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. among them, battleground virginia, just days away from super tuesday. the candidates for president are setting their sights on the commonwealth. plus, history in the making. we're giving you exclusive access to the new museum of african-american history and culture. barbara harrison shows us some of the incredible artifacts that will be on display. and it's one of the biggest murder cases you've never heard of. now police say the key to solving it could be right up in your attic. but first, to politics. virginia will be one of the key battleground states come november, but you can

commercials with super tuesday just three days away. news4's tom sherwood reports. >> reporter: it was bernie sanders in norfolk on tuesday. >> please come out to vote, help us win. >> reporter: president clinton stumping for hillary in alexandria. >> thank you for being here. you ready to win this election? >> reporter: other presidential candidates are to visit virginia, a november battleground state, before next week super tuesday primaries. and virginia voters are making their choices like these voters in mclean today. who are you going to vote for? >> marion barry. >> hillary clinton. >> reporter: ooh, and why? >> because she's better for poor people. >> reporter: and who are you voting for? >> that's my business. >> reporter: on sunday, republican marco

and ted cruz is in virginia beach friday. donald trump campaigns monday and southwestern radford. and terry mccolora culloug. >> we have a strong base in the commonwealth. she's going to win virginia. >> reporter: virginia is one of nine states holding primaries tuesday. tom sherwood, news4. >> for an updated list of the presidential candidates and their scheduled events in virginia ahead of super tuesday, open up the nbc washington app. just search candidate tracker. in maryland, republican governor larry hogan is more popular than ever with voters about 63% of marylanders approve of his performance. that's up 5% since october. 86% of republicans approve and 50% of democrats think the republican governor is doing a great job. there are twice as many registered democrats as republicans in maryland. the poll was

college in baltimore. it's been years in the making, but finally today d.c.'s long trouble street car will carry passengers for the first time. the first street car is set to pick up riders on h street in northeast around 10:00 this morning. the street car will be free to ride for at least the first six months. d.c. leaders say that will help people get accustomed to it. there will also be adjustments along the h street corridor, as drivers and pedestrians get used to the street car. this system won't run on sundays, because that will be the day to get some things done and the day for maintenance and repair. well, the disturbing child pornography case at prince george's county. elementary school has one lawmaker pushing for change. state senator anthony muse will allow employers access to juvenile offenses if working with children. one man facing childor

but juvenile offenses that were protected. muse says the change would have raised red flags during the background check. >> it would have allowed us in this situation that we are dealing with to know that there was some tremendous problems that should have raised the eyebrows of those who were in the employment industry relative to schools in this case, to be able to say this is a person that either should not have hired, or should have looked into further. >> the legislation is expected to head to maryland state judicial proceedings committee for review this week. senator muse is the husband of news4 anchor pat lawson muse. the national mall's newest museum will open in less than seven months and barbara harrison is giving us a look at african-american history and culture and telling the story of one of america's greatest athletes. he was a boxer known for having

harrison shows us, this story comes from something his glove literally said. ♪ >> reporter: in 1964, 22-year-old boxer cassius clay left to train at the fifth street gym in miami where his fight was against sonny listton. when the museum opens, one of the featured exhibitions will be the story of cassius clay, muhammad ali and his celebrated career. >> we have several pieces of material from the fifth street gym where he had trained when he was cassius clay. >> reporter: inside one of the giant processing rooms for the thousands of items being readied for the exhibition, rene anderson shows off a prized piece from the prize fighter. >> this is practice gloves from cassius clay. it is

been a confident person. >> i'm young, i'm hand some, i'm fast, i'm pretty, and can't possibly be beat! >> reporter: cassius clay was young, handsome and in those days, he was known as the louisville lip for what was seen as his cocky, some would call arrogant confidence. it says, "from cassius clay," january 1964, next heavyweight champion of the world. he felt pretty confident. >> he was confident. he's claiming what was to come. >> reporter: what he wrote on that glove proved to be prophetic. a month later, against all the odds-makers, cassius clay defeated sonny listton to become the heavyweight champion of the world. he then punched his way through famous fights with joe frazier and george foreman, entertaining with his pummeling jabs, his prancing footwork and a personality filled with poetic wit. like his

butterfly, sing like a bee." his controversial conversion to islam, changing his name to muhammad, and refusal to invite in vietnam shut down his career for a few years. temporarily taking away his titles. he was down, but not out. and in standing firm for his principles on racial justice and religious freedom, he won the respect of many. he made a comeback in the ring, regaining his lost titles, and he remains today the only man who has three times been crowned heavyweight champion of the world. by the world boxing association. muhammad ali proudly earned his place in history books as one of america's greatest athletes, earning the praise of presidents and people around the world. while books tell his story, the museum hopes to do more. >> i think people get excited when, you

facts directly and indirectly associated with him as a person, and the context and experience that he had. >> reporter: a small glove that tells a very big story. >> of course, there will be a lot more to learn about the life of muhammed ali at the museum after it opens on september 24th. and you can see all of barbara's reports on the new museum on our nbc washington app. well, on the eastern shore, involving the most coveted of birds in america. what some scientists believe may be behind the deaths of more than a dozen bald eagles. plus, breweries are exploding in our area. they're exploding everywhere. now a local university is offering a class to help you learn how to get in on the trade.

you can't deal with something, by ignoring it. but that's how some presidential candidates seem to be dealing with social security. americans work hard, and pay into it. so our next president needs a real plan to keep it strong.

♪ more than a dozen bald eagles found dead

eastern shore may have been poisoned. a man discovered the birds earlier this week on a fredericksburg farm. maryland natural resources say it's unlikely the birds were intentionally shot, but they could have eaten poisoned rodents or been killed by a chemical sprayed in the area. it's illegal to kill bald eagles. a $10,000 reward is being offered for information in this case. and you can get a look at a rare and familiar flowers from plants all over our national parks across the country. you don't have to go very far. just head down to the u.s. botanic garden in southwest d.c. the new exhibit opened this week, showcasing artwork from more than 70 artists. some of those paintings include the giant sequoia at yosemite national park. the show celebrates the 100th anniversary of the national park service. wow. a new course at virginia tech may have

and saying, "cheers." the university now has a new brew house for malting beer research. students will learn malting, brewing and fermentation neck neegs. and may be able to use the facility to develop new varieties of alis and loggers. similar to most craft breweries, virginia tech will b able to brew up to 66 gallons per batch. police have been working for nearly a century to solve a crime. now our i-team is getting an inside look at the car barn murders, and how you can help crack that case. and metro is taking a lot of heat, but a new study says that d.c. has it easy when it comes to public transportation.

it's one of the most high-profile crimes ever in our region. but most people have never even heard of it. it's called the car barn murders, a

unsolved case in montgomery county. but as tisha thompson and the news4 i-team show us, police think the clue to cracking this cold case could still be out there. >> reporter: when you look at old photos, what do you see? the clothes, the vehicles, men with long-forgotten names? >> there's a couple things that might be bullet holes. >> reporter: detective ryan stafford looks for the tooib details. >> there's one there, one there, maybe one up there. >> reporter: detectives before him may have missed. this is the capital crescent trail in chevy chase. but in 1935, the beano railroad came right through here, and at this spot, it intersected with connecticut avenue, which looked a whole lot different in those days. the capital transit trolly system had a huge car barn here, and a little ticket office, where conductors turned over the fares they collected each day. >> in 1935 dollars, it was

$1,229. so over $20,000 in today's money. >> reporter: it started as a robbery, including $60 in quarters. $31 in dimes. and a single $20 bill. a meticulous list kept by james mitchel, the trolly clerk. >> he was waiting for the armored car to come and collect this money. >> reporter: mitchell was found inside his locked office, shot through the head the night watchman floating in rock creek below the kensington parkway bridge. >> this is the american watchman's time detector company. >> reporter: the case file is filled with 81-year-old relics. >> there is a circle right here. this was the last time that mr. smith punched in on his time clock as he was making his rounds. and that's how they helped narrow down the time of the crime. >> reporter: detect stafford says it might be old, but all of this evidence can still hold up in court. like these suspicious footprints in the snow. >> somebody was walking around out there,

and envelopes from the funeral home containing bullet fragments. >> you can see the markings from the rifling. >> reporter: police never found the murder weapon. >> if you look at the striations on here, you can see how they all run vertically. >> reporter: but this fbi ballistics report tells detective stafford what to search for. >> colt model semi automatic pist pistol. >> reporter: they have telegrams, stick ups and get being rid of people before they squawk. it's all kept on the back shelf of the county's cold case evidence room. the first in a line of boxes filled with stories of families who never got closure. >> i think they're all solvable. >> reporter: but stafford is realistic. >> it's not a case we're actively investigating. we do have to focus on our cases where we have either victims who are still alive, victims' families who are still alive, and where the suspects might still be out there and could be brought to justice. >> reporter: he says allth

suspects in the car barn murders are long gone. but he thinks the missing link is still living among us. >> if you ever heard stories about, you know, your old grandpa who was the old bootlegger back in the '30s and some stories about a robbery at the car barn that he might have been involved with or he knew who did it or anything like that, call us. >> reporter: which is why, everyone so often he pulls out the file. >> it is an open murder. and we don't close murders, and we don't forget about them. >> reporter: searching for what may be hidden in plain sight. in chevy chase, tisha thompson, news4 i-team. >> what a mystery. a special thanks to the chevy chase historic society for their help on this story. now, if you happen to find a 1903 colt firearm in your attic or basement, detective stafford wants to hear from you. he says you will not get into any trouble. march madness isn't just for basketball when we return, the local gymnastics team that is looking to make a r

championship this spring.

okay. what's that you say? we hear you. we know you have a lot of gripes about metro. but it appears other cities might have it worse. d.c. has been named the best city in the country for public transportation by finance technology site smart asset. the study considered factors like average commute time and percentage of commuters who use public transportation. safety and delays were not included. but san francisco was second here, followed by boston and chicago. and then on to new york. march madness right around the corner, and march madness isn't just for basketball teams. but women's gymnastics. george washington ranked as high as seventh in the nation this season. now with an eye on the postseason, thanks to experience. and not just how they practice, but how they start practice. carol maloney reports.

>> the sign doesn't say "we will try." it says "we will." we're holding ourselves and our teammates accountable. we're getting in and doing our job. >> we will give our all. we will conquer the day. >> they are committed and focused and ready to be taught. >> reporter: educated by a teacher with over three decades of experience. in margie foster cunningham. >> people will say, how can you do this for 31 years? it's different every year. it's never the same. >> she is going to get the best out of you as an athlete, and not even as an athlete. as a person too. >> big, big, big. >> physically, we came here, we had our skills. but she's amazing at tweaking our mind set and putting us into that competition setting. >> there we go! that a girl! >> i enjoy the challenge of putting what's in my head and trying to get it into someone else's. and, you know, i really know that sport teaches life lessons. i believe it down to my car. >> everything goes

>> reporter: but next, spring boarding to a national title for a team that believes in tight bond. >> it's an uphill battle the entire season. but we're only going to get there if we get there together. >> we just have to stay focused and we can be in the game at the end. it's all about that one moment, though, when who is going to be great that day. we believe gw can be there. >> sure, sports does teach life lessons, but it takes a good coach. and she looks fantastic. the ladies will learn of their postseason tournament path in late march. hey, that's all for news4 this week. i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. we're going to leave you with some amazing rainbows that came after this week's severe storms. hope they don't come any time soon again. until next time, be safe, be kind, be happy. bye-bye, everybody.

d.c. street cars hitting the tracks. years of delays and controversy. now it's finally a reality. how much a trip will cost you and where you can catch a ride. a battle for delegates in the south carolina primary. why one does not plan to be there when the votes come in. out for a live look. union station. chilly out there. you just wait. we're in for much warmer temperatures. will it be thighs to go biking, go outside a little