right now on news4 this week expanding retail the lessons the county is learned from one failed project. plus metro found a new use for one of its own railcars. we'll show you the shopping spot that may the be the first of its kinds. >> 16 years after firefighters still don't vay permanent place to call home at the pentagon. >> i'm chris lawrence. we start with the growing effort to bring better retail stores to prince george's county. it's become one of the county executives top priorities in our bureau chief tracee wilkins looks into why so many venues failed while others are succeeding and what developments are on the horizon. >> we had landsover mall at one

point. >> i remember landover mall. i remember going there as a kid. >> reporter: for decades landover mall is the example of thriving retail but in the late '90s that changed when enthusiasm stores in the county were doomed to fail. >> crime started ridesing. we had challenges in the county overall and with not putting investment back into it, watching retail chains but not doing anything about it. >> reporter: residents hoped that the opening would turn things around but years later, stores left and many other stores followed. >> there was some unfortunate criminal events that occurred within the first six months of that place opening. and it got a lot of publicity and it scared people away. >> once the

>> around the county. it started with the focus on crime. >> you can't have economic development if you got crime. >> it's turned around because of all of those things coming together, education public safety and a real focus on economic development. >> reporter: the county is attracting higher paying industry like medical and high tech and is leading maryland in job growth. rising incomes means successful retail like the wood mor town center home of the countyies we goman and soon it will have a nordstrom rack as well. the county economic developers said it's easier said than done. >> we are a wealthy county relative to the united states. relative to the washington, d.c., howard county, fairfax county, are much wealthier. >> reporter: that

sacks or neiman marcus in the immediate future. >> i'm from kentucky. which 77,000. there's no excuse why we don't have a ruth's chris. >> things are coming along. >> reporter: while shopping didn't work at the boulevard location, the county is betting that original medical center will. this is where its going to be built and when that happens, county officials are expecting the median income in the lar goe area to jump from 80,000 to 120,000. and they say when that happens higher end retail will find. in largo, i'm tracee wilkins. >> starting next fall virginia will start rolling out a new version of its driver's license and state i.d.s. the change is part of the 2005 real i.d. program that includes stricter and more secure requirements for these cards starting in 2020 homeland security will require a real idea in order to get on to a domestic flight along with the dmv issued license or i.d. card that co

passport. the real i.d. came out of a recommendation by a commission looking into september 11th. just a few weeks away from a fair high gone metro starting june 25th. they'll cost ten to 25 cents more. metrobus tickets will go up to 25 cents to $2. monday through thursday trains will run from 5 in the morning till 11 at night and on friday metro will stay open until 1:00 a.m. train service will start later on the weekends and stay open until 1:00 a.m. saturday. on sundays metro will close at 11:00 p.m. >> stepping up its game, there's now food, drinks even flowers to buy along the red line all part of a new effort to make pop-up retail shops out of old metro cars. adam tuesday was there on the first day. >> reporter: you have never seen this before at a metro station. sliced up, broken apart. this old 4,000 series rail car

here at the grove ner straj more station. juices, flowers, food, all coming from local shops who are taking over these spaces as part of a pilot program. >> i bought cheese buns. they're over in kensington market on saturdays and so they're very delicious. >> three, two, one, cut! >> yeah! >> reporter: a celebration kicking off the event today. robert mojo is the artist and sculpture who literally cut apart and created these spaces. >> once they said they wanted seven kiosks made out of a full 75 foot, 80,000 pound subway car, i'm your guy. >> reporter: he says it was tough work but worth it. >> i liked what the cause was all about. i loved the reason for recycling, saving history, preserving history. >> reporter: while it's fun to have food and drinks, no eating or drinking this stuff on the trains themselves. metro's gm says he doesn't worry about the ral

trashed. >> how many starbucks are on top of our stations? people know that they can't bring it on. >> reporter: for the next six weeks, these pop-up markets will be open only on wednesday, thursday and friday nights. >> we're getting our first look at the schedule for the red skins training camp when you'll be able to meet the players. we'll take a look at the new school he'll be

me to listen carefully. i'm ralph northam,aught and when survivors of the virginia tech shooting asked me to support an assault weapons ban and close the gun show loophole, i took on the fight. i saw what those weapons can do as an army doctor during the gulf war. now, i'm listening carefully to donald trump, and i think he's a narcissistic maniac. whatever you call him, we're not letting him bring his hate into virginia.

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never too early to start talking football. the red skins preseasoner opener is less than three months away. the team announced dates for training camp. first day will be thursday july 27th and there will be a walk through and practice that afternoon. fan appreciation day, saturday august 5th and there will be a 1:30 p.m. practice. the final day of camp sunday august 13th for a full list of dates and ti

skins over in our nbc washington app. >> barron trump is set to attend st. andrews episcopal this fall. he and his mom are expected to move to washington this summer and first lady melania trump released a statement saying, st. andrews is known for his diverse community and equipment to academic excellence. she and the president are excited for barron to attend the school. >> we think he'll be entering the sixth grade where the constitution for a middle school student runs about $38,000 a year. now the median class size of that grade is about 15 students. the school is located in potomac about a 20 mile drive from the white house. when we come back, they were the first people to respond afte

thing on the government's mind, those brave firefighters. we'll explain why their firehouse has never been rebuilt. >> crab season starting early this year but does that mean more crabs to eat. megan mcgrath

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its triple action formula is relentless at killing fleas and ticks. frontline gold. the latest innovation from the maker of frontline plus. for persistent protection you can trust... good boy! go for the gold. frontline gold. available at your vet. it's been 16 years since the attacks on 911 but at the pentagon there is still one important and symbolic thing that has never been replaced. it's first responders who found themselves last in line inside the center of the american military. >> reporter: we all remember where we were that day. bill towedy remembers exactly what he saw. >> all of these images i won't ever leave me. >> reporter: the wreckage of airlines polite 77. >> a scene of devastation. >> reporter: which story through walls so close to

>> i had friends that died. >> reporter: he keeps a piece of the wall in a plague on his wall at home. >> i was underneath the rubble in the pentagon. >> reporter: he remembers seeing the rescuers. >> and the time is of the essence when you're in firefighting. >> reporter: among the first to respond to the 9/11 disaster. their fire station which happened to be near the site of the crash was also destroyed. >> greatly inspiring to see how everybody came together and risked their own lives. >> reporter: in the years since the pentagon reopened so much of its complex and a glimmering memorial to the 184 killed but a review by the news4 i-team found the fire station itself has yet to be rebuilt. >> it feels like it's just going to fall part one day. >> reporter: it's a set of temporarily trailers. >> it's subpar. it's a construction trailer that god knows how far. >> reporter: they're not here

24/7. but they must be hear outside the pentagon for all landings at the helly pad kplug militaries v.i.p. and the president board marine one. these firefighters are not permitted to speak with the i-team but the head of their union is. >> it's 15 years with the anniversary after anniversary and we always preach we'll never forget and i think we've been forgotin'. >> reporter: we wanted to know why the rebuilding is taking so long and through a review of six years and pentagon records we found the answer a combination of red tape and busted budgets. we found it took ten years for the defense department and congressional leaders to agree on a plan for a new station and to line up the money. records obtained by the i-team show in 2011 the military form early estimated the cost to be $6.4 million then for four years they tried to find a contractor for the job. and then a bigger problem, according to internal military

even close. >> the responses back far exceeded the funding we had. >> reporter: it was going to cost a lot more than you thought. >> it was going to cost a lot more than what we had funding for. >> reporter: which mean pentagon leaders had to scrap those plans and start over including lobbying and negotiating with a new congress. they hope to have a new proposal this year but there's no timetable still for a new fire station. the federal records reviewed bit i-team showed the temporary trailers also failed to meet military standards. jackson says the tight quarters slow firefighters if they have to move and respond with their rescue truck. >> it adds time to what we're trying to do. >> reporter: the pentagon says safety is not at risk but admits the trailers are not a good long time process. >> reporter: we're working through the process as quickly as process. >> they hope the new station is online soon. >>

for emergency equipment to respond. you need to start responding immediately. >> reporter: before the next emergency call comes. at the pentagon, scott macfarlane, news4 i-team. >> to hear more from the 9/11 survivors about why the fire station should be rebuilt now, visit our nbc washington app and look under investigations. maryland blue crabs are a staple around here and thanks to a warm winter and spring, this season's off to an early start. that's good news for some but early doesn't necessarily translate to a strong season. our megan mcgrath got up bright and early to get a first hand look out on the river. >> dawn on the chesapeake bay. a waterman's day starts early. but this year the boats aren't just out early in the morning, waterman working in southern anne arundel county are out earlier i

and their catching crabs. >> this time last year we caught seven crabs and this first time we checked the pot we had 20 bushel. >> reporter: bob joebz moves his boat to maryland because the crabbing is better here right now. >> there's a big boy in there. >> reporter: while recent cold temperatures have slowed things down, he says the season is still off to a strong start. >> that's a big crab right there. >> reporter: and the crabs are nice. >> the crabs are butter ball fat right now. >> reporter: cindy sheridan has been crabbing her whole life. >> take this back part out. >> reporter: what she doesn't sell she turns into crab cakes for her family. >> i started in april and i've never started picking crabs in april ever. it's normally like june. >> reporter: now an early start doesn't necessarily mean a good season overall. in fact, there are some numbers out there that indicate things may slow down. maryland's annual crab survey recorded a decline in the number of juvenile crabswe

that's bad news. on the plus side, the number of spawning age females is at the highest level ever recorded by the study. >> so much more everything around us that effects the bay. >> reporter: as waterman know it's all very unpredictable. >> we need to be what you call cautiously optimistic if you know what i'm saying. >> reporter: in deal maryland, megan mcgrath, news4. >> still ahead, he is overcome hardships most of us can't even imagine. the special honors for a virginia grad who is finding success even in the face of ♪ whether you're after supreme performance... advanced intelligence... or breathtaking style... there's a c-class just for you. decisions, decisions, decisions.

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a new driving range is opened in are north virginia. the renovated facility at the golf center in fairfax county has 64 golf stations, 24 of them covered and heated. new clubhouse is still under construction with plans to open in the fall.

from the virginia military institute. dozens of cadets don't make it through all four years. but only one of the cadets had to preserve through an incredible family tragedy and come out of it to become class valedictorian. pat lawson muse shows us how he did it. >> i owe it to none other than all of my brother classmates, they've been incredible and in my four years here. >> reporter: drew boronstein is one of 319 cadets crossing the stage to receive a hard earned degree from one of the nation's most demanding military schools. >> as they say a great place to be from but not a great place to be at. so i'm very excited to finally have graduated from this place. >> reporter: he graduates after what's been a tough and tragic year. last august his mother, sister and brother died in a plane crash. >> i have so many people here, my entire extended family pretty much is here and i

people watching on the live stream that was on online and so, knowing that's those people are around i've got that support. >> reporter: and watching him graduate as class valedictorian. bornenstein hopes his story will inspire and motivate others. >> go out and make a difference. earn your place amongst the multitude of successfully alumni. do what you can to make this world a better place. >> reporter: it's something that borneen steen's classmate says he's already done. >> you are definitely someone that we have all looked up to all four years. not just this past year but definitely a great role model for all of us. >> cadet charlotte drew bor enstein. >> reporter: and what helped him was learning the value of hard work. >> that's something that my dad taught me at a young age. >> reporter: now along with 100 cadets commissioned for military service after college, he'll leave here to

marine corps as a second lieutenant. wow. borneenstein was awarded the first jackson hope medal for the highest obtainment in scholarship as well as the academic proficiency award. that's going to do it for news4 this week. i'm chris lawrence. we'll leave you with video that went viral and for good reason. a family of bears enjoying some time on a tram bow heen up in connecticut. have a great week. thanks for joining us.

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right now on "news4 today," president trump receives a royal reception overseas taking his key leadership abroad with pressing issues here at home. stabbing on campus. what the umd police are responding to after they rush to a school dorm. and a school bus up in flames. the danger on the bus lot and the damage altogether. more on those top stories but first, hope you're having a good start to your saturday morning at 6:00 on the dot. i'm adam tuss. >> and i'm angie goff. >> do you know who else is al