right now on "news4 this week"s drone on patrol. how t police want use them to keep you safe, and why some people are concerned. digging out. it's the biggee' snowstorm w seen in three years. we'll introduce you to some volunteers out there helping seniors shovel their sidewalks. and the first snotick challenge of 2019. we'll show you the winning photo. >> announcer: welcome to "news4 this week." and hello, everyone, i'm leon rris. firstup, the first snow of 2019. if you haven't shoveled your sidewalk yet, you could face a fi you're in the district. but for seniors who can't get out and shovel theirs, wa they can sign up to have volunteers come and do it for them.

news4's amy chill explains t ci adopt a senior program. >> reporter: as cold snowke blan the sidewalks, warm gestures help to cle them. dominic watkins is part of d.c.'s adopt a senior program. >> one last step and b she'll all right. >> reporter: any time it snows more than 4 inches, volunteers get to work shoveling so seniors don't have to. >> this i what i like to do. i've got a heart to serve. not just the seniors, i've got a heart to serve people, period. >> reporter: people like martha whehead. >> i don't want to get finedor not having my snow shoveled. >> reporter: as the volunteers clear away feet of snow, watkins says there's a reason he goes xtra mile >> i lost my grandparents at an early age. i think is real important for any of us who have grandparents, stop what you're doing, take some time, check on them, come out here and shovel the snow for them.

it makes us feel really good bein able to ser the community. >> reporter: and with each shoveled sidewalk, one thing is clear, these men leaving a utting other t by people first. >> i haven't even shoveled my place yet, so i've got to do that once i g donehere. i might invest in a snow plow, though. >> reporter: the program says they have already got almost0 1, volunteers signed up, but they still need more to handle houses. if you'd like to sign up we posted the link in the nbc washington app. just search shovel. southeast, aimee cho, news4. there's renewed hope virginia lawkers might okay a plan to provide driversfo cards undocumented immigrants. right now 3,000 undocumented people might be out there driving around without a license in the commonwealth. as jul carey reports, supporters say this is not a political ise, it's about public safety.

et>> reporter: when she g behind the wheel, she has her driver's license with her. she cam to virginia from peru in 2000 and got her license before the state required proof residence. but she wants all undocument migrants to be able to drive with the same confidence she has. and with her own teenage son out on the road now, safety is her biggest concern. >> translator: what i'm mostly concerned with as a mother is that virginia roads are safe, od so i want make sure that every single person that's driving behind the wheel of a car in virginia has taken driver's ed, has passed the driver's test knows the rules of the road. >> reporter: mendoza joined groups that are urging lawmakers to create driver privilege couds that be issued by the dmv to undocumented immigrants. the recipients would have to sove they had paidte income tax and they'd have to meet insurance requirements. >> for now, we have 300,000 people who are driving without a license simply because the state won't allow them to get one. that makes everyone less safe,

not more safe. >> reporter: those who advocate for undocumented immigrants say they he another motivation. when someone is caught driving without a license, it can lea to deportation. >> driving without a license is a good way to ending up with a quick ip to a jail. quick trip to a jail is the umber one way to end up in deportation proceedings. >> reporter: last year a bill to permit driver privilege cards failed to make it out o committee. opponents say the cards could create confusion. others say i simply you're here illegally, you shouldn't be allowed to have a valid form i.d. in manassas, i'm julie carey, news4. maryland and the district of columbia enactedheir laws back in 2013 to provide driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants. other states have similar laws. drones, they're boming an important tool in public safety around our area, and now county wants to incorporate them into several departments to improve safavy and lives and money. northern virginia bureau reporter david culver has more.

>> reporter: fairfax county is working on a programato incorp drones into many operations. officials want to use drones for search and rescue, t assess flood or disaster damage, manage traffic and assess fire and crime scenes, among other things. >> we want to do investigations as far as, you know,rode an incident commander what's going on and even officer safety. we're doing a tactical entry someplace. having thatne up there, it's a lot quieter than a helicoiter. we can there and watch. >> reporter: officials admit kiey're a bit envious l at other jurisdictions in virginia that use drones. we've shown you some of t success stories. in stafford county they have used drones to track down criminals. in loud on county they used it to find missing people. right now a chopper has to be used forsurveillance. not only is that more expensive, but choppers cannot fly as low. >> instead of the helicopter

which is restricted at 1500, uav we en 500 feet, the can drop down to 50 feet, 100 we have get close in so a lot better perspective of what's going on. >> reporter: officials say there s will e things the dro not do, like conduct random surveillance, target someone or harass individuals orgroups. the county is working with a variety of groups to come up with a policy that addresses privacy concerns. one of those is the aclu of virginia. they tell news4 that they appreciate the opportunity to work with the county to ensure that the new program fully complies with th letter and spirit of virginia law and addresses the significanty priv concerns attendant on any deployment and use of drones by the government. we found support for the idea of using drones, but also some concern. >> if it's for public safety, like finding missing kids or alerting the residents to

impending disasters and stuff like that, i'm fine. but things like that have hackett of creeping into your personal live s and that's my only concernepith that. >>ter: david culver, news4. >> we have more information about the program and a look how you can weigh in with your opinion on the nbc washington app. just go there and search fairfax county drones. when we come back, the new proposal in virginia aimed at making the trip to school a lot safer for students. plus, spotlighting every day heroes. the men and women spottingnd stopping human trafficking on our roads, and the impact of their good deeds. hey. i heard you're moving into a new apartment. yeah, it's pretty stressful. this music is supposed to relax me, though.

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si virginia is cring making it more expensive to illegally drive around a spped school bus. new legislation s in thete legislature hikes the fine to $300 for driver who say do that. a $50 increas from the current penalty. the fine would be $600 for

anyone who does t it whiley're texting. this bill will be considered by the general assembly's courts of justice committee. despite all the snow we got hit with, you folks still came out and drove a to the health fitness expo and we were just ntrilled to see so many of you at the d.c. conn center taking advantage of the free screenings and the exams and pontially life-saving health information we shared there. from our entire news4 andmu ndo team, we want to say we enjoy a meeting you signing autographs and hanging out. it was a lot of fun. a big thanks to all of our sponsors and all of you who came out. thank you so much. hope to see you next year. now, when we come back, the idden hot spots inside your home that could trigger your allergies and keep you from having a good night's sleep. t plus, winner of the first snow stick challenge of 2019.

call it the vetrucker's ion of if you see something, say something. drivers all across the count taught how to recognize and

report human trafficking operations. since the effort began they reported more than 1,000 victims. news4's chris gordon now with a closer look at the truckers against trafficking effort. >> reporter: this tractor-trailer carries a message acrosshe country. report human trafficking. in the past ten years, drivers trained by theon nprofit group called tgackers ainst trafficking have saved more than 1,100 vtims by reporting human trafficking to police. >> they do that by being the eyes and ears of our nation's highways. >> reporter: the truck is a mobile museu with displays of the evidence from some of the cases truckers against traffickers reported topolice. >> these are the dress, shoes and poker chips that an 18-year-old had to wear when she was forced into sex trafficking herself in a casino. >> reporter: t victims o human trafficking are 12, 14, 15 years o age. they are forced into

prostitution. ea's modern slavery. >> back several ago with a different company, i was at a truck stop and had a young girl knock on my door. she was probably 16 years old. asked metef i w a date. i just wasn't trained properly on what to look for t or who call or anything like that. drive rter: now he helps this big rig called the freedom drivers project around the country to educate the public about human intraffickg. d.c. attorney general carl racine tells me human trafficking is a problem in the district, maryland and virginia. >> the metropolitan police department investigates, i . derstand, over 100 or so cases a year >> reporter: the truck is moving from thenation's capital on to atlanta to be put on display in the dayse the super bowl. chris gordon,4. ne the cold weather has a lot but heading indoors, hidden allergens inside your

home could be making you sick while you're there. doreen gentzler working for y r health with an important warning on how to solve the problem. >> reporter: it's the season for sneezing and coughing. doctors are seeingur a in patients this time of year, and realizethem don't they're allergic to dust mites. the symptoms might seem a lot like a common >> i have some sneezing, stuffy nose, ihy nose, itchy, watery eyes. >> reporter: did you know those symptoms could be allergies too? >> we don't sleep well, we snore at night, wake up exhausted. >> reporter: the doctor is the director at watergate and burke allergy and asthma centers. he says dust mites can hide all over your home. air vents, curtains, those fluffy feathered pillows on your bed and your couch, even the

down comfortersha twe like to use to keep warm during the cold winter months. a specific skin test can reveal the thing you're allergic to. >> within ten minutes we'll tell you with the allergy ski testing whether or not the patient is allergic to mold, how severe his or her allergy, get xcellent treatment and clear thesymptoms. >> reporter: as for relief. >> see your allergist, tat your allergies. allergy medications are over the counter and are very effective. >> reporter: and if you are suffering in the fall too, you weren't alone. mold has been causing a lot of allergy issuesor people in our area, partly because of last year's record rainfall. >> for mold, it's water and humidity. >> reporter: mol is all around us and it can develop in your home, in your car, even in the air. but there is some goo news about this allergy.

>> once you have the freeze and winter is here, mold usually goes down tremendously. >> the asthma and allergy foundation of america recommends that people wash their sheets and blankets once week in hot water and invest in pillow and mattress covers.yo can also buy synthetic pillows to keep the dust mites out. vacuuming your air vents can help you out too, so can using an air purifier. man are excited about a business boom from amazon's new hq 2 but there were plenty of local shoper owners who worried that the headquarters moving in would price their clients out and destroy their businesses. northern vginia bureau reporter david culver has the story from alexandria. >> reporter: for hector, the thought of leaving alexandria's neighborhood is tough. >> i'll b very sad if we do leave this place. >> reporter: after a hair salon and barbershop carries the

community name andce has sin his father started the business mor2 than0 years ago right here on mt. vernon avenue. >> this area here, it's like a historic landmark for latinos and central ericans, you know. >> reporter: in recent years, the surrounding arlington ridge and delway communities have grown in wealth andty popula >> it is one of the areas that has stayed so long being affordable. >> reporter: now with the arrival of amazon, they fear the affordable housing will be no longerle afford >> we believe that the impact is going to really devastating for our community as a whole community, not just for the bu nesses, but for people who have been living h for so many years. >> reporter: that would potentially impact businesses like hector's. hector says most of his customers walk here. if they leave, so goes his business. but in making their bid to bring amazon hq 2 to northn virginia, virginia's governor, ralph northam and several local

leaders have said they will bring more options when it comes ing.ffordable ho evelyn is hopeful leaders act on that. >> wereate model of housing, affordable housing so people can ay. i think that would be a great idea. >> reporter: hector worries the alternative will not only hurt business, but also his community'sculture. >> we provide service here, you know, for the community for so many years. for us to leave, it would be heart breaking. >> reporter: in alexandria, david culver, news4. the competition was fierce, but in the end there could be onlyne winner of the pat collins snow stick challenge. we'll show you the womning photo,g up next.

allright. with the snow comes the pat collins snow stick challenge. this week's entries may have

been somof the best ye so we had a really tough time naming our first champion of19, but eventually our team of judges picked one winner who struck a pretty clever pose in their snow suit. congratulations to the sudoll family. >> it'sind of a sign that we made it. >> that's lay la. the family enlisted the services their dog, dressing her up as a shark. they got a pose in the outfits and snorkeled their way in the snow t escape danger of the shark attack. if doug's winter forecast is corrt, we'll have a few more challenges before spring and a few more chances for these famili to get out there and have some fun in the snow. now, the deal is you have to a challenge to get one of those coveted snow sticks. even vips can't get one just my asking. just ask d.c. mayor muriel bowser. >> bet you'd like one of >>thes?

ou bet i would. >> well, you can't have that one, madam mayor. >> see, pat does not play it comes to that stick, folks. the mayor was a little frtrated pat wouldn't giv out the snow stick but she did bring out a little surprise. her little daughter miranda coming out and experiencing her first d.c. snowfall. and now she's got a challenge to one day get her very own snow stick. good luck, miranda.ll that'sor "news4 this week." i'm leon harris. we'll leave you w nowh more scenes from that first snow day of 2019. thanks for joining us. have a great week. it's nice to have snow in d.c. it's like a winter wonderland. >> i find it very reassuring when it snows. plus it's a lot of fun

>> love cross-country skiing. i might as well take advantage

>> announcer: news 4 today starts now. the street closures have already started ahead of today's women's march ingt waon. a bleak forecast and some nternal strife will make this year's march look much different. hours after a bombshell claiming the president ordered his t former attorneyo lie to congress, the special counsel's office issue r ae rebuttal. a wave of wet weather is coming our way, folks,be just re we hit a plunge into freezing temperatures. lauryn rickett a is back she is tracking the latest winter weather system on our weather alert saturday. good morning. i'm meagan fitzgerald in for