very warm decembers

and a very cold january and february. this past february ranked as one of the top ten coldest ever. >> i am very, very cold. >> and this is a pattern i expect to see continue into the winter of 2015/2016. a few things have changed, though, such as the el nino which is one of the strongest on record. the waters in the pacific continue to warm. and if we were looking at el nino alone, we would expect a warm, wet winter. there are other drivers at play here. the warmer waters in the pacific ocean tend to bring the jet stream farther to the north, over areas like alaska and farther to the south over our region. the amount of snow covered siberia towards late october is another variable. this year it's well above average, meaning cold air is ready, waiting to move in. it's just going to take a month or so to do so. there are many other factors

here as well. but here's what it means to you. storm team 4 is predicting a warmer than average december and it may be well above average. january should be slightly e below average, and fen well below average. we'll see a few warm spells too and that could bring down the snow totals. the players are all there, they just have to come together and i think they will this season. we're going to be watching for the big el nino storms to move along the southern branch of the jet stream into our region just in time as the cold air moves down. if that happens, we could be talking about a monster snowstorm. this year's forecast is a tough one. but i think we'll see sat least one big snowstorm and that could mean above average snowfall. we're predicting 20 to 25 inches of snow for the d.c. metro region and 50 inches to the west while areas shout will see much less snow. get the snow shovels ready. looks like most of us are going to need them. >> here's an easier way to look at it.

that much snow, that's about up to your kneecap, maybe a little lower. and not coming all at once. so that makes it a little more bearable. remember to download the nbc washington app to get you through the winter. we're always updating the forecast. check us out on the 8s on the radio. a message about homelessness may have you doing a double take in virginia. with colder weather on the way, the mannequins are showing up at businesses and churches. they display ways to help care for the homeless this winter and detail the county's long term plan to provide housing for 1200 people with no place to live. check out the nbc washington app and search homeless. generating a lot of buzz on our app, a story that you saw first on 4 about the backlash against a montgomery family featured in the american girl magazine. the magazine featured an

11-year-old and her family last month. their joy evaporated when a conservative group called for the boycott of the publication for showing her with her two dads. >> these were moms, moms who were looking at a picture of our children and making a judgment on them. >> they say they've since gotten an outpouring of support from their church and other community members. well pump the brakes. still ahead, why some of us may no longer have to obey stop signs in d.c. say what? and the mixed reaction to this new proposal. and opening up about not wanting to live, more revelations from a local olympic star

maryland own olympic gold

medalist michael phelps is opening up to the pub like like never before. the swimmer tells sports illustrated the dpark darkest moments of his life came last year after his dui arrest. it put him in a very dark place and at one point he didn't want to be alive. phelps went to rehab, swore off alcohol and started swimming again. he wants to compete in one last olympic games next year in brazil. which you can of course watch right here on nbc. well stop signs are supposed to be the same for bike riders and drivers in the district. that's the law. but a controversial new proposal would allow cyclist to treat stop signs like yield signs. we'll show you the plan which is getting mixed reactions right now. >> it's illegal now but cyclists routinely pass through stop signs. it's a flash point between drivers and cyclists competing on roadways. but no a new comprehensive safety bill would allow cyclists

to treat the stop lines like yield signs if the path is clear. some drivers don't like it. >> i think they should come to a complete stop. >> i'm a cyclist too. it's a terrible idea. >> why? >> you put yourself in danger as much as the other traffic users. >> the legislation says cyclists are a common growing part of the transportation network. flexible stops cause less congestion. the washington area bicycle association says the proposal and others are part of a consensus, bike and insurance x exper experts. >> it does dmot allow them to hit pedestrians. all of the behaviors would remain illegal. when there's no other person present either in a vehicle or on foot at an intersection, it would allow the bicyclists to roll through the intersection. everything else, the bicyclist would have to yield the right of way. >> the changes are part of a

hearing december 8th by the transportation committee. >> we need to figure out how to get all of these modes of transportation operating at the same time. >> the legislation includes tougher penalties for driving under the influence, and escalating fines for repeat offenders of traffic laws. tom sherwood, news4. among the most growling physical and mental tests in the world. coming up, see exactly what these local rotc members have to endure to pass the elite ranger challenge. plus, healing with hope. the experience that inspired one woman to help others by connecting science with faith.

a woman in prince george's county is giving back to the hospital that helped save her life after an emergency heart surgery. she's working as a chaplain at the hospital center.

news4 reports doctors and patients alike say the connection between faith and healing is undeniable. >> when we wake up in the morning, sometimes we take for granted the fact that we can open our eyes, that we can walk, that we have activity. >> after a life changing medical scare, kimberly richardson decided she could no longer take the little things for granted. >> the pain was so intense, i could barely move. >> about eight years ago she had emergency heart surgery. she was 23. her diagnosis, perry car diets, an inflammation of the lining that covers the heart. dr. ruiz is the cardiologist who treated her >> i could have been life ending. >> as kimberly recovered, she began to view her recovery as a blessing in disguise. >> i felt that the lord was calling me into chaplain.

>> last year she returned to the same hospital where she was treated, now to minister to those who are facing similar medical crises. >> it's something like nobody cares about them. so when they see somebody come in just to check on them and see how they're doing and can offer a hope for their spirit, they are very encouraged. >> kimberly works with the hospital's spiritual care department as a chaplain resident. >> we represent the caring and super natural side of things. we represent who god is. it's kind of like the hospital is a church and we're the pastors. >> and she considers the patients the parishioners. she visits with them and their families, offering prayers, conversation and sometimes just her presence. >> families need to know that they have support when they're going through a crisis or tragedy. >> many medical experts see a direct connection between the spiritual and scientific. >> there's a lot about science that we don't understand.

there's a lot about faith that we don't understand. and to me i think that when both of them come together is really where the magic is. in kimberly's case, for her to be able to lean on her faith at a difficult time proved just as life saving as the intervention that she had. >> kimberly's personal experience brings unique perspective to the hospital bedside. and her special touch can greatly impact a patient's recovery. >> faith plays a very key role. there are no side effects. >> i want to be there with people in those moments to remind them they're not alone. i'm not alone. i still are the presence of god with me. >> news4, washington. >> wow. that's amazing. well they can follow in some historic footsteps. still to come. why these maryland college students are pushing themselves to the brink in a grueling survival challenge.

i know you're listening, but take a close look at your television. what's wrong with this picture? take an even closer look at this wauk nationals calendar. it's got a lot of attention online. the problem, that's not nats park that you sere see in the photo. it's fenway park in boston. oops! the nats say they didn't make the calendar but they're working with a company that did to get it fixed and get the right calendars out. now to a group of women preparing for the ranger challenge. it's a competition that could let them know if they have what it takes to become army range j rangers. >> one by one they belly crawl through a dirt filled trench. this rotc team from the university of maryland participating in the ranger

challenge at ft. picket in blackstone, virginia. >> there you go. careful getting up. >> the idea to pass through the physical, technical and tactical challenges quickly and efficiently without losing points. they're up against dozens of other universities. this year several women from the university of maryland are participating in the challenge. they're going head to head with the men. >> we train together all the way. we got each other's back. >> alexandra deen is among the women on the team. >> there you go! >> i actually felt like i wanted to throw up. i've never gotten to that point working out before. we do train but here you kind of exhaust yourself. >> the women are inspired to follow in the footsteps of the first two women to ever graduate from ranger school last summer. this is just a taste of what the experience could be like. >> i think we're measuring up well. we're pulling our weight. we have to just be with each

other, motivate each other. we're not seeing each other lesser than any other person. this cadet is sidelined by an ankle injury but she's here to cheer for her team. >> i knew it would be something that i'm interested in. i know for a fact that i'm going to do it. >> but first rising to the ranger challenge, whether it's flipping this nearly 200 pound tire across the field, or hitting the target, they need to stand out in all aspects of the competition. they're macking these tasks look a lot easier than what they are. this is the incline wall. you're not even supposed to step in here. he's see how far i can get. i could jump up. this is about as far as i can get. there's in way i'm going over this wall. i'm done. the challenge is giving women a chance to see how they compare to the men physically and where they need to train to become

more competitive. the competition also requires team work, leadership and critical thinking. the challenge is rigorous and pushes the cadets to their fullest ability. cadet lopez's daughters came to cheer him on. we asked if a military career is in their future. >> it would be up to them, after they grow up. like daddy, you're a soldier, we could be a soldier. if they choose to be, by all means. >> well the university of maryland team did not win any awards at the competition but the women say they're eager to get back to training and try again next year. well that's all for news4 this week, guys. hope you enjoyed it. we leave you with a look at some amazing moves from the famed choreography and her 50th anniversary tour on this weekend on kennedy center.

be safe, be kind, be happy. good-bye, everybody.

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welcome to redskins chronicles. we take an in depth look at a piece of this team's legacy. one of the 80 latest redskins, roy jefferson. redskins back in action this sunday as they host new orleans. falling to the patriots last week. washington is 3-5. the saints are h-5 and c