Two people were trapped after a section of the Westfield Montgomery Mall garage in Bethesda collapsed Thursday afternoon, officials said.

The garage was under renovation at the time.

"[They are] alive and trapped," Assitant Chief Scott Graham told News4.

Graham said officials have spoken to both of the victims.

Emergency Medical Personnel from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore responded to the scene as did 100 other emergency responders.

The garage is reportedly close to the mall's food court.

News4 has Chopper4, crews and reporters on the scene and will update the story throughout the afternoon.

Stay with NBCWashington.com and News4 for more on this breaking news.

D.C. police say another arrest has been made in connection with a drive-by shooting that injured 13 people on N. Capitol Street back in March, but they still need help finding an additional suspect in the case.

Andrew Davon Allen, 19, of Southeast D.C., was arrested Wednesday and charged with assault with intent to kill and conspiracy to commit a crime of violence.

Police say Allen was in one of two cars captured on surveillance video when members were fired upon in the early hours of March 11. The crowd had been gathered outside the Tyler House apartments in the 1200 block of N. Capitol Street.

The surveillance video shows two cars passing the crowd, and flashes of light as shots were fired and victims hit the ground.

Allen is the second suspect to be arrested in the case. Craig Steven Wilson, of Southeast D.C., was arrested March 15. He is being held in a local jurisdiction on unrelated charges.

Police are still searching for a third suspect, Keith Deangelo Bobb.

Bobb, of Northeast D.C., is wanted on charges of assault with intent to kill and conspiracy to commit a crime of violence. Bobb, 21, is about 5'8" and weighs approximately 145 pounds, police said.

Most of the victims -- seven men and six women -- were shot in their extremities and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. One victim was a 17-year-old; the rest were adults.

The most serious injury was in a man who was shot in the back.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Drive-By Shooting Suspect Was Under Surveillance
• Police Seek Persons of Interest in N. Cap. St. Drive-By
• 13 Hurt in Drive-By Shooting in NW DC

A Suitland man is facing an attempted murder charge for assaulting a young child in his care, Prince George's County police say.

Clifton Edward Bernard, 26, admitted to assaulting his girlfriend's 2-year-old son Wednesday morning. The child was taken to an area hospital, where he is listed in critical condition. Police say the child suffered several injuries, including trauma to the head.

Bernard was arrested and charged with attempted murder, first and second degree child abuse and first and second degree assault.

He is being held without bond.

Marylanders households bring in the most income in the United States, reported the Washington Business Journal.

The state's median income for a family of four comes out to $105,348, according to numbers recently released from the Department of Health and Human Services.

It's the first time Marylanders have been named top earners, the Journal reported.

The annual list has typically put Maryland behind Connecticut or New Jersey. However, this year Marylanders' incomes increased more than $3,000 on average.

Virginia ranked sixth, with households earning an average of $90,109, and D.C. is close behind, coming in seventh with a median income of $87,902.

The data is based on three years of Census data.

Three Prince William County schools are on lockdown following a robbery at an area business.

Police were called to the "Check into Cash," located at 12367 Dillingham Square, Thursday after a man armed with a handgun entered and demanded money.

Nearby Lake Ridge Middle School, Woodbridge High School and Old Bridge Elementary School were placed on lockdown due to the police activity. Everyone is safe, but entry is restricted.

It is not known whether the suspect fled the area on foot or in a vehicle. The suspect is described as a black male, 5'9" tall and 150-160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black sweater with red lines, black hat, khaki-colored pants, sunglasses and gloves. 

The former elementary school teacher who was on the FBI's list of most wanted fugitives is due in federal court on a child pornography charge.

Eric Toth is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon in Washington.

He was arrested in Nicaragua last month after five years on the run. The FBI last year added him to its ``Ten Most Wanted'' list to try to drum up attention to the case.

In 2008, Toth was escorted from the campus of Beauvoir, an elementary school on the grounds of the National Cathedral, after another school employee reported finding images of child pornography on a school camera in Toth's possession. He fled before he could be arrested.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Most-Wanted Teacher Appears in Court
• Eric Toth Added to FBI's 10 Most Wanted List
• Former DC Teacher on FBI's Most Wanted List

Your Memorial Day weekend is looking a little cooler than you might have wanted, thanks to some wet weather moving into the area.

A cool front from the west is bringing with it the risk of strong thunderstorms between 3 and 8 p.m. Thursday, said Storm Team 4 Meteorologist Tom Kierein. Some areas could also see damaging winds and hail.

There may be brief periods of heavy rain, which could cause some localized flooding.

Much cooler weather is expected Friday into Saturday, Kierein said.

Two people were injured in a school bus crash in Southeast D.C. Thursday morning.

Two adults and two children were on the bus at the time of the crash in the 500 block of Ridge Road SE. The adults were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening issues. The children were checked at the scene.

D.C. Police say they're investigating the cause of the crash.

A Prince George's County volunteer firefighter injured in a January crash is recovering ahead of schedule, doctors say.

Ryan Emmons, 30, had his right arm severed in the accident, but doctors were able to reattach it.

The West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department posted video on Facebook Wednesday, documenting Emmons' progress. 

"Go, go, go! Look at that... I am so happy," a woman can be heard saying in the video as Emmons moves his fingers.

"Yeah, first time," Emmons replied.

Investigators say the Jan. 30 crash happened as a fire truck was making a U-turn in a cut-through labelled "Emergency Vehicles Only" when it was struck by a tractor-trailer.

The firetruck wasn't using its lights or sirens as it had been returning from an earlier call. Authorities said the truck was still authorized to use the cut-through.

A Jeep was also involved in the collision.

Six other people, including three other firefighters, were also injured in the crash. They've since been released from the hospital.

Fellow firefighters are credited with immediately icing Emmons' severed limb in time to get him to a Baltimore hospital.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Fire Department Investigates Beltway Crash
• 7 Injured, Including 4 Firefighters, in Prince George's Crash

Soldiers will place more than 200,000 flags on graves at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry, also known as "The Old Guard," performs the "flags in" ceremony each year before Memorial Day weekend.

The flags will be removed after Memorial Day.

A similar ceremony will take place on the National Mall Thursday morning. Soldiers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lay wreaths at all three war memorials.

The soldiers will march 24 miles from Fort Belvoir to the National Mall, arriving at the Korean War Memorial around 11:15 a.m. From there, they'll head to the Vietnam Memorial before ending at the World War II Memorial.

For more information on Memeorial Day weekend events in the D.C. area, click here.

The Old Guard was established in 1784 and is the oldest infantry regiment in the country. Its main duties are to lead memorial affairs for fallen soliders and, according to its website, "[conduct] special events to represent the Army, communicating its story to our Nation's citizens and the world."

Soldiers in The Old Guard also serve as watchmen at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arlington National Cemetery.

The Old Guard Association was created in 1997 to connect past and present members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry. It currently has 895 members and has held 14 reunions.

The co-founder of a prominent Northern Virginia swim club will be sentenced Thursday for sexually abusing a student.

Rick Curl pleaded guilty back in February to abusing Kelley Currin 30 years ago. Currin was a swimmer at the  Curl-Burke Swim Club, which Curl co-founded.

Currin says the abuse started when she was 13 and continued for five years. She and her family initially received a settlement, but she broke her silence last year.

Though in many cases media outlets do not name victims of sexual assault or abuse, Currin has spoken out about her case.

Curl faces a maximum of 15 years in prison. He must also register as a sex offender.

He was banned from the sport for life by USA Swimming last fall.

Curl-Burke Swim Club, which has multiple locations in Northern Virginia, had trained thousands of swimmers. The swim team has produced dozens of Olympic swimmers, including 15-year-old 2012 gold medalist Katie Ledecky.

The club -- renamed as the Nation’s Capital Swim Club -- has new owners.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Curl Burke Founder Arrested, Charged With Child Abuse
• Woman Speaks About Alleged Swim Club Sex Abuse
• Former Olympic Swim Coach Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse 

After the death of a 53-year-old D.C. man, the News4 I-Team investigated ambulance delays and why it is taking so long for D.C. Fire & EMS to answer questions about long response times. We went straight to the chief and what we found shines a light on what’s happening inside D.C. FEMS.

Loretta Wheeler told us through good times and bad, she and her husband Derrick raised seven kids while battling his kidney disease and asthma.

"We'd been married 23 years," Loretta said.

On the night of Dec. 6, Derrick started to have trouble breathing.  Loretta said she hit a medical alert button to call 911 at 8:51 p.m.

According to internal documents obtained by the News4 I-Team, 911 dispatched an ambulance one minute later.

At the same time, Loretta’s husband told her, “Loretta, don’t leave me.  I can’t breathe.”  Loretta told him, “’I’m not.’  And the next minute I turn around he’s slumped over.”

Loretta started CPR and hit the button again at 8:55 p.m.

Desperate to save her husband, she continued compressions as minutes ticked by.

Her neighbor called 911 around 8:59 p.m.

Medical experts like the Mayo Clinic say "time is critical" with an "unconscious person who isn't breathing" because "death or permanent brain damage can occur within four to six minutes."

The internal records show the first ambulance showed up 10 minutes after being dispatched. But, that crew did not have a paramedic and couldn't do what's called "Advanced Life Support." 

Instead, the crew took over CPR and called for a second unit. 

It arrived at 9:11 p.m. - 20 minutes after Loretta first called.

D.C. FEMS Chief Kenneth Ellerbe says the units did their job that night.  “They did everything they could to save this man’s life,” he told us.

He said crews worked on the scene for almost an hour to get a pulse before transporting Derrick to Washington Hospital Center, where he was placed on life support. 

The 53-year-old died five days later.

Now, his widow wonders why that first responding ambulance didn't have what it needed to save her husband.  "If I had known there was a problem, I would have been better off driving my husband to the hospital," Loretta explained.

It's the same question the News4 I-Team has been trying to get answers to for more than a year.  We’ve put in several Freedom of Information Act requests for records that would show if there are problems with staffing and equipment.

They've been ignored by D.C. Fire.

The issue came up during a March D.C. Council hearing when Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells asked D.C. FEMS staffers about FOIA problems.  “On March 8, 2013, FOIA requests were sent by a Ms. Tisha Thompson of WRC NBC News,” Wells said during the hearing.  “So, what happened with the requests?”

The staffer responded, “I believe some of those requests were received by mail and they were sitting, literally, in a box unopened."

We asked Chief Ellerbe why it has taken so long to get this information.  He told us, “We've hired a new FOIA officer so hopefully we resolved that issue."

We’re still waiting.

Chief Ellerbe did tell us he wants to make changes to address equipment problems and the paramedic shortage, including a possible shift change, which requires D.C. Council approval.

"If we go from four shifts to three shifts we'll actually have 400 extra bodies that we can spread through three shifts,” Chief Ellerbe explained.  “So, it would take almost 80 people to call in sick before it would begin to affect our operation."

According to D.C. FEMS, there are roughly 39 ambulances on the streets each day but only a third actually carry a paramedic.

Ellerbe said he will have new gear for broken ambulances by this summer and the department is exploring an internal training program for new paramedics.

"Anytime we have these instances that have a negative outcome I take it personal," Ellerbe said.

But for Loretta, not as personal as the families left to wonder if a few extra minutes could have made the difference.

"If they don't let the people know how are we to know how to respond to situations when loved ones are at risk for their lives."

One man died after being run over by an SUV after falling off his motorcycle Wednesday evening.

Metro Police responded to Interstate 295 northbound at the Suitland Parkway exit just before 8 p.m.

The driver of the SUV stayed on scene, and it is unknown if any charges will be filed.

Furloughs have forced the U.S. Park Police to cut officers' overtime hours, which could effectively place some emergency calls on hold -- even as large crowds are expected on the National Mall this Memorial Day weekend.

In a recent letter obtained exclusively by News4, the department's chief told the force his goal is reduce overtime hours. Due to the sequester, Park Police officers will be furloughed at least 14 days, and as many as 22, through September.

"What it means for most people is that they're going to see less officers," said Ian Glick, union representative for the U.S. Park Police Fraternal Order of Police. "There is going to be less officers on patrol. Less officers who are visible, means that there is less deterrent to crime."

Jessica Pezzola, a Baltimore resident who visits D.C. frequently, said she's concerned about security over the upcoming holiday weekend.

"You're going to have a lot more people around here," she said on the National Mall Wednesday. You're going to have to have heightened security."

Reduced coverage could also lead to traffic nightmares, Glick said.

Since traffic accidents are classified as "non-essential" calls, they could put on hold for at least an hour if they occur near a shift change. "The officers who will be responding will be waiting until the next shift," Glick said.

Officers change shifts at 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. -- near both morning and evening rush hours.

Other non-essential calls are classified as:

• Disabled and abandoned vehicles
• Property damage
• Permit disputes
• Animal wildlife incidents
• Minor drug violations

Aside from the usual tourists expected each holiday weekend, thousands of bikers take to the D.C. streets for the the Rolling Thunder motorcycle ride each year on Memorial Day weekend.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton said she opposes the cuts.

"You can not furlough police because by doing so, you furlough public safety," she said.

Norton sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators asking for more funding for federal police in the next fiscal year. She's still waiting for a response.

MORE MEMORIAL DAY COVERAGE:

• Memorial Day Travel Tips
• Memorial Day Events in the D.C. Area
• 'Old Guard' Honors Fallen With 200K Flags
• On The Road to the Beach: Delaware Beaches
• On The Road to the Beach: Ocean City

ALSO SEE:

• DC to Cut Bus Driver Hours Or Furlough Workers
• FAA: Air Traffic System Soon at Full Operation
• Congress Moves to End Furloughs for Air Traffic Controllers
• FAA's Reprieve: "Devastating Indictment" of Washington
• Norton’s Bill Would Tie Congressional Pay to Spending Cuts
• U.S. Park Police Facing Furloughs 

Police arrested eight protesters Wednesday in the lobby of a D.C. law firm where Attorney General Eric Holder was once a partner. 

Covington and Burling represented banks accused of foreclosure fraud.

The protesters are upset the Justice Department is not prosecuting big banks for foreclosing on homes. They are demanding accountability for what they call a "revolving door" between government and Wall Street interests.

The protesters chanted, “The banks got bailed out, we got sold out.” 

Seven protesters were charged with unlawful entry. One protester was charged with assaulting a police officer.

Alexandria police are investigating a robbery at the TD Bank at 119 S. Washington St. in Alexandria, Va.

A man entered the bank about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, handed the teller a note implying he had a weapon and demanded money. The teller gave an undisclosed amount of cash to the man, who ran from the bank.

No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Criminal Investigations Section of the Alexandria Police Department at 703-746-6711.

A man accused of peeping into a home in Manassas is under arrest.

Police said Milton Sorto was hiding in a tree Friday night and looking into a residence in the 10200 block of Calypso Drive.

A woman called police to report a man in the tree outside her bedroom window.

Police arrested Sorto as he was climbing out of it.

He's being held pending bond.

The Republican lieutenant governor nomination of outspoken conservative black minister E.W. Jackson, who has compared Planned Parenthood to the Ku Klux Klan, has alarmed black elected leaders in Virginia, all of them Democrats.

Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, also an African-American pastor, bristled at online videos of Jackson drawing analogies to the Klan and to his assertion that the Democratic Party is a latter-day slave master to black voters.

Said Jones, ``Let me be clear right now: nothing is like slavery.''

Bill Euille, the black mayor of Alexandria, voiced amazement that such statements could even be an issue in 2013.

But former Del. Winsome Sears, an evangelical businesswoman and the first black Republican woman elected to the Virginia House, says some black Christians share Jackson's beliefs but don't use his rhetoric.
 

A man used a Taser in a robbery in Georgetown Tuesday night.

The man approached the victim from behind in the 1500 block of 34th Street NW – four blocks from busy M Street – about 10 p.m. and stunned the victim with a Taser.

The man took a cell phone, pocket change and a wallet, police said.

The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

A 37-year-old elephant previously residing in Baton Rouge will be reuniting with another elephant he was raised with in Sri Lanka.

According to National Zoo officials, Bozie, an Asian elephant, arrived at the zoo this week. She will be reuniting with 38-year-old Shanthi. The two elephants lived in Sri Lanka briefly at the Elephant Orphanage department of Wildlife Conservation before being transported to North America.

Bozie will be joining two other elephants at the National Zoo; Shanthi's 11-year-old Kandula and 65-year-old Ambika.

“Social interaction is key to an elephant’s mental and physical well-being,” Don Moore, associate director of Animal Care Sciences, said. “We do everything we can to encourage these natural social bonds. I’m so jazzed for our herd and elephant team!”

Keepers said it will be some time before Bozie is on exhibit with the rest of the herd.

Fairfax County police are investigating a report of three men allegedly robbing two men at a home in the 3700 block of North Rosser Street in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday morning.

A 24-year-old from Maryland told police three men woke him about 2 a.m. and demanded money. Two of the men had handguns, according to police.

The suspects took an undisclosed amount of cash, jewelry and electronics.

Another victim, a 45-year-old Alexandria man, was also inside the home. Neither victim was injured.

As the men fled, a victim heard a female voice that appeared to be with them, but she was never seen.

Investigators do not believe this was a random crime.

If you have information regarding this incident you are asked to call Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477 or Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Those who dream of citizenship are pushing for comprehensive immigration reform as immigration lawyers prepare to see a surge of clients in the coming weeks.

Ayuda Executive Director Jaime Farrant told News4 phones are ringing off the hook at their northwest D.C. location.

"We had a week where we tracked more than 100 calls in one week, just on this bill," Farrant said.

His company received a similar amount of business in the late 1980s when El Salvadorians were granted temporary protected status. Farrant said the passage of immigration reform this year will likely lead to even more business.

"I am the mother of three citizen boys that are teenagers who we are living with in the hope that with immigration reform, I can enter in that way," undocumented immigrant Evelyn Hernandez said.

Just as there's hope for undocumented immigrants, there's also those who make false promises for big bucks.

"People hear that people have to get in line and people say, 'Well if you pay me now, you can get in front of the line,'" Farrant said. "People are actually paying when that's absolutely a lie. It's a fraud."

The Senate is set to vote on the bill next week.

Officials took to Great Falls Wednesday to remind residents of the potentially deadly dangers of jumping into the Potomac River.

Three Sterling, Va. residents who jumped into the Potomac and had to be rescued were at the news conference at the Falls as well.

"I've been scared many times in my life, but not like this," Devon Cox told News4.

Cox and his friends jumped into a seemingly calm part of the river.

"The current caught up to us anyway. It was not calm," Cox recalled. " We are working hard right now to move on, but we won't forget about it."

Fairfax County Fire and Rescue officials just happened to be practicing water training near the scene when they saw Cox struggling in the rapids.

"The whole time it looked like he was trying to grab a ladder," Tom Barnes with Fairfax Fire and Rescue said. "We just snatched his hand and threw him right in the boat. It was divine intervention, I guess you could say."

But not everyone is as lucky as Cox and his friends. More than half of the injuries from the Potomac are deadly.

"I was an elite swimmer growing up and there would be no way I could swim across this," Potomac Paddlers Volunteer Corps member Chuck Thornton said.

Amazon Web Service, Inc., will be expanding to Fairfax County, creating 500 new IT jobs in the area.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Wednesday that the company will establish an office in Herndon, Va., to provide cloud computing services to businesses, government and educational organizations.

"Amazon Web Services is a global, universally known company that has a significant Virginia presence as a strong corporate partner and employer," McDonnell said in a press release. "Adding a new office in Fairfax County allows the company close proximity to its IT and government customers in Virginia, and creates 500 highly technical jobs."

The company announced Tuesday it had received authority to operate under a government program designed to streamline cloud computing services, the Associated Press reported.

A $500,000 grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund will assist the project.

Amazon Web Services launched in 2006 and provides a cloud infrastructure for government agencies and startup businesses.

"[Amazon Web Service]'s continued growth throughout Virginia is a strong testament to the business climate, available workforce and cost of operations in the Commonwealth," said Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jim Cheng.

Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker asked Alvin Crawley to extend his contract as interim superintendent, Prince George's County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins reported.

Crawley's resignation is effective June 3.

He resigned following Baker's school system takeover. Under the new regulations, Baker will hear recommendations from a three-member search committee appointed by Gov. Martin O'Malley and then pick three finalists for the county's superintendent position, renamed CEO of Prince George's County Public Schools.

All three candidates for the position, including Crawley, withdrew their names from consideration.

Follow Tracee Wilkins on Twitter

Police say two men have been arrested on several charges of child pornography possession.

Carlos A. Salazar, Jr. of Manassas was arrested May 16 in Fairfax following an 8-month investigation. Salazar is facing 10 charges of child pornography possession and one charge of distribution of child pornography.

Steven J. McGibney was arrested after a 6-month investigation in Dumfries May 16. He was arrested on seven charges of possession of child porn.

Salazar is behind bars without bond, while McGibney has been placed under a secured $10,000 bond.

Both men are due in juvenile and domestic relations court.

A Maryland program that helps high school students graduate with an associate's degree is being expanded.

Legislation funding the expansion of the Early College Innovation Fund passed in Gov. Martin O'Malley's 2013 legislative session.

The proposed partnerships between Maryland public school systems and higher education institutions would be modeled after the Academy of Health Sciences at Prince George's Community College, a middle college high school.

The school, which is the result of a partnership between Prince George's County Public Schools and Prince George's Community College, is Maryland's most successful early college high school. After four years, students graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate's degree in health, science, technology, science or math. Upon completion, graduates can enroll in one of Prince George's Community College's Health Sciences Clinical programs or continue their studies at a four-year college or university.

O'Malley toured the academy Wednesday, Prince George's County Bureau Chief Tracee Wilkins reported.

"We have to do a better job of maximizing our resources and giving our kids a running shot at getting to college or getting that two-year degree," O'Malley said.

Many of the students at the academy are considered at risk and likely would not have the opportunity to attend college had they stayed in a mainstream high school.

"They are a great group of students," Prince George's Community College President Dr. Charlene Dukes said. "They're eager. They're passionate about their coursework and what their career goals are. We're just happy to be a part of it."

School systems hoping to form similar partnerships would apply for competitive grants.

The state hopes through initiatives like this 55 percent of Maryland residents, between the ages of 25 to 64, will at least hold an associate's degrees by 2025.

More than 100 teachers and staff at two D.C. public schools will have to reapply for their jobs.

School system officials on Monday told teachers and staff at Cardozo High School and Patterson Elementary that they will be reconstituted for the next school year.

The process is a tool under the federal No Child Left Behind law to turn around low-performing schools. Both have struggled with low test scores.

In a statement, Chancellor Kaya Henderson says officials determined both schools need a fresh start. Teachers tell The Washington Post they were blindsided.

They say trying to improve test scores by replacing staff is simplistic and ignores the schools' serious challenges. Cardozo was reconstituted with a staff shakeup in 2008. Since then, test scores have improved only marginally.

A Prince George's County man accused in a 2011 drunk driving accident that killed three people has been found guilty on all 16 counts against him.

Harry Easter, 36, was convicted Wednesday of three counts of manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and other traffic violations.

He now faces up to 33 years in prison.

The jury reached a verdict after about 90 minutes of deliberations, reported News4's Chris Gordon.

Easter's bond has been revoked and he was taken into custody following the reading of the verdict. He will be sentenced July 18.

During his trial, the prosecution said Easter had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 -- three times the legal limit -- at the time of the crash on Indian Head Highway in Oxon Hill, Md., on June 5, 2011.

Prosecutors also said Easter hit speeds of up to 89 mph and didn't apply the brakes before crashing his GMC Yukon into the back of a Mazda, reported News4's Chris Gordon.

In closing arguments, Easter's lawyer told the jury that the prosecutor made a colossal assumption that Easter was the one behind the wheel of the Yukon at the time of the crash.

But the prosecutor argued that Easter admitted to a police officer, "I was driving. I was drinking. I was coming from the club."

The Mazda's driver, Eugene Johnson, and sisters Cordelia Roberts and Gwendolyn Demby were killed in the crash. Demby's husband, Timothy, was seriously injured but survived the crash, and testified against Easter.

He said he remembered looking back to check on his wife and her sister, only to see they'd both been ejected from the vehicle

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• Survivor in Drunk Driving Crash Testifies

With so many sites honoring the sacrifices military members make, it can be difficult to decide just what to do on Memorial Day in Washington. The region's history makes for plenty of events, both fun and meaningful:

The National Memorial Day Parade will march for the ninth year on the National Mall, starting on Memorial Day at 2 p.m. from the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street and traveling west along Constitution to 17th Street. The parade, which includes military units and marching bands, honors veterans from American wars as far back as World War II. The event is free and open to the public. Nearby Metro stations include Smithsonian and Federal Triangle on the Blue/Orange Lines and Archives/Navy Memorial on the Green/Yellow Lines.

The Rolling Thunder Run has been a D.C. tradition for more than 25 years, after simple beginnings to recognize soldiers who had been left behind. Bikers from around the country rally to support veterans with events all weekend, including a "Ride for Freedom" starting from the Pentagon on Sunday at noon. On Memorial Day,, the motorcyclists will honor veterans at Arlington National Cemetery and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Arlington National Cemetery will honor veterans with wreath-laying ceremonies throughout the weekend, including the National Memorial Day Observance at the Tomb of the Unknowns, which  begins at 11 a.m. Monday. The event and parking are both free. At 4 p.m., a ceremony featuring the scattering of rose petals will be held at the Women's Memorial. More details about this weekend can be found on their website.

The National Memorial Day Concert will be hosted by entertainers Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna and begins Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m. on the West Lawn of the Capitol building. Performers include "The Voice" singer Chris Mann and Tony award winner Alfie Boe, as well as military bands and singers. In addition, the concert will be streamed live online.

Hometown Holidays Rockville will host their Memorial Day ceremony in the Rockville Town Square. The Rockville Concert Band and Rockville Chorus will perform followed by a 21-gun salute presentation by American Legion Post 86 at 9:30 a.m. The 69th Memorial Day Parade will kick off from Martins Lane and North Washington Street beginning at 10:30 a.m.

ViVa Vienna will hold a huge family-friendly community celebration this Memorial Day. Located at 245 Maple Ave W in Vienna, Va., guests can enjoy rides, music, crafts, food, and over 300 vendors Saturday through Monday. The best part -- admissions is free!

The Sunset Celebration at Mount Vernon invites you to sip wine while watching the sun set over George Washington's home. This rare event will give visitors a chance to take an evening tour of the mansion, enjoy 18th century music, and eat desserts available for purchase on the lawn. The event will be held this Saturday and Sunday  from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for children ages 6-11. Children five and under are free.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson wants to do away with the city's gas tax.

According to The Washington Post, Mendelson wants to replace the 23.5 cent tax with an 8.3 percent tax on wholesale gas and diesel. Mendelson (D) cites the fuel efficiency of newer model vehicles as the reason why the wholesale tax is needed.

“When you go out and buy a Ford Focus, your gas mileage is better than it was with your old Range Rover, so you buy less gas,” Mendelson told The Post. “This removes the volatility from our gas tax.”

But the proposal doesn't mean a drop in prices at the pump. With gas distributors likely passing on the added cost, customers probably won't notice a change.

Mendelson says his plan, which was inserted into Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2014 budget proposal, will help the city gauge how much money it will make from fuel.

NBC4 will be holding a telethon Thursday in response to the Moore, Okla. tornado to help the city begin its recovery process.

Viewers can call the station at 202-885-4949, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday to be connected to a Red Cross representative and donate money to the cause.

“We got a lot of requests and questions from viewers asking how they can help,” said NBC4 Assistant News Director Matthew Glassman. “This is a true community effort.”

The station has held similar telethons in the wake of tragedies like Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake. Just about every department at NBC4 will be involved with the telethon, Glassman said.

“NBC4 has been aggressively reporting on the tornado,” he said. “[News4 reporter] Erika Gonzalez has been in the region. [Storm Team 4 Meteorologist] Chuck Bell has been providing us with special coverage from here. Through the worldwide resources of NBC News, we have been covering the damages live and consistently.”

The telethon will be broadcast during the station’s News4 Midday show from 11 a.m. to noon, and during its news shows between 4 and 7 p.m. Anyone looking to contribute can call 202-885-4949 for information on helping the people of Moore.

“Whenever we do these, the viewers respond,” said Glassman.

MORE WAYS TO HELP:

• How to Help Victims of the Oklahoma Tornado

The controversial Republican lieutenant governor candidate, E.W. Jackson, is defending his past statements on social issues, which have been called hateful and radical in the wake of his unexpected nomination.

Jackson is a Chesapeake-based minister and lawyer who has never held public office. He has been criticized for his past extreme comments, including comparing Planned Parenthood to the KKK and stating his belief that there was a direct link between homosexuality and pedophilia.

At a campaign stop in Fredericksburg Tuesday, Jackson said:

"I think that it’s incumbent upon people to understand the values that emanate from folks,” Jackson told reporters, according to the Free Lance-Star. “I say the things I say because I’m a Christian. It’s not because I hate anybody. But because I have religious values that matter to me. So attacking me because I adhere to those principles is attacking every churchgoing person, every family that’s living a traditional, family life, everybody that believes we all deserve to live. I don’t have anything to rephrase or apologize for. People should not paint me as one dimensional. I have a whole lot of concerns.”

Although GOP gubernatorial nominee Ken Cuccinelli has not commented on any of Jackson’s comments or views specifically, he did support him as a potential lieutenant governor.

"I don't need to know what the subject matter that's going to tie up 20-20 that the LG can vote on will be. I'm confident that we're going to get the right vote every single time out of E.W. Jackson," Cuccinelli said of the minister. "So I'm glad he's on this ticket, too." 

IN OTHER NEWS:

* D.C. Public Schools spent $18,475 per student in fiscal 2011, more than any state outside of New York. (Washington Examiner)

* Gov. O’Malley co-hosted a fundraiser Tuesday for New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, further fueling speculation for 2016. (Washington Post)

* Another look at Virginia’s GOP lieutenant governor nominee, E.W. Jackson, and what it means for Cuccinelli. (The New Republic)

* As the Curator’s Office, one of D.C.’s premiere contemporary art galleries, leaves the 14th street corridor, the center of the D.C.’s art scene appears to shift. (Washington City Paper)

* New McAuliffe ad spotlights a bipartisan transportation effort. (Virginian-Pilot)

* Mayor Gray says the District will help Oklahoma “in any we can.” (Washington Examiner) 

An Arlington County sheriff's deputy is on administrative leave following a fatal shooting in Alexandria.

Off-duty Deputy Craig Patterson, a 17-year veteran with the sheriff's office, got into a dispute with 22-year-old Julian Dawkins on the corner of Lynnhaven Drive and Evans Lane around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, Alexandria police said.

At some point during the dispute, Dawkins was shot. Police said Patterson stayed on scene, but Dawkins was pronounced dead at an area hospital.

The area where Dawkins was shot was just four houses down from Dawkins' aunt's home, where the family was celebrating his cousin Tierra Ruffin-Pratt's contract with the WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Dawkins is a graduate of T.C. Williams High School.

One woman, who asked to not be identified, said she heard the shot and the argument that proceeded it.

"The man ran down the street yelling, 'I'll be back. You best believe I'll be back.' ...maybe about three, four minutes later, I heard one 'pop'...I rushed outside, and I saw a young man laying in the people's yard not moving, not breathing, not nothing..."

Patterson called 911 and reported the shooting. Police say the gun used was Patterson's service weapon.

Dawkin's mother, Gwenetta Pratt-Miller, said she's been told very little about her son's death.

"Something ain't right, something ain't right...something is definitely not right," she lamented.

Investigators say there's no indication of a prior connection between Patterson and Dawkins.

Patterson was questioned by police and released. No charges have been filed at this time.

Alexandria police say their investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Dawkins' great uncle was Nolan Dawkins, the first African American Circuit Court judge in Alexandria.

Dawkins worked as a shuttle driver for PBS NewsHour, which released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:

The PBS NewsHour and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions learned this morning that our shuttle driver, Julian Dawkins, was fatally shot last night in Alexandria, VA.  Julian had worked for the NewsHour since June 2010. He was a valued member of the NewsHour’s staff and a friend to all who knew him. “Julian was a hard-worker and very dedicated to the NewsHour,”  said Linda Winslow, Executive Producer. “We are deeply saddened by the news of Julian’s death and our condolences, thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Memorial Day, coming up this weekend, is for remembering those who have died fighting for our country. Veterans Day in November honors all who have served.

Your Notebook was a reluctant Naval reservist who in the late 1960s served his active duty here at the Washington Navy Yard. It’s how we first fell in love with local Washington, if not the strict rules of military service.

But the Notebook’s extended family has a far more distinguished military record.

It began in World War II when the Notebook’s uncle, 2nd Lt. Leslie Peyton Turner, served as a bombardier over France and Germany. Turner’s plane was part of the 783rd Bomb Squadron, 465th Bomb Group, 15th Army Air Force. It was shot down over Germany. Peyton was one of seven crewmen who died.

After the plane was shot down, a German priest gathered their remains and buried them properly. Peyton’s father, upon hearing the news, suffered a heart attack and died months later.

The little town of Haselbach, Germany, is hosting a memorial this summer for the crew members. Your Notebook’s brother -- retired Army officer Ed Sherwood, who lives outside of Atlanta and did the journeyman work to chronicle this family history -- will represent the family at this summer's memorial. Peyton’s memory lives on in the person of Peyton Sherwood, your Notebook’s son, who proudly carries the name.

But this is only one small part of one family’s brush with war and service.

“Many don’t know or remember the war’s cost in human lives,” writes Ed Sherwood in an article about this one bomber crew. “The [Haselbach] memorial and the crew’s legacy to their families and new generations of Americans and Germans embody the very meaning of Memorial Day — lives given that we may know freedom from tyranny. We have a duty to remember them. Their story lives on.”

Now, proceed with your weekend barbecues, baseball games and shopping. But remember for a moment that our freedoms were purchased. And the price was -- and always will be -- steep.

■ John Wilson remembered. A few former staffers and friends of the late D.C. Council chairman gathered Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Prince George’s County, just over the District line.

They stood around Wilson’s grave marker in the rain, telling heartwarming and funny stories about the civil rights worker and longtime Ward 2 council member who took his own life 20 years ago Sunday. Many thought Wilson would have become mayor in 1994 and rewritten the city’s future. He suffered from depression, but he didn’t suffer fools easily.

Thanks to city activist Marie Drissel for prompting the little gathering Sunday.

■ And then there were two(+). Next year’s mayor’s race is picking up a lot of steam this year.
Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells this past weekend joined Ward 4’s Muriel Bowser in the mayoral boxing ring for the April 1, 2014, Democratic primary.

Look for Ward 2’s Jack Evans to jump into the race in a couple of weeks.

Former City Administrator Robert Bobb also is asking around — privately, so far — about mounting a possible campaign.

At-large Council member David Catania continues to eye a possible independent run in the November election.

Mayor Vincent Gray remains intent on running, barring some unpleasant (for Gray) action from U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen.

Though the official election is not until next year, candidates must begin collecting signatures in December to qualify in January for the spring ballot.

■ The Wells rollout. Wells took to the rainy city streets for his announcement Saturday. He arrived aboard a regularly scheduled bus for his rally at the intersection of H Street and Benning Road NE.
It was a good way for Wells to emphasize his transportation credentials with a common flair. Wells has been one of the council’s principal proponents of bike lanes and public transit.

But like most local candidates, Wells began his speech with an attack on the city’s ethics problems, saying there is a “crisis of ethics” in city politics.

Wells also addressed other matters, pledging to cut in half juvenile crime within two years and to provide high-performing elementary schools throughout the city that citizens “can walk to.”

Wells was standing on one corner of the revitalized H Street shopping and entertainment district. He said he wanted to make sure the whole city is “affordable, livable and walkable.” The word “affordable” was added only recently to the Wells mantra. It addresses the fears that gentrification is causing in some African-American and Latino neighborhoods.

Wells is white. There has been no white mayor of Washington since home rule began in 1974. But demographics and political issues are changing.

Your Notebook noted only one gaffe by Wells. He failed to introduce his wife, Barbara, from the stage. She stood quietly in the rain holding an umbrella. When the Notebook pointed this out, a chagrined Wells told us that his speech notes had gotten wet and he had mistakenly skipped over her.

Being part of the media, we had a nasty follow-up question. Did he need a note to remind him to introduce his wife? Having served our duty as the grating press, we let him move on to greet friendlier people.

Tom Sherwood, a Southwest resident, is a political reporter for News 4.

An 18-year-old Silver Spring man was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison for holding up a hotel party with a sawed-off shotgun.

Investigators said a woman rented a room at the Homewood Suites Hotel on Colesville Road in Silver Spring for a party Jan. 25. She let Jackson Julius into the room, believing him to be another guest.

However, prosecutors say that once Julius entered the room, he pulled out a sawed-off shotgun, held up the party-goers, and stole personal items, cash, phones and other electronics.

He was arrested shortly after the incident trying to get on a bus at the intersection of University Boulevard and Veirs Mill Road.