and unrivaled network to work. the united states postal service makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. right now on news4his week, mission accomplished. the parents of a pregnant teacher who was murdered helped change maryland law. why they say their fight is far from over now. a social media controversy erupts after a single photo goes viral. plus fighting crime through kindness. the impact police hope to have by transforming the yard of a veteran. >> announcer: welcome to "news4 this week." hello, everyone, i'm leon harris. you know, for more than a year the parents of a murdered maryland woman have ught for tu tougher punishment for crimes against pregnant women. this week a lasting legacy was enacted in their daughter's

honor. news4's darcy spencer reports on their emotional journey for justice. >> reporter: the mother and father shake hands with the governor. he had just signed laura and reed law. it's named for their daughter and her unborn son, both killed at the hands of their baby's father. >> it s hard to hear laura named when they said laura and reed's law. it's happy but it's painful. >> it passed unanimously in both houses, truly an amazing accomplishment. we're extremely pleased. >> reporter: the law makes it a felony to commit a crime of violence against a woman thesu pect knows or believes is pregnant. the charge carries up to ten years of prison time. w marklen is laura's father. >> this is a great day for the women of maryland. and i think that our family has done a very small step towards making things better. >> reporter: laura was a howard county high school teacher. police say she was pregnant with

was murdered. he was charged but took his own life the day he was set for trial. >> looking into the statistics was when we realized how dangerous it was in this state if a woman was pregnant and the father of the baby was not happy about that pregnancy. >> reporter: the couple told me it's their faith that is getting them through this nightmare. their pastor was here for the bill signing. >> many conversations, lots of tears, lots of prayers. so we give thanks today for this moment. there's an important step, an important message in this aboul e and about justice and about peacer >> reporte: now this family looks toward the future and a life of helping others. in annapolis, darcy spenr, news4. governor larry hogan took bold action this week on tobacco products, to increase the legal age to buy tobacco from 18 to 1,

2imed at stopping the epidemic of teen vaping. it will apply to all types of tobacco product w marylandl become the 13th state in the country to raise the age for buying tobacco. members of the military will be exempted from the new law. it takes effect in october. and in virginia, a bill signing ceremonywas held thi week to honor 9-year-old wesley lopicki, killed w le helping a teacher operate a motorized partition at his school in fairfax county one year ago. lopicki's parents stood behind the governor as he signed they bill. this week, you probably saw controversy on social media. a metro employee taking a minute to eat breakfast on a train. you probably also know that you can't eat or drink on the metro

system. transportation reporter adam tuss has more. >> reporter: we now know the metro employee photographed while eating on a train willot face disciplinary action, that from the union who represents her. and the woman who originally to find this tweet has withdrawn her original complaint. b but thecklash still continues. >> everybody has their own lives to live, you know what i'm saying. you say something about somebody else eating, it's out of order. >> reporter: the rules are clear, no eating or drinking on metro trains. but most people will tell you they see it every single day. here is some evidence right here. some say this goes way deeper than just food. it's about basic human needs. this woman, lisa, was ade(ñ mets operator for five years. >> if they have to eat, they have to eat. before you fall out, you have to get something in your stomach, o whether it be your train or not. >> reporter: the union representing the employee says she was in fact between shifts. sometimes there's only 20 minutes or so from assignment tj assignment to try to squeeze in

a meal. still, others say, rules are rules, no food or drink on the system. ld followtro staff sh the rules of the metro, because when i get on, i know i can't eat. if i start eating something, i put it away. s> reporter: still others are wondering if thi whole thing presents a chance for metro to rethink its eating and drinking policy on trains and buses, ly specificalhen it comes to things like water. social media posts seemingly never ending over the last couple of days, some of them racially charged. the local auth who originally tweeted the picture has reportedly lost a book deal because ofher post. paragrap erhaps all of this opens a do r a balanced discussion on the issues surrounding the picture. adam tuss, news4, along the red line. >> thank you,. adam d.c.'s mayor and the police department have put a focus on fighting the violent crime in southeast we've been reporting on. people in that community call

murder and rape there a crisis. police have launched their summer crime initiative. as drew wilder reports, officers are also cleaning up a few yards. >> we know you're in there. >> reporter: no, it's not an episode of "cops." >> come on out! >> reporter: more li hgtv. >> woo! >> reporter: metropolitan police officers are in southeast, volunteering some much-appreciated yardwork for pe ple who have servedeir community and our country.>> we're going to do what we can to make you feel appreciated. is that okay? >> that's beautiful. >> it's something i'm calling mpd yard crashers. >> i'm going to cut thistree, it's seen a better day. >> when i first came out, i wasn't able to enjoy it. >> reporter: a lot of police out here. kenneth best is a purple heart recipient and vietnam veteran. best suffered with ptsd for years. and now he volunteers his time

helping other service members when they come home. >> ptsd, i didn't know anything about it. i said, now that i've been in therapy for 23 years, we're able to help the guys coming back now from iraq, afghanistan, desert storm, the hole nineards. >> reporter: he's in his 70s and still giving back to his community. >> we wanted to take a moment to give back to him. >> reporter: just do the stet, i arera christian's yard getting some love too. how does it make you feel when you see the flowers going in, you see the grass getting cut? >> it feels goodoo it feels g >> reporter: with a> love that. all right. when we come back, we want

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a lesson in love that helped a young child flourish. plus students popping pills to power through exams? doreen gentzler look at what some are calling a growing crisis on college campuses and thesequences for those

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they're drugs thatome students are taking and even dealing to get a competitive edge. but they can be dangerous, even deadly. they're known as "study drugs." adderall and other similar prescription medications. as news4's doreen gentzler found out, once these drugs wear off, reality can set in. >> itad basically me me feel like i was able to accomplish things that i normally wouldn't be able to. and it also made me extr hyperfocused in the moment. >> it could be two pills for a weekend ofri wng papers. >> reporter: stimulant drugs like adderall and ritalin can make you feel like you have

superpowers, with students using them to pull all-nighters and cram b fore a bigtest. but there's a big misconception. >> they don't make you smarter. they're going to keep you awake to night. >> reporter: the d is the director of the national institute on drug abuse, part of the national institutes of health in bethesda. she says these useful drugs intended to help people with attention deficit disorder are being widely and dangerously abuse they can help people focus and stay awake, but even short term use can have long-lasting side effects. >> amphetamines are very addictive. >> reporter: when taken in low d doses uer the watchful eye of a ddctor, aerall and ritalin are saff and tive. but adug dr can have serious consequences for those using them without prescriptions to stud o or par lose weight. >> psychosis will emerge with higher dosesre >> rter: psychosis means

delusional thinking, hallucinations, hearing voices, dyd other symptoms. a recent stu linked newly-prescribed adderall with psychotic episodes and recommended warning paenents and parts about it. researchers say these drugs, when used without medical ks÷ to ct addin, heart problems, severe depression, anxiety, even death. >> these are pills swapped and borrowed and stolen and aus bbu >> porter: national studies show one in three college students admits to illegally trying or using these smart drugs to get ahad. d experts say one in ten kids who abuse adderall will become . addicte dr. gretchen watson is a clinical psychologist and leading researcher on the use of adhd drugs. she thinks the medication is being overprescribed. >>=aa$9r is noog biolal marker for who has adhd, it really is in the eye of the beholder. >> reporter: experts call it a

f isis, one that will continue to grow i don't make students aware of the risks and change the culture on campus. >> they've been given a message, you must succeed, you must achieve. drugs are the answer to whatever problem you hav it's so pervasive, it'sb2ykya >> that was doreen gentzler reporting. the best advice for parents, look for any changes in your child's behkior. and tal with them about the dangers of using these drugs. most adhd medications are le control substances just like cocaine and meth. using a stimulant drug without a prescription is not only risky for your health, it's illegal and could lead to felony charges.ll for wever three decadesg4x we've been watching barbara harrison introduce us to hildren in the foster care system in the washington region. there have been little ones, teenagers, and all ages in between. all of them in needme of a and a family to grow up with. well, this week barbara caught

all grown up. and you will not believe what he's >> reporter: he was just three years old when we first met jeron. a foster child since rth, diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. any prospective adoptive family uld be told he could have developmental delays. but one family watching ednesday's child that day s something special in jeron. >> the day i saw minimhim was o television, on your show. for some reason it was like a >> reporter: he really and h his -- earl and his wife sarah had just transferred here from colorado. >> we got an assignment here to the washington, d.c. area. >> reporter: they had found a ome. but timing was wrong. they needed to get settled. but sarah called to ask about jeron anyway. >> we knew that that was the o

that we wanted to try to adopt. >> i said, if i can't have that one, then i don't want any. >> reporter: the cool led to several visits with jeron. earl says from th very first, he knew there was no turning back she w back. >> the first day i sawmehim he ca up to me and said, are you my daddy? i said, yes, i am. >> that ie even we were in my bedroom watching television and he looked up at me and h says, i love you. and i just didn't know what ter do aft that. >> reporter: although s ial workers had warned about the long term effects of jeron's mistreatment as an infant, the tairs decided to use their own brand of healing for their new son. > the ladies were advocating that he needed to hav and he was adhd and all that an i toldthem, no, all he needs is love and all he needs is attention and direction. >> reporter: they brought him home to this house. and more than 20 years seemed to just fly by.

and jeron still comes home regularly when he gets off work. >> jeron! >> hello. >> do you know who i am? >> yes, ma'am. >> so great toee you. >> reporter: he's now a police officer in anne arundel county,s maryland, buill remembers things about coming here the first time at 3 years old. >>emember asking my dad, are you my dad. >> reporter: you remember asking that? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: and what did he say? >> he said,ye yes i am. >> reporter: were they tough parents? >> tough but not pushy. they got the job done.rt >> rer: his parents are very proud of him. >> he was a victim of shaken baby syndrome. so a lot of things they told us that he couldn't do or he wouldn't be able tdo, he's done. ñrun, he'll never be able to ride a bike. well, when you're a policu officer, yove to run. >> reporter: we watched together

as we remembered a story that began nearly a quarter century ago. story of love at first sight. jeron's mom mightcall it a match made in heaven. >> barbara, that isor my fave story of this week. jeron spends a lot of his spare time mentoring other kids. he and his mom teach martial arts together at the local ommunity center in ft. washington. we love how things have worked out for them. all right. when we come back, ah,eh speci ceremony to honor fallen officers. stay with us.

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this week they're honoring our nation's fallen officers. among those being remesbered thi year, prince georges county police sergeant of who off-duty in february of 2018 when he stepped in to help a neighbor involved in a domestic dispute. he was killed.hi s mother-in-law spoke only to news4 about what ther means to hamily. >> it's been overwhelming. something that we did not expect. and it's so sincere. it's so heartfelt. it just blessesur soul to see the gratitude and the overwhelming fellowship. it's amazing. >> this week he was also remembered at a special wreath-laying ceremony at the national law enforcement memorial. that's all foró(v÷r "news4 wk" i'm leon harris. thanks for joining us. have a great week. we'll see you next time. dale's little girl is heading to college.

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>> announcer: "news4 today" starts now. a todaynotice the roads belong to the cyclists. the annual d.c. bike ride shutting down helping you avoid the traffic. in and leav two in serious condition. this morning, the latest on the search for shooters. and a scam takes thousands from medicare. now the government says a former v.a. doctor has to pay for. it we're going to walk you through this complicated and izarre case ofentity theft. all that and more as we welcome you in on this saturday morning, the 18th of may2 9.