into a sheet of ice, stranding some island communities. on the lower eastern shore, they we ice bound a ferpry reach it for a week so a maryld ice breaker was call in. the virginia national gud also used a blackhawk helicopter to deliver fre food and medicine. there's no drugstore on the island. just being outside in five minute this shirt is comp frozen solid. that's how cold it is out here. >> yeah how's that for cold? we sent storm team 4 meteort amelia segal outside one morni this week. she did a little demonstrati showg us how long it takes for things to freeze outside. well it was very cold. in fact cold enough to make ice cream. of course the extreme cold and the yo-yo temperatures mean bad things for area roads. d.c.'s department of transp says that we're head straight into the worst streh of pothole season. so tisha thompson and the news4 i-team wanted to find out just how your local pothole compares to others in the region by getting t hands on a list that >> rep there's one thing all the neighbors can agree on. on this stretch of 14th street near maryland avenue in nortt d.c. >> it's a good conversation topic w neighbors because ever is just like oh the pothol angie says it was the first thing she noticed when she moved into her home. >> we had the moving truck day. they almost got stuck in it. >> she calls it a natul speed bump because ever slams on their brakes when they see it. >> sometim i make this turn even because i don't want to go that way. >> it's just one of nearly 40,000 potholes d.c.'s depaf transn says it will need to fix this comi year. >> 295 to 395 first and 695 and then go look at new york avenue massachu avenue and then start going to the side streets. the men and women who plow your snow and repave your streets also fill your pothol. he says potholes form when water finds a way to ger the pave and into the soil. when it freezes, it pushes the soil up at a weak spot and leav an air spot when it thaws that cracks into a pothole when u dri over it. the news4 i-team found that ddot meets that 72-hour goal about 71% of time. when we made this ml of e calls into the city's 311 centering potholes. yon see how your pothole does compare to the rest in the city by going to our web page nbcwas and clicking on the investigatis link. 59% of the calls came from northw only 3% from southwest. but we found some potholes can linger unfixed for weeks or even months two in northwest, which records show went 272 days before getting patched last summer onl to break back open a few months later. they're like vampires they never die unless you put a stake in their heart. john townsend said poth can cause thousands of dollar in damage from broken rims to bad accidents. they try to swerve to avoid the pothole or they hit the pothe a then try to brake to avoid more damage and then somee will rear-ending them. >> which is why ddot is trying something new this year as they patch holes with e old-fashioned asphalt mix they he used they're also haulg bright orange buckets of a new expensive mix that bonds with groundwater. a side-by-side comparison to see how well it holds up. >> r his crews are markw blendingh whi paint so they can watch how well it weather over the next few months because it costs three times as much as the old stuff. even though it's more expens if you don't he to come bac out here to maintain that that's a win for us. >> but he says the realy is some roads are so cracd and pock marked only repavi them will truly get rid of the pey fix the problem. this treatment that we're doing is more of a band-aid. which brings us back to that pothole on 14th stre in northeast. neighbs have waited at least 315 days to get it p yeah. ddot told the i-team they waited so long becae it determined more extensive road resurf meaning that pothe that never goes away coul a sign of a smoother ride headed your way. in northeast, tisha thompson, . >> we've created a special interact map where you can check out potholes in the d.c. area. see how lon it took to get them fixed and how that compares to other neighborhood all you have to do is go to nbcwasm and click on invest. > well he was held prisoner in cuba for five years and rele just two months ago. montgo county contractor alan gross has reason to smile today. he has a new smile. consid the before all right. now take a look at this. it's the after. last week his smile was trand to that. yeah we' all going to reme him for a long time. at the news conference remember he -- he was guest of the presidt at the statn address. last week one of the top prosths stepped up to build gross a new smile. after years of neglect in cuba the visible parts of several teeth had broken off. the doctor spent six and a half hours on this stable fix restor was so happy that he tweete out before and after pics. >> he did not really get any dent care for five years. new decay setting in certainly could be a nutritional issue for him. not being able to brush regula quite surprised that in one day we can do all that we did. he was very surprised. he was able to really break out into quite an exciting smile for himsel you know that makes our day. that makes a difference. >> that's terrific. dr. starr says that many of the teeth r can b saved, but gross will still need root canals posts and new crowns put in. ms ahead to make that transf more permanent. > you may soon be able to driv faster in highways. the ste senate passed a bill to raise the speed limit from 65 to 70 miles per hour. a similar bil pendsing in the house of delegates. the vote marks a milestone for e bill which died in a senate comme last year. s say that increasing the speed limit is dangerous becae it would cause some driver. a big transition is coming for d.c. performing arts scene. award- conductor and piant kristoff eshenbach will step down in 2017. the nso and the kennedy center made that announcement this week. hel continue with more limited perfor as the orchestra's r laureate. looking forward to free fun when wea warms up. when "news4 this week" returns, the new program that could get you and your family into the nation parks for free. > and a different type of resc for some local firefi. now, more and more americans are discovering that... shred after shred... dish after dish... day after delicious day... shredding galbani mozzarella yourself inspires meals, and moments, that are simply better. mmm, galbani (sfx: kiss). italy's favorite cheese brand. now, america's number one block mozzarella. well they may have a tough exteri but some firefighters in arlington county are getting praise for showing a softer side. the crew at fire station 105 help save a wedding from the winter storm. mark and camille wanted to tie the knot before mark was deploy but last week the roof caved in on their first venue. then last week in their second venue got snowed in so the firefi what did they do? they cleaned up the firehouse and let the couple get married right there. they well even though there's still sno on the ground belie it or not now is the time to be thinking about what your kids will do this summer. those summer camps are already fillg up and filling up fast. the process can be a bit over for parents and expee at thtime but it doesn't have to be that way. angie goff tells us how to choo the right camps and s >> summer summer. the last day of school. whe it's time for the kids to let loose, parents have to be on the top of their game. >> you're looking at it as a cale of weeks th fill>> for ashley mills, that 11 weeks in montgomery county.s signing her kids up for summ camp now, after waiting to last year. we found that some of our chois jus weren't available. and we also didn't take into t that e kids really want to do camp with their friend eileen miller says in an area like this you have to start now. traditl sports and outdoor camps are already booking up. a bid this summer all thin s.t.e.m. >> anything offering science, techno engineering and math are super popular with kids because paren are concerned theye not g enough of that d year. >> if you can't get in a traditional camp try someg new, like learning how to clown around seriously.a circus camp teachi inc if you fall get back up and try again. speciay camps like this are on the rise. paddle boarding cooking with tiny chefs. there's even a camp dedicated to using only duct tape. they're very popular, they're out of box, they're out of e ordinary and very different progra that e off in the area. to save money, webse certificate.m posts discs daily. camp easy.com has a concierge serve and on activity rocket get ear bird specials. the latest round expiring march 1st. >> sign your kids up for camps through the rec departments or local colleges so you can find trem activities and also find somethi savings. back in her cozy home ashley is online and on it. e it's crazy to imagine plan your whole summer in februa it actually time to plan your whole entire summer. angie goff news4. so get going. another tip, go to the camp dire directly and tell them that your child and their fries are interested in the same camp. someti sometimes you can negotie a group deal. we've poste all those resources on our website. just head to nbcwashingtom d search camp tips. > well families with fourth grads will have some new ways to spend their spring and summer breaks this year and it's free. presidt o announced the every kid in a park initiative th week that will give all four graders and their fami free admission to the nati parks and monuments for e next year. it aims to get students to celee the outdoors ahead of the 100th birthday of the nati park service. this all coincides with the crea of three new national monume the pullman national monument in chicag the browns canyon nati monument in colorado and the hono leo leo national monu in hawaii. > you know you've asked yo this before. where in the world did the name back lit come from and how about wheeli a new meet your s> plus history making way for progre. will be replacing a long stan prince? thank you, cable for the slower internet upload speeds. for making me wait longer to share my photo albums. thank you cable, because if we never had you we wouldn't know the incredible difference verizon fios makes. in customer satisfaction studies, fios is rated #1 in internet speed and reliability - 8 years running. plus, fios has the fastest wi-fi available from any provider. period. see the difference for yourself. get a fios triple play online at an amazing price, guaranteed for two full years! plus, get a $300 bonus with a two-year agreement. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v yoplait greek 100. for when you just can't make it without a protein-packed, thick and creamy, power-me-up-with-something filling taste-bud-loving, satisfaction by the spoonful, deliciously fruity dinner feels a million years away grab and go, let's take on the world with 100 calories, snack yoplait greek 100. there are hundreds of reasons to snack on it. if you've driven out 66 or taken a trip through fairfax, you' seen the name wheelie avenue but did you know the town of wheelie once sat right there? and what about backlick road? what in the world -- where does the name come from? meliss hit the history books in ts edition of "meet your street >> this is dr. wheelie on a sign over the town of wheelie. >> kind of a jokester maybe here. he w hg fun. it looks like it yes, indeed it turns out dr. max really was a physician in philad. age 35 he moved to washin he had a home in downtown d.c. and decided to build a small town that would be sort of a rural retreat out here in virg along the wd rail line. we had quest to find out more about him. >> that' the old town of wheeli in 1886 dr. wheee bought 3,000 acres. $3 an acre is what he paid. don't we wish right? >> don't we wish. he hired a german planr to help lay out his town along the railroad. first he built the wheelie town hall that was later a distillery and church. then he built a hotel, his own home and eight others. there bigger plans for thous to live here. he was quita dreamer, we think. but the doctor died in 1901 before he saw his full visi turn to reality. the town of wheeler was closer to where reston parkway now runs. it' kind of ironic in a way that we have a history here of a planned community in the late 19th century and then robert e. simon came down in 196d cread h own town. much larger than the town of wheee was, but, you know sort of an ideal place to live. as robert e. simon built reston temporary r paumd up for construction traffi the original road is now a path but it was so often used. the temporary road was realigned and became quite permanent. the temporary permanent road exactl now to backlick road which conjures up some strang visions, perhaps. the area was once filled with hog and dairy farms. accordg to the west springd village civic associ tho farmers would drag huge salt licks along the route to entice cattle and move them from pastures back to their farms, hence the eventual name back lick. in annandale, virginia melissa melee.> now the popular app ways will have even more information drivers try to get around the distri. ddot announced it's partnering with ways to provide its own data to help drivers. that includes realtime informn on things like marath floods or constrti ways works by users posting incis like crashes that they see on area roads. well we've watched her grow up. now bao bao is getting ready to leave t nest. the big milestone for d.c.'s . it's out with the old and in with t new in prince george's county news4 was there when crews stard demolishing the old plumbe building. the building on rhode island aven will be replaced with a new state-ot complex that will feature retail space, work space for local artists. this is all part of the revag of the city's arts distri that started a decade ago. > well the star panda at the nation zoo has reached another mileste i her development. bao ba turned 18 months old. now, that's a big deal because 18 months is the age panda cubs start weaning from their mother zoo keepers say the process has alrey begun in bao bao's case. she's eat a lot more bamboo and other solid foods and spends about six hours every day on her own away from her mom, usually up a tree. bao bao is only the second panda born at the national zoo to surve to her first birthday. way to go bao bao. > that' all for "news4 this week." i'm veronica johnson. thanks us. we leave you with a unique way to plow snow a motorized toilet ca lucy. until nex time we safe be ki at clorox 2 we've turned removing stains into a science. now pre-treat with clorox 2! watch stains disappear right before your eyes. remove 4 times more stains than detergent alone. >> right now on news 4 today, a bitter cold start to the first half of your weekend. chuck is tracking a wintry mix for the second half. he is timing up the snow and the roller coaster temperatures for the next week. >> even though the inc. is dry to pay thousands of government workers, the reloaf could be short-lived. >> we will find out how the cuts will be for one budget. first off, good morning to you. >> welcome to news 4 today on this saturday. it's a chilly start. it's like 18 degrees outside when i started rolling in