question of whether to legalize marijuana. there is one early voting center in each ward and they will be open every day, except for sunday, until november 1st. you can visit our website, nbcwashington.com, to find a complete list of locations. now in maryland, early voting began on thursday and in virginia, qualified voters can get a head start by casting absentee ballots. well, he has played with motown greats like mar slip gaye, stevie wonder, but then, a health scare back in august, we introduced to you a local drummer who needed a leg. now, he is getting a new lease on life, thanks to some of you. marcy grace caught one woody woodson and shares his story. >> reporter: he has played with some of the biggest names in music and is credited with creating the iconic feed for the isley brothers' hit "it's your thing." >> one of the greatest drummers of all time and deep influence on my playing. >> but after losing his leg to die beat oh the drumming legend was up able to he were a living. >> it's rough. >> after news4 profiled woodson's struggles, viewers reached out, wanting to help. >> it tickled me to death, not play a gig, but just to be able to have played a couple of songs. i play a couple of songs, airport no telling, man. >> one of those people who wanted to help was judy anderson, a nurse atted a vennist rehabilitation hospital. >> i thought maybe we could get him in here and we did we love him. >> thanks to the helping hands from the team atted a ventist, woodson is a new man with a new leg. >> got to the dance. >> his doctors say woodson's progress is nothing short of phenomenal. >> i have the expectation and vision that woody has, that he will play the drums again and dole it very well, if not better that did he in the past. >> i want this. i don't think i've ever wanted anything more. you know, to be 73 years old. >> while woody is surrounded by a team of specialists, it's the woman who saw his story and connected him with the doctors who has been by his side every way. >> he is going through it, he has dreaded it. having said that you see him coming up and down the stairs and how he worked out that bike. so, i know he will be able to do it. oh, yeah. >> woody's team at adventist says he has been an irspecial rare to them but woody says they are his inspiration. >> i want to do it more, not for myself, but for them, you know, i like to do it think to have that way. never dreamed in my life this would have ever happened to me, you know, i'm thankful. thank the lord. i'm thankful. >> woody has lots of friends to thank for getting him back on his feet, including one very special new friend. >> judy, judy, judy, judy, judy. >> give him a hug. >> we are cheering for him. woody is home now but still has a lot more rehab ahead of him. the jazz foundation of america is holding a benefit for musician and some of that money raised will be used to help woody stay in his home. woody is hoping to play a new year's eve concert with the allman brothers. if you want to help, we have a link at nbcwashington.com. well, they designed the washington monument grounds and now, they will plan the district's first elevated park. the team of owe ma and olin were picked as the winners for the 11th street bridge project. they will create a new civic space over the a cost ya river using the old bridge support pilings. four developers to competed over seven months for the design it will feature flies sit, performance areas and information about the river. i cannot wait for that to open. more laughs are coming to the kennedy center thanks to as 5 million donation from capital one. it will fund a new comedy series featuring three top acts each year. former tonight show host, jay leno, will kick off the program some time next year. help know was the first awarded of the mark twain prize for american humor, the nation's top humor prize at the kennedy center. the second act will be kathy griffin. officials say the new program is designed to elevate comedy as a art form and provide a large very new for humor that's little different than those typical comedy club. well, it first opened back in 1973 and it was the first place that every shopper just had to be and even attracted royalty, but in recent years, major stores moved out of the springfield mall area and crime moved in. two years ago they tore it down and they started to bring back springfield town center, bring it back to life. now, the developers hope the new space not only brings back shoppers, but also attracts a major government agency. the virginia bureau reporter, david culver, take us inside the newly rae built space. >> reporter: if you lived in northern virginia for some time, chances are you remember springfield mall. fairbanks county supervisor jeff mckay certainly does. >> this was the crown jewel of the region for a long forget that. >> reporter: such a gem attracted royal visitors, this is princess diana and prince charles brougz the senators 1985. >> this is the mall she picked to visit when she was visiting washington it had that splendor about it. >> reporter: in the years following, decay set in and so did crime. shoppers shied away. >> we hear a lot of stories about people being robbed in the parking lot that kind of stuff. but we basically tried to stay away from the area. >> reporter: by 2012, it was decide, the mall had to go. in its place, the new opener decided on a new springfield town center. >> the inside is truly majestic. s's amazing. i encourage everybody to come out here just to take a look. >> reporter: the brighter, cheaper shopping experience now opened. >> it's beautiful. a lot of upscale stores. definitely be here. >> reporter: but you may nation, it looks more like an upscale mall than an indoor/outdoor town center its name suggests. >> have to constantly remind people we built a ten-year phase project that included, you know, a lot of development activity around the mall that hasn't happened yet that's in the next phase. >> reporter: supervisor mckay is hoping that next phase will include the new fbi headquarters. >> from the fbi recently as last week and one of the things they were particularly interested in is what's walkable from our property and, you know, this is very much walkable from their property. >> reporter: david culver, news4. with the days getting shorter and colder, is your home ready for winter? when news4 this week return, consumer reporter erika gonzalez has some tips that could save you big bucks. and it's called the intersection of doom, but soon, drivers and walkers will see a new effort to make this busy road safer. hilton is launching a hotel brand and the d.c. area will be one of the first to try it out. this is a rendering of what the new hilton canopy hotel will look like. it will be built in the new pike and rose complex in rockville. hilton says the canopy brand is aimed at sophisticated travelers who love design, social common areas and technology. the rockville hotel will have 177 rooms and is set to open in 2016. kind of swanky. with winter fast approaching, one of the best ways to save money is to make sure that your home is ready for the cold, now, while it's still relatively mild. now is the time to do it. news4 consumer reporter, erika gonzalez, has the details on the best ways to winterize your home. >> reporter: the leaves may be falling and your home likely looks like this, but before it turns to this, i'm gonna walk you through five things to help protect your home from the elements this winter. you may be so tempted to take the shear out whis out while ra leaves and get this under control but experts say you should wait until wait winter, until these plants have been nearly dormant, then once you prune them, they are ready for spring. you are going to be using your fireplace a lot over the course of winter, so, do yourself the favor now. hire a reputable chimney inspector to come out, take a look inside, make sure that there's nothing trapped in there, that it's chelean and rey to safely use with your family. oh, and now on to everybody's favorite job, cleaning out the gutters and the downspouts. if you don't do this, water can build up and this can cause damage to your roof and even inside your home, if you've got leak he leaks. come down to your basement or locate the storage room in the house and there you will find this water valve, by turning this off, it stops the flow of water to your exterior pipes and keeps them from freezing over the winter. and wssc recommends removing all hoses from the bibs. to present air leaks and loss of heat inside your home, caulking may be a good idea, around window frames and door frames. do you really need it? the tube will cost but $6. here is a really easy tip. kip linger's personal finance says if you've got space larger that the width of a nickel, then you probably need to add the caulking both inside and out. from headaches and money and time off from work, a little planning can save money a number of ways this winter. erika gonzalez, news4. >> all good tips and really now is the time to do it, before you feel that cold coming on in. people call it the intersection of doom. now, police are launching a new campaign to try and change that. the intersection is in arlington where lynn street intersect wilson boulevard. there's a dangerous mix there of pedestrians and cyclists all trying to cross the street and drivers getting off of i-66. construction projects only add to the problem. but from now on, every morning from 7 to 9:15, arlington county police officers will direct traffic at the intersection to keep things moving and make it safer. well, he is known for bag tough gay on the ice, but a popular caps player also wants to make a mark as a peacekeeper. the new book he hopes will convince kids to stop bullying. plus, the feeding frenzy is coming. when you may see a cult classic come to the district. [ male announcer ] at northrop grumman, we know in the cyber world, threats are always evolving. at first, we were protecting networks. then, we were protecting the transfer of data. and today it's evolved to infrastructure... ♪ ...finance... and military missions. we're constantly innovating to advance the front line in the cyber battle, wherever it takes us. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman. professional hockey can be a rough sport, but a washington capitals player is working to make sure that kids take a different approach on the playground. eric fair co-wrote a book to fight bullying. we take a look at its message as part of our changing minds series. >> reporter: capitals forward eric fair is a fierce competitor in the rink, but off the ice, he has become an unlikely ambassador for friendship and kindness. i think people see on the ice, a little rough play and a lot of stuff going on, but that's part of our game. that's not the way it's supposed to be at school. >> reporter: fair is the co-author of a new children's book aimed at bullying prevention. the bulliest dozer tells the story of bo dozer, whose own fierce and nervousness turn him into a mean machine. he bulldozes through his classmates' practices and hurts their feelings along the way. >> a lot of times, they think they are just having fun, just playing around, they don't realize how series it is on the other end necessarily. so i think they just have an understanding that sometimes it does hurt people and they are going home upset, maybe it will change their point of view. >> reporter: according to the department of health and human services, more than 70% of teens have witnessed bullying in their schools. 30% admit to bullying and reports show that more than half the time, bullying stops within ten seconds when someone intervenes. >> bullying is a big factor in schools. and kids are scared to go to school and all those things and i think that's just terrible. >> reporter: fair believes his book works as a conversation start other is kids can learn early on how destructive bullying can be and parents can detect whether their child is being bullied or being a bully. >> just pay attention to your kids. see what they are doing at school. be interested in what they are doing and just try to help them out we having they need, if it's their homework or taking them to practice. >> reporter: in the book, bo realize the error of his ways and learns the value of friendship and team work. working through the issue of bullying in real life is much tougher, but reading fair's story can be an important step in the right direction. >> you know, they can't take the hockey game into school. they need to be nice to each other and take care of each other and i think if they understand that, then that will help. >> reporter: news4, washington. >> pretty cool. the money from the book will go to benefit play works d.c., a group that improves research for local kids by teaching them empathy, fair play, and of course, inclusiveness. bullying is nope to be a contributing factor also to depression in teens who attempt suicide. those are often depressed. now, edge caters in prince william county are armed with ideas on ways to prevent bullying. they will be taking this training to the teachers in charge of the youngest of students in the county. >> this is a systemic approach. this isn't a curriculum, not a one stop shopping. it gets woven into what you're doing over schools and this works over time, 'cause we want to help those who are bullied, watching and bullying. >> it will be taken to elementary schools with before and after school program. the program is already active in many schools within the county system. well, news4 is committed to changing minds and addressing issues of bullying and mental health. find a whole list of helpful resources on nbcwashington.com. just search changing minds. helping prevent bullying to helping man's best friend find a new home. coming up, some capitals' players show their softer side for a great cause. another "sharknado" is being forecast for next summer and it could be headed to washington. the first two movies are cult classics. now, the sci-fi channel says "sharknado" 3 will be set, at least in part, in the nation's capital. it will arrive next summer. expect to see more of this fast-moving sharks plunging from the sky and terrorizing d.c. sigh style owned by nbc universal, the parent company of nbc4. well, they are tough guys who apparently have a soft spot for map's best friend. a few of the caps players took part in a kay nine calendar photo shoot this week to benefit the home ward trails animal rescue. now,s here the day of fun told through the words of caps players and home ward trails' founder, sue bell. >> we are out here at potomac overlook park in arlington, shooting the 2015 caps acanine calend calend -- canine calendar. the guys got here, puppies dressed up in costumes, handed them each oh the puppies snuggled. the puppies took to them. >> the puppies are beautiful and i just take care of it, because i think she is shaking all the time n good hands. >> sam has obviously been a great addition to the family. my wife and me got her about three and a half years ago, four years ago we rescued her and one thing i love about dolls is their loyalty. >> the dogs, they go home and make you happy, worry-free about everything, just bring a smile to your face. >> they are hilarious. especially these two guess. funny to look at sometimes, so it just brings your day, no matter what. >> we are a smaller rescue and we have a fairly small budget. we take in about 1700 animals a year and so fund-raising opportunity like this means to us the world. $30,000 is not a drop in the bucket for us some, it helps us tremendously and we are beyond honored to have about selected two years in a row to get to come out and do this. >> okay. sure. bye bye. >> ah, yes, the calendars will be available december 2nd. all those proceeds will ben felt home ward trails animal rescue. hey, that's it guys for news4 this week. i'm veronica johnson. thanks for joining us. going to leave you with more from that caps and kay pipes in photo shoot. until next time, be safe, be kind, be happy. have you seen the news about barbara comstock? first, the washington post reported, barbara comstock failed to report eighty-five thousand in income. now, we learn, barbara comstock pushed a client's issues in the virginia legislature and didn't disclose it. barbara comstock shepherded a trio of bills through the legislature and into law, but barbara comstock never officially disclosed that all the while she was being paid thousands of dollars.