across the atlantic ocean. >> 120,000 pairs of nike sneakers, 500,000 counterfeit coach handbags, 10,000 pairs of counterfeit coach and gucci shoes and counterfeit cartier wrist watches. >> investigators set up a sting operation starting in 2008, sitting officers undercover to bust in the ring. they allegedly got the goods in asian countries. >> federal officials say except that is not the only reason americans should be glad this illegal operation was stopped. >> first, it robs americans of

jobs and innovation. second, it fuels organized crime. third, it creates a serious public safety risk to ordinary americans and consumers. exit convicted, those charged could have to pay back the monetary value of those goods. they also are facing several decades in prison. >> it has been 10 days since a six-week old head was taught -- schaub was hospitalized with head traumas. -- 10 days since a six week old child was hospitalized with head trauma. police say she was admitted on march 9, where the job remains in critical condition tonight. >> in annapolis, house delegates gave preliminary approval to legislation that would put a convicted child sex offenders in jail longer without the possibility of parole. the measure is part of a package

of get-tough measures working their way through the general assembly. david collins joins us live from annapolis with more. >> thanks to quick action by the house, chalk one up for the good guys, but this is far from a done deal. convicted child sex offenders face a minimum of 15 years in prison without the possibility of parole. >> let's go to list no. 8. greg's the measure is a product of intense committee conversation. those convicted of second-degree rape are sex offense of a child 13 are under we get a mandatory 50 years in jail. this enhancement of maryland's

version of jessica's lopping got a big push from jessup's dad. -- from jessica's dad. jessica was kidnapped from her florida home and she was raped and buried alive. >> the last thing i want you to see in your life is your own job being dug up out of the ground after she was stuffed into a trash bag alive and buried alive. >> the house gave final approval on the other sex offender in bills. sadly, it took the kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old last christmas to get lawmakers attention. the suspect registered as a violent sex offender in delaware, but his status was not

reported the same way in maryland. scrutiny in that case uncovered other legal loopholes and revealed some laws were actually being ignored. >> this is a very different concept. >> the sex offender laws have not yet made to the senate floor. there is concern the committee will not act in time. >> you want to be fair to everybody. people are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. texas senate committee will vote on the same reform bills next week. -- >> a senate committee will vote on the same reform bills next week. >> democrats are cautiously celebrating what they assume will be a victory on health care reform. >> the big health care reform vote is still at least two days away, but president obama held what looked like a victory rally in virginia.

>> toughest insurance reforms in history. one of the biggest deficit reduction plans and history, and the opportunity to give millions of people for the first time in a very long time to get affordable health care. >> an ohio democrat who was a no vote today focused on the uninsured. >> 39,000 people in my congressional district who do not have health care insurance. >> today, a flip to the obama side. >> yes, i will be voting yes for the bill. >> some republican governors might sue to try to stop health care reform. >> it has been referred to as federal crack. you get addicted to it, and is hard to get off. >> repealing the obama plan looks tough. >> president will veto any attempt at repeal, and it will

be near impossible to overcome that two-thirds vote that is required to override a presidential veto. >> is a messy prospect, frustrating and ugly, but he thinks he is about to win. a senior democrat admits that could still lose health care reform, but not much of a chance. >> turning to the weather, we have had an absolutely gorgeous week. the question tonight, can we keep that going through the weekend? >> it would sure be nice. you have to think of it as perfect weather. sunny skies, blue skies, sunshine all wrong. temperatures in the low 70's with low -- sunshine and all are around. upper 60's all around the beltway and across the bay.

beautiful conditions. western maryland a little, chilly side but still comparable period look at the satellite imagery. clear skies all across the region. there is no falling in denver and colorado springs and, and that front is heading this way. we will check out the forecast, coming up in a little bit. >> this morning, the maryland jockey club announced plans for this will -- this year's preakness infield fast. >> there will be musical entertainment from some of the best in the business. >> it is going to be a big deal, they tell us. there'll be live music. there will be a beer garden. there will be all kinds of entertainment, like beach volleyball, but once again, if you want to bring your beer or alcohol into the preakness into

the infield, you will not be able to do so. they changed the rules for the infield at the preakness last year. you could not bring in beer or other alcohol, and although it kept the attendance down, it also kept fighting and other problems down as well. >> we took a hit attendance laws, and we expected that. it was probably more than we anticipated, but it was turning into a little too much, so we toned it down. we want the preakness to be a memorable event, highlighted by the middle jewel of the triple crown. >> this year the headliners will be grammy award winner at zack brown band. platinum selling group oar.

along with lots of other entertainment. there will be bikini contest, volleyball games, corn whole tournament, and bans on in the second stage. the sermon on the grandstand says the people's race, the people's party, and track officials hope it will be a big success. the gates open at 8:00. it is a marathon, not a sprint. we are trying to make it more of a fun filled atmosphere rather than the stuff that was going on a few years ago. >> the preakness is just 58 days away. >> coming up tonight, we will take a look back at the life of charles john chick lang. he was the longtime head of pimlico race course and really helped make the preakness a much washed event for sports fans around the country.

more on his life tonight. >> march madness a rise for the state of maryland today. oregon state tipped off festivities today as the bears led to upset the west virginia now nears. here is pete gilbert. -- the west virginia mountaineers. >> the dream look like a reality the first couple of minutes of the game. the bears scored the first 10 points of the contest and held a lead at the first half. but the mountaineers' caught fire just as morgan fell apart. west virginia poured it on for the second half. almost instantly, the mountaineers went up 20 and never look back. morgan state fell, 77-50, ending the season for the bears. the season with the most

division one wins in the school history. >> i am just proud of them. i am sad to see these two guys leave. reggie has been here since the first practice at morgan. i just got emotional at the end. it is like watching one of your kids go away to school or leave the house. >> we never quit, even though we never lost. we still have not quit today. >> mary lynn a big favorite facing houston, but if we have learned anything, favoritism means very little. >> terps need the best from their best. the player of the year has all the stats and awards as a all tom blair of maryland. -- all-time player of maryland. >> to get us to work and play our best, which is leadership.

>> we are all pretty close to coach. we are going to play our best and do our best and put everything we have out there on the court. >> enjoy the madness. >> terps play the university of houston tonight. >> did you double check your lottery tickets from last night? you might be the winner of one of the largest multi match jackpots in history. >> addressing concerns over artificial sweeteners, what you should know about your sugar substitute of choice. >> i picked it up, and i did not have to say hello. he said, how do you feel about what just happened to you? >> it is called the grandson scammed, and it cost his family thousands. what to look for so it does not

happen to you. >> the navy hospital ship has returned after its mission to haiti. haiti.

>> it is time to check your lottery tickets from last night, especially if you live in and around the county. -- if you live in and around account. the numbers. 1-3-5-17-26-40. players may win by matching numbers on one line, but to win the big jackpot, players must match all six numbers on one line. >> researchers at vanderbilt university say they are zeroing in on the most effective ways of treating likes most threatening strokes. doctors had several options when it comes to treating ischemic strokes, which are caused by blockages in a blood vessel. researchers looked at the success rate of all the treatment techniques.

the two most effective techniques were placing stents and clot breaking drugs and directly into the brain. the average american eats about 20 teaspoons of sugar a day, about 300 calories just from sodas, processed foods, and sweet. that is the main argument for that use a process sweeteners, but is there a cost to your health? >> a trip to the grocery store can be overwhelming. there is the basic ingredient with one product, sugar. samantha writer says additives mimicking the taste of sugar are saved, and heavily researched by the food and drug and ministration. >> if it is fta approved, we try to have some kind of assurance that it is generally considered

safe for the consumer. >> concerns over the safety of artificial sweeteners come from people reporting headaches, chronic fatigue, and even links to cancer and some chemicals used in nutrasweet and most diet drinks. large studies have not been able to prove detrimental effect, except in people with a rare condition called pku, and some pregnant women. >> some of those things can cross over to the placenta, so there is discretion to be used. >> i like aspartame, others are at -- on like aspartame, others can be used in cooking. >> if you are using stevia products, is 300 times sweeter than sugar, and there are some complaints of an aftertaste.

>> them a taste good and cold items like yogurt and cereals, but it can leave an aftertaste in hot items. >> the general consensus is that artificial sweeteners are harmless when consumed in moderation. low-calorie additives will not make you thinner or kirby appetite, but they might keep you from consuming sugar field products with empty calories that are converted into fat. >> i like the stevia products. just because something says it is sugarfree on the label does not make it more healthy. most of the time, the makers of the products have had to up the fat levels to keep the flavor good. how some major food makers are reducing sugar and sodium in their food, and the latest on the effort to restrict junk food at schools. that is coming up later tonight at 5:30. >> it was a little on the chilly

side early this morning, some frost in some of the outlying suburbs. 43 down at the airport, 34 in charleston, west virginia. near freezing as you headed northbound into new england and south to richmond. lots of sunshine and warm up this afternoon. around 70 in the central part of the state, 72 right now in cambridge, 72 in downtown baltimore. colombia checks in at 69 degrees. clear skies all across the region. a couple more hours to enjoy this beautiful weather pattern, and then temperatures will quickly fall before tomorrow morning. closer to 50 degrees for the

load tonight in downtown baltimore. there you see the beautiful weather pattern on the satellite imagery. the low pressure getting farther offshore and away from us. a front slicing through chicago and back toward the plains states and into the southern rockies divides spring from winter. it is a cold and snowy and wintry final day of winter across the central plains into the front range of the rockies in colorado. 29 degrees right now in colorado springs. snow stretches all along the cold side of that fraud into western kansas and colorado. -- of that front. it will be slowly moving in our direction as the weekend moves along. temperatures back up around 70 tomorrow. a few more clouds on sunday, and

there may be a few light showers and sprinkles as we get into sunday night. during the day, it will be a beautiful first full day of spring on sunday. then the front off to the west moves closer. rate is likely on monday, probably for the morning rush- hour. some of the showers may linger into tuesday. we have one more picture perfect day, 68-73 tomorrow. the girl equinoxes, the beginning of spring tomorrow afternoon -- the purnell equinox -- vernal equinox tomorrow afternoon. it will be chilly on the beach at oaks in city -- ocean city. a 1 foot shot on the bay tomorrow.

the forecast, 70 tomorrow, 70 on sunday, but more clout sunday and may be a 20% chance of an evening shower. on monday, the rain is likely, with showers inning on tuesday. temperatures kickback closer to normal as we head to the middle of next week. >> it was supposed to get him ready for the tour de france, but less armstrong is pulling out of the milan race. hey, what's this?

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cracks after two months off the coast of haiti, the usns comfort is finally home in baltimore. >> the mission in haiti marks the first time the comfort reached its full operational capacity. lowell melser works joins us live tonight. they must be so happy to be home. >> they are very happy, after it 60 days at sea. the usns comfort is finally back at home in baltimore. i got to spend about two weeks on board. it was great to catch up with some of the friends i met on

board and hear about the operations going on there. today was really all about the family's welcoming their loved one's home. as the usns comfort near the canton base friday, most of the crew got off in no. 0 last week. there are still about 150 naval personnel on board who were given a hero's welcome by their families, friends, and even schoolchildren from st. ambrose catholic school in baltimore. >> we thought we should come here to welcome them, because they have done a double shock. >> then the magical moment happen, after more than 60 days apart. the reunion's pop up all around you. as soon as loved ones are spotted, the chase is on. comfort level baltimore back on

january 16 and took four days to get to haiti. we were embedded on board and got to see firsthand the intense workload as a capacity crew took on treating 900 patients and performing 850 surgeries. for many, the memories will last a lifetime. >> it was amazing to see the people smile. >> the work of the usns comfort is far from over. it is slated for another humanitarian mission sometime in the year 2011, only next year. it is rumored they will likely make a stop in haiti. coming up at 6:00, why this particular oncoming was bittersweet for many on board. we are live at the port of baltimore.

>> still ahead, while less armstrong will miss the opening single day classic. >> why toyota and federal officials say the car would not stop. >> we have you need to know if we don't know how big our community is, how do we know how big our hospitals need to be? the census helps us know exactly what we need, so everyone can get their fair share of funding. we can't move forward until you mail it back. 2010 census.

>> imagine getting a phone call in the middle of the night. you think it is one of your grandchildren saying they are in an emergency. you cannot hear them very well,

but decide to send the money to help them out of a jam. yet just been taken. there is a new scam that targets of the elderly. >> it is january 12, and she had just returned from an exercise class when the phone rang. sounded like one of her grandson's. >> he mumbled a few things. i really could not understand what he was saying. i said andrew, where are you? he said, i am in canada. >> it did not sound unusual for entry. >> and drew was a college student in new orleans, but had been in canada recently. >> it was absolutely his voice, as far as we were concerned. he said he was just hanging out with a few friends, and we got pulled over and they found drugs

on one of my friends, so we are all in jail. >> he made them promise not to tell his parents what happened, then handed the phone over to a man who said he was the police sgt. he was very helpful. >> he explain the charges were minor and would be dismissed at a hearing, but the important thing was that we had to pay -- we had to bail and drew out that same day, or he would have to stay in jail for several weeks. >> bail was set at $5,000. the sergeant kindly explain how to wire the money, two separate transactions of $2,500 each. they sent the money right away and waited for entered to call back. the next morning they got on the computer print. they were shocked when they saw this on the front page of the town's website, a warning about the grandson's scam.

they called their grandson's cellphone and confirm they had been taken. >> he said he was asleep in your lens. >> right where he was supposed to be. -- he said he was asleep in new orleans. >> we spoke with the royal canadian mounted police by phone. >> he says the emergency scam was popular a few years back and is now making a comeback. >> the con artists often use the internet to locate their victims. they can find out all kinds of information. >> they are going fishing. >> how you investigate this? >> it is difficult, because with the technology.

>> finding culprits can be like finding a needle in a haystack. the attorney-general says the victims have little recourse. >> reality is, there is very little chance of recovering this money. if there is a repeated scam, if the money goes from 5000 to 100,000, then the interest level goes up. >> they said they got no help from law enforcement and have accepted the fact that their $5,000 is gone. the scanners actually call them back to rub salt in the wound. >> i said, who is this? and he said, you know who this is. and i have the phone. and it rang again. i picked it up, and i did not even have to say hello. he said, how do you feel about

what just happened to you? >> how they feel is relieved their grandson is ok, but also a new sense of distrust of other people. >> canadian officials say more than one in 15 people fall for that scale, and they are warning people, never give our wire money based on an unverified phone call. we have posted the story on our website, wbaltv.com. >> here is a look at some of our other top stories. police are investigating a suspicious death in northwest baltimore. police found a man's body in a wooded area. at this point, they do not have much aggression to go on, but homicide detectives have been notified. police say an unidentified 25- year-old was walking on bellaire

road last night when one of them opened fire. the victim was hit several times and pronounced dead at hopkins hospital. police say both suspects fled the scene and remain at large tonight. police in howard county are looking into three smash and grab robberies at liquor stores this morning. the second took place at cherry tree liquors in fulton, and the last one was that village liquors in clarksville. >> tonight, several food manufacturers are announcing that they are reducing sodium and sugar in their products. at the same time, legislation is being considered to limit children's access to junk food in schools. tracy pot test the latest. >> lawmakers will vote on whether -- tracy potts has the latest.

>> we all need to step up. first lady michelle obama told food manufacturers they have got to do more. >> this is not about finding creative ways to market products as healthy. as you know, it is about producing products that actually are healthy. >> she is pushing for labels on the front of packages. >> i want more limited choice is for my children as they are learning to have the best behaviors. much different for a 30-year-old car a 50-year-old than saying we are going to lock up all the choices for you. >> grocery manufacturers say they killed pressure from consumers. >> consumers are among voting with their feet. and they go into the supermarket, they are looking for low-fat, low sugar, low sodium options. >> even this that industry is looking for options.

>> we are trying to develop products with higher at nutrient content and lower in fat and sodium. >> we still have a long way to go. the average american family spends almost twice as much on sweet and salty snacks as they do of fruits and vegetables. >> a sad turn in the investigation of a missing mother and son. >> how do you rent movies? the answer to that question could be partly to blame for the financial trusting -- for the financial troubles facing blockbuster. >> baltimore city and counties would split the cost of tld

>> the search is over form missing boys in washington d.c. after his body washed ashore on a beach. he was last seen alive when he and his mother left, to visit relatives. reports say they stopped and asked for directions, but they

never mated to their destination. earlier this week, the boy's father blew in from buffalo when he heard about the disappearance. the boy's mother is still missing. >> federal regulators inspecting the toyota price involved in the crash in new york say the driver was not breaking at the time of the crash, even though she told police that she was. information from the car's computer system indicates that at the time of the accident, the uproar was fully open and the brakes were not applied. technicians from toyota and the national highway safety ministration examine the record prius yesterday. lance armstrong has pulled out of the milan race saturday. team radio shack said it would not be a good idea to allow him

to start in the race of almost to utter miles while he is not healthy. it is the opening single-day classic of the cycling season, and one of the longest races of the year. armstrong has never won that race. >> still ahead, folks in the midwest are still keeping a close eye on the red river tonight. >> the projected crest has dropped a half foot, but denied that threat is not over. >> what is new for the preakness this year? a live report, coming up. cracks were spectacular weather on the way to start the weekend, then changes as we head into early next week. the forecast is coming up. the forecast is coming up.

how do we know how many town roads we need? the census helps us know exactly what we need, so everyone can get their fair share of funding. we can't move forward until you mail it back. 2010 census.

>> the man who helped make the preakness and much -- must watch event has passed away. in annapolis, a proposal to cut 500 government jobs. yet 6:00, the latest of more budget cuts. here she is... pretty cool, huh? yeah, but... what happened to the back there? well, here's the thing: this was the only "sporty two-seater" they had on my budget. uh-huh. and the seats go all the way back. (announcer) settling for less is not smart. what is smart is getting more car for your money at carmax. for the money you'd spend on a stripped down new car, you could get a fully loaded, guaranteed-quality used car at carmax. now more than ever, the smart choice is carmax. the way car buying should be.

>> it has been another tough day a around the midwest as floodwaters continued to go up. >> the water in the red river is well above the flood level. >> miles of sand bags for makeshift levies. backhoes and bulldozers staggered and play to try to stop the rising water. in some areas, prevented has given way to protection, a struggle that requires different tools. richard is ripping away the sheet rocky just replaced last year. it will make work easier when

things finally dry out. experience that comes with living on the edge of the red river. he expects three to 4 feet of standing water on the first four of his mother's house, a lot less than last year. right now, everything has been moved out or upstairs. waves push up against the front steps of the house, and there is water on every side. the basement is already full. >> we cannot buy another house. >> the city has bought out many of their neighbors, but they want or cannot leave. >> she is 89, and she wants to live out her life here. >> the water continues to climb year, well above 35 feet at this point. forecasters say it will crest on sunday, a few feet below last

year's record flood level. >> we are so lucky here. imagine the folks in denver. 29 degrees, with snow on the way, and spring beginning tomorrow. we are on a nice side of the front. it will last for another couple of days before the arrival of the colorado cold front getting here is sunday night are really into monday. until then, more of the same beautiful weather. this is the last day of winter. it was 71 at the airport, way above the normal high of 55. 78 degrees was the record high, 12 degrees the record low in 1876. the pollen count is high for

treat out -- for the treat talent. allergies may be peaking in. beautiful weather heading out toward the mountains. clear skies on the satellite imagery. cloud cover coming across the lakes, but for us it will be clear and dry. the temperature will drop quickly. down into the 30's in the outlying suburbs, but closer to 60 degrees in downtown baltimore. high pressure over the region stretches south to the gulf coast and pumps in the mild air. there is the front that divides spring on the side and winter on the west side. from the rockies to the midwest, it is cold and snowy. we will not get into the coldest part of the system, but we will

feel the change once the front rows by early next week. there is that snow line up, and even the texas panhandle has winter weather advisories in effect and snow is expected to push south into the texas panhandle over the weekend. for us, to amar should be just like today, a lot of sun and mild temperatures. there may be a few widely scattered showers trying to break out sunday evening, but during the day tomorrow and sunday, it should be great weather to be outside before the clouds pickup and the rain newsmen in time for the monday morning rush hour. snow down in the smoky mounds of western north carolina next week. the first day of spring tomorrow at 1:32 in the afternoon.

heading west, look for temperatures in the low 60's with sunny skies. 73 on in locations at eastern shore. still mild on sunday, then showers coming in late sunday night. breezy and cooler tuesday, and another front comes in toward the end of next week. >> breaking news, we have a problem on i-83. captain roy taylor is over the scene. >> south brown is 6 outbound i- 83, a crash involving two vehicles. there are injuries involved. the though in travel, but baltimore city fire crews have blocked off the ramp -- no injuries.

>> a warning for bank customers. pnc to cover national city bank in is in the process of merging customers to their system. some have reported thousands of dollars missing from their account. the company is not sure how large the problem is and does not know the cause, but lee's it happen before the changeover. problems or in cincinnati and northern kentucky area. we are looking yet the initial problems facing blockbuster. >> it is literally a sign of the times for blockbuster, a charlotte store that is part of the chain is closing this year. blockbuster announced voluntary

bankruptcy protection could be in the offing. >> that have close to a billion dollars in debt, and they need to get rid of that. >> is a corporate makeover that this eeo talked about earlier this month on cnbc. >> red box use this kiosk to offer $1 rentals. >> we are a little bit late vs. red box in the development of lending. >> blockbuster is also playing catch-up to netflix in the realm of d b mail delivery. >> in the future, it comes down to apple and amazon to compete on an individual basis. >> some offer movies for download or streaming directly

into the home. >> it is a wide open landscape. >> the company hopes brand recognition will help. >> the main street consumer understands what lobster is and what it stands for. -- what blockbuster is and what it stands for. >> meeting the challenge will determine its fate. >> still ahead, efforts at to close a hole in the state budget is putting the pressure on local governments. >> image smith, susan smith -- susan sarandon

>> perhaps loss was the debut of the new nbc show. >> it has got a very large audience. the show follows celebrities as they trace their ancestry, and there is a familiar face behind it all. >> are you familiar with susan sarandon? think you know sarah jessica parker? it turns out these and other celebrities barely knew themselves before the new family tree documentary series, "who do you think you are?" you may know the show's executive producer, but lisa kudrow set out to bring it to american shores.

>> there are ties to history that links us all. >> that killed all the jews intel, and my grandmother was one of them. >> want to start exploring the details, they are not strangers anymore. >> i have been wearing jersey no. 22 since college. therefore, the information we are looking for, to be locked in book 22, is kind of odd. >> forces and sarandon, that the goal was to unravel the mystery of a missing granddaughter. seven celebrities will map their ancestry and follow their path to foreign countries. >> when you uncover something, it leads to something else. >> there could be more episodes

next season. >> it airs friday night on nbc. you can catch it tonight at 8:00 right here on wbal-tv 11. everyone will get something out of this. >> here is a look at what is coming up new at 6:00. >> the usns comfort is back in baltimore once again. like today's homecoming was bittersweet for some. >> will democrats have the votes they need to pass health care reform? we will take a look, just ahead. >> state budget cutting proposals should some of the burden to the county. >> live, local, latebreaking. >> the usns comfort is