♪ right now on new"news4 this week," behind bars. a woman convicted for a second time for a brutal murder in montgomery county. the evidence used to seal the case for the prosecution. hiring freeze. president trump takes action to curb the federal work force. we look into how that could hurt or help the d.c. area. a police officer and a few strangers helped save lives after this fiery crash. welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm chris lawrence. we begin with a major murder trial in montgomery county that ended with a life sentence for a woman convicted for her role in that calculated attack. this week we get a look at the evidence prosecut

case. news4's pat collins has that story from rockville. >> reporter: it took two tries, but they finally got the sentence to life for an execution-style murder. >> after two injuries have convicted this guy, to my knowledge he has absolutely never accepted any responsibility for involvement in these killings. >> raminder cower, convicted in the shooting death of a 43-year-old. ms. gava gunned down near her germantown apartment in 2013. miss gava was walking to the bus stop when she was shot and killed and fell to the pavement here. she was the ex-wife of cower's husband, and he was tired of paying her alimony. cower was convicted of murder one already, but she got a new trial when he

job. she got a new lawyer and a new trial and got convicted again. >> this case proves if you're willing to kill, you're willing to lie. this should have never been tried a second time. >> reporter: the prosecutors have video of cower and her husband buying the murder weapon at a gun store in tennessee. they say she took shooting lessons before the murder. they say she gun after the murder planning to return it to that store. this murderous couple, they say, stayed at a nearby redroof in and stalked her before they moved in for the kill. cower is 66 years old. she'll be eligible for parole in 15 years -- when she's 81. prosecutor mccarthy says that's ot

in montgomery county, pat collins, news4. this week, president trump signed several new executive orders. one of them was a hiring freeze on federal workers. the goal is to slow down the growth of the federal government and save money, but some local leaders say it could actually wind up costing the government more. news4's kristin wright spoke to people who could be affected by this move. >> reporter: the federal hiring freeze getting harsh reaction from some local lawmakers. >> if you freeze federal agencies, they're going to contract out to the private sector to do it, cost the taxpayer more with no accountability. >> why is the administration pitching the false view that federal workers are corrupt or be holden to special interests? >> from the capitol to constituents. how concerned are you about the federal hiring freeze? >> i would same eye ve-- say i' concerned about it. working in the federal government is a career goal a had for

>> reporter: now while intern flooding d.c., college senior benjamin christiansen is putting his backup plan into action. >> now that i'm about to graduate from college and looking forward to making a career, it's suddenly reaching that goal has become a lot more difficult. >> reporter: nicole smith is chief economist of the georgetown university center on education and the work force. she says the federal hiring freeze could be good for students who end up in higher paying contracted jobs. >> just moving it from government to private. and want to pay them more to do the same job. so talking to georgetown students who are going to graduate, this is going to be something positive for them. >> christiansen is staying positive. >> i'm looking into jobs at companies that do contracts with the government. and maybe an international organization. >> reporter: and staying true to his dreams. >> i think as long as i can do something that interests me and i feel is making a -- a good difference in the lives of people and making the world a better place, then it's what i want to be

news4. a local nonprofit is hoping to use some the leftover smartrip cards from the hundreds of thousands who visited during inauguration. the stable is collecting cards from out-of-towners. the group works with kids and families and plans to distribute the cards for people who come for the no-cost food programs. we have details on how you can don't doan anate, search metroc donations. a police officer from prince george's county is being hailed as a hero. he rescued a man from a fiery car crash in bowie this week. but he had help from strangers who jumped in to save the driver. news4's derrick ward has more. >> reporter: these pictures begin to tell the tale of a fiery crash. twisted wreckage barely discernible. this was a car, but as describe descriptive, as graphic as they are, the pictures tell part of the story. the accounts of those who came upon the scene take you deeper. >> i wasoi

driving down 301 and saw a big -- big pile of smoke. black smoke in the air. and i knew something was going on. >> reporter: corporal angelo piazza came on the scene friday morning. the car had crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a dump truck headon. other motorists had stopped. the truck driver had gotten clear of the vehicle. the driver of the car was trapped. >> i could tell the driver was in distress. so when -- went straight to him. >> reporter: so did the others. piazza and the other motorist went after the flaming wreckage with fire extinguishers. >> another citizen used my knife to cut the driver's seat belt off. and that's when we started working and getting them out of the vehicle. >> they did. when fire and ems arrived the driver was transported with multiple injuries. he survived, rescuing from an inferno. strangers banded together. they saved a life and then continued on their respective ways. strangers again. >> i think it's really great that citizens and, you know, prince george's county and police officers can work

situation. >> officer piazza says he'd like to know who they were to at least thank them. they went above and beyond the call. >> i never considered myself as a hero. this was my job. >> reporter: derrick ward, news4. >> certainly went above and beyond, though. when we come back, tackling the heroin epidemic. we'll look at the new plan unveiled this week by maryland's governor. plus, hands off the wheel. we're getting an up-close look at the future of self-driving cars.

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this week, governor larry hogan announced a sweeping new initiative to tackle the heroin epidemic in maryland. it includes the creation of a statewide opioid operation command center which will help connect resources from the federal, state, and local government. governor hogan is also allocating $4 million in funding to help those struggling with addiction. he says the fight is personal. >> i lost a cousin, first cousin, to this terrible disease

myself, the crisis is continuing to evolve and grow no matter what, even with all the help and work that we've done doing. >> the initiative includes new legislation that would make it a felony for people to sell opioids that result in someone's death. and it also limits most opioid prescriptions to a maximum of seven days. now we know where marriott is going to build its new headquarters in bethesda. the new facility will be at the corner of wisconsin and norfolk avenues. just north of the bethesda metro station. the project costs about $600 million and includes a 22-story office building and flagship marriott hotel. it will span two city blocks to the south and one block west. marriott expects to open the new complex in 2022. when we come back, a look at the newest self-driving car technology and how it could actually make the roads safer. plus, faces of the future. how a d.c. museum is helping our youngest kids learn about our nation's history.

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chances are you have some sort of technology in your car that tries to make the ride safer. now, the actual road itself could start communicating with your car about dangerous situations. transportation reporter adam tuss got a firsthand look at how it all works during a test ride at rfk. >> reporter: with every beep -- [ beep ] -- and warning, the roads may be getting safer. new technology on display that allows the car and road to communicate, then alert the driver when there are potential danger spots like a work zone, a sharp curve, or you're going too fast, even anjection where the light is changing. >> as we look to more technology in our vehicles to keep us safe, it's not so much about what your car knows, now it's about the road talking to your car to keep you safe, as well, like slowing down for a red light. distraction is our enemy these days, right? >> absolutely. >> we are so distracted in the car. s

>> absolutely. >> reporter: out for a closed course simulation of the technology with our professional driver roger. >> as simple as opening a water bottle is, it's a serious distraction. >> yeah. >> tuning the radio is a distraction. >> reporter: automakers usually engage friday ferocious competition are putting rivalries aside to potentially save lives. >> we all recognize that there's a great opportunity to improve safety and mobility and sustainability, automation, if we all can agree together. no one company can do it on their own. >> reporter: take a look at the technology that's in the trunks of these cars. you see how complicated it is. the idea is communication like we've never seen before. >> the way this works is that data are transmitted from the infrastructure, from the road, to the vehicle. >> reporter: in the district, adam tuss, news4. >> pretty amazing. a new top cop is on the job

from the national transportation safety board. before that he spent several decades in law enforcement out on the west coast including four years as commissioner of the hot california highway patrol. he succeeds old cook to w.h.whod last october. the skin made more in table games than any other in maryland. that's one of the revelations gathered by the gaming commission and the i-team. they scooped up $17.5 million on tables during the first weeks in operation. that's slightly more than maryland live earned in december. state records reviewed by the i-team show the casino respondsed responds ed to -- responded to several incidents including five deaths and six physical altercations. six underage people had to get booted for entering the gaming floor. ask most kids if they would rather go to a museum or amusement park -- you probably know the

to some kids who answered that question saying it depends which museum. she has more on a new gallery in washington that kids of all ages were testing out. >> reporter: the u.s. patent office in 1936, this magnificent landmark building has seen a lot of changes over the years. now 180 years later, home to the national portrait gallery. the quiet hallways tell history's stories through the faces that line the walls. president abraham lincoln who celebrated his second all ineral in this building is -- inaugural in this building is among the many famous people whose portraits hang here. while the museum celebrates history, the director says this is not just about the past but the present and the future, too. faces of the future are already here. and the life that they see on these walls is a new gallery they call explore. unique ways for kids to contemplate faces, even their own. >> it's important for

actually have original art in this place. so of course we've taken precautions by putting them behind glass. and then we've create d a statin for little people to make faces, to draw faces, to look at themselves, and this wall over here as you can see, it starts with what's called strike a pose. >> reporter: the installation is a trial run for the gallery and the explore children's museum. a planned future project of washington developer jane kas h kasich. >> it will be eventually in ft. totten in the next four years. >> we could not have done there without them. they're experts in child education. they built material. they thought it through. >> reporter: they came one things adults and kids would be drawn to. >> you will sit down, and i will trace your outline. >> reporter: kids like 9-year-old messina get to test their skills and

>> i like making comics. >> kids can experiment making faces with like felt. >> reporter: 11-year-old angelou has something else in mind. >> make movies. >> reporter: make movies? cassie who's 10 showed how to strike a pose for a portrait. this one not quite for posteritiposterity but on the wall of the national portrait gallery for a minute or two. >> wow. the museum is now open tuesday through saturday from 11:30 in the morning until 6:00 at night. kids of all ages and adults, of course, are welcome, too. the museum director says it's an experiment they hope to keep going even after the one opens at the development in ft. totten in northeast d.c. of course, the main place where kids learn about the world is school. when we come back, we'll introduce you to a teacher in d.c. who is definitely making the grade.

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families. the government will now help injured veterans pay for in vitro fertilization. this week the v.a. adopted the new medical benefits. congress passed a bill three months ago eliminating a through prohibited the v.a. from offering the expensive treatment. the military couple who led the lobbying effort in d.c. celebrated this decision. >> it's not right to take our privilege away to have a family. i think us having a family as vets is the closest we can get as a society. and to be normal. >> veterans interested in receiving fertility treatments should contact their local v.a. to get more information. it was a big day this week for a local high school principal. she started as gym teacher in 1993 and just worked her way up. now she's the principal of the year for d.c. public schools. news4's amy cho was there for the big surprise. >> reporter: here at the high school in d.c., for t

graduation rates. a big part of that is principal anita berger. anita berger understands being a good principal means putting in the time. >> it's not an eight-hour job. it's a 24/7. it's something that i don't look at as a job. i look at it as what i like to do. so i try to build relationships with them. they're close. recently she's been -- >> recently she's been helping me with schoolwork and stuff. >> can you help each other? >> reporter: berger takes pride in being hard to surprise. >> it's hard to get something over on me, you know that, right? >> reporter: she knew chancellor antwan wilson was there for a visit. she didn't know he there was to recognize her hard work with the award of d.c. public schools principal of the year. [ cheers ] >> a little emotional. something that doesn't happen every day. you know, to know that hard work

is really being recognized really helps. >> she cares for me and her students -- >> reporter: another person who's recognized the school success, president obama. he visited banneker back in october and gave them the thumbs up on their graduation rates. >> my passion is to see success in -- with children. i don't mind doing it. and if i could do it for the next 20 years, i would. what are you good night doing? >> reporter: she says making a difference is the best award of all. >> the district, amy cho, news4. >> hope she stays on the job for a long time to come. that's all for "news4 this week." i'm chris lawrence. we're going to leave with a look at the national zoo's latest member -- a new baby gray sal-- gray seal. thanks for joining us. have a great week. ♪

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right now on news4 today, a major traffic change at one of our area's biggest intersections. this is the first of its kind change opening to drivers this morning. calling around the world. the response to a controversial new executive order. sister versus sister. serena williams lands a grand slam win propelling her to victory with the most major tennis titles in history. she might be the best tennis player ever, honestly. it's unbelievable. and poor venus. i feel like venus never wins against her. >> but they have a lot to be proud of. and a great year for se