right now on "news4 this ek", taking a gamble. d.c. ready to begin sports betting later this year. we'll show you how it works and when you'll be able to place bet.fir out of the shadows. virginia's governor surfaces beex aft weeks after a blackfac scandal. we ask how he's planning to mov forward. a new app helps parents schulttheir kids from point a to point b. but what aboutty sa hello, everyone, i'm leonis ha we're going to start with the future of sports betting in the district. city leaders hoped to have online betting up and ready for baseball's opening day. we have learned you'll be able

to place yourets closer to when football season starts. mark segraves broke the story.po >> reporter:s betting is big money and will mean millions of dollars in revenue for businesses a local governments. the district has been rac g to be first in the region to have it. while d.c. is still on track to offerefports bettinge maryland and virginia, it's still months away from reality. >> i think we need to get it going right now. tgive people an opportunity to invest and win some money. >> reporter: here's what needs to happen before the birs bet can be wagered. aft regulations have to go up for public comment. that's expected to happen in june. then those regulations have to be adopted, which is expected in july. that would allow betting to begin in september, in time for opening day of the nfl, but only at locations operad by private companies, such as capital one arena and nats park. >> i'm tired of waiting. i think everybody else is tired of waiting. >> reporter: if you're looking forward tomlacing bets f your smartphone, that's going to take even longer. first, the city has to reach a

deal with a vendor who will design the mobile app. then that contract has to be approved by the mayor and the d.c. council. then officials estimate six months todevelop, test and implement the mobile app, which means january of 2020 is the soonest the mobile app would be up and running in the district. the crystal city neighborhood is echoing with the sounds of dolition as crews get ready for amazon's arrival there. construction is under way on what will soon be the tech giant's temporary offices. amazon is leasing three buildings until its brand new hq2 is complete. when it's finished, that campus will have 4 million square feet of office space. virginia's governor is resuming more of his traditional public duties after controversy forced him out behind closed doors for weeks. this week ralph northam made his first public appearance in northern virginia since it was revealed he once appeared in blackface.

julie carey reports the governor is resolute about moving on from this controversy. >> reporter: governor ralph northam once again in public view, shaki hands, posing for photos, lobbying for lawmakers to approve a bill he just amended that would require hohands-free cell use. >> making roadways safer. >> reporter: his flow lawmakers glad to see it. >> you need to the out, get around the state and start acting in a gubernatorial manner, which he's now doing. >> reporter: northam has been workin mostly out of public site since the revelation of this racist photo. he later said he was in the picture but did admit to once usg plaqblackface to imitate michael jackson. he started a so-called listening tour to meet with african-americaner le saying today those sessions will pay off with policy changes. >> there's a level of awareness regarding race and equity right now in virginia that we have never seen, that i have never seen in my lifetime.

i'm going to do everything along with my cabinet, along with my agencies to bring some good from the events that happened six weeks >> reporter: as he looks ahead to tackling issues of racial disparity, he's also reminding of how is record was before this hit. >> i was elected to be governor of the commonwealth of virginia. i think we had a great first year and i want to continue ing that work. >> reporter: john chapman also on hand for the or's event. >> i think he is looking to so his contrition. he's looki to rebuild trust with folks. >> reporter: chapman says when it comes to northam's policy promises, promises to reduce inequities for african-american, he'll be looking for o >> i've got to see the action. i've got to see the action. i don't want to hear thetalk, i don't want to hear what you think you can do, just get it done. reporter: the democratic lawmakers here reject the suggestion northam's troubles will hurt them in the november election. in fact, most say they'll welcome the governor's help. >> he has stood b me every time

i have asked him to and i will do the same for him. i think he's done a good job for the people. >> reporter: in alexandria, i'm julie carey, news4. think of it as uber or lyft but for kids. busy parents have a new option called hop, skip, drive. it promises safe rides to get kids to and from event with strict standards for the drivers. would youil let youd ride? adam tuss checked out thehi service ts week. >> reporter: every parent wants the best for their kid, andth eigh grader jalen walker is a busykid. football, basketball, baseball, soccer, boxing, swimming. >> how much time do you spend in the car? would you say you're in the car a lot? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: six sports. that's a lot of running to and from urplaces. with traffic, you know how that story goes. >> picking him up, run. once you drop him off, you go home, try to do something and go back and get him again. >> reporter: jalen's ms using a new service called hop,

skip, drive by uber for kids. >> it's great in advance, we can plan. >> reporter: trips are scheduled hours in e.advanc the difference from traditional ride-share services, these drivers have to go through a strict background check. awe have to have five years experience as a caregiver. >> i gotpr fingted. they did a full like fbi background check. they definitely checked into my yiving record p specifically. >> reporter: plus another extra layer of security, when a driver shows up to pick up the child, that driver and the child have to exchange a code word. >> i like the code >> the code word? >> they use the code word so can identify the person who is taking me epplaces. >> rter: hop, skip, drive is starting in northern virginia expand. ing to >> we're starting in fairfax, arlington, alexandria. we'll beicn the dis in the next couple of weeks and then maryland very soon afterthat. >> reporter: the company already in service in l.a. and the denver area.

average rides are about 20o 25 bucks. adam tuss, news4. when we come back, the rare photo of a civil rights icon now on display right here in our area. plus caps forward tom wilson, everybody knows he's tough as nails on the ice, but he's also known for his big heart when he's not on it. the special ways helping put the special ways helping put smiles on kids' faces. we are the bobcat belles. we are a drill team from hallsville, texas. i'm the marketing director at the chick-fil-a in longview, texas. every year we do a novelty routine last year we were inflatable cows. some lady posted it online - got so many views. that made the video, the cow suits. the morning we were leaving for our nationals competition we surprised them and sent them off with a chick-fil-a cow. we were star-struck. we just wanted to let them know we love them. we knew we had to make this cow proud. yes! (laughs)

♪ are you ready? ♪ are you ready for some fun? ♪ ♪ ♪ are you ready? ♪ we can't stop, we've only just begun. ♪ ♪ ♪ oooooooooo... ♪ i'll show you something ♪ neeeeeewwww. ♪ i'll show you something, i'll show you something... ♪ ♪ neeeeeewwww. ♪

a section of montgomery unty notorious for accidents involving pedestrians is about to see a big dro in the speed limit. maryland state highway administration announced that this week. three different sections of georgia avenue. first in wheaton to arcola avenue. the speed limit will drop from 35 to 25 there. moving north to connecticut avenue, the speed limit will drop from 45 to 35. and then from connecticut avenue

up to cherry valley drive, instead of 50iles per hour, it will drop to 45. speed limits oner o state roads will also be dropping later this year, so keep an eye t. a rare photograph of abolitionist hbmriet was unveiled in the district. the photo of the underground railroad conductor shows tubman in her late 30s or 40s andhe tan in1860s. it's now on display at the nationaluseum of african-american history and culture. two of her descendants were there and they say they're excited for people to see her like this. >> i think it will give people a new light on how they perceive her before she was moses, she was a young woman trying to survive. >> the museum andf library congress jointly own this photo. if you'd like to see it, it's temporarily on display in the museum's main hall and the will be moved to the slavery and

freedom exhibition. coming up next, an against all odds success story. a young man who struggled with melessness during high school wins a top scholarship. plus tom wilson grants a wish. how he helped make a young kid's day when he needed it most.

by now you've heard about that college admission scandal nsuming national headlines, but this week we shared the story of one teen's honest, hard-working journey to great academic heights against great odds. northern virgini bureau reporter david culver introduces us to a student whoas turned his struggles into success. >> reporter: he is aerfect example of why you should look past the cover, the pages that make up h life will reveal a hunger for success. >> some people are just not hungry enough. if you want something, you go out and get it. >> reporter: he is doing justat he recently won two national academic scholarshs all while

taking a full course load and fulfillingwo club leadership positions at northern virginia community college. time. works full >> he's energized, he's motivated, he's amazr:g. >> repor nikitas' journey was far from easy.n starting sixth grade through high school he and his mom were homele s. while othdents would go to their own homes, to their own bedrooms to do their homework, nikitas had to do his studying in the back seat of a car. >> it's hard to do homework i a car. and then when you have papers due and you've to go in at like 4:00, 5:00 in the morning to school to hope the library is topen to get done. >> reporter: after his mom lost her job the two spent years struggling, at one point relying on a homeless shelter. >> then it was me to be the bread winner. i ha to support t family. i was working 35 hours a week and on top of that take kay of her when she was sick.

>> reporter: while talking about his achievements, he never le hes out mother. >> we're a team. at the end of the day, she's my mother. she brought me into this world. it's something that -- sorry. i i don't know, can't really explain it. >> knowing the difficulties that he's gone through and how he has just risen to the top of the top. >> reporter: professor chris blake looks on with pride, enuragingikitas to take his success to the next level. >> my goals go to uva williamry ma. after that i want to either work for a nonprofit or start my own nonprofit. >> reporter: hoping t use his applicators so others might likewise succeed. in sterling, virginia, david culver, news4. baseball season is here, and there's a new change to the bag policy at natspark. if you bring a bag that'sowarger than a, the team is providing lockers where you can

store them. any bag larger than 16 by 16. the lockers are on 1st street and on the south entrance on potomac avenue. the cost is $2 an hour for a small locker, $3 an hour for family size. from baseball to hockey, prident trump welcomed our stanley cup champion capitals to the white house week. he said he's a hockey fan, a fan of the caps and a fan of the team owner. he also told them they had ampionship heart. he said he thinks they have a shot at a eproet. this visit also included alex ovechkin in a suit and tie. stark difference from the celebrations we saw around town. seidral players not attend. we saw a different side of one of the caps most feared players this week. number 43, tom wilson on the ice, he's known for his big hits, but off the ice it's his bigheart. wilson partners with make-a-wish

foundation t help kids in our area. news4's sherree burruss introduces us to avery cole, a 5-year-old from takoma park, ino's bat cancer. avery got t hang out with number 43 and he had the time of his li e. >>nts like this, it makes him feel normal. en though this is something that normal people don't get to do. it'seen really hard for him because he does feel that he's different. this just gives him something that gives him a lot of joy. >> thengumber one thi for avery, meeting number 43 and getting a special tour of the arena. >> ten seconds. >> okay. >> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. >> t'hey, w going on? how we doing? what's your name? >> avery. >> nice to meet you, bud. high five?ni

. >> what's it feel like to win the stanley cup? >> oh, it wa reall cool, buddy. it was like the coolest thing ever. ha you seen a hockey stick before? do you want to take one home? i've got one o ne. it might be a little big for u. yo you can share with your sister. oh, there you go. you know exactly what to do. you see that? they're hockey pants. it's stinky. >> who's your favorite player? >> alex. >> t h kids that arere are going through a tough time goes a long way that they can come and just enjoy a night with thecapitals. you know, spend it with us, come see the locker room and stuff. they're such great kids. we just try to help them when ey come here.

>> i can't believevi he sd sticking his nose in those pants. way to go, avery. wilson signed that stick that he gave to avery a signed auck for him as well. childrenosted 20 other who are waiting for their wish through make-a-wish. when we come ck, a local officer involved in a dramatic rescue. rushing to the aid ofur an i eagle. coming up, whynt it mea so much to this officer to try to get it to safety. for 50 years, cracker barrel

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a dramatic rescue attempt of a bald eagle alongside a busy roadway was all caught on vide the eagle's injuries were too severe for it to survive. ly on news4, mark segraves spoke with the officer who talked about why rescuingwa tha eaglso personal to him. >> reporter: it was sunday here al billingsly road near waldorf, maryland. someone spotted a bald eagle in distress and called 911. officer jason wilson with the charles county sheriff's department responded to the call. as officer wilson got closer to

the bald eagle, he could tell it was injured. >> i said what am i going to do with this? >> reporter: bald eagles are predators, even injuredhey can be dangerous. wilson got his jacket to wrap the eagle up. >> i was able to get theacket up, biepd tnd the wings up and the talons away from mend the beak. >> reporter: as he approached thenjured eagle, wilson mad eye contact to an attempt to clm the bird down. >> thatature had the most piercing eyes. i was hoping it would feel myls fear but know that i wasn't here to hurt it. >> reporter: once he had the eagle wrapped in, his ja he had to wait for e wildliferts from maryland's department of natural resources to arrive. >> i actually held the bird like this in the jacket for 30 minutes. >> reporter: wilson is a third generaon veteran. said the bald eagle holds a special place for him. >> that eagle symbolizes everything i've i wanted to do with my life as far as serving y country, serving my

community. it symbolizes who we are. >> reporter: while it is illegal to trap or touch a bald eagle, there are exemptions for instances likethis. >> it laid its head on my jacket and hand for probly 20 minutes. >> reporter: it was taken to city wildlife where it was determined the injury was too severe for the eagle to be rehabilitated so the decision was made to euthanize it. this is the second bald eagle in r area to be euthanized due to injury this month. first it was this eagle found on metro tracks. mark segrav, news4. >> sad outcome. but we'll leave you on a brighter note. that's all for "news4 this week." here pictures of the cherry blosso get out there now, they're going to be gone before you know it. thanks for joining us. have a great week.

we are the bobcat belles. we are a drill team from hallsville, texas. i'm the marketing director at the chick-fil-a in longview, texas. every year we do a novelty routine last year we were inflatable cows. some lady posted it online - got so many views. that made the video, the cow suits. the morning we were leaving for our nationals competition we surprised them and sent them off with a chick-fil-a cow.

we were star-struck. we just wanted to let them know we love them. we knew we had to make this cow proud. yes! (laughs)

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>> announcer: "news 4 today" starts now. >> right now, traffic on the bw parkway moving once again after the southbound laneshu were down overnight for some repairs. get ready to hit the brakes. another closure just around the corner. plus, the battle overg releas the full mueller report. we get a closer look at when congress might see it for tfi t time. andia alexandr new waterfront park is opening today. we'll tour you through all the new features. might be a perfect day forthat, too. welcome in on this saturday morning, the 30th of march, 2019. good morning to you. i'm david culver. at 6:00, we want to turnyn rick wius, back together again. good mog.