Veterans who once lived on the streets of d. C. Are now in their own homes. Its a dramatic change and brings the district closer to ending homelessness for not just vets but all residents. Mark segraves reports. Reporter james hill grew up in d. C. And graduated from spingarn high school. He spent six years serving in the army, but in 1990 when he returned from his service, he fell on hard times. I served my country. Reporter hill has been bouncing back and forth from living on the streets to living in shelters. Through it all, hill wasnt one to complain. A shelter is okay but its not your home. Reporter hill said he tried to stay positive year after year even as others in the shelters were getting placed in homes. You just keep praying and praying maybe one day your time will come. Reporter hill finally has a home to call his own thanks to new programs by the bowser administration. It takes time. When youve been in a shelter so many long years, you have to get used to starting over. Reporter hill is not the only vet to move from the streets of d. C. To his own home this year. 680 other vets have been placed in stable housing this year as well. Thats a nearly 50 increase from this time last year. We know what the solutions are. When we focus on them, when we invest in them, an end to homelessness is something we can achieve. Reporter as for hill, he plans on getting his drivers license and enrolling at job training. At age 56, he says hes ready for a fresh start. First christmas, first new years, first everything. Reporter mark segraves, news4. Hundreds of people braved the cold morning air in alexandria this week for a peek into the past. Part of a ships hull was discovered during construction of a new hotel between union and strand streets on the waterfront. City archaeologists who have been on the site throughout the construction believe it dates to the 1700s. The city is very excited to have this discovery made. The fact that this is such an early ship. It looks like a skeleton of, you know, a dinosaur that youd find. So im excited to learn more as they learn more. That ship hull isnt the only thing found on the site during construction. To find out more, search alexandria ship on our nbc washington app. Any d. C. Restaurant that gives you a styrofoam container for your food is now breaking the law. A ban on those containers took effect new years day. The aim is to help keep foam containers from polluting, especially the an costa river and to keep toxic chemicals from getting into our food supply. The department of energy and environment will begin conducting undercover spot checks soon to make sure businesses are complying. Warnings will be issued first and then 100 fines. A local father is hoping a tribute that he built to honor his stepdaughters memory will last through the winter. Its a hockey rink that hes opened up to other Community Members in Montgomery County. But as derrick ward reports, the county is concerned about the rink and its location. Reporter the ice is synthetic, the fun is real. For mark cohen of poolsville, this is a natural way to indulge his lifelong love of the sport. He even coaches it. I thought if i ever get a chance and could have my own place, my own rink, i could have more flexibility. Reporter this rink isnt just about fun. Theres a solemn meaning behind whats going on here. Its also a fitting way to remember his stepdaughter melody. Huge hockey fan. If it was a friday night, wed have pizza and puck nights. That was one of her favorite things. Reporter she shared his passion for hockey right up until her death last july. She was just 35 when she died from a respiratory illness, and the rink is named after her. I just thought the greatest thing would be to do a tribute. Reporter but theres a problem. Cohens property is in an agricultural reserve. Thousands of acres are protected Montgomery County green space. As such, there are limits and rules governing what goes on. Inspectors have already visited and they had an issue with the lighting. I took those down. Reporter its immensely popular with the people of poolsville. They appear to be having a good time. Reporter but the preservation of green space is popular and important too. Jim brown is president of the poolsville town commission. You have to defend the reserve. Reporter there are hopes middle ground can be found. The head of the Licensing Service says they understand the desire to memorialize his daughter, but the rink is being promoted for public use rather than personal use which raises concerns about public safety, Community Impacts and compatibility with the agricultural reserve. For now the rink isnt shut down. County officials want to meet can cohen and hell be happy to do it. Hopes are that this active living memorial isnt on thin ice. Derrick ward, news4. He has spent 40,000 on the rink. Since we visited, the county has asked him to take down a Facebook Page that publicizes the spot and even offered to help him move the rink, but he didnt agree to that. He has started a go fund me campaign to pay for legal expenses. To learn more head to our nbc washington app and search ice rink fundraiser. Well, its a popular place to work out in the morning, but you might have to change your routine. The reason why the national zoo is changing its hours, next. And a workout will cost you a little bit of sweat, but not much else. How d. C. Is making it easier for you to keep up those new years resolutions. You may have to adjust your exercise routine along one of d. C. s most popular paths. The national zoo is shortening its hours. Gates now open two hours later than they used to. They open at 8 00 a. M. And theyll now close at 5 00 in the winter months. Its 7 00 p. M. During the summer. That means a lot of walkers and runners who regularly go through the zoo will have to adjust to that new schedule. Ill have to wait a little, but its really worth it in that its great to walk and see. Today i saw two pandas, two lions, so its a great spot to exercise. Oh, my. The zoo says the changes are for security reasons to limit foot and vehicle traffic during the darker Morning Hours and even during the evening hours. Well, when the why not childrens store first opened, kennedy was president and social media, well, it did not exist. It was social media where most people learned that the Old Town Alexandria fixture will be closing its doors. The owner says she just cant compete with cheaper online retailers anymore. We found lots of people stopping in to buy one last item. You still have time. The store will be open until at least through the end of january. Well, some people who grew likely going to that store are sharing whats most important in their lives. A new survey of 2,000 millennials finds the group sees Community Engagement and volunteering as a way to solve problems rather than politics. They reject institutions, including organized religion, and they get most of their news and information from social media. The survey was done over the summer months by Christopher Newport university. Well, its a Weather Forecast like none other youve ever seen before. Meet an elite group of military meteorologists risking their lives to get muchneeded information for american servicemen and women in the battlefield. Its a way for us to ensure that the forecasts are welcome. How you doin . Good how are you . So today youre gonna choose a mobile office. You can choose this Chevy Silverado which offers built in 4g lte wifi. Or you can choose this ford f150, which doesnt offer wifi. But to make up for it, we added a trailer, a satellite antenna, and dolores. Hey fellas Group Laughter what . So, which one do you want . I pick the chevy. Definitely. Or, get this dependable silverado all star edition with a total value of seven thousand two hundred and fifty dollars. Find new roads at your local chevy dealer. Well, any of us with storm team 4 knows just how difficult some forecasts can be, but there are some in the military that have it really tough. I recently had the honor of traveling to Pope Air Field at ft. Bragg, north carolina, and speaking to the elite group of battlefield meteorologists. They forecast the weather while traveling to some of the most hostile areas around the world. They are the department of defenses elite group of Weather Forecasters with the u. S. Air force. They are trained as Weather Forecasters, but also in many of the same skills required by any special operations soldier. Special operations weather technicians are highly trained meteorologists who provide realtime combat zone weather reports and analysis. They are embedded in every branch of the u. S. Military special operations division, including navy s. E. A. L. S and army rangers. They are the first to head into hostile environments. They provide information to help make the call of go or no go to unit leaders or commanders. They go through a twoyear pipeline considered one of the longest in any branch of service. We train to take advantage of every aspect of the weather that there is tethered to the mission that were on. Youre definitely looking out for specific instances that might help your mission. I traveled with them on a recent training exercise. On this day their mission was to complete a river assessment. They were assigned to get river width, depth, check for obstacles and forecast the weather. Team members learned their roles and responsibilities. We go to those places and collect the data, put that in our forecast which allows other special Operations Forces that are doing current and future operations there to have that data. Each one keeps certain weather instruments on them at all times. I have a handheld laser range finder and i use that to determine cloud height as well as height of obstacles when were doing environmental reconnaissance. In 2011 the mission was to come up with a weather sensor that would withstand harsh conditions along a dangerous winter passage that leads to northern afghanistan. Just a year prior, that pass had been hit several times, killing 160 people. The mission was to construct a weather station that would measure and relay Weather Information to help forecast avalanches. This photo shows them raising the completed weather station. That is what we are skilled in is making those forecasts under pressure, trusting those forecasts and making them as accurate as possible to keep our fellow guys on the ground safe. I asked the special Operations Weather Team what they enjoy most about their job. As you might imagine, it was serving country. They really are among the most highly Trained Personnel in the u. S. Armed forces. Well, many of you made resolutions to mark the start of the new year and now theres some good news. For those who are trying to lose weight in 2016, as tom sherwood reports, d. C. Residents will no longer have to pay a fee to use the citys fitness centers. You didnt put on extra weight just for us, did you . Reporter john was working out in northwest. He and his wife, katherine, were glad for everyone that mayor bowser is eliminating fees for district citizens at all 22 facilities. My wife and i come here three mornings a week to do the boot camp at 6 00 a. M. Reporter vincent cook is here too. He lives in ward 8 where there are no private fitness gyms to even consider. Mayor bowser has decided if youre a district citizen you dont have to pay anything. Thats great. Since im a district taxpayer, i dont see why i have to pay to use my own gym anyway. Reporter as of now they wont pay the 5 daily fee or 125 yearly membership. Barry farm in ward 8 opened this year. Residents are just learning of the free policy. We never had this. So if its free, you have an opportunity to take advantage of it. Do you know what this is. Yes. What is it . Its a fitness ball. Reporter recreation spokeswoman crump said suburbanites will still have to pay fees to use the facility. And go, go, go, go. I know, i need to get going too. If fitness is at the top of your list this new years, we have the thing just for you. The nbc4 fitness expo this weekend. If youre on a budget, dont worry, its free. It includes medical tests, screenings and forms. Its at the Washington Convention center andicks off at 9 00 a. M. This saturday. To learn more download the nbc washington app for scheduled speakers and exhibits. Storm team 4 will be on stage at 12 30 each day answering your questions. I know youve got a lot this winter. The big game is just a day away. Do you have plans . We ask redskins fans what they would do to get into fedex field and a warning your clever moves wont stop the cold and flu. But disinfecting with lysol can. Lysol wipes and spray are approved to kill more types of germs than clorox. To help keep your family healthy, lysol that. Okay. So right now, everyone is saying, hurry you gotta get fios. But why . Well, because theres never been a better time to get a great deal from fios, the Fastest Internet and wifi available. Only fios has speeds from 50 to 500 megs. Because your devices run better on a better internet. And for just 79. 99 a month online, you can get 50 meg fios internet, tv and phone for your first year. Plus with a 2year agreement, fios gives you 400 back, and all of the premium movie channels for a year. This is your last chance. Offer ends january 16th. Get out of the past. Get fios. Usic thunder clatter by wild cub most weekends only last a couple of days. Some last a lifetime. Hampton. We go together. Always get the lowest price, only when you book direct at hampton. Com yourbut the omega3s in fish oil differ from megared krill oil. Unlike fish oil, megared is easily absorbed by your body. Megared. The difference is easy to absorb. Anything good goes fast, right . Well, tickets sold out in just 13 minutes and youll have to dig deep if you want to go to the redskins game tomorrow. It will cost you at least 150 just to get in the door. News4s pat collins caught up with redskins fans to find out what they would do to get into fedex field. Reporter at the redskins store they got the playoff pennants, the playoff tshirts, playoff hoodies, playoff tickets, well, youre on your own there. What would you do to get a ticket to that playoff game . Man, i would do anything. I would run buck naked around this stage one time. Thats how i feel. We doing it big. Reporter you like that, you like that, you like that. Thats my man cousins, thats what he do, right . Reporter what would you do to get a playoff ticket . Id wear this all day long outside. Reporter outside . Outside, today. Reporter just one of your ensembles. Just one of my ensembles, the latest one. Reporter forget the playoff stuff for a minute, you know theyre selling the actual stools the players use in the locker room . And theyre autographed. This is pierre garcons. Its 400. Now this is a seat you can take with you. You going to the game . Yes. Do you have tickets . Yes. Where are they . In section 112. Are you taking somebody . Yes. Who . My brother. You like him . Yes. You like him better than me . Yes. But if he cant make it . Ill call you. Promise . I promise. Joy. My good friend. Give me a hug. And what a game its going to be. Oh, pat collins, we love you. If youre still looking for a couple of tickets, you need to watch out for people selling fakes. The Washington Redskins tells our news4 consumer watch, theyre becoming increasingly concerned about counterfeit tirk tickets and parking passes. The team says make sure you buy your ticket or parking pass from a reputable seller. And if you get one from a friend, make sure you know how that person received it. Dont buy a ticket off the streets or from someone you dont know. Remember, on gameday, its illegal to sell tickets or parking passes within a twomile radius of fedex field. All those tickets and parking passes will be scanned on sunday. The teams Senior Vice President says that any counterfeit or duplicate tickets will be turned away and theyre not eligible for a refund under any circumstance. We want you to have fun, we dont want you to get taken so make sure youre safe. There were some pretty big stories last year. Weve got a list of the most clicked on stories from nbcwashington. Com. Check out our online galleries. Some were heart breaking like the local reporter used as a human shield during a shootout in d. C. Or the tragic annapolis mansion Christmas Tree fire. Others were more lighthearted like the birth of bae bae. Open our app to see the online gallery of the top 28 mostread stories of the year. Well, thats all for news4 this week. Im veronica johnson. We leave you with another look at that ship that was unearthed in alexandria. Until next time, be safe, be kind, be happy. See you at the expo right now on news 4 today, a violent start to the weekend. Several shootings overnight leaving one person dead and Police Digging for answers. Get ready for some big weather changes. Toms tracking heavy rain and gusty winds headed our way. How you can plan ahead, hour by hour. Who is getting that match . 800 million at stake. It all comes down to just six numbers. Seems like nobody can get that six. Thats a lot of money. It is. Good morning, everybody. Im angie goff. Im david culver. Welcome to news 4 today on this saturday, january 9th. Starting off a little cloudy, a little rainy this morning. Coming inside, out of Northern Virginia into d. C. , had a few sprinkles out there,