Spent at starbucks by one federal agency. Theyre make ro puicropurchases. Theyre able to use governmentfunded credit cards, but our iteam member found out the purchases are a small sample of nearly 20 billion in federal government purchases made but kept secret each year. Reporter they hit one of the starbucks here in d. C. , another in associatiocean city, too. And nearly a dozen others nationwide, including 10,000 purchases in a starbucks in california. All told, the employees of one agency, the department of Homeland Security, using government taxpayer purchase cards bought starbucks last year. They wont tell us what they bought, why they bought it, nor are they required to release the information to the public. The public wouldnt have known if the team hadnt dug up the reports. We showed it to the man overseeing the committee. When you have this money being spent in six months, someone is abusing the purchasing permission that we have given them. Reporter it took us months and intervention by the congressman for us to find even some details. More on that in a moment. First, we wanted to know how much taxpayer money the government spends on these mysterious purchases. We found out. About 20 billion in just about the course of a year. We asked all of these other major federal agencies based in d. C. For their micropurchase shopping lists. In all, they all refused. Were spending public money. Public money, taxpayer dollars, and ought to account for it. Reporter the former Inspector General said the Government Credit cards and purchases are supposed to be used for emergencies, for the unforeseen. He says theyve been abused in the past. Our review found cards used for purchases of clothes at j. C. Penney, by a card holder at the labor department, for a gym membership. Weve had a case where a highranking official used the card to purchase hotel rooms and spas. Reporter miller says they shouldnt be used for 5 coffee drinks. If the government wants to buy coffee, it should go through the procurement process and find the company with the best price. The government had the credit checks given to card holders so those with poor history dont misuse the card. Inspite of changing the law in 2012, its been misused. If we need to tighten the screws, well do it. Reporter what about the coffee shop swipes . The congressman called the Homeland Security auditor before his committee. Were absolutely startled. Reporter and held up a cup and asked about some of theclui0 spent in california. Are you aware those purchases took place on the Government Credit cards . A majority of the purchases were to furnish coffee for the dining pantries on board cutters. Coast guard cutter vessels, but she couldnt say how and why the rest of the money was spent. Government watchdogs say potential misuse and waste would be difficult to mask if federal agencies released the micropurchase shopping lists to the public. We checked with federal agencies, and all but one, the department of interior, declined to provide us their shopping list. Heres one way to make cash, by grabbing it as it reiains over highway. This happened when a armor truck hit a dump truck in maryland. A door lock malfunctioned, sending cash into the roadway. Drivers got out of their cars to run after the money. Police say those who dont return the money could face charges. Hope you heard me. We are already seeing moves by lawmakers to reign in a d. C. Newly passed marijuana law. Andy harris says hell introduce an amendment to bar the district from spending money on legalized weed. Its harmful to teenagers and young adults. Its probably the last thing d. C. Needs in a high unemployment, problems with the Education System already. Last thing you need is legalized marijuana. The measure will undergo a 60day congressional review period before it becomes law. Now to one of the most debated issues of kids education, homework or no homework. At one Montgomery County school, no homework has been the rule for years. Reporter anywhere you look inside this elementary school, youll probably find kids curled up with a good book. Every class had time set aside for individual and group reading. This 4th grader just read a book called the way back home. She was left behind, so she wanted to run with somebody. So she made her brother come. Reporter like her schoolmates, she read the book at home. No work sheets or diagrams for the students afterschool. Homework went away three years ago. We saw a disconnect between what we were having them do during the day and sending home. They were sending home a will the of repetition and a lot of the skill practice. Reporter her team spent a year researching and talking to parc parents and decided on a different way to create critical thinkers. My community is open to reading at home. Reporter students are expected to read for at least 30 minutes every day, anything they want. Like the old paper work and stuff, you finish the math equations and you were done. Now, you can read book after book and youll just go on a journey as long as you want. I read chapter books. Reporter ricardo didnt mind the homework of younger days, but the emphasis on reading will have a better impact on his overall education. Better for myself to do something that would take me somewhere far in life. Reporter with all the reading the kids are doing, when they get to middle school, theyll have to do more traditional homework. Will they be ready . Her conversations with her middle School Colleagues revolve around how hard her kids are working and being held accountable for progress in the classrooms. The students are blogging about the books and making recommendations to each other. Its cool. I think that will translate into the writing piece in middle school. News 4. She doesnt have the hard numbers that show the nohomework method is enhancing student achievement, but with a 75 hispanic population, reading as a top priority works. Theres new challenge for young athletes, and its not on the field or the court. Parents are being blamed for bullying kids on the sidelines. Plus, gone in 45 seconds, a house up in flames with a common appliance to blame. How to stay safe if youre using a certain device to stay warm a certain device to stay warm this winter. Merry christmas thanks but this gift, its kind of halffast. Whats wrong . We still have cable internet, so our uploads are half the speed of our downloads. So ill be halffast when i share my photos. And ill do a halffast job updating my blog. Wait, is everything under this tree halffast . Who wants eggnog . Dont settle for halffast cable internet. Only verizon fios comes with speedmatch. Uploads as fast as downloads. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v maybe a little too early to start thinking about your Christmas Tree, but the ever green that will grace the u. S. Capitol is already on its way to d. C. This has a 2,000 mile journey. The lighting be take place december 2nd. Its also the time of year a lot of us are turning to space heaters to stay warm in the chilly room. Portable heaters account for 80 of home heating fire deaths. Erika gonzalez has the warning for all of us. Reporter kevin riley lost his restaurant when a fire started above. The blaze was sparked by a space heater. It was all of 45 seconds up there, and its all it took. That hallway filled up with smoke very, very quickly. Reporter Consumer Reports checked a variety of space heaters to see how well they work and if they have the safety features. All the ones tested have a safety switch that turn them off if they overheat or tip over. They measure how hot this towel gets and sees whether they catch fire. None did. We recommend placing space heaters three feet away from any flammable items, like curtains, bedding or newspapers. Reporter always plug directly into the socket. Dont use an extension cord. In another test, this dummy is loaded with sensors to see how fast it warms you up or your desk area. Some only raised the dummys temperature four degrees, while the best ones raise them higher. Reporter this honeywell is excellent at spot heating and passed all of Consumer Reportss safety tests and costs 190. For less, the compact homes heater passed Consumer Report safety tests and is a bestbuy for 40, heating a room quickly. Its not as fast as spot heating. Bottom line, keep your space heater away from anything flammable, and make sure its on a flat surface. Surviving, how two sisters hit hard by Breast Cancer are hitting back with a way to help women feel more confident. Good news for ice cream lovers out there. Well tell you why a frozen treat from ditradition is saved at shell, we believe the world needs a broader mix of energies, which is why we are supplying natural gas, to generate cleaner electricity, that has around 50 fewer co2 emissions than coal. And why with our partner in brazil, we are producing a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane to fuel cars. Lets broaden the Worlds Energy mix, lets go. For your health, a local woman is turning her battle, her painful battle with Breast Cancer into something positive. Something she hopes empowers women just like her. News 4s reporter tells us how. Reporter kara and her sister never thought of themselves as invent inventors. Mothers, wives, sure, but inventor wasnt on the radar until cancer invaded their lives for a second time. It was history repeating themselves. Reporter they were little girls when their 39yearold mother died from Breast Cancer. It was probably the defining moment of my life. Reporter 30 years had gone by, but that loss still felt fresh, raw, when kara found a lump in her breast. It was cancer, the same type that had killed their mother. Kara went on the attack, a hysterectomy and chemotherapy. Kr kristin got tested and had the mutation and a 90 chance of getting cancer as well. Like kara, she had reconstruction with implants. After a year of sickness and surgeries. We thought we could wear a regular bra. Reporter they couldnt. It makes breasts lighter and flatter. Mastectomy bras work for some but not then. I didnt go through for implants to have to wear them on top. Reporter the sisters did research, surveys, and the brags bra was born. The insert is into in to fill out the apex and provide coverage. Reporter it has side support and no uncomfortable wire. She also has a double mastectomy and a new baby. Getting used to the implants was tough. These are my new breasts and require a different bra. Reporter as for the sisters, this is for their mom and all those out there who want to look good and feel good after a long and draining battle. Our mission, really, in the scope of things is to empower women to dream again and to live again. We want them to be able to brag again. Melissa mclay, news 4. We posted a link to brags online. Its not just online, its not just coming from other kids. Parents are bullying other kids on the field. Well show you how some coaches are trying to crack down on this are trying to crack down on this bad behavior, next. We thought our cable internet was fast. But, our uploads are half the speed of our downloads so our internet is really halffast. So halffast. Someone did a halffast job posting our vacation pics. Stop living with half fast internet. Only verizon fios comes with speedmatch uploads as fast as downloads. So his homework wont be so halffast . That is up to him. Get a fios triple play online for this great price and a 400 visa prepaid card with a 2year agreement. Call the Verizon Center for customers with disabilities at 800. 974. 6006 tty v typically, when we talk about bullying, we focus on kids being mean to other kids. On this report, as sports get more competitive, its the parents doing the bullying. Now as part of our changing minds series, a look at bullying on the field. Youre not shooting enough. Youre not hustling enough. You should have dove for the ball. Reporter Dwayne Bryant hears this negativity on the field and on the court, not from the players or even coaches, but from parents. Its competitive sports in general. Ive seen kids as young as 10, 9 years old that have these situations. Reporter bryant is the director of athletic and physical education for a school in maryland. Bullying in youth sport it is a growing problem, especially with parents, likely because sports are becoming more competitive at younger ages. Its at high stakes. Youre talking about parents in soccer and other sports where they invest a lot of money. They want their kid to get a scholarship, and thats competition with other kids. Come on, you can be better than the other team. Youre better than them. It doesnt make me feel good. This 9yearold plays soccer. Both of these girls witnessed other players parents behaving badly on the field. It makes me feel a little bad about myself, because i try really hard to do my best. I think its a horrible message. The parents are supposed to be models for the kids. Raise kids with good values, good judgment, good morals, and were supposed to we want to cheer for our kids and be there for our kids. Reporter andrew ship is a counselor and volleyball coach at the school. For kids, being bullied by parents can be devastating. Their ego, sense of worth, sense of being goes downhill. Reporter the issue spurred them to start a special program in which every team appoints one parent to be in charge of good sportsmanship on the sidelines, something dubbed, the parent police. Without programs like this in place, youd like to think that the positive environment would just happen naturally. Unfortunately, thats not the case. Weve seen in so many leagues around the area. Reporter the executive director says the program has been successful so far, and its having a positive impact on the whole league. Its just a game. It doesnt matter if you win or lose. It matters if you have fun. News 4. We have more information about bullying, including where to go to get help on our special changing minds page. On nbcwashington. Com. Good news for the ice cream lovers. Its not the end for the frozen treat tradition in virginia. The freeze shop will not be closing for good. As it was feared. A few weeks ago, the property was sold and the future of the 49yearold business was in doubt. The owners tell news 4 the new landlord is allowing them to operate there for at least another year. So even this winter, go get some ice cream. Thats all for news for this week. Im veronica johnson. Thanks for joining us. We leave you with another look at the Christmas Tree making its journey to the u. S. Capitol from minnesota. The christmas lighting will take place december 2nd. Until next time, be safe, be happy. Goodbye, everybody. Welcome to redskins chronicles. Im larry michael. Each week, we take an indepth look at the teams legacy. Today, we sit down with former redskins linebacker, andre collins. They have a by this week