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right now on news4 this week, ticket troubles. we'll tell you about a new push by a d.c. lawmaker that could reduce the amount of money you'll pay for those parking tickets. bridging the gap. there's a new push to a potomac river crossing, but some lawmakers say the issue is dead in the water. and cart clutter. one neighborhood is fighting back against people leaving shopping carts where they don't belong. welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everyone, i'm chris lawrence. we begin with a sore subject of parking tickets in the district. lots of folks have built up a pretty big tab, and now a d.c. counsel member is proposing a new annual amnesty to help clear your records. as tom sherwood report

>> reporter: the district is famous or infamous for parking tickets. last year more than 1.5 million tickets were written, worth about $68 million. >> now serving, s 8 at counter 15. >> reporter: at the district's traffic adjudication office in southwest, hundreds of people show up to pay tickets or go into private hearing rooms to fight those tickets. >> i really need a break. even now i'm trying to get my tags but i have a problem with tickets. >> reporter: now ward 8's councilmember is trying to offer a break for people with lots of outstanding tickets. >> usually in the past history, a lot of the mayors have given ticket amnesty in d.c. >> reporter: white wants the city to make ticket amnesty an annual thing one month out of each year. the bill would allow anyone with more than $1,000 in overdue tickets to pay 60% of those tickets to clear their records of fines and fees. >> for the poor, it's

pay those fines and those amount of fees are extremely high. the boots, the tows, the fees, on your credit, taking out your taxes is a bit much. >> reporter: people paying tickets like the idea. >> why do you think it's a good idea? >> because help people to get a clean record. >> i would love that idea, you get a break on tickets, because i get tickets a lot. >> just simple parking places. >> i have no problem with that. >> reporter: the council may take up and vote on the ticket amnesty bill after the summer recess. in the district, tom sherwood, news4. one local leader calls it a zombie because it just won't die. he's talking about the idea of a new potomac river bridge, something that divides leaders from maryland and virginia more so than the river itself. transportation reporter adam tuss is tracking the story from chopper 4. >> reporter: around the region easier, it's a question that we'd love to answer. we t

river between loudoun and montgomery counties. there's a new debate about building a new potomac river crossing. of course we have so much development in our area, especially around the dulles area. all these homes and businesses out here around the route 7 corridor. a lot of those people have to get over across the potomac river to montgomery county and vice versa. now montgomery county is saying, hey, all this agricultural preserve over here, let's not ruin this. a new potomac river crossing would absolutely bring traffic through this area. you would ruin areas like this, which are picturesque. you'd have to build new highways and you'd be talking about tens of thousands of cars a day that would have to come through here. take a look at some of this land from the ground and you see how picturesque it is. if you drive across the legion bridge, you know how backed up that is and transportation planners are saying something needs to be done to ease the gridlock. loudoun county leaders thinks a new crossing needs more study.

saying no way. >> it detracts from real solutions because 270 is a mess. the american legion bridge is a mess. let's focus on 270 and the american legion bridge, not some second crossing that literally will never happen. >> reporter: taking another look at the divide of the potomac river, now listen, this is an issue that isn't necessarily put to bed just yet. the region's transportation policy board is set to take up this issue next week. we'll see how it goes. back to you. >> thanks, adam. in the neighborhood around pentagon city, some residents are renewing a campaign against the grocery cart clutter. they blame both the big costco store and customers who think it's okay to take carts home and dump them. bureau chief julie carey looks at what's causing the concern. >> reporter: take a look around pentagon city, and you will probably notice all the abandoned shopping carts. some just across the street from the costco, and some blocks

it's taking up space or you're walking around the corner and there's a cart sitting there and you run into it. >> reporter: that's daniel loving. you might call him a shopping cart model citizen. he goes back and forth to the store with his own shopping wagon. but many of his neighbors, like this woman, do their shopping and then help themselves to a costco cart, rolling it home, and then ditching it. >> so you won't be taking it back? >> no, i can leave it there. >> and how does it get back? >> reporter: some residents have been documenting the shopping cart clutter for a few years now. this photo spot lights what they call a shopping cart graveyard, and this cart simply abandoned in an apartment building hallway. >> hey, there's a cart here. it's ugly. it looks like a little bit of a junkyard if you've got a shopping cart sitting out front. >> reporter: dennis jaffey is turning to his neighbors on the social media app next door recruiting them to take more photos as evidence of the

the civic association is also joining the effort sending this letter to costco demanding action. >> obviously the individual who takes it is the most responsible in that particular moment. should they be held accountable? yeah. do we want to pay the police overtime to go after cart stealers or can we get costco to step up to the plate and put some kind of mechanism on their cart so it doesn't get easily taken. >> reporter: they would like to see costco buy carts with an electronic wheel lock that stops if the it's pushed off property. neighbors tell me costco comes by and collects the carts and takes them back to the store. i called the manager to get his comment and am still waiting to hear back. >> we'll keep an eye on that. still ahead, the new fight for a former maryland congresswoman and a look at how it's connected to the recent debate over health care. and our jim handly does his

where you can get in on the latest bar craze, ax throwing. at ikea, we believe your perfect student deserves the perfect room for the perfect price. so she can afford to feel at home even when she's miles away. and you can help her feel bright, without breaking your budget. and... who's there? hey. a boy? you never told your dad and i about any... oh, on the bed? absolutely not! okay... studying together is fine... and at ikea, we believe that letting go can be hard, but not pricey. what's going on now? move the flag.

former maryland congresswoman donna edwards is using her own health issues to push back against the gop health care bill. in a "washington post" op-ed edwards revealed that she's been battling multiple sclerosis. she said she was diagnosed last year after taking a fall on a bike and undergoing tests. edwards says she wrote the op-ed because health problems can hit at any time and it's important to have access to insurance. >> this can happen to anybody. i mean i was extraordinarily healthy. any one of us can have something happen that we didn't plan for and we ought to have a health care system that understands that. >> edwards says she is not letting ms change her plans for the future. she also says she's not ruling out another run for office down the road. when we come

neighborhood. your street clogged with people parking who don't live there. the news4 i-team working for you to find out what you can do about it. and we'll show you the nearest sport coming to a district bar near you.

parking is becoming more difficult to find even near your own home. a news4 i-team investigation shows a spike in people parking their cars in neighborhoods where they don't live. scott mcfarland shows us the officers throughout our region hunting down parking predators. >> reporter: you pay a fortune for your home, and every inch of the yard. so it's frustrating when strangers plant their cars on your front curb for hours at a time. david freeman says it happens all the time in his montgomery county neighborhood. >> the kids from

churchill high school just clog the roads. >> took your spot? >> took all of our spots, yes. >> reporter: montgomery, prince george's and fairfax counties, plus d.c. and arlington try to stop drivers from clogging up spots in neighborhoods by restricting parking spots to residents only. local neighborhoods by the dozens have petitioned to have those restricted parking permits. >> they choose this? >> they choose this, correct. so this is something that they choose versus us going out and putting it in there. >> reporter: the chief of montgomery county's parking management says more than 30 county communities now have residential permit parking. and if you think all of these no parking signs are enough to stop the parking predators, think again. our news4 i-team investigation found an increasing epidemic of parking cheats. so bad, in fact, full-time policing is now needed to stop the predators. we pulled parking citations from communities around our area and found thousands of violations in each, including a sharp spike in prince george's county. the number of parking cheats has tripled in one year. >> wl

come out. >> reporter: the news4 i-team took to the streets with officer marlon ellerbee. with a license plate reader atop his truck, he scans cars to make sure they're connected to a legitimate permit. >> that's a hit. and that's a hit. >> reporter: he said he finds the cheating widespread in communities near apartment complexes where parking is limited and cars are plentiful. >> it's between 20 and 30. >> a night? >> yeah. >> reporter: on this night he sees violators near the transit hub in new carrollton and just south of state route 193. >> that apartment complex has cars that spill out. >> right. >> reporter: county officials say they're getting more petitions from neighborhoods wanting to restrict cars to permit holders only. >> the front of your home would turn into a parking lot. >> it could, if we don't have a way to restrict parking. >> reporter: miles away, we checked out neighborhoods near high schools where homeowners have complained about parking, along

caught students day after day parking in restricted spaces for homeowners, then getting in and driving away in the afternoon. local investigators say parking is such a premium, some people are willing to risk the ticket, and they acknowledge a black market for residential parking permits. >> people were truly selling these things? >> there were instances where they were being sold. >> reporter: like the case of tony benjamin. sentenced to three months in jail after being convicted of selling counterfeit parking placards in landover, not far from fedex field. >> that vehicle is good. >> reporter: the new hunt for parking predators willing to break the rules for a primo spot. >> now, the penalty you pay for breaking these rules depends on the community. to see how much it would cost and the neighborhoods in which parking is restricted, just go to the nbc washington app and search investigations. well, get ready for a game that's about to take d.c.

that put on big events like taste of d.c. our own jim handly got schooled in the art of ax throwing. he found out pretty fast, you don't have to be a lumberjack to like it or win. >> welcome to the world of ax throwing. darts that can do more damage and give you a bigger adrenaline kick. >> that's very satisfying. >> it feels good? >> yes, it does. it feels very primal. >> but there's a learning curve. the founder and washington event director stewart martin has mastered it and makes it look easy. >> oh, my god. perfection! >> each range has an axpert instructor who will run you through a lesson from 14 to 16 feet back. >> not heavy. >> oh, they're not. >> it's not that bad. >> how sharp is this? >> sharp enough.

>> we have this designed so that it's one rotation in. >> it begins with the grip, similar to grabbing a golf club. >> so right hand is going to go at the butt of the ax. >> and then the rock. >> overexaggerate the rock, forward, backward. >> if you try to muscle it with just your arms, you'll get nowhere with this game. you're using your core and a beard or flannel shirt in july won't help. in fact, women have an edge with axes. >> yeah, so women tend to do better than men primarily because men really just try to strengthen it in there. they try to use all that muscle and it's really a precision sport. my mom who's 67 came out here and she loved it. she played two and a half hours and the a great time so anybody can really play. >> go mom! >> the craze started in canada.

brick and mortar ax-throwing bars. players are never allowed in a range without an instructor and can't leave the enclosure with the ax. >> we can accommodate as little as six and aum tll the way up t. think corporate team building. like if you have an office group that you want to do something fun with a few hours, group of friends, bachelor party, bachelorette party. and we have about 20 different games that our coaches can lead you through. >> there are five or six things to focus on, and the first couple of throws can be frustrating. >> it did not make a dent! so hands released up and didn't follow through. >> but after three or four you start to find that sweet spot, and your rhythm. >> lean forward, lean backward. go. >> better! close. okay, three

>> they are going to take reservations on their website. again, the two ax-throwing bars will open in september and they'll set up arenas for private events. alcohol and axes. what could go wrong? when we come back, the new england church that wed one of our nation's most famous couples

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learn more at myakathisia.com. hard to believe, but it was more than 60 years ago that a massachusetts senator named john f. kennedy married jacqueline bouvier in a small church in rhode island. that couple would become iconic figures in american history, which is why today that small church has quite the following, attracting people from all over the world.

>> reporter: everyone has their reasons for coming to a house of worship. the st. mary's church of newport. >> every column was wrapped in vines and flowers. >> reporter: father molesky has more than one he likes to share. >> as i've done my research, i always find out there's more to the story. >> reporter: it's a story the magazines and history books have all told of a president and first lady whose wedding captivated a country. >> people ask why did they get married. >> reporter: few have heard it like this, from the head of the church where it all happened. >> we're quite proud to have that as part of our heritage here. >> reporter: that's why for the last few years the church has opened its doors to anyone who wants to relive the day john and jackie kennedy were married here, complete with the music and the decorations that tour groups will travel to see. >> i am from bucks county in pennsylvania. >> reporter: from all around the country they came today for the season opening. >> everybody loved john and

jackie. it's an amazing feeling knowing that they came here and were married here. >> reporter: bringing them here to a small church in rhode island. >> i never imagined that in a million years, never. >> reporter: that today is giving crowds more than one reason to come and worship. >> it's a sense of pride, really. not that here i am, but i'm a part of this. >> reporter: in newport, rhode island, i'll caroline connelly, for nbc news. >> a very important part at that. that's going to do it for "news4 this week." i'm chris lawrence. i don't need to tell you, it is summer in washington. we're going to leave you with pictures of folks braving the heat in d.c. and down on the national mall. thanks for joining us. have a great week.

at ikea, we believe your perfect student deserves the perfect room for the perfect price. so she can afford to feel at home even when she's miles away. and you can help her feel bright, without breaking your budget. and... who's there? hey. a boy? you never told your dad and i about any... oh, on the bed? absolutely not! okay... studying together is fine... and at ikea, we believe that letting go can be hard, but not pricey. what's going on now? move the flag.

. watching television that'sis educational and informational. the more you know on nbc. lauren: hi, i'm lauren thompson, and the best of "heart of a champion" starts right now. today, find out why bubba watson's biggest accomplishment didn't happen on the golf course. bubba: we got turned down on a monday, and then on a wednesday, we got accepted, and then we had caleb in our hands. lauren: and learn how a young pittsburgh native is breaking new ground in the amazing sport of sled hockey. kelsey: i just play my game, and i just want to prove to people that, you know, gender doesn't make a difference. size doesn't make a difference. i just go out there and play, and i try and make things happen. lauren: and buckle up and take a high-octane ride with erik jones.