right now on "news4 this week," back to school. we're in the district as a new all-girls school welcomes students for the first time. honoring ate mate. players at the university of marylandootball team explain how they'll remember jordan mcnair as the university deals with the investigation intois death. plus, fixing the commute. plans for a major n oject at a notorious bottleneck pointrginia. >> announcer: welcome to this week." hello, everyone. i'm leonharris. summer is over for tens of thousands of kids in our area now. students in the district went back to class this week and that included a numbeof little ladies in south d.c. the excel academy used to be a charr school but n it's

public. aimee cho got a chance to han out with some kindergarteners as they check out their new >> welcome to kindergarten. >> reporter: there's nothing quite like the first day of school. the brand new books. >> i'm so glad you're happy. >> reporter: freshly sharpened pencils, fun new frien. and for the little ladies of miss mccoy's kindergarten class -- >> beautiful, it's looking goode >> reporter:have another first to look forward to. d.c. public schools fir all-girls school. >> do you guys like school? >> dyes. >> whyyou like school? >> because it's so cool. >> it's so fun. >> i love that. >> reporter: the excel academy says theyope to empower girls so they don't just become students, buts. sist >> i can be that person who respects them, who talks like them, who works hard. they will see that example. and it sounds the same, right? moon. >> reporter: the girto will go xcel through the eighth grade. >> good job! >> reporter: and the school says it wil focus on things like science and math.

>> to change the narrative of the school because it was considered a poo performing school, so we want to make sure that we flip that around for our young ladies. >> they are absolutely adorably cute and i'm h alreadying the best time. it's the first day and not even lunch yet. >> reporter: and speaking of lunch. >> do you feel excited? >> reporter: that's one thing these little learners are already experts on. >> guess what i'm going to have for school to eat? i'm going to have a sandwich. sandwiches are really cool. >> reporter: at the excel academy, aimee cho, news4. the university of maryland deals with the investigation into the death of football player jordan mcnair, and his teammates are explailing how theyhonor the redshirt freshman who died from heat stroke earlier this year. it will include events on and off the field. >> reporter: the players did nos take ons, but they say they simply wanted to make a statement on just how important jord mcnair was to this program. they say his spirit lives in them ynow, and t will honor

him with every snap and every play. a strong showing by the university of maryland football players filing in to make a rful statement. >> we come here today as university of maryland football players to change the conversation. >> reporter: nothing short of a difficult summer, mourning the loss of their teammate, jordan mcnair. >> jordan was fearless, he was a dreamer. he would doing for his teammates. he fought until his very last breath for his ammates. >> reporter: the offensive lineman died i june after suffering a heat stroke two weeks earlier. head coach d.j. durkin on leave followings mcnai leave with matt canada now at the helm. >> since jordan's passing we have asooall program been grieving and mourning in our own way together. >> reporter: while the governing board of maryland's public university syste assumes control of the investigation, players want to control how they honor mcnair. >>o member of the university of maryland football team will wear the number 79 throughuais grtion year, and he will be

honored on senior day with his class. 7>> reporter: they'll wea9 sticker on their helmets, jordan's locker will be encased in glass, a scholarship given in his honor and the offensive lineman room in the renovated eldhouse named after him. >> it's time to get back to what is important and that is honoring o fallen friend, brother and teammate. >> reporter: it's a statement of a legacy they want to carry on, for a player they all considered a gentle >> jordan was one of the best friends, teammates and roommates that anyonr could e ask for. >> reporter: there will be a moment of silence at the first two home gameson of the se the players say it is so important now more than everha that the the fans support. in college park, nicole jacobs, news4. you're always looking to shave time off your commute, especially with the traffic in the d.c. area. now vdotpis h out. they want to add three new lanes to part of i-95. it will be the stretch of 95 in fredericksburg between route 17

to route 3. news4's transportation rerter, adam tuss, with when this new relief could be coming. >> reporter: man, if you are one of the unlucky ones that has to deal with 95 all the time, you know that it ke pac most of the day. now, though, new relief could be ming in the fredericksburg area, but you are going to have to deal with some construction. nothing is ever easy on i-95. >> it's a nightmare. it actually is a nightmare. >> there's so many people now. what do you >> reporter: even during a ground-breaking ceremony to add new lanes, a whipping wind and rain seemed to ominously hang over this announcement. driver darcel blaggman sums it yp this way. >> not o pack a lunch, bring a chef because you're going to need it, i sweare. you ar >> reporter: but help could be on the way. virginia governor ralph northam on hand t deliver thenews. >> this is a big announcement.

three new lanes are coming across the river. >> reporter: six miles of new lanes to be exact in the fredericksrg area southbound traffic will be separated with local and through lanes. the tri part will be building a new southbounbridge across the rap hanic river. the heavy construction will happen out of the rush hour period. eventually the plan is to also have the express lanes that end in stafford county run all the way downo fredericksburg as well, but for now this new project under way. once again, the work has started. it's going to take some get this bridge built and these new lanes built here in the fredericksburg area.th anticipated completion date, 2022. ined icksburg, adam tuss, news4. we turn now to a popular tradition at the national zoo, where they celebrated our youngest panda this week. bae-bae got a sweet treat as crowds came to sing to him for

his 3rd birthday. this frozen cake was me of fruit juices and has things like apples, carrots, sugar cane and of c there's bamboo in there too. his birthday may be a little bittersweet this year because it teanse have only one year left before he gets sack to china to be part of a panda breeding program. there are fewer than 2,000 pandas till living in the wild. we've got lots of pictures from his earlier days and check out our gallery at nbcwashington and our app there. another big milestone ts week, a local landmark celebrates 60 years serving up half smokes and history. plus, those school supply lists are just starting to come . we'll tell you how to get what yoe need without breaking th bank.

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we love washington's monuments and wseums, but also love our local landmarks, like ben's chili bowl. they cherished through the decades by those of us who live

here. you can't talk about it without mentioning its colorful mural emblazened with local heroes, including our only beloved and deeply missed jim vance. it turned 60 this year and that's a whole lot of chili and a ton of choed onion today. ben and virginia opened up the restaurant back in 1958 and they stuck it out on u street through some of the city's toughest times. >> think of all the things that have happened over the course of these six decades. we've been here through the window looking out onto the city. >> the city chang the name of the block in front of the restaurant to ben ali way to mark the anniversary. ben died in s09. hiwife, virginia, you see her there, she turns 85 this year. congratulations. arlington national cemetery is ready to expand so it canpa provide for at least 40,000 additional burials. the cemery now wants to add 70 acres. in order to do that, several roads are t going to havebe closed or realigned in the area. the cemetery expects to run out

of room in about 25 years. e proposed addition should keep it running through 2050. wn weome back, two stories to help parentkeep their sanity this time of year. plrst a look at how to buy all those school ss without breaking the bank. then, we'll show you a new kids clothing service that helps you wi you know when you're at ross shopping for backpacks... ...and mom also gets a back-to-school bag? that's yes for less. ross has the brands you want for back to school. and it feels even better when you find them for less. at ross. yes for less.

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...and you suddenly realizes you're really into art? that's yes for less. every trend. every room. on any budget. it feels even better when you find it for less. at ross. yes for less. the death of a man struck and killed while riding his bicycle in the bike lane has prompted d.c. to make some serious safety changes. d.c. t officials sayy plan now to widen the sidewalk and realign the bikeane in the area of m street and new hampshire northwest. that's where a truckollided with 36-year-old jeffrey long on june 7th. long was riding on m street in a designated bike lane when he attempted to make a right turn s onto new hhire less than half a mile from dupont circle. long died the next day. from backpacks to binders, there are a lot of suppliesou tt

kids need for the school year, but all that shopping doesn't have to be ristressful. lawrence working for you on how to save time and money as you get ready for school. >> reporter: i hit the back-to-school aisle at target with my secondrader in tow, trying to make sense of all these supplies. >> daddy, i want this and it slipped. >> reporter: sta wars and sprinkles, puppies to glitter. >> do you like that? no. >> no. >> reporr: amy jacks is trying to outfit her daughter, ella, for first grade. >> sometimes my mom picks out backpacks that i don't like. >> reporter: but amy wants to spent $20. ella's choices can run twice that. >> i'm not going to pay that kind of money, s we try to find something that's in between. >> reporter: amy's tip, if is a good price, buy more than you need because things break or get lost along thewa >> i know crayons are usually $3 or $4 and you can get them for

50 cents right now. >> reporter: and the savviest shoppers know your phone can be invaluable. rochelle says notebooks ands binday be marked down one day, backpacks and lunch boxes a week later. >> if you have the app, you can see what's on sale a couple of days before they're actually on sale so you're readyo go when the sale starts. >> reporter: you can use apps like shopular which collects coupons from all the big retailers and puts them right in the palm of yourhand. adding to the confusion, every classroom needs something specific. >> we just printout the list from our school and see what's here. >> reporter: with target school list assist, you can pick up what each school requires and add the entire list to your shopping cart in one click. chrisloernawrence, news4. >> while your shopping, keep the amazon shopping app handy because some stores will patch thce right there on the spot. how about this one, the kids

get mail and mom and dad get to keep their sanity.de that's the behind a new kids fashion trend that delivers stylish clothing right to y house. it's addressed to your child and tailored just forgi them. goff finds out if this booming box trend is worth>> it eporter: shopping for school clothes with your kids. >> it's not an enjoyablepe exence because they tend to run around in all different directions. >> reporter: let's face it, they'd rather be playing and scott mcfarland has things he'd rae doing too. >> which state has the capital of tallahassee. >> reporter: which is why they tu t to a box skip the stress and a trip to the store. >> the idea of having theom clothes to your home without having to take them out to go shopping is nice. >>edeporter: lisa dec to try kid box, one of several box services offering personalizedd outfits shipped right to her door. she simply submitted an onlineb quiz a her son's style and personality. >> no, i want to open it.

>> reporter: and from there kid box styliens sent s quality items by well-known brands. >> do you like it? >> yes. >> reporter: you only pay for the ones you want which in jonathan's caseas thentire box. lisa paid about $14 per piece and gave back. >> for eveox that we deliver perfectly to a customer, they're going to keep that box and that provides us with the ability t donate brand new products to these children in need. >> i just love getting packages. >> reporter: like kid box, kid pick requires no membership. it's a box service justor girls with trendy and accessories. >> my 7-year-old loved it all. >> reporter: ckets, shirts, skirt, pants, sneakers, purse and denim dress for about $120, all designed by kid pick. >> i asked how they made thica use can't feel any of it. >> reporter: another atbscription for boys and girls also c their own clothes and you can peek inside the box online and change items before

they ship. there's a $5 setup fee. the entireht box of e items is about $150, which is about $19 per item. so all o these services, they include something like th, a prepaid envelope to return or exchange anything for free. they also come with free little gifts. some of them come with crayons or these very popular squishies. most importantly, a breakdown of all the clothgo you how much they cost and how much you saved. angie goff, news4. >> a couple o qstions to consider when choosing a box service, is there a styling fee? ands this a recurring subscription, a charge involved fith that? and lly, what are the perks? some companies like kid pick offer a 30% discounti if you kep the entire wx. whe come back, paying tribute to a maryland sailor a year after he was ki

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a changing of the guard this week at the marine barracks in

washington. sergeant chesty the 14th isti ng as the official mascot of the marine corps. hes is theig pe english bulldog and began his tour of duty five years ago. his replacement willte be pri chesty the 15th. they are named in honor l ofis chesty puller and they participated in the eveningar marinees since july, 1957. this week we marke since the uss john mccain crashed into a container ship in singapore. ten sailors were killed there, including timothy echols of maryland. news4's meagan fitzgerald was with his grandparents as they paid tribute to himhis week. >> it's been bhard,ause i miss him so much. >> reporter: there's nothing li the bond between grandfather and his only grandson. >> gave me a lot of life.

>> reporter: he says timothy was his pride andjoy. he served in the army, so when timothy enlisted in the navy, he said their greatest thmemories were betting on the football games. >> he owed me $50 for the army/navy game but i overlooked >> reporter: it was their dream to attend the game together one gay, but irvin's life changed on august 21st of last year. >> timmy was presumed missing along with ten others. >> reporter: tim was onboard the uss mccain, heading to singapore when it collided with a merchant vessel, trapping t sailors inside. >> i got up at 5:30 in the morning because tha got the message. and i just got on my kes and said a prayer. >> reporter: the pain and emptiness still lirngers a year later, but his grand parents say they feel closer to tim here at

arlington national cemetery where he was buried with full honors. r there and go o tell him the washington capitals won the stanley cup. >> reporter: i hasn't been easy. >> so everywhere i go, i wear it in his tenor. >> rep but timothy's grandparents know that one day they'll see him again. he's always wit us, always. >> reporter: meagan fitzgerald, news4. >> timothy'snother was japan where they held ceremonies to sailors,e ten fallen including her son. and that's all for "news4 this week." i'm leo harris. we're going to leave you with more of those images of kids heading back to school this wweek. maybe l bring back some memories. thanks for joining us. have a great week.

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alens -- violence under the friday night lights. violence at high school at the university of maryland two players accused of sexu assault. the red skins are in their full preseason game. people are excited about the former mvp making his debut. welcome in this morning. i'm david culver. i'm b myself this morning in the studio. we have lauren. arshe's not f