at 6:00. 2009 is an historic year for america. the senate confirmed judge sonia sotomayor to that supreme court. >> she will become the first hispanic to serve on the high court. we begin on capitol hill tonight. >> today's centistoke -- senate vote comes today. >> the nomination of sonia sotomayor of new york to be an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states is confirmed. >> an historic moment capitol hill as senators voted to confirm judge sonia sotomayor as the first latina's supreme court justice. >> this is a wonderful day for judge sotomayor and her family. i also think it is a wonderful day for america. >> president obama's first

supreme court pick was widely -- critics repeatedly questioned her impartiality. thursday's final debate, the return to the president's comment that he wanted a just as with into the spirit >> the power to rule on empathy is the power to rule on prejudice. >> unfortunately, judge sotomayor's speeches and writings reveal a judicial philosophy that highlights the importance of personal preferences and believes. >> her supporters fired back. >> there is no record of her substituting her personal views for the law. cracks in the end, republicans crossed the aisle to vote for her. >> it is clear to me she is qualified to serve as the next associate justice of the supreme court. >> she will be sworn in on saturday in two ceremonies, a private one for family, and a public one in which television cameras will be allowed for the first time.

>> we want to get an update on a developing story from baltimore city. a woman was killed around 3:15 this afternoon after an accident near north calhoun and lexington street in west baltimore. john sherman is following the story. he is live from the scene with the late breaking details. >> this is the intersection where the accident took place, and off to the left is where the suspect vehicle ended up, almost 50 or 60 yards away from the accident. police said that car had just been involved in a carjacking and was spotted by members of the regional of a task force. the pursuit was called off because the car was behaving to radically. >> officers were not pursuing the car at the time of the crash. they got the alert that there was an armed carjacking, but based on the way the driver reacted when he saw the police, he drove erratically and out of

control. they broke it off, but he continued on, and it ended in a fatal collision. >> this is what was left behind when that in affinity that was being pursued by the police smashed into of car being driven by a woman. they estimate it was going 80- 130 miles an hour just before the impact. the woman's car flipped several times. the suspect was originally spotted near m.l. k and mulberry street. the suspect has minor injuries and is in custody. the woman who randomly drove into this is dead. >> center barbara mikulski was one of the eight votes for just sotomayor it this afternoon. she sent -- she returned to capitol hill after breaking her ankle two weeks ago. melissa carlson joins us with more. >> she spent most of our time

talking about issues facing the senate and her constituents. >> she now has three very important tools to add to hurt supplies, her wheelchair, her black very, and her air cast. >> i now have this boot that the doctor convinced me would be a very therapeutic. i saw it as a way of kicking butt. >> she is not letting her broken and dislocated ankle get in her way of work. >> i will be voting for judge sotomayor to take her place on the supreme court. my vote will be cast for her, because i believe she has the right judicial experience. >> the senator said she has been keeping her eye on other major developments like "cash-for- clunkers" nearly running out of gas, and how the department of homeland security will release additional visas for workers, offering relief for maryland crabbers.

>> i am so relieved that they found 20,000 of the special bezos. --. visas so they can come and help us through this season with our seafood industry. >> she also says if it were not for her care, she would not have been able to get back to work so quickly. >> to the 20% of marylanders who do not have health insurance, i am going to work hard to ensure that you get it. for the other 80%, if you like the insurance you have, i will work very hard for you to be able to keep it. >> she is now in intensive physical therapy. she tells us is one of the only places where she is the one taking orders. >> it is good to see her up and

about. $4 billion is in the pipeline for maryland. yours ask us to look at how many jobs have been created from those funds. david, what did you find out? >> according to figures just released by the o'malley administration, recover money has created 2246 new jobs, prompting some to say, why not more? although $4 billion in the pipeline, the state has only received one-third of that amount. >> this is one of the shuttle ready projects -- shovel-ready projects. >> jason believes the money is working. >> the father of three had been unemployed until this job recently came through. he and at least 20 others on this project are bringing home a paycheck instead of collecting

unemployment. still, many question whether the stimulus money is actually helping. we asked an adjunct professor of finance at johns hopkins to review stimulus money tracking data provided by the o'malley administration. >> it is helping the maryland economy. though we still have unemployment rising, it is rising at a reduced rate. >> as of july 31, a stimulus funds helped create to thousand 264 jobs in maryland. the problem is, the number of new unemployment claims as of july 25 is much greater, at 5023. >> even with 5000 new claims, the politicians and the government will argue that it would have been 10,000 without the stimulus. >> state officials say there were 115 highway projects. 97 are open for bids. 73 have been given notice to proceed, and 29 is under -- are under construction.

only four hundred $68,000 has actually been disbursed. -- $468,000. so far, the state has received three installments of $477 million. >> why is it trickling in instead of flowing? >> basically you need congressional approval to get the money, then you have to figure out how the money is to be dispensed. next the stimulus money may not be flowing as fast as advertised, but those on the receiving end are grateful. >> more information on how the money is being spent in maryland can be found on the web. >> it seems even in a tough economy, one organization is still providing students with

money to go to college. not stimulus money, it all comes from private donations. >> this story really shows that despite what is going on in the economy, miracles continue to happen. students who normally would not be able to go to universities gotowson are now being given the chance to pursue their dreams, thanks to some very special dollars and an organization. >> thursday afternoon there were plenty of reasons to celebrate at a luncheon for that central scholarship bureaus anniversary. these 200 students are splitting $1 million in grants and interest-free loans, thanks to the bureau. >> it would not be for these organizations, i would not be able to go at all. >> zachary says his parents have been working double shifts to cover his education, and thanks to his grants, he will be able to graduate. >> between that and the other

scholarships i have been able to receive, it has pretty much paid for my school. >> leeland it needed $20,000 to go to school, and the bureau awarded him what he needed. >> i was lucky enough to have the opportunity to accomplish this. i am going to see it through. >> the center of scholarship bureau began in 1924 and runs completely on donations. requirements include at least a 3.0 grade point average and maximum family income of $90,000. students they go to any accredited college in the united states. the story is amazing, considering the economy. the bulk of donations came before the economy's slide, and now that more than ever, they need to continue funding. >> we have 2000 that we had to

turn away. >> for those who did make the cut, the money is well appreciated. >> without this program, i would not be a college. >> despite its success, the bureau still needs help. anyone who would like more information on how to donate or information for themselves or their children, we have a link at our website, wbaltv.com. >> still ahead, it is the final act for the baltimore opera company. that story is coming up. >> on the day wednesday dogg brings playful atmosphere to training camp, john harbaugh talks about who will not play beginning next week. >> rate is still falling on the coast, but skies are clearing west of the bay. how hot the weekend could turn out to be. the seem smooth and strong to irreversible damage. no different. irreversible loss of enamel. enamel shield enamel loss by forming against acid attack. toothpastes dentists check most. save your enamel. be gone for good. enamel shield. with the rinse.

>> for those who love the opera, today is a sad day. after 58 years of bringing world-class opera to baltimore cities, the building was sold to a new owner. >> the baltimore opera companies where house was sold at auction today. -- the warehouse was sold here grex this huge warehouse is called msoc. it was the heart of the baltimore opera company. in this huge warehouses where the sets were built and where the costumes were made. it is where they would rehearse the shows. >> we are diagonally across the street from the jail. driving by, you have no idea what is going on inside.

we had world-famous opera stars that would feel good singing at the met or down in washington, but they would come here because we were such a significant organization. this is really where everything was done. >> throughout the building, there are old sets, props, all from operas of the past. >> today is a very sad day. it has been going on for a long time, but the opera company -- this is the final chapter in that organization. >> today, the warehouse was put on the auction block. one of those here at the auction was the opera's general manager. >> is a feeling of sadness that this will be the final step in the demise of the opera. i just hope that we can raise enough money from the sale that it will help to give money to creditors who have been so gracious with us all these years.

>> when it was all said and done, the building was sold. >> third and final call at $775,000. >> there is a lot of potential here, which i am not going to go into. that is it. >> after 58 years, it is the final curtain for the baltimore opera company. >> now, you are 11 insta-weather plus forecast. >> the doppler shows the last of the room -- last of the rain moving off the mid-atlantic coast. most of the state is showing signs of drying out. we did not get a lot of rain here in baltimore from the system. the clouds and showers kept the temperature down. the normal is 87. officially at the airport it was 77.

we were way below the record high. with the skies clearing and the winds turning to the northwest, these temperatures local law even more overnight. it is warmer out west for the had some sunshine, but quite cool in central and eastern maryland. the chargers in the north and west or in the 40's this morning. -- temperatures in the north and west were in the 40's this morning. a cool dry air mass is invading the state. 65 downtown and the bay. high pressure comes in, and that makes for some nice, midsummer weather, comfortably cool tonight and very pleasant tomorrow. on saturday we will see more cloud cover in response to a warm front building across the region. that will have a major impact on temperatures the second half of the weekend.

with the humidity staying low, a very pleasant friday. average waves around 1 foot. out west, after a sunny day today, they will do it again tomorrow. near deep creek lake, sunny and 75. down at ocean city tomorrow, we will see partly cloudy skies with high temperatures of 81. 84 tomorrow, a little warmer saturday, and a little more humid. during the evening, a chance for a thunderstorm north of baltimore. then crank up the. -- crank up the heat. thunderstorms arrive again next tuesday. >> in westminster, just one week out from the start of preseason.

injuries remain a concern in canada. john hargrove says that ray clayton may miss a couple of preseason games because of his hamstring energy. they expect to have him back in time for the season opener of september 13. there is an air of confidence on offense, and not just for the second year quarterback. ray rice looks quick and strong. early in camp, the offense is passing a big test against the reagan's defense. -- the ravens defense. >> i think we will be able to complement our defense. when they are stopping guys, we have to help them out.

that is football, and that will be this team. the town of baltimore will be loving us. >> not only did they have perfect weather conditions for camp today, they had perfect entertainment. snoop dog was perfog was perforg in town last night. john harbaugh admittedly it does not know a lot of snoop's music, but he knows a fun diversion when it shows up on the sideline. >> you could tell that he is an entertainer. he was expanding. it was fun.

>> you never know who will show up at training camp. pete gilbert has more on the orioles. >> the orioles wrapup before game streak in detroit. david hernandez had a great july 4. the tigers did for in the inning. the orioles mel little in a way of a counter-offensive. the orioles' next head to toronto for a three game series starting on friday. we would check the forecast coming up right after this.

>> here is a look at what we are

working on for 11:00. friends are not giving up on the search for a person who shot and killed a baltimore county liquor store owner. someone stepped up to raise the award for information leading to an arrest. we continue to follow the story of a carjacking that leads to a deadly accident. tonight, what we know about the suspect and victim. that, bless more on the passing that, bless more on the passing

when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and powering those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. trusted everywhere. look for new duracell ultra advanced now with even more power to protect.

>> it will be unusually cold tonight, so open up the windows and enjoy this pleasant break in the summer. alito 80's with low humidity and sunshine tomorrow. most of saturday stays dry. a storm a pop-up north of baltimore as it turns warmer. the storm saturday or on the edge of a warm front. we will go to the upper 90's on sunday and monday, and the humidity will make it feel even hotter. august is here, and here come the heat and humidity. >> is that punishment for today's dies weather? >> just for you. >> thank you for joining us. nbc nightly news is next. we will see you back here at 11:00. >> have a great evening. (announcer) when verizon brings

100% fiber optics straight to your home, it also brings first-class entertainment with picture quality pc world calls "razor-sharp," america's top-rated internet, and crystal clear phone, all for just... you can also get channel variety cable can't match. plus additional packages are available with over 115 hd channels and over 15,000 titles on demand per month. what else does fios bring that cable doesn't? how about easy-to-use on screen widgets that offer instant updates on local traffic,

news, weather and more. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v today to order fios tv, internet and phone for just... that's like getting all three amazing fios services for the price of two. and now get even faster internet speeds. plus, ask about our free wi-fi with thousands of hotspots nationwide. to get amazing tv, blazing fast internet, and phone at this incredible low price call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v today.