right now on "news4 this week," back to work for federal workers after an end to the governmentshutdown, but some of those workers will never see the pay they lost. we talk with one of them. pen for business. visitors can once again browse all of the smithsonian museums. find out what could be the lasting impact of the shutdown. and breaking the bottleneck. several big transportation projects planned to ease your commute in virginia. we'll tell you when they'll start and how long it will take. >> announcer: welcome to "news4 this week." hello, everybody, i'm l harris. we're going to start with the end of the longest shutdown in government history. many federal workers were back on the job thisweek, and most of them will also get back pay e for the timewere

furloughed. but other contracted workers will neveree the money they lost over the last five weeks. aimee cho talked with one of those workers who helps keep the public safe. >> sit, sit, sit. >> reporter: taking care of her two dogs, that's justny one of e expenses she has had to worry about since the shutdown started. she is a benefit security officer over a decade. she was recently laid off from a previous job and had just started workithe smithsonian when the shutdown began. >> a lot of the days on mother's day, oh, i'm going throu whole lot, you know what i mean? >> reporter: and what she also knows, she desperately needs medicine for high blood pressure and cholesterol, but she can't afford it right now and her supply i running out. >> and it's not fair, but life is not fair anyway. it's all in how you respond to it. >> reporter: although she heads back to work at the otmuseum, r concern, how to get there. >> it's so expensive to drive

your car or wwhatever, you k what i mean. and then you've got to have money to get on the smart trise card bec you haven't been working. >> reporter: there's also no telling if the government will shut down again. it's why she says she's looking for a new job. >> ino just d want to be in this situation again because of the federal government. if you don't put things in pe pective, legislation and stuff like that, i don't want to a a part of it. >> it was welcome sight for visitors in the district, all of the smithsonian mheeums and national zoo reopening this week. many people flocked to the mall the day t drs reopened. news4's derrick ward talked with people who run those properties who are just happy to be back on the job. >> how are you ing? >> i'm really good. >> reporter: it was a chance to get up close and personal with patrons at the national museum of african-american history and culture after the unplanned hiatus. >> i felt myself talking to the ancestors by myself. >> reporter: dirtore lonni

bunchen says it was a missed opportunity to compel and inspire visitors. >> people love what they do re. they almost feel like, yes, not getting paid was horrible. but being takeny aom being able to engage the public, to share the stories they caret abouas even more difficult. >> reporter: over at the national zoo, keepers and volunteers came in during the shutdown to make sure theim als were okay. >> we have some incredibl staff here. >> reporter: do you think the zoo's residents didn't notice the difference, t lack of visitors? think again. >> our great apes and our elephants, they do notice wn the visitors are there and when they're not there,mo there was tension between the animal keepers and the animals in our care. >> reporter: at the national air amongace museum, they are the smithsonian museums that were able to stay open a few days into theshutdown, but eventually had to close their doors too. with major work going on, that wasn't interrupted. >> the entire facade will be renewed, all of the systems and

all of the exhibitions. we are just now getting going in a very significant way, at least visible to the public. >> repter: on the upside, that work could go on during what would have beenusiness hours since they were closed and the public wasn't in the way. but if the public wasn'tthere, neither was their money. revenue from the gift shop, foos concessionnd the imax theaternt is an imporource of funding that can't be made up. me traffic relief coming for northern virginia mmuters. $1 billion worth of new projects are about to begin. much of that money will go toward toll lanes, but as julie carey reports, some will also go to fix one of the biggest bottlenecks around. >> reporter: if you travel on i-95 south through prince william, you know the spot. right around the bridge even early afternoon it can lookike rush hour. howard harris can tell you the problem. >> there's no way to merge. you've got two or three exits for 123 getting on 95 and that's what's congesting all the

traffic back. >> and you lose a light. >> yeah. >> reporter: but in richmond, the governor ralph northa alongside the transportation secretary detailing four major projects designed to reduce congestion and one of them would add an auxiliary lane to i-95 south. >> anybody driving on the main line on a day-to-day basis have been so frustrated. >> this is fantastic for prince william county. >> reporter: the cstruction to rt as this logjam could s early as late 2020 and that is some five to eight yearshehead of w it might have been ernded. some commuts, though, wondering about the headaches of more construction that could begin here as soon as nextye . >> i think it will definitely help, but how long will it take and how much more traffic are we going to have. >> reporter: there's news on the i-95 express lan too. a new reversible ramp is coming to connect nearar san ta hospital with the hot lanes. the deal with the company that

adds those lanes moving erahead. n the beltway a green light to build the final two and a half miles taking the rxpress laneht up to the legion bridge, something likely to ramp up the pressure on neighbor maryland. >> what it really does is puts a lot of pressure on maryland to e step up to th plate and figure out their side of the road. >> reporter: the construction on the virginia side for the final stretch of express lanes set to begin in in northern virginia, i'm julie carey, news4. when we come ,ba a commuter option which usually costs a little money, and t-- i the district is going to be free the nt fewweeks. check your drawers and pockets. those old phones and tablets may be worth something. we'll tell y

if you use the d.c. circulator, you won't have to pay for the next few weeks. a change waslready planned before the shutdown started but the mayor says it's all a part

of her fair shot february program. andard fare is about $1. c theculator buses are used to supplement metro rail and metro bus and buses run six routes through downtown d.c. and into rosalind operating every ten minutes. a reminder, the d.c. street car in northeast always also free to us news4 is working for you in the community with a o word an urgent need at local food banks. the beginning of the year is always a difficult time at food pantries, but the federal furlough seems to have added to things this year. contributions are down in fairfax county. 600 pounds out about last week to families who were in need as a result of not being able to get a ycheck. so we really need your help to refill the pantry so we can continue to meet the needs of our community. w now, here't they really need. cooking oils, dry beans, laund detergent, cereal, and food gift

cards. if you want to help out, just sech food bann the nbc washington app. coming to fauquier county where this summer's cs nty fair haen cancelled. the reason, not enough parking. in a letter released this week, therd county b of supervisors says that construction of a new sports complex directlyth behin fair grounds is to blame for this e.is because of that work, less than 200 parking spots will be available for the event. it needs more2, than 0 parking spaces. this july would have marked the 69th annua fauquier county fair. when weome back d.c. parking permi sold on the black market. a news4 i-tees invtigation into that problem is leading to changes that could impact your visitors. and are your old electronics just taking up room in your drawersollecting dust? we're working for you to put a little extra cash in your wallet.

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big changes for a parking program in the district are the focus of a news4 i-team investigation. we found rampa abu of visitor parking passes clogging up some neighborhoodstreets. as investigative reporter scott mcfarlane shows us, a new law an new oversight could crack down on those profiting off of d.c.'s parking squeeze. >> reporter: circling for a spot in the district, you might have spotted these parking passes stuffed into dash boards of cars. people who live in d.c. can obtain these temporary visitor parking permits from d.c. police stations for their guests. ewthey have to be r every two weeks but there's no limit on getting new ones news4 i-team found that has led to abuse of the program. >> we're notne talking o extra car or two extra cars, we're talking seven. >> reporter: last year we heard from frustrated homeowners about neighbors usingr the passes o and over for their own vehicles

for months at a time. we even found this man profiting off the program. >> i'll getou a new one. >> reporter: illegally selling thehe passes inowntown area. >> the idea is not to make this a small business or cottage industry for selling tickets. >> reporter: after our reports, homeowner pam chisholm said things improved in her neighborhood for awhile. >> a few weeks there were people who you hadidentified, they kind of like disappeared. but then i guess when the heat died down, they came back. >> reporter: at a recent advisory neighborhood commissiot meeting, she h passes have now popped up again. >> are you going to do anything? >> reporter: but new legislation, first introduced by charles allen could stop those exploiting the passes. >> the reason it's necessary is that there'shing in the code that actually stopshem or prohibits them from repeatedly reupping them in 14 days. >> reporter: the new bill sets a limitn use of the visitor passes. people will only use them 90

days per calendar year. >> as an administrative matter it's not efficient. >> reporter: the i-team found other changes arie coming too. the district department of tansportation is working take over the system. that could mean a new electronic system where drive could go online to request passes rather than go somewhereonn pe right now the system for getting these parking passes is paper system. the new digital system would make enforcement easier. >> that might curtail . >> reporter: a spokesman tells us the new plan is expected to be in place by january 2020. >> parking is still 40s minutes a wait to t a parking space. >> reporter: in the district, scott mcfarlane, news4 i-team. one of week we learned our region's top cops is stepping down. chief thomas mange of montgomery county announced that he is going to retire in april. manger has been wearing a badge for more than fourdecades. he became an officer in fairfax county back in 1977, later

serving as the county's chief fo six years. manger then came across the river to become chief in montgohery county past 15 years. he tells our pat collins that he has no regrets about his life in law enforcement. >> what i really miss being a chief for the last 20 years being out on the road, being dispatched to calls. being a cop, a you've got front row seat to the greatest show on earth. and i enjoyed being a police officer and i enjoyed that kind of work. >> he tells usehat he won't sitting back and just settling down in retirement. he's going to be leading the major citiesochiefs ation as it expands its legislative agenda. now, did youet a new phone, tablet or computer over the holidays? have a drawer full of t allse old phones an tablets that you are no longer using? it turns out those old electronics could be worth a good chunk of chan consumer reporter susan hogan working for you, helping you cash in on you old devices.

>> reporter: robin newhouse is treating herself to a new lapt t, which meansre will be one more old laptop hiding in her kitchen cinet just above the drawer full of outdated tablets. >> i always feel bad throwing them away but i don't really know what to do with them. >> reporter: the tech team at consumer reports says don't throw them away. they may not be the latest models, but they could be worth ommething. >> big electronicsnies when they're putting out their new products, they do a lot to make evething seem exciting and fresh, but your old stuff that you have lying around is still perfectly good. if it's working, it's a great way to make some extra cash. >> reporter: there are plenty of online classified services you can use, but if you want something simple, think about eco atms. they're popping up across theun y where you can sell mp3 plays, tablend cell phones. just plug your device in at the kiosk and it will examine it to

determine the storage, the condition and the value on the market. then they'll make you an offer. >> sel it forash now. >> reporter: and if you agree to sell, voila, cash on the spot. online acbu services such as declutter and gazelle work imu the same way. answering a few quick questions gets you a price,f and i you are happy, you can just rent a free shipping label, box up your off.ce and send it maybe you'll even make enough to pay off some of those holiday bills. and before you sell any electrons that once housed any personal data, be sure to log out of any accounts including cloud-based storage and disable any apps that tracked your vice, like find my iphone. then be sure the device has been completely erased. on a phone you would perform a factoryreset, which scrubs it clean. you don't want any bank account information, family pictures or even your browsing history ending up in the hands of someone you don't know. back to you. >> good advice. thank you, susan.

when we come back, an upliftg story of support. how total strangers are stepping up for a federal worker facing an impossible choice. pay for chemo or get her rent i on time. now that kate and joe have been sleeping on an ikea mattress, joe's suddenly into making everyone's morning easier. i made you breakfast. i also made the kids lunch and i made myself a mixtape. and it's good. oh! be the morning person you're not. the butter.

hohedoes ron make sure 's on time to face brock the sadistic strength trainer? his ikea dresser helps him organize his... equipment? woo! be the morning person you're not. during the recent government shutdown, a federal employee was facing a stark choice, either pay her rent or pay for her chemo treatments. the shutdown actually, literally put her lifet risk. we first introduced you to this mother of three early in january. news4's nicoley jacobs recen met up with her again and she saw how strangers pitched in to help thiwoman's fight. >> chemo is rough. >> reporter: sometimes arder than you think you can endure. >> you don't know what you're going to feel, if you're goito e okay. >> reporter: three words, you have cancer, changing the shape of life. >> it's like somebody just ripped the rug out from under you. ts this it, frank? is this the l of the chicken?

>> reporter: we first introduced you to her lekt >> i'll never forget that moment. i actually dropped to my >> reporter: a 43-year-old mother of three battling cancer. >> in that mo it's devastating, life altering. >> reporter: but who knew ant governshutdown would cause her to choose between a payment of treatment or rent. >> chemo. chemo trumps everything. >> reporter: she works in program analysis, supportinn i.t.e department of treasury. >> i love my job. always have.t this is w i wanted to do. i'm a veteran. >> reporter: out of work for 35 days until president ump's announcement to reopen t government. >> it is real. then when i saw the february 15th date, i'm still nervous. >> reporter: hanging on to every single dollar and every good memory, it reminds h of the good people in the world. >> someone actually called in to the hospital and took care of my account. they wiped out my entire

balance. virginiaer: and the man who paid her february rent. my life is in some congressmen and senators and vice president pence. >> reporter: evenes when con isn't seeing eye to eye, it's the prayers and well wishes from strangers that keep her going. >> way to go. good luck. that's all for "news4 this we ." i'm leon harris. we're going to leave you with some pictures of this latest winter snow to blanket our area. thanks for joining us. have a great week.

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