derrick ward shows us why this dedication today and these dedications that is, are not the end for descendants of the georgetown 272.

derrick ward is live at the washington gathering.ig crowd behind you now, derrick. >> reporter: indeed. it's growing by the second. take a look, we got here about 30 to 40 minutes ago. i think there were half the number of people then as there are now. but this is an important issue for a lot of people. this is about the march that is going to happen later this afternoon. the ground from the washington monument all the way up to the ca capitol building. these people are enthusiastic and passionate about this issue. when you look to those coming here, global warming, fossil fuel emissions, drinking water in flint, michigan. all those things are political issues, but they are scientific issues as well. and the folks say that once science drops them into politics, you don't know what you get on the other end and it is not true issues people talk about here. and one man from out of town says he has the chance to be here. >> i want to be indifferent to the pressure as much as possible. >> reporter: a diverse crowd here. everyone from prof

news4's derrick ward shows us why this is not the end of the georgetown 272. >> today the society of jesus, who helped to establish georgetown university, and whose leaders sold your ancestors, stands before you to say that we have greatly sinned. >> reporter: that apology was presented to the descendants of 272 men, women, and children owned and sold by the jesuits at georgetown university in 1838. the sale, to slaveholders in louisiana, raised money to settle university debts. >> today's events are a beautiful gesture recognizing or acknowledging an ugly past. >> reporter: sandra green-thomas says these stories were there in her family's history and recollections from the eldest. the project, she says, represents a beginning of sorts. >> we've been working with the university, having meetings, trying to collaborate, hopefully establish a relationship in collaboration where we can actually get some things done for people of african descent and also to make people in general more aware of this history. sanders-prater says she would like to see an endowment at the university. >> eleva

news 4's derrick ward talked to neighbores who rushed in to help. >> reporter: minutes before the flames reached that balcony, a last ditch root to safety for the corning avenue apartments occupants. >> i heard a lady saying, help me, help me get my kids, call 911. >> just ahead of the worst of the inferno. >> i saw a guy running over there. >> reporter: residents were trapped and they too add improvise in a hurry. >> on the back side of the bu another woman out of window and smoke was everywhere. >> reporter: neighbors sprung into action. >> me and another gentleman at this point in time helped the one woman get out of window. like, people coming down from that balcony. >> 11-year-old ushered his family out of their apartment to safety. in all, five people were evaluated and treated at the scene. two others taken to nearby hospital. >> one of the occupants was a female in her 80s lowered out after window and basically fell from that top floor down to the grass area. >>. >> reporter: my rairaculously t woman was not seriously injured. firefighters used ladders. hallways filled with choki

derrick ward joins us now. he spoke with people who live nearby. the air quality getting any better, derrick? >> reporter: indeed it is thanks to the wind and due to some of the rain. to no small part, the firefighters who have been putting the water on the fire. the flames may be under check now, but the threat has come from the smoke, which is indeed done a bit of a number on this neighborhood. to some, this smoldering high-rise is a curiosity. for others living in the presume of acrid smoke, it's not. >> i thought someone was smoking in high house. that's when i started unplugging things. >> it became clear where the odor and haze were coming from and it got stifling. >> i suffer from respiratory issues, asthma and things like that. >> having that cloud of smoke settle on her home was too much to bear. >> my house is consumed with smoke. it's unbear anl. i have to leave. >> others will tough it out. but there's a toll to that as well. >> the smoke was so strong, you came outside, it burnt your eyes. the coughing, the choking. >> the university o

derrick ward is there. derrick? >> reporter: i'm sure these folks don't want to hear anything else about severe storms. they had them last night. you see all those poles and lines? that's all new. a cavalcade of trucks just pulled out of here less than five minutes ago. but you can see the wood piled up here. that tells you what they were dealing with. these storms were quick and amazingly severe. clean-up and repairs went well into midday. the damage was localized and surprisi >> about 15 minutes, all this happened in 15 minutes. >> reporter: the wind took down massive trees. some fell without hitting anything, but others took down power lines and came down hard on vehicles. >> i didn't see the damage until this morning, and i saw where the trees had come down and some people have obviously lost their vehicles, which is unfortunate. >> fortunately, no injuries occurred, but damage to cars, some buildings, town homes. >> reporter: hundreds spent the night without power. >> the rain was coming in sideways and i saw a

in germantown, derrick ward, news4. >>> also developing, we now know that a woman was kill in calvert county. they say that you should stay inside and lock your doors. they believe a man killed his wife on raw hyde road and are looking for james harley jr. who shot his wife tanya last night and left. police are actively searching for >>> speaking of an active search, we are coming close to 24 hours since an escaped prisoner was last seen in maryland. this is him right there, david watson. apparently he overpowered a guard and ran away yesterday. howard county police say they looked for him all night and are still searching for him right now. watson was in jesup for a psychiatric evaluation. you can identify him by the tattoos including some on his face and arm. the word "thin" on his arm and "evil" is on his neck. if you see watson, call 911 right away. >>> we are waiting the see if there are any political consequences after another missile launch in north korea. officials in the u.s. and south korea say that the launch failed. you're looking at video right here. president trump tweet

right now, we're live in columbia heights, derrick ward, news4. >> thank you, derrick. >>> new security measures could be coming to montgomery county jewish community centers. tomorrow they'll discuss whether to spend a quarter of a million dollars on upgrades at several facilities, including video surveillance systems, door access controls and reinforced windows. county officials say the reinforcements are needed after a series of recent bomb threats at local centers. facilities in bethesda and rockville are expected to get the enhancements. >>> watermen think the chesapeake bay is on the verge of one of the best crab seasons in years. democrats say they're trying to protect future harvests by opposing the trump administration. president trump wants to slash the epa budget and that includes allocated to care for the chesapeake bay. the administration argues that states, not the federal government, are responsible for protecting the bay. democrats say it can't be done without federal help. >> it's a very important part of the progress we've been ab

derrick ward, news4. >> poor derrick, hail and now thunder over top of him and sunshine. and tomorrow, by the way, it's going to be a weather alert day as well. make sure to download the app for a look at just how the weather could be impacting your weekend plans. >>> now to a murder at a nursing home in fairfax county. the victim, a 77-year-old man. someone discovered him dead inside his apartment at the little river glen senior center. news4's david culver joins us live outside of the nursing home. david, what are you learning about this case? >> reporter: the location of where we are right now, you'll excuse me as an ambulance is just passing by, investigation. that's because we're right at the corner of 236, little river turn pike and ollie lane. little river turn pike is very busy. and the woods that separate that and this apartment are what's in focus right now. investigators going into that end unit several times today, taking photos, trying to gather as much evidence as possible. i can tell you, residents here, they're uneasy as police are looking for that killer.

derrick ward, news4. >>> a week of ups and downs in the weather.oug's tracking some rain and whether it will give us any relief from the pollen. >>> also, our region hit hard by the opioid crisis. we'll introduce you to a woman wh to help other women before it it's too late. >> i have 58 jail arrests. i lost all republin with myca are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® it's starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec® and muddle no more®. >>> we're all sneezing, doug, but we couldn't agree more, it was very hard to come into work when the wea gorgeous. >> surprised to see you here, as a matter of fact, when you get down to it. >> vacation's over, buddy. >> i was not excited. i was thinking it's going to be great to get back to work, and then you go -- >> maybe not. >> i think i like vacation a little bit better. but hey, gotta pay for the vacations somehow. so back to work it is, guys. what a beautiful day across the region today. 72 degrees out the

derrick ward, nbc4 news. >>> the days of free parking along the national mall are over. starting next month, parking meters will be installed near the mall. the title basin and in some parking lots in east potomac park. it will cost $2 to park. don't expect to get weekends for free either. the meters will be in effect seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. this is going to start in june. >>> this is to enhance the visitor we're going to use it to pay for the national park service circulator of the national mall route. >> the national mall service says it is hoping to increase turnover in the areas and encourage people to use public transportation. >>> a blood drive is being held today in honor of the fallen firefighter known as john ulmschneider. the american red cross is hosting the blood drive at maranatha fellowship at 9:30 this morning until 3:00 this afternoon. meantime, the man who shot and killed him along with wounding another firefighter was sentenced to four years in jail. he said he was having a diabetic emergency when diabetics forced their way into hi

derrick ward is headed that way. we'll check in with him a little later. >>> and the story developing right now, we know that a woman was killed in calbert county overnight. detectives were telling everyone to stay inside in lusby and to lock the doors. the killing happened and james harley jr. has not been caught. they believe he shot his wife tanya hy left. police are actively searching for him right now. >>> one more big story happening right now in maryland, there's a hunt going on right now trying to find this man, an escaped prisoner. howard county police have looked all night for david watson who was in jesup for a psychiatric evaluation when he got away. he was serving time for attempted murder. howard county police say he managed to take off a waist chain and handcuffs while being held inside a van. watson we know has several a dues including the word "thin" on his hand and "evil" on his neck. plus a few tattoos on his face. if you see him, call 911 right away. >>> and increasing security after another missi

. >> derrick ward has a closer look at the church's rich history. >> from the homeless beginnings in 1967 when 22 members gathered in rock hill, va vashgs to this massive complex in dumfries with 70 ministries and 104,000 members. first mt. zion baptist church endured and grown over the last century and a half. >> through all kinds ofal it stands as a beacon of light, a beacon of hope. >> since moving here in the 40s, the growth continues. they're no longer the little while church about it side of the road. >> if you think when it was started in april, 1867 two years after, two years to the month, the end of the civil war and the issues we've will to overcome, but this church has been at the forefront. >> governor terry mccull love and his wife dorothy joined in helping the congregation celebrate. but the families that attend add cross the years represent a living history. >> it's just amazing. it takes so much hard work. but we have such a strong tradition. our ancestors are very strong. so anything is possible. >> and what would those original 22 members think of how far this house

derrick ward is on the georgetown university campus to show us how the school is apologizing for profitingom selling hundreds of slaves. >> reporter: some alumni might not recognize this name, isaac hawkins hall, this is the hall's new name. who is isaac hawkins? used to be property of the jesuits. the reason for the whole ceremony today. the university said they're sorry and they're ways to move forward. >> we pray with you today because we have greatly sinned and because we are profoundly sorry. >> i've been in d.c. since 2003 and to know i've been passing by georgetown all of this time and not realized the connection has been kind of a surreal moment for me. >> reporter: later on news4, more about georgetown university recognizing its slave-owning past and charting a course for the future. >>> several new laws are on the books this afternoon in maryland, all related to sexual assault. governor larry hogan signed them into law. one expands the definition of sexual abuse to include human trafficking. another no longer requires the victim to resist her attacker for a sexual assault charge

derrick ward reports that police are trying to figure out if both attacks might be connected. >> reporter: and they both happened here on hyatt place. police and the community are asking, is there a problem here? well, we talked to the victim of that crime on saturday. and he says he thinks there's some things that can be done, but it hasn't soured his impression of the united states or of d.c., but meanwhile, police are looking to see if those two crimes on saturday and sunday, are connected. the bruises are healing, the physical pabe is subsiding, but this man is still shaken by what happened to him saturday afternoon on hyatt place in columbia heights. he was just taking a walk and didn't think much about the group of people he passed on the sidewalk. but they sized him up. >> they basically jumped him and hit his back and that's when he knocked down and he recall anything after that. >> reporter: police arrived quickly as he was trying to make his way back to his family's business nearby. he was dazed and injured. >> his whole side was bleeding and he was just trying to run home. >> r

we're live in georgetown university, derrick ward, news4. back to you. >>> something that was done 200 years ago. >> we saw a beautiful day across our region, take a look at those numbers right now. in there. 71 degrees currently. 71 hagerstown. good everywhere. ocean city, 56 degrees. a flow there, not quite beach weather just yet. satellite and radar showing our system that came through as a front, made its way south. but it's working its way back up and that could lead to showers tomorrow. also a much cooler day tomorrow, but the warmth does return. later this week, we'll talk about the increase in rain chances and a weekend wash-out. part of it anyway. see you in just about ten minutes. >> okay. >>> there may be parts of your life that facebook has not inundated. >> what parts? >> try to go find them. guess what, facebook is going to try to change that. still ahead, what it says it will be doing in act two as it looks to the future. >>> and first on 4:00, a major shake-up in the d.c. police department and how officers hope it's goingo >>