on "news4 this week" walking free. drunk drivers getting off esy after crashes on one of our area's deadliest roadways. >nge ak4 i-team with theou wie anrsd's gomvernbeor is urged to

slow down a e plan toxpand parts of 270 and the beltway, but the governor is pushing back. and from homeless to georgetown university.wo a young n's journey to her college graduation most complete. welcome to "news4 this week." >> hi, everybody, j'mm handly. we begin with a news4 i-team investigation. if you have ever driven it, you know indian head highway is already one of our region's most dangerous roads. this week the i-team uncovered a new concern, an investigation by tott mcfarlane raises questions ut oabeasy.et wher >> reporter: it's one of maryland's busiest roads. and one of the deadliest. in february, a driver killed in his car was rear-ended at 55 miles an hour. a mother killed crossing the

street last march. d in december, a heart-breaking case when three children died when a suspected drunk driver struck their parents. >> the most gut-wrenching part was when tse children were killed on 210. >> reporter: cynthia jones ktws he pain it can cause. a suspected c speederrashed into and killed her cousin back in 2011. n same area where the children were involved ie crash. >> reporter: even before that, she knew the danger. >> she never saw them. >> reporter: a decade earlier, a drunk driver hit and killed jones' sister. >> he hits herfrom behind, lifts her up out of her shoes. >> reporter: a tragedy that still haunts her family and is relived every time she hears of another accident. >> we still wish we stillad her. >> reporter: the state approved new speed cameras for the highway and local leaders promise me traffic enforcement. the i-team found another issue contributing to the problems on

this road. pulling police reports of every drunk driving crash between january 2016 and december 2018 on this highway, we found 44 drivers prosecuted for drunk driving and crashing, including crashes which injured other five of those people were sentenced to any jail time. and for those five, sentences were reduced to only handful of days, often because they included other charges. that's a problem, says the new state's attorney. >> we looked backt the last few dozen dui crashes on indian head highway. almost nobody goes to jail, even people with multiple offenses. is that acceptable? >> it is not acceptable and will not be acceptable under my m adistration. >> reporter: the i-team found most of those charged received something called probation before judgment, or pbj. systems, including maryland's, allowing defendants to avoid jail time by immediately serving probation. >>he think tstate's attorney's bringing forward

these cases but the justice system did not take the cases seriously. >> reporter: nearly a dozen legal analysts say during the three-year span reviewed by thet ieam dui cases were handled differently in prince george's county than other parts of the state. where cases in circuit court were managed by one judge whon em a operated to move cases faster. attorneys tell usn it was kn for dispensing lighterentences in the name of speed. >> does that surprise you? >> doesn't surprise me at all, no. we don't see jail offenses for drunk drivers. and that's concerning. >> reporter: madd says what the i-team found the county is too lenient on drunk drivers. >> they're walking out with a slap on the hand and going out and reoffendier. >> report: the maryland court system acknowledges it's been using a unique system with one judge pushing them through. they said the judge recently left the bench for unrelated

reasons and now all 24 judges in the circuit court system can hear and rule on duis. as for cynthia jones, she hopes the court system's proposed changes will stiffen dui penalties. >> it's a disaster in waiting for anyone who drives on 210, and alot of people do avoid it. >> reporter: she prays she won't hear of another family on the i news dealing another loss. >> she was the heart and joy of our family. >> reporter: taken away on this dangerous stretch of road. ott mcfarlane, news4 i-team. >> now, toouread more ab this story and send a tip to our i-team, just visit our nbc washington app and click on ndvestigations. morning anight, weekday or weekend, maryland highways are congested. maryland's governor is pushing a an now to widen roads in our area to alleviate congestion, but not everybody is onboard.ne 4's nicole jacobs explains the controversy and the governor's response. >> reporter: rush hour on any given road in the dmv --

>> almost constant traffic. >> reporter: can be a nightmare. >> 270 for me the traffic is congested. >> reporter: just asknyone who travels the bw parkway or interstate 270. >> traffic in maryland is pretty bad. the belt way, 270, it's not good. >> reporter: but a$9 billion proposal to alleviate a of this congestion,hich by governor larry hogan is raising eyebro and tension. >> this proposal has been managed like the runaway bus in the movie "speed." it's our job to slow it down. >> reporter: ay quickl planned meeting held at theve sil spring civic center shows the scope of the frustration, and word of the governor's pn to widen parts of 270 and the bw parkway while also adding tolls is spreading. >> everybody is saying this is a bunch of crap. we may enough tas as it is around here. >> reporte governor hogan fired back. he called the meeting a roadkill

rally andd release statement reading these anti-congestion relief activits show no regard for the hundreds of thousands oc marylanders st in soul-crushing congestion. maryland has outgrown itself, wondering ommuters, how they'll adjust and where they'll put everything. >> they're trying to buildp to be able to, you know, make more space for more people. but our infrasnducture is ki of old now. >> reporter: nicole jacobs, news4. nearly five years ago we introduced you to a remarkable young woman, graduated at the top of her high school class in d.c. and earned a full scholarship to georgetown university, dpite being homeless. only on 4, our mark segraves sits down with nelson nowerthat h journey to graduation is almost complete. >> make us d.c. proud.>> reporter: rashema nelson, her

younger brother andtheir mother spent five years without a place to call home. >> it was horrible. it had a really negative impact on a me my younger brother moving from house to house or couch to couch or hotelto hotel and finally making it to the shelter. >> reporter: while they weae tough yrs, nelson stayed focused on one tithing, get to college. >> i knew that education was the only way out. >> reporter: she graduated valedictorian and got a full scholarship to georgetown university. but nelson knew the hard work was just starting. >> i was there with the most elite peop you know, in the country. it was just like i'm this girl, graduated from anacostia high school. i'm not sure if i can meet the standards. i questioned myself and doubd myself. >> reporter: nelson may have veubted herself but ne gave up. next week she'll get her diploma from georgetown. >> 's been a struggle. it's been a journe and this is just me making it to

the finish line of one of the races of my life. i know there's many more to come. >> reporter: nelson has a job lined up and plans to go to lawo sc. >> i want to advocate for impoverished and underserved communities. >> reporter: but this fall she'll be focused on her younger brother,edward, who also got c intolege with a football scholarship at syracuse. >> it just brings tears to my eyes every time i think about it. we're doing something that we didn't think we could do andpe ople didn't think we could do, but we're doing it. >> reporter: in the district, mark segraves, news4. >> she is azing. the last time we spoke to rashema she planned to go to medical school. she changed her mind because she wants to do advocacy work for families in underserved communities. hen we comeback, summer means crabs from the chesapeake bay, right? tuwe're getting a sta update on how the crab population is doing this season. plus pain-tingling numbness,

nerve damage blamed on fitness trackers. a doctor details how to protect your bod

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crab feefasts in our region could become more plentiful than years past because the blue crab population has hit a level not seen since 2012 of the . it's up about 60%arrom last y standing at 594 million.rs researcheound nearly twice as many juvenile crabs as the years before. first responders show exceptional courage and selflessness every day. in alexandria this week, ne4's aaron gilchrist helped recognize them for their life-saving bravery. the chamber of commerce presented valor awards to firefighters, sheriff's deputies

and 911 dispatchers. aaron narrated the program with stories of heroism and ourage displayed by these men and women. >i up next, we're work for your health today with a warning for anyone who wears a fitness tracker on their wrist. whyiesome people ece pain and numbness and what you can do to keep from injuring yourself. our coumer porter, susan hogan, shares what you need to know before you put your pet on a fresh food diet. details after the break. live fm the starlite lounge.

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kibble for your pet? not these days. seems fido iset ging finecky. more of you are choosing to feed your pet fresh food. susan hogan ha what you need to know before jumping on the gravy train. >> reporter: meet my pet, 6-month-old coda and 10-year-old

sadsa die. they're both kibble eaters but they could not be more opposite when it comes to how they eat. coda takes all of 40 seconds to gobble up hers, whereas sadie, well, yeah, there's that. i decided i had to figure out a solution for a finicky friend. dave shaw is a pet nutritionist and owns the pet nutrition center. he's noticed a feeding frenzy of fresh pet food. pet owners gobbling up free packaged meals of meat and veggies or frozen packages of raw meat. >> you've got venison,round lamb bone, lamb, lamb kidney, lamb spleen, it's a fully balanced diet. >> reporter: dave sa younger buyers are fueling the trend, buying pet foods they think are sp safer and more natural. >> what's appropriate for a dog eat. bundles of corn, rice, peas?

no, it's meat. >> reporter: is a fresh food diet better than kibble? well, it all depends on the protein content. >> 38%, the highest one we have right now. >> reporter: and where tha protein comes from matters, so check the label. >> % of it is coming from poultry, fish and eggs in that one. do you see what i'm saying? >> i do. t >> it's no coming from peas or garbanzo beans, lentils, it's coming from meat. >> reporter: whether you choose kibble with high protein content or a fresh foodie d both will take a bite out of your wallet. but because you are feeding your pet a healthier diet, they need smaller portions. >> so you'll get more feedings out of this five-pound bag than a five-pound bag of high grain food. >> reporter: and dave says you may save more money keeping your pet healthi longer. as for sadie, we're transitioning her to a raw food

diet. so far, i'll just let this clean bowl speak for itself. >> go sadie.ay vets s it's not a good idea to mix fresh food with dry food except for when you are first transitioning your pet. bottom line, don't change your pet's diet without talking your vet first. your pet could experience stomach troubles if you don't do it the right way. a potential health alert for those of you who wear those fitness trackers around your wrist. they're causing people serious pain, and now the maker of a popular device has some he tips onbest and safest way to wear them. >> i got a fitbit for the interest of tracking my steps and y get to that magic number, 10,000. >> reporter: rich williamson likes to stay active and he's used a fitness tracker to counting his steps. almost a year after starting to wear his new fitit char 2, he says he developed serious pain

and numbness in his left wrist. >> i went to turn my wrist and it kind of locked up. i had to kind of twist it back to get it to release. > reporter: he says the pain was so bad it was difficult to do simple tks like brush his hair. >> and my hand was so numb that i actually to switch the hair brush to the other hand. then i really started to get very concerned. >> reporter: williamson had a hunch that his fitness tracker might have something to do with his pain, so he went online and was surprised to learn he wasn't alone. when i googled fitbit wrist pain and saw there was a whole world out there of people that were experiencing the same issues at different levels, same thing just happened to me, it fells like nerve pain. >> reporter: dr. oliver tanuse is a surgeon with medstar washington hospital center and he knows whaterve damage looks like. he thinks people are wearing their fitness devices too

tightly. >> so f thattness tracker on your wrist being compressed 24 hours a day. it's just a matter of time before the nerve starts to act up. hence, pain, numbness, tingling or weakness goiown into the hand. >> reporter: if you start to feel pain, the solution may be as simple as taking the fitness tracker off. >> number one, taket off a couple of days and give the nerve time to rest. >> reporter: fitbit had this advice. we eourage anyone wearing a watch or other device on the wrist regardless of the brand to follow four key elements for the best experience. keep it clean, keep it dry, don't wear it too tightly and rest.ur wrist a they recommend wearing the band loosely enough so that it can move back anh fort on your wrist. fitbit also offered to give ric williamson arefund in exchange for the device, but he declined. >> and if you ask me am i going to put my b fitbitck on, the answer would be absolutely not.

and when we come back this morning, a special honor coming later this year to a stand-up comedy great. comedy great. dave chappelle.

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oh, it's going to be good. a d.c. native will recei this year's prestigious mark twain prize for humor at the kennedy center. this week we learned dave g happelle w the nod this year. he is known for his edgy, sometimes controversial comedy about race, family and relationships. he'll be honored at a star-studded gala here in october. he went to dukegt ellin school of the arts here and joins the acts of past recipients including eddierp , dave letterman and whoopi goldberg. that's going to do it for us. i'm jim handly. we thank you for joining us and have a great week, everybody. [phone ringing]

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of the olympic games, the indianapolis 500 and sunday night football, onlyn nbc. a 76 degree evening in northern california. we welcome you to sap center, sharks andlues game one, western conference final, two of 14 remaining for hockey's grandest prize. >> many of ts