♪ right now on "news4 this week," the people headed to the mall on inauguration day. signal booths. cell phone providers spend millions to make sure you're connected during the events. the district and polaroid pictures, how one man captured the changing landscape over the past three decades. welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm chris lawrence. the area around the national mall is transforming into a fortress as crews get ready for the inauguration of donald trump. nearly a million people are expected for the event. as news4's tom sherwood reports, lots of folks means lots of temporary bathrooms.

>> reporter: truckloads of toilets, part of every inaugural. thousands of them. when you got to go, you got to go. is this your first inaugural? >> this is my first one. >> reporter: lon van ruth is crew john for don john's toilets. the former long hawk truck driver from prince william county wants them in place and working. how many port-a-johns will we see on the mall? >> tom, there's going to be a lot. there's going to be a lot -- >> reporter: thousands? >> there's going to be thousands. >> reporter: while super security is sealing manhole covers for inaugural day, the toilet brigade is spreading across the whole national mall. people joke about it, but it's serious. >> absolutely. >> reporter: honhron has a tip check the door. don't just stand in line. >> if you knock, somebody might finish be in there. don't stand in line. >> reporter: the toilets will remain locked until inaugural weekend. it will take a week to empty a

festivities are done. we only had one last question -- are men or women messier in the bathroom? >> men. >> reporter: fortunately, there's a lot of them to pick and choose from. in addition to bathrooms, everyone's going to want to use their smartphones during the inauguration. cell phone companies are working hard to make sure everyone can stay connected down on the mall. verizon and at&t have spent millions of dollars to boost cell phone service. the companies even put up temporary towers to boost their signals. >> the people will be able to do anything they feel they need to do. when it's things like facebook live, instagram, snapchat, making a call, sending a text, sending a picture. >> making a call seems so quaint. the cell phone companies do have one reminder for you -- don't forget to actually charge your cell phone. if you're headed down on inauguration day, you'll want to plan ahead. reagan national airport is offering parking in its

you can then take metro across the river. but you have to book in advance on the airport's website, and the deal is limited to the first 1,200 people. reagan and dulles are also preparing for extra congestion. if you're actually flying out on saturday over sunday after inauguration, officials urge you to arrive two to four hours before your flight. also this week, we learn good a local man who has been taking pictures around washington, d.c., for decades. he's done it all with a polaroid camera. enough to all those pictures -- now all those pictures are the centerpiece of a new museum exhibit. as news4's mark seagraves reports, the pictures show the stunning change of the d.c. landscape. amazing. a transformation. >> reporter: there are times that chris earnshaw can only shake his head and wonder why. >> but it's gone. it's a lack of imagination. >> reporter: as a young man sometimes without a place of his own to live, he feared his hometown, washington, d.c., was losing too muchf

in the name of progress. >> about to build the fbi building, and all these victorian buildings were going come tumbling down. i had a sense that someone needed to capture it so i did that. >> reporter: he started snapping pictures of downtown with his polaroid in the 1960s, and he never stopped. pictures of a d.c. that doesn't exist anymore. buildings that made way for progress. >> the walter washington convention center occupies a four-block spot. this would have been the front of that site. this is f street where the verizon center now stands. >> reporter: today earnshaw gazes at the empty lot where 50 years ago he took this picture of a grand castle that once occupied the same corner. >> i'm standing in the footprint of a wonderful 19th century building that somebody from 1971 or '72 decided we can mark six cars there. what a bummer. that building never should have been taken down. because the building is gone, sadly the photograph is all you v

existed. >> reporter: a few years ago, earnshaw met joseph mills, also a photographer who had chronicled d.c. over the same time period. initially you didn't see the brilliance this savant nature of chris, one of the finest photographers i've ever met. >> reporter: the two are, to say the least, unique characters with strong personalities who now get along like brothers. >> hey, shut up. i'm talking. >> reporter: mills told his new friend he could use modern technology to bring his polaroids to life and to a mainstream audience. >> that's when he dropped 3,000 polaroids in my lap. >> reporter: now the two men have their photos as part of the historical society of washington's district two exhibit at the national building museum. earnshaw now gives walking tours of downtown, and the two are working on restoring more of earnshaw's polaroids. >> trying to show the new people what was here. what they've missed. >> reporter: mark seagraves, news4. >> just beautiful portraits. if you take metro,

regular delays. coming up, we'll tell you the culprit for more than half of all the slowdowns on the rail systems. and our inauguration coverage continues. we'll introduce you to the woman who makes the iconic

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if you ride metro, chances are you've sat through a delay or two. this week the transit agency released a report that says rail cars themselves are a big cause. in fact, the transit agency says 60% of all delays are caused by rail car breakdowns. statistics show people have to be offloaded about four times a day because of rail car issues. metro is currently retiring the oldest cars in its fleet known as the 1,000 series rail cars. metro may also be causing some temporary delays on the roads in fairfax county. work on the silver line is about to begin on sunrise valley drive near the herndon monroe park and ride. a new entrance will be built to the existing garage.

westbound lanes will be widened. work is underway on a second parking garage. the new work will bring lane and sidewalk closures during the next two years. the national parks service is looking to update its smoking policy to include a ban on electronic cigarettes. the current policy allows smoking in certain areas of national parks, but superintendents can choose to ban smoking in enclosed facilities like restaurants and visitors centers. the proposed provision would allow them to ban ecigarettes, as well. the park service is accepting public comments on the issue through march 7th. next on "news4 this week," a change in the political tide. meet the woman behind these iconic pins. a big win for more than 1,000 d.c. residents who paid outrageous interest rates on their home loans.

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and cell towers are ready. now the merchants are scurrying around making last-minute preparations for inauguration day. this week barbara harrison introduced us to one woman breathing a sigh of relief that her product made it to the shelves in time. >> you looking for something for the inaugural? >> reporter: jewelry designer anne hand has been busy with shoppers stopping by her georgetown boutique wanting trump inaugural memorabilia. brisk online sales are keeping the packers busy. it's a side of her business that didn't exist when she started making jewelry with eagles and flags and american heraldry. >> everything that as a child of world war ii was just very, very embedded in my brain. and i just was gravitating toward doing patriotic items. >> reporter: this hallway of photographs filled with faces of well-known washingtonians, most wearing one of her signature designs. this eagle and pearl pin is no doubt

for months it got no interest from buyers until she sent one as a gift to the newly tapped ambassador to france, pamela harriman. >> about two weeks later, she was sworn in at the state department. she walked into the room wearing the eagle. i thought i would just faint. it was my first big production piece. and to have her wear it was just -- i couldn't ask for more. >> reporter: the piece became popular around the country, and indeed has been worn around the world. how do you get ready for an inauguration with all of these things? do you have to make enough for each candidate just in case we don't know who's going to win? >> as you know, in business there are risks. and furthrom what i was seeing, didn't think he would win. i had something in the back of my mind that i would do should he be elected. and of course the morning after, we were on the phone to our factory in rhode island and said, "let's go." >> reporter: anne hand

with her husband lloyd to texas when she was a young bride. he came to work for lyndon johnson. she was a beautiful addition to washington. along with her husband who became chief of protocol and adviser to president johnson. they were a fixture on the washington political and social scene. later the tragic loss of one of their five children led anne hand to find solace in her hobby of creating beautiful things. >> it also basically saved my life because i could be busy. >> reporter: and anne hand has been busy for years now making jewelry and memorabilia. her own best career memory came from this pin -- the one she made for the first inauguration of president barack obama. >> and to see the people that came through the door to buy the pin, many of whom were crying, sobbing. black, white, different nationalities, so many people they said they had to have this pin because they didn't think in their lifme

see a black man elected to the presidency of the united states. and i felt so lucky to be a part of that. >> reporter: anne hand's political memorabilia has marked the changes in washington. as she prepares now for another, she's reminded of words that were embroidered inside the topcoat of abraham lincoln. >> one nation, one destiny. that is us. that's us today. right now. we better pray for this new administration because they need our prayers. we're all in this together. >> well said. you can get anne hand's merchandise at her georgetown boutique and on line. prices range from $45 for a lapel pin to $35,000 for that 18-karat gold broach with diamonds. those are special order only. some d.c. residents who paid outrageous interest rates on their loans will be getting some of their money back. the d.c. attorney general sued the company c

illegal loan servicing, and this week they announced a multimillion dollar settlement. consumer reporter susan hogan has more. >> reporter: it's being called one of the most egregious examples of predatory lending the d.c. attorney general's office has ever seen. >> i was desperate. >> reporter: cynthia allston of northwest d.c. was one of the consumers caught in the middle. >> it wiped out my savings. >> reporter: her credit shot, bills piling up. she knew getting a traditional loan at a bank was out of the question. >> i found this one and took a chance. >> reporter: cynthia standed to an online -- responded to an online ad from cash call and borrowed $2,500. the interest rate -- a whopping 139%. after making nearly 47 payments, that small loan cost her more than $13,000. >> i was cheated. i'm going to get some of it back. >> reporter: cash call is accused of

district's usery law that caps the interest rate of what financial institutions can charge at 24%. cash call is accused of charging upwards of 300%. cash call argued that the loans were not subject to usery laws because the partner company that issued those loans was actually located on an indian reservation which is exempt. >> cash call, the company that we had sued in this case, sought to contravene or escape the usery laws in the district of columbia and in other jurisdictions by having operations in native american lands. in this case, in south dakota. >> reporter: a federal judge recently ruled against cash call saying it is clear the party's choice was solely based on cash call's desire to shield itself against state usery and licensing laws. now d.c. along with a number of other states have settled lawsuits against the company and e

their residents. in a statement to news4, the attorney for cash call says, "although we were confident of our legal positions, we concluded that it was in the parties' best interests to resolve our disputes and avoid protracted and expensive litigation." >> it's a good day when we're able to return moneys that were taken in an unlawful way to folks. >> it's unfortunate that there are companies out there that will go to such etrextremes to t people. >> susan said cash call will pay $3 million in refunds and debt forgiveness to those d.c. residents. many will receive an average of more than $1,300 each. the attorney general's office will contact those consumers affected. we all know the typical subjects -- reading, writing, arithmetic. what about saving lives? we'll show you one local school district that's offering a unique learning opportunity.

the chief of the prince george's county fire department says it's a bittersweet moment for him after more than three decades of fighting fires. mark mbasure is stepping down. he will retire in march. he started as a volunteer firefighter in bowie in 1981, worked his way up serving as chief for the past six years. county executive baker says deputy chief benjamin barksdale will become the interim chief. high school students spend their days writing papers, taking tests. there's a special new class in fairfax that's teaching teenagers how to save lives. news4 went to the fairfax county fire academy to learn more. stay low and go to your left. >> reporter: these fire-fighting students learning how to save lives. >> guys, he's got a victim. let's work on getting that victim out, right? >> reporter: remarkable at any age, but especially given the fact they're ll

it's probably my favorite class in high school. >> reporter: this class made up of 13 high school students from around fairfax county. from working the hoses to rescuing victims -- >> you got a victim? >> i got a victim. >> reporter: they go through the same training as the professionals. >> no matter how i'm feeling, when they start arriving, it's like an instant pick-me-up because i know they want to be here. i know they're passionate. it's just awesome. make it happen. >> reporter: the new program started this year. many of the students have known for a long time they wanted to help others. >> my very first job, i was a lifeguard. and i actually saved a 7-year-old little girl. >> my brother got burned with a tea kettle. and i saw the emts come there. they helped him out. kind of made me want to help out. >> reporter: part of the training includes getting dressed. the students have two minutes to put on 50 pounds worth of gear, and these air tanks alone

>> it's scary not being able to see your surroundings. in the end, like as long as you do your best, you're fine. >> reporter: at the end of the year, they'll take the test to be certified. >> it's the top of my list for a job. i hope to one day become a firefighter/paramedic. that's the dream. >> reporter: they practice searching dark buildings. and they say they've found their calling. in fairfax, amy cho, news4. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm chris lawrence. we'll leave with pictures from the 24th annual nbc 4 health and fitness expo. i had a blast down there getting a chance to meet you there. thanks for joining us. have a great week. ♪

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>> it's halftime at old trafford where manchester united are trailing their archrivals liverpool by a goal to nil. wayne rooney is coming on in the second half for manchester united. welcome inside the premier league studio. for those of you on nbc expecting nfl playoff coverage, steelers-chiefs has been moved to tonight zu to increment weather. the key momen