>> as they stepped off the plane and back into freedom, they carried with them the emotions of nearly five months in captivity. >> the past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart wrenching times of our lives. >> her voice quivering, she talked about the moment and the women realized they were finally going home. >> we fear that at any moment, we could be sent to a hard labor camp. >> instead, communist officials took the journalists to a different location. >> when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president bill clinton. [applause] we were shocked. but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our

lives was finally coming to an end. >> the former president made the trip to california where he was greeted by his vice-president al gore who founded the network the women were working for when they were taken into custody. >> it speaks well for our country when it to american citizens are in harm's way, so many people would just put things aside and go to work to make sure that this has had a happy ending. >> president obama shared in the joy from the white house. >> we are obviously extraordinarily relieved. >> but this day is not about the fanfare with the politicians, it is about to families that are finally whole again. >> to be able to look into her eyes again today was absolutely indescribable. >> we are learning a bit more

now about the time that the women were locked away in north korea. they were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor but whenever taken to a work camp. >> for more reaction to the release and to read up on their backgrounds, you can log on to a website and also leave your comments. >> mayor sheila dixon has a new trial date in her corruption case. at a court hearing, her attorneys continue to fight to have the charges dropped. john sherman joins us live with the reaction. >> the judge agreed to wipe out the old charges in the old motions he put in place. a new trial date was set. with the mayor away on vacation, her defense team was in court

today, the judge threw out the old case in motions and set a new calendar for the case to go to trial. >> it was not unexpected. we certainly were happy to get the early trial date of november 9. >> we are going to deal with the case with the schedule that has been set. >> we are going to get a little bit more discovery under the new charges. we expect we will be filing a new motion with respect to the grand jury. >> the new schedule is as follows. september 8, september 18, and a hearing on all of those motions will fall on september 30. the trial will start on november 9. >> i think the grand jury

returned the indictment again. i don't think there is any problem. >> it is certainly possible any case that further delays will be on the way, throwing that new calendar off. >> anne arundel county police have made an arrest in the july 15 murder of a glen burnie man. gordon's body was found inside of a home. he had been shot to death. the shooter fled to florida surely after the murder and was arrested july 21 and extradited back to maryland yesterday. >> the value of maryland's public pension fund has fallen more than 20% over the past year the stock and investment held by the system hit a peak

of $40.9 billion in 2007, but state officials say it shrank. the state could dedicate more money to cover the costs. i-team reporter david collins has details coming up at 6:00. with his approval polls on the economy heading downward and many of his fellow democrats being heckled, president obama announced more stimulus grants and fired back with the democratic party is calling the mobs. >> president obama went through indiana to announce more stimulus projects, grants to build electric trucks and the batteries. >> all made right here in the u.s. of day. right here in america. >> when mr. obama came to here

in february, kicking off the stimulus plan, unemployment was 15.3%. now it is 16.8%. more americans are telling pollsters that they feel left out. president obama told nbc he is aware. a problem that he is trying to fix. >> rescued the economy from the brink, and you are starting to see unemployment dropped a little bit. >> protesters are interrupting democratic events. upstate new york, house majority leader. pennsylvania senate democrat arlen specter. >> we have to make adjustments and very fast. >> in an advertisement, the

democratic party claims the destructions are organized by republican leaders. >> they have called out the mob. >> president obama took a shot. >> suddenly they are blaming the other folks. >> he is sending out his vice president and cabinet officials to give a lot more stimulus funds and talk up recovery. republicans are urging conservatives to dog every democrat to confront them on the economy and on health care. >> it is a dangerous trend on waterways. more voters have been killed so far this year than in all of last year -- more boaters have been killed so far this year than in all of last year. several factors contributed to the deaths. the state could be on its way to

its deadliest year since 2005. >> a couple of weather systems approaching that. this afternoon, but so far, no big threat of rain in our immediate vicinity. up to the north of us, there is a cold front dropping down out of pennsylvania. what is more important for our area is that area of low pressure that is developing. numerous showers and storms now. i think that will be the main weather element coming up from the south and west tomorrow, increasing our rain chances as we head into the day tomorrow. you might be able to get outside and enjoy a decent summer evening and then those brain chances increase. >> a series of water main breaks

is creating a headache for drivers in north baltimore. sky team 11 was over one of those breaks yesterday. we have been told that that break has been fixed. however, workers discovered a new water main break today. >> we strongly encourage people to pay attention to all the signs that we have come up all of the cones that we have, and follow directions to get to the intersection. >> here is the good news. both of those water main breaks have been prepared but workers need to finish both of those spots. >> several high school students are facing criminal charges. the state fire marshal's office say three students from a rival school are to blame at a fire at middletown high school that damaged the football field. kim cayce has the latest on the

crime that authorities are not doing as a high school prank. >> the three brunswick students are facing charges of first- degree malicious burning and malicious destruction of property all for a robbery that went way too far. -- for a rivalry that went way too far. an area at the 50-yard line was scorched. >the play clock and scoreboard were also damaged. police made three arrests, 17- year-old boys, won a football player, charged as juveniles for the crime. >> i was really shocked. especially because it was brunswick students. >> i have always heard that middletown high school does not think much of it.

>> it will cost the schools insurance $20,000 to fix. the suspects said they did it because they were unhappy and simply wanted to cause damage. the student should not be affected. >> we have a great group of students and staff and community that will probably rally around it and move on with business as usual. >> the astroturf and the scoreboard or just a year old. they were installed last year with community donations. more at 6:00. >> still ahead, a shooting spree as people worked out at a pittsburgh gen. >>-- at a pittsburgh gym. >> a woman with a rare form of breast cancer sacrifices her

body in the search for a cure. >> yoga could help you drop those last couple of pounds. we will explain. >> this is one of 15 animals brutally attacked by a pit bull in july. we will take you back to the farm where it happened

>> baltimore county police have been new weapon in the fight against crime.

a computer system used to geo- map crimes and accidents. they can concentrate on enforcement and the highly visible. >> we found to our crime analysis that there was a strong correlation between areas that had significant levels of criminal incidents and traffic crashes along a number of highly travelled corridors in baltimore county. >> that new system has helped identify 16 new hot spot locations around the county. >> some not so good news for back pain sufferers. a common procedure to relieve back pain may not work any better than a placebo. two studies published compared a procedure in which people are

injected in the spine compared to a placebo procedure. researchers found patients who underwent both procedures at similar levels of pain relief and improvement in function after surgery. this does not mean the surgery does not work. but the improvements could be partly from local anesthesia and patients' expectations. determining the best treatment for breast cancer is not always simple. the story of a breast cancer survivor who is willing to try new drugs. >> this 50-year-old is feeling well enough to use a cane instead of a walker. she has a triple-breast cancer -- she has triple

negative breast cancer. patients have fewer treatment options. >> unfortunately, it is very frustrating and a scary because it is a higher grade, faster growing cancer. >> many respond well to chemotherapy, but she has already had an occurrence. the cancer is more likely to spread to other organs. >> the only way we are going to get new and better drugs is to go on a clinical trial. >> this doctor says a new class of drugs currently being tested may offer women new hope. >> to help prevent these cancers from coming back, this is our goal. >> i have learned to cancer that without all of us working together, we are not going to find the answer. we all have to be a part of it. >> she has such a spirit, she is

not going to give up. i love her for it. she is very strong. that is my lady. >> i have nephews, nieces, and a lot of work to do. i want to be around for a million years. >> doctors say the earlier the breast cancer is detected, the better your chances of overcoming the disease. adding yoga to your weight-loss regimen might help you lose some extra pounds not just because of the physical exercise but it can teach you something called mind fullness. meaning, they stopped eating when they are full of rather than mindlessly snacking throughout the day. >> now, your 11 insta-weather

plus forecast with tom tasselmyer. >> not much of a shower chance in our immediate vicinity. it does not look like we will pick up much here for the next couple of hours. the showers have stayed to our north, south, and west. the main threat is coming at us in two parts. over at the pocono is banned in new york and new england. the more substantial area of shower activity is down to our south and west, bringing rain into roanoke and into west virginia. there's showers are working east and northeast. our main threat comes from the south with an area of low pressure. in the meantime, temperatures have been able to warm up. the elevation and the cloud

cover is holding temperatures in the 70's. temperatures are well up into that 80's. pretty normal for this time of year. 92 degrees at ocean city. mostly cloudy skies, some enormous showers popping up overnight. -- some enormous showers popping up overnight. -- some hit-or-miss showers popping up overnight. the sun sets at 8:14. temperatures are in the low 70's. there is the front dividing that cool air near the great lakes. if you watch closely on our satellite imagery, you will see those bright clouds with an area of low pressure that is developing. that is what is bringing the area of more concentrated showers. as those to work through

tomorrow morning, the rain chances will increase and little bit. eastern shore of southern maryland and coastal areas. the mountains will probably get through with a dry day tomorrow. showers south and east of baltimore. everybody gets in on the sunny skies for friday. as we head into friday and the weekend, we will crank up the heat and humidity. 77 to 82 degrees tomorrow. the temperatures will be held down a little bit tomorrow. on the chesapeake bay, bay water temperatures are in the low 80's. 81 with scattered showers and storms tomorrow. almost 90 on saturday, and then here comes the heat. highs each day of around 95. >> still ahead, the latest on the search for answers after a

gunman opened fire at a pennsylvania fitness club. >> big news for "american idol" fans. >> new details on the michael jackson investigation. >> do you have any bright ideas? the governor wants to (announcer) when verizon brings 100% fiber optics straight to your home,

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>> the search for answers continues after a man opened fire inside of a pittsburgh fitness center. >> the shooter might have left some clues behind in a blog. >> authorities in pennsylvania reveal more details about the victims of the fitness club shooting rampage, and the man that carried it out. the 48-year-old left behind troubling evidence for more than nine months. he left behind a blog. his status -- never married. he complained he never had a girlfriend since 1984 and the 30 million women in the united states did not find him attractive. he said he tried a similar attack by chickened out.

authorities say there is little anybody could have done to stop him despite his detailed blueprint on the internet. >> he blames everybody. >> this neighbor said he thought he knew him. he seemed like a quiet man. >> a very private person. i would see him coming and going. >> when i was on the floor, i felt the first bullet on my left shoulder then about 30 seconds later, i felt the second in my back. >> meanwhile, people are coming one by one to pay their respects, trying to make their peace with what happened. troubling questions and even more troubling answers about a shooting rampage and why it happened. local authorities are looking for anyone that may have read his blog before the shooting.

>> there are new details tonight in the michael jackson case. the king of pop's father wants to have a part in raising his children. the coroner now claims they know what drugs were inside michael jackson's system. court papers also revealed authorities are looking into several doctors, but dr. conrad mary remains the focus of the investigation. >> do you think doctors to prescribe medication that should not have should be responsible? >> [inaudible] >> what do you think michael jackson's level of responsibility is? >> if he was in that much pain, he should've said something to other people than just his doctors. >> a judge will decide on monday

whether his concert promoter can release dress rehearsal footage, which a lot of people would want to see. >> there is much more to come. >> sonia sotomayor, the vote is expected this week. coming up, find out how many republicans are planning to support her. cox a decision on one woman's fight to put a wind turbine on the roof of her home. >> wbal tv viewers come together to save the police -- the mounted police unit. they have alzheimer's and heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and they've heard that biomedical research offers hope -- that it could control, maybe even cure, their disease. senator barbara mikulski understands the importance of innovative biomedical research for patients, their families, and our economy here in maryland. call senator mikulski today.

tell her thanks for protecting the promise of biomedical research and the maryland jobs it provides. it's not just the future. it's life.

>> she still goes over to the spot where her mother was killed. >> they put bull attacks more than a dozen of its animals, killing several of them. last week, we brought you the story where several farm animals were attacked by a pit bull. the pit bull has since then it euthanize. now, county officials are getting involved. >> at this ranch, all kinds of animals called this place home. >> animals that have been abused, neglected, mistreated, thrown away by their owners. >> on july 12, there is safe haven was violated when a neighbor's paintball to jump over the fence. -- pat ball jumped over the

fence. >> she actually still goes over to the spot where her mother was killed and scratches in the dirt like if she can smell her. >this was a hole. all of the dead tissue was scratched away. >> now there is a plan to create a citizens advisory board. county executive john leopold is looking to create a committee within the next 45 days that would focus on a variety of animal issues. >> hopefully lead them on the right path so we can avoid abuse of animals in the future. >> it is what i have wanted it for ever, to get some acknowledgment so they can get help and so people can start turning in cases of abuse. >> the animals are all feeling

well. need meet jesse james. the support has been amazing. >> that has been the best. on one weekend, i think i got almost 700 e-mail's. >> here is a look at some of our other top stories. the twin brothers accused of setting a pit bull on fire made their first day pleaded not guilty to charges. they are being tried as adults in that case. they face a separate juvenile hearing on the animal cruelty case. a new trial date has been set for baltimore mayor sheila dixon. it is now on november 9 for charges of the theft and perjury.

a delay was necessary after prosecutors obtained a new indictment, including new evidence against the mayor and restoring perjury charges that had been thrown out an emotional family reunion today for the two american journalists jailed euna lee. euna lee and laura ling were greeted by president bill clinton who helped secure their release. >> the senate is debating whether to approve judge sonia sotomayor as the first hispanic on the supreme court. she is expected to be confirmed by the opposition is mounting. >> confirm her now. >> had a rally, lawmakers, the city -- civil rights groups and others urged the senate to say yes for the confirmation.

>> she is not only an excellent choice, she is the right choice. >> democrats and republicans took turns out debating her record. mostly, they debated whether she would be feared. >> i am troubled by her decisions. >> at least 20 republicans say they will vote against her. >> i am not sure she will set aside her personal judgments and abuse. >> she should have been commended for that statement, not criticized. what is wrong with a little pride? >> not on the high court, critics say, where is all about applying the law. >> i do not believe that the constitution tells me that i should refuse to support her merely because i disagree with her on some cases. i will support her, and be proud

for her. >> but he is not seeking reelection next year. >> i hope they will vote on the right side of history because this is a vote that will matter and be long remembered by our latino community. >> the final vote is expected to happen on thursday. >> also, a baltimore woman's hope of installing a wind turbine on the roof of her home has been dashed. they voted 4-1 against the wind turbine. marsha vitow hoped to install the wind turbine. but some of her neighbors complained, saying it was too big and would ruin their rooftop views. it moohelp is coming in for the mounted police unit. many of our viewers came

forward, offering donations. they need to hundred thousand dollars to maintain operations and they are nowhere near that goal. it is the oldest continuously operating mounted police unit in the united states. >> still ahead, there is one business that is up in this down the economy. at birth control sales are on the rise. >> any time. pay at forward. >> a couple tries to ease the stress of the recession with ugs. >> the governor opens an electronic suggestion box explain.

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>> some tense moments this morning for two window washers in boston. they became trapped on a hanging platform 37 stories up. they were not hurt. >> city leaders in dallas hope a

need for groceries with entice gun owners to turn in their weapons. the mayor and the police department is teaming up for eight buyback event. the city hall hopes to double the amount by offering a 50 other grocery card for each operating on loaded firearm turned in. >> to people are trying to save the world one hug at a time. sandy and david had made it their mission to share hugs threw out their town. -- throughout their town. >> find somebody to hug, and you will know what it feels like. it is just sharing time with a person. >> it is just like a smile.

>> hugs do feel good. they admit that they are not always greeted open arms but they just asked that they just pass it on. >> still ahead -- >> put your hands behind your back. >> ow. a suspect taser not once but three times. >> we thought the payments were going to go down. >> a family is out of money and soon out of the home as well. >> hd doppler shows brain up in pennsylvania but so far, all missing the state of maryland. 82 down at airport

>> here is a look of what we are working on for 6:00. >> do you have any bright ideas for the state budget problem? >> the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end. now, we stand here, home and free. >> two u.s. journalists in prison in north korea are back on american soil. those stories and more it hard to breathe.oin us t but now that i'm breathing better with advair... i can enjoy the zoo with my grandkids. (announcer) for people with copd including chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or both, great news. advair helps significantly improve lung function. while nothing can reverse copd, advair is different from most other medications because it contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator

working together to help you breathe better. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. we had a great day, grandpa! we sure did. ask your doctor how advair helps improve lung function for better breathing. (announcer) find out how to get your first full prescription free at advaircopd.com. >> the national police fired a taser at a suspect once, twice, and then three times and the suspect did not stay down.

>> put your hands behind your back. >> police asked the suspect to fall to the ground and number of times, but refused. with a taser gun drawn, please activate the camera on that taser, and then one of the officers fired the gun at him. >> get down on the ground. >> it temporarily stunned him and but -- but then he gets up like nothing happened. a second probe is fired by the officer. even after a third burst, there is no defect. metro police how often a person is a tasered is up to the

officer. >> he and eventually walks inside of the restaurant. another powerful weapon works. thankfully, talking and diplomacy worked. the officers did not have to go hands on. they did not want to fight him. >> just last week, a new stun gun was unveiled. >> now, your 11 insta-weather plus forecast with tom tasselmyer. >> we have two whether elements trying to move it into the region. a front is coming down out of pennsylvania, producing some thunderstorms in the metro nyc area, but those storms are minimal. then an area of low pressure is developing to the south.

that will have an impact on the southern and eastern maryland it tomorrow. neither of them so far are putting anything in the rain gauge here in baltimore. the same thing at the inner harbor. 85 degrees for the high today, two below the normal. 104 on this day back in 1930. it is warm down at ocean city where is 92 degrees. 86 in easton. westminster is at 82. high elevation and clouds have some areas quite cool. a couple of scattered showers are trying to move and as the front drops out of pennsylvania. the showers are scattered in

nature and not a lot of areas will get hit tonight. our grain chances will increase as that southwest low pressure system comes our way. radar confirms that with heavy showers and storms swirling into southwest virginia. that area of low pressure will be passing through tomorrow. western maryland will start to get into some high-pressure. tomorrow night, the storm moves off of the mid atlantic. a lot of sunshine for friday, probably a mostly sunny day on saturday as well, but the deeper we go into the weekend, the heat gets cranked up a little more. the temperatures will stay below normal because of the showers and clouds moving through.

on the chesapeake, average waves around 1 foot. 83 degree water temperature at the harbor. the seven-day forecast, 81, clouds, and showers tomorrow. we have a 50/50 chance tomorrow. sunny skies on friday, and then warming up over the weekend. up to 95 on sunday and monday. >> lenders are lagging when it comes to helping struggling homeowners through the program to help ease the crisis. only 9% of eligible borrowers have seen their mortgage payments reduced with modified loans. lenders such as bank of america and wells fargo lagged far behind government expectations

even though both banks received billions in a bailout money. desperate homeowners are looking for help wherever they can get it but some are finding themselves in a atrap. loan modification scams are throughout the country. >> we do not know what we are going to do, where we are going to go, and what we are going to do. >> all that is left inside are four plastic chairs. they sold everything just to stay afloat. >> when we come home, we have to sleep on the floor. >> they got a letter in the mail from their mortgage company, saying they qualified for a loan modification. it would lower the monthly payments on their home by $1,500. >> we were happy that the payments were going to go down. >> these are tough times, and

foreclosures are up. many people are offering to help lower your payments. patricia called the malar right away. >> the worst thing would be to respond to an unsolicited advertisement. >> struggling homeowners are vulnerable to scam artists. the california department of real-estate is investigating nearly 800 cases of loan modification fraud compared to just 10 last year. >> this is a serious problem. when people become desperate, there are hustlers and scam artists. >> the people she thought were from her bank were really a group of scammers that were just pocketing her money. >> they took everything over there. we will not be able to get a

penny back. >> patricia kennedy and her husband sent the bogus company about $14,000, although what they did not realize they were falling behind on their real payments. by the time they found out, it was too late. more bad news concerning air travel. airlines had a combined on-time arrival rate of just 76%. conner had the worst on-time arrival rate. the most frequent reasons from airlines for flight delays in june it included airport congestion, the equipment problems, and the weather. >> after eight seasons on "american idol," paula abdul says she is done. producers say she has been an important part of the show.

before you take out the kleenex, insiders say this could be a negotiating ploy, so stay tuned. some 40,000 people turned out to pay tribute. 50,000 bottles of wine were used to celebrate the birth of a saint. the festival has been held every year since 1957. that is a party. >> i have never heard of that st. still ahead, a group comes out in favor of president obama's health care plan. its suggestions on ways to cut down on health care costs. >> a lot of my friends are waiting, definitely. >> the recession is being blamed for a baby bust.

some couples are deciding

>> one thing appears to be booming. it is the birth control market. >> between the hit reality tv show and the never ending octo- mom drama, you would think most

of us are dying to have kids right now, but not according to this prospective mother. >> a lot of my friends are waiting, definitely. >> one published report says the average family will spend $5,500 a year out of pocket during the baby's first two years. doctors who deal with pregnancies say patients are more concerned about costs. >> i have noted that people take the decision is seriously. >> and magazine reports sales of condoms and the morning after pill jumped 10% in the first quarter of 2009. >> as women get older, the likelihood of getting pregnant decreases.

>> potentially making the process more expensive by waiting. that baby may cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars with college but -- >> it is nice what you get in the end. >> perfect and priceless. >> and expensive. it is probably not until next year until we have the data to see if there is a real baby bust going on. that is all for us at 5:00. >> how you could help balance the state budget, details of our trade ahead. >> the newly renovated stadium is vandalized by students at a rival high school. >> a homecoming for american journalists imprisoned in north korea. we will have the latest. [captioning made possible by

constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> this is wbal tv 11 news at 6:00. >> baltimore mayor sheila dixon is set to go on trial in november of four charges of theft and perjury. >> she is accused of stealing gift cards intended for needy families and lying about gifts from her former boyfriend, abide the attorneys say they intend to have the charges thrown out. john sherman joins us live with details. >> the mayor's first and that meant the end of the emotions surrounding it has been declared moot today. a new indictment is now creating a new schedule. >> we hope the trial date will go on november 9. >> he is still optimistic that >> he is still optimistic that