he was getting raises and

he was running was left dirty, disorganized, and putting veterans in danger. new revelations about the former head of the d.c. v.a. and we have an upset, folks, in our nbc washington.com easter candy bracket. we will reveal the winner after threhort b

he's been removed from the job, but the long-time director of the

d.c. v.a. medical center received big bonuses and pay raises in recent years. a review by the news4 i-team finds brian hawk inds received $24,000 in executive bonuses since 2011, and multiple pay increases, including one last year that raised his salary to $179,000. the v.a. pulled hawk inds from the job this week after a scathing audit found unsanitary conditions in medical storage areas and shortages of key equipment. you can see all our previous coverage on this case in the nbc washington app, search veterans medical center. christians around the world are observing good friday today. cardinal wuerl led services at noon at the cathedral of st. matthew the apostle. they believe jesus was crucified on this day and rose on easter sunday. easter candy sales are

easter weekend than last halloween. 89 f 89% of americans say they'll buy some and spend a whopping 2.6 billion, pat, on it, just this season. how much candy is too much, though? >> that's a lot of candy. consumer reports is helping you control your portions by breaking down what a hundred calories of candy looks like. susan hogan has what you need to know. >> reporter: whether you're picking through your kid's easter basket or candy, you buy a deep discount the day after, there's going antibiotto be a l temptation around easter. you may find all these eggs in one basket, but to keep from eating them all, try to stick to 100 calories. 100 calories of reese's pieces eggs look like this. nestle crunch nest eggs, 3 1/3. cadbury's cream egg has 150 calories total. so

save some for later. if your kid is willing to share the hershey marshmallow egg, three of them are 100 calories. jordan almonds, you can have six of these to make 100 calories. and jelly belly abandons give the most bang for your calorie buck. 25 beans to put a smile on your face and 100 calories in your belly. then there are edible animals. to reach 100, munch three and a half peeps marshmallow peeps and two of these milk chocolate bunnies from gear deli. all ears if you want to eat this lindt gold bunny, because that's all you get for 100 calories. >> at least they didn't sugar coat it right? the key reason to cut yourself off of treats, just control the portion. back to you. >> 25 jelly belize, now we know. >> will that be enough for you?

cadbury mini eggs have pulled out a win, folks. they beat out reese's peanut butter eggs in our nbc washington easter candy bracket. it was a bit of a tight race, but reese's in the lead early on, final result, though, reese's 47%. cadbury, 53. >> and susan said those were the most fattening or have the most calories in them, in her report. you can get reese's year round. but cadbury is seasonal. >> so you're voting both ways? >> i guess so. undecided. >> a double-minded candy eater. well, maryland has taken applications this week from more than a thousand people who want medical marijuana. we take you behind the scenes of a future grow site in the state only on news4. it's hard to believe it's been ten years since the massacre at virginia tech. hear from a couple whose daug w

how they say the tragedy took th in a very different pemat

turning now to the weather which is going to turn really hot, we hear, for easter. when was the last time we had an easter this hot? >> and it's going to have humidity, too? >> it's going to be a little bit humid. that's relative. if we were in

it's refreshing. but yeah, it's going to feel a little humid on sunday. and we haven't had an easter this warm since 2011. during that year on easter, we hit 85 degrees for a high. we went for it, we're going 86, and going to be breezy in the afternoon. feeling like spring again tomorrow, another nice day overall. it's feeling like summer, though, on sunday. not a lot of rain chances in the ten-day forecast. the area under a moderate drought. we're noticing everything's green, everything seems to be just fine, but this is a long-term drought that goes all the way back to last year. any rain we get at this point, we'll take it. currently temperatures in the 70s and dry out there, 71 in washington, 72 up in frederick. if you're dining out tonight, tomorrow night, kind of right in between that warm-cool range. so if you get cool easily, probably want the light jacket. or if you find low to mid 60s

eating outdoors tonight and saturday night. on sunday, though, it's hot. especially if you're going out earlier. you do want to keep that in mind, if you're heading to the nationals game as well. pollen report has not changed all week. trees still coming in high. grasses, weeds, and mold spores coming in low. also kind of a cool vantage point, our front circle here in northwest washington. the flag on the flag pole, we had calm winds today, warmer than i was forecasting yesterday. it looked like highs would be in the upper 60s, but the heat of the sun got us into the low 70s. saturday planner, another nice start, cloudiness around. waking up this morning, saying when is the sun going to break out? it will be the same situation tomorrow as we move throughout the day. by lunch time, low 60s. 4:00, low 70s. for reference, normally this time of year, our highs will be in the mid 60s. so we'll be above normal once again.

tomorrow evening. only a small chance, a very small chance for an isolated shower. so as we look at how the weather is impacting your weekend, nationals game tomorrow, just fine. nationals game on sunday, it's going to be hot. that's another reason why if you have to get the yard work done, get it done on saturday. not only is it hot on saturday, but breezy in the afternoon. sunrise service and easter egg hunts on sunday, during the morning hours. pleasantly cool, mid to upper 60s. we really warm up quickly for our sunday with that high temperature of 86 after starting out right around 63 degrees. maybe a morning shower on monday as a front kind of sinks through the area. that's going to take any hint of humidity out of the air. it also, i think, puts us in a more comfortable temperature range for this time of year. 75 on monday. tuesday highs in the upper 60s. another really nice day. maybe a small, isolate shower chance on wednesday later in the day. best chance of showers, though, holds offnt

aside from that, we have to look to next monday, the end of april for more substantial chance of rain. >> all right, amelia, thanks. those in the district who own chickens and keep them in the yard say it's safe and healthy. why the city says it's against the law and what they're doing about it. an unprecedented stretch of executions, why one state says it's rushing to execute inmates on death row. >> one day soon, this warehouse will be filled with medical marijuana. i'm mark segraves in howard county. coming up on news4, we'll tell you how many patients have registered in just the first few days of the program and when people in maryland might actually be able to get their hands on medical cannibis.

you're watching news4 at 5:00. more than a thousand patients in maryland have signed up for medical marijuana in just the first four days since the state began accepting applications. >> mark segraves broke that news on twitter this morning. tonight, mark takes us to a fewer grow site and talks to an owner you may remember from his more than 40 years playing in local bands. >> reporter: it's been three years since then governor martin o'malley signed medical marijuana into law. since that time, patients in maryland like amy

been waiting. >> everybody knows a veteran with ptsd, a person dying of cancer, a child with autism. >> reporter: one of the people who believes medical marijuana can heal is johnny castle. as a member of the night hawks and the thrill billies, castle has been touring the world for decades. but after learning about patients who can only control their seizures by using medical marijuana, he decided to get involved. >> if it helps with people that have seizures, why not? let's get it going. i think it's a good thing. >> reporter: castle teamed up with others to form free state wellness. they're one of the grupedz that the state gave preliminary licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana in maryland. the group is converting this warehouse into their grow facility. >> if the commission processes our final documents and gives us our license to go live in june, we could have product within three months. >> reporter: maryland has taken longer to implement medical marijuana than most

hit another roadblock when minority companies that were not awarded licenses to grow or sell went to court. some members of the maryland state legislature had hoped to correct that. >> minority ownership, they should absolutely have. i was dismayed to see that the maryland legislature snoozed on a chance to fix that. >> reporter: despite the pending court cases, groups like free state wellness and the state cannibis commission are moving forward. as of this morning, 250 physicians, 1,231 patients, and 44 caregivers have registered with the state to participate in medical marijuana. amy millin is one of those patients who is eager to be able to use marijuana instead of the heavy prescriptions doctors now give her. >> they are working diligently to try to get this medicine available now. and all we can do is keep telling them, we need it.

>> reporter: castle says one day he'd like to help people. >> i'd like to be front of the house and help people get their meds. that would be cool. a live look now at the national mall where we'll soon see now parking meters that will be in effect all year, including weekends and holidays. revenues will be used for enhancements on the mall, including funds for the circulator road. these should be in place by june. tomorrow starts national parks week, and for many of you, getting ready for spring break, it will mean free entry at some of the parks around upon but if you go, you may see some roadblocks, sections closed off. altogether, there are $12 billion in maintenance repairs that are needed. among them, $25 million for roof repairs to the jefferson memorial. >> like a

replace those features every 20 years or so. >> another park that needs major funds, the grand canyon. $371 million. head's up for drivers in prince george's county, repaving work has begun on martin luther king highway. crews are turning the road between hill road and green leaf road into a four-lane road, that's down from six lanes. they'll put down new pavement and markings and they will will convert the extra lanes to bike lanes. to do all that, they'll be single-laning closures during the day and overnight. they'll also shut down everything. the work should be finished by this summer. we have highways and interstates, streets, and drives, but you'll find some of the most scenic roads in our area if you head out of town and just slow down a bit. they're narrow, they're winding roads, and in many cases, historic roads. montgomery county rustic roa

streets. >> reporter: they make you want to take a drive, watch the cities become the suburbs. >> and it makes us slow down. >> reporter: in montgomery county, 98 of these charming historic roads are part of the county's rustic roads program. >> many people even living in the county have no idea that this place is here. they have no idea where these roads are and where they lead. >> reporter: it was started years ago to protect the old pony trust bridge. >> they decided to do a study to see what historic roads there were out here, what features are worth protecting. >> the rustic roads will lead you to some of the most beautiful orchards, wineries, and farms around. historical landmarks by the seneca school house museum state park. >> if you're coming out to experience country life, the road is like life. >> reporter: a seven-member committee helped preserve the rustic roads and their unique

and scenic quality. the roads are earth called rustic or exceptional rustic, like montevideo road established in 1937, named for the montevideo house and its view of sugar-loaf mountain. >> it's an exceptional road, that means its features are exceptional. >> reporter: there are gravel roads, but my favorite is sugarland road, which is known as a politician's road, you can tell by the ribbon-like cement center. >> we like rural roads, the slow miles per hour. we like having to stop at a one-lane bridge. >> reporter: they may be narrow or bumpy for some, but the community embraces the road, always enjoying the ride. >> it's not just where you're going, it's how you get there. and these roads are the how you get there. >> reporter: in poolsville, maryland, melissa mal lay, news4. all right, folks, time

a nail-biter of a start for the caps' first-round playoff game. caps beating toronto maple leafs in o.t. best of seven series. game two tomorrow night. head coach barry trotz says fans will see a different team. the puck drops at 7:00 inside the verizon center. and nailbiter indeed. we were on the edge of our seats in the newsroom. >> yes, indeed. two sisters, one from virginia, the other from indiana met for the first time this week. >> reporter: f >> they were searching for one another for decades.

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it's a beautiful day out here. of course we're dealing with the tree pollen. but a nice breeze in the air. if you're headed out to eat outside tonight, temperatures at 71 degrees right now, and just a good-looking day. if you're headed out and about tonight on this friday, it's going to be a little cool at midnight, maybe a few clouds in place, but we'll stay dry as we continue through your friday. can we stay dry through the weekend? it's a holiday weekend. a lot of people have plans, maybe outside plans. it's going to be warm. we'll talk about hour by hour for your easter sunday and maybe when we could see chances of rain. that's coming up in ten minutes, guys. a

two sisters meet for the first time at an airport in virginia. stephanie robusto with our sister station in richmond was there. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: family is an instrumental part of life. >> do they announce when the flight gets here? >> reporter: but a key player was missing. >> i don't know. i'm looking for somebody short. >> she did say that flight was pretty packed. >> reporter: she's never met or spoken to her little sister. >> yeah, i was just thinking is that her? >> reporter: that is, until today. >> are you my little sister? >> yes! >> reporter: for decades, the two have been searching for each other. >> i think i tracked her down about five years ago, internet. but i just, how do i go about reaching out to her? and somebody did that on our behalf. and here we are. >> sue's close friend found her

country. >> i brought a bunch of pictures of our dad when he was little and some things to share with her. >> reporter: father came to america from cuba, met sue's mom in virginia, and yvonne's mom in new york. after she passed away, the sister thought they lost any chance to connect. >> glad you made it. >> so am i. >> reporter: a welcome sight, a welcome sound. >> nervous, excited, just overwhelmed. >> reporter: of a homecoming nearly 50 years in the making. >> yvonne plans to hang out with her sister for about a week before heading out to indiana. they'll go out for cuban for one in their dad's honor. a new trailer dropped this afternoon and already about 5 million people have watched the teaser for the next "star wars" film. >> it's time for the jedi. >> the last jedi is the

wars" saga. judging from this trailer, we'll be seeing much more of mark hamill, reprising his role as luke sky walker. the last jedi doesn't hit the screen until the holidays. jimmy fallon returns to "saturday night live," it will be his third time hosting since ending his run as a cast member in 2004. and saturday's episode will air live from coast to coast. you can catch the show right after news4 at 11:00 tomorrow night. >> wouldn't miss it. i'm tom sherwood, holding a chicken. that's up wi

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lots of people like to keep chick ends as pets. in the district the mayor is propodsing banning chickens as pets. right now the law is unclear. as tom sherwood reports, people who have chickens are ready to fight back. >> you're trying to make sure you can keep your chickens? >> we are. >> reporter: lawyer winky increasing ler and tim parhave four chickens in their northwest washington backyard. >> come on girls. >> that would be maggie thatcher, this is tina fey. two others are chelsea clinton and ivanka trump. >> they make less noise than barking dogs. >> reporter: but they got a health department legal

them 48 hours to get rid of the chickens. the lawyers went to court and the officials backed off. but only because mayor muriel bowser and proposing new legislation to clarify a law to ban chickens. today city administrator rashad young is on the hot seat. >> what's the deal with the chickens? >> the chickens are one of the number one causes of salmonella, particularly when they are kept as pets in urban environments. >> reporter: but what of city schools like jandy elementary that have chickens in their playgrounds? >> you wouldn't let elementary school chickens be around chickens if there were really a danger. >> reporter: d.c. chicken owners intend to fight the proposed law. but what do you do when the chickens are a bit older? does there come a time at the end of their day when you cook them? >> no, they're pets and they

tom sherwood, news4. >> well, the ban on chickens isn't the only change the mayor wants. her proposal also would require cat owners for the very first time to get licenses for their pets. >> from chicken to wine, maryland could get its first ever wine-making facility and this project just got a boost from lawmakers. the general assembly is allocated $1 million for the grape-crushing facility and banquet hall. the chosen site is still on some under-utilized land at the poolsville golf course. it includes a 6,000 square-foot grape-crushing building and specialized equipment as well as a banquet hall for wine tastings and weddings too. montgomery county and the revenue authority are also contributing to the $12 million project. in boston today, they're getting ready for their famous boston marathon. monday marks four years since the bombings that

people and hurt hundreds of others. the mayor addressed security concerns today. ahead of the race on monday. although he stressed there's no credible threat, he said the city is working with the fbi and with intelligence officials to keep all of the runners and those watching safe. in just about an hour, a remembrance performance will get under way on the virginia tech campus. sunday marks ten years since the deadly shooting there. for one fairfax county couple whose daughter was killed, the tragedy set them each on a very different course. northern virginia bureau chief julie carey has their story. >> reporter: joseph and wife mona, hand in hand at a recent crime victims' walk, one of the portraits, that of their daughter, rima, one of 32 killed at a gunman's rampage at virginia tech. >> mona and i had a journey over the last ten years. i took the political path. i had to do something a

>> reporter: joe became one of the first parents to speak out after the tragedy. first on behalf of the heart-broken families. soon, though, joe's cause shifted. he poured himself into efforts to tighten virginia's gun laws. >> the tragedy at virginia tech -- >> reporter: but after two years, he became frustrated with the political treadmill and focused instead on this school. >> what can we do today that we can implement to create safer schools and safer campuses? >> reporter: the independent vtv family outreach foundation was formed, he is first chairman. the group created a gold standard model for school safety. among the initiatives, requiring threat assessment teams for all public education institutions. now they're pushing to get all states to enter those deemed a danger to themselves or others into a national database used to check gun buyers. for mona, the deca decade-lonur

spiritual one. >> reporter: a turning point came five years ago as she was writing in her journal. >> i wrote a sentence to me, saying, i'm free, we are free. all those first five years, it was like i was holding on to rima, trying to find my answers. >> reporter: now mona oversees the angel fund in her daughter's honor, its focus, things like bullying and suicide prevention. but a mother's refleckedzs at this ten-year mark, still heartbreaking to hear. >> her sister and brother are getting married. where would she be now? it's just so painful. do we learn to carry the pain, we learn to deal with the pain, but her loss is there. it is felt. >> reporter: and joe, he now has a ritual that begins and ends each day. >> every day i wake up, i kiss her picture good morning, and every night before i go to bed, i

so she's still with us, the spirit doesn't go too far. >> reporter: a spirit this couple says will continue to inspire. sama has are back at virginia tech this evening for the weekend's event. i will be reporting from blacksburg on sunday. to learn more or contribute, go to the nbc washington app, use the search term angel fund. >> thanks so much. what a difference they continue to make. let's turn now to the weather which is pretty nice today. and what's it going to be like tonight? >> tonight it's going to be comfortably cool out there. i thought yesterday we'd have a shower, but it's going to be dry. now the rain doesn't always wash the pollen away, that was evident thursday when he had the severe storm and the dry air on friday and the winds

what a beautiful day out there it turned out to be, and it's going to be a perfect evening. we have a few more clouds pushing in tonight, and more cloud cover for your saturday. maybe isolated showers here or there. and wait until easter, we'll have one of the warmest easters we've had since 2011. 86 degrees on sunday. didn't quite make this there today. temperatures around that 70-degree mark right now, just nice out there. if you're headed out for the evening, looking good. looking a little cool as we get into the after hours, talking about 11, midnight, temperatures in the 50s, 40s outside the belt way, but a very nice evening. clear skies out there now, and no rain on top. if you're planning to travel, it really looks goo u

morning, again, take the allergy medication. a lot of pollen out there. temperatures are going to be warming into the 60s through the morning, but we'll have more cloud cover through the day tomorrow. it's going to be nice. temperatures in the low 70s. if you're headed to the nats game tomorrow, looking good. and then for your easter, waking up early, well, that sun goes up at 6:30, we'll have plenty of sunshine around and it's going to be a little humid around on easter. temperatures topping out in the mid 80s, plus it's going to be breezy. keep in mind that pollen out there with the wind rolling around, especially if you're out there for easter egg hunts. it's going to be a little on the high pollen side with that tree pollen. but again, breezes about 20, 25 miles an hour. increasing clouds on sunday night, but we'll be dry, keep the showers for monday morning. but that's about it. just a few isolated showers. temperatures on monday, mid 70s. tuesday, we'll get sunshine, back in the 60s.

on wednesday and thursday. yesterday, amelia and i thought we'd have a good chance of rain on wednesday and thursday, that's not looking like the case right now. temperatures in the 70s on wednesday and thursday. and look at friday, that temperature may need to be moved up a little bit. we'll be in the 80s on friday, humid. also humid on easter, so plan ahead for that. >> thanks, lauryn. outrage on social media growing over arkansas's plan to put seven inmates to death before the end of the month. >> but within the state, protests have been mostly silent. why the rush? tha that story's next. >> it's that time of year, scholarships and college acceptances. these five students have nearly $2 million in arts scholarships alone. i'm

>> time is running out in arkansas for seven convicted killers. they're all scheduled to be executed, the first two on monday. as nbc reports, the state needs to have these executions happen in just 11 days. >> reporter: protests at the state capital in arkansas friday. >> what do we want? >> mercy. >> reporter: as people urge governor asa hutchinson to stop seven executions planned over the span of 11 days, the first two scheduled to happen monday night. an attorney f t

inmates calls it assembly line killing. >> it's unprecedented that a state is trying to execute this many people in this short a period of time. >> reporter: the state says they must be put to death now before one of the three drugs used for lethal execution expires. >> it's been a 25-year nightmxx nightmare for the victims that have had to deal with this. now it's time for justice. >> reporter: victims' family members want no more delays. >> i've been promised this for 25 years by the state. >> reporter: a group of clergy is asking hutchinson to change the death sentences to life without parole. >> he needs to stand up with moral integrity. >> reporter: but hitchinson said with all the inmates' state appeals exhausted, the families of victims have waited long enough for justice. >> i have a responsibility as governor, the most serious one that i can imagine, to set these execution dates. >> reporter: all seven inmates have asked the

the u.s. supreme court decides whether to reconsider its stance on the death penalty in arkansas. chris poll own, nbc news. now at 6:00, horror on the highway. a woman hit by a car not once, but twice. police say it was intentional. we're getting new eyewitness accounts and learning how people desperately tried to chase down the driver. high drama and new questions after riders were stranded for hours at six flags. and a firefighter shot and killed on duty. now the man who pulled the trigger learns his fate. hear his message to the victim's family as we get new insight into how it started. news4 at 6:00 starts now. and we begin with breaking news at the top of the 6:00, an arrest now after a series of bold attacks in fairfax county. a woman killed as she crossed the street there today. moments

was robbed and assaulted at a shopping center. >> now police have a man in custody and are revealing disturbing new details about what happened. bureau reporter david culver is off rugby road in fairfax where all this started. david, what are you hearing? >> reporter: this is all continuing right now. first of all, police held a press conference a few feet from where i am a few minutes ago. they gave us the mugshot of the suspect. theal show you that in just a moment. to your question in the past hour, when it comes to drugs, alcohol, it's something they're looking into. behind me, you'll notice the intersection. it's re-opened within the past 15 minutes. we're also hearing, as i said, this is very much breaking still, from the victim's family. they provided us this photo. let me show you this real quick. this is the victim here, 75 years old, maria asencio, my colleague is speaking with the ly