. >>> news 4 i-team scott mcfarland has been investigating the safety of the bw parkway in the days since that deadly hit and run. tonight, internal memos obtained reveal one big concern. >> reporter: maryland's highwayed a straders recently notify the governor's office there are not enough cameras for them to monitor the baltimore washington parkway. agency reports from 2014 state highway administrators use this phrase that they're relatively blind to traffic and accidents. and that it's difficult to redirect traffic from their command post when incident os cur. the i-team's review of state records reveal just two cameras along the entire 30-mile span. far fewer than other roads. u.s. park police patrol the parkway from the d.c./maryland line route 175 and they regularly monitor state highway cameras and say a lack of cameras possibly slows their investigations into accidents including hit and runs. state highway administration officials tell us they are trying to post new cameras, at least six along the highway, for state administrators to monitor at several key interchanges. police --

scott mcfarland shows us they walk in for action at the tables but walk out to find drama outside. ♪> reporter: you risk losing every time you walk into a casino. but larry mcmichaels didn't expect to lose outside, too. it's 5:00 inside the garage of maryland live! casino in anne arundel county. watch your screen closely. you're about to see a car thief take mcmichael's 2005 audi. a man seen walking throughout the garage makes his line to the line of cars being handled by the valet. then slowly slides in before quickly peeling out. mcmichael didn't know how easy it happened until i-team obtained the surveillance video. >> i was heartbroken, man, i won't lie to you. i was sick. >> reporter: he wasn't the only person to lose big outside a casino. >> they told me hey, we think we made a mistake and gave your car to the wrong person. >> reporter: mandel way also gave the keys to his acura to the valet attendant. the valet later gave those keys to a woman who drove off with mandel's car instead. he finally recovered his car at this montgomery county lot more than a month after it was stol

i-team's scott mcfarland went undercover to prepare for this report. >> reporter: a morning routine playingn so many neighborhoods this time of year warming up the car while waiting inside from the cold. >> seconds. >> reporter: but watch this. recent surveillance video from a beltsville home. the white car idling in the driveway as another vehicle slowly drives by and within seconds a man hops in the white car and takes off. thieves call them puffers because of the puffs of ignition coming out of the back. they're easy to spot and easy to steal. >> people usually again think their driveways are safe. >> reporter: the i-team spent several cold morning with the w.a.v.e. team. >> we may several arrests throughout the day. >> reporter: we're not showing their face because they work undercover not only looking for cold car thieves but warning potential victims, too. >> there's one right next to it is lit up as well. >> reporter: in an upper marlboro neighborhood we notice that puff of smoke from a bmw, but within minutes we're surrounded by other unattended cars. >> one, two, three, four. >> re

tisch thompson and scott mcfarland went through every entry. why, they even took notes.ll they are the iteam. i'm pat collins news4. >> and all of our judges are fair. you can check out all of the entries and they sure are cute. head to the nbc washington app and search "snow stick". >>> right now first at 4, another winter blast on our doorstep. it could cause more problems throughout our region. we'll tell you about the accident that involved the driver of a snowplow. >>> but first, a quick burst of snow is about to make a big impact in our area hitting right in the middle of the evening rush. veronica is back to tell us what sto expect. >> announcer: you're watching news4 at 4. >> now at 4:30, live pictures as we prepare for another winter blast, this one set to arrive during the evening rush. >> and it is going to pack a punch folks. let's get an update on the timing and the impact from storm team 4 meteorologist veronica johnson. >> yeah, guys. some of you still seeing some sunshine right now. if you are, expect rapidly, rapidly changing conditions and, yes, deterio

scott mcfarland news 4 eye-team. a judge has denied bond for daniel rosen. the state department's chief counte official. he has been charged with solici sex from a minor. he'll be >>> the man who killed the so-called amerin sniper will s life in prison. we sent you a push alert when the verdict came in. now that the trial is over are emerging abou. nbc's jay gray has that. >> later. most in the small texas town are not surprised at all by the guilty verdict. he went out, killed two men. that's just wrong. you don't do that. whr youe sick in the head not. >> as things slowly get back to the way they were before the high-pro case here for two families is a new and very differen normal now. >> i miss him. i'm glad that justice was served for him. >> there's no movie about chad littlefi the son, husband, father and friend who died alongse navy s.e.a.l. chris kyle. th basis for the blockbuster movie, american sniper. because chad w not in the movie because the attention was not focused on him, we think it helped the case. >> a case we're learning much more about

test scores but as news 4 i-team scott mcfarland found out those fears seemed to fail the fact check. >> part d -- >> reporter: preparing his classroom for the twists and turns of the a.p. economics test test. >> they get hard around do that on purpose. >> reporter: test day for students may 14th and kids who score at least a 3 out of 5 on the test earn college credit for this full year of study. >> that score is critical. >> absolutely. the only thing that will determine if they get a credit or not. >> reporter: a senior thinks the a.p. test should be easier this year. last year snow and snow days cost about a dozen days in the classroom before the big exams like it did for tense of thousands of high school students throughout or area. >> at any point did it get stressful? >> definitely towards the end because of how many i was taking and how they were falling on the same day. >> reporter: so concerned about scores plummeting last year local schools heavily lobbied the a.p. exam administrateors to give local kids a later test day in 2014 and the college board did, offering a second a

our i-team reporter scott mcfarland found out the machines would be placed in the casino-style room just beyond security checkpoints so that only the ticketed passengers would be allowed to play. that way it really wouldn't compete with other state casinos. voters would have to have that plan approved first. >>> well some of maryland's students will get a chance to sleep just a little later next school year. the montgomery county school board approved later start times this week. now, middle and high school bell times will be pushed back by some 20 minutes. elementary schools will start ten minutes later. the school board was considering a couple of other different options, but this one that is approved costs virtually nothing. >> you know it does have significant implications. other districts have changed and other districts have long had later start times for high school students. >> the new bell times will take effect this fall and those are some pretty happy students those high schoolers. >>> from a house of worship to a literal house, we check out one local chumprch that could soon

review by the news 4 iteam scott mcfarland reveals state highway administrators are worried they are blind to what is happening on that busy roadway. scott's review of state transportation reports show in 2013 maryland officials expressed concerns this they don't have enough traffic cameras monitoring devices, and acknowledge having difficulty responding to incidents because of that. the leader of the u.s. park police union which also keeps an eye on state traffic cameras says the lack of, quote, eyes in the sky could slow their ability to investigate crashes. maryland is adding six new traffic cameras on the parkway next year to improve visibility. >>> and if you do have a tip for the iteam to investigate, call 202-885-4444 or you can e-mail tips@news 4 iteam.com. >>> today prince george's county schools will honor fathers who are making a difference. the mid rear forum and awards ceremony tonight will highlight outstanding work by fathers in the county always chance to discuss the importance of positive father figures in every child's life. that ceremony takes place at 6:00 tonight

as the i-team's scott mcfarland reports now, some are concerned about so-called prisoner pen pal services. >> reporter: a handwritten letter, so uncommon these days. especially from a stranger. how are you doing? when this maryland woman, who we'll call angela opened hers -- >> hopefully your day has been filled with bright colors and big smiles. >> reporter: -- she spotted something out of the ordinary immediately. >> i was afraid. then i looked at the envelope and looked on the back and it said inmate mail. that's when the real freakout began. >> reporter: an inmate named robert sent her a note from the maximum security prison in cumberland. a man she didn't know. he told her he'd been informed of her physical loveliness and wanted her to write back and develop a relationship. >> somebody who the state of maryland felt was dangerous had my information and knew where i lived. >> reporter: when she checked his background she found he was in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault. when we asked correctional officials about her case we were surprised by what we heard. they received eight

scott mcfarland obtained records showing there was an overflow last month. he asked county officials about that. they told him 88 homeless people were put in hotel rooms. there were nearly 900 homeless at one point last year. >>> a rookie nypd officer accused of killing an unarmed black man has been released without bail this morning. he says he accidentally shot the plan while patrolling a darkened stairwell in a public housing development with another officer. both had been on the force for less than 18 months. he pled not guilty to manslaughter charges. right now he's on desk duty and could be suspended without pay. >>> new this morning, facebook announced a new policy that lets profiles live on after someone dies. the new policy lets you designate a friend or family member to be your facebook estate executer. and manage your account when it you're dead. all you have to do is choose a legacy contact and that contact can respond to new friend requests update the cover and profile photos and archive your facebook posts and photos. aaron is shaking his head.

as scott mcfarland shows us some people traveling to d.c. decided to just pull over for the night. >> here in greensberg pennsylvania people worked through the night to keep the main streets passable. but the pennsylvania turnpike was an absolute mess. we saw cars slipping and sliding and here in breezewood we saw not only the truck stops full up but the hotels too. they had an unexpected surge of reservations earlier this evening when drivers headed to d.c. or maryland realized they couldn't make it any farther. >> we'll be tracking this storm all night and well into the morning so be sure to wake up early with us. it starts at 4:00 a.m. with the latest delays cancellations and road conditions. >>> next at 11:00, a state of emergency in west virginia. >>> a train derailed and then exploded into a ball of fire. awful lot of damage left behind there. we'll tell you what witnesses say happened. >> keeping d.c. roads passable. it all starts here. >>> plus d.c. taxis under an emergency fare plan. just how much extra it will cost you to get home

. >>> if you're taking the bw parkway this morning, a review by the new 4/iteam's scott mcfarland reveals state highway officials are worry that had they are blind about what is happening on that busy roadway. scott looked at state transportation reports. in 2013 maryland officials expressed concern that they don't have enough cameras traffic cameras, monitoring drivers and accidents. state officials acknowledge having difficulty responding to incidents because of that. the u.s. park police union which also keeps an eye on state traffic cameras says the lack of eyes in the sky would allow that ability to investigate to be slowed. maryland is adding six new traffic cameras on the parkway next year. >>> if you have a tip for the iteam, call 202-885-4444 or e-mail tips@news 4 iteam.com. >>> it is now 5:50. opening statements are expected later this morning in the trial of the man accused of killing a former navy s.e.a.l. that inspired the movie american sniper. eddie ray routh is accused of killing chris kyle and his friend at a texas gun range in 2013. kyle's widow will be among the first t

records obtained by the news4 iteam's scott mcfarland show an overflow in the homeless shelters in januaryo much so county officials tell scott they used hotel rooms for 88 homeless people at some point last month. the county has 21 shelters, 3 of which are set aside for homeless families. a county report shows nearly 900 homeless people in montgomery county at one point last year. montgomery county officials will not disclose the locations of the overflow hotel rooms they're using. >>> i'm storm team 4 meteorologist doug kammerer. we've been talking about the cold coming, and it has mother nature all over the place. take a look at this shot. i love this. these are all the birds flying around dulles airport. how about this guys? this an amazing shot. you tend to see birds making their way out of here when the cold air comes in. don't know if that's what they're doing. they could just be looking for their party. but that is just amazing to see all those birds going most likely european starlings. this is the live camera looking toward the dulles airport, a very nice afternoon today. tempera

scott mcfarland obtained records showing there was an overflow in shelters last month. when asked about that they told him they used hotel rooms for 88 homeless people in skran.january. they would not say where. >>> we're tracking breaking news on the roads right now. crews scramble to repair this water main that burst overnight in prince george's county. they were able to get the water off in the last 45 minutes. the impact this is having on the morning commute next. >>> a big mess that could impact your morning commute. right now crews are scrambling to get the water shut off in hyattsville after an early morning water main break. the impact these repairs are having on traffic as rush hour ramps up. and a deep freeze is creeping in. >> tom kierein is here with what to wear for the changes ahead today. >> good morning. yes, enjoy this relatively mild weather we have now compared to what is coming this overnight tonight and this time tomorrow morning. this morning, we are at or a little below freezing so bundle up. warm coat, scarf, fwluf sgloves. you won't need the umb

scott mcfarland learned that lawmakers will focus on how metro inspects the third rails on the system's tracks. there will also be a review of how first responders are trained to handle metro emergencies. a man named jonathan rogers is also scheduled to testify. he was one of the passengers who posted a series of alarming photos from inside that smoky train car near l'enfant plaza. keep your phone handy. the nbc washington app will send push alerts with any new developments from today's hearing. >>> maryland lawmakers are smeting a fewsmet ing a submitting a new bills based on recommendations from the economic development business climate commission p one plan is to restructure agencies under a secretary of commerce another bill creates an apprentice ship program for create job opportunities for young people. >>> well, the time is 5:06. while high school graduation rates are rising in some parts of the country the concerning distinction d.c. students have this morning. florida and >>> and if you're waiting in the cold, make sure you're prepared. tom is tracking your windchills. and if y

. >>> i'm scott mcfarland. word there have been more emergency raiddio breakdowns inside d.c. retrotunnels. in the three weeks since last month's deadly incident in the plaza. emergency radios used by firefighters and law enforcement to deal with emerggm e the breakdown. they told us they have had at least ten failures during those tests. many on the orange line, one on the green line platform and on the red line. the city is so concerned about breakdowns they have increased the frequency of their testing. they used to do it once a month and now they are doing it once a week. during the testing, they found ten failures on emergency radios. more on the story coming up at 5:00. more coverage coming up. >>> now we have an update on a story you saw first on news 4 about that 911 dispatcher. the one who asked the teen to stop whining when she called because her father was injuried in a deadl maryland. that dispatcher is not currently in contact with the public on his job. a spokesman for the fire department ss a investigation is underway into his behavior. that call came in late su

scott the mcfarland learned that lawmakers will focus how metro inspects the third rails on the system's track. there will also be a review of how first responders are trained to ham metndle metro emergencies. john than ronlgnathan rogers is also scheduled to testify. he posted pictures from inside the smoky train car. we'll send you push alerts with new developments. >> d.c. police say it is critical that they find this boy, 12-year-old anis hassan has been missing for more than 12 hours now. he was last seen near kelly miller middle school in northeast d.c. yesterday afternoon. police say he was wearing an orange and gray jacket burgundy shirt and with a school logo and khaki khaki khaki pants. >>> today marion barry's son will be back in a d.c. courtroom on charges he threatened a bank teller. according to doubt rcourt documents, the ban wouldn't will he him withdraw from an overdrawn account. he tlooushrew a chair and broke a security camera. he's running for his late fair father's d.c. council seat. >>> thomas claggett and kenmoor will be closed. kenmoor will be converted to an earl