welcome to news 4 "this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm chris lawrence. this week, we're looking at the biggest and most interesting stories of 2015. among them, confidence in metro was shaken. we look at the big hits the transit system took, to talk to the gm about what the new year can hold. and it may be one of the biggest events to come to d.c. for years to come and one of the most moving. we relive pope francis' visit to the national capital. and there was a new panda in the public eye. and bai bai make hiss public

debut. the transit system is looking for a revamp in 2015. we look at the year in a was for the metro. >> the metro station, one of the busiest in the system, has been evacuated and closed down. there's reports of smoke. >> it is unbelievable how many blocks are closed off with fire and rescue equipment. >> one person has died. several others were rushed to the hospital. >> karen glover was heading home. her train started filling up with smoke. it was an insulator that led to the incident. the agency dealt with a handful of problems, including a redalement of a train at smithsonian. as well as the morning chopper 4 flew over a stranded train at westfalls church. it took metro almost a year to fire a general manager.

but in november, the manager took the reins, promising improvements in safety and the overall experience. there's no question, he has a huge task ahead of him. days after his hiring, the transportation reporter sat down for his first on-camera interview to speak about the challenges he faces and improvements he wants to make. >> reporter: take a walk with paul and it becomes clear, he expects to change metro. what do you want to tell people? are you asking for patience? or what do you want to tell people? >> i don't want to ask for their patience. i think they have been patient. i want to tell them i understand their trust rags. i want to let them know that i am working around the clock to make it better. >> reporter: in his first interview, weidefeld was candid. is it clear in a something needs to change? >> yes. >> reporter: i would like you to

be frank. >> i will be frank with you. the frustration that people feel if there aren't changes to be made, then how do we get to those issues? >> reporter: he hasn't made decisions about the staff at the moment. but he thinks there's too many people that report to him. right now, there's 20 people that directly report to him. that structure gets to get more focused and streamlined. and listen to what he thinks about metro's 13,000 employees need to act. >> we need to have respect for each other. that also reflects how we treat our customers. >> reporter: with an agency of this size and scope and moving parts, employees can have differences. wiedefeld says he has found an apartment right off of "h" street. his metro station will be union station. he will ride the red line every day. but he makes it clear, he needs to get metro's current operation

back on track and everything else will follow. >> i can't be worried about being hard. >> right. >> reporter: can you make a promise to people that it's going to be better? >> i can definitely make a promise that it will get better. >> a lot of you experienced a problem last week. it top stopped accepting credit cards all day. and the machines were down for eight hours. customer information was not compromised. he not only blesses people, but he makes cars more popular, too. coming up, a new investigation, the d.c. area's drone problem. so many people getting them for the holidays. but too many people flying them where they shouldn't be.

they were one of the hottest gifts this christmas. but drones have been making headlines and going viral on social media all year. now, there's a question of how to regulate them and keep them from getting in energies. the news 4 i team found a local man that learned when you fly when you're not supposed to. >> reporter: you're seeing and hearing a drone flight. we're doing it in the studio because in so many places in our area, they're illegal to fly outside. they're more popular. 700,000 drones will sell this year alone, half during the holiday season. which means the skies are about to get much more crowded. it's a view unlike any other. brian needle recorded it over great falls, middle of summer, with his brand-new drone. >> all hell broke loose. >> reporter: a u.s. park police helicopter was near paroling. >> we didn't see the helicopter until it came right at us.

>> reporter: he was flying the drone below the tree line. they flew over top of me, started pushing down. >> reporter: he's not alone. a review of federal aviation records show about two dozen air scarce between drones or police and medical helicopters since 2014, including in college park, last october. a drone came close to a police helicopter, just a quarter-mile from the city airport there. we found it's a growing problem from coast-to-coast, including drones flying too close to firefighting aircraft. >> a risk and critical risk. >> reporter: about 25 times on the west coast, airborne fire crews reported close calls with drones. >> we're talking about life and death situations here, when folks do stupid things. >> reporter: u.s. forest service records show several cases the

firefighters had to detour or ground the plane because the drones were close. tom harbor of the u.s. forest service says they had no choice. >> we're not going to kill somebody over some improper use of a drone in that air space. >> wrong place, wrong time. >> reporter: on the ground, one of the fires torched this man's car. you see it burning here. and what's left here. he says drone operators put his home and his neighbors at risk, too. >> something has to be done about it before there's a real disaster. >> reporter: police and fire response teams aren't the only ones affected. the feds just announced a system for drone users to register their aircraft, so the faa can keep better tabs on who is playing and where. >> it's hard because there's so many areas.

>> reporter: the u.s. government has declared d.c. a no-fly zone indefinitely. and they issued brian needle a $70 fine for getting too close to the police helicopter. he is still playing, but cautiously. >> don't know what the story is, with what's okay and what's not. >> reporter: with hundreds of thousands more people possibly joining the skies come christmas morning. scott mcfarland, news 4 team. >> for advice on how to operate your drone, go to the nbc washington app and click on investigations. from throngs of people to a special kiss from the pope, it was a scene we won't forget. when news 4 this week returns, we take you back to the papal parade. and she establiaccomplished the biggest feats of the year. how a local woman is taking climbing to mu heights.

it was an incredible week in d.c., one that's going to be looked back on as a highlight of 2015. from addressing a joint session

of congress, to mingling with the poor in washington, pope francis made history here in our city, over and over again. but the thing that most may remember was the parade around the eclipse in the popemobile. the holy father waved, gave messages to the crowd. and kissed babies along the route. here's pat collins. >> reporter: it was a parade of one man. but the impact it had, simply stirring. >> he went by. and it was like, i hope he turns around. he got to the corner and he turned around. and i felt the blessing. it came straight to me. >> reporter: pope francis visited the president today. but the main event wasn't at the white house. it was in the streets around it. tens of thousands of people license plated up for a glimpse of the holy father. some waited for hours. >> this is like last minute, you know? we're going to see the pope. >> reporter: you left at 10:00

last night? >> yeah. >> reporter: from pittsburgh. and you slept in the parking lot to see the pope? >> yeah. >> reporter: some had traveled from other countries. here from where? >> canada. >> reporter: you came from canada to see the pope. >> yes. >> reporter: what does he mean to you? >> he's love. some cheered and sang as the anticipation grew. and then, there he was, in that popemobile, waving and blessing the crowd, as he went down the avenue. he paused to kiss a baby. a baby handed to him by a secret service agent. he waited as a little girl brought him a t-shirt. then, more waves and more blessings. and though there were thousands and thousands of people -- many thought the pope was really just there for them.

>> i felt that he was looking right at my face. i don't know if he was or not. but he looked like he was looking -- and he went like this. and i went, yes. >> wow. the other talk around town was the holy father's relatively fumble choice of transportation. for three days, we saw pope francis zigzag around d.c. in a fiat 500 l. and now, a dealership is crediting the holy father with closing a few deals. one woman was on the fence about the fiat, until pope francis cruised around town in one. >> she called me and said i think i've reconsidered the purchase of the fiat 500 l. i want to get one. >> then, there was the popemobile. that was a modified jeep wrangler. we've watched him grow from the size of a stick of butter to a

toddler panda. and the national zoo is rolling out the red carpet for bai sprgs bai. we get a sneak peek next. it's the holidays, which means a house full of people, who all want to get online. so hurry and get verizon fios. only fios has the fastest internet and wi-fi available, with speeds from 50 to 500 megs. and right now, for only $79.99 a month online, you get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for your first year. plus, with a 2-year agreement, fios gives you $400 back, and all the premium movie channels for a year. so go online or call now for this great offer. get out of the past. get fios.

this may have been one of the biggest surprises of the year. back in august, giants panda gave birth to two pan the cubs. one of the cubs died several days later. but we've been watching young bai bai grow every step of the way. kristen wright got a sneak peek. >> reporter: our very first look at bei bei. and we wouldn't look away. he is ably cute, in a way a panda can be. bei bei is getting a few teeth. he's almost four months. 17 1/2 pounds. he weighed in on monday.

bei bei is hitting his developmental milestones right on target. >> he is getting more strength in his back legs. it's seeing the developmental increase is a positive thing. >> reporter: his momma is still his world. but in one month, bei bei's world gets bigger. >> we want to get him used to the crowds coming through. >> we save species. that's what we do. we're part of the conservation story and that message. >> you can get your first look of bei bei, on january 13th. she is one you may not have heard of. but she conquered one of the toughest mountains of the world, the north face of the iger in switzerland. she started her ascent right here in our area.

we spoke to her about the stunning feat. >> reporter: the eiger means ogre in swiss. it can be mean and ugly, especially to humans who try to crawl up its side. many have felt its lethal breath. >> that sunset, unreal. >> reporter: this is sasha, the first woman to free climb the north face of the eiger last month. the north face is a complicated passage, known as murder wall. >> this entire encompassing of trying something that i didn't know. an i didn't know if i could do it. >> reporter: in free climbing, one uses a rope and gear only to catch your fall. your assent is determined by the strength and the mountain. >> let's finish this. >> reporter: she is lucky. her passion seized her early.

she grew up in the washington area, attending the potomac school. she started climbing at age 6. and ventured in competitive climbing at age 8. and she never looked back or down. >> i never really had to question who i am. and what i want because i am so happy with what i am, that i'm most passionate about. >> reporter: her ascent of the eiger took a month. the two spent nights making camp in the crevasses. >> we're about to dig our bed. >> reporter: and had a few setbacks from weather. >> today was a giant smackdown. >> reporter: the greatest danger on the north face of a mountain are storms. the other danger comes from within, fear. >> this climb was probably the peak of my fear. >> gosh. >> i was scared about every day. it was focusing on not thinking

about falling, really. and focusing on what i could control. >> reporter: while physical strength and agility gets you on the mountain, she says your mind gets you to the top. >> your mind is overruling your body's exhaustion. you're convincing yourself you can keep going if you don't know physically if you can. >> reporter: on august 29th, they reached the summit. and what a mountain top. just breathtaking. rock climbing is clearly for the rare free-ranged human. but the tenacity to reach our individual heights applies even to us mortals down below. >> wow. what a climb. and what a view from the top. she now has her sights set on el capitan in yosemite and another mountain in brazil. that's going to do it for "news 4 this week." i'm chris lawrence. we're going to leave you with

our favorite local time lapse videos of the year. thanks for joining us and have a safe and happy new year. ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ welcome to "redskins chronicles," i'm larry michael at redskins park. each week at redskins con calls we take an in depth look at the team's storied legacy and today we wrap up the season with the our favorite moments. it's been a pleasure to sit down with the greats who ever wore the burgundy and gold today a special show. the redskins are nfc champions. winning in